The first appearance, and Legion of Super-Heroes try-out, for Wildfire, then known as Erg-1 (Energy Release Generator). From Superboy (vol. 1) #195, June 1973.
This was the very first issue of Superboy I ever bought and read. It was also my first exposure to Dave Cockrum’s amazing artwork. I was vaguely familiar with the Legion from one of their last appearances in Adventure Comics several years earlier (an issue I no longer had thanks to a sibling who ripped it to piece; I’m looking at you, Sis!). However, I was amazed at much different - how much better - the Legion looked.
It’s interesting to note that this is the only time, to my knowledge, that Wildfire ever used these “duplicate” powers he demonstrated here. After he became a Legionnaire all he ever did was fire energy blasts from his hands and visor.
Cockrum had been in the process of updating many of the Legionnaires’ outfits since the time he first took over the art duties on the Legion stories. This story marked the first, and I believe only, appearance of Colossal Boy’s new brown, tan, and blue costume. Cockrum stated that he had modeled it after Dynamo from T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, his favorite comic book from the 1960s. However, that costume did not last, and the next time Colossal Boy a few issues later it had changed again.
(Just as an aside, it’s apparent that writer Cary Bates doesn’t have a handle on Chemical King’s powers - very few people did, which is why the character was rarely used. Chemical King could not create, control, or change elements - that was Element Lad’s schtick. Instead, Chemical King could control chemical reactions, i.e. having hydrogen and oxygen combine to make water. Real exciting stuff, I know.)
What? They introduced this great looking character with fantastic abilities, only to kill him off?
Don’t worry, he gets better. But my young self didn’t know that then.
What I did know was that I was now a die-hard Legion fan. The story and art, the great characters, the futuristic action - it all had me wanting more, much more!
And I wasn’t the only one. Cockrum’s work was so popular that two issues later the Legion went from being relegated to back-up stories to taking over the book when the cover title was changed to Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes (although the change did not become official until issue #222).
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