Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! An A/R Guide to LSH #1

COVER – Love the logo, very retro. Very reminiscent of the old Adventure “Tales of…” lettering style. Love the headshots in the logo as well, and applaud that they will change every issue. Still think DC missed the boat though by not having different headshots used at varying points of the print run on the same issue. I wonder-- if LSH#1 becomes “sold out at the publisher” will DC use different headshots in a second print? If so, how many of us would buy that just for the different pics? Whoever made the decision to switch from squares to circles for the logo headshots made a good call. I do like the cover, but I’m a longtime 30+ year fan of the Legion. I have to wonder if the image was compelling enough to grab the attention of casual readers. I think so, but do have to wonder how many of those readers might have been confused to find no green guy inside the book?

Page 1: panel 1 – Well my mind is instantly set at ease here. Judging by JSA: Strange Adventures, I was going into this book with some trepidation as to Barry’s work. Let’s face it; some artists get worse, not better, with time. I know Barry only did breakdowns on JSA:SA, but the work there were terribly uninspired. Here, I was immediately relieved to see that this was the Barry I love. In fact, as the issue went on, I think I fell more and more in love with Barry’s work. Best. Legion. Artist. Ever!

2:1 – Robin Hood

2:2 – Joan of Arc. Interesting that Joan is really the only young heroic figure seen in the prologue. Looks like the Super-Anachronists of the 30th century are inspired by past heroic ages in general, not (as with the Silver Age) just past heroism by teens.

3:1 – Jesse Owens. Good to see that our heroes are to be inspired by all acts of heroism, and not just war and epic battles. However, note the choice used to portray a triumph over racial prejudices. We do not get a passive aggressive Dr. Martin Luther King against the otherwise infallible USA. We get a besting by combat (games) against a totalitarian regime. Telling, I think of how this Legion views their battle, and their government.

3:2 – Wonder how many A/R Sgt. Rock collectors there are?

3:3 – And we finally come to the current DC Universe heroic age. We have Superman fighting what may be Mongul, or an Apocalyptic Dog Solider. Plastic Man (as odd choice) wrapping up what appears to be the Earth-3 Superwoman and the purple suited Sandman. Wonder Woman is whomping ass on the early gray Iron Man. Batman takes on the Joker. Green Lantern (Kyle) is besting Concrete from Dark Horse Comics. And way in the background, Hawkman is swinging a mace at, oh I dunno, the Martian Manhunter, I guess. No clue is given as to where or when this battle takes place. Like Robin Hood himself, this particular chapter in past heroism may be completely apocryphal.

4:1 – A cityscape. Judging by the sign, and the mountainous background, this may well be a city in Japan. Also, judging by the architecture, and the reference to interstellar alliances, this may be from some point in the future… say 25th century. It is worth noting that the utopian society was not reached until the intervention of alien cultures. This sort of belays the long-standing notion that aliens are out there and just waiting for us to become more enlightened before revealing themselves. I wonder if perhaps the aliens might have come in the wake of World War <insert number higher than II here> and, at least partly, imposed a lasting peace in order to supposedly save us from ourselves. See also: USA vs. Iraq.

4:2 – And we finally reach the 31st century. I tend to think that Keith Giffin’s most lasting contribution to Legion Lore might well be his interpretation of future architecture. The “we’re so sick of it we could scream” is interesting, but troubling. How many Legionnaires are truly motivated to “ do good.” And how many are merely exercising typical teenage rebellion? How many Nemesis Kids are there on the roster, or in the crowd around the clubhouse. Who will “do evil” in the Legion’s name? Ah, our super-teens, in typical fashion, already don’t seem to have completely thought through their revolution.
One other thing worth noting. The new format (love it) gives us 7 more pages of story & art for a comparable price to regular sized comics, but 5 pages are taken up by the prologue. Now in a collected format, this prologue will, I think, read perfectly, but in serialized form I have to wonder if this was a lot of wasted space. Could the prologue have been done just as well, and just as effectively, in 2 pages?

5:1 “And we are Legion” Ohhhh… it sent chills down my spine. Wonderful. But, hmmmm…. Who’s who here? Moving left to right 1) unknown black fist 2) unknown yellow fist. 3) Triplicate Girl ? orange arm, purple glove. 4) Saturn Girl 5) Karate Kid 6) Element Lad ? red arm, yellow glove. 7) unknown white glove. 8) unknown white arm, black glove 9) Star Boy 10) unknown smaller white arm, black loose fitting glove. 11) unknown black arm/glove 12) Brainiac 5 13) unknown arm with gauntlet in shadow 14) Lightning Lad 15) unknown arm in shadow, glove no sleeve? 16) Possible Mon-El ? Red arm, yellow and black gauntlet similar to M’Onel.

6:1 – Metropolis & SP’s re-imagined. I like the comet tinged lettering. Cool. Nothing specifically recognizable in the cityscape.

6:2 – 75,000 may seem a large number to us who have been fighting over the last several years to keep the Legion from becoming a 7-8 member group, but when spread out over an unknown number of worlds, each with populations presumed to be in the billions, I am almost surprised that they managed to get on the SP’s radar at all. Super-powers help, I guess.

6:3 – So, we still don’t have an exact number on how many members there are. “Between 15 and 20.” I wonder how high up in the SP this “Sir” is? He gets no name, so we don’t have any way of telling if this is a re-imagined Chief Zendak. We have to assume that we will see him again, though.

6:4 – Star Boy’s boots.

7:1 – “What’s a cowboy?” Can we assume then that there are no more cow’s in the 31st century?

7:2 – Ultra Boy using super-speed.

7:3 – It seems the screen that “Sir” is talking to not only hovers in the air, it floats around the room.

7:4 – Colossal Boy’s arm

7:5 – Hmmmm…… a printing error? And they’re “endorsed by the UP?” But why, if they are such a headache, being they are supposedly “vigilantes and rule-breakers?” I have trouble finding a modern analogy. The police will happily arrest members of Greenpeace, or the Peace Corps. when they break the law.

8:1 – Printing error really out of control now. I’m wondering if my local comic store has any good copies? What is the “public service?” I’m assuming a sort of future version of a National ID card; a bio-chip embedded at birth that tracks all sentients. Maybe pawned off on society as a means to prevent terror or to help in an emergency by having one’s medical info encoded within it. I’m surprised that going off the public service (love the euphanistic name) is not a class A crime in itself. But who has flight rings? The 15-20 cowboys, or all 75,000 “members.”

8:2 – Ok, this printing error is getting way beyond acceptable. I can’t even read this panel. At least the balloons aren’t chopped off here. Hmmm…. But balloons with the same words are different shapes. Maybe it’s not a printing error. Maybe the letterer made a huge mistake and Wacker didn’t catch it? No, that can’t be it, the extra balloon weren’t in the online previews at all. Possibly lettering is not on the actual art boards but are added in post-production. I actually flip back here to the credits to see if the lettering is by Comicraft or not. I wonder what an AI District is? A place where artificial intelligence is built, or a place where it lives? And is it an oxymoron to be so advanced that you have an AI District, but so primordial that something so simple as a “macrobot” is deemed experimental?

8:3 – “Sir” leaps into action. Alpha AND Beta strategies. Oohhhhhh…. And no repeated balloons. But I notice something. No panel gutter between “Sir” and “Officer.” I look back up at 8:2 and finally notice… HEY, these cats are actually in the same room. HA! I get it, that’s funny. Pick me up off the floor I’m laughing so hard. You got me guys. Hee hee. But let’s get serious for a sec… maybe these particular pages should not have been leaked in previews, at least not lacking the big joke. I might have "got it" sooner if I had not already seen these pages, and "known" what they were supposed to look like.

8:4 – “They hit it, sir” Now, THAT’S funny. Legion must’ve had a gamma strategy.

8:5 – “Who can keep them straight.” Another funny line.

9:1 – SWEEEEEETTT!! The X-Men could never take down a Sentinel this quickly. That’s why Marvel fears the Legion. I’m generally not a fan of photoshopped techniques, but Sun Boy’s fire looks cool, as do the robot’s sparks.

10:1 – “Stop being so eager to please.” Good to see Colossal Boy back, and just as good to see that he seems to retain his “big Bear Scout” persona. Jo’s still kind of a thug, too.

10:2 – “Imskbird feather.” We have to assume that would be a very, very small feather. Confirmation that Imsk is re-imagined. Although, remember those Bronze Age stories where the entire planet shrank, and not just the people. Has that been retained?

10:3 – Some very, very bureaucratic police. Note that when Waid was still working on the reboot, he had the SP’s actually policing science, declaring some tech off-limits and keeping certain things out of public hands. It seems to me that the re-imagining is not all new, Waid is getting to re-introduce a number of themes that were an intrigal part of the book that he first introduced them in the reboot, which later got dropped, or forgotten, when he left the book.

“Drop the head” is a funny line.

10:4 – Confirmation Ultra Boy can still only use one power at a time. Remains to be seen the full gamut of power he has, although we’ve so far confirmed strength, invulnerability, and speed.

10:5 – The children line, and the fact that Ultra Boy is able to withstand the “energy fire” without switching to invulnerability, demonstrates that he SP officers are restraining themselves, not using deadly force. Energy Fire may be the future equivalent of a rubber bullet.

10:6 – “Fine” Very petulant. Very funny. Very telling of this Legion’s mindset. No way around it now, these are teenagers for sure.

11:1 – Another cool photoshop FX for Light Lass’s power

11:2 – “Make things rise” Yup, teenagers love sexual innuendo. Light Lass has dated both Ultra Boy and Sun Boy. Guess we’ve re-imagined who our “shameless hussy” is. And this would be confirmation that, despite his fashion sense, Sun Boy is not gay.

11:3 – Trophies is a very kid thing to do. Ultra Boy’s crediting Star Boy makes more sense after the next panel. I like that Sun Boy is waving off the SP’s with a cocky flick of the wrist. This dude is “all that.” He’ll need to get taken down a peg or two at some point.

11:4 – We see how the SP’s were disarmed. And while the Legion makes trophies of the SP helmets, note that they are careful to leave the weapons in “plain sight.” Probably a demonstration of just how closely they walk the line. Making off with the SP’s weapons probably would have gotten some of them arrested.

11:5 – “We won this one.” So, does the Legion routinely lose some, or just Star Boy. And I LOVED Star Boy’s line about it not looking like a bomb. Was Waid still on the reboot Legion when Star Boy was introduced with his “Crash Kallor” persona? I wonder if this is another aspect later dropped that Waid is re-introducing? I also like the way Barry depicts the use of flight rings. Note how most of the Legionnaires here tend to hang, or float, in the air, rather than the traditional arms forward fully horizontal depiction of flight. I do wish the clubhouse was red & yellow though. Why does every single building in the 31st century have to be silver/white/gray? Is there a law?

12:1 – Look at the crowd calling out to Sun Boy. I’m surprised he does not break out the ‘ol elctro-stylus machine. But he does brush off some the crowd, even ignoring the one claiming to have reports. Will a LSV, or a Legion of super-rejects come out of some in this crowd? At some point, some of these kids are going to naturally feel like they are not in with the in-crowd and get restless. Theena’s a babe.

12:2 – “Victorious.” Not exactly Firefly’s “shiney,” but it’ll do, I guess. It appears that Theena is the re-imagined Antennae Lad. Good re-boot IMHO. It would seem that she belongs inside HQ though, unless there is some requirement to get in. Does this Legion hold try-outs? Do they reject applicants? Might there be a potential SUBS group in this crowd? There does appear to be some “under 18” rule. And note the political majority line, the Legion is going to be dangerous to the status quo because they are a political force as much as anything. Dryad mentioned. Wonder what the Braxxian virus is? Something else else that affects silicon life forms? And which three Legionnaires found a cure? Brainy is not present, can we assume him. But most others see to be accounted for running around in the background. And activity outlawed on Daxam would make sense if the indigenous population has similar powers to previous incarnations. They'd be quick, I think, to shut down any movement least their planet look like Darkseid's head again.

12:3 – Poor Beerm (pronounced BERM) We just know now that Sun Boy is going to get slapped. Who was the chick the SW6 Inferno was so rude to? Don’t see her in the background though. And, I think that I am mildly disappointed that there don’t seem to be any other recognizable faces in any of the crowd scenes around the clubhouse.

12:4 – L is for Legion, not loser. Well maybe. They might just not like Sun Boy’s attitude. I’m not liking the photoshop on his symbol. Gets distracting in too many panels.

13:1 – What, no guardrail? These kids have just no regard for personal safety, do they?

13:3 – And here we have our first continuity error. Why do Ultra Boy and Sun Boy not recall picking up Lyle at his house in the Titans/Legion preview? I wonder what Colossal Boy standing on top of the clubhouse at giant size must look like from a few blocks away? It would be funny on one of the cityscape establishing shots some issue to see Gim glomming around in the background. I mean, he must need to rest from using his power occasionally.

13:4 – Even Lyle’s words disappear.

13:5 – And there’s super-vision. And apparently this Lyle cannot be detected in infrared by heat source.

13:6 – Does Ayla completely not move from 13:4? No. So she is not only a shameless hussy, she’s an ice queen. It’s official then: Ayla is the new Imra.

13:7 – Hmmm… Ultra Boy’s immediate supposition that Lyle’s power must be shared with all people of whatever world be comes from calls a couple of things into question. Does neither he, nor any of the current Legionnaires, have powers that are the result of an accident of some sort? Why does that possibility not seem to occur to him? And, the line also seems to intimate that there are no Terrains currently on the team. What planet is Sun Boy from then?

13:8 – It does look like Ultra Boy is talking to where he thinks Lyle is, except that Lyle has already become visible. So Ultra Boy has a dog? Does he keep it at the clubhouse? Makes sense, kids love their pets. Any Super-Pets, I wonder? Ultra Boy’s symbol does need to be thicker. And look, the hussy is sinking her hooks into Lyle now... or just trying to make two former boyfriends jealous?

14:1 – Cornball? You’ve got a lot to learn kid.

14:2 – So, it’s Micro Lad is it. Little touchy for a helpful fella. “It’s what I said when I joined,” may be an indication that ML joined the Legion in this reality after Sun Boy, to whom he is directing his comments, and possibly also after Ultra Boy and Light Lass.

14:3 – And here we get the re-imagined origin for Colossal Boy. I am still hopeful that his world ends up being some version of the Puppet Planetoid.

14:4 – And the rational for the silver age style super-hero names. Yah, no more kewl codenames. Note that, although we were on the clubhouse roof a moment ago, we must have actually been on a catwalk around the edge. It appears here that there is no roof, or that the clubhouse at least has a retractable ceiling. Note also that the clubhouse appears to have a lot of wasted space, hollow through the middle with rooms around the edge.

14:5 – We see Saturn Girl in the background, and on a catwalk we see Lightning Lad and two females I can’t quite identify. Durlans are apparently non-gender specific. I’ve theorized elsewhere that Cham’s antennas are not present as there is nothing new around him to analyze and store in his memory for possible later use. Barry has semi-confirmed this and also tossed out the possibility that he may keep his antennae tucked away out of politeness so that others around him don’t get antsy about being analyzed. I also have a theory for Cham’s gingerbread man-like appearance. Preboot stories established that the form we are all familiar with is not a Durlan’s natural “home” body, but something they invented to fit in to humanoid culture. It could be that this current appearance is the closest Cham can come to a humanoid appearance without mimicking the form of one specific person stored in this memory. So, again out of politeness, he takes on a non-descript Odo body.

14:6 – Confirmation that Durlan’s are not gender specific.

15:1 – Meanwhile, but by how much we don’t know. We assume only seconds have passed since the previous panel. But Cham, who they just passed in the hall, is already in the midst of a chess game with Karate Kid. Not also that almost all of the ones who were just on the mission with Sun Boy have beat him into the common room by enough of a margin to already be pretty deeply engaged in other things.

The Whirled Brains posted would have been better if it had been Great Frog. We see plenty of 21st century artifacts. A drum kit, electric guitars, comic books, laptop computers, and a foosball (moopsball?) table. It is impossible to tell if the figures on the coffee table are Imskian or just action figures. At least on thing in the room may be modern, as the chairs Cham and Karate Kid sit in appear to be anti-gravity. In the room we have an unidentified pair of brown boots on the far side of the foosball table. Of course, they might be just another trophy, maybe a suit of armor up against the wall. We have no way to know if there is anybody actually in the boots. Note that Element Lad, on this side of the table, is reading a book and not engaged with anyone in a game. We have Light Lass talking to Phantom Girl. Shadow Lass walking by them towards a bookcase, or perhaps videos as that may be a DVD player on top. Dream Girl is at the bar with someone we cannot identify. We noted Cham and Karate Kid playing chess. Micro Lad is checking out some DC Comics. Sensor Girl is sitting on the couch talking with someone who looks very much like Grev Mallor, Shadow Kid. Triplicate Girl sits by herself looking terribly forlorn and lonely. There are also two unidentified figures, both wearing blue cloaks, one for certain with a hood. Both are trailed by what looks to be floating cameras. This may have nothing to do with them however, as there is another camera over Phantom Girl’s head. Who are these two figures? Legionniares? Raven from the Titans? Kids from outside who have wandered in? We have no way of knowing.

15:2 – “It feels like home.” Indeed. For me it feels more like home, except for the brief period of the reboot before Emerald Vi, since anything after end of volume 2. But Lyle, you sure are young. You don’t look more than 13 or 14.

16:1 – We have a Mission Room, but no evidence yet of a Mission Monitor Board or Legion Icons. Hard to tell if Cos is supposed to have brown hair, or if there has been a decision to no longer color black hair blue. Delegate Takron, of Takron-Galtos fame perhaps?

16:2 – Takron appears humanoid. The other delegates, clockwise from lower left, appear to be Tigorr of the Omega Men, Moondragon, Kid Psycho, J’onn J’onzz in his true Martian form, the Devil-Fish, one of those bell, book, and jar demons, whatever their names were, and Vixen. Did the delegates share something about Lallor, we assume, or possibly something different entirely?

16:3 – Cosmic Boy apparently does not like to keep his teammates in the loop. Or, at least, and possibly for good reason, Star Boy. And wasn’t Shadow Lass just in the common room.

16:4 – Cos displays that, in any reality, he is a great tactical thinker. Apparently, he thinks Brainy is in the clubhouse somewhere, so possibly he was not one of the three Legionnaires who just helped out on Dryad.

16:5 – D’OH!!

16:6 – Apparently Brainy is in the clubhouse. FUN-eeee! “Recent inclinations towards UP servitude” might betray that the Legion made some concessions in exchange for UP endorsement. And what form has the servitude taken, I wonder? Whatever it is, it appears not all members are in favor. Since Shadow Lass is not exactly sure who coined the Legion’s “first battle cry” we have to assume that she is one of the more recent members to join.

16:7 – Yah, “Shady” is back!!

17:1 – Transmatter Room, apparently something very like Shikari's portals. But is this tech unique to the Legion, or common on all UP worlds? Hmmm… Element Lad is now playing chess with Karate Kid. Did Cham lose that quickly, or are several Legionnaires taking turns making moves against Karate Kid?

17:2 – A rebellion on Lallor indicates that some force, other than the established authority, is responsible for annihilating the “legionnaires.” Note that, of the members we know to be in the clubhouse, Triplicate Girl, Sensor Girl, Dream Girl, “Grev,” Saturn Girl, and Lightning Lad, do not answer Ultra Boy’s call. And at least some of them were known to be in one of the room’s he visited.

18:1 – Ultra Boy’s boot, I guess

18:2 – “it’s not us.” Except, apparently it is. “Grife” survives the re-imagining intact. I guess I am somewhat troubled that the Legionnaires let Invisible Kid come along with absolutely no training. I wonder how many teammates these kids have killed already? Karate Kid appears to be closing the eyelids of a dead boy. Either that or performing a Vulcan mind-meld, hard to tell. Note Cham’s antennae are out and ready for action, lots of new stuff here he’s never seen before. Many Legion flags around, so we guess the kids were some of the 1,400 new “members” rallying as a political force. The pillars are an interesting architectural style that we assume is unique to Lallor. Lallor appears to have at least three moons, two of which look like they might have atmospheres. Three other possible moons might just be lights on other ships hovering over the site.

19:1 – But who are the “they” that attacked? Lallor’s established government, it’s military, or some other alluded to rebellion?

19:2 – Hmmm.. This kid seems to confirm that it was the Legion rebelling, and that it was the establishment that attacked them. So, what the hell was Ultra Boy talking about?

19:3 – I repeat, why was Invisible Kid allowed along at all?

19:4 – Legionnaires already working to help the wounded. No apparent Heroes of Lallor obvious among the crowd. Sun Boy takes charge, reminiscent of the early Adventure era when, if you didn’t know better, one might have thought that Sun Boy was the Legion leader.

19:5 – Hologram from the ring. Neat trick. Do communications get run through the transmatter room as well? If not, how far away from Earth is Lallor I wonder? Speedy comms.

20:1 – What’s that between some of the floating senator heads? Is that a window to the city outside? Wouldn’t daylight streaming through that window make seeing some of the holograms in the mission room hard?

20:2 – Takron’s back, along with a new group of senators. We have an insectrviod and a possible Brain-Globe. Is that a Khund? And my, but all the fashionable senators are wearing hoods this season. Okay it is an adult rebellion, so there is a third group involved, not just the government and the kids.

20:3 – a Non-UP world. Interesting. I’ve decided to really like Karate Kid’s costume.

20:4 – Yum, Barry’s Phantom Girl is VERY WallyWood sexy!

21:1 – Any guess what Brainy is doing? So, Lallor is in the Fortean star system. So, does this mean that the system’s Star is called Fortan? Is that the name of another planet in the system? Political stability in the system indicates that there are multiple inhabited worlds in Lallor’s solar system. Maybe some of those moons? And why would a war there involve the UP?

21:2 – Sun Boy calls Brainy a geek. Now, there’s an interpersonal dynamic that never would have happened before.

21:3 – The same senators, although we add DeSaad and a Cat-Man.

21:4 – “Who fought under our flag” I’m still not clear exactly regarding what happened on Lallor. Did the kids attack, did they get attacked. How many groups are involved? So far, I’m equating it to an interstellar Kent State on the nth degree.

21:5 – It appears that Element Lad has to actually touch something in order to transmutate it. If so, that is a development I highly applaud.

22:1 – Some very good inking at the top of this page, and the bottom of the next. If it would help Barry stay on schedule with fewer fill-in artists, I would encourage Wacker to hire Gray full-time. His work compliments Barry’s style very well.

22:2 – I wonder what planet Takron is from. And does it not seem odd that Cosmic Boy is dealing with Senators and not a UP president? I mean, a regime as authoritarian as the UP is said to be generally has an individual at its helm, not an entire senate.

22:3 – Poor Cosmic Boy. But he is just a teenager after all

22:4 – Kind of a weird transformation graphic for Cham. Makes it appear like he is casting an illusion, not changing to whatever that is.

22:5 – It appears that Cham once again is back to only taking on the appearance of an object, and not its powers. Well, unless that energy fire is not set to stun.

22:6 – Unless, well... Cham seems ok now. Those look to be some pretty squat legs that creature has though, unless the perspective is whack.

22:7 – Now why did Lyle become visible? Does he have to concentrate to stay invisible?

23:1 – “The youngest.” Very powerful speech. Oh, and Ultra Boy learns how to “be tough.”

23:2 – Uh-oh, the holograms close in.

23:3 – Nice side by side with Sun Boy and Shadow Lass

23:4 – Very nice line from Sun Boy.

24:1 – Not the UP, even if endorsed by it

24:1 – Promises made. How many Legionnaires will end up quitting when they find the Legion not to be whatever it was that they thought they were getting into?

24:3 – And now we see why the Mission Room needed a window, so that Cos can gaze out at the crowd and have an epiphany.

24:4 – Theena again being a babe, even if that bio-backpack symbiotic TV thing is kinda creepy. Note that the FCC has forced a ten-second delay on her, Cham is just now getting shot on her screen.

24:5 – Never make eye contact

25:1 – “child...” Now, there was your first mistake

25:2 – Cosmic Boy has purple eyes.

25:3 – Not the best-drawn fist I’ve ever seen.

25:4 – oh, “forbid” is it.

25:5 – Ok, yeah, but at least Star Boy doesn’t break stuff ***on purpose.*** Little Brat, maybe you are just a child, after all.

25:6 – Cosmic Boy has very tiny ears.

26/27 – Still looks like Element Lad needs to touch. Phantom Girl has a pretty powerful punch.

28:1 – Lyle likes to stand on the roof a lot.

28:2 – Yes, let’s all take a break from dealing with repercussions. Ok, I really, really, really like the re-imagined Legion. But part of me is going to cheer just a bit when they get what’s coming to them. Does that make me an adult?

28:3 – “.. and ignoring bombs.” Star Boy is my favorite Legionnaire.

28:4 – It sounds like the Legion tends to leave a trail of destruction in their wake. I can see why they might not be popular with the establishment.

28: 5 – BWA-HA-HA!!

28:6 – Nice touch the tents. So kids really are camped out around the clubhouse. And it looks like there are rooms in the “wings” of the clubhouse.

29:1 – Infogrid = Internet. And I might take it back regarding the art. Judging by Star Boy's ear, it looks like Gray took Tex Blaisdell’s advice to heart: “When in doubt, black it out.”

29:2 – Still no one recognizable in the crowd, unless that’s Dr. Gmy’ll pouring coffee.

29:3 –“ Look at me, my power is super-juggling. Think they’ll let me join?” And what on Earth is that Ice Girl has in the ziplock baggie, a comic book?

29:4 – Hmmm… Is Theena a Les? That’s a pretty meaningful look she’s sharing with Mohawk Girl. And what exactly is she showing on her TV screens? Is she letting some of the kids hyperpath home?

30:1 – What is Saturn Girl doing down in the crowd? And judging by Radiation Roy there, at least some in the crowd seem to think they should get a chance to join the main group.

30:2 – They choose not to? Or they don’t have any powers? Or they have been rejected? I think some of the Legion’s future problems are going to come from this crowd. Its not clear yet how exactly one gets to be part of the main team, even if all those milling around are supposedly welcome inside. If they are so welcom, whey is the main group so small?

30:3 – “We’re here because of them.” A perfect summary of Legion fandom over the years. Great work. Brought a tear to my eye. And another thing I like, even though there are ongoing subplots galore, this ending made it feel like this particular issue had a complete beginning, middle, and end. A much MUCH better reading experience than the never-ending DnA epics of late.

Enough generalizations, PB.

How did you really like it? Give us the play-by-play. Don't be shy.

Theena uses "Legionnaire" to mean any member of the larger movement, so I'm thinking the "three Legionnaires" are just three medically-inclined Dryad natives, not members of the core team.

And--to speculate about something utterly inconsequential--it would make sense if the "Braxxian virus" didn't affect silicon-based life; then they'd be ideal to research the disease, since their own health wouldn't be at risk. A carbonform disease is also more likely to be familiar to both Theena and Sun Boy, methinks.

I'm not so sure. *Is* there anything to establish where that teaser ending the Teen Titans crossover fits in continuity? We could have seen a scene from the future.

Or, well, further into the future. YOu know what I mean.

cool break down PB !!! guess i don't need to say much about issue #1 ...... apart from i loved it !!!!!

Matthew.

-If Tiger-guy from the Omega Men is around in Adam Strange, it's not at all surprising he could be here.
-The odd cat-looking person in 21:3 looks like the race Vril Dox allied with in the L.E.G.I.O.N. flashback issue of LSH years ago. If they have more references to L.E.G.I.O.N. then that's cool.
-You didn't mention the flag which was carried when the kids went planetside. It took me right back to the old days when they had things like that in Adventure Comics.

Ayla & Tinya are hot! Hell, so's Shady. So looking forward to seeing Dream Girl and Jeckie now.

I wonder how many unintentional references Mark & Barry put in there which we've been reading into it?

Charlie E/N

Great stuff, PB! Very perceptive commentary.

12.2 Wonder what the Braxxian virus is? Something else else that affects silicon life forms? And which three Legionnaires found a cure?

-- My intepretation is the same as SiliconDream's. I took it to mean the cure was discovered by Legion followers on Dryad, not by core Legionnaires.

13:3 – And here we have our first continuity error. Why do Ultra Boy and Sun Boy not recall picking up Lyle at his house in the Titans/Legion preview?

-- Yeah, you'd think they'd recognize the children they kidnap. D'oh!

13:6 – So she is not only a shameless hussy, she’s an ice queen. It’s official then: Ayla is the new Imra.

-- Say it's not so! How could WaK ruin Light Lass right out of the gate?! This will put Garth in a very awkward position.

14:5 – We see Saturn Girl in the background,

-- Her cape is colored red here, when it was white in the TT/Legion special. Coloring error or design change?

16:2 – Takron appears humanoid. The other delegates, clockwise from lower left, appear to be Tigorr of the Omega Men, Moondragon, Kid Psycho, J’onn J’onzz in his true Martian form, the Devil-Fish, one of those bell, book, and jar demons, whatever their names were, and Vixen. Did the delegates share something about Lallor, we assume, or possibly something different entirely?

-- I missed that completely! Very observant, PB. And I wouldn't have known about Tigorr if not for Adam Strange (highly recommended).

17:2 – Note that, of the members we know to be in the clubhouse, Triplicate Girl, Sensor Girl,

-- Not "Sensor Girl" this time around, but Princess Projectra we're told, and looking more regal than ever.

19:4 – Sun Boy takes charge, reminiscent of the early Adventure era when, if you didn’t know better, one might have thought that Sun Boy was the Legion leader.

-- Thank the reboot gods Dirk is back (I just wish he were "hotter" looking), and I most fervently pray he takes the helm soon because I'm already tired of the reimagined Cosmic Boy. Looks like the internecine battle lines are being drawn between these two. I know whose side I'm on.

21:1 – Any guess what Brainy is doing? So, Lallor is in the Fortean star system. So, does this mean that the system’s Star is called Fortan?

-- I assume cyborg Brainy is computing here. Maybe he's a cross between Brainy and Computo this time out. Is that a proty floating in the cylinder behind him? How cruel!

-- I believe the "Fortean star system" is a homage to John Forte, LSH artist of the Silver Age.

21:5 – It appears that Element Lad has to actually touch something in order to transmutate it. If so, that is a development I highly applaud.

-- Amen to that! I love the intense look of concentration on his face as he disintegrates the soldier's weapons.

23:3 – Nice side by side with Sun Boy and Shadow Lass.

-- Wonderful! My third favorite panel, after Colossal Boy decapitating the macrobot and Jan disintegrating the weapons.

25:2 – Cosmic Boy has purple eyes.

-- Well, purplish blue maybe, and a duller color than usual. Other formerly bright-blue-eyed characters have been given darker eyes too, Light Lass (indistinct color) and Sun Boy (brown), for example. Cosmic Boy's hair is dark brown now? That would be a mistake, imo. Too many dark brown-haired guys in the ranks already.

25:5 – Ok, yeah, but at least Star Boy doesn’t break stuff ***on purpose.*** Little Brat, maybe you are just a child, after all.

-- Blech. This scene irked me too. To be sure, Cos has had a few snarky moments in previous incarnations (being nasty to Superboy, slapping Ayla, etc.), but IIRC he never indulged in senseless destruction. I guess the writers are trying to restore his long-lost personality, but the petulant "brat" characterization rings false. At least they didn't credit him with "eat it, grandpa".

28:2 – Yes, let’s all take a break from dealing with repercussions. Ok, I really, really, really like the re-imagined Legion. But part of me is going to cheer just a bit when they get what’s coming to them. Does that make me an adult?

-- Meh. You could say they're noble but naive. Even so, they're a little too self-important for my taste. Thankfully, a couple of them are still loveably down-to-earth (see below).

28:3 – “.. and ignoring bombs.” Star Boy is my favorite Legionnaire.

-- Kudos to WaK for fleshing this character out so quickly. Star Boy's loveable loser persona, combined with his clean good looks and bright attire, is a breath of fresh air compared to, say, Cosmic Boy and Ultra Boy.

30:1 – What is Saturn Girl doing down in the crowd?

-- I don't think that's her. Saturn Girl's costume has the Saturn emblem on the chest, a high collar and long sleeves with gloves, and she wears her hair up in a messy ponytail. Maybe just a follower trying to emulate her look ... sort of.

30:2 – They choose not to?

-- I can't believe no one's asked to use the Legion restrooms.


A happy and prosperous New Year to all.

Very... thorough, Pofo! And A joy to read. Might we expect an A/R review for every issue?

Nice catch on the homage to Forte, Tromium.

I guess I took this differently than both of you. My assumption was that events in LSH #1 take place before those in the TT/L special. That explains everything rather well.

I'm going to try! And I agree, Tromium! I completely missed the (now) obvious Tuckerization.

Also credit Tromium with the Proty spot in Brainy's lab! Possible, very possible!

SHould mention BTW, I was joking re: who the various UP Senator's were.

You stinker! As if I needed any help seeing things that don't exist.

See my sig.

the girl in the crowd IS holding a bagged comic circa Adventure era with an ad for THE INVADERS model flying saucer. why do i remember this stuff?

29:3 –“ Look at me, my power is super-juggling. Think they’ll let me join?” And what on Earth is that Ice Girl has in the ziplock baggie, a comic book?

You don't happen to remember an issue that contained the Legion of Super-Heroes and that ad on the back page do you?

give me a sec, I'll run & check.....

[edited to add]
Actually... what am I thinking. I'm on deadline. I have four articles and an editorial cartoon to finish by 10 am tomorrow morn. I shouldn;t even be here doing THIS right now

So, don't give me a sec. Give me a day. I'll check all my ADV books tomorrow night, unless someone else beats me to it.

Barry told me that this image was put in as an easter egg for you all. He was wondering if anyone would recognize it as an adventure ara comic with flying saucers ad.

mind you i still cant remember which issue

Re: 11:3, pinching policmen's helmets is also a very 20th century thing to do - if some of those kids read Wodehouse. Could Jo be inspired by the Reverend Stinker Pinker?