I was surfin around and saw some hubbub about the new board. Checkin out the old board I find this “memoirs” topic. And I see my old fellow indexers, Wanderer, Juan, & Jim Jackson, fondly remembering our high-falutin’ Legion Grand Total Index. Juan wondered if anyone saved the topic. Well, since I started and “finished” the project (by compiling all our totals in a final tally,) I decided to save that final tally.
So what the hell. For the old times sake, I’ll post a condensed version of my final tally of our index project from way back in the summer of 2001.
Again, this is all the result of the work of He Who Wanders, Juan, Jim Jackson and myself (posting as The Time Trapper.) I did additional calculation for this final tally by creating combined multi-period indices of our work [for example, from Superboy period thru Baxter period, etc] to see what interesting info popped up.
Overall, the final tally covers the Pre-Zero Hour Era, Adventure 300 thru Legion V4, 61, over 32 years worth of Legion stories. My estimate was that we indexed 440+ stories. Truly, it was a project.
I listed the entries in reverse order to “build suspense” as I posted the different Sections. My commentary increases as it gets closer to the finish. I may have missed deleting any parenthetical comments regarding my physical health (I was recuperating from injuries at the time.) Hopefully the transferred graph spacing won’t be too bad. And don’t forget there’s probably a few infamous “Time Trapper typos” somewhere here. Collect ‘em all. Win a scholarship. Or a donkey ride! Choose wisely, Nassdropper.
Hoo. Hah.
Legion Grand Total Index.
Final Tally of Pre-Zero Hour Legionnaires Appearances
Notes: Series issues and annuals only; no guest-appearances or mini-series included. Variant names/identities are combined under character’s most popular/longest used name, i.e. Lightning Lass & Light Lass combined in Lightning Lass totals, and Projectra & Sensor Girl combined in Projectra totals. [Our majority group decision was to not include SW6 in the indexing.]
Categories: During the course of the indexing, we standardized our tabulation into three categories for each Legionnaire: Total Appearances, Total Featured Character Appearances (a starring appearance by the character,) and Combined Total Appearances & Total Featured Character Appearances (this last I believe was to balance/unite the “weight” of each focus. Sections 1-3 below (mostly minor players & limited duration characters) only cite the one category of Combined Total Appearances & Total Featured Character. Sections 4-6 (the major players) break out all three categories for characters.
SECTION ONE - THE INFREQUENT FRIENDS AND FALLEN COMRADES - Ranks 41-55
55 Beast Boy - 3 54 Gas Girl - 8 53 Insect Queen - 9 52 Life Lass - 12 51 Evolvo Lad - 13 50 Ferro lad - 14 49 Dev-em - 16 48 Duplicate Boy - 17 47 Color Kid -18 46 Tyroc - 19 45 Rond Vidar -20 43 tie - Chemical King, Celeste Rockfish - 22 42 Kent Shakespeare - 23 41 Kono -25
SECTION TWO - THE VIGILANT BACK-UP SQUAD AND SINGLE SEASON SUPERHEROES - Rank 31-40
40 Stone Boy - 27 37 three way tie - Chlorophyll Kid, Devlin O'Ryan, Quislet -28 35 tie - Fire Lad, Supergirl - 31 34 Laurel Gand 35 33 Magnetic Kid -38 32 Night Girl - 42 31 Tellus -46
SECTION THREE: THE FADE-AWAY HEROES AND THEIR EVENTUAL REPLACEMENTS - Rank 21-30
Section comments: 1 - Notice big gap between #28 & tied #26; 65 apps and it then jumps up to 89. 2 - Notice how close the three Volume 2/Baxter Legionnaires are: Blok & I kid 2 at 89, and WW at 90. 3 - BB & DD near identical stats
SECTION FOUR - THE BIG LEAGUES - Rank 11-20
Category Abbreviations: CT = Combined Total of Total Appearances (TA) & Featured Character roles (FC)
Period Abbreviations & Issue Runs (includes annuals also) ADV = Adventure 300-380 ACT/SB = Action 378-387,389-392, Superboy 172 (intermittent run) to 195 SB/LSH = Superboy 197-230, Superboy/LSH 231-258 VOL 2 = Legion Volume 2, 259-313; Tales of Legion 314-325 BAXTER = Legion Volume 3, 1-63 VOL 4 = Legion Volume 4, 1-61, (I indexed Legionnaires 1-18 separately, since Jim Jackson preferred to not include these issues in his index of Pre-Zero Hour Volume 4. I included Legionnaires 1-18’s numbers in the Final Totals, but they are not included in any Period index.)
20 - Star Boy - 129 CT - 125 TA - 4 FC 19 - Dream Girl - 134 CT - 126 TA - 8 FC - Another Legion couple almost identical in numbers
18 - Projectra - 136 CT - 123 TA - 13 FC - A little surprising, she has fourth highest FC in the index.
17 - Wildfire - 146 CT - 140 TA - 6 FC - Highest placing post-Adventure Legionnaire. He was a Top Ten ranked Legionnaire in three consecutive Periods, SB/LSH, Volume 2, and Baxter.
16 - Shadow Lass - 155 CT - 150 TA - 5 FC - Only female character to take first place in a Period Index (Volume 2.) [Note: Saturn Girl came in first place during the first SUB-Period, the Siegal/Hamilton run in Adventure.]
15 - Phantom Girl - 160 CT - 157 TA - 3 FC - She has lowest FC in Top 25 on this index.
14 - Element Lad - 167 CT - 162 TA - 5 FC - Except for a 2nd place during Baxter Period, he never placed in Top Ten during any other Period.
13 - Colossal Boy - 175 CT - 170 TA - 5 FC - After he got his second costume, his apps grow big, during the middle periods. In SB/LSH and Volume 2, he placed 6th in both. In combined multi-period of Adventure thru Baxter, he ranked 8th.
12 - Timber Wolf - [Apparently I skipped over posting T-Wolf’s final numbers in his entry! If anyone mentioned it, the correction was on a following page that I didn’t save. The following comments on his apps were included.] Timber Wolf's late arrival in Adventure keeps him out of Top Ten, otherwise his numbers are incredible: for combined multi-period of SB/LSH thru Volume 4, he ranked SECOND. He also has 3rd highest FC in this index.
11 - Lightning Lass - 180 CT - 172 TA - 8 FC - Ayla almost makes the Top Ten. She beats out her one-time lover because of her Adventure apps. She was 4th in Baxter and 6th in Volume 4. Roughly only 2/5ths of her apps are as Light Lass. In combined multi-period of Volume 2 thru Volume 4, she ranks an impressive 6th.
SECTION FIVE: THE ALL-STARS - Ranks 6-10
10 - Lightning Lad - 189 CT - 177 TA - 12 FC - The Hard Luck Legionnaire edges out his sister and starts off the Top Ten. Garth phenomenally stayed in 4th place for three consecutive Periods: ACT/SB, SB/LSH, & Volume 2. But after Ayla got her electricity mojo back in early Baxter, she replaced Garth as the Lightning Legionnaire, placing 4th in Baxter & 6th in Volume 4, while Garth dropped down to 28th & 22nd respectively. Twins. Whadya gonna do.
9 - Superboy - 192 CT - 174 TA - 18 FC - Remember him? The Franchise? For almost two decades his name always preceded the team's name. It was his team, like Babe and the Yankees. I'm sure other posters besides He Who Wanders thought Kal had a shot at #1, but you have to consider it hasn't been Superboy AND The Legion of Super-Heroes for over two decades. Yet even past that point, his power was still felt. For the combined multi-period of Adventure thru Volume 2, he was ranked #1. He has second highest FC in the index.
8 - Shrinking Violet - 193 CT - 188 TA - 5 FC - The Littlest Legionnaire beats out Superboy. She has the least FC in this section, only half of next closest amount. But for combined multi-period of Volume 2 thru Volume 4, she notably ranks in 5th place. She's only one of two females in this Top Ten here. [As for Yera/Vi, there were 16 apps of Yera/Vi, which by our group agreement are not counted as Vi.]
7 - Sun Boy - 196 CT - 186 TA - 10 FC - The Solar Legionnaire ranked 4th in Adventure and 9th in SB/LSH, and for combined multi-period of Adventure thru Baxter, he pulls down 6th place.
6 - Cosmic Boy - 211 CT - 201 TA - 10 FC - Cos is the beginning of the elite 200 appearances club. He missed making the Top Ten in three out of six Periods. His best Periods are the bookends, 5th place in Adventure, and a very impressive 2nd in Volume 4 (it was Volume 4 that blew him past his pal Garth's numbers.)
SECTION SIX: THE SUPERSTARS OF THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES - Rank 1-5
I will add recaps of the Period rankings for these Top Five.
Four Period placings in Top Ten, the first two and the last two. His combined multi-period numbers are more impressive. From SB/LSH thru Volume 4, he ranks 3rd. From Volume 2 thru Volume 4, he still ranks 3rd. From Baxter thru Volume 4, he ranks FIRST.
Duuuuude!
INCREDIBLY, THERE’S A TIE FOR THIRD PLACE!
3 - Mon-el and Saturn Girl each have 216 CT (Actually almost a three-way tie, with these two beating out Ultra Boy by just one appearance!!!)
Overall, those Period rankings don’t look that impressive, but while others went up and down in different Periods, steady & ready Mon remained fairly consistent throughout. He always suited-up.
He was in Top Ten in four Periods, but his combined multi-period numbers are much better and reflect his steadiness, perhaps even a growing “appreciation” of the character. From Adventure to SB/LSH, he ranks 7th. From Adventure thru Volume 2, ranks 5th. From Adventure thru Baxter, he ranks THIRD, his best numbers. From SB/LSH thru Volume 4, he ranks 4th.
Mon really picks up the "slack" left by Superboy's departures in Volume 2, filling in the multi-powered deus ex machina/savior role several times, and explicitly as Valor in Volume 4. I should point out that Mon is the highest placing "new" Adventure Legionnaire, as he was first inducted in Adventure 300, the first series issue. (Lightning Lass, at 11th place, was second highest.)
Her Period rankings show her severe change of fortune. Saturn Girl was in Top FIVE for four consecutive periods, then drops into the twenties for the last two. Yet for combined multi-period of Adventure thru Baxter, Imra ranks SECOND. From SB/LSH to Volume 4, she still ranks in Top Ten at 8th. And let's not forget she beat out Superboy in the first sub-period in Adventure, Siegal/Hamilton, by placing 1st, ahead of Supes & Sun Boy tied at 2nd. Quite a singular achievement! “And she’s a girl, too!”
Her biggest hinderance is her single digit FC. I recall one or two of the other indexers were also surprised by how few featured appearances she had in their respective indexed Period. She was very often used in a “next-to” role, just below star billing, but often interacting with the star.
Still, all in all, not bad for a simple telepath surrounded by multi-powered demigods and energy casters of all kinds.
And easy on the eyes too. Woof.
And, of course, she’s Ferro Lad’s aunt.
2 Chameleon Boy - 224 CT - 211 TA - 13 FC
ADV - 6th ACT/SB - 3rd SB/LSH - 5th VOL 2 - 19th BAXTER - 5th VOL 4 - 8th [LEGIONNAIRES 1-18 - 1st; though not done as a separate Period index, he ranked 1st here among all (non-SW6!) characters]
Yep, our favorite Durlan snags the number two spot. Basically because of his additional apps in Legionnaires 1-18. He had 15 apps there, while most other (again, non-SW6!) Legionnaires' only had 2 apps. Otherwise, he would of placed 5th in this index!
Out of "seven" Periods, he made Top Ten six times, and Top Five three times. Very impressive. And his combined multi-period numbers are all Top Ten (and no combined multi-period indices numbers include stats from L's 1-18.) From Adventure thru SB/LSH, he ranks 4th. From Adventure thru Volume 2, ranks 7th. From Adventure thru Baxter, ranks 5th.
Reep had great utility as Espionage Squad Leader and an adaptive diverse power for the writers to play with. I think his antennae were a maximum "cool factor" for attracting new readers. A few times I've mentioned the Legion to non-comics fans who read the series as a kid and the first Legionnaire they recall, after their faves, is the orange kid with the antennae.
Papa Rene would be proud.
Okay. Finally, here it is...
1 - Brainiac 5 - 270 CT - 249 TA - 21 FC First place goes the 12th-Level-Effector Brain. With all the flashy powers, costumes, and personalities among a literal legion of characters, the top spot goes to a guy whose only super-power is his mind, wears a dark drab non-costume, and goes a little "nutty" once in a while.
That's pretty damn good for a guy who started out as a passing puppy-love interest, a "dreamy" alein crush for Supergirl. (Anybody remember his "rival," Jerro?)
Basically, Brainiac 5 blows away everybody in almost all numbers.
His worst is 7th, and that's in the very short (and really, negligible) period of ACT/SB. Otherwise his worst is THIRD! Think about that. Out of 55 characters, appearing over 32 years, one character, one of the least dramatic, manages to not drop below 3rd place in appearances in any of the five major Periods of the series. Is that duplicated by any other character in any of other superteam? I think not. Seriously. Nobody. Wolverine didn’t exist in the first Period of X-men. Nobody.
His combined multi-period numbers are just monsters, or "pure genius" if you want. In the six major combined multi-periods I indexed, he ranks FIRST in four, and SECOND in two. That’s right, his worst showing is second place...
He has the highest FC, three more than Superboy. Think about that too. More featured appearances in Legion than Superboy, whose name was in the title for twenty tears.
It doesn’t stop. Even more incredibly, he has the highest Total Apps by 38 Apps! That's gigantic! Compare that there's only 12 apps difference between 2nd & 3rd, and only one app difference from 3rd, 4th, & 5th! 38 apps is like another whole major Period's apps numbers added in to his total that no other character gets. Maybe he was in another Legion series that we didn't know about! "Brainiac 5 & The Legion of Super Heroes Stories and Puzzlers." Perhaps it'll show up in the Archives.
The smart kid's unbeatable. No wonder a Coluan was such a "rare prize" in the recent SUPERBOY'S LEGION.
Net geeks/comic fans have got to love this "triumph" of Brainiac 5. Speaking of which, why isn't he a cult hero for Netheads? Really. And what typical physically atrophied nethead wouldn't want a force field belt for protection against the bullies of the world? (Talk about a ready-made icon...)
And why hasn't Brainiac 5 had a mini-series?
Only Querl could answer those questions. DC sure can’t.
Brainiac 5 has appeared more than any other version of a Brainiac in the DCU, and probably more than all other versions combined. He is THE Brainiac.
And, without any doubt, as his gargantuan numbers show, Brainiac 5 is THE Legionnaire.
POST INDEX COMMENTS
Amazing But True!: The Legionnaires that finished in the Top Ten during the very first ever (sub-)Period of the Legion series, the Siegal/Hamilton run in Adventure, are the exact same ten Legionnaires that finished in the Top Ten in this final index. Only their positions are different, none had the same rank! Most had ups and downs over the decades, in and out of Top Ten, but they all made it back into Top Ten at the end.
A first place prize-conundrum for Brainy. Let him figure it out!
---
Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, guys. If anyone wants to save this data before whenever this board closes, I guess you better do it soon.
I picked up Legion 19. Interesting. Maybe I’ll read some more new issues. Oh, it’s gotta be Universo.
Don’t know if or when I’ll get around these cyber-regions again.
posted
It doesn't surprise me that Brainiac came in first. For a sci-fi book set in the 30th century, you need someone to explain stuff. And unlike others whose powers are somewhat interchangeable in a fight, Brainiac's the only one with the scientific knowledge to provide the proper exposition. While he's certainly a popular guy, I think his high numbers are more for his function in the book rather than his popularity.
[ July 07, 2003, 10:27 PM: Message edited by: DrakeB3003 ]
From: New York, NY | Registered: Jul 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
Probably his being so prominent has something to do with his popularity, as well!
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I think Drake's absolutely right about Brainy's function as scientific interpretor for the readers. Sure you could use narration for basically the same thing, but who really wants to read a bunch of captions on every page. It's much more engaging, story-wise, to work the details in through dialogue than narration.
In addition to that, Brainy's role as inventor has been the catalyst for literally dozens of Legion stories. If he's not out there solving problems for the Legion he's often in his lab causing problems for the Legion.
I guess with that in mind it's not much of a surprise that Brainy is one of the most useful weapons in the writers' arsenal.
-------------------- The LMB Archives
From: The Loser Cave | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Wowsa! Reep in second place is unexpected!! I thought for sure it'd be Imra.
From: elizabeth,nj | Registered: Jul 2003
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future king
Excuse me but can you please direct me to the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles?
posted
What's even more surprising was that Ultra Boy beat out Lightning Lad by 5 whole points! I know the guy was "dead" for a while, but sheesh... he is a founder after all.
From: ontario | Registered: Feb 2007
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Hyperpath: Email this page to someone!
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