Originally posted by Power Boy:
re: brainy
haha the only reason he would be cringing is if he plotted that encounter (moments after his birth) and it somehow benefits his larger plan to cringe at that moment in front of Earth Man.
I tend to read these issues in the context of the last Adventure, and, sure enough, in the last Adventure, we have a much younger Brainy acting a certain way to convince his friends that he's someone they might be a little more comfortable with (allowing them to think that he 'made a mistake' a year ago, because he knew it made them happy to think he was fallible).
Given that context, which may have been 'in-story' years ago, but was written probably in the same week as this story, I prefer to think that this is the exact case, with Brainy allowing Earth-Man to think he's all intimidated and stuff.
Whatever makes him happy. It's not like Brainy seems like the sort of person who really gives a crap what most people think of him...
Originally posted by Tromium:
[QB] I'm surprised no one's picked up on the first part of Cosmic Boy's monologue as he flies to the Academy. It seems to confirm the worst fears about the long-ago mindwipe.
[QUOTE]"Feels like there have been holes in my memory since my first term as leader. Moments that simply vanished ...important ones."
Yeah, craps all over the 'Trust Paul to not go there!' theory I was beaten over the head with when I complained about the long-term ramificatinos of the mindwipe earlier.
He's definitely 'going there.' I don't think he would have bothered dedicating an issue of Adventure to it, if it wasn't going to mean something.
Other thoughts;
Interesting that Brainy's force field belt can extend a force field around someone else. (The xeno on pages 12 and 13.) I think that's the first time I've seen him do that to someone who wasn't in the same force field as he was.
Hey, check out the piping on Batman's new costume on page 14! All he needs to do is go sleeveless and he's an honorary Legionnaire!
Hmm. Ayla gets munchies after sex? Ahem.
And in the same-sex shenanigans front, Mon-El went to hang out with Polar Boy on Tharr, and now the two of them are vacationing together on Daxam? Not the rebound choice I was expecting from Mon-El...
Brainy is exposing cockroaches to weird energies he found on Avalon? Oh Brainy. Tainting cockroaches with the power of Darkseid? I expect better from you, Mad Scientist Lad. Save time and crossbreed them with Tenzil Kem and then feed them a Miracle Machine.
And the Academy. Montauk Point is purdy.
Comet Queen. Like, gag me with a space-spoon, totally. Hasn't she already used her comet gasses to smother a fire before? Did she forget how to do that? Isn't one eccentric quirky exuberant annoying-as-hell Quislet enough?
Chemical Kid. Why is this not AU / reborn Condo? I mean, really. I like the costume, and I'd love to see a good exploration of the powers (having once written a two page list of ways that Condo's power could be used in a superhero game), but a different Phloni mutant with the same power just feels like someone heard my cry for raw meat and handed me a tofu burger. No matter how it's sculpted, it's not what I was asking for, and when I want tofu, I don't want tofu pretending to be meat. Go long or go home! Heck, go Ferro Lad and have him be Condo's never-before-mentioned younger brother Timeshare Arlik. That's cheap, but at least not this cheap!
Gravity Kid. Sure is a daring costume choice he made there. That would have made an interesting tweak of Star Boy's origin, having his super-strength and invulnerability back in the old days be a result of gravity manipulation. Between Star Boy and Light Lass (and, to a lesser extent, Blok), people who can manipulate gravity / increase their density aren't exactly in short supply. I think I like his attitude more than his powers (sniping at Dragonwing for showing him up, which, from a Legionnaire perspective, would be outrageously out of line, but from the standpoint of a teen student, seems entirely in-character).
Variable Lad. Someone said Deus Ex Machina Lad, and that's what these sorts of characters turn into. Let me spin the H-Dial and turn into someone with the exact power we need to deal with this situation! I do like that a member of Gym'll's race was presented as a cadet. That's cool, I'm just not in love with his Nemesis Kid-esque squiffily-defined powers. Didn't we just retcon Tyroc's powers because they were squiffy? Do we need more squiff? Why do I keep saying squiff, anyway?
Plus, like Earth-Man, I'm not delighted by characters whose entire schtick is borrowing / duplicating the powers of others, and, hey look, first thing Variable Lad does is turn into Brainiac 5! Boring. We already have one of those...
Dragonwing. Her visual makes me gasp, it's so amazing. She looks something you'd see in a Top Cow book (Spirit of the Tao, particularly). Wow. Totally distinctive and exciting and, I fear, so hard to draw that she'll have to change into something less complicated for the artist to render on a regular basis... Even her *hair* (which I also like) is going to be a pain to draw. With a name like 'Dragonwing,' I wonder if she also has some sort of innate flight power, as well. Fire breath is neat. Making it green, evocative of Fire (from the JLA), is intriguing. Acid venom, 'though? Yikes.
Karate Kid as some sort of 'eternal champion?' Hmm. Jury remains out on that concept. Certainly would make mastering every martial art in the galaxy a little more realistic as a life-goal, if one is going to keep reincarnating and coming back...
Those three sticks mean something. Some sort of I Ching thing that I'd know about if I wasn't such a Philistine.
The gray alien face between the Sensor Girl and Karate Kid symbols? I got nuthin.'
Background pictures of Crystal Kid, Power Boy, Urk, Flotsam & Jetsam, Visi-Lad, Nightwind, Lamprey, Westerner, and, uh, big bearded dude and some chick with a target on her chest (is that Mandalla? I've never seen her, so I have no idea). Very cool. They still exist, even if I might not get to see them in action for awhile!
This is the first Legion issue that's got me really excited. It shouldn't have taken to issue 6 for me to get here, but I'm here now, so it's all good.
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