Random Happenstance

This is another Legion story I remember for the house ad, not unlike #259; but I didn't read it until very recently. At least I don't think I did? I could have three copies in the garage for all I know; but I haven't blogged it yet, so...From 1980, Legion of Super-Heroes #263, "Day of Judgment" Written by Gerry Conway, pencils by Jimmy Janes, inks by Dave Hunt.

We open with five people outside the newest Legion headquarters: this one had a metal ball with a bunch of smaller ones attached to it, which I think was supposed to represent the United Federation of Planets, but now looks like a monument to COVID-19.

The cover and the ad really tease up the mystery of those five, which is revealed pretty quickly: they are parents of some Legionnaires, namely, Chameleon Boy, Ultra Boy, Shadow Lass, and Shrinking Violet. (Misspelled as "Shrinking Violent" on page 5; which would be somewhat apt much later for her!) Instead of their kids, though, they are greeted by the green-garbed Dagon the Avenger! Which Ultra Boy's dad immediately assumes is a joke, and gets tranked for his trouble. While he and his wife did not have powers, since U-B got his in an accident, the other parents try to use the powers they shared with their kids to defend themselves; in particular Shadow Lass's mom, who trained her as a fighter, and may have been her world's defender when she was younger. More troublingly, they also had defensive weapons courtesy of R.J. Brande (the Legion's benefactor and Chameleon Boy's dad, although I don't think that had been revealed yet!) and the weapons do nothing.

The Legion returns to headquarters after a wild goose chase, to find evidence of a shootout, and Shadow Lass's mom left her belt buckle/ornament as a clue. The team quickly learns other parents have also been abducted, and call in Dawnstar to return after a rescue mission and try to track them down. Tyroc and Light Lass investigate Brande Industries, to find out why the defenses for their parents failed, and are greeted by a disgruntled worker, since Brande had fallen on hard times recently. Tyroc then has to leave suddenly, citing a "crucial time" for his people on the island of Marzal; and a furious Wildfire vows to have him drummed out of the Legion for ditching. (Again, that was Wildfire's usual management style: to be pissed off at everything, and everyone, at all times.) Dagon then makes his demands: a billion solar credits, within 24 hours, or the parents die! 

I know I've read the next issue, sometime; and while I'm not positive, I'm pretty sure they're Scooby-Doo'ing this one and Dagon will be unmasked as the first other character we saw, the disgruntled worker. Tyroc was a relatively recent addition to the team, and...honestly, not handled very well. He would be phased out the next issue, and I believe he would not return until deep into the "Five Years Later" run. The house ad for this issue also appears within, as well as a Legion-specific subscription ad.