Superman #147
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeSuperman #147 (August 1961) delivered one of Silver Age DC's most consequential double debuts: the first appearance of the Legion of Super-Villains — Cosmic King, Lightning Lord, and Saturn Queen — and the simultaneous first appearance of the adult Legion of Super-Heroes, showing readers what the teenage Legion would look like as grown men and women. By pairing Lex Luthor's 20th-century villainy with a trio of future criminals who deliberately mirrored the heroic Legion's founders, writer Jerry Siegel and editor Mort Weisinger demonstrated that the Superman mythos could sustain a fully realized mirror-universe of evil stretching across time. The concept seeded decades of Legion storytelling and gave future writers a ready-made structural counterpart — a Legion of Super-Villains — that recurred well into the post-Crisis era and beyond.
In "The Great Mento!", Superman faces a rare alliance of villains when Lex Luthor recruits the Legion of Super-Villains from the 30th century. With the adult Legion of Super-Heroes arriving from the future to lend their aid, the Man of Steel must navigate a battle that spans time itself. Written by Jerry Siegel and brought to life by Curt Swan’s iconic art with Sheldon Moldoff’s inks, this 1961 classic features a cover by Swan and Stan Kaye.
In a twist of time and treachery, Lex Luthor unites with a rogue Legion of Super-Villains from the 30th Century, launching a bold scheme that throws the 20th Century into chaos. When an adult Legion of Super-Heroes arrives from the future to aid Superman, Lois Lane—caught in a mysterious illusion—finds herself at the heart of a battle that spans generations.
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The issue grew directly out of a deliberate, multi-year editorial strategy by Mort Weisinger to expand the Superman universe with interlocking cast members and antagonists. A seed had been planted just seven months earlier in Superboy #86 (January 1961), where Lex Luthor first dreamed of assembling a Legion of Super-Villains to rival the Legion of Super-Heroes; Superman #147 fulfilled that promise. The 11-page lead story, 'The Legion of Super-Villains!', was scripted by Jerry Siegel, pencilled by Curt Swan, and inked by Sheldon Moldoff — with Swan and Stan Kaye also producing the cover, itself a deliberate visual homage to the cover of Adventure Comics #247, the 1958 issue that introduced the Legion of Super-Heroes. The issue also contained two additional stories: 'The Great Mento!' (Robert Bernstein/Al Plastino) and 'Krypto Battles Titano!' (Jerry Siegel/Al Plastino), making it a three-story anthology typical of the era's 10-cent format.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of the Legion of Super-Villains, consisting of founding trio Cosmic King (Laevar Bolto, a Venusian with matter-transmutation powers), Lightning Lord (Mekt Ranzz, older brother of Lightning Lad), and Saturn Queen (a telepathic Saturnian who turned to crime after leaving her home world).
- First appearance of the adult Legion of Super-Heroes (Lightning Man, Cosmic Man, and Saturn Woman — the grown-up versions of the teen Legion), marking the debut of what came to be called 'Adult Legion' continuity.
- The lead story 'The Legion of Super-Villains!' was written by Jerry Siegel, pencilled by Curt Swan, and inked by Sheldon Moldoff, with Mort Weisinger as editor; the cover was pencilled by Swan and inked by Stan Kaye.
- The concept of a villainous Legion was foreshadowed in Superboy #86 (January 1961), where Luthor first conceived the idea — making Superman #147 the payoff to a seven-month editorial setup.
- The cover is a deliberate homage to Adventure Comics #247 (1958), the first appearance of the Legion of Super-Heroes, with Swan and Kaye essentially recreating their own earlier composition but populated with villains.
- The issue contains three separate stories: 'The Legion of Super-Villains!' (11 pages), 'The Great Mento!' (7 pages, featuring Perry White in disguise), and 'Krypto Battles Titano!' (8 pages, featuring Titano's origin).
- The lead story has been reprinted multiple times, including in Superboy #147 (May–June 1968, later given a replica edition in 2003), Adventure Comics #494, Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 1, Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 1, and the Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age Omnibus (2017).
- Each of the three founding Super-Villains was conceived as a dark mirror to a Legion hero: Cosmic King reflects Cosmic Boy's visual design but has transmutation powers (rather than magnetism); Lightning Lord parallels Lightning Lad as his own brother; and Saturn Queen parallels Saturn Girl in origin and telepathic ability.
Cast · 14 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in Stålmannen #2/1963 (1963), Superboy #147 (1968), MV Comix #19/1969 (1969), Superman #18/1969 (1969), MV Comix #26/1969 (1969), Superman et Batman et Robin #18 (1970), Superman Giant Bumper Book #[nn] (1971), Superman et Batman et Robin #26 (1971), Supercomic #79 (1973), Superman #14532 (1978), Adventure Comics #494 (1982), Superman Poche #104 (1986), 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), Showcase Presents: Superman #3 (2007), Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age Omnibus #1 (2017), Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age #1 (2018), DC Finest: Superman Family: The Giant Turtle Man #[nn] (2025)
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