From the Vault: Adventure Comics #334

        The Comics Stars with the Legion visiting a planet by the name of Antares. Superboy asks the Legion to follow him. They follow him to a statue to the memory of a unknown Legion member called Unknown boy. Superboy states it brings back some memories and he adds that it was a great mystery-Adventure. Soon a flash back begins and the adventure begins on the Prison planetoid which holds the most dangerous lawbreakers from the system. The prison is surrounded by a electric eye halo which prevents escape. It alerts them to a supply ship landing. However, one prisoner has hatched a plan to escape. His name is Dr. Norm Eldor who tunnels out and breaks into the ship. Soon he leaves on a lifeboat after the supply ship has traveled away for awhile.  

       At this same time at the Legion Clubhouse the Legion are seeing Supergirl off who has to return to her time and become Linda Lee Danvers or she might become suspeted of being Supergirl. Just then Brainiac 5 runs in saying that the Science Police just informed them of Eldor's escape. Supergirl wonders if she should stay but Brainiac 5 says no but gives her a note of their possible location. Both than take off to their missions. Soon the Legion land on a planet of a orange sun and Chameleon Boy is happy to see it is the home of Proty II. Suddenly, two Science Police members appear saying that have located Eldor. Suddenly, Proty II runs off to them and Chameleon Boy becomes suspicious as proty takes a liking to them. At this Brainiac 5 asks Saturn Girl to use her powers on "disguised Proteans".
      Saturn Girl cats her mental powers on them creating a mental image of a terrorizing monster. Soon the two Science Police turn into two Proteans. Brainiac 5 suspects they must be working for Dr. Eldor. At this Saturn Girl says they will be ready for her powers the next time. To This Brainiac 5 says Supergirl used a formula which he believes he can use to their advantage to detect Proteans and heads to the ship's lab to make it. Soon it is ready and Brainiac 5 asks Chameleon Boy if he can test it on Proty II. He agrees but before Brainiac 5 can spray the item Chameleon Boy gets in front of him and both are hit by the gas.
       The gas has caused both Chameleon Boy and Proty from using their shape changing powers. Brainiac 5 says he is sorry but that it will only last for awhile and asks the two to guard the ship. After this Superboy flies off to scout and see if he can find Eldor. Superboy soon is unable to find anything on the planet. He reports back to the Legion stating that Eldor must be in one of the dead cities on the planet that are made out of lead. Brainiac 5 than says they must separate and search. Soon split up Brainiac 5 comes to a city damaged by great climate change.

   


         Soon after a fruitless search he sees Saturn Girl. She says she found an impression of Eldor in one of towers. Brainiac 5 thinks she is a fake and spays her. She is a fake and he asks where the real Saturn Girl is. However, he is caught by the Protean and is not able to use his force-shield belt in time. Soon and Elsewhere, Sun Boy comes to a chasm and uses Sun powers to look down. He sees nothing. Just than the rocks next to him become Proteans and capture him.
         Elsewhere, Cosmic Boy sees Phantom Girl and says Legionnaires have been disappearing. Phantom Girl in her phased form says their is nothing in the hills around them but wonders if Cosmic Boy is a Proteans. She spays him but instead of him it begans to cause all of the nearby mushrooms to change into Proteans. The two run and are nearly caught. They cannot escape due to wines above them. Suddenly, a figure with a lead helmet appears and causes a cyclone that sends the Proteans back. Both wish Ultra Boy or Mon-EL were around to see the person face.
         Superboy hears the cyclones and comes on the scene. Superboy asks who the person is. They state they do not know and due to the lead mask muffling the voice call him Unknown Boy. Cosmic Boy than adds that Sun Boy, Saturn Girl and Brainiac 5 have all disappeared. Superboy adds he has found nothing. Unknown Boy than says he will help them due to his x-ray vision seeing through lead. Phantom Girl up in the air soon wonders why the Proteans attacked when Proty is so nice. Soon Unkown Boy spots the case. he leads them to an opening that leads below leadlined rocks. Cosmic Boy does use the gas but it has no effect and they all head down wondering if their heading down to a ambush.

        Below Sun Boy, Saturn Girl and Brainiac 5 are chained together. Sun Boy can't use his powers to melt the bars as the heat would harm the other two. Brainiac 5 seeing something says the place is incredible.
        The base is a hidden city that even has a Sun that makes lights. Eldor is talking to them as they watch. He states that super-scientific humanoids called the Llorn came to the world to found a colony. The Proteans were there already but simple and not a threat to the Llorn. They did not have to use a superweapon. Sunspot activity soon brought terrible storms and the Llorn were forced to dig an underground city or die.
         After this the Llorn use a ray on the remaining Proteans that allows them to change to any form to survive. Because the underground city fails due to quakes it is their last gift. They do leave behind a super-weapon. After this the Prothans live on changing forms to survive. Eldor than asks for help finding the weapon. Brainiac 6 knows that he is using them. Meanwhile, outside Unknown boy looks threw the lead walls and Phantom Girl states she can help with this. The others appear and work to disrupt the Proteans.

 


         Unknown Boy picks up a nearby building and threatens to hurt it at the Proteans and uses heat vision at low power to scare them off. He mentions codes similar to the Legion ones. Behind Phantom Girl appears and tires to open the shackles. Eldor soon sees her and says no you don't. Phantom Girl yells to Cosmic Boy for help. They are soon free but Eldor pulls a gun on the freed Legion members.
         Unknown Boy steps in front and takes no damage shocking Eldor. Superboy than knocks the gun out of his hand. At this same time the Proteans overwhelm Cosmic Boy. Eldor says free him or the Proteans will sett of a bomb. Superboy cannot take the risk and frees him. After this they are forced to trail the Proteans, Eldor and captured Cosmic Boy.
          Before they head off Superboy asks Saturn Girl to read Unknown Boys mind and find out info. She does and that his mind is blank like a new robot or android. Later, Unknown Boy uses his vision and sees both the weapon and Eldor. Unknown Boy than gets an idea to recreate the great quakes from the past. Superboy will hold up the cavern while Unknown Boy causes the quake. The other head to the surface and meet Mon-EL who offers help.

   

        Mon-EL flies into help and Superboy seeing him says he knows who Unknown Boy is now. The quake part of the plan works and both Elor and the Proteans flee but Cosmic Boy is knocked out. Unknown Boy than secures the weapon and Cosmic Boy. Not much later the Legionnaires capture Eldor with plans to send him back to the Prision Planetoid. Saturn Girl than gets Proty II to tell the Proteans the truth. Mon-EL as they get ready states the Super-weapon turns creatures into stone. As Unknown Boy gets ready to leave Superboy  calls her Supergirl.
        Supergirl pulls her helmet off and recalls everything. Superboy states how clues started adding up to it being her. Supergirl adds that while flying back to the past she flew into a cloud of red kryptoite. Just as she landed on Earth he memories were completely gone and she only recalled the need to protect her secret identity.

       She makes a suot to look like a boy and she reads the note Brainiac give her about the mission and so she headed to find out more about herself. The comic ends with Superboy finished remembering the event and looking at the statue of Unknown Boy due to the Protheans not having all the information.

Comments

This issue was not bad. It tells a not bad story of the Legion trying to stop a criminal. Learning more about Proty II's race was also interesting as he an mascot and sort of member of the legion. However, the Supergirl having lost her memory was a weaker part of the story and made it feel a bit out of place. All in all an example of the Legion in the 1960's and the Silver age.