Here is the synopsis and preview images for this coming Saturday's episode, "Chained Lightning".
Learn the backstory of Lightning Lad and meet his electrifying family in an all-new episode of "Legion of Super Heroes" this Saturday. In the episode, entitled "Chained Lightning," Lightning Lad discovers that his sister, Ayla, long thought to be lost in the same Lightning Beast attack that gave him and his brother, Mekt, their powers, is really alive. However, Ayla is now in the form of pure electromagnetic energy. Lightning Lad must find a way to save Alya before Imperiex can harness this energy for his own diabolical use. Lightning Lad is voiced by Andy Milder ("Weeds"), while James Arnold Taylor ("The Boondocks," "Star Wars: Clone Wars") and Kari Wahlgren ("Ben 10") voice Mekt and Ayla, respectively. Directed by Brandon Vietti and written by Matt Wayne, "Chained Lightning" airs Saturday, October 13 at 11:00 a.m. ET/PT as part of the Kids' WB! Lineup on The CW Network.
SPOILER ALERT: Due to some surprise elements within the episode, additional images will be distributed on Monday morning.
Lightning Lad sustains traumatic injuries in battle and Brainiac 5 must help him through with surgery -- utilizing the unique assistance of Shrinking Violet.
Moments before their lives changed forever, Lightning Lad (left) fears the worst alongside his sister Ayla and brother Mekt.
Imperiex issues an ultimatum to Lightning Lad's brother, Mekt.
Bouncing Boy and Brainiac 5 work in tandem at the controls.
[ October 11, 2007, 01:48 PM: Message edited by: Lightning Lad ]
Posted by Dain on :
Nice photos! I can't wait to see Salu in a speaking (hopefully) part. Ayla is "pure electromagnetic energy"? ERGayla? I hope not! Posted by Mystery Lad on :
Anyone else think Vi'll be making a 'fantastic voyage'-- complete with extreme close-up of her entry through Garth's nostril?
Posted by Lurker Lass on :
Oh man, I love B5's Brainiac-symbol visors in the first image there. Also, him + lad assistant Vi = threeboot cuteness. Although personally I can't see any reason why she'd have to go inside Lightning Lad - I am seeing more of a nano-technology expert role for her? (And she did have a speaking role last season, I think. Like, two lines before shrinking away in the season finale.)
Also: ERG-Ayla? O_o Well, that's something we haven't seen before - and a convenient excuse for her to be away! Unless it's like the totally awesome living pink lightning form...?
Now I'll be rolling around on the floor, gurgling Mekt's name until Saturday morning, kthnxbai.
Posted by Dain on :
She had a speaking part? I don't remember this. I have to watch the finale again.
A living pink lightning form would be really nice. And different. And exotic. And nice.
I just know I'll love this episode!
Posted by lil'rhino on :
I love the image of the Ranzz siblings on Korbal!I wish I could buy the original cell & give it to Scott as a present.
Posted by Tromium on :
Awww, Ayla has a stuffed monkey. Sooo cute.
Interesting twist on the "death" angle. I just hope she doesn't wind up in Element Lad's body.
"Surprise elements", indeed. Posted by Serenity Doxien on :
I can't wait to see this new episode on saturday. it looks like an awsome episode. Brainy's my favorite character.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
The press release above had the wrong date (it listed last Saturday, 10/6) so the press office sent out an apology with the corrected date and a new image.
Posted by Sir Tim Drake on :
WOO-HOO! AYLA!
Posted by Tromium on :
Writer Matt Wayne talks about "Chained Lightning" at Comics Continuum.
"Chained Lightning," this Saturday's new episode of Legion of Super Heroes on Kids' WB!, figures to be one of the more character-driven episodes of Season 2.
The episode was written by Matt Wayne, who also wrote two of Season 1's episodes.
"We've got an all-new take on the Ranzz siblings in this episode, one that shakes up Lightning Lad and deepens his mythos," Wayne said. "Longtime fans will either cheer or call for our heads." ....
Kids' WB! has released a new image from "Chained Lightning," which will also include the most prominent appearance by Shrinking Violet (voiced by Kari Wahlgren) to date. "
hmmmm. This makes me kind of nervous.
Posted by What Was Wrong With the Reboot? Lad on :
if Garth loses his arm + Mekt is a butthead + Imra's in a coma + SuperXman is mean + we're probably going to call for their heads + "grim and gritty" season 2 PROBABLY = ANGST!
Posted by Dairaioh on :
I hope that the bionic arm isn't permanent. Lightning Lad don't deserve that. If WWWWtRL's formula is right then maybe he'll take up the name Livewire.
Posted by MLLASH on :
Damn, but goatee'ed garth is hot.
I'm up and anxiously awaiting 11:00!
Posted by Gaseous Lad on :
Best. Episode. Evah.
A lot of nice homages throughout, especially at the end (no spoilers here!).
Vi is cute, but she sounds like she smokes a couple packs a day. The snort is cute, too, but it got old after about the third time. Posted by Tromium on :
Soooo sweet. I almost cried at the end.
Ayla's alive, Garth is happy with his cyber-arm and Mekt is a hero. A wonderful, uplifting episode.
Posted by Mystery Lad on :
The animated Vi is certainly informed by Atom Girl, isn't she? She's got the- er- enthusiasm of AG, and her proving herself to Brainy touches on AG's relationship with Vriliac 5.
I liked the micro-surgrery bit. It was a nice reminder of an old ADVENTURE tale, (and the GREAT DARKNESS), though I missed the extreme close-up of a nostril and an exit through a tragic-memory induced teardrop. Ah, well- it was still well-done. I actually would like to see a more elaborate trip through a living body for Vi.
As for the snort- it was cute, but should now be limited to one use per episode in future Vi appearances.
I wonder if Ayla will develop the power to turn into a sentient storm-cloud? That'd be kind of cool.
Who thinks Mekt's resolve will last?
Posted by MLLASH on :
Violet fans will be VERY happy...
Lightning Lass fans will be VERY disappointed.
Brainy needs a jerk-ectomy. I'm glad he came to realize that girls aren't useless.
Sooner or later all the 'toon fan-brats will realize this too, maybe then we can have an increased femme presence!
Despite hating the crafty way they've prevented Ayla from becoming a member of the team, this was a good episode.
Now, does anyone want to start an "All-Ayla's stuffed monkey" thread before I do?
Posted by Malvolio on :
I enjoyed the episode. I do wish the original Superman had been in this one instead of the clone, but I liked most everything else.
I had a feeling that Ayla wouldn't have aged, but I also have a feeling that she might develop powers at some point. Whether they're lightning powers or gravity-nulling powers, I'm not sure.
Posted by Mystery Lad on :
Maybe there'll be a story where Ayla ages a few years (artificially?), then has to masquerade as Garth- or even Mekt and is introduced to and inducted as member by the LSH.
The drag prince intro highlight of Ayla was a key ADVENTURE moment. I think it'd be a fun animated scene, too.
Posted by Yellow Kid on :
Yep. Violet fans ought to be really happy about this one. Major screen time, several lines and even the opportunity to save Brainy's hide. Nice.
"For the record, I can do more than shrink." and "Someone ask for a little help?"
Violet with an attitude and little Ayla, Legion On the Run anybody?
The Ranzz siblings scenes were excellent, the classic Legion origin without extra frills...other than Ayla disappearing that is.
I'm not sure Garth should get a robot arm unless there's a Space Whale involved. Still, the scene reminded me of the Garth/Mekt battle in the reboot so it's "classic legion lore" too. I can live with it.
Posted by Quislet, Esq. on :
I did like this episode. I loved the Violet personality - sure of herself and her abilities, fun-loving, & smart. I loved her tossling Ayla's hair at the end.
I attributed Brainy's jerkiness to not having his dream boy, Superman, around. He definitely should have known about Violet's effectiveness from her bit with the Emerald Eye.
Garth has the robotic arm - cool!!! The robotic arm is also a mega powerful gun - not cool. What lightning blasts weren't enough????
And what is with Superclone being all not needing to immediately attack Imperiex? I know his wanting to attack immediately would get tiring after a while, but still there should be some show of an evolving sense that immediate attacks aren't always the best course.
Posted by DrakeB3004 on :
Great ep! Interesting that Brainy says Garth's arm was badly injured, rather than shot off. (it's almost creepier that way, thinking about what's left of it) I was worried about Ayla becoming a female Wildfire, but things worked out nicely.
Great moment with Vi and Ayla - I agree that Vi's snort was overused, but she still came off great. She had an attitude, but only in response to Brainy's dismissiveness and I like the acknowledgement that being small didn't make her qualified to assist with the surgery, the fact that she studied makes her qualified.
Posted by Blue Battler on :
I LOVED this episode.
Maybe it's just me, but I like some gray in my bad guys.
Also, I was sensing a definite Brainy/Vi chemistry. Hope we see more of that.
Posted by l.e.g.i.o.n.JOHN on :
i don't know,..i'm smelling a toy tie in with "Cyber-arm" Lightining Lad
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
Definitely a solid episode. Still bored with Imperiax, but he wasn't really important to the episode.
The snort was definitely overused, but I absolutely it when "weaker" members such as Vi prove themselves useful! And I loved Vi's chemistry with Brainy!
I like the idea of Garth's arm actually having extra functions, but I wish they'd done more with it than it just being a gun. I always thought he should've kept the Starfinger powers during the Adventure run.
I'm not completely sure that Ayla is totally out as a potential future member. All she needs is to meet toonverse Glorith, and...
Posted by Set on :
Random thoughts;
The writers jumped us foreward to semi-adult Legionnaires, and *then* introduced Ayla as a tot? Bad timing. If this had been one of the last episodes of last season, she could have been the bratty young teen, amongst the slightly more mature 'old guard.' Total missed opportunity. At least the energy state thing sets the stage for her having distinctive powers, perhaps a Black Vulcan-like ability to turn into living lightning and zip around zapping people. That would be visually cool, and set her apart from her brothers. Yanno, if she ever grows up and gets to join the team.
Mekt? Best. Costume. Ever. I liked his attitude as well.
Imperiax has yet to impress. Apparently he can poop out his destructo-bots, since he's got a small army of them already, and he's been in the 30th century (completely lacking in whatever technology he uses to make his destructo-bots, by a *thousand years or so*) for like a week.
Shrinking Violets' giggle-snorts yawed between dorky-cute, and really, really annoying. I do like that she's smart, confident and capable, anything but a 'shrinking violet.'
Garth's gun-arm? Why? I could get somebody like Violet, Dream Girl or the Invisible Hostage packing heat, but Lightning Lad already *is* heat. "Oh, and Brainiac Five, we got you a copy of 'Mechanical Engineering for Dummies' because we've completely forgotten what your power is..."
I'm kinda wondering if when Superclone vanishes back to SuperCloneVerse, the Legion Tooniverse is going to have a sort of soft reboot, with the team going back to being younger. The transition to making them young adults was kinda abrupt and served no narrative purpose that I saw, making me wonder if this is gonna be one of those 'Dallas/Alias' seasons where somebody wakes up at the end and swears off welsh rarebit.
Posted by Nightcrawler on :
I enjoyed the episode for the most part too.
But...I agree about the snorts. And I found it a bit odd that Brainy would have the attitude with Violet since they've been working together for several years now. Wouldn't the comments make more sense coming from Supes X? Which would given them a reason to use him and not the real Supes in the episode. Cause he was acting much more like the original than the Imperiax-Smash guy that he's supposed to be.
I'm also annoyed by Ayla's current situation...another needlessly sidelined Legionnaire to go along with Projectra, Ultra Boy, Mon-El, Crystal Kid, and probably more that I can't think of at the moment.
Posted by Caliente on :
Yeah, I'm still super bummed about Matter-Eater Lad and Saturn Girl. And I like normal Superman.
Posted by Quislet, Esq. on :
Me too Caliente.
SuperClone seems like the gun arm for Lightning Lad. Pointless and someone's idea of "oh this will make the character sooooooo much cooler!"
Posted by wamu2 on :
excellent stuff again. I didn't notice the snorts, or I should say they didn't annoy me.
unfair cheat by the writers. I wished Ayla had aged.
as for missing fan favorites, it's only season two. later in the year, or next season they will probably add new members to the mix to keep things fresh.
Posted by Gaseous Lad on :
Yeah, maybe have a "guest Legionnaire of the week" or something, just so we know that there are other Legionnaires aside from the opening sequence.
It's funny, when I first heard the (now infamous) snort, I thought it was a sneeze. I mean, I like how they gave her character a soundbite, as it kind of fits in with the way they are playing the Violet character (smart, sassy, a little geeky), I just thought it was overused.
Posted by superboymddjr on :
whoa whoa...don't go negative on Ayla being small -- maybe we will see Dream Girl spotlight to see if she can use her "Naltorian Science" to help Ayla grow up and gain the Light Lass power? who knows? Wait and see. <--- think positive.
Vi sweet but gotta stop "snorting" that's so unlike her! She has spunks but not snort like Cham! We do not need another Cham/Beast Boy personality.
can't wait to see Karate Kid and Dream Girl soon soon. I gotta be patient.
Mekt's costume - nice design but I still prefer Green/Red costume over this since it's a classic! Who else wears Red/Green costume in DC Universe??
Can't wait to see the next episode!
Posted by Sir Tim Drake on :
It was a heartwarming episode, but I agree, I'm not happy with the idea of Ayla being ten years younger than her twin brother. I hope something is done soon to correct this.
Oh, and am I the only one who has "The monkey rode on the rocketship" in my head?
Posted by Lurker Lass on :
No one wears red/green because they're Christmas colours! Although Beast Boy did sport that colour combo for the longest time. Agonizing. Mekt's armored booblights and hooded cape totally kick ass.
I hope Ayla will eventually be bumped up from her current status as Lightning Lad's supporting cast. I imagine in the way of "Look I have super-powers! Let me be in the Legion Garth!" "No, it's dangerous and I'm being brothery." "Now I'll have a wacky adventure and help save the world, thus proving myself!" "Horray Ayla!"
Loved Vi's spunk. In lieu of having a heroine with a seemingly useless power kick butt and prove her worth, I'm willing to forgive Brainy's out of character dismissal and her cute little snort.
Did anyone else get sympathy pain when Garth's arm got blasted? Brutal. Though I don't so much mind the upgraded cybernetic arm - I mean, why just get a prosthetic when you can get a prosthetic with LASERS.
Total woobie of an episode. On Mekt's redemption: I hope we'll continue to see him in future episodes, hopefully as an ally. (Falling into recidivism a la mental bugnuttery is, however, an acceptable subsitute. This ep seemed a bit too easy an atonement.) Is there a reason, I wonder, that Mekt wasn't portrayed as a crazy solo? Seems like it's been part of the core of his character for ages. This one's more driven by his failures/duties as a brother, without focusing on the twin issue. The simple explanation is probably 'it's a kid's show'... Still.
[ October 15, 2007, 12:23 AM: Message edited by: Lurker Lass ]
Posted by Teronna on :
quote:Originally posted by wamu2: as for missing fan favorites, it's only season two. later in the year, or next season they will probably add new members to the mix to keep things fresh.
If there is a next season What with 4kids taking over and all that.
Anyone else enjoy seeing Mekt without a shirt?
[ October 14, 2007, 01:32 AM: Message edited by: Teronna ]
Posted by Lurker Lass on :
quote:Originally posted by Teronna: Anyone else enjoy seeing Mekt without a shirt?
It is forever engrained into my happy place.
Posted by Dain on :
Great episode plot-wise and visually-wise. I liked the characterisation and loved seeing Mekt and Vi. I hope they'll have Ayla back as a Legionnaire. As for Vi's voice, I got used to it and I felt annoyed by the snorts and wanted to laugh at the same time. I hope we'll see more of the ladies, not just the"token female Legionnaire of the week".
I still feel moved by each episode. Can't believe that we have a Legion cartoon even now, more than a year after the show premiered...
This particular episode, though, was touching in many ways and I loved the combination of human interest, action and sci-fi, and the homages to the history of the Legion.
Oh, before I forget: SNORT!
[ October 14, 2007, 07:53 AM: Message edited by: Dain ]
Posted by imskian78 on :
Violet fan not happy here! So all this time for shy vi and we get a pig snorting, goth girl, tom-boy/lesbian violet. She even makes a "pass" at Alya recounting the very awful time period for the Legion..five years later story line. I wish for once we can have the shy, feminine violet of the 70's and 80's! Her new costume on the show is an improvment on the last but ditch the flower..a "shrinking Violet" is a person. trait not a species of flower. Oh well, I guess a little Vi is better than no Vi at all..
Posted by Dain on :
Actually, I noticed too that on the episode we see Ayla for the first time, Salu also has her first prominent appearance in the show. I wonder...
Posted by Yellow Kid on :
quote:Originally posted by Sir Tim Drake:
Oh, and am I the only one who has "The monkey rode on the rocketship" in my head?
The rocket ship the rocket ship The monkey rode in the rocketship and bumped his head on the moon!
lol loved it.
I couldn't get it out of my head all day!
and besides..that's the very first time ever that we've heard a Legionnaire sing!
Monkeys, terrifying clowns, weird gods, twins..I'm starting to think Winath is a very strange place.
Posted by Awesomegirl on :
Sorry I'm late, guys, I really wasn't feeling well yesterday.
I loved this episode. Not only did this episode tug at my heart strings, it ripped them out and used them to skip rope(but in a good way).
As for Lightning Lad's robot arm; Awesome? Yes. Unnecessary? Yeah, a little bit, but this show is trying to appeal to fans, so I think it's more like fan service than anything. And I disagree with the people that said that Lightning Lad's reaction to the arm was "unrealistic" because I personally would be excited to have a freakin' awesome robot arm, but that's just me.
I also thought Shrinking Violet was really cool(And yes, I did like the snort)and I hope Ayla makes another appearance someday, she was so cute! Also good to see Bouncing Boy and Brainiac 5 again.
On a fan girlish note: I can't believe we got two sweaty shirtless guys in one episode. I LOVE THIS SHOW!
Posted by doublechinner on :
This is an instant masterpiece of Legion lore, I think. We have Mekt versus Garth, almost always a good move, Garth loses his arm, Vi shows Brainy she's a smart, tough, kickass babe, and we have a fascinating new take on Ayla, who has always been the linchpin to peace in the Ranzz family, and especially the key to Mekt's soul. What an amazing piece of work. So much wonderful story and great, iconic innovative charcterization in barely 23 minutes. The often lazy, unimaginative crew working in today's comics should watch this episode and learn, learn, learn.
Posted by Evolution Has Failed on :
I agree with Lurker Lass about the potential for Ayla...of COURSE they can bring her back, she certainly seemed old enough to get herself into trouble if indeed she does have powers (she might already, we don't know) and thinks she can help...
From my perspective, I hadn't seen the start of this thread before watching the ep, and I was thrilled just that they included her...given that they could have stuck with just core members, I think we should be appreciative that they are throwing in so many characters, and they do now have at least one good potential storyline in the bank.
I don't want to detract from the great job the writers have been doing, but from a "creativity" perspective, they could have it SO easy with all the LSH stories they could bring in, and they are wisely making it easier on themselves by introducing characters who can represent future stories (Ayla, Jo Nah...oh, I SO hope they do an Element Lad spotlight with Roxxas...and Sun Boy/ Dr. Regulus...these guys could literally go three more seasonn in without having to spawn a single original plot!). That said, they should be lauded for doing a good job of NOT being lazy, and adding enough twists they those of us who've read the stories before still don't quite know what is going to happen.
Also, it is (to me) orders of magnitude more exciting to see a character introduced then to just suddenly be given all them...if they were already using the full cast from the get-go, there'd be nowhere to go...not that I'm not still desperaately wishing to see Element Lad featured...
My ONLY criticism of this ep., where I think they were a little too obviously concerned with maintaining focus on the "core" characters, was when we first heard the Ayla-cloud singing...you'd THINK they'd immediately focus in on the shocked expression of Garth, but instead, we get SupermanX, and only a reaction from Garth after-the fact...but everything else was perfecto (the only issue with the snort, I think, was that they used it twice in a row at one point...)
In closing, though, I am SO thrilled (being on the winning side ) that it has finally happened - those who have been around LSH message boards awhile know about this - the eternal "name pronunciation" debate, perhaps most controversial for "Ayla", is now offically closed: it is "AAy-la" (short Fonzie on the first syllable), not "Eye-la".!
Posted by Dain on :
quote:Originally posted by Evolution Has Failed: ...given that they could have stuck with just core members, I think we should be appreciative that they are throwing in so many characters, and they do now have at least one good potential storyline in the bank.
.........
Also, it is (to me) orders of magnitude more exciting to see a character introduced then to just suddenly be given all them...if they were already using the full cast from the get-go, there'd be nowhere to go...not that I'm not still desperaately wishing to see Element Lad featured...
............
In closing, though, I am SO thrilled (being on the winning side ) that it has finally happened - those who have been around LSH message boards awhile know about this - the eternal "name pronunciation" debate, perhaps most controversial for "Ayla", is now offically closed: it is "AAy-la" (short Fonzie on the first syllable), not "Eye-la".!
I appreciate that we've already seen many characters even in non-speaking roles and you made a very good point about not seeing all of the legionnaires at once. It would have been overwhelming for new viewers and in a 22 minute episode you can't have too many characters. If they ever make a Legion cartoon movie, it'd be a different matter (and I hope they will!) So it's Aay-la, not Eye-la. Oh well, at least we know the "formal" pronunciation now. Posted by MLLASH on :
As a life-long "EYE-la" pronouncer, color me devestated!
Oh well, too late to change now... I'll blame it on my accent.
Posted by Sketch Lad on :
I haven't read all the posts yet, my internet connection has been troubled until today.
I'm one of the Ranzz Fanzz, so I was more than pleased with this episode. Loved the monkey song! It's great that Mekt isn't all bad! Garth's arm is cool now! To quote him, "SWEET!" I kept thinking about how Ayla was child in LotR, so this echos that. I'm good with it, but I hope the speed up her growth and make her Lightning Lass the Legionnaire sometime soon. I hope they DO NOT make her the annoying lil sister in the group, ala Lori Morning!!!!
Loved spunky lil raspy voiced Vi!!! I love how she held her own with Brainy and how she had lots of action, and ...a personal thing here.. good facial close-ups. Hee! ... she snorts!
I do see Lash's post right above mine as I compose this. I'm an "A" Luh pronouncer, so it worked for me. I've seen this debate on the internet as long as I've had a computer. I know it doesn't have to be the definitive pronunciation, but it's major.
So, now I'll read the three previous pages of posts.
Posted by The Man From Cargg on :
So Ayla has spent 10 years as a cloud thing-ey... like her old costume insignia... I suspect we have a Light Lass in waiting.
Lash... I've always pronounced it Aay-la even though my Grandmother's name was Eye-la. Go figure.
[ October 14, 2007, 08:32 PM: Message edited by: The Man From Cargg ]
Posted by Rockhopper Lad on :
I've always said "ay-la" and not "eye-la", but I felt similarly jolted by their home planet being "winneth" and not "wye-nath". Oh well! Perhaps the original settlers of Winath were Welsh! Posted by Dain on :
I've always pronounced her name as Eye-la because that's how it'd be pronounced in Greek or Latin.
By the way, did anyone get the feeling that Imperiex and Mekt had a "Star Wars"-y feel between them? Mekt's hood helped. He reminded me of Anakin Skywalker after he turned to the "Dark Side of the Force" and Imperiex was like a combination Darth Vader/Emperor Palpatine. The "cannon" had SW allusions too. I suppose it's a good thing that Mekt returned to the "Light Side" sooner than Anakin did! Posted by Serenity Doxien on :
I really liked that episode. I also loved the way Vi laughs! i't cute! tehe. Maybe this holloween, I'll go as Vi and go trick-or-treating.
Posted by Teronna on :
quote:Originally posted by Rockhopper Lad: I've always said "ay-la" and not "eye-la", but I felt similarly jolted by their home planet being "winneth" and not "wye-nath". Oh well! Perhaps the original settlers of Winath were Welsh!
I think in the episode "Champions" in the first season the announcer guys pronounced it "wye-nath". But then in "Chain of Command" it was pronounced "winneth"... Can't make up their minds I guess.
[ October 14, 2007, 10:47 PM: Message edited by: Teronna ]
Posted by Yellow Kid on :
quote:Originally posted by The Man From Cargg: So Ayla has spent 10 years as a cloud thing-ey... like her old costume insignia... I suspect we have a Light Lass in waiting.
I hadn't made that connection. Good eye.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
This episode challenged me in some ways. It played with the "canon" in such a way that I was forced to think, "Should I accept this or not?" To me, this is always a good thing, as it leads me to reassess what the Legion is all about and what parts of this particular version fit and which parts don't.
For example, I, too, was disappointed that Ayla remains a child. But, in the context of the story, it makes sense. Even if she were somehow reincorporated as a young adult, she would still be missing 10 years of her life. She would be a child in an adult's body. The chosen outcome was probably the simplest and most direct idea, and it leaves her story open for later development.
I was pleased by Mekt's portrayal. This episode gave him a far better motivation for turning evil than the twin/solo angle ever did. Simply put, he and Garth blamed each other for Ayla's apparent death. In the end, Mekt even blamed himself, which probably led him to think of himself as a "bad" person. In the origin sequence, I was touched by his plea to Garth and Ayla to not get him in trouble with their parents; I'm not used to thinking of crazy Mekt as an ordinary teenager with ordinary concerns. But this scene made his transformation at the end much more believable and heart warming.
(Incidently, I believe this is the first version of the Ranzz origin where Mekt initiates the idea of the lightning beasts recharging their craft. In pre-boot continuity, it was Garth's idea; in the reboot, it was Ayla's.)
Glad to see Violet get a major role, but there were two problems, as noted by previous posters: The snort was waaaaay overdone, and, once again, there's only one girl Legionnaire involved! C'mon, TV people: Eight-year-old boys are not the only ones watching this show.
Garth's cyber-arm: As with the death of Triplicate Girl, this worked well in the context of the story, but I, too, though that Garth's reaction was too glib. I don't care how cool a bionic arm is, nobody wants to lose a limb! (It was left ambiguous, though, whether he lost the limb or whether it was just badly injured.)
Imperiex continues to be the stereotypical world-conquering villain. I can live with that for now, as so many other interesting things are going on. But I hope he develops a personality beyond wanting to conquer the universe for no other reason than it's there. That's so 29th century.
The verdict: Everything in this episode does indeed fit what the Legion is all about, even down to the fact that it isn't exactly what many of us were expecting. Most impotantly, it told a good story well, which, in itself, makes most of the changes acceptable and exciting.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Here are the promised new images along with a synopsis and quick episode airing update, courtesy of the WB.
Fans got more than Lightning Lad's back story in the Saturday, October 13 episode of "Legion of Super Heroes" -- they also learned of a new addition to his power: a cybernetic arm. In the episode, entitled "Chained Lightning," Lightning Lad discovered that his sister, Ayla, long thought to be lost in the same Lightning Beast attack that gave him and his brother, Mekt, their powers, is really alive. However, Ayla was actually trapped in the form of pure electromagnetic energy. With the help of the Legion, Lightning Lad was able to save Alya before Imperiex could harness this energy for his own diabolical use.
But before saving Ayla, Lightning Lad had to be saved himself. Lightning Lad's right arm was severely damaged by a blast from Imperiex. Brainiac 5 performed microsurgery (with the help of Shrinking Violet) to give Lightning Lad a cybernetic arm loaded with explosive charges, lasers and, of course, lightning -- all powered and amplified by his own bio-electric energy. As Violet says of his new arm, "It makes things go boom!"
Lightning Lad is voiced by Andy Milder ("Weeds"), while James Arnold Taylor ("The Boondocks," "Star Wars: Clone Wars") and Kari Wahlgren ("Ben 10") voice Mekt and Ayla, respectively. "Chained Lightning" was directed by Brandon Vietti and written by Matt Wayne.
This Saturday, October 20, "Legion of Super Heroes" will air a repeat of the season premiere's second half: "The Man From the Edge of Tomorrow, Part 2." The episode will air in its customary time at 11:00 a.m. ET/PT as part of the Kids' WB! Lineup on The CW Network. An all-new episode, "The Karate Kid," will premiere on Saturday, October 27.
Attached you¹ll find a few images from "Chained Lightning" showing Lightning Lad's new arm.
Posted by Dain on :
He Who Wanders said
quote:The verdict: Everything in this episode does indeed fit what the Legion is all about, even down to the fact that it isn't exactly what many of us were expecting. Most impotantly, it told a good story well, which, in itself, makes most of the changes acceptable and exciting.
Very nice analysis, and that last paragraph says it all. That's why most of Legion fans agree that the cartoon is really, really, really good "Legion".
Loved the pictures L.Lad. So, we'll have one more new episode in October! Good! Posted by Tromium on :
Legion episodes for November include: the new "Who Am I?" on Nov. 3; "Cry Wolf" on Nov. 10; the new "Unnatural Alliances" on Nov. 17; and "Chained Lightning" on Nov. 24.
I wonder if "Who Am I" is the episode where Saturn Girl wakes up from her coma. Posted by Dain on :
And two more episodes in November? Cool!! I hope Imra will be active again, too.
Posted by What Was Wrong With the Reboot? Lad on :
Good: Mekt's characterization is good. He loves his sister, Garth, not so much, but Ayla, good. That's true to the Ranzz family character. I always felt like Garth and Mekt disliked each other more, especially as they grew older.
Bad: Lightning Lad's arm. it screams Cyborg from Teen Titans. (and with Cham as our Beast Boy, all we need is a ditzy Dream Girl, Karate Kid, and emo Shadow Lass and TA-DA Teen Titans: 31st Century GO!)
Ugly: did anyone get the "Star Wars" feeling from Mekt and Imperiex and their ultimate weapon. i think Mekt in that cloak, Imperiex's voice, and the whole family betrayal and redemption, didn't help either.
Good: Vi and Brainy's banter. I personally like a little sass/pompousness with my Brainiac 5 (definitely not 3boot sass!). i think it fits him well b/c superX is a jerk, and brainy's got a lot to deal with, and everyone made fun of him in the first 3 minutes of this season... and it's not like he didn't learn his lesson or anything. it taught the 8 year olds to never under estimate your friends/teammates.
Bad: Vi looks a little too goth for me. and i never appreciated "extraverted-aggressive" Vi, didn't they used to call her Shy-Vi for a reason?
Ugly: Snorting Violet
lastly, with Ayla being a kid, i think it's a great idea. the legion is for teens or youth or whatever. i always wished there were some age differences in the group. bring in a younger couple of kids to be mentored! it would make for a great dynamic. older heroes helping younger kids to be heroes is something that makes JSA work, and the legion has so many characters to work with that the show (or comic) could do something like this. so a group of younger legionnaires could be: Light Lass, Invisible Kid, Kid Quatum (either!), XS, GATES!!, Chemical King...
Posted by Quislet, Esq. on :
quote:Originally posted by Teronna:
quote:Originally posted by Rockhopper Lad: I've always said "ay-la" and not "eye-la", but I felt similarly jolted by their home planet being "winneth" and not "wye-nath". Oh well! Perhaps the original settlers of Winath were Welsh!
I think in the episode "Champions" in the first season the announcer guys pronounced it "wye-nath". But then in "Chain of Command" it was pronounced "winneth"... Can't make up their minds I guess.
Blame it on MLLASH's accent Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Ay-la and Winneth have always been my pronunciations. Wye-nath just doesn't make sense to me. Do you say win as whine?
Posted by Dain on :
What Was Wrong With the Reboot? Lad said
quote:did anyone get the "Star Wars" feeling from Mekt and Imperiex and their ultimate weapon. i think Mekt in that cloak, Imperiex's voice, and the whole family betrayal and redemption, didn't help either.
Actually, I did and wrote about it in a previous post. But I kinda liked it. I don't think the cyber-arm has anything to do with Cyborg of the Teen Titans. It's just another "homage" of sorts to the classic Legion story of an early Adventure issue.
Posted by wamu2 on :
so tell me, is the comic book as good as the show? I have been hesitant to read it, because I assumed the Johnny DC is more toned down for the little ones.
Posted by What Was Wrong With the Reboot? Lad on :
dain,
when i was talking about Lightning Lad's arm, i meant it's too Cyborg-ish b/c it's got guns and is all bulky. I'm totally down for him having a robotic arm. just not one with guns, does he really need that?
i always thought that maybe in 1000 years they could make robotic arms that maybe look like they're real? or at least go with the slimmed down model that Livewire had in the reboot right? (i'm sorry, i had to ask...)
Posted by Dain on :
Ah, I see what you meant now and I agree. They could have made a more realistic looking arm. I suppose it's just a bit of "fan service". More powerful-looking visually.
Posted by Malvolio on :
quote:Originally posted by Lightning Lad: Ay-la and Winneth have always been my pronunciations. Wye-nath just doesn't make sense to me. Do you say win as whine?
It could be both, depending on whether you grew up there or not. For example, most people pronounce Detroit, "Duh-TROIT," but people who grew up there pronounce it "DEE-troit."
Posted by lil'rhino on :
wow,wow,WOW! WATTA EPISODE! I adore Goth Vi!
Posted by MLLASH on :
quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders: For example, I, too, was disappointed that Ayla remains a child. But, in the context of the story, it makes sense. Even if she were somehow reincorporated as a young adult, she would still be missing 10 years of her life. She would be a child in an adult's body. The chosen outcome was probably the simplest and most direct idea, and it leaves her story open for later development.
See, this is why I called the Ayla-outcome "crafty"... On the one hand, I *HATE* that it keeps the fanbrats (my nickname for the pre-tweens who are apparently voicing displeasure over too many girls) happy by keping another female Legionnaire OFF the team, but on the other hand I'd have to be a soulless monster to be glad Ayla lost 10 years of her life and emerged an adult.
Crafty. Very crafty.
Posted by Pov on :
quote:Originally posted by lil'rhino: wow,wow,WOW! WATTA EPISODE! I adore Goth Vi!
giggle*SNORT Posted by Pov on :
quote:Originally posted by Lightning Lad: Ay-la and Winneth have always been my pronunciations. Wye-nath just doesn't make sense to me. Do you say win as whine?
I always read it as Whine-ath (think lithp 'cause Garth's a whiner... Posted by Set on :
quote:Originally posted by Malvolio:
quote:Originally posted by Lightning Lad: Ay-la and Winneth have always been my pronunciations. Wye-nath just doesn't make sense to me. Do you say win as whine?
It could be both, depending on whether you grew up there or not. For example, most people pronounce Detroit, "Duh-TROIT," but people who grew up there pronounce it "DEE-troit."
True, and there's the whole New Or-leens / N'awlins thing.
Posted by Language Arts Lad on :
I've always thought "AY-la", but I prounounce the planet" win-NATH" to rhyme with math.
The wierd thing is I've always pronounced Mekt,
"Ekky-ekky-ekky-ekky-z'Bang, zoom-Boing, z'nourrrwringmm".
Posted by duck458 on :
This show just keeps getting better and better. My thanks to everyone involved for getting me up early and in a good mood every Saturday morning. As for "goth" Vi, I am so old, I guess I don't know what "goth" means anymore. I thought it meant all black clothes, black lipstick, pale skin. Hoo boy...I need a Geritol.
Posted by Dain on :
Unless it's a new "fashion statement" the pretty flower on her hair doesn't seem gothic to me (Dot from the Animaniacs, anyone?). It offsets the gothic image others see in Vi. Not to mention the....
.....SNORT! Posted by Blockade Boy on :
I-la and WinNATH like Language Arts Lad said.
[ October 16, 2007, 07:14 PM: Message edited by: Blockade Boy ]
Posted by Teronna on :
Ahhhh what is that from? My brain's fried and it won't let me think...
Posted by Dairaioh on :
Got a request. Could someone pleeease post a pic of when Lightning Lad threw tht attack at Mekt in Kamehameha fashion. It happened before he lost his arm. It looked sooo cool with the spiral effect of the lightning before he released it.
Posted by Ultra Jorge on :
Wow, just saw this episode. It rocked. I am getting tired of the Imperiex guy. He seems like a poor copy of Darkseid.
Love the Mekt turned himself in. I always hoped he would back in the day. Loved it in v4 when he did reform.
Vi! Great to see her in this episode cause of her friendship with Ayla. I liked her attitude personally. Makes her different than the rest.
I've never been a fan of Garth's robotic arm but it sure looked good here!
Great episode! We even saw Superman cry!
Posted by Set on :
Ahhhh what is that from? My brain's fried and it won't let me think...
We are the Knights who formerly said Ni!
Posted by kidflash2fan on :
i dont think that alya is going to ever be on the team as light lass if any one remembers in the legion of sub ep star boy had the power to make things light as well and heavy
and it to me seams unlikly that they would add her to the team if that was her only power if star boy is still around
also if she has lighting powers that might be a bit of an over kill now that LL has the power to make things go boom
so her on the team nice but unlikly
i loved vi snort it gives her depth if the writers could have easly just wrote her there and have her just stand there and get angry at b5 for being a jerk but giveing her the snort just adds to her personalty
Posted by Language Arts Lad on :
How about if Ayla is Light Lass with a new conceot. Light based powers along the lines of The Ray or the Rambeau Captain Marvel. She has spent the last ten years as an electro-magnetic storm. Why not give her powers related to a wider span of the electric-magnetic spectrum than just lightning. If she were a photonic being she could be representing herself as human vias force fields. Come to think of it, she could maybe travel/act/fight/learn/age at the speed of light, or reconfigure her appearance to ape the age of her twin brother. Potentially she is a new member of the espionage squad. She could also have the typical blasting lasers powers one would expect from such a character.
I think this could kick ass! I love Ayla, but her "lightness" power never did that much for me.
Posted by Ultra Jorge on :
btw, was it just me or did anyone else think Mekt's costume looked just like Proctor's? (Avengers)
Posted by Set on :
quote:Originally posted by Language Arts Lad: How about if Ayla is Light Lass with a new conceot. Light based powers along the lines of The Ray or the Rambeau Captain Marvel.
That's what she did in Superboy's Legion, generate light from a soft glow to deadly lasers. I thought it was a clever tweak to have her be named 'Light Lass' and have completely appropriate, and yet completely different, powers.
quote: She has spent the last ten years as an electro-magnetic storm.
I'd love for her to have the 'turn into lightning' power of Black Vulcan (from the Superfriends), making her an electricity-based version of Lazon or Monica Rambeau. It's visually different enough from her brothers powers, and also makes her age irrelevant, since she's not some little kid, she's a living bolt of lightning.
Or hey, maybe she can uncoil that electromagnetic storm from within herself and become a true weather controller / storm summoner.
Or, to be completely original, maybe she turns back into the storm, becoming a roughly humanoid cloud of energy, flinging lightning bolts around. We've seen weather controllers, we've seen people who turn into energy-forms, but someone who actually turns into a storm would be fairly novel.
Posted by stephbarton on :
Really liked this episode.
The scene where Garth loses his arm was stunning, I thought it was well written and well animated, between Mekt's reaction to the lightning streaming out of Garth's wound, wow.
The ending was super touching, I was wondering if Ayla would come back real age or not, so when she came back as a kid I though "oh well, no Light Lass," but I felt the rest of it was so well done I could live with it. Besides, if they did age her properly, you're dealing with someone who has been an energy cloud for ten years, that just screams 'bad idea.'
I really like Mekt turning him in, and I loved Garth's response when Ayla first showed up "I said I wouldn't get you in trouble if you got Ayla and me home safely." That line right there just presented so much closer for our little Ranzz family.
Again, the episode as a whole was just wonderful, now we'll see what (if anything) they do with Ayla, that might affect my view of the ep down the road, but as I was watching it I was not bummed at all by Ayla being a kid.
As for Vi, no problem with the snort, although I did think they overused it a bit (two times would have been fine, but I think they used if four times, so a bit too much).
Brainiac Five served the role in this ep that Cosmic Boy served in "Cry Wolf." He was the stereotyped role that was required for the "seemingly useless character provers him/herself" storyline that is a stable of kid's stories. It's unfortunate that the writers do this to the characters, but all cartoons, even the super great ones do it so it is something that I have to just accept and hope it only happens once in a blue moon (or at least once for a certain character).
Just really enjoyed this episode. One last thing, I liked how the Legion came up with a solution to the problem of Imperiax using Ayla to fuel the cannon. Brainy was wiling to disperse her essence (bad Brainy) but the Legion (Vi in particular) came up with NON-LETHAL solution to save the day and Ayla, and Brainy didn't object saying it was too impossible or whatever. That's what the Legion's supposed to do, face disaster and come out on top. It just struck me that if this was 3-boot no one would have come up with the alternate solution and Ayla would have been dispersed across the cosmos.
Again, LOVED this episode. It took my breath away at some parts and made me go Awwww at others. good stuff.
Posted by Tromium on :
I've rerun this a half dozen times since Saturday, and it really stands up. I'm so proud of Mekt but I can't help wondering how Garth is going to sleep with that arm without accidentally setting off a canon.
Posted by Ultra Jorge on :
P.S. I love B5's new look!
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
quote:Originally posted by stephbarton: I really like Mekt turning him in, and I loved Garth's response when Ayla first showed up "I said I wouldn't get you in trouble if you got Ayla and me home safely." That line right there just presented so much closer for our little Ranzz family.
As heartwarming as Garth's promise was, this bit bothered me somewhat. Mekt's crimes as Lightning Lord (or whatever he's calling himself) affected more than just his siblings, so Garth was in no position to let him go. Also, the other Legionnaires were not bound by Garth's promise, so they could have intervened, rendering the promise meaningless.
Good thing for all involved that Mekt had a change of heart.
Posted by Sir Tim Drake on :
quote:Originally posted by Tromium: I've rerun this a half dozen times since Saturday, and it really stands up. I'm so proud of Mekt but I can't help wondering how Garth is going to sleep with that arm without accidentally setting off a canon.
Imra is probably wondering the same thing...
Posted by Set on :
quote:Originally posted by Tromium: I can't help wondering how Garth is going to sleep with that arm without accidentally setting off a canon.
He's old enough that he shouldn't have that problem anymore.
Posted by Tromium on :
Posted by Gaseous Lad on :
quote:Originally posted by stephbarton:
As for Vi, no problem with the snort, although I did think they overused it a bit (two times would have been fine, but I think they used if four times, so a bit too much).
Whaddya mean? I downloaded it to me my ringtone for my phone!
Posted by Seth Gaterra on :
My brother didn't think that Mekt should've reformed so easily, or turned himself in. By his thinking, the episode would have had Mekt agreeing that while Ayla had to be saved, after that it was back to business as usual. Garth and the Legion give Mekt a head start to escape, like the way they ended the "Justice League Unlimited" series.
I, however, disagree with that. From what I've read of/about the various LSH incarnations, Mekt has had a soft spot for Ayla... even if it's mainly been expressed by trying to make her his twin. In this version, it seems the reason Mekt became a criminal was that he figured he was responsible for Ayla's death -- so how could he possibly still be good? Mekt found out that Ayla was still alive, but Imperiax was going to truly kill her this time by using her as a power source. With seeing what staying on the side of evil nearly caused, it made sense to me that Mekt would reform... for Ayla's sake.
As for Ayla's youth -- there is a possibility I don't think has been suggested yet? She starts manifesting powers, but she's obviously too young to join the Legion. Why not have her get training in controlling her powers, and use that plotline to introduce the Legion Academy?
Posted by Blue Battler on :
quote:Originally posted by Sir Tim Drake:
quote:Originally posted by Tromium: I've rerun this a half dozen times since Saturday, and it really stands up. I'm so proud of Mekt but I can't help wondering how Garth is going to sleep with that arm without accidentally setting off a canon.
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i don't know,..i'm smelling a toy tie in with "Cyber-arm" Lightining Lad
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it when "weaker" members such as Vi prove themselves useful! And I loved Vi's chemistry with Brainy! ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
And I like normal Superman.
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Can't make up their minds I guess.
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