As I've in recent months become somewhat vaguely dissatisfied with the current re-imagined Legion, I have decided to give the reboot era a thorough re-read. Many of these stories I haven't read in years. I'll post reviews here as I go along.
REVIEW # 1:
The Beginning of Tomorrow/Planet Hell
LSH # 0 - LEGIONNAIRES # 23
Everything old is new again!
I rather enjoyed the bulk of TMK and TM-sans-K, but became mostly frustrated with what followed, so I was willing to accept whatever came after Zero Hour with open arms.
Little did I suspect that I was going to see the whole thing, this time from day 1.
LSH # 0:
Excellent Stuart Immonen artwork started the reboot (and ironically, it was his swan song for the Legion) with a bang. Usage of the word "stupid" in this issue clearly shows that this creative team (writers Mark Waid & Tom McGraw) knew their Legion stuff.
I think they handled it correctly; they wasted NO time in getting our 3 founders together with ol' R.J. and featured enough well-known characters (Ayla, Mekt, Luornu, Shvaughn) on the side that you KNEW these guys knew their nass.
Garth & Rokk become fast friends; leave it to Imra-- a bossy one from the start-- to interrupt the strokefesting.
LEGIONNAIRES (hereafter referred to as L*) # 0:
Moy's art was rough at this early stage, but strangely appealing too.
Again, our writers barrel things along at an approriate pace; one can almost sense that they were actively trying to keep old readers engaged while not confusing new ones.
The correct decision was made in keeping the first 5 Legionnaires the same in this reboot, as Apparition and Triad quickly join our founders three.
And if that wasn't enough, the stage is set, in a unique and realistic fashion-- for us to have tons more members added to the cast in even quicker succession. We glimpse Gim Allon, an unknown speedstress, some familiar faces on Xanthu, Durlan society, Lyle Norg and Brainiac 5.
The usage of characters such as Atmos and Kid Quantum once again says a lot (all of it good) about the writers!
LSH # 62:
Lee Moder comes on-board for art; I found it similar enough to Stuart Immonen's style to keep me happy.
One can almost sense the civilian chicks trying to think of ways to trick Cosmic Boy into marrying them on page 4, which is a good sign.
Our newer members (sans Brainy) make the scene; one can tell the UP is new at this point, as poor Durlans are apparently attacked on sight.
Quickly, the new, beefed-up-with-numbers Legionnaires are sent on their first mission, in an (understandable) attempt to gain some newsworthy clips to help gain support for the fledgeling team.
It is here that I think our writers made their first mistake: killing off a team member on the first mission.
Actually, it was their SECOND mistake; the real first one was changing James from the sweet-natured, well-liked guy he was in T&M's L* to the egotistical sassy-sister he was in the reboot. That set a precedent that was later taken advantage of: irritating character changes.
Nice "Cos as leader" moment with Gim, though.
L* 19:
Tom Peyer joins the writing team. A nice spotlight on the unknown XS; the usage of Probes, Marla Latham, the Legionnaires'penchant for funerals and Mano continue to show to me that these writers are trying to honor previous continuity (for the most part) while also trying to remain fresh & new.
LSH 63-66/L* 20-23:
The writing team continues to wow me by bringing in Tenzil Kem, Ayla (Spark) Ranzz, Ultra Boy, Karate Kid, Spider Girl (!!), Evolvo (!!!), Andromeda and Shrinking Violet.
They also frustrate me by putting Dirk Morgna's code-name and powers on an evil female, making Laurel a ateful xenephobe and giving Tenzil a very minor role.
We witness a prelude of sorts to what will become mass Legion tryouts.
Too-excellent-to-be-forgotten characters such as Gates are introduced, and yet another all-new Legionnaire becomes part of the team in Kinetix.
The Planet Hell storyline shows that these writers know their villains as well, as the likes of the Brain-Globes of Rambat and Carress mingle with all-new thugs like Titanor.
Moy's art begins hitting a stride with L* # 23 (his images of Laurel/Andromeda are lovely), and the Legionnaires get their flight rings in a pretty unforgettable scene.
And by the end of this issue, the stage is set for the nextbig reboot storyline, the "White Triangle" Saga.
Posted by KidChaos on :
Well, I really liked the first couple years of the reboot. But, as a whole, the Archie Legion holds little favor in my mind.
To be fair, I didn't start reading the Legion til 2000 , when DNA was writing. Maybe if I had read the reboot issues as they came out, I'd look at them differently.
LSH #0 was a perfect origin/first issue. I've always thought that if a Legion cartoon were made, they could use this issue word for word for an excellent first episode.
And one thing those writers did a *lot* better than the current team (or DNA for that matter)was getting the story rolling and handling the large cast.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
I have always maintained that the first years or so of the reboot Legion was extremely good. But when it falls, it falls hard. And never manages to get up again.
Posted by Reboot on :
I'm really wondering, in retrospect, just how much direct influence Waid actually had in the first year. Yes, he pushed The Button that time too, but the codename and character (and costume) changes (mostly) came straight from the preboot SW6/Legionnaires book which was T&M's baby & he had little or no involvement with. XS was McCraw's, Gates was a one-scene joke until after he left; he didn't write a single issue solo, Peyer took over Legionnaires solo fairly quickly (#20, the third postboot issue - albeit plot credits were reinstated for McCraw & Waid, presumably because of the back-and-forth between titles meaning that he wasn't plotting in isolation rather than because they were working more on L*, as a credit for Peyer started appearing in LofSH at the same time), and Waid dropped down to scripting-only on LofSH by #68, only the fourth postboot issue of that title.
Posted by mhr_kara on :
one of the main reasons why i liked the reboot(1994-2004) legion was because of legionnaires like XS,Shikari,Thunder,and gasp, even Gates! Posted by Kent Shakespeare on :
Reboot up to about v4 #80 was quite good. The 20/30 split weakened it, and it descended from there, until DnA lifted it up again.
DnA at their weakest were still better, story-wise, than anything Waid's done on Threeboot as of yet.
Posted by Sir Tim Drake on :
quote:Originally posted by Reboot: XS was McCraw's,
I'm surprised to learn that. I always associated her with Mark, both because of the Flash connection and because he wrote the best story featuring her (Impulse #12).
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
I also loved the early issues of the Reboot, and thought they were excellent. It wasn't really until Tinya was killed in the White Triangle storyline that I started to feel that things were a little off. However, those fears went away with the Chu Sting storyline, which was great.
At that point, the reboot was rocking along. Then came Emerald Vi, which ...eh...brought it down a little. the 20/30 split was a bad move, and the title quickly turned into crap. By Sneckie, the reboot Wildfire, etc. it was probably one of the comic books I dreaded more than any other, and there were some *weak* comic books at that time.
Still, those early years of the Reboot were great!
I do disagree with Kent though--DnA at their worst were as bad as Gerry Conway, the pre DnA reboot Legion and Legion on the Run at their worst. They really dropped the ball and screwed things up more. *However* DnA at their best was excellent. While Legion Lost IMO is nowhere near as good as some people make it out to be, the earliest issues of the relaunch were exciting and fun. Right now Waid is far ahead of DnA at their worst, but not at the level of DnA at their best. I guess thats a discussion for another thread though...
Looking forward to more Lash reviews!
Posted by Reboot on :
quote:Originally posted by Sir Tim Drake:
quote:Originally posted by Reboot: XS was McCraw's,
I'm surprised to learn that. I always associated her with Mark, both because of the Flash connection...
I'll admit, I was surprised to find it out too. But that was what first got me *really* wondering about whether Waid ever did anything significant with the postboot after the zero issues.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
Considering that the first real indications that there was something seriously wrong in the reboot began almost as soon as Waid left, I think it's difficult to maintain that he didn't have significant influence on the book, if only in making sure it maintained quality.
Posted by Reboot on :
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Considering that the first real indications that there was something seriously wrong in the reboot began almost as soon as Waid left, I think it's difficult to maintain that he didn't have significant influence on the book, if only in making sure it maintained quality.
See, I don't see that (certainly not "something seriously wrong"). For me, the first serious problem is when Andromeda comes back as a nun with a new personality.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
I see the trend of vastly inferior ripoffs of Silver Age stories/concepts as beginning shortly after Waid's departure, particularly with the whole Chu/Fatal Five story. That led into the massive jumping of the shark that occurred with the whole "Emerald Vi"/Death of Gim/Team 20-Team 30 split, shortly after which I quit reading.
Posted by Sir Tim Drake on :
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: I see the trend of vastly inferior ripoffs of Silver Age stories/concepts as beginning shortly after Waid's departure, particularly with the whole Chu/Fatal Five story. That led into the massive jumping of the shark that occurred with the whole "Emerald Vi"/Death of Gim/Team 20-Team 30 split, shortly after which I quit reading.
I would more or less agree. The quality started to drop seriously after Legionnaires Annual #2, although I only notice it now in retrospect.
Perhaps they shouldn't have killed off the most interesting character in the series, and then brought her back as a nasty, jealous shrew and, later, a teenage single mother... sorry, I'm still a little bitter about that. Posted by Zeroman on :
I will agree the turning point was the time split issues even though I did continue to enjoy the Legionaries book during the split. Legion on the other hand was pretty bad during that period. After the books were both put back into the 30th century it just got worse until DnA came on with Legion of the Dammned.
I thought DnA's run was fantastic until they brought in Superboy. That was were their run started falling apart hard.
Posted by Caliente on :
Agree, agree, agree! I did not like the 20th/30th century split! Imra + Rokk = EW! EW, EW, EW!!
And then there was that really weird anomaly thingy... yeah, that still gets me. I'm just so not a fan of that. At all. At alllll.
Legion of the Damned was... like... so different than the series had been. I felt like I'd just totally missed a step between. but I did like where it went and I really enjoyed Legion Worlds.
Yes, I still have to read Legion Lost and The Legion (that's not gonna happen 'til after finals, though) but still!! Overall, I enjoyed the reboot, especially through that first year.
Posted by MLLASH on :
Next review coming soon, the White Triangle tale and the first few Waid-less issues!
But I wanted to take a moment to note how much fun I am having re-reading the letters pages in these issues.
Lots of repeat letterhacks like Jim Kelly and especially David Taylor-- who really tickled me by asking for the return of Calorie Queen (as well as Gas Girl and a few others). Unfortunately, he showed no love for other fine characters like Lester Spiffany, Calamity King and Infectious Lass and did not include them in his suggestions, so his requests were flatly denied.
Hopefully he has since learned his lesson.
[ March 08, 2006, 10:50 PM: Message edited by: MLLASH ]
Posted by Omni Craig on :
The first year of the reboot was actually quite good! Artistically, I actually preferred Moy's art to Moder's, and overall they were a solid combination. I felt Waid's influence leave the book with the culmination of the White Triangle story, and it went downhill fast (let's be honest, it was a sheer cliff). I have long said that I am not a fan of Peyer's writing in general, but his Legion work was straight up not good at all!
Posted by Charles Phipps on :
This legion just never clicked with me and in fact takes a lot of my scorn. Part of the issue is that most of the characters just seem to be unlikeable and make horrible personality choices.
They had some good moments but they were outweighed by the bad.
* Imra pupeteering Cosmic Boy's body (ruining possibly one of THE best ideas for a relationship since....everyone hates Garth)
* Phantom Girl and Ultraboy was the worst handled relationship ever. I even LIKED the reboot Ultraboy more than the original.
* Cosmic Boy was a jerk to Superboy, one of my favorite characters.
* They started the characters at 15 years old and frankly that is VERY creepy.
* Princess Snake.
* The Garth-Element Lad situation and everything that lead up to it.
* The Psycho-Goth cheesecake depiction of Shady
* Randomly changing names.
* The smack in the face to years of continuity with the time travel episode where they met Superboy.
* Trying to pass Mon'el off as Superboy...AGAIN. It never worked.
The list goes on and on. I dropped the title during the Great Darkness Rip Off when they had Superboy accidentally kill a dozen people.
I loved the White Triangle but in terms of characterization, it just failed for me.
Posted by Tromium on :
I enjoyed the early reboot through the conclusion of the Chu sting in issue #80. What came next was just abominable writing and cartoon caricature, but I think the editor KC Carlson must also share blame with Peyer & Stern. Imo, they all abandoned their mission after the first mega-arc was finished.
DnA instilled it with danger and excitment, and transformed it into real sci-fi/adventure. I hated some of their characterizations (Saturn Girl, Phantom Girl), and rue some of the choices they made (Element Lad), but it was great rollercoaster ride overall, imo. In retrospect, they probably should have left when Coipel did - which was their original intention - but they still get a thumbs up for giving me a reason to read the Legion again.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
quote:Originally posted by MLLASH: Next review coming soon, the White Triangle tale and the first few Waid-less issues!
But I wanted to take a moment to note how much fun I am having re-reading the letters pages in these issues.
Lots of repeat letterhacks like Jim Kelly and especially David Taylor-- who really tickled me by asking for the return of Calorie Queen (as well as Gas Girl and a few others). Unfortunately, he showed no love for other fine characters like Lester Spiffany, Calamity King and Infectious Lass and did not include them in his suggestions, so his requests were flatly denied.
Hopefully he has since learned his lesson.
David Taylor didn't even ask for the inclusion of Cobalt Kid? Bah!! I expect better from Legion fans!
[ March 09, 2006, 06:21 AM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
Jeepers! How could this David Taylor guy have failed to ask for Calamity King? I seriously doubt his credentials as a Legion fan!
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
David Taylor once laughed at me after I had fallen into a well and needed to be rescued! Then he threw acid into the well!
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
quote:Originally posted by MLLASH: Next review coming soon, the White Triangle tale and the first few Waid-less issues!
But I wanted to take a moment to note how much fun I am having re-reading the letters pages in these issues.
Lots of repeat letterhacks like Jim Kelly...
Back up a sec! In addition to this David Taylor person (probably not even a real person), the former quarterback for the Buffalo Bills also wrote a letter to the Legion editors? Cool!
Posted by MLLASH on :
We very well may have to do a Thomas Fatsi-style stalking of this Taylor weirdo, but for now, another review....
LSH # 67:
And Tangleweb becomes the first repeatvillain of the reboot; I felt he was creepy enough for it. The scene with Gim mocking Imra was cute. Lots of nice character moments all around, really, as Cos has to pick a select crew of Legionnaires to tackle Tangleweb, alienating some of them in the process.
L* # 24:
The excellent "spotlight on Triad" issue. Granny Murlu was the character find of 1995, and I loved discovering how Lu came into Brande's employ. "Mr. Brande didn't laugh, he TRIPLED my pay." This issue was a bit of a spotlight on our estemmed Mr. Brande as well. Good stuff.
LSH # 68:
Andromeda finally starts to become a little more likeable; another nice Cos/Gim bit at the end.
L* # 25:
The Composite Man! Eh, he was alright, but what I liked most was the slickers-- of space (see page 16)! Plus a groovy scene involving Tenzil and a cactus.
LSH # 69:
It's put up or shut up time for Saturn Girl; it just seemed she was pretty weak to be considered powerful by Titanian standards. This is possibly the first time we have ever seen a Legionnaire drool (but NOT the last)! In general, I didn't care for this development.
LSH ANNUAL # 6
Shvaughn becomes LSH liason as she was destined to be; the Tornado Twins! Origins for XS, Leviathan and Kinetix-- who also LOSES her power for some never-explained reason.
L* # 26:
YAY, more Workforce! The Jo/Tinya romance begins to ignite, and a quite interesting scene where the President refuses to oust a now-powerless Kinetix from the team (for fear of offending Aleph) exposes the fallacy of the Legion Draft.
LSH # 70:
A powerful read still, as the 2 most arrogant, self-superior Legionnaires have it out; of course, Brainy gets the best of Laurel, as he is saving her life, and reader-hope for the return of the TMK-Laurel is advanced. But then sneaky Vi finds Laurel's white triangle medallion....
L* # 27:
Cos impresses me by facing down Laurel; Laurel unwittingly sets into motion events that will cost millions of lives; more of brain-damaged Imra (I prefer her as hussy man-thief) and... ROXXAS. Can a certain blonde Trommite be far behind?
LSH # 71:
Now THIS. THIS is how you destroy a planet. Compare this with the blah destruction of Orando in the 3boot. It's like comparing a Lexus convertible to a tricycle with 2 flat tires. The murderous Daxamites are genuinely scary, and the destruction of Trom is a tear-jerkingly powerful image still. Plus some good face time for Zoe and some Legionnaires begin to form a squad that would be good at espionage and stuff. Plus: a certain blonde Trommite!
LSH # 28:
The Espionage Squad in action! David Taylor's suspicion that Tinya and her mother are very similar people (from an earlier lettercolumn) is confirmed on page 11! Hopefully he got a $5 idea check. And-- Daxamites attack earth!
L* ANNUAL # 2:
WHEW! All-Out-Action Issue doesn't begin to do it justice. Mistake: killing Tinya, which was absolutely unnecessary and allowed crappiness to later take over her character. Done well: Andromeda's survival and subsequent self-jailing. At last you get the feeling that the Laurel you liked back in TMK is finally back, only in jail off-panel and stuff for the foreseeable future. More Workfrce! And the idiotic brain-damaged Imra nonsense is done away with!
So, so far-- still good.
But coming up: The Legion goes Waidless! How will it hold up?
Posted by Mystery Lad on :
These are fun memories to revisit, Lash!
I was and am very disappointed that Jan became a nonentity in his own origin. But at least another character didn't swipe it, like in the fourboot!
It's telling to compare RJ's treatment of Luornu (and even Brainy) with that of Jan. All three given to his care, one never received it. Even worse, it's the one whose *parents*, as opposed to his *world*, placed him in Brande's hands.
I sort of disagree about the Tinya-thing. I thought her death was moving and well-written. I basically wished she'd stayed a phantom that haunted the Legion, instead of having that awful half-Carggite origin tacked on. Maybe she could've had a supernatural adventure in which she gained the ability to sometimes manifest a physical body for short periods of time.
Zoe was never the same after that annual. She had such a strong debut, too.
I enjoyed those years of the reboot-- I found something to like right up to the god-awful SUMMER WORLD story. Admitedly, sometimes that something took some searching.
This, despite the fact that I didn't *want* to like the reboot at all- I much preferred the idea of the ongoing LSH alongside the proposed retelling of the ADVENTURE years with 'modern' storytelling we were promished at one time.
Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane!
Posted by legionadventureman on :
quote:Originally posted by Mystery Lad: These are fun memories to revisit, Lash!
Zoe was never the same after that annual. She had such a strong debut, too.
I enjoyed those years of the reboot-- I found something to like right up to the god-awful SUMMER WORLD story. Admitedly, sometimes that something took some searching.
Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane!
To add my two pennies-worth:
The Zoe-Emerald Eye subplot might have been good if Violet had not been possessed, but Kinetix had. Zoe's later cat-being persona and "personality breakdown" via the Space Anomaly were minuses on a major level. When she bounced back afterwards, it was the beginning of her downhill slump - regrettably
The Summer World story WAS tame compared to earlier Stern stories, but at least he managed to fit in all of the current membership before he bid farewell to the 30th century for good. My gripe is that we never fully got to see Thunder in a Moy-Carani setting (apart from an image on the Mission Monitor Board).
Posted by rouge on :
Yeah the death of Apparition was the first major blunder. If they had left her dead it wouldn't have been a popular decision, but everything about her return and characterisation after that was in the toliet. It killed both characters (and eventually Brin when he appeared). It was like there was no good reason for Jo and Tinya to be together other than they *had* to be.
I did enjoy the reboot immensely at this point though. The first version of the Workforce was great, being rivals rather than necessarily villains. I think they let that concept go to quickly. I liked the new Andromeda (although ironically I hated the "cut from the same cloth" Umbra) and was interested to see her return after the annual, too bad it was as a nun and then as a ... a.... whatever she was after the anomally. I was anxious for Man-El to get back, but still wasn't a "Legend of Valor" fan. Really enjoyed this part of the reboot.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
I've always thought it would have been far more interesting if they'd given one of the Legion titles to the Workforce, and let them continue to exist as a rival orgraniation for much longer. Part of the appeal for me in those days was the feeling that things could be completely different in this version of the team. Characters who were Legionnaires before wouldn't end up as members of the team this time, while other supporting players from the past might very well join. There was some exiting about the whole thing.
Then all the Workforce members who were "supposed" to be Legionnaires switch teams, and it all got kind of blah. I thought they should either give us something far more different than the original team or just give us the original Legion back.
Posted by Reboot on :
quote:Originally posted by MLLASH: LSH ANNUAL # 6
Shvaughn becomes LSH liason as she was destined to be; the Tornado Twins! Origins for XS, Leviathan and Kinetix-- who also LOSES her power for some never-explained reason.
The Star she was looking for backfired on her and drained her power instead of giving her more.
Legionnaires #42 later says Mysa set her up for that to happen
Posted by MLLASH on :
Thanks, but I haven't re-read that far yet.
Posted by brigort on :
I've got to agree with most of you. It started ok and then lost it with the 20/30 split. I thought it would never end. It was the first time I had ever actually thought about dropping the books. Something I thought would never happen. What also burned me was that I found Stern's run so disappointing. One of my all time favorite writers on the Legion and I didn't like it.
Posted by Kent Shakespeare on :
actually, I found it the best of Stern's writing, but still not the best of LSH runs.
Posted by brigort on :
I don't know exactly what I was expecting from Stern, but I remember thinking that things were going to really take off when he came on board. Maybe it was the writing by committee that seemed to be going on then - but I just didn't care for it.
Posted by MLLASH on :
Time Waids for no man... nor does The Legion, as Mark Waid makes his exit from the reboot.
LSH # 72:
An excellent cover (Alan Davis, don'tcha know)... mass funeral for Andromeda and Apparition; developments for Ultra Boy and Element Lad bring them thisclose to becoming Legionnaires; the first hints that Jan's appreciation of death make him a bit of a weirdo; Winema Wazzo has issues with the Legion re: her daughter's death; it is implied that Laurel's "death" has GREATLY impacted Brainy; a possible Coz/Imra liason is hinted at; Chu gets bitchy with Coz and Coz in turn gets bitchy with the team; REGULUS! Can Dirk Morgna (FINALLY!) be far behind?
Plus! David Taylor in the lettercol, again requesting my gal Calorie Queen along with Kid Psycho!
L* # 29:
We witness an expanded origin for Dirk Morgna, involving the Legionnaires. Brainy drinks beer; Element Lad transorms dead Trommites to tsarin crystals; a pretty good issue which by the end sees the "birth" of what is SURE to be... Sun Boy! Yay!
LSH # 73:
Shift of focus to Live Wire as he searches for his brother Mekt; he is, in fact, mistaken for the criminal Mekt and arrested; developments with Dirk Morgna are revealed via off-handed conversation that takes place back at HQ, which I feel was a let-down to all fans of Dirk; Whooops! There's Valor, or at least his ghost! Mekt frees Garth from jail, they proceed to Korbal and Mekt reveals himself to be sh!t-all psycho.
Meanwhile, in the lettercol, David Taylor requests a WORKFORCE miniseries!
L* # 30:
More Mekt! More ghostly Valor! It's here that we begin weaving elements of the preboot Legion mythos into the postboot haphazardly, with Garth losing an arm NOT to the Super-Moby Dick of Space but to his brother Mekt. I actually didn't mind this; I felt it drove home just how frikkin' uts Mekt was, plus who really expected to see the Super-Moby anyway? Anyhoo, Ayla pops in and together, she and Garth overpower Mekt. Next: SUPERBOY & the LSH!
SUMMARY:
These first Waidless issues hold up very well, actually, but already one can spot disturbing trends developing, like LESS Legionnaires being featured per issue and preboot circumstances being brought into postboot play.
Coming up: SUPERBOY! And a li'l lass named LORI!
[ March 19, 2006, 12:05 PM: Message edited by: MLLASH ]
Posted by Nightcrawler on :
We really need to track down and and invite this David Taylor fellow to join LW. He'd fit right in.
Anyway, I think these four issues were the beginning of the end of my love affair with this version of the Legion as well. Too many bad changes and poorly executed re-treads of old storylines. And as you say the pretender Superboy and Lori are coming on the horizon.
Posted by MLLASH on :
Superboy plus the STING of defeat!
SUPERBOY # 21, LSH # 74, L* # 31:
I actually rather enjoyed this crossover; Superboy interacts amusingly well with the Legion, particularly Brainy and Triad; Jo's still hanging around; we check in on Garth and Ayla back on Winath; the SCAVENGER? How'd he live so long? By the ghostly image of Valor! YAY!!! Brainy's FORCE-FIELD! I find it amusing that it took Superboy (the "gibbering primitive") to inspire Brainy to invent it; VALOR's back, HOORAY! But instead of being grateful and just chillin' for a bit, he gets all bitchy with Triad, BOO!
All in all, this 3-parter was very enjoyable. The next crossover event was considerably less so.
LSH # 75, L* 32:
First, LSH... UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED was an event I rather enjoyed in the DCU, but for the Legion, it unleashed some crappiness. XS, lost in the time-stream back in Superboy # 21, encounters Chronos and a charming little girl ("Wow! STUPID!") named Lori Morning. I didn't like this issue the first time I read it, nor did I like it upon re-reading, despite a high usage of the word "stupid". Possibly my least-favorite issue in all of Legion history. Definitely in the top 5.
Fortunately, the lettercol was enjoyable, as David Taylor shows that he is a true fan of the Legion as he calls for the revival of Star Boy, Calorie Queen, Gates, Nemesis Kid, Gas Girl and Projectra!
Now, L*... the second part of the crossover was a bit better, mainly because the team was focused on rather than just XS; Zoe appears to be rescued from certain death; Lori ends up in an adult body and shows that she isn't ALL selfish brat, as she is willing to sacrifice herself to stop Chronos; Brainy: Arrested!
LSH # 76:
I-- is that-- CHUCK TAINE? OhmiGAWD, it IS!!! HOOOORAY! And-- poppin' planets, it's that GATES guy from a few issues back, and LOOK! He's still hilariously bitchy, calling Chuck and Marla fat ("GODS! Can you POSSIBLY weigh any MORE?")! And, ooooh-- Star Boy (whom Lee Moder never could draw well; fortunatley Moy did).
Jillikers--could that be-- Spacefinger? Tenzil macks on Ayla; Valor leaves; Zoe meets an old Hag; in an excellent scene, Chuck Taine reveals how he came to be where he is and gives all the Legionnaires present something to think about.
L* # 33:
What is apparently the postboot Starfinger attacks the Time Institute; Gim Allon continues his stint as Legionnaire whip-cracker (a role I thought fit him well and gave him some much-needed personality), turning his attentions to Star Boy; Ayla gets a gift; Lori goes exploring ("OOO... Saturn Girl's SOOO STUPID!"); Zoe sees the Emerald Eye of Ekron for the first time; "Starfinger" downs the entire Legion except for Violet!
LSH # 77:
SO much better than the XS-focus issue earlier, this Brainy-focus issue is one of my favorites. An excellent read from start to finish with some disturbing insights into Brainy's mind. Nara Minsork was an EXCELLENT character. Props to Peyer & McGraw.
L* # 34:
First of all, loved the "Legion does sign language" on page 1's roll call; And in another instance of "borrowing from the preboot, "Starfinger" is revealed to be-- Jan Arrah? Zoe turns into a tattooed kitten-thing; probes into Jan's mind reveal that the person who took control of his mind was-- Winema Wazzo? And... is that a Sun-Eater on that viewscreen? Apparently so, and that means... FATAL 5! Hmmm... "genetically-enhanced living weapons" to use against the Sun-Eater? Just how is a thrillkilling madwoman (the Empress) going to stop a Sun-Eater?
LSH # 78:
Chu turns the Sun-Eater scare into a mass "join the United Planets" rally-cry; Other than that, I didn't much care for how this issue was lifted almost directly from the ADVENTURE-era debut of the FF.
L* # 35:
Rogern Stern joins the writing team, and IMO makes a stellar debut, shifting focus on the non-Legionnaire cast: Rond, Chuck, Tenzil, Shvaughn, Marla, the Athramites, and, yes, even Lori.
A great issue overall, despite the repurcussions that acid spit might have for well-known-kissyfacer Tenzil. At this point, Lori hasn't become unbearable.
LSH # 79:
A big honkin' issue-length fight! Pretty good for that sort of thing, actually.
L* # 38:
Just as things look their darkest, we get a real ADVENTURE 350-35-type "EVERYONE COMES BACK" thingie with the Legion Rescue Squad! Valor, Andromeda, Garth, Jo, XS and Jan (that *IS* a powerful bunch, isn't it?) bust in to save the Legion's hash, and even Kinetix shows back up; Winema Wazzo goes space-bananas!
LSH # 80:
The whole Fatal 5/Sun-eater/bitchy Chu thing comes to conclusion, and by the last page, we FINALLY have a team of a more Legion-ish number-- 18. But will THAT last? Plus: Cham *CAN* speak interlac!
COMING UP: THE WINDS OF CHANGE (WHO FARTED?)
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Up until this point, the reboot was excellent. Sadly, the next few issues saw the gradual shift to crapiness. But that was an excellent storyline.
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
Jeepers, Lash! How could you discuss the Scavenger storyline with no mention of Ulthro?
I remember being really annoyed at the time that the pacing seemed to be really bad on the Zoe subplot. It seemed like they left her stranded in space for months before the finally showed what happened to her.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
So how many letters did this David Tayler guy have printed? Willikers!
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
Bah! I doubt there really is such a person! No doubt Carlson or McAvennie or whoever just wrote those to himself!
Posted by MLLASH on :
To be honest, I actually enjoyed the slow pace of the powerless-Zoe upon a re-read; it was actually paced perfectly, IMO... though it might not have seen so when reading on a monthly basis.
Posted by Invisible Brainiac on :
These issues WERE great, and I'm glad I got to read my aunt's copies - she had a complete collection up to the point Waid left.
I'm still trying to complete my own collection, though; I haven't even read the entire Fatal Five storyline yet Posted by Blacula on :
IMO there was not a single bad issue of the Legion up this point in the reboot. I loved each and every one of them!
That cliff-drop in quality is just around the corner though...
Posted by Invisible Brainiac on :
Sigh, so true. The nice little character moments that had made the reboot great just seemed to dwindle after that. It's too bad, because I think some of the issues after this point were still good.
Legionnaires 41 in particular I'll remember for Jenni's desperately trying to travel through time (and Thom having to calm her down). The battle with Mordru was also pretty exciting; but it was the lack of consistency that ultimately did the 'boot in.
Posted by Kinetix (Zoe Saugin) on :
quote:Originally posted by Reboot:
quote:Originally posted by MLLASH: LSH ANNUAL # 6
Shvaughn becomes LSH liason as she was destined to be; the Tornado Twins! Origins for XS, Leviathan and Kinetix-- who also LOSES her power for some never-explained reason.
The Star she was looking for backfired on her and drained her power instead of giving her more.
Legionnaires #42 later says Mysa set her up for that to happen
They sure took their time having me appear again! I was absent up until... issue 72, was it? And I missed the whole White Triangle climax!
Posted by Invisible Brainiac on :
quote:Originally posted by MLLASH: To be honest, I actually enjoyed the slow pace of the powerless-Zoe upon a re-read; it was actually paced perfectly, IMO... though it might not have seen so when reading on a monthly basis.
Looking back, the pacing actually was just right - Zoe was only completely absent for about 4 months in "real time". For a big fan though, it was an unbearable wait!
I do like how the first two or so years of the Legion managed to wrap up the majority of plot threads introduced so far. That showed good planning, pacing and an attention to detail. LSH 80 and Legionnaires 37 managed to tie in so many little things together that I was almost fell off my chair!
And I did like the shiny, optimistic feel of the books around that time. Finally, a future to look forward to...
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
I think the pacing/plotting overall of the first year or so of the reboot was some of the best we've ever had on the Legion.
As I recall, the big problem with the Zoe storyline is that they left her with the cliffhanger of being stranded in her ship, and then it seemed like it took awhile before Mysa rescued her.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
For me, the problem with the Zoe storyline was she was only a Legionnaire for such a short period of time initially (her red costume era). She had such a fantastic debut--one of the best ever IMO (same with Gates in the same issue). And then in a few months she was suddenly gone...in the annual no less!
She remained a favorite of mine all the way until DnA terraformed her, which was one of the worst things they did.
Posted by Set on :
quote:Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: She remained a favorite of mine all the way until DnA terraformed her, which was one of the worst things they did.
Ha, 'terraformed her' makes me think that they made a planet out of her!
"How do you know she's a witch?" "Build a planet out of her!"
Posted by MLLASH on :
quote:Originally posted by MLLASH:
Fortunately, the lettercol was enjoyable, as David Taylor shows that he is a true fan of the Legion as he calls for the revival of Star Boy, Calorie Queen, Gates, Nemesis Kid, Gas Girl and Projectra!
COMING UP: THE WINDS OF CHANGE (WHO FARTED?)
*sigh* I suppose I'll never get around to writing the above-teased reviews or telling of more David Taylor lettercol antics. I blame Facebook.
Posted by Set on :
quote:Originally posted by MLLASH: *sigh* I suppose I'll never get around to writing the above-teased reviews or telling of more David Taylor lettercol antics. I blame Facebook.
I blame Facebook for how I'm never going to know how the showdown between the Excellents and the Shadow Excellents was going to go down, and what Tina Truths dark secret was!
Curse you, Facebook!
Posted by MLLASH on :
Hmm. I actually had that ending all worked out in my head... I promise to revisit that soon, and do my best to finish it.
(After all I did manage to finish Girl Zombie, Starsearchers and Trash Lass!)
Posted by Invisible Brainiac on :
quote:Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: She remained a favorite of mine all the way until DnA terraformed her, which was one of the worst things they did.
I hated that all the heroic things terrorform Zoe did (boring a hole through the Robotican "firewall" surrounding Earth, healing M'Onel), didn't really sink in because I refused to accept her as "my" Kinetix.
On the other hand, I'm pretty sad that pre-terrorform Zoe never really had a strong "wow" moment besides her origin story. She did give up her powerlust later on, but it didn't have that big an impact.
quote:Originally posted by Set: Ha, 'terraformed her' makes me think that they made a planet out of her!
Maybe she could have been the 31st century Mogo. It would have been marginally better than nippleless giraffe Zoe.
Posted by Set on :
quote:Originally posted by Invisible Brainiac: Maybe she could have been the 31st century Mogo. It would have been marginally better than nippleless giraffe Zoe.
I think she would have had better 'traction' as a character if she hadn't undergone so many changes.
If I was going to turn any of the Legionnaires into a planet, it would be Blok, with the 'revelation' that he's a world-seed, the last elemental remnants of his destroyed homeworld, like Terra/the Swamp Thing/etc. all combined. Ten million years from now, his mass and density will just keep increasing and increasing, and he'll get larger and larger, until he develops his own gravitational field and falls asleep, drawing in matter from all around him and becomes the heart of a new reborn Dryad.
As for the Reboot, I really have to go out and find some of those issues. I was out of comics at the time and knew nothing about it, really, until it was near the tail end of its existence (the 'Fatal 500' arc, for instance, which was the end, IIRC).
Posted by Invisible Brainiac on :
The early years (as Lash recapped) are a safe bet. And alas, the Fatal 500 arc was the end. Only subsequent appearance so far has been Legion of 3 Worlds
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