Comic Title: Adventure Comics #500
Publisher: DC (DC Comics Inc.)
Address: 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
Cover Date: June 1983
On Sale Date: March 3, 1983 Newsstand Date March 3, 1983
Source: House Ad, Amazing Heroes #19, Page 17

Newsstand Date March 3, 1983
Source: Amazing Heroes, #20

Newsstand Date March 3, 1983
Source: Comic Reader, #209

Shipping Date February 8, 1983
Source: Comic Reader, #209

Copyright Date February 15, 1983
Source: Library of Congress, Copyright Office 1983
DC publication dates beyond April 1981 listed by the LoC
represent shipping dates NOT newsstand sale dates

Frequency: Monthly
Cover Price: $1.75
Page Count: 144
Editor: Nicola Cuti

See Also: The Guide to DC Giants

Title: "The Legion of Substitute Heroes"
Pages: 14

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

Writer: Edmond Hamilton
Artist: John Forte

Reprinted From:
Adventure Comics #306 (1963)

Feature Character(s)

• Legion of Super-Heroes (last appearance in Adventure Comics #305; next appearance in Adventure Comics #307)
• Cosmic Boy (last appearance in Adventure Comics #305; next appearance in Adventure Comics #307)
• Saturn Girl (last appearance in Adventure Comics #305; next appearance in Adventure Comics #307)
• Chameleon Boy (last appearance in Adventure Comics #305; next appearance in Adventure Comics #308)
• Colossal Boy (last appearance in Adventure Comics #305; next appearance in Adventure Comics #307)
• Brainiac 5 (last appearance in Adventure Comics #305; next appearance in Adventure Comics #307)
• Bouncing Boy (last appearance in Adventure Comics #305; next appearance in Adventure Comics #307)
• Sun Boy (last appearance in Adventure Comics #305; next appearance in Adventure Comics #307)
• Shrinking Violet (last appearance in Adventure Comics #305; next appearance in Adventure Comics #308)

Guest Star(s)

• Legion of Substitute Heroes (next appearance in Adventure Comics #311)
• Polar Boy (Brek Bannin; origin revealed; next appearance in Adventure Comics #311)
• Night Girl (Lydda Jath; origin revealed; next appearance in Adventure Comics #311)
• Stone Boy (Dag Wentim; origin revealed; next appearance in Adventure Comics #311)
• Fire Lad (Staq Mavlen; origin revealed; next appearance in Adventure Comics #311)
• Chlorophyll Kid (Ral Benem; origin revealed; next appearance in Adventure Comics #311)

Villain(s)

• The Plant Men (tree-like aliens; no further appearances)
• An unnamed criminal gang (no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• Dr. Jath (a scientist of planet Kathoon and Night Girl’s father; appears in flashback to Night Girl’s origin; no further appearances)
• Mr. and Mrs. Wentim (Stone Boy’s parents; both appear in flashback to Stone Boy’s origin; no further appearances)
• Stone Boy’s unnamed brother and sister (both appear in flashback to Stone Boy’s origin; no further appearances)
• Mr. and Mrs. Benem (Chlorophyll Kid’s parents; both appear in flashback to Chlorophyll Kid’s origin; no further appearances)
• A spaceship captain and three citizens of planet Tharr (no further appearances)
• Various citizens of 30th century Metropolis (no further appearances)
• An unnamed television newscaster and an unnamed pilot (no further appearances)
• An unnamed Science Police officer (no further appearances)
• Artificially-evolved sea monsters (no further appearances)

Comments:
The flashback to Night Girl’s origin in the second story of Superboy #212, in which Saturn Girl, Sun Boy, and Night Girl appear in between page 3, panels 5 and 6 of this story, also mistakenly depicts Lightning Lad, who cannot appear in the scene in question, since he is still in a death-like coma at this time.

Sun Boy’s name is misspelled "Sunboy" in this story.

Polar Boy is mistakenly called "Polar Lad" on the cover of this issue.

The Legion of Super-Heroes is mistakenly said to exist in the 21st century in this story.

It is revealed in this story that rejected Legion applicants receive anti-gravity belts as consolation prizes.

Synopsis:
Five rejected Legion applicants—Polar Boy, Night Girl, Stone Boy, Fire Lad, and Chlorophyll Kid—refuse to resign themselves to failure, and band together as the Legion of Substitute Heroes, secret pinch-hitters for the real Legion. Together, they build and equip a mountain headquarters, and keep tabs on their heroes. However, discouragement soon sets in as they find the Legionnaires competently handling any and all threats to Earth.

Eventually, though, when the Legion leaves the planet to combat a fleet of attacking robot ships, the Substitutes discover that these ships are merely a diversion and uncover a plot by the malevolent Plant Men to take over the Earth. Travelling to their home planet, the Substitutes thwart the Plant Men’s scheme, and return to Earth as secret heroes.