Adventure Comics #320
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeAdventure Comics #320 marks the pivotal second appearance of Dev-Em — the Kryptonian juvenile delinquent introduced in Adventure Comics #287 — and fundamentally reframes him from a one-note antagonist into a morally complex figure working as a secret agent for the 30th-century Interstellar Counter-Intelligence Corps, a characterization that would follow the character through decades of Legion continuity and the 'Great Darkness Saga.' The issue also carries a quiet but telling editorial milestone: the letters page is formally renamed from 'The Smallville Mailsack' to 'The Legion Outpost,' a public acknowledgment that the Legion of Super-Heroes had outgrown their status as Superboy's guests and now commanded the series in their own right. Taken together, these two developments — a villain's rehabilitation and a column's renaming — chart the Legion's growth from a Superboy spin-off into a fully realized shared universe.
In "Revenge of the Knave from Krypton! Part I," Superboy finds himself unexpectedly drawn into a high-stakes interstellar chase when Dev-Em, a mysterious agent of the Inter-Stellar Counter-Intelligence Corps, arrives at Legion headquarters to capture the notorious Cosmic Spy Legion leader Morlock the Merciless—only to have the mission handed over to Superboy. Written by Jerry Siegel and Otto Binder, with art by John Forte, George Papp, and Sheldon Moldoff, and lettered by Milton Snapinn, this 1964 adventure blends sci-fi intrigue and classic superhero action, all framed by Curt Swan’s dynamic cover and George Klein’s sharp inks.
In "Revenge of the Knave from Krypton! Part I," Dev-Em, a Kryptonian agent with a mysterious agenda, arrives at the Legion headquarters under the guise of the Inter-Stellar Counter-Intelligence Corps, only to find his mission to capture the cunning Morlock the Merciless swiftly overtaken by Superboy—setting the stage for a tense clash of wits and wills.
In "Part II: The Treachery of Molock the Merciless!", Dev-Em arrives at Legion headquarters on a high-stakes mission for the Inter-Stellar Counter-Intelligence Corps, tasked with capturing the notorious leader of the Cosmic Spy Legion—Morlock the Merciless. But when Superboy steps in to take the lead, the young hero and Proty II must outwit the cunning spy before he strikes again.
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The issue was written by the team of Jerry Siegel and Otto Binder, with pencils handled by John Forte and Sheldon Moldoff — an unusual dual-credited collaboration on both writing and art, likely necessitated by the story's extensive flashback sequences recapping Dev-Em's origin from Adventure Comics #287–288. The book fell under the editorial supervision of Mort Weisinger, who had stewarded the Superman family titles since the 1940s and used the letter columns as an active tool to manage Legion continuity and reader engagement. The backup story, 'Superboy's Switch in Time,' was a reprint from Superboy #53, a common Silver Age practice of padding anthology-style issues with recycled material.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: May 1964; DC Comics; Silver Age.
- Lead story: 'The Revenge of the Knave from Krypton!' — a two-part Legion of Super-Heroes tale written by Jerry Siegel and Otto Binder, penciled by John Forte and Sheldon Moldoff.
- Second appearance of Dev-Em (first appearance: Adventure Comics #287, June 1961), created by Jerry Siegel and George Papp; this issue establishes his reformed persona as an agent of the Interstellar Counter-Intelligence Corps in the 30th century.
- Dev-Em is offered full Legion membership by the team but declines, preferring to remain with the I.C.C. — making him one of the earliest characters to explicitly refuse Legion membership.
- Also features the first appearance of Radiation Roy, a Legion membership reject whose uncontrollable radiation power disqualifies him.
- The letters column officially changes its name from 'The Smallville Mailsack' to 'The Legion Outpost' with this issue — a formal editorial signal that the Legion feature had become the series' primary draw.
- Backup story 'Superboy's Switch in Time!' is a reprint from Superboy #53, in which a criminal scientist's time-ray causes Superboy and Superman to exchange eras.
- The lead story has been reprinted in Superboy #177, The Best of DC #44, Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 3, Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 1 (2007), and the Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1 (2017).
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Superboy #53 (1956), Adventure Comics #287 (1961), Adventure Comics #288 (1961)
Reprinted in Teräsmiehen Poika #11/1964 (1964), Teräsmiehen Poika #3/1965 (1965), Superboy #177 (1971), Superboy #2/1972 (1972), The Best of DC #44 (1984), The Legion of Super-Heroes Archives #3 (1993), Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (2007), Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age Omnibus #1 (2017), Albi del Falco #442
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