Superboy #193
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeSuperboy #193 is a pivotal node in Dave Cockrum's sweeping redesign of the Legion of Super-Heroes' visual identity during the early Bronze Age. The Legion backup story debuts new costumes for Karate Kid, Chameleon Boy, Shrinking Violet, and Duo Damsel — part of a rolling issue-by-issue revamp that Cockrum executed across his roughly two-year run on the title, a sustained creative effort that modernized a team whose look had grown dated and helped restore the Legion to prominence after it had been relegated to backup status. The story's allegorical premise — a civilization split between permanent daylight and permanent darkness on the verge of nuclear annihilation — also reflects the socially conscious storytelling that distinguished Bronze Age DC from its Silver Age predecessor. Cockrum's costume work on this run proved so consequential that virtually no successor artist fundamentally altered his designs until Keith Giffen's overhaul in the 1980s.
In "The Million-Dollar Double-Cross!", Superboy teams up with the Legion of Super-Heroes to mediate a tense standoff between two warring factions on the planet Pasnic—each divided by an eternal sunlit or shadowed hemisphere. Written by Cary Bates and Nick Pascale, with dynamic art by Dave Cockrum and sharp lettering by Joe Letterese, this 1973 adventure blends sci-fi intrigue with classic superhero diplomacy. The cover, a striking portrait by Nick Cardy, captures the stakes with bold contrast and vivid detail.
In "The Million-Dollar Double-Cross!", Pete Ross finds himself entangled in a dangerous scheme that puts Superboy’s secret identity at risk—though his true intentions are far from what anyone expects. With Lana Lang and Mrs. Ross caught in the middle and Mr. Arnold watching from the shadows, Superboy must race to uncover the truth before the stakes become irreversible.
In "War between the Nights and Days!", Superboy joins the Legion of Super-Heroes as they attempt to mediate a deep rift on the planet Pasnic, where two warring factions—one thriving in eternal daylight, the other in endless night—stand on the brink of total conflict. With the help of Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Shrinking Violet, and the rest of the Legion, Superboy must navigate a planet divided by light and shadow, all while facing the enigmatic rulers King John and King Lillt.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The Legion backup, titled 'War between the Nights and Days,' grew from an original story idea submitted by reader Nick Pascale — the same fan who had designed Duo Damsel's split-color costume, first published in Adventure Comics #403, which makes its first in-story narrative appearance here (worn for a plot-related reason specific to the tale). Pascale received a plotting credit alongside scripter Cary Bates, and the fictional planet of the story was named 'Pasnic' in his honor. The issue was edited by Murray Boltinoff, with cover art by Nick Cardy, who served as the book's cover artist for a sustained stretch spanning issues #182–198 and beyond, while Dave Cockrum penciled the Legion feature as part of his landmark run that had begun with Superboy #184 in April 1972.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: February 1973; part of the Superboy (Volume 1) series, a DC Bronze Age title.
- Contains two stories: lead story 'The Million-Dollar Double-Cross!' (script by Cary Bates, pencils by Bob Brown, inks by Murphy Anderson), featuring Superboy, Pete Ross, Lana Lang, and Pa Kent; and Legion backup 'War between the Nights and Days!' (story idea by Nick Pascale, script by Cary Bates, art by Dave Cockrum).
- First in-story appearance of Duo Damsel's iconic purple-and-orange split costume — originally a fan design by Nick Pascale published in Adventure Comics #403, it had never before appeared within an actual narrative until this issue.
- New costumes debut in-story for Karate Kid, Chameleon Boy, and Shrinking Violet, all rendered by Dave Cockrum as part of his ongoing Legion redesign campaign; Karate Kid's new look was quickly abandoned in favor of his traditional gi.
- First appearances of King Jonn (ruler of the Pasnic Day-dwellers), King Lillt (ruler of the Night-dwellers), and the planet Pasnic itself — King Jonn would return in Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #15.
- First appearance of the Smallville criminal Domino (Terrence Arnold) in the lead Superboy story.
- The Legion backup was reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 10 (2000), Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes #5 (2014), and DC Finest: Legion of Super-Heroes: Zap Goes the Legion.
- A Mark Jewelers advertisement insert variant exists for this issue, distributed through military base PX channels.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Superman #13/1973 (1973), Superman #15/1973 (1973), Superboy #5/1973 (1973), Superman Supacomic #172 (1973), Superman Supacomic #174 (1974), The Legion of Super-Heroes Archives #10 (2000), Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes #5 (2015), DC Finest: Legion of Super-Heroes: Zap Goes the Legion #[nn] (2025)
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