Week of 13 October 2010

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


ADVENTURE #519 (2010/12)
"Playing Hooky II"


ROLL CALL:


Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Cosmic Boy, Invisible Kid (Lyle), Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Shrinking Violet, Superboy, Zaryan

CUTE BOYS: Brainy, Garth, Lyle, Rokk, Kal, Several Smallville Barn-Raising Boys, and a special mention of the Legion boys in Smallville drag...especially Brainy with his ball cap, so adorable that you just want to give him a big hug.

Two storylines this issue. First Cham, Lyle, and Vi go after one of Zaryan's supply ships -- the first mission for the Legion Espionage Squad. Although Zaryan uses his untried and imperfect freeze ray against them, the Espionage Squad manages to escape unharmed.

Meanwhile, Brainy takes Garth, Imra, and Rokk back to spend time in Smallville with Superboy. He tells them that it's imperative that they spend the next 14.4 hours in Smallville. The Legionnaires get a taste of natural weather, take part in an old-fashioned barn-raising, and meet Ma and Pa Kent. That night, one of Brainiac's probes arrives, having homed in on Kal's Kryptonian spaceship. With Brainy's help they destroy the probe, so it won't lead Brainiac to Earth (at least, not until Kal is grown up into Superman.)

A clever, enchanting story that both moves the Zaryan storyline ahead, and also sheds light on Superboy's place in Retro Legion continuity.

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS:


Zaryan commands is men to use a freeze ray on the Legionnaires. It misfires. Once perfected, this freeze ray will kill Lightning Lad.

The List. Brainy has a list of things to do in Superboy's time: Experience natural weather, Help a barn raising, Meet the Kents, and Save the world. This harkens back to the original "Playing Hooky" story in Adventure 12/515, which itself recalled Conner's list of things Superman did back in Adventure #1/504.

CHRONICLER'S ERROR?:

Saturn Girl's identification bubble gives her name as "Imra Ardeen-Ranzz." This is an anachronism -- at this time, she was just Imra Ardeen. This is going to be a recurring error. I don't know who adds the text to those bubbles -- the Letterer, maybe? -- but whoever it is, we can't expect them to be a hardcore Legion fan, or to be able to tell at a glance when Saturn Girl is "Ardeen" and when she's "Ardeen-Ranzz." We should just be happy that they're identifying the two Invisible Kids correctly.

Besides...we all know that due to various wars, disasters, and mischances of time across a thousand years, records of the 31st century are uncertain at best. :)

How Old Are They? Lyle and Vi look like they're in their mid-teens; Imra looks like maybe 15-16, Garth and Rokk maybe a little younger; When Brainy's green he looks to be 14-15, but when he's caucasian he looks positively prepubescent; Kal hovers around 12-13...except on the cover, where they all look older.

I don't see this as a problem. It's all artistic license. Even if the artists were given explicit ages for the various Legionnaires, it's pretty hard to draw teenagers at exact ages. (Take a look back at John Forte's Legion...or even Curt Swan's). I think what we should take away from this is that the Legionnaires were "very young" at this time.

Besides, we already know that ages are deceptive in the 31st century. If the Legionnaires are considered "boys" and "girls" in their 20s and 30s, then why couldn't they have looked 12 when they were in their mid-teens?

And Kryptonians...ell, they just age weirdly.

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SMALLVILLE Season 10 Episode 4
"Homecoming"


ROLL CALL:

Brainiac 5, Clark/Kal-El

CUTE BOYS: Clark, Oliver

Clark and Lois go to a Smallville High reunion. Brainiac 5 takes Clark on a series of time-trips in order to reveal secrets of his past and build confidence in his future.

It's interesting to have this episode air during the same week as Adventure 519, in which Brainy comes to Clark's time -- and which also involves the relationship between Brainy and his infamous ancestor.

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS:

In an earlier episode, three Legionnaires helped Clark defeat the original Brainiac. They took his essence into the 31st century with them. Brainiac 5 is the reincarnation of the original Brainiac (played by the same actor).

Brainiac 5 explains that he is the one who invented the Legion flight ring and their time-travel technology.

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CONTEST WINNERS:

Last month I announced a contest, with the lucky winners to receive either the Legionnaires 3 miniseries or the Cosmic Boy miniseries. I've waded through all both answers, and here are the results:

The Legionnaires 3 series goes to Prof. Lemaris Lang. The Cosmic Boy series goes to Rob. To claim your prize, email me at donsakers at gmail dot com and tell me your mailing address. I'll get the comics in the mail in the next few days.

Thanks for playing!

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Week of 6 October 2010

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

R.E.B.E.L.S. #21 (2010/12)
"To Be A R.E.B.E.L. Part 1"


ROLL CALL:


CUTE BOYS: Adam Strange, Captain Comet, Lyrl Dox, Vril Dox

Dox pits L.E.G.I.O.N. against the Green Lantern Corps in a contest for customers, declaring them all to be R.E.B.E.L.S. According to Lobo, that stands for Regular Everyday Bastiches Endin' Lantern Supremacy. Much of the issue consists of a pointless battle between Lobo and an Okaaran Green Lantern. Lyrl looks a lot better with his hair tied back, but in the only good shot of Adam Strange and Captain Comet, both of them are unfortunately fully clothed. (Hey, Adam Strange, is that a holster, or are you just glad to see us?)

The story continues next issue; hopefully there will be more content and significantly more male nudity.

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Week of 29 September 2010

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

TIME MASTERS: VANISHING POINT #3 (2010/11)
"Passageway Part 3"


ROLL CALL:

Brainiac 5

CUTE BOYS: Booster Gold, Brainy, Matthew Ryder, Rip Hunter, Young Rip

As the story opens, Booster Gold and his son, young Rip Hunter (it's a long story) are visiting Brainiac 5 in the 31st century. Booster apparently borrowed the Miracle Machine, and has now returned it. Young Rip flies around with a Legion flight ring, while Brainy upgrades Skeets with 31st century technology. When Rip asks if he can keep the ring, Brainy says "We've only ever allowed one to be used by a non-authorized Legionnaire. That's our limit." The "non-authorized Legionnaire," of course, is Booster himself.

It's apparent that Booster and young Rip are frequent visitors; Brainy says "My lab is always open to the Carter family."

The rest of the story has nothing to do with the Legion.

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ALSO (supposedly) OUT THIS WEEK:

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES VOL. 4


Collects ADVENTURE COMICS #369-380, ACTION COMICS #378-387, 389-392 and SUPERBOY #172, 173, 176, 183, 184, 188, 190 and 191.


This was supposed to be released this week, but I couldn't find it. Amazon says it's not due out until October 5; I guess it's possible that it was delayed a week.


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Week of 22 September 2010

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

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #5 (2010/11)
"A Choice of Destinies"

ROLL CALL:

Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Dawnstar, Dream Girl, Earth-Man, Gates, Lighting Lad (cover only), Lightning Lass (cover only), Phantom Girl, Quislet, Saturn Girl (cover only), Sensor Girl, Shadow Lass, Shrinking Violet, Sun Boy, Tellus, Timber Wolf, Ultra Boy, High Seer Beren, Circadia Senius, Doctor Li, S.P. Chief Zendak, Durlans

CUTE BOYS: Brainy, Brin, Dirk (looking exceptionally adorable), Gim, Jo (cute green shorts on the last page), Rokk

Two covers again this time around. The regular one, by the magnificent Yildiray Cinar,  is a stunning group action shot of a bunch of Legionnaires; it would make a great poster or cover of a trade paperback.  The alternate one, by Jim Lee, is a beautiful picture of Timber Wolf and links up with last month's Mon-El cover.

A Legion team goes to the Painted Desert refugee camp to rescue Titanian refugees from a starliner that crashed in their camp. An army of Human supremacists called the Earth Force appears to attack the Legionnaires. The Earth Force nearly has the team defeated, when Earth-Man shows up (followed in short order by a second team of Leigonnaires). In the end the Earth Force is defeated and S.P.s take them into custody.

Earth-Man, professing a change of heart, leads the Legion and the S.P.s to his erstwhile comrades, telling the supremacists that they are not his kind.

Meanwhile on Naltor, Dyogene appears and offers a power ring, not to Nura, but to Doctor Li...who angrily refuses it, talking trash about the Guardians. (Guess she's pissed because she broke their law and got the Time Institute -- not to mention Titan -- blown up.)

Meanwhile meanwhile, Brainy (with the help of his old friend and teacher Circadia Senius) repairs the time bubble that was damaged in Saturn Girl's recent trip. Circadia Senius talks about his favorite student, the first humanoid he could really relate to: Professor Harmonia Li. Seems that Doctor Li has "been studying time theory for so many decades, so obsessively -- she was determined to master it."

Meanwhile meanwhile meanwhile, Chief Zendak (looking very distinguished, might I add) arrives at S.P. Headquarters for a conference. He doesn't make it, though -- he is killed by those Durlans we saw a few issues back. One of them takes Zendak's appearance and identity, for nefarious reasons of vengeance.

And finally, Tinya walks in on Shadow Lass and Earth-Man in the sack together. Tinya is not happy. (Old joke: Shady says, "No, my dear, I am surprised. You are merely astonished." No, not really.)

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS:

When Dyogene shows up on Naltor, Nura says "I saw myself with you." Dyogene answers, "This ring calls to one brave, strong, and gifted as you are...and yet not." Way back in the Universo Project storyline (Legion of Super-Heroes #32-35, March-June 1987), it was established that Nura's willpower is extremely strong (same with Brainy, Cham, and Imra...as well as Atmos, Xera of Manna 5, the Silver Sword, Gas Girl, and Energax, among others). Since willpower is what makes green power rings go, it's not surprising that Nura would be considered as a possible Green Lantern.

Harmonia Li is an ambiguous figure. She's been cast as a tragic hero as well as someone suffering under a huge load of guilt...yet at the same time, she pushed the whole "look at the beginning of the universe" thing, and the others who've done that are usually villains: Krona, Sinestro, even Vidar/Universo. On the other hand, Pariah also did the same, and he was a good guy.

One suspects that Doctor Li will become a bad guy of some sort, perhaps a major one. Knowing Paul Levitz, one also suspects that Doctor Li is not all she seems; that perhaps she is a known villain in disguise. Luckily she has dark hair, so we can hope she's not Glorith (shudder). She might be the Time Trapper...everyone is, sooner or later. But with the announcement that the upcoming Legion Annual will feature a new Emerald Empress, I wouldn't be surprised to see Harmonia Li find an Emerald Eye somewhere, and take on a new identity.

Come to think of it, the Emerald Eye is a sort of evil counterpart to a green power ring. Both use green energy, both depend on their owner's willpower to manifest green energy constructs, both have virtually infinite potential limited only by the will of their owners. You Read It Here First.

(Either that, or Doctor Li is Darkseid. Think about it...have you ever seen the two of them together?)

Earth-Man's former comrades, the Human supremacists, are a really multicultural group. I see a Native American, East Asians (including an Avatar Aang lookalike), a South Asian, an African, men and women both. This is a really fine touch -- it shows how anybody can become a bigot, no matter what their ethnic background...while at the same time it brings us 21st century readers face-to-face (literally) with some of our own prejudices. This is the kind of things that an illustrated medium like comics can do so tremendously well.

On another level, notice how diversity and uniformity are portrayed in this series. In this issue, the Earth Force members are all in uniform and look identical; the bad Durlans all take on the same form (and even transform themselves into identical-looking birds). The Legion, on the other hand, are made up of a lot of different body types in colorful, individualized uniforms.

I'm not saying this holds up in all cases. As mentioned above, the evil supremacists are a pretty diverse-looking group, and the S.P.s (presumably on the side of good) run around in identical faceless uniforms. But it's still an interesting visual statement.

CHRONICLER'S ERROR?:

Dyogene names Doctor Li "the new Green Lantern of Sector 2814." Do we know for sure that Naltor is in Sector 2814? And in last issue, Sodam Yat told Dyogene that "The Corps is fated to be reborn on Earth, among humanity on the mother world of that species." Now, if Sodam Yat told you to go birth the Corps on Earth, would you go scurrying off to Naltor? Me neither.

One possible explanation is that Doctor Li is an Earth-person, even if she's temporarily on Naltor, and Dyogene was going for the next available Earth-person candidate no matter where she was. Another explanation is that Dyogene has a really, really bad sense of direction, and thought he was on Earth the whole time.

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SPECIAL OFFER:

Cosmic Comix was having a 50%-off sale on miniseries. I rescued one copy each of the Legionnaires 3 (1986) and Cosmic Boy (1986-7) miniseries. Both are four-issue series.

I already have both, so I'm going to give these away. In order to spread the wealth, the prizes will go to two different people. Here's how you can win one:

The Legionnaires 3 miniseries will go to the person with the most creative answer to this question: Who will Doctor Li turn out to be? Put your answers in comments to this post.

The Cosmic Boy miniseries will go to the person with the most creative answer to this quesiton: Who will Dyogene choose next as the new Green Lantern of Sector 2814? Put your answers in comments to this post.

Points will be awarded for cleverness, absurdity, originality, and total lack of plausibility. Extra points to those who can work a naked Mon-El into their answers.

I will make my final decision on Wednesday, October 13, and announce it in the post for that date.

Good luck!

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Read the Legion...

Everyone is all a-twitter about the announcement that Keith Giffen is returning to work with Paul Levitz on the upcoming Legion of Super-Heroes Annual.

As far as I'm cocnerned, Keith Giffen has ruined just about everything he's touched for the past two decades. I really dislike what his art has become, and I believe his storytelling skills are definitely sub-par.

Yes, the Annual will sell tremendously, because of all the fanboys who will buy it for Giffen's name. And perhaps Levitz will be able to keep a firm lid on Giffen's excesses, so it might be a passable story. And perhaps they'll have the sense to team Giffen with a competent artist or two, so readers will have some chance of telling which character is which.

In fact, I think the best way to make sure that this is a good comic is to restrict Giffen's contribution to a few preliminary conferences and the appearance of his name on the cover. The more DC can prevent Giffen from having anything substantial to do with this comic, the better story it will be.

Or maybe I'm wrong, and we'll get to witness the return of the nine-panel grid, murky pictures, obscure storytelling, ultra-violent psychopaths, and maybe even the long-awaited reveal of the (retconned) decades-old marriage of Kid Quantum and Laurel Gand.

Week of 15 September 2010

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

DCU LEGACIES #5 (2010/11)
"Crisis!"


ROLL CALL:

Bouncing Boy, Brainiac 5 (cover only), Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Dawnstar, Lightning Lad, Mon-El, Shrinking Violet, Star Boy, Supergirl, Ultra Boy, Wildfire

This series on the history of the DC Universe revisits Crisis on Infinite Earths, with cameo appearances from many Legionnaires.

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Also,  although there is no Legion connection, how can you pass up this week's Tiny Titans #32 (2010/11)? It features a new student at Sidekick High. Three words alone should convince anyone to take a look at this comic: Lunch...Lady...Darkseid.

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Week of 8 September 2010

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

ADVENTURE #518 (2010/11)
"Whispers of Doom"


ROLL CALL:

Brainiac 5, Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl, Saturn Girl, Superboy, Ultra Boy, High Seer Beren, Nura Nal, Zaryan

CUTE BOYS: Brainy, Dirk, Garth, Jo, Kal, Rokk, maybe one or two of the Naltorians

This issue picks up a while after the last one left off. The Legion has added some more members (including Superboy), and Zaryan has grown more powerful. A team consisting of Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Sn Boy, and Ultra Boy is chasing Zaryan's forces, trying to track down the big guy himself. Their quest takes them to Naltor, where they manage to repel Zaryan's troops but one ship of bad buys slips away.

Meanwhile on Naltor, the High Seer's apprentice Nura Nal (who will become Dream Girl) has a vision in which an unidentified Legionnaire dies in combat with Zaryan. High Seer Beren decides to dispatch a confidential message capsule to Legion headquarters bearing news of the vision.

Back on Earth, Phantom Girl tells Superboy that she's been investigating the source of strange voices that some Leigonnaires have been hearing in the clubhouse, a source that they're calling a "ghost." Superboy visits the Superman Museum, where he sees a display that tells him Superman died at the hands of Doomsday. He also hears the voice of the "ghost" urging him to go home.

Brainy insists that Superboy has to go back to his own time ("We have to synchronize these trips carefully...we can't upset time itself.") Phantom Girl mentions that the Legion has decided to elect a new Leader. Then the time bubble vanishes, and the "ghost" says, "Good...at least you'll be safe."

I'm struck by the masterful job Paul Levitz is doing in setting up the events of Adventure #304. In that story, Saturn Girl witnessed the arrival of a capsule bearing a message from "The Trylop Council of Planet Mernl." The message read: "Our computer-machine predicts a Leigonnaire member will die soon while using his, or her, power to battle an invasion of Earth by 'Zaryan the Conqueror'! Our Our machine can't reveal which Legionnaire will die!"

Saturn Girl destroyed the capsule, then telepathically influenced the other Legionnaires to unanimously vote her in as Leader. We learn of Zaryan the Conqueror, "An interplanetary criminal from the planet Brok. Once Zaryan offered the Legion a fabulous bribe not to oppose him," but the Legion rejected the bribe.

Saturn Girl went on to put the Legionnaires through a series of tests, which she used to disqualify each of them for duty. Unbeknownst to them, she had also stolen all of their powers. When Zaryan attacked, she set out alone to face him, determined that she would be the Legionnaire to die. Lightning Lad went after her and foiled her plan, getting struck by Zaryan's weapon instead.

With his dying breaths, Lightning Lad explained that Mon-El (from the Phantom Zone) had witnessed everything, and warned him of Saturn Girl's plot so he could foil it.

See how it all fits together, 204 issues later: Zaryan offers his bribe, which Saturn Girl rejects. Naltor (not the Trylop Council of Planet Mernl) sends a message capsule to Earth, warning that a Legionnaire will die in combat with Zaryan. And the whispers of a mysterious ghost are heard; a ghost who tells Superboy to go home and seems relieved that Kal, at least, is safe. Isn't it obvious that the "ghost" is really Mon-El?

And notice the theme of fated death. Superboy sees that Doomsday will kill him in his own personal future; Nura Nal sees that a Legionnaire will soon die.

CHRONICLER'S ERROR?:

Wasn't Zaryan a Khund? In the post-Levitz years, Zaryan the Conqueror was retconned as a Khund. I'm going to consider that part of the Glorithverse Legion.

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BOOSTER GOLD #36 (2010/11)
"This Man...This Chipmunk"


ROLL CALL:

Vril Dox

CUTE BOYS: Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Rip Hunter, Vril Dox

Booster Gold winds up on the Starlag during Invasion, along with Blue Beetle (who has been turned into a chipmunk; don't ask). They encounter Vril Dox before the escape that led to the formation of L.E.G.I.O.N.

Fortunately, Booster Gold no longer seems tied in with Brightest Day. (Has anyone else sworn off buying any Brightest Day tie-ins? Life is too short to waste any of it.) Unfortunately, Keith Giffen is still writing for the comic.

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Week of 1 September 2010

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

R.E.B.E.L.S. #20 (2010/11)
"Sons of Brianiac Part 3: Brain-Drain"

ROLL CALL:

Lobo, Lyrl Dox, Pulsar Stargrave, Vril Dox

CUTE GUYS: Lyrl Dox, Vril Dox

Lobo keeps Pulsar Stargrave busy while the Doxes attack Brianiac. Vril defeats Brainiac by infusing the bad guy with all the dark, terrible emotions that Vril has kept bottled up within himself. In the end, Brainiac and Pulsar Stargrave flee with Colu's data-core.

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Week of 25 August 2010

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

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #4 (2010/10)
"That Which is Purest Among You"

ROLL CALL:

Brainiac 5, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Dawnstar, Dream Girl, Earth-Man, Gates, Lightning Lad, Lightning Lass, Quislet, Saturn Girl, Sensor Girl, Shadow Lass, Sun Boy, Timber Wolf, High Seer Beren, Garridan Ranzz, Graym Ranzz, Doctor Li, Sodam Yat, Darkseid (telepathic image)

CUTE BOYS: Dirk, Garth (intense, but cute), Gim, Rokk

On Avalon, a cult of Darkseid has grown up around an unnamed wizard who aspires to become a "true servant to the darkness." Using traces of Mordru's power and residue of Darkseid's, he has brought the Ranzz boys ("the children touched by our lord") to Avalon for nefarious purposes.

Ayla, Garth, and Imra do a masterful job of kicking ass, and recover the boys alive & well.

Meanwhile, Earth-Man meets with Human supremacists who want his help eliminating the Titanian refugees. He refuses, saying that he will save humankind his own way. Oooo, scary.

On Naltor, Dream Girl (with Dawnstar and Gates) talks High Seer Beren into accepting thousands of Titanian refugees to live on Naltor. The possibility of having the Time Institute established on Naltor is a good part of the deal. The Naltorians want the Institute in order to see further into the future than their visions allow them. Doctor Li, from the Time Institute, charms Beren.

Legion elections are set for next month; Sensor Girl seems displeased with Cosmic Boy's leadership.

Dyogene returns to Oa and tells Sodam Yat he has failed, since Earth-Man rejected the power ring. Yat seems intent upon beginning the new Green Lantern Corps with an Earth person, so he sends Dyogene back to live among humans until he finds a candidate.

Finally, Earth-Man and Shadow Lass are leaving Headquarters at the same time, and seem destined for some kind of hook-up...and Earth-Man has a nasty look in his eye.

A busy issue with a lot of excitement.

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS:

Imra: Over in Adventure, young Imra worries that she will never be able to compete with the boys physically. She should see Full-Page Kick-Butt Imra on page 11: wow!

Inactive Status: Cos says there are 26 active Legionnaires. He says that Matter-Eater Lad "resigned yesterday to go back to Bismoll." Timber Wolf points out that he is counting Blok and Mysa out; Cos says that "they wouldn't come in when we called."

Mission Monitor Board: The Monitor Board shows the familiar symbols of the active Legionnaires. Earth-Man's symbol is a stylized Earth showing the Western Hemisphere. Gates' symbol is obscured by speech balloons (Ken points out in comments) represented by a blank square, so we don't yet know what it is.

That Which is Purest Among You: The title recalls Darkseid's curse at the end of the Great Darkness: "The curse of darkness growing within you, destroying you from within...and that which is purest of you shall be the first to go." In the immediate aftermath of the Great Darkness, Ayla resigned from the Legion...so everybody thought she was "that which is purest of you." Later, we assumed that Garridan was the purest, and Darkseid's curse was fulfilled by turning him into Validus. Eventually, it turned out that the "purest of you" was Paul Levitz, and Keith Giffen began the process of destroying the Legion from within."

Now it seems we're back to the Ranzz kids.

Which raises a question of continuity. Darkseid stole Garridan, sent him back in time, and transformed him into Validus. Later, Saturn Girl appealed to Darkseid's mercy, and he turned Validus back to Garridan. Since the return of the Legion, however, we've seen Validus in action. How can the simultaneous existence of Validus and Garridan be reconciled?

Easy. Validus, as far as we know, is ageless and eternal. So when Darkseid turned Validus back into Garridan, he probably took a version of Validus from the far future, after the Ranzz family was long gone.

Legion Elections: In the past, readers voted on the Legion's leader and Levitz and his team worked the result into the narrative. I hope he'll find a way to start that tradition up again. It was part of what made the Legion so special. (Note to DC: If you guys do this, please don't limit voting to people at Comic Con or something like that. Open it up to all Legion fans.)

CHRONICLER'S ERROR?: (added 26 Aug 2010) On page 10, Garth says to Ayla: "If we're identical twins, how'd you get such a smart mouth?" Actually, male-female twins are fraternal, not identical. Unless...maybe Ayla has always been a boy, but she's been talking Pro-Fem to make her a girl all these years....

(Time out for gagging.)

Way, way back in the early days of the Legion, it was Garth and Mekt who were twins, and Ayla was their younger sister. In that case, I think the retcon (Ayla and Garth twins) makes much more sense.

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SUPERMAN/BATMAN #75 (2010/10)
"Resurrection"

ROLL CALL:

Brainiac 5, Cosmic Boy, Dawnstar, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Shrinking Violet, Superboy, Superman, Ultra Boy, Batman

CUTE BOYS: Garth, Jo, Kal (Superboy), Rokk, "Bite Me" Boy Outside Luthor's Limo

In the 31st century, a kryptonite-laced clone of Lex Luthor breaks into Legion Headquarters and steals a time bubble. He goes back to Superman's time and beats the crap out of Supes, then digs up a lead box and vanishes in the bubble. The Legion comes back to enlist Batman's help; Brainy builds an anti-clone gun, and the Legionnaires follow the clone back to Smallville in Superboy's time. The clone is attacking Superboy; Brainy's gun works and they save Kal. Saturn Girl erases Kal's memory of the incident, and also the memories of the Smallvillians. Garth points out that they don't know who sent the clone, and maybe there will be others.

There are a lot of unanswered questions and dangling threads...I sense a sequel coming up. I hope it will be soon.

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS:

This was like an old-time Legion story. The Legion popping back in time to Superman's time, interacting with Batman, and finally showing up in Superboy's Smallville to save the day. Kal/Clark is dressed in his Superboy costume in downtown Smallville, out in public and everything. I suppose it's too much to hope that John Byrne is turning in his grave, but I can dream, can't I?

When Superboy sees the Legionnaires, he thinks "...at least, they sort of look like the Leigon. Except they're kind of old...and scruffy." In the olden days, the teen Legionnaires often visited Superman, and the adult Legion visited Superman...but as far as I know, the adult Legion never visited Superboy.

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Week of 18 August 2010

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

TINY TITANS #31 (2010/10)
"The All Super Issue"


ROLL CALL:



Tiny Brainiac 5, Tiny Chameleon Boy, Tiny Cosmic Boy, Tiny Lightning Lad, Tiny Saturn Girl; Beppo, Krypto, Proty, Streaky

The Brainiac Club pulls up to the Fortress of Solitude just in time for a birthday party. Suddenly, some new guests arrive: The Legion of Super-Heroes.

(click to embiggen)

If you're not reading Tiny Titans, you're missing an awful lot of fun. And the cutest version of the Legion ever. . . .

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Teenagers

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

A further thought about Adventure 517, after reading a lot of blather on the Internet.

At the time of this story, Rokk and Imra were about the same age as Romeo and Juliet.

The beliefs and mores of our time are not universal; other eras might have their own ideas of when someone is considered adult. Would everyone stop being so provincial?

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A housekeeping detail: Our home internet connection is back, and I've been busy updating my lists of Legion appearances. There's still a long way to go, but take a look. It's easy to tell where I left off....

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Week of 11 August 2010

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

ADVENTURE #517 (2010/10) 
"Saturn Rising" 


ROLL CALL:

 Brainiac 5, Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Superboy (image), S.P. Sergeant Esquivel (died)

CUTE BOYS: Brainy, Garth, Rokk (In bed. Naked. Asleep. What more can I say?)

A nice little story from the very beginning of the Legion, showing Imra's uncertainties and feelings of inferiority in comparison to the boys. In S.P. Sergeant Esquivel, Imra finds a mentor and combat instructor. When Imra distracts Esquivel during battle, Eaquivel is fatally wounded. Imra, blaming herself, swears "I am never, ever going to let anyone die in my place again."

Rokk and Imra go out to a bar, and when Imra wakes up in the morning Rokk is there in her bed. She telepathically erases his memory of the event, and starts her reputation as the Ice Maiden. At the end of the story, Brainiac 5 (not yet a Legionnaire) calls from the Time Institute to tell her that the Time Bubble is ready for a test voyage to the 20th century.

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS:

Esquivel: As far as I know, Esquivel has never appeared in Legion comics before. It's nice to see a woman of color  (a wise Latina, no less!) playing a prominent role in the early Legion.

Zaryan: The offstage villain of this story is an offworlder named Zaryan, who is raiding technology companies for parts. This will be the same Zaryan who menaces Earth in Adventure #304 (1963/01). Learning that whoever goes up against Zaryan will die, Saturn Girl steals the powers of the other Legionnaires and expels the other members, so that she is the only candidate left for the mission. However, Lightning Lad finds out about her plan and goes after Zaryan himself -- and dies. (Yes, once again someone has died in Imra's place.)

Later, when a way is found to revive Lightning Lad, Imra is prepared to sacrifice herself so that he can live. This week's story adds a bit of background to her feelings and her motivations at that time.

Zendak: While Sgt Esquivel accompanies Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl to Taiwan, Lieutenant Zendak goes to Silicon Bay with Lightning Lad. Kimball Zendak will later rise to the position of Science Police Chief.

Flight Belts: In this era before flight rings, the three Legionnaires use "overpriced fly-belts." This is consistent with early stories (although in the very, very early ones, the Legion used rocket backpacks).

Imra & Rokk: The affair (or at least one-night-stand) between Imra and Rokk recalls the Earth-247 Legion, in which Imra and Rokk were a romantic couple for a while.

In classic chronology, Rokk left Braal when he turned 14 (that being the legal age for a Braalian to begin work). Even allowing a generous amount of time for the trip to Earth, the founding of the Legion, and some training, he can't possibly be more than a very young 15 at the time of this story. Imra, you cradle-robber! (And I guess Braalians are mature at 14.) Lucky, lucky girl.

Ice Maiden: They really did used to call Imra that. Also, the phrase "Iron-Butt Imra" is floating through my head, although I don't know from where.

CHRONICLER'S ERROR?:

Flight Belts: The Legionnaires' flight belts keep appearing and disappearing in the heat of battle. On page 13 (panel 2) Rokk is clearly wearing a flight ring instead of a belt (Imra's belt is still visible). One can suppose that flight belts have a built-in invisibility circuit (like flight rings do). And that ring Rokk's wearing? Just a standard-issue Legion secret decoder ring. (When Brainiac 5 developed the flight ring, he obviously modeled it after the secret decoder ring.)

ABOVE: Rokk with flight ring (click to embiggen)

31st Century?: In Legion of Super-Heroes, it's the year 3010. From the death of Esquivel to the destruction of Titan was only ten years? Really?

Yes, I know, I am the only one in the universe who is disturbed at this. What can I say? I'm a science fiction writer -- I do this sort of thing professionally. Take a look.

And I know it won't matter in another five or ten years, when the "current" Legion year is 3015 or 3020. Interestingly, there was the same kind of confusion in the first few years of the Legion's existence -- sometimes the Legion was in the 21st century, sometimes in the 30th.

Why does the Legion's time have to be exactly 1,000 years from the present? Why can't it be anchored on an exact year (2958 or 3010 or whatever)? It's not like Superman or Batman, which always take place in "today." With an appropriate time differential, the Legion's time could pass slowly enough to allow decades of adventures to be chronicled in today's comics.

Sigh. I know, I know, I'll try to get over it.

 ----------

Special:

ToyFare Magazine #158,  October 2010

Cover story on Mattel's upcoming Legion of Super-Heroes action figures 12-pack (for only about $180, so start saving now). Due date, probably April or May 2011. In addition to the 12 figures, there is also a Proty and a flight ring (which I assume has the same inhibitor circuit as the others they've sold -- but those circuits are easy enough to disable).

The 12 figures, in Cockrum-era costumes, include only one female: Saturn Girl. Come on, Mattel, get with it! From the very beginning, the Legion has been all about gender equity. In fact, right after Tinya and Luornu joined, girls outnumbered boys 5-2 (I'm counting Luornu as 3.)

I understand that toy buyers and collectors in general don't go for lots of female action figures...but "this is really aimed at those hardcore Legion fans." I would guess that the average "hardcore Legion fan" would love to have a few more female figures. (Besides, a lot of hardcore Legion fans are women; doesn't Mattel think women want action figures they can identify with?)

Ah, well. I'll have to be content with my own figures.

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Week of 4 August 2010

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

R.E.B.E.L.S. #19 (10/10)
"Sons of Brainiac Part 2: Name & Number"

ROLL CALL:

Amon Haak, Captain Comet, Lobo, Lyrl Dox, Pulsar Stargrave, Vril Dox

CUTE BOYS: Captian Comet, Lyrl Dox, Vril Dox, assorted Coluan boys

The cataclysmic meeting of the three Brainiacs continues, and the planet Colu is looking a little worse for wear.

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Week of 28 July 2010

 The only Legion content in DC Comics this week was the variant cover of Legion of Super Heroes #3. The actual comic came out last week; I don't know why there was a delay.

Meanwhile, I've been revamping my LSH Stories Index. I haven't touched these pages for too many years, and I've been having a wonderful time cleaning up the HTML code, verifying listings, adding some comics I forgot or didn't have at the time...and putting in the all-important but stupidly-petty pictures of Legionnaires and other characters. This has sent me to the scanner a million times to get pictures of minor characters, family members of Legionnaires, etc. (Yes, I have no life.)

Problem is, right now we have no Internet service at home (boo, Verizon). A summer storm knocked out our Verizon landline and DSL service earlier this week, and we can't even get an estimate for when it will be back up. So even though I'm doing a lot of work and making things look really, really pretty, I can't upload any of the changes until service is restored.

Stay tuned....

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Who Are These Legionnaires?

I've been working on my Legion index, and I need some help. Here's a panel from Adventure #353, the Death of Ferro Lad story:

I'm trying to identify the Legionnaires pictured. Here's a closer view (click to embiggen):

 The first two rows are easy: Brainiac 5 and Invisible Kid in the first row; Cosmic Boy, Superboy, Saturn Girl, and Princess Projectra in the second. It's those next two rows that are giving me some problems.

Here's a version with identifying numbers to the right of each figure:

#1 is pretty clearly Mon-El, and #6 is Colossal Boy.

#7 and #8 look like girls. The possibilities are: Dream Girl, Duo Damsel, Light Lass, Phantom Girl, Shrinking Violet, and Supergirl. #7 looks like Violet. #8 seems to have a cape, which means either Duo Damsel, Phantom Girl, or Supergirl...to me she looks most like Duo Damsel.

That leaves #2, #3, #4, and #5. The possible boys are Bouncing Boy, Chameleon Boy, Element Lad, Karate Kid, Lightning Lad, Matter-Eater Lad, Star Boy, Sun Boy, and Ultra Boy. We can eliminate Bouncing Boy on body shape. #5 has a distinctive collar that only Sun  Boy and Invisible Kid have; since Invisible Kid is in the first row, #5 must be Sun Boy.

. #3 has a cape, which means it's either Lightning Lad or Star Boy. I'm going back and forth between the two, but leaning toward Lightning Lad (Thom has brown hair, about like Invisible Kid's: look how Invisible Kid's hair is darkened but #3's isn't.)

#2 is either Chameleon Boy, Element Lad, Karate Kid, or Matter-Eater Lad. He's clearly not Chameleon Boy or Karate Kid; M-E Lad has dark hair and it looks like #2 doesn't, so I'm inclined to go with Element Lad.

That leaves #4 as Chameleon Boy, Karate Kid, or Matter-Eater Lad (or possibly Star Boy, but I'm having trouble believing that #4 has a cape.) I want it to be Chameleon Boy: he appeared in the previous panel, so we know he's there. But there is no hint of antennae, and this figure seems to have hair. Cham has those funny sticky-out shoulder-things, but they could be obscured by the word balloon on one side and Lurornu's head on the other. And those two tiny lines just over Luornu's right shoulder might be meant to indicate part of Cham's costume.

I want to say we can leave out Karate Kid, based on the the hint of a collar around #4's neck. But we can also rule out Matter-Eater Lad because #4 has light hair and Tenzil's hair is dark.

So it's either Cham (without antennae and with a mistaken hint of hair) or Matter-Eater Lad (without his hair colored in).

So what do you think, loyal readers? Who's who in this picture?

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Week of 21 July 2010

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

 LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #3 (9/10)
"Earth-Man's Choice"

ROLL CALL:


Brainiac 5, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Earth-Man, Element Lad, Invisible Kid (Jacques), Lightning Lad, Lightning Lass, Phantom Girl, Saturn Girl, Sensor Girl, Shadow Lass, Sun Boy, Tellus, Tyroc, Ultra Boy, Wildfire; also Aven, Saturn Queen

CUTE BOYS: Brainy, Dirk (looking stunning in his full-page appearance), Gim, Jacques, Jan, Jo, Rokk, Tyroc

Two covers this time, and Legion completists will want both.

There are three plotlines, plus two setups for the future.

Earth-Man is driven by the Green Lantern Ring to rescue sapient insects on the planet Ozifer. He is assisted by a mission team led by Sun Boy. Disgusted, Earth-Man gives up the Power Ring (or does he?)

A mission team led by Sensor Girl defeats Saturn Queen in the wreckage of Titan.

Lightning Lad and Lightning Lass retrieve Saturn Girl from her stalled time bubble. The three of them follow Imra's telepathic image to the planet Avalon, where they meet a big surprise.

Meanwhile, in a Titanian refugee camp, Aven comforts Doctor Li (who was one of the scientists responsible for destroying Titan...although that fact is not common knowledge yet).

And remember that ship full of Durlans? Seems they are on a mission to avenge the death of R.J. Brande.

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS:

Titan and the Lanothians: Saturn Queen says that her ancestors left Earth for Titan long ago, and she refers to a time "before we went to Titan and met the Lanothians." That removes the question of why the current Titanians seem to be human. Presumably the Lantohians somehow gave telepathic powers to Saturn Queen's ancestors (or perhaps there was interbreeding). One obvious question: are there any Lanothians left in Legion times? (Or were there, before Titan blew up?)

Tyroc and Marzal: Saturn Queen says to Tyroc: "You took your people away from Earth when they didn't understand Marzal." In classic continuity, Marzal was an island which existed in another dimension and appeared on Earth for a few years every two centuries. It was settled by African slaves who revolted on a slave ship in the 1700s. It appears that the current version of Marzal may have a different (and possibly more interesting) story.

Green Lantern Earth-Man: The Power Ring transforms Earth-Man into a Green Lantern complete with a green-and-white version of his costume (which also recalls Rond Vidar's Green Lantern uniform).

Avalon: Avalon is a medieval world once dominated by Mordru (under the rather transparent alias "Lord Romdur"). It appeared in Legion of Super-Heroes #276 (8/1981) "Lord Romdur's Castle," and again briefly in the Great Darkness Saga. It was a world with great untapped magical potential, which Mordru sought to exploit and Darkseid also took advantage of. Lightning Lad says, of Avalon, "It was during my term as Legion Leader..." Oddly enough, Lightning Lad was not among the team on Avalon in LSH #276, although we can probably assume that he saw mission monitor tapes.

Aven gets a first name in this issue: Preem. This is probably a reference to Preem Palver, a character in Isaac Asimov's novel Second Foundation.

Around Saturn, Tellus weakens Saturn Girl's hold on Brainy and Tyroc, while Sensor Girl seems to remove everyone but Saturn Queen from their perception, so that they attack Saturn Queen. I love Jeckie's line: "The temerity of this commoner to call herself a Queen." Jeckie should know, being Queen of Orando.

Incidentally, it is only within the last few years that I came to realize that all of the original (adult) Legion of Super-Villains used titles that meant "leader": Saturn Queen, Lightning Lord, Cosmic King, Sun Emperor, and Chameleon Chief.

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Week of 14 July 2010

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

ADVENTURE #516 (9/10)
"Brande Speaks"

ROLL CALL:


Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Superboy; also: Circadia Senius, Marla Latham, Pheebes, R.J. Brande, Universo

CUTE BOYS: Garth, Kal, Rokk (and don't miss Ray Palmer in the Atom story)

Brianiac 5 (of the current Legion) arrives in the 20th century to bring Sueprboy to a special Legion meeting. R.J. Brande speaks, via recorded hologram, and retells the story of how he escaped from Durla, became the richest man in the universe, and bankrolled the Legion. He leaves three specific bequests: he leaves Chameleon Boy and the Legion as much money as they need, and he gives Brainy a "nice endowment for new time laboratory."

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: Superboy is in the 20th century; Brainy takes him to the 31st century. That's what I've been saying for the last few issues. It all hinges on Superman's age (traditionally  mid-30s). If Superman is 33 (a Christlike age) and Superboy is 15 (he's in high school), then Superboy's time is roughly the mid-1990s (i.e. the 20th century). Along about 2018-2020, Superboy's time will have  been in the 21st century, and I'll stop nattering about this.

While Pheebes is a new character, notice R.J. Brande's assistant Marla Latham in at least two flashback panels. Marla was the Legion's "adult advisor" for a while.

Also, in the panel where Brande is giving away grants for time-travel research, notice Universo standing there with a scowl on his face. We know that Universo had an interest in time-travel -- and that his son, Rond Vidar, invented the time cube and worked at the Time Institute.

Interesting that it's Superboy and not Superman who comes to Brande's presentation. Pheebes seems to think that it would be Superman; the Legion corrects him. On the surface, Sueprboy's presence would seem to cause problems: he learns of Brande's death before it happens in his own timeline, he learns other details of the Legion's "future," and we are to assume that Brainy has been working on the destruction of cockroaches for many, many years without success.

I don't really have a problem with this. Due to Saturn Girl's telepathic influence, Clark will only retain a hazy memory of this encounter. I see the choice of Superboy as an act of respect for Brande -- after all, Brande didn't know Superman, he knew Superboy.

All in all, this was a very good story. I'm not ashamed to say that I shed a tear or two at the end.

CHRONICLER'S ERROR?:

The History of Durla: Brande's story has several inconsistencies -- although most can be explained away by his hint that he might not be telling the truth. The most serious inconsistency, at first blush, appears to be Durla's history. Brande claims that the Six-Minute War happened after Mon-El and the Legionnaires settled the bottled city of Durlans on New Durla (which they did just a little while ago in the DC "present," call it 2010). Only after that did the Durlans gain their shape-shifting powers.

This can't be right. There were shape-shifting Durlans in the DC universe a while ago (in Invasion, for example, and more recently in the Green Lantern Corps). Ciji, a shape-shifting Durlan, is a member of L.E.G.I.O.N. as we speak. In Superman/Batman, a shape-shifting Durlan recently appeared from "the ancient past." In Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #2 (1983), the Six-Minute War was placed in the second century BCE, and a tribe of shape-shifting Durlans existed before the war.

Once again, I don't have a problem with this seeming inconsistency. Brande is probably telling the story the way he learned it as a larva on Durla. On Durla, all these things -- the settlement of New Durla, the Six-Minute War, the race's shape-shifting powers -- are all legend, without any fixed time-frame. All of these things happened "long, long ago."

I suspect that classical continuity is correct: The Six-Minute War happened in the second century BCE and the only Durlans who were able to survive were those with pre-existing shape-shifting powers. Eventually there were various Durlan tribes scattered throughout the galaxy; one f those tribes was put in a bottle by Brainiac and later settled on New Durla. These are Brande's and Chameleon Boy's people.

But the point is, none of this matters in the Legion's time.

Brande's Style of Speech: In the past, Brande's Interlac has been translated as pretty standard English with a slight German flavor ("verdammt," one of Brande's characteristic expressions, is German). In this issue, his Interlac is translated as broken English with the flavor of a German (or possibly Yiddish) immigrant of the 1930s. In flashbacks he speaks the same way.

I've seem some complaints about this; people seem to think that it's some great retcon, or possibly proof that Brande is still alive and the person speaking here is an impostor.

I have a much simpler explanation. Remember that all the Legionnaires are "really" speaking Interlac. In the 1980s, the fashion was to translate Interlac into grammatical English, no matter what the original form. Now, a quarter-century later, our society has a greater consciousness of multiculturalism, so it's just  natural that today's chroniclers translate Brande's Interlac into something more like the form he actually spoke.

Early Legion Membership: Brande's story telescopes the early days of the Legion. Specifically, in one panel it appears that Brainiac 5 and Superboy were both present (along with the three founders) when Brande unveiled the Legion Clubhouse. In reality, the clubhouse came first, then Brainy, and by the time Sueprboy joined there were additional Legionnaires.

For the last time, I have no problem with this. Remember, this is Brande telling the story. Have you ever heard your grandparents tell a story and get things wrong? Memory is fallible, especially in someone who has been through multiple illnesses and traumatic experiences. Maybe this is exactly the way Brande remembers it -- are you going to tell him he's mistaken?

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BRAVE & BOLD #35 (8/10)
"Out of Time Part Two of Two"

ROLL CALL:


Chlorophyll Kid, Cosmic Boy, Fire Lad, Lightning Lad, Night Girl, Polar Boy, Saturn Girl, Stone Boy; also Awkwardman, The Blimp, Dumb Bunny, Merryman, The White Feather

CUTE BOYS: Cosmic Boy, Fire Lad, Lightning Lad, Stone Boy, White Feather

The flip side of last month's Legion tale, as the Legion of Substitute Heroes join with the Inferior Five and answer that immortal question, "Whose pink and white fluff is that?"

A really fun story that treats both the Subs and the Five with respect while still being really, really funny. This is a hard trick to pull off -- too many writers have no respect for the Subs at all, and it shows.

I have always respected the Subs, all the more so since their never-say-die attitude commands respect no matter what their actual abilities. Remember that the Subs have saved the day on several occasions, and two of them -- Polar Boy and Night Girl -- have qualified for Legion membership. I don't have a problem with them being a source of comedy, but they should never be a laughingstock.

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R.E.B.E.L.S. #18 (9/10)
"Sons of Brainiac Part 1: Brainchild"

ROLL CALL:


Amon Hakk, Bounder, Captain Comet, Ciji, The Durlan (flashback), Garryn Bek (flashback), Lyrissa Mallor (flashback), Lyrl Dox, Pulsar Stargrave, Starfire, Stealth (flashback), Strata (flashback), Vril Dox, Wildstar

CUTE BOYS: Captain Comet (woof!), Garryn Bek, Lyrl, assorted Coluans

Lyrl Dox takes Pulsar Stargrave to Colu to conquer the planet. Meanwhile, Vril Dox goes to Colu to collect the bounty on Brainiac and to gloat over his "father." The three meet and hijinks ensue.

Meanwhile, Captain Comet goes to Earth to mourn and finds that he doesn't belong there; Starfire brings him back and they do naughty things on the ride home. Amon Hakk shares some philosophical reflections on the meaning and nature of L.E.G.I.O.N. membership.

BITS OF L.E.G.I.O.N.NAIRE BUSINESS: Vril Dox states that he is a clone of the original Brainiac, who is identified as "Vril Dox the Elder."

In Lyrl's flashback to the formation of L.E.G.I.O.N., The Dulan is clearly present. In classical continuity, he was the first of his people to leave Durla. Going back to the discussion above about the history of Durla, his presence proves that shape-shifting Durlans were abroad in the galaxy in the current DC "present."

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Week of 7 July 2010

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

That's okay; next week will make up for it. Adventure #516, The Brave & the Bold #35, and R.E.B.E.L.S. #18 are all due out on Wednesday. So life will be good again soon.

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Week of 30 June 2010

I did not see any Legion appearances in Dc Comics this week.

Remember that due to the Independence Day holiday, comics will come out on Thursday July 8, 2010 instead of Wednesday July 7.

iPhone Wallpaper

I made this wallpaper for my iPhone 3GS. Click to make it larger.

Week of 23 June 2010

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

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #2 (8/10) 
"The Day After Titanfall" 

ROLL CALL:


Brainiac 5, Cosmic Boy, Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy, Dawnstar, Dream Girl, Earth-Man, Gates, Invisible Kid (Jacques), Lightning Lad, Lightning Lass, Mon-El, Phantom Girl, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Sun Boy, Tyroc, Ultra Boy, Wildfire, also Saturn Queen
HONORARY MENTION: R.J. Brande (image only), Superboy (Kal) (variant cover only)

CUTE BOYS: Brainy, Dirk, Garth (looking somewhat haggard), Gim, Jacques (if he would only get rid of that stupid goatee), Jo, Mon, Rokk, Tyroc [I don't feel I know him well enough to call him "Troy." I think the appropriate word would be "Sir."]

Two covers. The variant one has a nice picture of Superboy (Kal) and Krypto with the Legion Clubhouse in the background, and a logo clearly inspired by the old "Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes" logo.

A good follow-up issue after the series started with such a bang.

Brainy and a team of heavy-hitters clear rubble from Titan's destruction from traffic lanes, until Saturn Queen turns up. She's there to see the destroyed Titan in person (it was, after all, her home planet), but she takes time out to take over the minds of Brainy and the others, most notably poor Ultra Boy. She sends him to Earth to destroy Legion Headquarters, but eventually Phantom Girl stops him.

Gates takes Dream Girl and Dawnstar to Naltor to ask the Naltorians to harbor some Titanian refugees until they can be resettled. Meanwhile on Earth, Cosmic Boy sends a team to quell incipient race riots where Earth supremacists are protesting the arrival of refugees from Titan.

Saturn Girl, in her time bubble, returns to the point when the twins disappeared, and gets an image from their minds that may help her find them. On Winath, Lightning Lad interrupts his investigation of Mekt's birth to go after Imra and the boys.

While all this is going in, Earth-Man is learning more about his Green Lantern ring, whose existence he has kept hidden from the Legion.

Whew!

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS:

Tyroc is back (and looking terribly butch). Dream Girl is back. If you're keeping count (and who isn't?), this completes the roster of the eight Legionnaires listed in L3W as missing. Chameleon Boy Element Lad, Matter-Eater Lad, Quislet, Sensor Girl, and Tellus were on Espionage Squad duty in the 21st century.

Tyroc explains that he is "fully recovered from Earth-Man's power-sucking tube." As sexy as that sounds, it probably just means Tyroc has been recovering since Superman & the LSH.

Dream Girl's absence (she was last seen in the Lightning Saga) and the reason for her return are unexplained. The teaser page in Adventure #1/504 showed her in the 21st century, bound into some kind of machine, repeating "The dream will die" over and over while Conner and Mon-El burst in upon her. In the background some monitor screens (or perhaps windows) showed futuristic cityscapes and planets.

Here's my guess: Dreamy was supposed to play some part in the Last Stand of New Krypton storyline. I'm guessing that she was going to be a prisoner on Brainiac's ship; that the images of planets and cities behind her related to the bottled cities and their future worlds; and that "The dream will die" referred to Brainiac's plan to kill Superman.

So why didn't Dreamy wind up in that storyline? It's almost as if some incompetent writer didn't read his notes carefully enough, or read them and then totally forgot to put Dreamy in, or just had his tiny little mind overloaded by too many characters and too many pointless pages. In Brande's name, let us all hope that this incompetent writer never gets his mitts on the Legion again....

Mon-El seems to indicate that he and Shadow Lass have broken up. I dearly hope this isn't permanent, because they've been one of the most stable Legion couples. The last time we saw them, in L3W, they seemed happy enough. What happened? Did Shady catch Mon and Sodam Yat in bed together and get all pissy about it? That hardly seems likely; Shady hasn't minded all the other boys that Mon has fooled around with. Maybe because Mon and Sodam are both Daxamites?

ADDITION (24 June 2010): I just caught this. That incipient riot, where the xenophobic people of Earth were protesting the arrival of refugees from Titan? Yeah, it's "Painted Desert Camp." And where's the Painted Desert? You got it: Arizona.

And what's going on in Arizona in the present day? Xenophobes protesting the presence of people who share 99% of their genes.

Political commentary in a Legion comic? Who'd'a thunk it? Refreshing, isn't it?

(The protesters carry a n Interlac sign that says "Go Home." Considering that the Titanians' home was destroyed, it's a pretty stupid sign.)

(Also, notice that the Medi-center at Painted Desert Camp bears both the Red Cross and Crescent. A nice multicultural touch. Do I sense the hand of our favorite Turkish artist?)

CHRONICLER'S ERRORS?:

Saturn Girl's "time sphere" is now a "time bubble." It was always "time bubble" before. Geoff Johns says "time sphere," Paul Levitz says "time bubble." Let's call the whole thing off.

Chameleon Boy says that Earth Humans and Titanians share 99% of their genes. In Last Stand of New Krypton, Titan was settled in the 21st century by an alien telepathic race called Lanothians. Perhaps in the ensuing thousand years, there has been an enormous amount of interbreeding between Humans and Lanothians/Titanians...but enough to share 99% of their genes? Perhaps there is some other explanation. A thousand years is a long time....

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Week of 16 June 2010

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

THE BOYS #43 (6/2010)
"The Innocents: Conclusion"

ROLL CALL: Auntie Sis, Bobby Badoing (not-Bouncing-Boy), Kid Camo (not-Chameleon-Boy), Klanker (not-Ferro-Lad), Ladyfold, Malchemical (not-Metamorpho), Stool Shadow (not-Phantom-Girl)

CUTE BOYS: Hamish, Kid Camo, Malchemical (totally evil, but cute), Guy-with-Star-on-Cape

The Super-Duper storyline is over. Which means I don't have to buy this comic any more. And not a moment too soon....

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R.E.B.E.L.S. #1 (8/10)
"What Happens in Vega... Conclusion"

ROLL CALL:

Adam Strange, Amon Hakk, Captain Comet, Lyrl Dox, Pulsar Stargrave, Starfire, Tribulus, Vril Dox, Wildstar, Xylon

CUTE BOYS: Adam Strange, Lyrl Dox (new hairstyle, hooray!), Shreegar Val, Vril Dox, assorted Tamaranian and Rannian cannon fodder

Dox, for once, brings about peace. Tamaranians and Rannians will share the planet New Rann, also L.E.G.I.O.N. headquarters. Meanwhile, Lyrl Dox turns a pulsar into a sapient being.

BITS OF L.E.G.I.O.N.NAIRE BUSINESS: In a previous continuity, Pulsar Stargrave was a Legion villain who claimed to be part of the Dox line (possibly Brainiac 5's father, possibly the original Brainiac). This time around, it looks like we're witnessing the birth of Pulsar Stargrave as Lyrl turns Pulsar LGM-1 into a sapient construct. We don't know if Pulsar Stargrave exists/existed in the Retro Legion's timeline, but I'm betting he does/did, and this is his origin.

The Pulsar LGM-1 actually exists, and the story they tell is essentially true. Discovered in July 1967, it is now known as PSR B1919+21 (previously CP 1919, aka PSR J1921+2153). It's located about 2300 lightyears form Earth -- which means that even if Lyrl destroyed it today, the light from that destruction won't reach Earth until 1300 years after the Legion's time. Good work!

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Disguised 21st Century Legionnaires

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

Get-a-Life Boy did it so you don't have to: I sat down with two years worth of Superman Family comics to find the Legionnaires that were disguised in the 21st century. To recap, they were:

• Chameleon Boy disguised as Science Police Supervisor Control (Rachel)
• Matter-Eater Lad disguised as restauranteur Mitch
• Quislet disguised as Science Police Hovercam MTSP02
• Sensor Girl disguised as Science Police Officer Wilcox

I will update my own listings of the pertinent comics; others may want to do the same. Note: I omit appearances by any Legionnaires except those listed above, specifically Tellus, Mon-El, Una, and Karate Kid. They were obvious the first time around.

• Superman 862 (1/09): Control (Rachel) [Cham]
• Action 874 (3/09): Wilcox [Jeckie]
• Superman 686 (5/09): Control [Cham], Hovercam MTSP02 [Quislet]
• Superman 687 (6/09): Wilcox [Jeckie]
• Superman 688 (7/09): Mitch [Tenzil], Wilcox [Jeckie]
• Superman 690 (9/09): Wilcox [Jeckie]
• Superman Secret Files 2009 (10/09): Wilcox [Jeckie]
• Action 880 (10/09): Wilcox [Jeckie]
• Supergirl #44 (10/09): Control [Cham], Wilcox [Jeckie]
• Superman 692 (11/09): Wilcox [Jeckie]
• Superman Annual #14 (2009): Mitch [Tenzil]
• Superman 693 (12/09): Wilcox [Jeckie]
• Superman 694 (1/10): Control [Cham], Hovercam MTSP02 [Quislet], Mitch [Tenzil, Wilcox [Jeckie]
• Superman 695 (2/10): Control [Cham], Wilcox [Jeckie]

One last word: Sometimes a storyline seems rotten when you read it one issue at a time over months; when you sit down and read the whole thing it one setting, it is better than you remember.

The whole New Krypton storyline is not one of those. It was just as awful this time around.

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Week of 9 June 2010

I did not see any Legion content in DC Comics this week. I suppose we can't complain, the last three weeks have been great.


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Week of 2 June 2010

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

ADVENTURE #12/515 (8/10)
"Playing Hooky"

ROLL CALL:

Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Invisible Kid (Lyle), Phantom Girl, Saturn Girl, Superboy (Kal), Triplicate Girl; also R.J. Brande

CUTE BOYS: Brainy, Gim, Kal, Lyle, Rokk (and don't miss shirtless little Jason Todds in the preview of Red Hood: The Lost Days)

This issue has two covers, and boy do Legion fans want both. The variant one is an interpretation of the Great Darkness cover where all the Legionnaires are on their knees to Darkseid, and it looks spectacular. The standard cover, showing Superboy and the Legion, is rather static and the figures are disturbingly distorted. I guess Yildiray Cinar was too busy.

Paul Levitz gives us a sweet story of young Kal-El visiting the future so he can be himself. He plays off the same device that Geoff Johns used with another Superboy (Conner) Adventure #1, a checklist: in this case, Kal's list of things he can't do in his own time. Nothing of much consequence happens, in a cosmic sense, but Superboy has a "pretty much perfect" day.

The only real shadow across his perfect day is that he gets kissed by all the girls, but none of the boys. I'm guessing that's for another list.

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: The costumes and roster put this early in the history of the Legion. Luornu is still Triplicate Girl, Gigi Cusimano is still at the S.P. Academy on Mars waiting for her first assignment.

Imra puts a block in Kal's mind: "sort of a post-hypnotic command, to keep you from being intimidated or confused -- you won't recall clearly anything you learn in the 31st century about your own future -- and each visit here will be almost like a dream." Later, upon returning to the present, Kal tells Pa Kent: "I think I saw some of my future, Dad. But it's all fuzzy -- like it was a dream. A really good dream. You know how it all starts fading after you wake up?"

This is all canon. In classic days, the whole "post-hypnotic suggestion" thing came about to explain how Superboy and Supergirl could be in the Legion together if they didn't meet until he was Superman. Originally, I believe, the post-hypnotic suggestion was self-imposed. Later, the concept was expended to cover both Kal and Kara, and included many of the details that they learned in the future. Saturn Girl was brought into the act much later.

It's a fun concept, especially the way it's treated here. But it's one of those ideas that, when you start looking at it too closely, begins to fall apart. Do we really believe that young Imra Ardeen has the power to play such sophisticated games with Superboy's mind? Or that she could so easily overcome her reluctance to mess with teammates' minds? Do we really believe that these mental blocks won't have some psychological costs for Superboy/man? What about the morality of this whole thing?

I'm not sure that there's a better solution, and the whole "like a dream" treatment is promising...but I'm still uneasy about the future of the concept.

Brainiac 5 serves Kono juice at Superboy's party. The Legion has been drinking kono juice for a good long time.

CHRONICLER'S ERROR?:

Imra says that she is an orphan. This is a difference from the classic Legion, in which the Five Legion Orphans were Brainiac 5, Dream Girl, Element Lad, Mon-El, and Superboy.

Imra's ID tag identifies her as "Imra Ardeen-Ranzz" -- but at this time she wasn't married and so was just "Ardeen." R.J. Brande's tag gives his homeworld as Durla, which is correct, but at this point in history it was pretty much a secret -- and I'm afraid it gives away something Levitz is setting up for next issue, namely that Brande is Chameleon Boy's father. I'll bet these ID tags are added at a late date from a standard list for each character, and we can't really expect whoever's adding them to keep up with two different time periods.

Imra specifically mentions that they are in the 31st century. That's...possible, I suppose. If the "current" Legion exists in 3010 CE (which Legion of Super-Heroes #1 says it does), and the Legionnaires there are in their 20's (say, Cosmic Boy is 25, 26), then this story could be taking place in 3001 CE and Cos could be, say, 14 or 15. But it strains credulity to think that this young Imra is only 9 years removed from the mother of twins in LSH #1.

Legion creators, listen up: It's always been a mistake to be too exact about dates in the Legion. Even insisting on the traditional exactly-1,000-year-gap leads to trouble sooner or later. If you want to fix Legion chronology and use specific years, I told you how here. Otherwise, for the next few years, just say that the teen Legion (featuring Sueprboy) is in "the 30th century" and the older Lgionnaires (featuring Superman) are in the 31st. I am a geeky fanboy, trust me: I know what I'm talking about.

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SUPERMAN/BATMAN ANNUAL #4 (8/10)
"A Time Beyond Hope"

ROLL CALL:

Mon-El

CUTE BOYS: Mon, Terry McGinniss, Green-Haired Victim Boy, Assorted Metropolis Toughs, and what about that centerfold advertisement for Unnatural History, eh? I know where I'll be at 8 pm on June 13th.

Paul Levitz has been busy lately. Here's a story set in "the not-so-distant future," the world of Batman Beyond.  It's a nice little story, pretty much self-contained, with all sorts of Levitz touches. Mon-El's appearance, in just two panels toward the end, is perfectly justified, totally in character, and makes nonsense of the claim that the Phantom Zone would be off-limits for the rest of the 21st century.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to drool over the Unnatural History boy....

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