May 2008 Retrospective

45 Years Ago:

ADVENTURE #308 (5/1963)
"The Return of Lightning Lad"
ROLL CALL (Classic Legion): Bouncing Boy, Cosmic Boy, Chameleon Boy, Lightning Lad, Lightning Lass , Mon-El, Sun Boy, Superboy, Saturn Girl, Supergirl, Shrinking Violet, Triplicate Girl, Proty

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: Lightning Lass joined the LSH in this story.

The origins of Lightning Lad and Lightning Lass, as well as that of Proty, were told in this story.

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40 Years Ago:

ADVENTURE #368 (5/1968)
"Mutiny of the Super-Heroines"
ROLL CALL (Classic Legion): Brainiac 5, Dream Girl, Invisible Kid, Karate Kid, Lightning Lad, Light Lass, Phantom Girl, Princess Projectra, Superboy, Saturn Girl, Supergirl, Shadow Lass, Star Boy, Shrinking Violet, Duo Damsel, Ultra Boy

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: This was the second time the war between the sexes was featured in the Legion; the first time was "Revolt of the Girl Legionnaires" in ADVENTURE #326 (11/1964).

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35 Years Ago:

There were no LSH appearances cover-dated 5/1973.

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30 Years Ago:

SUPERBOY & THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #239 (5/1978)
"Murder Most Foul"
ROLL CALL (Classic Legion): Cosmic Boy, Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy, Dawnstar, Mon-El, Phantom Girl, Sun Boy, Superboy, Shadow Lass, Star Boy, Timber Wolf, Ultra Boy, Wildfire, Marla

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: This story had everything: great art, a fine plot, a Legionnaire supposedly gone renegade (Ultra Boy), Chameleon Boy channeling Batman's detective abilities, and a good sense of LSH history.

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25 Years Ago:

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES [1980] #299 (5/1983)
"Not a Ghost of a Chance"
ROLL CALL (Classic Legion): Blok, Cosmic Boy, Dawnstar, Dev-Em, Dream Girl, Duplicate Boy, Element Lad, Evolvo Lad, Gas Girl, Invisible Kid, Invisible Kid II, Life Lass, Lightning Lad, Mon-El, Ontiir, Princess Projectra, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Shvaughn Erin, Star Boy, Sun Boy, Timber Wolf, White Witch, Wildfire

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: Lyle Norg returned in this issue...or did he?

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20 Years Ago:

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES [1984] #46 (5/1988)
"On the Fourth Hand"
ROLL CALL (Classic Legion): Atmos, Blok, Bouncing Boy, Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy, Dawnstar, Duo Damsel, Element Lad, Magnetic Kid, Mon-El, Phantom Girl, Polar Boy, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Shrinking Violet, Sun Boy, Tellus, Timber Wolf, Ultra Boy

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15 Years Ago:

L.E.G.I.O.N.'93 #52 (5/1993)
"Past Imperfect":
ROLL CALL: Garryn Bek, Lady Quark, Lobo, Lydea Mallor, Phase, Stealth, Strata, Vril Dox

LEGIONNAIRES #2 (5/1993)
"In Death's Grip"
ROLL CALL (SW6 Legion): Alchemist, Apparition, Brainiac 5, Computo, Dragonmage, Ferro, Gossamer, Inferno, Invisible Kid, Leviathan, Live Wire, Matter-Eater Lad, Saturn Girl, Shrinking Violet, Triad, Ultra Boy
ROLL CALL (5-Tear-Gap Legion): Chameleon Boy, Shvaughn Erin
ROLL CALL (Applicants): Arm-Fall-Off Boy, Cera Kesh/Emerald Empress II, Plaid Lad, X-Bomb Betty

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES [1989] #43 (5/1993)
"The Witch is Back"
ROLL CALL (5-Year-Gap Legion): Brainiac 5, Rokk (Cosmic Boy), Devlin O'Ryan, Drura (Infectious Lass), Jacques (Invisible Kid II), Jo (Ultra Boy), Kono, Mordru, Mysa (White Witch), Sussa (Spider-Girl)

VALOR #7 (5/1993)
"Unimaginable Consequences"
ROLL CALL: Valor

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: "In Death's Grip" featured two of the silliest Legion applicants ever: Arm-Fall-Off Boy and Plaid Lad.

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10 Years Ago:

GREEN LANTERN [1990] #98 (5/1998)
"Future Shock Part 1"
ROLL CALL (Earth-Zero Legion): Apparition, Cosmic Boy, Ferro, Invisible Kid, LeVIathan, Live Wire, Saturn Girl, Spark, Star Boy, Triad, Ultra Boy, XS

LEGENDS OF THE LEGION #4 (5/1998)
"Casualty"
ROLL CALL (Earth-Zero Legion): Atmos, Chuck Taine, Insect Queen, Kid Quantum, Spark, Star Boy, Ultra Boy, Umbra

LEGIONNAIRES #60 (5/1998)
"Scandalous"
ROLL CALL (Earth-Zero Legion): Andromeda, Apparition, Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Evolvo, Ferro, Gates, Invisible Kid, Karate Kid, Kid Quantum, Kinetix, Live Wire, Lori Morning, M'Onel, Monstress, Proty, Saturn Girl, Sensor, Shvaughn Erin, Spark, Spider-Girl, Star Boy, Triad, Ultra Boy, Umbra

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES [1989] #104 (5/1998)
"Heroes' Return"
ROLL CALL (Earth-Zero Legion): Andromeda, Apparition, Brainiac 5.1, Chameleon Boy, Cosmic Boy, Element Lad, Evolvo, Gates, Kinetix, Live Wire, M'Onel, Spark, Ultra Boy, Umbra, XS
ROLL CALL (Classic Legion): Brainiac 5, Cosmic Boy, Light Lass, Lightning Lad

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5 Years Ago:

THE LEGION #18 (5/2003)
"Revival of the Fittest Part 2"
ROLL CALL (Earth-Zero Legion): Apparition, Atmos, Brainiac 5.1, Chameleon Boy, Chuck Taine, Cosmic Boy, Dr. Gym'll, Gates, Geart, Insect Queen, Invisible Kid, Kid Quantum, Kinetix, LeVIathan, M'Onel, Sensor, Shikari, Spark, Star Boy, Timber Wolf, Triad, Ultra Boy, Wildfire, XS

SUPERMAN & BATMAN: GENERATIONS III #3 (5/2003)
"Century 22: Out of the Ashes"
ROLL CALL: No LSH appearances in this issue, but the series had a Legion connection.


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Week of 28 May 2008

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

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #42 (7/08)
"Enemy Rising Part 3: Fear and Clothing"
ROLL CALL: Atom Girl, Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Colossal Boy, Invisible Kid, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Star Boy, Ultra Boy


BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: Although the Legion has visited Rimbor many times in the past, I believe this is the first time we learn the name of a city on that world ("Ta Rshish," possibly a version "Tarshish," a real-life city in the ancient world.

The alien enemies possess the ability to adapt a perfect defense to each Legionnaire's attacks. Collectively, if not individually, they are like a bunch of Nemesis Kids...but with the ability to adapt to multiple opponents. Looks like Triplicate Girl isn't going to be able to get the Legion out of this trouble.

There seems to be a "sleeping Beauty" thing going on with the Legion lately. In ACTION comics, a kiss awakened Sun Boy...now Saturn Girl's kiss brings Ultra Boy back to full consciousness...I guess another Lyle/Brainy kiss is out of the question, eh?

On that front...Lyle seems to have a crush on Giselle, and his father's reaction is interesting: "It's about time you showed some serious interest in a girl!" (emphasis not added). Hmmm.

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Week of 21 May 2008

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

DC/WILDSTORM DREAMWAR #2 (7/08)
"First Strike"
ROLL CALL: Bouncing Boy, Brainiac 5, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Chameleon Boy, Dream Girl, Element Lad, Invisible Kid, Light Lass, Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Shrinking Violet, Star Boy, Timber Wolf, Triplicate Girl, Ultra Boy

Part Two of this six-parter is even more confusing than part one. I imagine that a familiarity with the Wildstorm universe would help a lot. Giffen is certainly making no effort to orient a new reader or explain what the hell is going on.

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: It's the Legion, okay...but which Legion? Lyle Norg is still alive, Ayla is Light Lass, Luornu is identified as "Triplicate Girl," and Shadow Lass is a member. Phantom Girl, Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy, and Element Lad are in their 1970s costumes, but Star Boy is wearing the black star-spangled number and has the beginnings of a beard. Triplicate Girl is in white, and god knows what Vi has on -- I suspect coloring errors in both cases. Among the missing are Jeckie, Val, Mon-El, and Chemical King.

If it weren't for the "Triplicate Girl" thing and a costume or two, this could be the Legion from around SUPERBOY 197-199...after Timber Wolf reappeared and before Chuck and Luornu got married. Val and Jeckie could be visiting Orando, and Chemical King and Mon-El might be...uh...on a mission in another dimension, yeah, that's the ticket.

Except... this Legion is based in the old "upside-down rocket" headquarters, which was severely damaged on the day Shadow Lass joined. Which would place this Legion between ADVENTURE 366 and 367 -- well before Timber Wolf joined.

How about another possibility...could this be the Giffbaum/Glorithverse Legion? Valor, Laurel Gand, and Impulse (Kent Shakespeare) are nowhere to be seen, but they could be away on a mission (with Val, Jeckie, and Chemical King, maybe?) In the Glorthiverse Legion, Garth was Lightning Boy, not Lightning Lad...at least in the little bit we saw of their history. We don't have many details of the order in which the Legionnaires joined, when Luornu lost her third self, nor when (or if) the original clubhouse was replaced.

A third possibility...Giffen is just following current DC thinking for Legion guest appearances: "Use whichever Legionnaires you want, in whatever costumes you want...pick and choose from Legion history and put together a team you like."

So there you have it. This is either the classic Legion from SUEPRBOY 197-199, the classic Legion from ADVENTURE 366-367, a previous incarnation of the Glorithverse Legion, or a completely new version.

And only us hardcore Legion geeks care which.

My head hurts....

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JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #15 (6/08)
"They Kingdom Come: The Good Fight"
ROLL CALL: Starman/Star Boy (Lightning Saga Legion)

In the continuing fight against Gog (who isn't really Gog), Thom lifts a mounted police officer (along with horse and passenger) out of harm's way, updates the Flash on the ferry schedule, and says "Okely-dokely." IMHO, they are not using this character to his full potential.

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Week of 14 May 2008

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

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES IN THE 31ST CENTURY #14 (7/08)
"See Me"
ROLL CALL: Brainiac 5, Element Lad, Phantom Girl, Superman, Timber Wolf, Triplicate Girl


BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: A slightly different take on the destruction of Trom. Here it was done by the evil corporation Roxxas Energy (a division of LexCorp); in classic Legion continuity, it was done by an evil guy named Roxxas.

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Week of 7 May 2008

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

ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #11 (2008)
"Last Son: Conclusion"
ROLL CALL: Mon-El

So Chris Kent is in the Phantom Zone, whereabouts unknown...but Mon-El will never stop looking for him. Well, at least it gives Lar something to do....

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Missed This One

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

Thanks to Ken Austin and Bruce Phillips for calling my attention to this one from a couple weeks ago.

DC/WILDSTORM DREAMWAR #1 (6/08)
"Chimera Rising"
ROLL CALL: Chameleon Boy, Invisible Kid (Classic Legion?)

The first issue of a six-issue crossover involving the Justice League, Teen Titans, and Legion. Very confusing, especially since I'm not at all familiar with the Wildstorm universe. I imagine all will become clear over the next five issues....

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: Chameleon Boy is in a version of his purple-and-yellow costume. Lyle Norg is Invisible Kid, wearing a jacket and a green headband. What appears to be the old Legion clubhouse (listing badly) is in 20th century Russia.

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