posted
I don't own the issue yet. But, I want to have each ADVENTURE COMICS issue have it's own thread.
Spoilers below come from the mothership. We used to be cool like them.
S P O I L E R S ! ! ! !
quote:Originally posted by jsaman: He's back - My favorite Legionaire of all time:
Tellus!
In the back-up feature, Star Boy ends up at a swamp - and up rises the alien telepath/telekinetic. Now why he's been staying in a swamp when he prefers a methane ocean is beyond me. Johns doesn't explain what Tellus has been doing in this time period or why he didn't appear in that earlier Lightning Saga nonsense. Tellus tries to help Thom with his schizophrenia - and what follows is a blast of clues about the next coming catastrophe. One of the very best things Paul Levitz did on his run of Legion was open up the Legion ranks to members who were truly alien looking. It just made no sense that a galazy as far and as wide as the Legion's would contain nothing but attractive humanoids with mere color differentiations. And I really liked his take on Tellus - he was a kind, old soul tentatively exploring his own powers and the universe itself. (Gifften's run turned him into a sour political xenophobe, and I prefer not to think of that.) Tellus was a noticeable no-show in the Legion of 93 Worlds mini, although there was that aside in the last issue at least noting his absence. I hope we'll see more of him. And where the heck is Quislet?
quote:Originally posted by cdebanks74: I liked the snippets at the end of the issue. Looks like Element Lad is disguised as Superboy's chemistry teacher in Smallville. Superboy is coming in to rescue Dream Girl. I'm curious to see what the complication from Blok's healed injuries is. Most of all, I want to see who the Green Lantern Legionnaire is. I'm wondering if this could be Rond's son.
From: San Diego, CA | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
The cover: Covers don't usually hold up to their high-res bright internet image but this one was magnificent.
Spoilers
The Legion part left me cold. It wasn't Legion. It wasn't Thom. Why was everyone so angry in the double page splash. For that matter, why did they even waste story space on it. They inducted a GL, big whoop. A small part of the fan base's request granted. Art is blah. Tellus in a swamp was kind of funny.
The Conner part. As much as I really, really didn't want to like this, I did. 2 pages devoted to a girl falling off a bridge and another been there done that full page splash of a hero, wait for it....flying (boring), don't need. However...
some of Manapuls art in this issue crossed over into ART. The double page sunset, that's gallery stuff there. Krypto's save! You go dog! Tellus' (I'm guessing) appearance, pure gold.
5/5 Cloneboy Does the Dishes 0/5 Long Live Bowling. Get on with the story.
Overall, a three issue tryout.
From: East Toledo | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I love the art especially Francis, but I've never read such a blantent, filler issue in my life. The entire issue including the 7! page "Legion" backup should have been 5...6 pages tops!
Totally disappointed. Not to mention that Tellus hates water. Beautiful, but pathetic.
posted
Legion gets no respect... you'd think that in the debut issue they would be careful not to mix up Shadow Lass with Night Girl... but THEY DID!
Plus... in my copy... the explanation boxes of who everyone is, what their power is and their home planets... are very blurry... not a great help to new readers.
Too bad... because I liked the itty bitty story more than I thought I would... Tellus as Swamp Thing was great... and the future teasers look promising.
Thom bowling... not so much.
-------------------- The poster formerly known as Carggaphile.
From: Hamilton | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I liked the issue, The Superboy part was great. Just a great slow build to a nice little surprise.
I liked the Legion backup. The backups have to do alot and I liked what happened and I liked The Legion backup- even if Mon-el was missing from the double page spread and they missed label Night Girl and Shadow Lass.
From: Texas | Registered: Apr 2004
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Most of the teasers look interesting with one big exception but that's not why I buy a comic book. Making me pay for their advertising? That's not appreciated.
The one teaser I'm not looking forward to... they're not about to pull a reverse sneckie on Blok are they?
From: East Toledo | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
The Night Girl and Shadow Lass mix up was just a huge mistake. How embarrassing !!
I enjoyed the Superboy story. He has come a long way, as a character, from the leather jacket wearing smart mouth that we once knew. He is much more likable. Manapul's work is gorgeous.
The Legion back up left me frustrated. The most difficult part of being a Legion fan has become "the wait". We're always waiting for answers that never seem to come. Plot threads take years to resolve. Creative teams get the boot. Series get canceled. Versions of the team get whited out. We always end up with more questions than answers.
This issue gives us tons of new questions, hints, teases, and mysteries. How many months will it take to get the answers with only eight pages per month? I hate to be a pessimist, but it just feels like we are being set up for disappointment again.
[ August 13, 2009, 08:59 PM: Message edited by: Jerry ]
-------------------- No regrets, Coyote.
From: Missouri | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
Believe it or not, I liked this issue. But for very different reasons:
1) I can't praise Francis Manapul's art enough. I still hate Superboy Conner, but his style makes him a bit more bearable. And Johns is really soft here, which is kind of surprising. 2) I liked the transition of the Legion story focused on Starman. I don't have any hopes that they would kick Legion into high gears, but it kind of paved the way the new writer will be taking from now on. It was NOT written for Legion fans, but for Superman and JSA readers. And I am cool with that. 3) Tellus showing up prominently on the first story means that Adventure Comics will definitely be a Superboy & The Legion of Super Heroes book most of the times, but not all the time. 4) This continuous crossing-over is reinforced when we see the famous Johns preview page featuring Legion artwork by Manapul. 5) From the looks of that preview, the next "Blackest Night" will be a Superman x Legion of Super-Heroes book. That's my reading of the 2010 big event.
All in all, there's more Legion here than I expected from the beginning - which is not bad at all. I will forever be the guy who wanted Shooter back on the book, or some mature-reader take on LSH (Elseworlds or something like that), but this might be the best way to get the Legion back on top form.
I still don't like the "de-aging" process they seem to have had and I still can't figure out what was Johns criteria for the current team/period. But let's keep moving on.
From: Brasil | Registered: May 2008
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I think he's in the swamp, because where the heck else is he going to hide out in Smallville?
So, Jan and Tellus are keeping an eye on things/shaping them in Smallville for some reason, and Conner's getting his Lex on in secret. not a bad set up issue. I would have liked more from the backup as well, but it seemed to be a good flow through from Superman and JSA into this book. As long as the plot picks up in short order, I'm happy with it.
From: Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada | Registered: Sep 2004
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I've never been a huge Superman fan but I always liked Kon-El. I was worried about him following in Superman's steps and didn't want a mirror image of big blue. While I enjoyed the 1st story I was worried about him being a smaller Superman...until the last page. Still I rather see him have a diary of what Connor is going to do. While I like what Geoff has done with him and Bart...I think they both have lost their edge.
Legion back up story? It was a bit short..Starman bowling? Cute but I've had enough of that in the JSA. The chemistry teacher is one of my faves so can't wait for that! The GL Legionnaire..could have a ring on each hand! My guess? Celeste Rockfish! I'm worried about Blok. Nice to see Tellus and get a Quislet mention!!!
From: Tampa | Registered: Mar 2004
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