posted
My only problem with unlimited Time Travel is you have to explain why they didn't use it to solve all their problems. Like why doesn't Superman fly to the future and check the history books to see how the JLA beats villain X, or the Legion for that matter. Or why when someone breaks out of Talkon (agh, forgot the prison's name) they don't go back in time to the prison break out and stop it?
I never thought about the 1000 year thing, that makes since (as much as anything would). I've never really cared too much to the year convention either, I liked how the Legion was always a 1000 years in the future, but I never thought about how they would have a story in 2966 and a story in 2976. I didn't see it as ten years having passed in Legion time, I just took it as comicbook time, just like how Superman can have Christmas specials, just because he celebrates it 40 different times doesn't mean he's been around 40 years of his time.
As for the Iron Curtain of Time, I don't have that many issues that mention it. I have it's first appearance, but I don't think I have much else, so I've never given it much thought.
I certainly don't like the "no time travel" rule that seemed to exist in the Legion recently. But I think you have to have some B.S. reason for why they can't use it to solve all their problems.
All I ask is they be consistent, even if the rules don't really make sense.
Say here's a theory. What if the Legion is the real "present" and that's why they could never go beyond 31 days into the future, because the future doesn't "exist" beyond that point. But that's why they never interfered with the past (that I can remember) because that was "set" in stone to them because that is the actual past. They could mostly just observe.
Of course that still doesn't explain why Brainy couldn't go visit Supergirl whenever he wanted, but that's for another time.
Also, you have the time beacon, maybe the time beacon affected time so you could never visit before your last visit. Meaning Supergirl could go 1000 years into the future, Superboy 1012, and Superman would be even further (how many times did he VISIT the younger Legion, or were they always adult) because if Superboy showed up on Dec 12 2078 than Superman could not show up Dec 11, 2078, he has to show up AFTERWARDS. And since his time as Superboy is his past than he would know the earliest he could visit the Legion again. Or maybe I'm over complicating that bit. But basically you can't cross yourself in the time stream and the beacon provides that buffer. Extrapolate that to the Legion for some reason and Brainy can't visit Supergirl except for the Supergirl who last visited the legion. So if she goes back into time the day she is supposed to die, Brainy would only have that small window to see her.
I dunno, just thinking "out loud"
Still, I like Time Travel, just have to be careful about it.
But the idea that you return to the age that you left, that doesn't make sense to me (but I have a very linear idea of time). If time traveling doesn't affect you physically going forward or backward, than why would return to your point of departure all of a sudden change the physical changes you underwent in the future or past.
Argh, time travel makes Bizzaro's head hurt!
-------------------- Long Live the Legion!
Registered: Mar 2007
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quote:Originally posted by stephbarton: [QB] My only problem with unlimited Time Travel is you have to explain why they didn't use it to solve all their problems. Like why doesn't Superman fly to the future and check the history books to see how the JLA beats villain X, or the Legion for that matter.
The answer to that one is simple...for the same reason they gave Superman a hypnotic command to forget specific details he learned in the future..so that he wouldn't be tempted to change the past.
I mean it's kind of hyprocritical for them to do that to Superman and not also do it to themselves...
So they simply had hypnotic commands to forget all details they learned in the future so they wouldn't be tempted to use that information to change the past...which in this case would be their present.
I mean if they did it to Superboy why wouldn't they also do it to themselves? If it was truly necessary?
quote:
I certainly don't like the "no time travel" rule that seemed to exist in the Legion recently. But I think you have to have some B.S. reason for why they can't use it to solve all their problems.
Time Travel is a staple entirely unique to science fiction...and seeing as how time is one of the last mysterious and largely unknown realms to us...makes sense it would be something covered in a futuristic superhero title to me.
To me, it makes no sense to have a series set in the futue if you are going to be afraid of entire topics of the Sci-Fi genre.
And that's a big part of my problem with post crisis Legions...they were literally afraid of the topic and it being "confusing".
I mean why bother setting the series a thousans years in the future? Why not set it in 1860...
Ach...I hated the low tech Legions.
I never read the Legion because it was limited...it was always because it had fewer limits than any other team...all those PC era limits did was just that...they limited the book, and made it even less unique.
But in answer to your question...they made Superboy forget all details he learned in the future...why wouldn't they do the same to themselves?
And I would definitely say that handling it that way would be considered consistent.
Registered: Mar 2006
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posted
I liked it. Bedard got the essence of Vril Dox, the disdain, the self-interest, but essentially one of the good guys. One of the future solicits described him as the universe's most benevolent jerk, which I didn't think fit the original Vril Dox - and this one seems neither benevolent nor a jerk, just.... Dox. I'm looking forward to seeing the other R.E.B.E.L. members.
I guess this this a break with the original series, just as Lo3W interrupts previous Legion continuity - so no evil baby Dox? Also, Vril met postboot Brainiac 5 in Showcase '96 - so I suppose that's out of this backstory as well? Or he's going to have met all three versions of his descendant at some point....
Silver Age Lad
Part-time member living in another century
posted
With time travel being what it is, the young Legion could still yet appear in Supergirl's time and invite her to join. I know she's met the threeboot but so what? the original 50s - 80s Legion adventures with Supergirl could still be this version of Kara.
The real time travel anomaly is Mon-El. As someone said earlier Superman having a statue of him as a Legionnaire is a bit of a giveaway and given that Kal El has met the freed and immune Mon -El why couldn't he help him earlier.
Equally why didn't Lar Gand on taking the lead serum in 2998 or whatever not just hop in a time bubble and return to 1998 and pick up his life. Or at least visit his family.
But my biggest problem with time travel is that it it always linked to spacial relocation. A time cube could project Violet to ancient Egypt, a time bubble could go back to Krypton etc. I guess spacial movement is necessary otherwise going back in time could leave you out in space if it was a different time of year or buried in the Earth if you got the rotation wrong. But given that time travel includes spacial travel, then when the Legion want to go to say Khundia then why not just set the time bubble for Khundia one second in the future and there we go. No (relatively) slow cruisers needed.
From: Ancient Kingdom of Northumbria, UK | Registered: Aug 2007
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quote:Originally posted by Superboy: However, in at least one Pre-Crisis Superman story the laws governing Time Travel were shown not to work quite that way...
-------------------- Tom Strong, on nostalgia: "I suppose it's a ready substitute for genuine feeling." - Tom Strong #6, Alan Moore
From: Calgary, Alberta | Registered: May 2008
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posted
I thought it was good, but I was a bit underwhelmed. Too "down to Earth" for me, so to speak. I'm hoping it'll be like the Adam Strange mini-series from a few years ago and get more operatic and more cosmic as it goes along.
posted
I liked it. I'm definitely interested to see what happens. I don't have much of a connection to the dot Legion characters, so it's kinda like starting from scratch for me, with a Brainiac 5 app!
quote:Originally posted by Silver Age Lad: But given that time travel includes spacial travel, then when the Legion want to go to say Khundia then why not just set the time bubble for Khundia one second in the future and there we go. No (relatively) slow cruisers needed.
That's an interesting idea.
All of the variables involved in time travel boggle my mind, if I try to work them out for our universe, so I don't I just go along with the author's assumptions or explainations and suspend my disbelief. sigh
-------------------- 'In the twinkling of an eye' I'll be dancing in the sky!
Come, join me!
From: Salem, Oregon USA | Registered: Aug 2003
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