(SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers. Don't read it before you've read the comic.)
ADVENTURE #4/#507 (1/10)
"He Primed Me Part One: Spoiler Alert"
ROLL CALL (EARTH-PRIME LEGION): Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Element Lad (zombie), Light Lass, Lightning Lad, Sun Boy (zombie), Triplicate Girl, Ultra Boy
CUTE BOYS: Superboy-Prime is not unattractive,
Zombie Alex Luthor travels to Earth-Prime to take on Superboy-Prime, accompanied by zombie Element Lad and zombie Sun Boy, as well as other zombies of people Prime has killed. Meanwhile(?) in the 31st century, the Earth-Prime Legion gets an alarm that Prime, who is under house arrest, has left the building.
First of all, it's good to see the Earth-Prime Legion again. I hope Adventure Comics continues to show the different versions of the Legion, and not just the Big Three: I miss Devlin O'Ryan and Kent Shakespeare, Danielle Foccart's Computo and Dragonmage. Come on, DC, there are 52 universes: let's see a Legion form each one!
Second, although I never thought it would be possible, Superboy-Prime almost comes off as sympathetic in this story. It's hard not to sympathize with someone who thinks he's going to die. Or a kid who finds out that his parents fear him. The moment that crystallized it all was when Prime threw himself in front of his parents to save them. It's the most unselfish thing I've seen him do since Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Is it possible that Superboy-Prime has begun his journey to rehabilitation?
If so, what would it take for the rest of the DC Universe to accept that he's rehabilitated? If we take a lesson from Hal Jordan, a big enough self-sacrifice can reclaim the reputation of a hero-turned-villain. Final Night ended with Hal Jordan giving up his life and reclaiming his reputation. If Blackest Night ends with Superboy-Prime giving up his life to save the world, would that be enough to reclaim his reputation?
(if that's what happens, you heard it here first.)
It would be interesting to see a rehabilitated Superboy-Prime as part of the Earth-Prime Legion. Some of the others would never trust him, some would accept him, some would have mixed feelings.
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ADVENTURE #507/#4 (1/10)
"Long Live the Legion Part Four: Star Crossed"
ROLL CALL: Black Witch, Blok, Brainiac 5, Dawnstar, Phantom Girl, Wildfire
CUTE BOYS: It's a sad day when Brainy is the cutest boy in the story.
Blok, crumbling as an effect of his fight with Mordru, heads off to the Sorcerer's World to find Mysa. Dawnstar and Wildfire accompany him. Mysa states that she is, now and forever, the Black Witch. She is fighting to keep Mordru's evil magic inside and turn it to good. She removes Mordru's poison from Blok, making him whole again. He elects to stay on the Sorcerer's World with Mysa. Dawny and Wildfire leave, expressing their own love-across-enormous-gulfs.
A very sweet and powerful story of two couples whose love transcends the differences between them.
Thematically, this story fits in with the two previous ones in showing love transcending differences. First there was Garth and Mekt, brothers who still love one another despite the gulf between good and evil. Then Sun Boy and Polar Boy, comrades whose love crosses not only the gulf between hot and cold, but that between Legionnaire and Sub, experienced oldster and newbie. And now we have Mysa & Blok, Dawny & Drake with love that bridges gulfs of species and physical form.
And isn't that one of the important messages of the Legion? Love/respect/affection that bridges the gulfs separating people?
BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: On the Sorcerer's World there are statues of Evillo and Glorith. Did Mordru put them there? Mysa?
I'm able to identify five of the six stone faces surrounding Mysa's throne: Zatanna, Green Lantern Alan Scott, Raven, Blue Devil, and his son. I'm missing the one in the upper left: he's obviously a Green Lantern of some kind, but he also looks like the Spectre. Anyone?
Mysa's transformation is obvious: she went form White to Black. Whatever changes happened to Blok are less obvious: he went form being a craggy rock to being a smooth rock. I guess I was expecting more. Strata turned into crystal, after all.
ADDED LATER: My husband Thomas points out that Mysa's struggle to contain and tame Mordru's dark energy is a parallel to Wildfire's situation: Drake is all about containing and taming wild energy. I have a very perceptive husband.
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1 comment:
You DO have a perceptive hubby! Good on him! But you did a great job too of piecing together the thematic unity of all the stories so far. So good on you too!
I loved seeing Drake and Dawny hold hands -- and even though I never cared for Mysa back in the 80s, I've really enjoyed her story with Blok the past few months. And I thought she was drawn beautifully here -- stunning in both her black and her white forms!
Yes, it made my heart go pitty-pat.
But do you think this means Blok is out of the picture except for storylines related to Sorcerer's World?
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I too was surprised at how sympathetic SBPrime was in this ish--given that I was sick of him just a few months ago. But seeing him realize that he has to protect his parents from their own fear of him was a fascinating psychological moment!
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