Superboy #183 is an issue of the series Superboy (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 1972.
Synopsis for "Karkan the Mighty -- Lord of the Jungle!"
Baby Kal-El's rocket lands in the jungles of Africa instead of the Kent farm. Baby Kal-El is rescued by a wild band of gorillas. The apes are reluctant to take in the human baby but a female gorilla named Keena takes pity on the young infant and adopts him. She names him Karkan the Mighty. As the baby grows up, he quickly demonstrates his amazing super powers which begin to puzzle him. Keena takes Karkan to the site of the rocket crash and shows him the blue and red blankets that he wore as a baby but Karkan immediately begins to feel pain. He is unaware that there is an embedded piece of kryptonite in the wreckage. Karkan then begins to shape the blanket material and notices that it is very resilient and resists tearing. He fashions a caped costume with and S-like insignia on his chest resembling Gorg the snake. As time goes on it becomes very clear that Karkan is different from the other apes especially when he demonstrates his power of flight. The other gorillas taunt Karkan to join the other hairless apes that they encounter in the jungle but Karkan is insulted and insists that he belongs with gorillas. One day Karkan encounters men who are trapping other animals with the intention of selling them for profit. As they load them on a ship a sudden flood appears and consumes the animals as they are dragged downstream. Karkan rescues the animals and notices that the men are doing the same thing. He mistakenly assumes that they are trying to help and does not see them as a threat. On another occasion Karkan runs into another hunting party that has trapped a group of baby gorillas. Karkan assumes they are rescuing the animals from a flood as they did before. He takes charge of the baby gorillas and returns them back to the parents. The hunters then discover Karkans rocket ship wreckage and they are amazed by the youths flying powers. Karkan approaches the hunting party but succumbs to the effects of the kryptonite in the wreckage. The hunting party includes a beautiful female named Toni who takes pity on Karkan and helps him escape from caged captivity. Karkan then defeats the hunters by overturning their boat and he frees all the animals they have imprisoned. The incident causes the apes to see Karkan in a different light mistakenly believing that he took part in the captivity of the baby gorillas. They kick him out of the group never to return again. Karkan is then befriended by the beautiful female named Toni who is excited to introduce him to a new world.
Appearing in "Karkan the Mighty -- Lord of the Jungle!"
Featured Characters:
- Karkan (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Keena
- Toni Davis
Antagonists:
- Karl
- Tarugi
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "War of the Wraith-Mates!"
The Legion cruiser is navigating its way back to earth when they encounter a cosmic storm that damages their ship. As they tend to the damage, their bodies are possessed by alien beings that seem to be bickering with each other. Their ship lands on a nearby planetoid and the aliens immediately begin to utilize the power of the legionnaire they occupy as they tussle with each other. They suddenly encounter a Vege-Demon that rises from the ground and attacks the alien named Marlxa. The plant like creature supposedly kills Marlxa who is in possession of Shadow Lasses body. The shock of witnessing the death has an affect on the other three Legionnaires. Their minds go back to normal and they become themselves again. Karate Kid, Projectera and Mon-El dispose of the Vege creature by encasing it in a cavern. Mon-El seals the cavern with a boulder and returns to the surface where he is shocked to see Shadow Lass standing there. Two phantom shapes then emerge from the Legion quartet and identify themselves as Marlxa and Krogl. They explain that they need to inhabit other bodies to revitalize their own energies. They go on to mention that they were able to cast an invisible protective aura around each Legionnaire including Shadow Lass. The alien beings go on to explain that they have sought out and possessed countless male-female couples throughout the galaxy even though the alien couple tends to annoy one another
Appearing in "War of the Wraith-Mates!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Krogl
- Marlxa
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Gravity Girl of Smallville!"
This story is reprinted from Adventure Comics #285.
Professor Lang arrives in Smallville with a collection of interesting artifacts from his latest expedition. Among the relics he obtains is a small belt that gives Lana Lang the ability to fly when she puts it on. The belt not only allows her to fly it also gives her super strength and makes her invulnerable to bullets. She uses her new found powers to stop a robbery on a deserted street and leaves the thief dangling from the antenna of a clock tower. She convinces her parents to let her use the belt to allow her to continue using her powers to help the police. She fashions a costume that includes a lead mask to prevent Superboy from discovering her secret identity. She calls herself Gravity Girl and she begins to assist Superboy in different ways when the situation arises. Before long the people of Smallville become curious about Gravity Girls identity including Clark Kent. He begins to follow Lana around much to her annoyance because it make it harder for her to change into her Gravity Girl identity. As time goes on it is revealed that Gravity Girl is vulnerable to fire, rock and wood. Superboy decides that she has too many weaknesses and he must discover he identity to put an end to her super heroics before she is injured. Superboy then tricks Gravity Girl into discovering his identity when he scratches his name on a two ton steel ball. He then compresses the ball with his super strength and challenges Gravity Girl to read the microscopic writing on it. Gravity Girl jumps at the chance and takes the pea sized ball home so she can examine it with her microscope. She arrives home and places the metal ball on a table and it falls through the floor through the earths crust. Even thought the ball was small, it still weighs two tons. Superboy hears that crash and arrives at Lana's house confirming that she really is Gravity Girl. He retrieves the metal ball and repairs Lana's floor. He convinces Lana and Professor Lang that the belt only gives her anti-gravitational powers but it also does not protect her from many vulnerabilities. They then come to the decision that it would be a wise idea to destroy the belt.
Appearing in "Gravity Girl of Smallville!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
- Gravity Belt
Notes
- Karkan the Mighty -- Lord of the Jungle! was originally published as an imaginary story, a story outside of regular continuity. In Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Compendium, it was retconned as having happened on another Earth, (Earth-183).
Trivia
- War of the Wraith-Mates! is reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 10.
- First Appearance of fan designed costumes for Karate Kid, Princess Projectra, and Shadow Lass.
See Also
Links and References
