Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Week of 21 October 2009

I did not see any LSH appearances in DC Comics this week.

Mon-El was mentioned in SUPERGIRL #46 (12/09), and the hardcover collection of FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF 3 WORLDS came out with no additional material -- no introduction, no background sketches, nothing that you didn't see if you got all the comics, except it's in a fine-looking hardcover.

Specifically, there were no Legionnaires, not even Mon-El, in JLA #38 (12/09). Unless Invisible Kid or Chameleon Boy were there on Espionage Squad business.

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Monday, October 19, 2009

Meanwhile...

Just to let everyone know: It has not escaped my notice that Jimmy Olsen has been floating (presumed) dead in Metropolis Harbor for over a month now, and nobody -- not his "best friend" Superman, not his coworker Lois Lane, not his boss Perry White, not even the Daily Planet HR department -- seems to have noticed or seems to care.

It's because he used to be a Legionnaire, that's why. Even though it was long ago, far away, and several universal reboots ago that young James wore the Elastic Lad costume and journeyed to the 30th century, that doesn't prevent the DC bigwigs from mistreating, abusing, and neglecting current and past Legionnaires (and/or Legion supporting characters).

I mean, look, Batman co-starred with the Legion in a handful of stories, and they went and killed him.

When will this rampant anti-LSH bias end?

(Yeah yeah yeah, I know, it's been going on for 25 years or more, why should it stop now?)

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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Week of 14 October 2009

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

ACTION #882 (12/09)
"The Hunt for Reactron Part 3"
CUTE BOY: Chris Kent (in bondage, no less)

No actual Legion content, but Mon-El is mentioned on the second page.

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ADVENTURE #3/506 (12/09)
"Superboy the Boy of Steel Part Three"
ROLL CALL: Element Lad
CUTE BOYS: Conner Kent, Tim Drake (comforting one another, but no kissing)

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: One of Conner's classmates is a blond girl named Lori, who sleeps all day and is up to trouble at night. Apparently she is "a born troublemaker." Obviously she's someone of significance, possibly a villain (see below). My first guess is Dream Girl, but somehow I just don't see it. Horrible thought: Lori...G-LORI-th? Think about it: have you ever seen the two of them together?

Look at Tim Drake and Conner together in Luthor's abandoned lab: they would definitely be happier if they would cuddle and kiss a little, don't you think?

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ADVENTURE #506/3 (12/09)
"Long Live the Legion Part Three: Running Hot and Cold"
ROLL CALL: Polar Boy, Sun Boy
CUTE BOYS: Sun Boy is looking particularly good, and even Polar Boy is actually a little adorable. (Yes, "actually.")

Once again, this issue came with two covers. The one you want is the variant cover, with Sun Boy and Polar Boy on it.

A fine friendship and action story. And a surprise at the end: Cryo-King, the LSV wannabe, has a map of Earth in the 21st century. He says, "Come on, Sun Boy. You think you're the only Legion with an espionage squad in the 21st century?"

Aha! The LSV has people back in the 21st century too. And Lori must be one of them. (Unless she's really a good guy in disguise. What about Chameleon Boy?) Now I don't trust anyone in Smallville or Metropolis to be who they claim they are.

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BOOSTER GOLD #25 (12/09)
"Day of Death: Aftermath"
CUTE BOYS: Booster's looking kinda nice with his mask and goggles off; ditto for Dick Grayson; Damian is a little young but he should definitely come back in a few years.

No actual Legion content, but Booster's flight rings is quite in evidence on the cover and throughout the issue.

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R.E.B.E.L.S. #9 (12/09)
"Strange Companions"
ROLL CALL (L.E.G.I.O.N.): Adam Strange, Amon Haak, Bounder, Ciji, Captain Comet, Garv, Lyrl Dox, Rocky, Strata, Tribulus, Vril Dox, Wildstar, Xylon (aka Fleet Admiral)
ROLL CALL (Omega Men): Broot, Darkfire, Doc, Tigorr
CUTE BOY: Lyrl Dox runs around wearing only tight shorts. Sure, he needs a haircut, but wotthehell. And Darkfire looks kinda...hot

Adam Strange steps in to save Kanjar Ro from Starro, the Omega Men land on the Starro homeworld and attract some attention, and Starro's homeys are after the perennially-shirtless Lyrl.

Another fun issue. Unfortunately, that all goes away next month when Blackest Night invades R.E.B.E.L.S. I don't have anything against crossovers invading Legion territory...as long as they're good ones. But whenever DC starts messing with the dead, things get tedious pretty quickly. (Anybody remember a little disaster called Underworld Unleashed?)

BITS OF L.E.G.I.O.N.NAIRE BUSINESS: The Dominator Fleet Admiral has a name now: Xylon. And they're calling Lyrl "Brainiac 3," but I'm doing my best to ignore that.

It's been interesting how some of the new L.E.G.I.O.N. personnel parallel both the powers and names of real Legionnaires. Bounder and Bouncing Boy. Wildstar and Wildfire/Dawnstar. Tribulus and Validus. The one I was having trouble with was the Durlan (well, not "the Durlan," who was an original member of L.E.G.I.O.N. several continuities ago, but the Durlan who's joined the team now) -- I mean, "Ciji"? What's up with that?

Well, I just got it. Ciji...pronounced "see-gee"...like C.G....like Chameleon Girl.

I can't decide if I think this is incredibly clever, or really, really stupid.

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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Week of 7 October 2009

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

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #4 (12/09)
"Cry for Justice: The Fix"
ROLL CALL: Mon-El

I was about ready to give up on this series, but I thought "What the hell, it's issue 4 of 7, maybe it will start making sense now," so I went ahead and bought it.

And who came swooping down on page 11, but Mon-El! It's a cameo, where Jay Garrick imparts some mysterious yet obviously important bit of information to Mon as part of his tour-the-DC-universe-with-Jay-Garrick gig.

Suddenly it's worth paying attention to CRY FOR JUSTICE.

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R.E.B.E.L.S. ANNUAL #1 (12/09)
"Starro the Conqueror"
ROLL CALL: Amon Haak, Bounder, Ciji, Lyrl Dox, Stealth, Strata, Tribulus, Vril Dox, Wildstar

Wow, a really good story. Think nobody could make Starro sympathetic? You were wrong.

The members of L.E.G.I.O.N. appear only as cameos, but that doesn't matter. It's a good story.


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Friday, October 02, 2009

Week of 30 September 2009

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

SUPERMAN #692 (11/09)
"Down Time"
ROLL CALL: Karate Kid (image), Mon-El (image), Sensor Girl

The Guardian gathers the Science Police together in their usual cop bar for a wake for Mon-El. He reveals that Jon Kent was Mon-El's secret identity, and Billi Harper is shocked. As the two talk, the Guardian reveals that he also knows that Billi is the neice of the man he was cloned from. (Apparently he knows everyone's secrets...or so you'd think.)

Next the Guardian talks to Team Leader Wilcox, the redhead who has been around for the last few issues. She tells him, "I'm a widow. Lost my hubby not too long ago. My heart's closed. Maybe forever. Certainly for now." The two of them toast to "The future."

Then we follow Wilcox home. She speaks on the phone, saying (among other things), "Anyway, the Science Police had a wake for Mon. Yeah. They think he's dead. They'll know the truth soon enough, I guess."

Mon-El, alive?! Who could possibly have guessed?

Wilcox hangs up, and on the next page...well, there's an advertisement for Blackest Night. But on the page after that...Wilcox looks at a framed picture of Princess Projectra and Karate Kid and sighs, "Oh, Val." Pull back, she's crying and the top of Sensor Girl's costume hovers by the open window above her.

All right, I'll admit it. They surprised me. I knew that Mon-El wasn't dead, but I would never have guessed in a million years that Wilcox was Jeckie. (In fact, I had to look back at the last few issues to see if Wilcox was actually there. She was.)

We already knew that the Espionage Squad is on a mission in the 21st century. And Tellus has already been connected with the whole storyline in Superman. But now it seems that they're a little more involved in what's going on.

I wonder if Team Leader Romundi is anyone?

Anyway, the story ends with Mon-El a bacta tank in in Project 7734, just like the one that had Tellus in it. Unfortunately, they put a bathing suit on him...but it's a tight one. Hooray! And he's mad.

Next issue should be fun....

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