Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Week of 30 April 2008

(SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers. Don't read it before you've read the comics.)

ACTION #864 (6/08)
"Batman and the Legion of Super-Heroes"
ROLL CALL (Lightning Saga Legion): Dawnstar (cover only), Karate Kid (deceased), Lightning Lad, Mon-El (cover only), Star Boy/Starman, Superman, Una (deceased), Wildfire (cover only)
ROLL CALL (Classic Legion, cameos): Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Dream Girl, Ferro Lad, Karate Kid, Light Lass, Lightning Lad, Mon-El, Phantom Girl, Princess Projectra, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Star Boy, Sun Boy, Timber Wolf, Time Trapper, Triplicate Girl, Ultra Boy, Wildfire
ROLL CALL (Earth-Zero Legion, cameos): Brainiac 5, Cosmic Boy, Ferro, Gates, Saturn Girl
FOLL CALL (Teenage Revolution Legion, cameo): Brainiac 5

Well, this is it: the missing link that explains the mystery of the Three Legions. Should have known the Time Trapper was behind all this....

There are still some questions about the relationship between the Lightning Saga Legion and the Classic Legion.

First: Is the Lightning Saga Legion the same as the Classic Legion from ADVENTURE and SUPERBOY & THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES? Technically, no. Consider Mon-El: in the Lightning Saga Mon-El's backstory differs from Classic Mon-El's (for one thing, Lightning Saga Mon-El didn't meet Lana Lang during is brief sojourn in Superboy's time) . Consider Karate Kid: the Classic Karate Kid died on Orando, while the Lightning Saga Karate Kid survived long enough to come back to the 21st century and die in the pages of COUNTDOWN. And consider Supergirl: she was a Classic Legionnaire, but (as far as we know) not in the Lightning Saga Legion.

However, of the three official Legions, the Lightning Saga version seems to be the closest to Classic Legion history.

Second: How does the Fiver-Year-Gap Legion fit in? Again, they are two distinct versions of the LSH. Lightning Saga Blok is still alive and fighting Shadow Demons in DC UNIVERSE 0; Five-Year Gap Blok was killed by Roxxas. In addition, the teenage Five-Year Gap Legion included members Valor and Laurel Gand, and had nothing to do with Superboy (who didn't even exist in their universe).

Third: When did the Lightning Saga Legion branch off from the Classic Legion? In "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes," Superman mentioned the Magic Wars. Technically, the first four issues of LSH [1989] belonged to the Classic Legion timeline (a timeline which perished with the Time Trapper at the end of that issue) -- but I'm willing to bet that there was no Five Year Gap in the Lightning Saga Legion.

Now, onward to the Legion of Three Worlds!

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS:

In Superman's Fortress, a Kryptonian thought-beast displays a version of the double-page Legion group from ACTION #858.

Batman's flashback to Final Night includes Gates, who did not appear in that storyline.

During the visit with Thom, Garth is unfamiliar with the concept of schizophrenia. This is ironic, considering Garth's own personal history of mental illness.

Superman's new flight ring has a "cloaking mode" that turns it invisible. Once, all Legion flight rings had this capability -- a clever explanation whenever an artist forgot to draw a flight ring on a Legionnaire.

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DC UNIVERSE #0 (6/08)
"Let There Be Lightning"
ROLL CALL (Lightning Saga Legion): Blok, Brainiac 5, Chameleon Girl, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Dawnstar, Lightning Lad, Lightning Lass, Night Girl, Phantom Girl, Polar Boy, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Shrinking Violet (cover only), Sun Boy, Superman, Timber Wolf, Tyr, Tyroc (cover only), Ultra Boy (cover only), White Witch, Wildfire

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: No Legionnaires appear in he flashback to the First Crisis.

Blok is shown wearing only one flight ring, instead of his customary three. The other two must be in cloaked mode. :)

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LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #41 (6/08)
"Enemy Rising Part Two: Busted"
ROLL CALL (Teenage Revolution Legion): Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Invisible Kid, Light Lass, Lightning Lad, Princess Projectra, Saturn Girl, Timber Wolf, Ultra Boy

The U.P.'s "new regime" is anti-Legion. Has anyone seen Universo lately?

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: Chameleon doesn't need action figures, as long as those fingers are around!

"The Secret History of the Legion Flight Ring"
ROLL CALL: Atom Girl, Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Colossal Boy, Invisible Kid, Light Lass, Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl, Saturn Girl, Triplicate Girl, Ultra Boy

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: Although not mentioned in the "Customizations" section, Invisible Kid's flight ring can obviously become invisible. Can you say "cloak mode"?

Two special thought codes are mentioned. "1-9-5-8" obviously refers to the year the first Legion story was published; "O-B-A-P" must be the initials of Otto Binder and Al Plastino, the writer and artist (respectively) of that first Legion stroy.


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Saturday, April 26, 2008

April 2008 Retrospective

50 Years Ago:

ADVENTURE #247 (4/1958)
"The Legion of Super-Heroes"
ROLL CALL (Classic Legion): Brainiac 5, Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Superboy, Saturn Girl, several unidentified members

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: This was the first Legion story ever.

Superboy joined the Legion in this story.

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45 Years Ago:

ADVENTURE #307 (4/1963)
"Secret Power of the Mystery Super-Hero"
ROLL CALL (Classic Legion): Brainiac 5, Bouncing Boy, Cosmic Boy, Colossal Boy, Element Lad, Invisible Kid, Roxxas, Sun Boy, Saturn Girl

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: Element Lad joined the Legion in this story, which also told his origin.

The villain Roxxas first appeared in this issue.

Element Lad (under the name "Mystery Lad") was one of three Legion applicants in this issue. Later, fans dubbed the other two "Camera Eye" and "Green Boy."

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40 Years Ago:

ADVENTURE #363 (4/1968)
"No Escape from the Circle of Death"
ROLL CALL (Classic Legion): Brainiac 5, Cosmic Boy, Karate Kid, Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl, Sun Boy, Superboy, Star Boy, Duo Damsel

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: The Legion got a new Headquarters in this issue.

This was the first appearance of the Dark Circle.

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35 Years Ago:

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES [1973] #3 (4/1973)
"Computo the Conqueror"
ROLL CALL (Classic Legion): Brainiac 5, Cosmic Boy, Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy, Element Lad, Lightning Lad, Light Lass, Mon-El, Proty II, Phantom Girl, Sun Boy, Superboy, Saturn Girl, Star Boy, Shrinking Violet, Triplicate Girl, Ultra Boy

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: This comic reprinted "Computo the Conqueror" from ADVENTURE #340.

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30 Years Ago:

SUPERBOY & THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #238 (4/1978)
"The Outlawed Legionnaires/The Legion Chain Gang"
ROLL CALL (Classic Legion): Brainiac 5, Bouncing Boy, Cosmic Boy, Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy, Dream Girl, Duo Damsel, Element Lad, Invisible Kid, Karate Kid, Lightning Lad, Mon- El, Matter-Eater Lad, Phantom Girl, Princess Projectra, R.J. Brande, Rond Vidar, Saturn Girl, Shrinking Violet, Star Boy, Sun Boy, Superboy, Supergirl, Ultra Boy, Universo

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: This comic reprinted "The Outlawed Legionnaires/Te Legion Chain Gang" from ADVENTURE #359/360.

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25 Years Ago:

LEGION OF SUER-HEROES [1980] #298 (4/1983)
"The Edge of Nowhere"
ROLL CALL (Classic Legion): Blok, Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy, Dawnstar, Duplicate Boy, Element Lad, Invisible Kid II, Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl, R.J. Brande, Saturn Girl, Shrinking Violet (Yera), Shvaughn Erin, Ultra Boy, Wildfire

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20 Years Ago:

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES [1984] #45 (4/1988)
"Unlucky Streak"
ROLL CALL (Classic Legion): Atmos, Blok, Bouncing Boy, Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Dawnstar, Dream Girl, Element Lad, Graym Ranzz, Invisible Kid II, Karate Kid, Lightning Lad, Lightning Lass, Lightning Lord, Magnetic Kid, Phantom Girl, Polar Boy, Princess Projectra, Proty, Quislet, Saturn Girl, Sensor Girl, Shadow Lass, Shrinking Violet, Shvaughn Erin, Superboy, Tellus, Timber Wolf, Ultra Boy, Validus, White Witch, Wildfire

SECRET ORIGINS #25 (4/1988)
"The Dreams of Youth"
ROLL CALL (Classic Legion): Blok, Bouncing Boy, Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Circadia Senius, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Dawnstar, Dream Girl, Duo Damsel, Element Lad, Invisible Kid II, Lightning Lad, Lightning Lass, Marla, Mon-El, Phantom Girl, Polar Boy, Proty II, R.J. Brande, Saturn Girl, Sensor Girl, Shadow Lass, Star Boy, Sun Boy, Tellus, Timber Wolf, Ultra Boy, White Witch, Wildfire, Chief Zendak

WHO'S WHO IN THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1 (4/1988)

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: The 30th Anniversary of the LSH was a big deal in DC Comics. "Unlucky Streak" was a Lightning Lad retrospective; "The Dreams of Youth" retold the Legion's origin; and WHO'S WHO IN THE LSH was a 7-issue series celebrating the Legion.

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15 Years Ago:

L.E.G.I.O.N.'93 #51 (4/1993)
"Desert Island Blues"
ROLL CALL: Lobo, Telepath

LEGIONNAIRES #1 (4/1993)
"Baptism by Fire"
ROLL CALL (SW6 Legion): Apparition, Alchemist, Andromeda, Brainiac 5, Catspaw, Computo/Danniel Foccart, Cosmic Boy, Dragonmage, Ferro, Gossamer, Inferno, Invisible Kid, Leviathan, Live Wire, Matter-Eater Lad, Saturn Girl, Shrinking Violet, Triad, Ultra Boy
ROLL CALL (5-Year-Gap Legion): Chameleon Boy, Tyroc, Mano

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES [1989] #42 (4/1993)
"The Enemy Within"
ROLL CALL (5-Year-Gap Legion): Ayla (Lightning Lass), Brainiac 5, Chuck (Bouncing Boy), Celeste Rockfish, Cham (Chameleon Boy), Dag (Stone Boy) Garth (Lightning Lad), Glorith, Imra (Saturn Girl), Jo (Ultra Boy), Kent Shakespeare, Lar (Valor), Laurel Gand, Luornu (Duo Damsel), Rond Vidar, Staq (Fire Lad), Vi (Shrinking Violet)

VALOR #6 (4/1993)
"Blasters to the Rescue"
ROLL CALL (5-Year-Gap Legion): Valor

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: The SW6 Batch got their own title this month (LEGIONNAIRES), which raised the number of LSH comics and spinoffs to four.

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10 Years Ago:

LEGENDS OF THE LEGION #3 94/1998)
"Eclipsed"
ROLL CALL (Earth-Zero Legion): Spark, Star Boy, Ultra Boy, Umbra

LEGIONNAIRES #59 (4/1998)
"Friends, Lovers, and the Calm Before the Storm"
ROLL CALL (Earth-Zero Legion): Andromeda, Apparition, Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Chuck Taine, Cosmic Boy, Dream Girl, Element Lad, Ferro, Gates, Invisible Kid, Kinetix, Live Wire, Lori Morning, M'Onel, Monstress, R.J. Brande, Saturn Girl, Sensor, Shrinking Violet, Spark, Tenzil Kem, Triad, Ultra Boy, Umbra, XS

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES [1989] #103 (4/1998)
"A Storm in Heaven"
ROLL CALL (Earth-Zero Legion): Dream Girl, Evolvo, Karate Kid, Kid Quantum, Monstress, Saturn Girl, Spider-Girl, Star Boy

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: "Eclipsed" focussed on Umbra.

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5 Years Ago:

LEGION #17 (4/2003)
"Revival of the Fittest: Part One"
ROLL CALL (Earth-Zero Legion): Apparition, Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Doctor Gym'll, Insect Queen, Invisible Kid, Kid Quantum, Kinetix, M'Onel, R.J. Brande, Ra's al Ghul, Saturn Girl, Sensor, Shikari, Shvaugn Erin, Star Boy, Triad, Ultra Boy, XS

SUPERMAN & BATMAN: GENERATIONS III #2 (4/2003)
"Century 21: Doomsday Minus One"
ROLL CALL: No LSH appearances in this issue, but the series had a Legion connection.


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Thursday, April 24, 2008

Week of 21 April 2008

(SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers. Don't read it before you've read the comic.)

COUNTDOWN #1 (4/21/08)

No LSH content. In fact, I was unable to find any LSH content this week.

Guess I'll go re-read some old ADVENTURE comics. Maybe #378-379, "Twelve Hours to Live/Burial in Space" -- haven't read them for a long while.
Nobody's as good at facing death recklessly as Karate Kid.

Hmmm, maybe I'll just grab that whole volume of the LEGION ARCHIVES....

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Friday, April 18, 2008

Week of 16 April 2008

(SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers. Don't read it before you've read the comics.)

First, one from last week...

WONDER WOMAN #19 6/08)
"Expatriate Part 2: Lifeblood"

No Legion content as such, but Wonder Woman is on the Khund homeworld. The Khunds certainly have a Legion connection.

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COUNTDOWN #2 (4/16/08)
"Darkseid Equals Death"

Again, no LSH content. Giant Turtle Olsen is there, and Darkseid. At the end of the issue, "Te Origin of Darkseid" quotes The Great Darkness Saga as one of Darkseid's "Essential Storylines."

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LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES IN THE 31ST CENTURY #13 (6/08)
"Back in Metropolis"
ROLL CALL: Bouncing Boy, Brainiac 5, Element Lad, Lightning Lad, Sun Boy, Superman

In the 21st century, Superman has a fateful encounter with Lex Luthor, while Lois Lane gets to know the Man of Steel. Through flash-forwards to the 31st century, we see how the Legion helped train Superman in using his powers.

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: There are only 3 pages of the Legion in this issue.

Saturn Girl, Phantom Girl, and Timber Wolf appear on the cover but not in the story.

Element Lad's hair is colored orange, and his costume is dark blue/black-and-white -- throughout the issue, this makes it hard to distinguish between him and Lightning Lad.

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SUPERMAN #675 (6/08)
"Shadows Linger Part Two: The Long Road"
ROLL CALL: Mon-El, Superman

Man, those Daxamite priests are a piece of work....

Superman tells Chris Kent that he can't help out: "You have the power, but not the experience...Someday, when we've had a chance to train you --" Put this together with the idea of the Legion training Superman...which is the current DC take on the Sperman/Legion relationship -- and I can see Clark and Lois sending Chris into the 31st century to be trained by the Legion. Ora Legion....

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Also out this week:

SUPERGIRL AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES: THE QUEST FOR COSMIC BOY Trade Paperback

Trade paperback collecting Supergirl & the LSH #31 - 36. Hooray, a chance to spend $15 for comics I already have! :)

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Saturday, April 12, 2008

Week of 9 April 2008

(SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers. Don't read it before you've read the comics.)

BOOSTER GOLD #8 (6/08)
"Blue & Gold Chapter 3: Freedom Fighters"
ROLL CALL: Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Superboy/Clark Kent

In one panel at the Vanishing Point, several monitors display key scenes from DC history. One of them shows the Legion's founders meeting with Clark Kent. Variations of this scene are becoming DC's iconic image of the LSH...I suppose that's a sign that the Legion is being welcomed back into mainstream DC continuity. Who'd'a thunk it, back when DC's insistence on eliminating Superboy drove the Legion into spasms of advanced retconning?

Incidentally, people keep talking about how Crisis on Infinite Earths was responsible for eliminating Superboy and doing irreparable damage to the Legion's history. In fact, the Legion survived the Crisis in fine shape. What damaged Legion history was John Byrne's usake that Sueprboy had never existed, and the insistence of the DC higher-ups in enforcing that interpretation. (The loss of Supergirl also hurt, to a lesser degree.)

Just think...if DC had only ignored the Legion, allowing the LSH to keep its history intact, then in only two decades the rest of the DC Universe would have caught up to the Legion again, and all would be well. (Of course, nitpicking fans like me would have spent those two decades trying to reconcile the existence of the Legion's Superboy with the non-existence of Superboy in the rest of the DC Universe.)

I've said it before -- consistency between the LSH and the rest of the DC Universe is a two-edged sword. On one hand, we love it when the Legion interacts with the rest of the DCU, whether it's the question of Green Lanterns in the 30th century, Khunds and Dominators and Daxamites invading Earth in the 20th, or the Legion traveling back in time to pre-explosion Krypton. Crossovers also draw potential new readers to the Legion.

On the other hand, tying the two eras together means that the Legion's creators cede some of their creative control to the creators of other books -- changes in Sperman or JLA, or events in huge crossover series, impact the Legion -- often in ways that make the Legion's life more difficult.

I would rather see the Legion have minimal interaction with the present-day DC Universe. And I'd like to see the Legion officially immune to big changes in DC continuity. Let the thousand years between eras serve as both insulation and excuse...we can always invoke the twin excuses "records of the 21st century are imperfect" and "time travel causes strange things to happen."

And, of course, allowing a Multiverse (in some fashion) is an ultimate excuse for letting the Legion go its own way. If the Legion's continuity problems and multiple retcons can be traced to anything, it's probably DC's insane notion that there was only one consistent universe....

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COUNTDOWN #3 (4/9/08)
"Owned"

No Legion appearances in this issue, although Jimmy Olsen does become Giant Turtle-Olsen at the end. Colossal Boy once impersonated Giant Turtle-Olsen, so there's kinda a Legion connection there....

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JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #14 (5/08)
"Gog"
ROLL CALL: Starman/Star Boy (Lightning Source Legion)

Starman is being mysterious again. In talking to Cyclone, he says, "I was on Superman's Earth, Cyclone. I met Magog. If a Magog is born here...you'll all die in a war between heroes. Just like the history books of Xanthu say you will."

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Friday, April 04, 2008

Week of 2 April 2008

(SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers. Don't read it before you've read the comics.)

ACTION #863 (5/08)
"Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes Chapter 6: Sun Rise"
ROLL CALL: Blok, Brainiac 5, Chameleon Girl, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Dawnstar, Lightning Lad, Lightning Lass, Night Girl, Phantom Girl, Polar Boy, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Shrinking Violet, Sun Boy, Superman, Timber Wolf, Tyroc, Ultra Boy, Wildfire

Wow!

Great story. The double-page spread of the approaching Legion, with Superman's line "I've got the real deal," brought a chill to my spine. Yes, as far as I'm concerned, this Lightning Saga Legion is "the real deal" -- the classic Legion that started in Adventure 247.

And Ultra Boy's line to Terra Man ("Then who's gonna watch your back, jackass?") really sums up what the Legion's all about.

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: In the impending attack on Earth, the Imskians have "subatomic weapons."

Superman makes reference to the Magic War -- the last story before the Five Year Gap, which could be considered the last tale of the classic Legion.

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"Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds Teaser Pages"
ROLL CALL: Blok, Brainiac 5, Chameleon Girl, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Dawnstar, Invisible Kid, Lightning Lad, Lightning Lass, Night Girl, Phantom Girl, Polar Boy, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Sun Boy, Superman, Timber Wolf, Ultra Boy, Wildfire (Classic/Lightning Saga Legion) Kid Quantum, XS (Earth-Zero Legion)

LEGION OF SUPER-VILLAINS: Black Mace, Beauty Blaze, Chameleon Chief, Cosmic King, Dr. Regulus, Emerald Empress, Hunter, Lex Luthor, Lightning Lord, Mano, Ron-Karr (?), Time Trapper, Tyr, Universo, Validus, Zymyr

O...M...G...I...can...not...florging...wait!

'Nuff said.


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COUNTDOWN #4 (4/2/08)
"The Beginning of the End"

Nope, no LSH appearance in this issue. Kartate Kid's dead, Una's dead, Well, Jimmy Olsen is there...and another version of him was once in the Legion....

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