I'm sorry this entry is so late; it's been a crazy couple of weeks. But enough of that, on to the comics --
ADVENTURE #524 (2011/05)
"First Night"
ROLL CALL:
Bouncing Boy, Cosmic Boy, Duplicate Girl, Chemical Kid, Comet Queen, Crystal Kid, Dragonwing, Glorith, Gravity Kid, Lamprey, Nightwind, Power Boy, Variable Lad, Dr. Gym'll, Father Jamik, Mother Jamik, Black Mace, Name Unknown, Shagrek Look-a-like #1, Shagrek Look-a-like #2
CUTE BOYS: Chemical Kid, Chuck, Crystal Kid, Gravity Kid, Power Boy, Rokk
The trainees are grounded. Chemical Kid decides to go to Phlon to find out why his father's credit was cancelled. (I just figured it was Luornu, trying to teach the trainees a lesson.) He talks Comet Queen, Dragonwing, Glorith, and Gravity Kid into going with him. Gravity Kid, at least, implies that he came along because he didn't want to let Chemical Kid go into danger alone.
And danger there is...in the person of Black Mace, working for a newly-reformed Taurus Gang. They're attacking Father Jamik, presumably to get money or corporate secrets. The trainees seem about to win the day, when a mysterious woman with blue hair takes away their powers and knocks them unconscious.
Meanwhile, back on Earth, Cosmic Boy has a talk with cadets Crystal Kid, Lamprey, Nightwind, and Power Boy -- he seems to be discouraging them from Legion membership. He encourages them to think about other possibilities: joint he S.P.s or go solo on an outerworld. Cosmic Boy says that no decisions have been made yet -- while implying that the decision is already made.
A lot more happens in this issue than it appears at first reading.
BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS:
Glorith doesn't remember her parents. She also makes reference to being "...in service to the Endless Ones." Does this tie in with the immortals that Saturn Queen is seeking? Could the third planet of immortals be the Sorcerer's World? "Endless Ones," eh? You don't suppose she's referring to the Endless from Gaiman's Sandman mythos? That would certainly be interesting.
Speaking of the Endless, Death appeared before in a Legion comic: in the Giffbaum years, in the issue where Earth was destroyed. Except that's not part of this continuity, is it?
We learn a little of Chemical Kid's backstory: his rich scientist father broke the law, using a virus graft to give his son Chemical King's power. (Chemical King was also from Phlon; apparently something about the Phlono physiochemistry predisposes them to this sort of transformation.
Variable Lad is Dr. Gym'll's nephew. That's a nice touch. Apparently he got his powers through some accident. (Gym'll shows two arms, although there may be a third behind his back that we don't see. Maybe his kind have some limited shape-shifting powers.)
The Taurus Gang was last seen in Adventure 374 (1968/11), when they were revealed to be under the command of S.P. Chief Zoltorus. Along with Black Mace, the other members were Mystelor, Quanto, Rogarth, and Shagrek. This new version has two Shagrek look-a-likes and a blue-haired lady who might be Mystelor (or might not). Quanto was an interesting case: He is a member of a highly-advanced race, sent from another universe to aid Taurus...or, possibly, to help Mystelor improve herself. At the end of the story, he declares his mission over and vanishes in a beam of light, presumably gone back to his own universe. It would be interesting to see more of his story.
The senior cadets (Crystal Kid, Lamprey, Nightwind, and Power Boy) are all from Earth. I guess Earth-Man would be happy if any of them joined the Legion. I could hope that all four of them get their chance to try out for the big leagues. These guys have been around for a long time, they've fought valiantly alongside the Leigon, they've seen some of their classmates join...it's about time they got a break.
However, the powers-that-be at DC seem to have this thing about limiting Legion membership to 25. I can see the reasons...you don't want to overwhelm new readers. (Funny how X-Men and the Avengers never seem to worry about that, with their own casts-of-thousands and convoluted histories.) However, I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's the Legion of Super-Heroes, not the Two-Dozen-and-One Super-Heroes.
I wouldn't mind seeing the Legion divided into teams, along the lines of Justice League America & Justice League Europe, or the way they've divided the JSA recently. Maybe this run in Adventure is a preliminary run-up-the-flagpole for a future Legion Academy title. I'd buy it! (Look at the Legion Academy -- there's already a continuing cast of 12, 14 if you count Night Girl and Cosmic Boy. Spin off a few more Legion members, and you'll have 20-25 in each book.) (Or, since the Outerworlds seem to be fairy lawless, how about spinning off the senior cadets with Mon-El, the new Green Lantern Corps, and maybe the Wanderers to make a Legion Outerworlds comic.)
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R.E.B.E.L.S. 26 (2011/05)
I haven't found a copy of this comic yet; when I do, I'll update this listing.
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SUPERMAN 709 (2011/05)
"Grounded Part Seven"
ROLL CALL:
XS
CUTE BOYS: Young Clark Kent, Young Lex Luthor
XS appears in a cameo when Flash (Barry Allen) is telling Superman about all the other Flashes he knows.
Barry Allen says that Bart will "do his Grandfather proud" and muses that he doesn't feel old enough to have a grandson, or even a son, for that matter.
First of all, since all of this involves time travel, Barry can easily have any number of great-great-grand-flashes without being any older. But more to the point, he has a granddaughter too. I guess the fact that Jenni is a Legionnaire means that she doesn't matter in the framework of the rest of the DC Universe. Pshaw!
I must say, I'm not that impressed by Barry Allen since his return. If you were a guy who could travel through time, and you discovered that you had a son and daughter in the future, wouldn't you at least want to go take a look at them? But I suppose Don & Dawn's connection to the Legion makes them personae non grata as well. Double pshaw!
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