Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 5 HC
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 5 HC
Cover Credits
Artist: Mark Farmer

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Title: "The Execution of Matter-Eater Lad"
Pages: 17

Feature(s):
Legion of Super-Heroes (of Earth-1)

Writer: Edmond Hamilton
Penciller: Curt Swan
Inker: George Klein

Reprinted From:
Adventure Comics #345 (1966)

Feature Character(s)

Supporting Character(s)

Villain(s)

Other Character(s)

Cameo Appearance(s)

Comments:
Part 2: "Duo Damsel's Double-Play"

This story is continued from Adventure Comics #344.

Following this story, the Legion captures Dr. Mantis Morlo, as seen in flashback in Adventure Comics #362.

Synopsis:
As Nardo's force ray flashes towards them, Blockade Boy sacrifices himself by changing into a steel wall to deflect the ray from Matter-Eater Lad. The latter is stunned by the bolt, however, and Nardo decides to confine and execute him as an example to the other prisoners. All of this is viewed from far below by the female inmates of the second camp.

That night, at the boys' camp, Weight Wizard is summoned by Nardo. Secretly tracked by a miniature "flying ear" built by Brainiac 5, he reports on the activities of the other heroes, as Brainiac 5 listens in. When Weight Wizard returns, the others attack him in an attempt to scare him, but he eludes them, and an arriving Nardo punishes them by having them break rocks all day.

Weight Wizard now repents and escapes camp in hope of obtaining help against Nardo. Pursued by the villain and his androids, as he crosses a swamp on huge lily-pads, one of the flowers drags him inside it, and kills him with its poison gas.

Back at the camp, Nardo notices that Invisible Kid is missing. His third eye soon detects the Kid's invisible form, and he punishes him by using a force gun to neutralize his power and reduce him to flea size for six hours. Meanwhile, Saturn Girl mentally contacts Brainiac 5 from her camp with an escape scheme of her own.

Duo Damsel secretly splits, and that night, one of her twin selves escapes and reaches the boys' camp. Climbing into a tower, she flashes a light into the jungle to bring the guardbeasts called phanders charging.

The male Legionnaires encounter Nardo in the resulting confusion. Brainiac 5 uses a device to blow dust on him, and Element Lad then uses his power to change the dust to lead, which imprisons the villain in a lead sheath. Brainiac 5 also tape-records Nardo's voice and uses this to command the android guards to release the girl prisoners.

However, Nardo melts the sheath with heat vision from his third eye, and prepares to carry out Matter-Eater Lad's execution. As Matter-Eater Lad stands before an android firing squad, Superboy, Mon-El, and Ultra Boy suddenly arrive. Superboy deflects the guns' ray blast with his body, but it slides around him and hits his teammate. The androids are quickly overpowered, and Nardo is taken into custody.

As for Matter-Eater Lad, he still lives, but the rays' impact with Superboy's body altered their atomic particles so that they made him super-fat. When they return to the Clubhouse, Reservist Chuck Taine, formerly Bouncing Boy, notes Matter-Eater Lad's new shape with amusement.

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