Action Comics #276
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeAction Comics #276 is one of the most character-dense single issues of the Silver Age, introducing six future mainstays of the DC Universe in a single backup story: Brainiac 5, Phantom Girl, Triplicate Girl, Shrinking Violet, Sun Boy, and Bouncing Boy all debuted in its pages. The issue also marks Supergirl's formal induction into the Legion of Super-Heroes — only her second interaction with the team — transforming her from Superman's isolated 'secret weapon' into a hero with her own peer community and a decades-long story thread with Brainiac 5. By seeding the Legion's roster so dramatically in one issue, it accelerated the team's growth from a recurring guest feature into an ensemble large enough to support the dedicated ongoing series they would soon receive beginning with Adventure Comics #300. The introduction of Brainiac 5 as a descendant of one of Superman's greatest villains was also a genuinely novel narrative idea for 1961: a legacy hero defined by atonement rather than direct inheritance of heroism.
In "The War Between Supergirl and the Supermen Emergency Squad!", a clever deception by John Kiley forces Superman to expose his secret identity, setting off a dramatic clash. With Clark Kent trapped by Kryptonite, Supergirl and the Superman Emergency Squad rush in, leading to a high-stakes confrontation. Written by Robert Bernstein and illustrated by Wayne Boring with inks by Stan Kaye, the issue features a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye.
When John Kiley exposes Clark Kent’s secret identity using Kryptonite, the resulting chaos ignites a shocking clash between Supergirl and the Superman Emergency Squad. With Clark trapped and the truth out, the heroes find themselves on opposite sides of a battle they never saw coming.
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The Supergirl backup story — 'Supergirl's Three Super Girl-Friends!' — was written by Jerry Siegel and drawn by Jim Mooney, both of whom had established the Supergirl-Legion connection with their earlier Action Comics #267 collaboration. Siegel had returned to DC in 1959 after roughly a decade away and, working under editor Mort Weisinger, became a primary architect of the Legion's expanding cast during this period; DC did not publish creator bylines at the time, making precise attribution to individual stories reliant on later research. Weisinger's editorial approach emphasized systematic world-building and was actively shaped by reader response, with the Legion's growing popularity clearly informing the decision to introduce so many new members at once. The lead Superman story, 'The War Between Supergirl and the Superman Emergency Squad!', was scripted by Robert Bernstein with pencils by Wayne Boring and inks by Stan Kaye; the cover was penciled by Curt Swan and inked by Stan Kaye.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearances of six Legion of Super-Heroes characters: Brainiac 5 (Querl Dox), Phantom Girl (Tinya Wazzo), Triplicate Girl (Luornu Durgo), Shrinking Violet (Salu Digby), Sun Boy (Dirk Morgna), and Bouncing Boy (Chuck Taine) — all in the backup story 'Supergirl's Three Super Girl-Friends!'
- Supergirl (Linda Lee) is inducted into the Legion of Super-Heroes in this issue, her second meeting with the team; her first had been in Action Comics #267.
- Brainiac 5 is introduced as a green-skinned, twelfth-level-intellect Coluan who claims descent from Superman's villain Brainiac, joining the Legion as an act of atonement for his ancestor's misdeeds — a character concept that proved durable across every subsequent Legion continuity.
- Brainiac 5 gives Supergirl his force-field belt in this debut story, an invention that became his signature device across decades of Legion comics.
- The backup story was written by Jerry Siegel and drawn by Jim Mooney; the lead Superman story was scripted by Robert Bernstein with art by Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye; the cover was penciled by Curt Swan and inked by Stan Kaye; Mort Weisinger was editor.
- The Legion's previous appearance before this issue was in Adventure Comics #282; they next appeared in Superman #147.
- 'Supergirl's Three Super Girl-Friends!' was reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 1 and Supergirl Archives Vol. 2; the lead Superman story was reprinted in DC Finest: Supergirl: The Girl of Steel (2025).
- Bouncing Boy's debut in this issue shows him being rejected for Legion membership — he would not be officially admitted until Adventure Comics #301, after proving his power's practical combat value.
Cast · 26 characters
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Detective Comics #158 (1950)
Reprinted in Super Adventure Comic #8 (1961), Superboy #147 (1968), Action Comics #373 (1969), Superman #5/1970 (1970), Adventure Comics #493 (1982), The Legion of Super-Heroes Archives #1 (1992), Superman in Action Comics #1 (1993), The Silver Age of Superman The Greatest Covers of Action Comics from the '50s to the '70s #[nn] (1995), Superboy #147 May-June 1968 Replica Edition #[nn] (2003), Supergirl Archives #2 (2004), Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (2007), Showcase Presents: Superman #3 (2007), Showcase Presents: Supergirl #1 (2008), Supergirl: The Silver Age Omnibus #1 (2016), Supergirl: The Silver Age #1 (2017), Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age Omnibus #1 (2017), Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age #1 (2018), DC Finest: Supergirl: The Girl of Steel #[nn] (2025)
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