Action Comics Vol 1 384

Superman: "The Forbidden Costume!"

Cover

Superman: "The Forbidden Costume!"

Legion of Super-Heroes: "Lament for a Legionnaire!"

Editors

Mort Weisinger

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Action Comics # 383	Action Comics # 385

What? Nobody knows where Kent is? Did he chicken out on wearing that idiotic suit? Keep looking-- He must be in the building somewhere!

— Perry White

Action Comics #384 is an issue of the series Action Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of January, 1970. It was published on November 26, 1969.

Synopsis for Superman: "The Forbidden Costume!"

Space criminal Aabur Z is being transported to a new location when his ship is destroyed by a comet tail. Aabur Z and his enforcer NZ2 perish but their uniforms absorb their life spirits which allows them to live on. The two uniforms find their way to earth where they seek out Superman. The Aabur Z uniform concludes that if he can get Superman to wear the Uniform then Aabur Z can live on through Supermans body. The Aabur Z uniform shows up at the Daily Planet and convinces Clark to try it on with coaxing from Perry White. As soon as Clark dons the Uniform, it takes over. It reveals that it knows that Clark is Superman and it forces Clark to begin a crime streak. Clark pretends to play along and leads the Uniform to the site of a sinking luxury ship that has the promise of riches. As soon as Superman arrives they find Supergirl at the site repairing the doomed ship. They also spot an escaped criminal on the run from the law and follow him to his hideout but when they arrive they find the Batman is on the scene ready to apprehend him. The alien Uniform realizes that it has been duped by Clark. It forces Clark to head towards a police convention where they are previewing a new crime computer. The alien uniform confesses to a number of crimes and defies the police in attendance to capture him. Superman is unable to remove the uniform but he slips on his own uniform over the one he is wearing. Superman then spots a pair of policeman and arrests them for trying to be helpful. He flies them to police headquarters where he asks to be x-rayed. It reveals that he is wearing the alien uniform that appeared over the police convention. He is about to be shackled in kryptonite irons when Perry flies through the window wearing the NZ2 enforcer uniform. He confronts the alien uniform and places itself on Supermans body. Superman is now wearing both uniforms as he is jettisoned into a solar system with an orange sun. The Uniforms lose their mental energy over Superman and are forced to flee his body. As they leave they lose their life energy and perish. Superman returns to pick up Perry where he explains that he was able to stop Clark Kent from donning the uniform so he could put it on himself and find a way to defeat it,

Appearing in Superman: "The Forbidden Costume!"

Featured Characters:

Superman

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Mark Peron (Single appearance)
Aabur-Z (Flashback only)

Other Characters:

Enforcer NS-II (Flashback only) (Single appearance)

Locations:

Metropolis

Items:

Green Kryptonite

Vehicles:

Synopsis for Legion of Super-Heroes: "Lament for a Legionnaire!"

Dream Girl has a prophetic dream in which she foresees the death and funeral of Mon-El, which will take place in five days. Once Mon-El learns of the prediction, he resists his teammates' efforts to help him escape his fate. When the High Commissioner of Daxam proposes that Mon-El hide in an impenetrable sanctuary on his homeworld until the day of his predicted demise has passed, he refuses, instead choosing to go on a mission like any other Legionnaire. Karate Kid sends him to the Posvar asteroid complex to investigate the wrecked Posvar III probe. Days pass, and Mon-El fmally returns to Legion Headquarters, but he has apparently lost his earlier confidence. That night, Superboy sneaks into his room but is surprised by his friend, who realizes that the Boy of Steel had planned to kidnap him and face his death in disguise. On the fatal day, while his comrades are trapped inside a force-shield surrounding their headquarters, Mon-El fights and drives off a band of interdimensional raiders. He then reveals that he is actually El-Gand, a descendant of Mon-El's older brother. He succeeded at what Superboy had tried to do, overpowering the real Mon-El in the Posvar asteroid belt, drugging him with a super-sedative on a nearby planetoid, and taking his place. Dream Girl's prophecy has apparently been foiled, and Eltro Gand takes the Legion to their comrade. When they arrive, however, they find the real Mon-El dead, since the serum he takes to counteract his vulnerability to lead has worn off, and traces of lead in the surrounding rocks have killed him. Grief-stricken, Eltro Gand snatches up Mon-El's body and takes it back to Legion Headquarters, where he places both of them in an exchanger, a device similar in function to the process once used to restore Lightning Lad. The others arrive just as he gives his life-force to Mon-El. Because of Eltro Gand's sacrifice, the hero lives again.

Appearing in Legion of Super-Heroes: "Lament for a Legionnaire!"