Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! Emotional Legion Stories

This thread is just to talk about legion stories that made you feel...angry, sad, indifferent, etc. I started reading the Legion when I was five and most of the stories I read were in my Dad's old Legion/Adventure Comic digests. Most of those stories were idyllic and always had some type of happy ending. My father began my Legion collection when I was 7 and my first story was issue 50....the Showdown at the End of Time. Imagine my surprise when I discovered Superboy was dead...man was I confused and saddened. Imagine my dismay when my second favorite Legionnaire Mon-el gets handled by the Trapper. At this point my 7 year old world is in shambles. Two of the strongest Legionnaires are out of commision, and the team is in shambles. They weren't getting along, Polar Boy was hated by most of the team, I was shocked. Then we get to issue 62, and not only does Mon-el finally kick it, but Pol Krin eats it too. I was so dismayed, my issue 62 still has a 4 in rip down the middle.(I was young and impulsive, don't even get me started on issue 10 of giffen 5 year gap) BUT, as I got older and filled in the gaps, I got why things happened and it was good drama. Legion stories are supposed to piss you off sometimes, but others show that hope is always present, it just hides sometimes. Other Legion stories that got me are: Great Darkness Saga, Super Stalag of Space, the Emerald Empress story that ran through issues 57 and 58. You gotta love the Legion. LLL

How old are you now?


I know I'm going to hate the answer. I'm 46.


Young Whippersnapper Lad!

But seriously, Folks:

Empress's "Suicide by Legionnaire" was definitely emotional.

So was the Proty/Garth story.

And Element Lad's near death experience with Roxxas as his life support--very moving.

Shvaughn's converson to Sean was another one.

Invisible Kid's death tugged at the heart strings.

The Supergirl/robot story was another one. Poor Brainy.

Duo Damsel's 2nd death, and Brainy's trial after the Timetrapper/Infinite Man duel was another.

Shadow Lass confining herself to a convent to mourn for Mon-El was very powerful.

The Legion reunion for the lightning twins' christening story was another good one.

the list goes on and on.

Dang double posts!

I am 27 now, but those early stories evoke alot of emotions even to this day. I have yet to feel this with the new group, but I am definitely excited for each issue. It's bound to happen soon, because that same excitement I felt as a kid I feel now, so we will see what happens. LLL

Ok I picked the supergirl robot issue up yesterday and although she doesn't stay with him the last issue does show the studly nerd getting some serious action from the real Supergirl and a mention of possibly more at a later date. I'd say it didn't end so badly...

My first choice would have to be the Emerald Empress story from #57-58. I still vividly remember being choked up about it!

Also, #297 or 298 where Rokk's family was firebombed... that really got me.

And Blok's death in 5YL made me very sad and angry, but there was a lot of emotional storytelling in 5YL.

***Edited to correct 'v5' mistake, which should result in the cancellation of my Legion card.

Despite the (IMO) subpar art, that bit really impressed me.

I actually missed all the action, picking up afterwards when Brainy was indifferently anticipating that he wouldn't be voted out (to be one vote off, but still accurate), and leaving his belt to the surviving Trip. Very cool. And trust Brainy to leave with a parting cut. "He's left you his lab to do with whatever you will. Or whatever you *can* anyway..."

The death of Karate Kid, and Jeckie's dealing with Nemesis Kid I found quite powerful.

Cos' family being killed and him going for revenge was another strong issue.

And Timber Wolf's visit to Lythyl. Awesome to have a Karate Kid-centric story even after the character's death.

S2000, I love Giffen #10. I was choked up about the reunion of Garth and Rokk. I got the book a couple years ago, after about 15 years away from LSH, so to me, I really felt like part of the reunion. I also love the Rokk/Vi bits a bit later on.

The first emotional connectino to a LSH story for me was the whole "Death of Ultra Boy" storyline (273 to 283, or thereabouts). Although perhaps not as well-executed as others (three different writers, two of them near-hacks, stirring the pot), It made me like Imra asa Legionnaire (as opposed to "just" Garth's squeeze) for the 1st time, and it entrenched Tinya as one of my all-time favorites.

The post-death of earth (39 in particular, especially Ayla and Vi)

Others:
v3. 18 and 30... you can't help but feel for Brainy.

v.3 37-38, it's crossovers, and elements of the Conspiracy that followed. Superboy becmae more likeable to me once martyred.

v.4 various elements: Cham/Rokk reunion(1), reading the Tinya obit (2 or 3?) after her conspicious absense throughout the Jo story (a nice contrast from the engagement new clips at the outset), Jo after meeting 6Ws Tinya (40-41ish), the death of Laurel (58).

The positive, wow-finish to the Chu story (80) deserves mention. Likewise, The reunion scene of Legion 3 resonates warmly (as does Mon's watering eyes at the end of Worlds 1).

Legion Lost 8,9 and 12, of course.

4 Legionnaires visiting Ferro Lad's tomb in Adv. 357, along with Cos's and Supe's guilt over his death were very moving moments.

White Witch's battered wife syndrome stories were very emotional too. I loved her line, "Damn him! I was a Legionnaire!"

Here are the ones that stick out in my mind from the Adventure era...

"The Ghost of Ferro Lad" (Adv 357)was a powerful story. (As was The Suneater/Death of Ferro Lad 2 parter ~Adv 352-353).

"Mordru the Merciless" (his first appearance in Adv 359) has some emotional moments dealing with Luornu's crush for Superboy.

"Twelve Hours To Live" (Adv 378) shows how 5 Legionnaires, who learn that they are fatally poisoned, spend their last hours of life. It's continuation in the following issue "Burial In Space" (Adv 379) is a rollercoaster ride depicting whether the 5 will live or perish.

Others from older Legion Lore include:

The deaths of any of the Legionnaires, including Lyle, Val, Condo, Kara, Kal, Pol and especially (for me) Mon.

"The Forbidden Fruit" in Action 378 shows Ayla willing to risk her own death in order to get Brin to fight off his addiction.

"Lament for a Legionnaire" in Action 384, portrays the self sacrifice of Eltro Gand, in which he replaces Lar in an effort to spare his death as foretold by Nura. Unfortunate, he inadvertantly cuases Lar's death in the process.

"One Shot Hero" (Superboy 195) which introduces Erg-1 (Wildfire) and then kills him off all in once issue.

"End of an Era" probably tops my list, especially with the final page of everything whiting out and the flashbacks to different moments in Legion history.

One of the scenes that's alluded to in that is Luornu crawling through the tunnel durng the Mordru story. That scene of her crying herself to sleep still gets me everytime I read it.

Brainy giving his belt to Luornu after the showdown with the Time Trapper also strikes me as powerful, especially with the knowledge that this was effectively the second time he had cost her a body.

The Tenzil spotlight issue in the Action backups is a favorite as well, from his dealing with his alcoholic father and hellish home life, to the kiss with Violet and the showdown with Duplicate Boy, and the reconciliation with his family at the end.

The first time Wildfire blew himself up because of his frustration with the situation with Dawnstar. That got to me.

All of the deaths have been emotional, but the only time I've ever actually cried was during Supergirl's death in Crisis. Oh man... chills.

There have been lots of quiet emotional scenes, too. Widowed Tasmia, playing music, her face all covered. Mysa mouring Blok, playing that holo-vid of them in action, over and over.

I'm sure there are many more....

- Almost all of the "future" Legion stories in the Levitz anniversary issue (the one with Ferro Lad's brother).

- The Cosmic Boy spotlight after the Great Darkness saga.

Oooh, gotta second the Rokk/Vi/Venado Bay bits from v4, and probably most of the v4 mentions above... man, I love v4.

Superboy's death was a real tear-jerker. Never understood why he had to be ret-conned completely from LSH history in TMK. As I see it, Byrne killed Superboy with his Superman reboot, but helped come up with a perfectly fine way to preserve his link to the Legion with the Pocket Universe. Why that wasn't good enough in the longterm to DC editorial I'll never understand.

Pol's death just made (and still makes) me mad. This was the most obvious and clumsy use of a token death to lend a bad story weight that I'd ever seen. Unfortunately, it would herald a trend that would pop up again and again as exemplified by the slaughter of the JSA in Zero Hour and beyond.

And lets not forget the end of the most recent boot. That scene in which the Legion fades away into the multicolored time stream while clinging to each other in the shape of an "L" is as powerful as any. And when Shikari is torn away from the group and left alone...heartbreaking.

Besides many of the stories already stated, one of my choices would be the deaths of Monstress, Garth and Jan in the last couple of issues of DNA's "Legion Lost". That was a very emotional ending to that series.