Adventure Comics #420
June 1972
Cover art by: Bob Oksner
Story: And Death Will Have No Dominion
Writer: Raymond Marais & Gerry Conway
Pencils: Tony DeZuniga
Inks: Bob Oksner
Um, that is a very phallic weapon Supergirl is throwing in that cover.
I didn't care for this comic much at all, so let's get through this one quickly. Supergirl is lured to a planet caught in a perpetual civil war. There she meets and falls for a man named Togran who can control every bit of plant life in his garden. He believes he is undefeatable there. Togran's father and two others are wizards in a tower, who think that the danger from their enemies is still very real.
The trio send missiles at Togran and his garden, killing him. With their mental powers they amplify the anger that Kara feels. She flies into a rage and attacks their enemies. With the very generic name of Westlanders. Unbeknownst to the Maiden of Steel Togran's father has brought him back to life. Once he sees what his father and allies have done he throws himself from their tower. SPLAT!! Before he dies again, he tells Supergirl to free herself from the wizard's control, as they have both been their pawns.
Togran's father then kills the other two wizards, and kills himself when he destroys the tower. Thus the enemy has won the war, and only had to appear in one panel. And Supergirl mourns for Togran.
Then we get three backups:
An Animal Man reprint which I couldn't even make myself read more than once. I hated the Jack Sparling art here (sometimes I like him), and no one would call Animal Man, Animal Man. Just about everyone called him A-Man. Even when they printed a story in the paper about him. That just annoyed the heck out of me.
Some unpublished sci-fi story that had never been printed before. The Star-Men story listed on the cover. Kind of boring, but at least it had an atypical ending.
The last one was a reprint of a red kryptonite story, which was so-so. The best of the three, but that is damning with faint praise to be sure.
This was a 52-pager, and most of it was pretty bad. Oh well, we'll get 'em next time.
Replies
I remember this issue showing up in one of Scott Shaw's slideshows of crazy/embarrassing comics art back in 1997. Because yeah, that's one hell of device Supergirl is throwing, and the smoke coming off the tip of it doesn't do it any favors, either.
I recall Shaw! crediting Joe Orlando as bringing the "sex sells" philosophy in his approach to covers.
I think you're right, that he laid it at Orlando's feet. There certainly was a lot of it going round back then. (And, of course, now.)
Sometimes a laser cannon is just a laser cannon...
Still Joe Orlando did create/co-create/edit Black Orchid who arrived after Supergirl left Adventure and her series was filled with sexy images.
...To paraphrase AC-DC - she's got big wheels !!!!!!!!!!! :-)