Legion Of Super-Heroes #278

Legion Of Super-Heroes #278

(May, 1981)

"Tragedy at the Top of the World!"

Cover by George Pérez

Artist: Jimmy Janes

Inks: Bruce D. Patterson

Colors: Gene D'Angelo

Writer: Gerry Conway

Letters: Todd Klein

Grimbor the Chainsman has surrounded Earth with a network of gigantic chains, preventing anything and everything from passing in or out of the atmosphere. Lighting Lad is leading Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Mon-El, Light Lass, and Timber Wolf on a mission to check out the energy chains, only to find that the indestructible shackles are tightening around the planet at an alarming rate. Unfortunately for them, none of their powers has any effect on the massive chain, but luckily, Saturn Girl is able to detect a faint mental link emanating from the North Pole and towards the fetters.

A second team formed by Star Boy, Shrinking Violet, Colossal Boy, Wildfire, and Element Lad, is serving as liaison between the Legion and the Earth Council, in hopes of obtaining more information and preventing the Council from interfering with Lightning Lad's team. Grimbor has made two demands in exchange for liberating Earth from the constricting chains: He must be made Supreme Dictator of Earth, and the Legion must be turned over to him. President Allon has been put in an impossible position, and the constant bickering between the Council, the Legion, and Grimbor, is making the situation even worse.

The third Legion team, led by Cosmic Boy, is at a spaceport looking into the equipment Grimbor procured to build his indestructible chains, but their mission is soon derailed as they come across the mysterious Reflecto, and a fight soon ensues. Bouncing Boy, Duo Damsel, Block, and Cosmic Boy himself, fall before the enigmatic character, but when it's time to face Phantom Girl, Reflecto concedes and gracefully departs. The team achieves their goal, however, when they discover that Grimbor is using one of the largest power crystals in existence to energize the chains surrounding Earth.

Up in the North Pole, things take a turn for the worse when the Chainsman uses his deadly traps to capture Lightning Lad's group one by one. Blaming them for the death of his beloved Chandra, Grimbor readies himself to execute the Legionnaires, not before destroying the atmosphere first. Back at the spaceport, Cosmic Boy has become aware that contact has been lost with the North Pole team, so he and his squad take flight to the top of the world, not knowing they are being closely followed by Reflecto. Finally, in Metropolis, where Princess Projectra and Karate Kid have been coordinating operations, it is becoming almost impossible to breath, which means that Earth only has minutes left before its destruction!