With her return in the current Supergirl book by Sophie Campbell, I have been doing a deep dive into Lesla Lar's first storyline, a multi-part classic with a million twists and turns. I'd advise you go back and read those reviews before this one. But the last part ended with Lesla being discovered by Kandorian police and hauled off to jail.
But what ultimately happened to her? Well we find out in 1962's Action Comics #297, a whole 15 months after her last appearance! And when I say 'ultimately', I mean until she is brought back decades later.
One thing I have to say about this era of Supergirl stories, which appeared as back-ups in Action Comics, is that they really told a running narrative, more akin to current comics than the time. There were subplots and multi-part stories that ran through several issues, unlike the Superman stories which were mostly 'done-in-one' adventures.
But she feels a bit like a one-trick pony here.
Nothing shows that more than Super DC Giant #S-24 from 1971 which sports a great Curt Swan cover (with Mike Sekowsky throwing in the bottom costume bit), a cover which Sophie Campbell homaged with Supergirl #2 .
My review of the story comes from this reprint which covers four consecutive back-up stories which comprise one long narrative. And what a story. We get the introduction of Lena Thorul, who doesn't know she is Lex's sister Lena Luthor. We learn about Lena's ESP powers. And we get the return of Lesla and Supergirl defeating both Lex and Phantom Zone villains. Kudos to DC for recognizing this is a banger of a story and worth collecting.
Lesla appears in chapter 3. So buckle up!
'The Forbidden Weapons of Krypton' was written by Leo Dorfman with art by Jim Mooney. As you see, there is the 'from Action #297' box from my reprint issue.
We get this mini-splash to open the proceedings and tease the story. Supergirl stands alone against Phantom Zone villains in a battle of survival. With Superman in the past and a barrier blocking time travel, she stands alone!
But we start with more mundane proceedings.
Lena (who at this time doesn't know she is a Luthor) has entered Linda's life. Through the usual shenanigans, Dick Malverne thinks Lena is Supergirl. Even stranger, Lena admits she IS Supergirl to Dick.
Supergirl can't understand why Lena would lie. But I love the miffed face she is sporting in that first panel. She can't quite get over it, even complaining to her step parents that night. Perhaps there is a little jealousy since Dick is involved?
But in a flashback we see why Lena lied.
Lesla has broken out of prison and is up to her old tricks. Holed up in a secret lab, she begins to hatch a plot. She uses her mind control ray to make Lena say she is Supergirl, knowing the real one is eavesdropping.
Lesla is just delicious in her schemes.
Instead of switching places with Supergirl, this time she'll switch with Lena. So now Lena is in the mind-control helmet being convinced she is Lesla while Lesla goes up to Earth and takes Lena's place.
Even better, she sets off an 'anti-monitor' bomb, blocking all video transmissions out of Kandor and even plugs the cork. The Kandorians have no idea what is happening on Earth and they cannot warn the cousins.
A bit to unpack.
The switch identities trick is such a complicated plot but I guess if Lesla doesn't want to appear to be missing from Kandor she has to do it. Also, isn't it strange that Lesla/Lena/Linda all look so much alike that they can swap in and out for each other? Crazy.
But lastly, we could have used an Anti-Monitor bomb in the Crisis. Just sayin'.
Lesla shows off that she has super-powers (she is Kryptonian after all) but then spins a tale to explain things. She says, as Lena, she discovered she was a Luthor and drank a serum Lex was making that gave her powers. Moreover, 'Lena' wants to become a super-hero fighting evil.
I just have to say it again. Lesla looked enough like Supergirl to replace her. And she looks enough like Lena to replace her? Three exact duplicates!
And crazy artistic choice in the second panel. I suppose with that many words, to construct a panel with people might be too hard. So Mooney pulls back to show the house! Incredible.
Instead of doing some low-level scheming and living a bit as Lena hoping to slowly destroy Supergirl, Lesla kicks her plan into high gear with 'Operation Breakthrough'!
She creates a 'trans-dimensional lens' out of a simple television!!! Her tech is insane! Imagine if Lesla was a force for good!
By the way, check out that costume and now look at the last page of Supergirl #2. Bless Sophie Campbell for the deep cuts.
The plan is relatively simple. Use the lens to open up the Phantom Zone and bring out some of the worst of the worse - Zod, Kru-El, and Jax-Ur. I love that Dorfman gives us little bios about the criminals so we know their bona fides.
And even better, I like that he realizes that Mon-El would also try to get out to fight the bad guys. How crazy that Lesla was prepared with a 'lead gun' to drive him back into the Zone.
This was before the internet and Who's Who. Those history lessons, like with the villains, was essential back then and even when I was first reading.
You would think that 4 Kryptonians on Earth would be enough of a threat to the world. But they want to beef up even that threat level. They head to the bottom of the ocean to find Kru-El's cache of weapons. Could this be the same trunk seen in Adventure Comics #283? No editor's note but given Kru-El's dialog I am saying that it is the same.
And what a cache! First off, a force beam that blocks the Earth from outside forces including temporally! Superman is in the past on a mission. The Legion is in the future. Neither can come to help fight these villains.
Now that is some weapon!
Also inside is a disintegrator pistol. Will it work against a super-powered Kryptonian? There is only one way for the villainous group to find out ... fire it on one of their own members.
Alas, Lesla loses the draw. So despite freeing these guys they kill her.
Goodbye Lesla Lar (sort of).
The gun shorts out so it cannot be used again. I don't know why the writer felt they needed to kill of Lesla in this way. They didn't even need to bring the gun into the story (which, of course, couldn't stick around because it could kill our heroes).
Poor Lesla.
Left alone, Supergirl seems to be able to stymie the villains. But then Kru-El hits her with another weapon. Struck by a 'plague beam' from his belt, Supergirl radiates an aura that turns any living being into a plant!
That is some crazy cache of weapons!!
Now you think Supergirl would go to the Justice League and recruit Wonder Woman and Green Lantern. But instead she thinks the best person to team up with is Lex. He initially laughs her off but she then tells him that Lena is stuck in Kandor. With his sister in peril, Lex joins the fight! TO BE CONTINUED!
I still feel Lesla's death was too quick and so needless. Supergirl needed a rogue's gallery. Lesla was a perfect Lex-like foil. But as I said she only sort of died.
Lesla Lar comes back in another multi-part story by Jack C. Harris in Superman Family in the early 80s. As a disembodied sentience, we see her manipulate events in her quest for revenge!
And now we have her back in the current book!
I loved this long story as much as the first Lesla one, especially since this had big stakes and Supergirl forced to use her wits to defeat everyone. The weapons cache is crazy but certainly pushed the threat level up. Perhaps one day I'll own the actual issue!
Overall grade: B+
1 comment:
Great review Anj, as always those stories had a lot of story-line for so few pages.
You’re right, the Supergirl stories in Action of that time had a different pace and style than most of the mainline DC books. The various multi-part story-lines, subplots, and even Kara’s internal dialogue sometimes felt more like what Marvel was doing than DC.
Lesla Lar being killed off seems out of nowhere, it doesn’t do anything to advance the story but does serve to take her off the stage. I’m not sure I understand what the point of that was. Sometimes it seems that characters introduced in Silver Age Supergirl stories often weren't reused in later ones (Lesla) or become more commonly used in stories elsewhere (Brainiac 5, Lena Thorul).
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