Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Jim Shooters Adventure Run

Oh wow, as you know I'm currently reading the Legion Archives to my 7 year old daughter, and last weekend we finished Archive #7.

For my part, even though I know the most important events happening in those early days since childhood days (from my German versions of the Damn Tabloid and the Secrets of the Legion Mini), the actual stories I have mostly just read once when I bought the Archives in the late 90s.

What I wanted to share is how impressed I am about how a then 13-16 year old boy like Jim Shooter totally improved the way the Legion stories used to be written. I mean, the older stories by Siegel, Hamilton et al. were also nice to read and a perfect jumping on point for a little girl (Proty, Super Pets, Supergirl, Insect Queen, you name em), but many of those stories today seem very corny. Yes, Siegel had already raised the drama with the Computo story, and Hamilton did "The Legionnaire who killed" and the "Super-Stalag of Space" which are still a thrill to read.

But now Shooter came along and did not only add new characters like Jeckie, Karate Kid and Shadow Lass, he totally changed the way the stories were written. Legionnaires were constantly getting in deadly danger now, they had to beat impossible odds like in the second Universo storyline. Villains like the Fatal Five or Universo did not just disappear, they returned to trouble the Legion again. The Legion got a stronger sense of continuity with stories like "The Adult Legion" or the behind the scenes machinations of the Controllers. There also was a good balance between stories featuring just five Legionnaires and those with the full team. Two-Parters like "The Outlawed Legionnaires" or "The escape of the Fatal Five" left my daugther breathless in her seat, and I really think that those 50 years old stories are still a good yarn to read. Impressive!

Yes, not every story passes the test of time, like "The Unkillables", and Shooter did not always provide a satisfying ending, for example the Mantis Morlo story or the introduction of the miracle machine. But whereas Bridwell did some nice additions with the "Devils Dozen" extravaganza (really funny), with his "The five Legion orphans" you just could see that there was a difference between old-fashioned corny stories on the one hand and... Shooter.

Next stop: Mordru the Merciless... finally the story behind the action figure in our display cabinet ... looking forward for my daughter asking again, "Daddyyyy, can you read Legion???"

Thanks for sharing, CK. I'm glad your daughter is thrilled to read the old stories.

Shooter is indeed in a class by himself. He was the same age as his audience (and the Legionnaires), so he didn't talk down to his readers. He knew how real teenagers talked and behaved. This verisimilitude gave his stories a timeless qualities.

He also worked in subjects he was studying in school, such as naming Mano (Spanish for "hand") and the Odyssey (coming up in Adv. 380), thus giving his stories an educational quality without preaching.

Shooter was like a breath of fresh air. I'm happy to hear your daughter is enjoying these stories, it shows how classic and timeless they are.

Mordru the Merciless - definitely one of the great Legion stories and top Legion villains, up there with the Fatal Five.