Superboy #98
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeSuperboy #98 is the debut of Ultra Boy (Jo Nah), one of the most enduring members of the Legion of Super-Heroes, who would go on to serve two terms as Legion leader and form part of what later stories called the Legion's 'Big Three' alongside Superboy and Mon-El. The issue stands as the last Legion-related story published before the team graduated to its own ongoing series in Adventure Comics #300 (September 1962), making it both a capstone of the Legion's formative 'guest-star' era and the opening chapter of a major character's decades-long history. Jerry Siegel's decision to structure the story from Ultra Boy's point of view — rather than Superboy's — was an unusual narrative choice for the period, giving the new character an immediate sense of interiority and moral weight. The issue also deepened the long-running Pete Ross subplot, putting his accidental knowledge of Superboy's secret identity under direct threat for the first time.
In "The Boy with Ultra-Powers!", Ultra-Boy faces his first true test: uncovering Superboy’s secret identity as part of his initiation into the Legion. With Marla handing Pete Ross an unexpected invitation to Legion Headquarters, the mystery deepens as Superboy, Martha Kent, Jonathan Kent, and even Krypto find themselves drawn into a mission that puts loyalty and trust to the ultimate test.
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The issue was produced under the tight editorial control of Mort Weisinger, who had held the reins of DC's entire Superman family of titles since the late 1950s and oversaw a deliberate expansion of the Superman mythology during this period. Jerry Siegel had returned to DC in 1959 after years away and, answering entirely to Weisinger, became the primary architect of the Legion's growing roster, creating numerous enduring Legionnaires during his second tenure without receiving any published byline credit — DC's standard practice at the time. The key story, 'The Boy with Ultra-Powers!', was penciled by Curt Swan with inks by George Klein, while the issue's other lead story, 'The Super-Student of Swankhurst Academy,' was drawn by Al Plastino; Swan also provided the cover, inked by Klein. A minor in-joke runs through the Swankhurst story: one of its student characters, Otto Binker, is named in tribute to writer Otto Binder.
Trivia · 7 facts
- First appearance and origin of Ultra Boy (real name Jo Nah), a 30th-century Legionnaire from the planet Rimbor — created by writer Jerry Siegel and penciler Curt Swan.
- Edited by Mort Weisinger; interior key story penciled by Curt Swan, inked by George Klein, written by Jerry Siegel; second lead story drawn by Al Plastino; cover pencils by Curt Swan, inks by George Klein.
- The issue contains two stories: 'The Super-Student of Swankhurst Academy' (a standalone Superboy tale) and 'The Boy with Ultra-Powers!' (the Ultra Boy debut and Legion story).
- In his debut, Ultra Boy displays only 'Penetra-Vision' — a visual power broader than Superboy's X-ray vision in that it can pierce lead. His full suite of Superman-level powers (usable only one at a time) was not established until Adventure Comics #316 (January 1964).
- Ultra Boy's initiation mission — sent back in time to Smallville to discover Superboy's secret identity within three days — succeeded, and he was inducted into the Legion upon returning to the 30th century; he also awarded Pete Ross an honorary Legionnaire membership for his loyalty.
- The story is the last Legion-adjacent tale published before the Legion of Super-Heroes received its own ongoing feature in Adventure Comics #300 (September 1962).
- The key story 'The Boy with Ultra-Powers!' has been reprinted in Superboy #147, Adventure Comics #497, Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 1, Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 1 (2007), Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1 (2017), and Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age Vol. 1 (2018), as well as the Italian Albi del Falco #344.
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↩ Reprints Mr. District Attorney #52 (1956)
Reprinted in Teräsmiehen Poika #1/1963 (1963), Teräsmiehen Poika #12/1963 (1963), Superboy #147 (1968), Batman Classics #21 (1972), Adventure Comics #497 (1983), The Legion of Super-Heroes Archives #1 (1992), Superboy #147 May-June 1968 Replica Edition #[nn] (2003), Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (2007), Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age Omnibus #1 (2017), Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age #1 (2018), Albi del Falco #344
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