Comic Title: Superboy #173
Publisher: DC (National Periodical Publications, Inc.)
Address: 909 Third Avenue, New York, NY
Cover Date: April 1971
On Sale Date: February 16, 1971 Copyright Date February 16, 1971
Source: Library of Congress, Periodicals 1971


Frequency: Monthly, with the exception of Feb., Aug. and Nov.
Cover Price: $0.15
Page Count: 32
Editor: Murray Boltinoff

Title: "Trust Me or Kill Me"
Pages: 7

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

Writer: Cary Bates
Artist: George Tuska

Reprinted In:
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 10 HC (2000)
Showcase Presents:Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 TPB (2010)

Feature Character(s)

• Legion of Super-Heroes (last appearance in Superboy #172; next appearance in Superboy #176)
• Cosmic Boy (last appearance in Action Comics #392; next appearance in Superboy #176)
• Superboy (last appearance in Superboy #173; next appearance in Superboy #175)

Villain(s)

• Mordru (last appearance in Superman #213; next appearance in Superboy #188)
• A counterfeit Cosmic Boy (created by Mordru; no further appearances)

Cameo Appearance(s)

• Saturn Girl (as a picture on the monitor board)
• Phantom Girl (as a picture on the monitor board)
• Colossal Boy (as a picture on the monitor board)
• Star Boy (as a picture on the monitor board)
• Invisible Kid (as a picture on the monitor board)
• Sun Boy (as a picture on the monitor board)
• Bouncing Boy (as a picture on the monitor board)
• Timber Wolf (as a picture on the monitor board)
• Light Lass (as a picture on the monitor board and in flashback)
• Dream Girl (as a picture on the monitor board)
• Matter-Eater Lad (in flashback)
• Mon-El (in flashback)
• Pol Krinn (in flashback)

Synopsis:
When the rest of the Legion is temporarily off-world, Cosmic Boy is alone in Legion Headquarters. Suddenly a duplicate Cosmic Boy appears. Both claim to be authentic. Neither can stop the other. To settle the dispute, Cosmic Boy summons Superboy from the past.

When the Boy of Steel arrives, Mordru appears. He explains that the duplicate was his creation. If Superboy fails to identify the phony, it will kill the rest of the Legion. Questions fail to expose the fake Cosmic Boy, so Superboy arranges a test. He throws metallic meteors at both. Only one is able to deflect it. However, the meteors were actually plastic. The one who could not deflect the boulder is the real Cosmic Boy. The false version disappears proving that that Superboy has outwitted Mordru.