Monday, January 31, 2011

Week of 26 January 2011

I did not see any Legion content in DC Comics this week.

However, this big guy came to visit:


He actually arrived in pieces, most of them from eBay. After he had a look around, he decided to stay.

Here he is in his permanent place amid the other Legion collectibles:


Click either picture to embiggen.



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Saturday, January 22, 2011

Week of 19 January 2011

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

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #9 (2011/03)
"One Last Durlan"


ROLL CALL:

Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy (cover only), Dawnstar, Gates, ightning Lad (cover only), Saturn Girl (cover only), Sensor Girl (cover only), Tellus, Timber Wolf, Tyroc, Ultra Boy (cover only), Wildfire (cover only), S.P. Chief Gigi Cusimano, Durlans


CUTE BOYS: Brainy, Brin, Garth, Gim, Jo, Rokk, Troy

With six pages taken up by something I care less about than Brightest Day, and two pages devoted to a letter page announcement that contains a total of zero actual Legionnaires (I'm not counting Superman and Conner), there's not a whole lot left for Legion content in this issue. Maybe they should change the title to Advertisements: featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes?

Ahem. The main plot of this issue involves Brainy and Cham on Durla as they try to reason with the Durlan leaders. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't work. There are some nice echoes of the last time Cham was on Durla, in Legion of Super-Heroes #301 (1983/07). In the end, Brainy figures out that they need to talk to Ji Daggle, Cham's aunt.

Meanwhile, in the U.P. chambers, Timber Wolf and Tyroc continue to defend the Council. Gates arrives (very dramatically, courtesy of a great rendering by Yildiray Cinar). One of the Durlan assassins shows up in the form of R.J. Brande -- but the Legionnaires are onto him in an instant, and a tremendous fight ensues. The Durlan escapes at the end.

On Medicus One, Gigi convinces Tellus to enter Dawnstar's mind and use her power to find Zendak. He does (in another visually-impressive sequence), and reports that Zendak is dead.

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS:

When Brande's hologram recited his life story a few months ago (Adventure 516), there was much weeping and wailing in the online Legion community. "Brande doesn't talk like that," they said. "Brande doesn't have that much of an accent." "Paul Levitz doesn't know what he's doing." "Worst...comic...ever."

Well, guess what? Levitz did know what he was doing, Brande did talk like that, and this is the BEST...comic...ever. Listen to Tyroc talking about the phony Brande: "Sounds like he used to...before Brande got so wrapped up in that put-on theatrical voice he fell in love with a couple of years ago."

We last saw Ji Daggle in the same issue, by the way, as a flashback in Brande's story. Prior to that, she was last seen in a cameo in Who's Who in the LSH #7 (1988/11); the last time we saw her in action was as a captive of Dagon the Avenger in Legion of Super-Heroes #263/264 (1980/05-6).

Tyroc continues to develop his powers, which is nice to see. He's fast becoming a stalwart of the Legion, both strong and wise -- the years seem to have tempered his anger but left his passion alive. He's definitely someone I would want in my corner during a fight.

Timber Wolf expresses the soul of a true hero when the Durlan is batting him around while attacking the Council: "Hit me all you like, ugly -- but no Councillors for you!"

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SUPERMAN/BATMAN #80 (2011/03)
"World's Finest Part Two"


ROLL CALL:

Kent Shakespeare

CUTE BOYS: Kid Flash, Robin (present-day), Robin (31st Century)

I never know what to make of this title. Is it in continuity, or not? Isn't Batman dead right now? And which Robin is this? (It would probably help if he took off his mask and costume.) Nevertheless, every commentary I've found seems to indicate that we're somewhere in the current DC Universe (whatever that means).

If so, then we just saw the Retro Legion version of Kent Shakespeare.

Here's the relevant panel. The bad guy, Epoch, is careening out-of-control through time, and he passes through the 31st century. (click to embiggen)


The narrative, provided by Superman One Million, says:

"It appears he next appeared a thousand years later, in the midst of the Miracle Monday celebrations. He managed to incapacitate that era's Superman, Kent Shakespeare, but was defeated by Brane Taylor and Elna Kent -- the 31st Century Batman and Superwoman."

There's an awful lot to unpack here. For the story of Miracle Monday I'm going to refer you to Wikipedia. The "thousand years later" starts with "decades into the future, where the original Batman's son and the second Superman easily defeated him."

Get ready for a headache. If the Legion's time is exactly a thousand years after Superman's (the present), then we're talking about a thousand years from a generation in our future. If the Legion takes place in 3010, then this panel is set in, say, 3040 or 3050. Yes, it's the 31st century...but it's a generation after the Legion's time.

In that future, Kent Shakespeare is Superman, Brane Taylor  is Batman, Elna Kent is Superwoman, and a cute blond boy wearing altogether too many clothes is Robin. (I have to pull out my issues of Generations to see if these names are in there...Superwoman looks a little familiar.) (Note that this is not the Kristen Wells Superwoman usually associated with Miracle Monday.)

Kent Shakespeare, I suppose I don't need to tell you, was a late member of the Legion in the Glorithverse version. Now it seems that Kent turns up a generation later, going under the name Superman.

Now, Kent Shakespeare was one of the characters I actually liked from the Glorithverse Legion. (I liked Kono as well.) Now I want to see more of this late-31st-Century world. Did Kent Shakespeare get his early training from the Legion? How about Superwoman? Batman seems to be shooting a ray from his hand...does he have super-powers, and might he have been in the Legion too? And above all, what's the story with that cute Robin, why does he have his hand comfortingly on Kent's shoulder, and what does he look like with his clothes off?

Ahem. Incidentally, there's another minor Legion reference in the next panel: "...at the dawning of the 46th Century[,] the Unknown Superman and Batsman were busy contending with the Greater Darkness..."

Maddening yet evocative, these glimpses of fascinating futures are fun.

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ADDENDUM:

Other folks have caught what I totally missed, that Laurel Kent used the name "Elna" when she first appeared. Check out Legion Lad's comment, suggesting that Superwoman might be Laurel or her daughter. I particularly like the "daughter" theory...dare we imagine that young Kal-El and Laurel had more than a platonic relationship? That Kal might have a little girl in the 31st century that he's not aware of?

[Yes, yes, yes, I know Laurel turned out to be a Manhunter android. But that was in the Original Legion timeline, in which Mon-El never had a 21st-century career. In this Retro Legion timeline, maybe Laurel wasn't a Manhunter. Maybe Fortress Lad didn't turn into the Legion Clubhouse, the Legionnaires never tormented Superboy to make him forget that they lived forever, and (dare we hope) Dr. Mayavale died in infancy.]

On the DCU message boards, reader littlekonel identifies these characters a little better:

The Unnamed Robin is from the book Robin 3000 and his name is Timothy Wayne. He's the last of the Wayne family and he's an alien hunter. Brane is also an alien-hunter who takes on the role of Batman because he's rebelling against aliens who had taken over Earth. 

Laurel Kent (or Elna as she is known here) is wearing an outfit that seems to be across between her "Poncho" look and the Superwoman look. I liked the idea that they used the name "Elna" is both an anagram to Lane and the name she once used when she interacted with Kal-el/Superman. This Superwoman looks like a much older Laurel Kent with Super-strength (she's shown punching Epoch...if she just had invulnerability, it wouldn't make a difference. It also mentions that, at least in the 31st century, they celebrated Miracle Monday: the Superman holiday which Kristen Wells witnesses and ends up donning on the Superwoman outfit. It makes sense that Laurel would be at such festivities.

Next to Elna is Brane Taylor, the 31st century Batman. Unlike the Robin mentioned above, Brane is not a direct descendant but instead dons on the Bat-costume to stop an alien threat. We can probably assume that the alien threat that Robin 3000 battles is the same alien threat that leads Brane to become the Batman. 

littlekonel goes on to wish for these characters to appear in Legion comics, suggesting that they could be part of the Legion Academy series. What a great idea!

The bottom line is, we've (possibly) had a tiny glimpse of the time a generation after the Legion. And like many other Legion fans, I want more.
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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Week of 12 January 2011

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

R.E.B.E.L.S. #24 (2011/03)
"Starstruck Part 1"


ROLL CALL:

Adam Strange, Captain Comet, Lobo, Starfire, Tribulus, Vril Dox, Astrild Stormdaughter, Smite, Starro

CUTE BOYS: Adam Strange, Captain Comet

Okay, this is getting more interesting. I'm a little dubious about bringing Starro back so quickly, but Green Lanterns and various Vegans weren't working, so why not? (Still, a visit from the real Legion couldn't hurt. Or how about the Legion of Earth-Prime, since it was Earth-Prime's Brainiac 5 who started Dox on all this stuff to begin with?)

Anyway, Dox goes on a date with Blackfire, Adam Strange has a nice evening at home with his wife and kid, and Captain Comet runs into Lobo in a bar while moping about Starfire.

Astrild Stormdaughter lures Lobo away with pheremones, and drains his life-force to restore the parasite on Starro's chest. In turn, it births a bunch of little starros. (This is confusing...the name "Starro" refers to the space-starfish as well as to the big bald guy with a star-shaped scar on his face.)

Finally, Smite crashes into Dox's ship with a big Skroom!, carrying Tribulus away.

BITS OF L.E.G.I.O.N.NAIRE BUSINESS: Is it just me, or has Tribulus done nothing much up to this point? Other than occasionally acting as bodyguard for Dox (who doesn't really need a bodyguard, and anyway I thought that was Lobo's job).

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Saturday, January 08, 2011

Week of 5 January 2011

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

ADVENTURE #522 (2011/03)
"Consequences"


ROLL CALL:

Black Witch (cover only), Dawnstar, Lighting Lass (cover only), Mon-El, Phantom Girl (cover only), Saturn Girl (cover only), Tellus, S.P. Commander Gigi Cusimano, Dyogene, Dr. Harmonia Li, Saturn Queen, Sun Killer, Unknown Blue Critter

CUTE BOYS: Mon-El, Various S.P. Officers

An S.P. cruiser taking Saturn Queen to Takron-Galtos is attacked by a new villain named Sun Killer. His mission is to free Saturn Queen, but the S.P.s aren't carrying the equipment to release her from her inertron shackles. ("Crew carries less than 100 credits.") Green Lantern Mon-El responds, under the tutelage of Dyogene. Mon-El fumbles his use of the power ring, but defeats Sun Killer using his old-fashioned Daxamite super-powers.

During the battle, a little blue baby flies through, prompting Dyogene to say, "The Adversary was here...newborn, but strong...That which the Guardians decreed I battle lives. If there is war among the immortals again, what time have we for less?"

Meanwhile, Tellus and Gigi despair of Dawnstar's chances of awakening from her induced coma. Gigi, ever the soul of tact and empathy, is concerned because Dawny is her only chance of finding Zendak.

At the same time, Harmonia Li is on a ship bound for Earth as it passes through the debris of Titan. (Me, I'd've taken an orbit that went a few million miles away from the debris field. But what do I know?) Little bits of Titan start thunking against the ship's hull, and Dr. Li opines that the universe has a grudge against her. (Her exact words: "The starwinds bring my failure to me, reminding me of what I could have prevented. The cosmos has a long memory.") She seems to be talking about the destruction of Titan, but that "long memory" thing makes me think that perhaps she's referring to something that happened much longer ago.

(I swear, if this all hooks up with that lame, endless "Brightest Day" nonsense, I will get one of them white plastic power rings and flush the damn thing down the toilet. I mean it. Don't think I won't.)

The story ends with Saturn Queen still immobilized within her bindings, but Tellus can sense that her dreams are stronger and are suffused with a blue glow (i.e. the little blue critter) and he despairs. I thought blue was supposed to be hope? (Okay, I guess Tellus despairs pretty easily, so the point may be moot.

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS:

This is the month in which DC comics all have really cool covers -- this one is no exception. Be aware that the cover is iconic; it has no relationship to the story inside. Of the ten boobs on the cover, only two of them (Dawnstar's) actually appear in the comic.

Since this cover features Legion ladies with their bulging bosoms,  is the cover of Legion of Super-Heroes going to feature cute Legion lads with bulging trousers? As if! Take a look:


Okay, Garth and Jo are showing some nice muscle, but what's Imra's arm doing blocking Jo's naughty bits? And I'm sorry to say it, but none of the boys are looking particularly endowed. Meanwhile, of course, Imra and Jeckie are thrusting their prominent chests forward, and Dawny is (once again) absolutely flaunting her bozongas.

Notice how Mon-El's costume reverts to his old red-and-blue when he loses control of the ring. It's a neet effect, but why-of-why couldn't it have left him nekkid? Hey Mon: next time you conjure up your Green Lantern uniform, do it right after you step out of the chem-shower, okay?

This issue announces the return of lettercolumns to DC comics. Does this mean we'll see the return of The Legion Outpost? As far as this blogger is concerned, this is a positive step. (Hmmm...maybe I should put together a list of the titles of various Legion lettercolumns. My very favorite was the lettercolumn from the short-lived Valor comic: "The Letters Part of Valor.") (My husband Thomas reminds me of the lettercolumn from the old Green Lantern Corps: "Written to the Corps.")


CHRONICLER'S ERROR?:

Sun Killer gets the drop on Mon-El by emitting red solar rays. In the olden days, Mon's anti-lead serum also gave him powers under a red sun. It was Superboy who was was always getting knocked for a loop by red-sun radiation. I'm going to charitably assume that Mon was just taken by surprise, not physically weakened.

I think Sun Killer puts his finger on Mon's real problem with the power ring: "It is no stronger than your will." When I try to come up with words to characterize Mon_El, "willpower" is not all that high on the list. Courage, intelligence, strength, endurance, unbelievable hotness...but willpower, not so much. I'm just not convinced that he's such a good choice as a Green Lantern.

I keep coming back to the four Legionnaires who were established as having the greatest willpower: Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Dream Girl, and Saturn Girl. Hmmmm...a while ago Dyogene approached Dream Girl and said she would be a good candidate, but not yet. Is that yet another clue that this woman is not actually Dream Girl, is maybe a Durlan assassin instead?

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Sunday, January 02, 2011

Week of 29 December 2010

I did not see any Legion content in DC Comics this week.

So I've been working on a chart of alternate Legions, of which I have 19 listed so far. (There are more to come -- both alternates and Legionnaires.) Take a look and see if you like it.

Meanwhile, this week Adventure #522 and possibly Superboy #3 (alien terrorists from the future).

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