Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! How Legionnaires have fared through the various eras

You can, of course, define "era" any way you choose.

I just thought I'd take a look at how some of my faves have been presented through the years...

TRIPLICATE GIRL/DUO DAMSEL/TRIAD

Early Adventure Era: Fared as well as any of the non-Saturn Girl female characters. Has the distinct "honor" of actually being involved in a life-changing event in this period.

Shooter Era: We begin to see some personality come out. Has an inspired appearance taking down LSH villain Nemesis Kid. The idea of her bodies having separate personalities is toyed with for the first time during the Nam'Lor story.

Cockrum/Grell Era: Despite being good enough to end the War between the "Nights and Days", she falls victim to this era's policy of writing out low-powered Legionnaires. Even after that, she is popular enough to warrant appearances: one consists of her saving Princess Projectra from one of her many afflictions and another showcases her fighting abilities.


S/LSH/80s Era: She returns for the Earthwar but doesn't have one line of dialogue. But she (along with her husband) does rejoin the LSH for a while during the 80s.

Levitz Era: Duo Damsel is written out again and appears sporadically for most of the remainder of Levitz' lengthy run.

TMK Era: Lu appears in a minor role, primarily as a hard-nosed member of the UP Militia.

T&MB/SW6 Era: The Bierbaums really play with the notion of Lu's bodies having distinct personalities and set the tone for her character for years to come. It is here that a more modern audience begins to see potential in the character.

Early Post-Boot Era: Triad is a major player for the first time in her history.

"Archie" Post-Boot Era: Lu continues to be a featured player.

DnA Post-boot Era: The trend continues... After an absence during "LEGION LOST", Triad's status is elevated all the way up to "Situations Executive", and she takes out Ra's Al Ghul.

WaK 3Boot Era: Triplicate Girl is reduced to Cosmic Boy's spy and toady.

Tooniverse Era: Seems to be the top chick after Saturn Girl and Phantom Girl.

Countdown Era: Too early to make the call on "Una".


SUMMARY

Quite a few ups and downs there. Lu is the epitome of making lemonade from lemons. Her history shows that she has the potential to be a fan-favorite. Now if only someone will allow her to do so.

MATTER-EATER LAD

Early Adventure Era: Appears sporadically.

Shooter Era: Shooter uses Tenzil to tell stories related to his own life, giving Tenzil quite a bit of character in the process.

Cockrum/Grell Era: Another victim of the "writing-out low-powered characters" policy.

S/LSH/80s Era: Starlin uses Tenzil to defeat Omega, and sends him off to CrazyTown.

Levitz Era: Levitz does finally "fix" Tenzil, and sends him promptly back to Bismoll never to be heard from again. UNTIL... Keith Giffen gets wind of him. Therefore we have the unforgettable "Legion of Subs Special" heavily featuring Tenzil.

TMK Era: Tenzil is played for laughs in an otherwise dark and dreary landscape. Becomes impossible to overlook.

T&MB/SW6 Era: Becomes a featured player for the first time ever during the Bierbaums' stint, establishing a "kewl kid/class clown" role.

Post-Boot Era: (no use in dividing out these eras here) Tenzil is only a minor character throughout the postboot, with the exception of one LEGIONNAIRES issue that focuses on the minor characters. He vanishes entirely through DnA's run (but for a one-panel dream sequence).

WaK 3Boot Era: An insult until recently. Bedard is apparently bringing our favorite Mr. Kem back to the forefront.

Tooniverse Era: Some excellent appearances so far. Tenzil as "kewl kid" is re-established.

Countdown Era: Has a statue in the Fortress of Solitude!


SUMMARY

Tenzil is obviously a character writers either love or hate. Those that love him have made (and are making) fantastic usage of him.

You sum it up nicely that Tenzil is a character that writers eitehr love or hate. He might be the most polarizing character in all of Legion lore for potential writers & artists.

And you remind me of how great Lu was in the reboot. They way both her and Lyle shined will always be sterling examples that the Reboot really did do some things not only right, but better than ever done before.

DAWNSTAR

Cockrum/Grell Era: Dawnstar debuts and quickly establishes herself to be the heaviest-hitting of the then-active female Legionnaires.

S/LSH/80s Era: Dawny continues to be featured prominently.

Levitz Era: Dawny remains a featured player throughout Levitz' lengthy tenure.

TMK Era: Dawny's role is reduced, relegated to the "Bounty" character who is not even officially revealed as Dawny until 36 issues into the series.

T&MB/SW6, Post-Boot and WaK 3Boot Eras: Dawnstar is ignored throughout these eras, with the exception of the odd 'out of then-continuity' type tales. Fans argue that Shikari is a "reboot version" of Dawnstar.

Tooniverse Era: Not yet.

Countdown Era: Back in a big way!


SUMMARY

This curve shows very well how "out of favor" some characters can fall when a new generation of creatives take over. Conversely it shows how quickly they can fall back INTO favor once that generation is replaced with the next. Look for Dawnstar to be a major player again.

Excellent breakdowns.

I actually like the W&K Lu...she's potentially the most powerful member of the team once she gets herself together. A far cry from her Levitz incarnation. At the same time, they managed to make her dominant personality very similar to the girl next door she's always been(with a lot of kinky potential). She's always been a neat character with a built in fantasy appeal to a lot of people.

Always one of my favs in any era.

I am not too happy with the Una thing though, in fact I wouldn't mind if they somehow kept her power similar to what W&K have done...where she can make potentially limitless duplicates of herself. Including regenerating her dead bodies maybe...she just never knew she could do it.

She's been used ingenously by most writers even on a limited power scale, with the exception of Levitz...probably revealing one of his limitations as a writer more than anything else.


MatterEaterLad - By far my favorite Tenz is the TMK version. The TMK Tenz is my favorite post crisis Legionaire. He's my favorite part of all post crisis Legions. And I never paid much attention to him prior to TMK.


The TMK Tenz IS the real Tenz to me...and I want him in any Legion from this day forward.


Dawnstar, never one of my favorites, at the same time, she's a striking and eye catching character and she's one of the ones that, well, it doesn't feel like the Legion without her, even though she's not one of my favs. Making her non-descript was probably the biggest in continuity sin of the TMK Legion.

I like the way she's been handled with importance by Johns.

hey LASH !!

great thread, i'm looking forward to reading the ULTRABOY profile !!

Matthew.

Superboy, our thoughts on Tenz match up well. I also credit Tom and Mary for making me such a big Lu fan.

Matt, why wait? I'll do it now because I have some thoughts on this character as well.


ULTRA BOY

Adventure Era: Despite not being used to his fullest potential powers-wise, Jo appears regularly.

Shooter Era: Jo continues to appear regularly, and his powers begin to be used to their fullest extent.

Cockrum/Grell Era: A few spotlights here for Jo, when he is shown to be immune to "The Master"'s mind-zapper helmet, and when his fear of being swallowed alive is explored. The Jo/Tinya romances continues to flourish.

S/LSH/80s Era: Steady wins the race. Jo continues to appear steadily. We'll just forget that silly Reflecto nonsense.

Levitz Era: Jo continues to appear steadily (notice a trend here?). An unofficial "mightiest Legionnaires" club develops, with Jo, Superboy, Mon-El, Wildfire and Dawnstar as "members" (these were the characters who always went on the toughest missions).

TMK, T&MB/SW6 Eras: A featured player in both eras. In TMK Era, tragedy strikes Jo, giving his character some needed depth. This contrasts with his SW6 depiction as the somewhat naughty boy untouched by tragedy.

Early Post-Boot Era: Jo takes his time being introduced back into LSH Lore, but once he's in....

"Archie" Post-Boot Era: Continues to be a lead player.

DnA Post-Boot Era: A star of LEGION LOST, Jo remains a star player throughout the remainder of the post-boot run.

WaK 3Boot Era: Yet again, a star-player, although without the Tinya romance (unlike the TMK era, with no tragedy involved).

Tooniverse Era: Whoa. Jo has had VERY little play in the LSH Tooniverse so far.

Countdown Era: We know Jo is a member of this LSH.


SUMMARY

Jo's popularity cannot be played down, it's very obvious. That's why I am surprised by his next-to non-usage in the Tooniverse. Definitely one of the brightest stars of the LSH-verse.

I wonder if they aren't using Jo in the cartoon cause they don't want to upstage Superman.

MLLASH,

good analysis. I am looking forward to more on other Legionnaires.

Cobie, Quis, thanks for the comments... Jorg, I'll bet that is a key factor. That's stupid, because kids would LOVE swashbuckler-esque Jo!

I'm off for 4 days so I'm going to cram in as many of these as my head can take! And next up is...


BOUNCING BOY


Adventure Era: Actually a fairly key player for one not of the "core" of Superboy, Saturn Girl, Sun Boy, Brainiac 5, etc. Chuck also has the distinction of having character development during this early stage.

Shooter Era: Not as much play, but the romance with Luornu begins here.

Cockrum/Grell Era: There's that dreaded "out with low-powered characters" syndrome again! This doesn't prevent Chuck from appearing in the occasional backup feature.

S/LSH/80s era: Chuck returns for Earthwar, and also rejoins alongside his wife Duo Damsel.

Levitz Era: Paul promptly shows Chuck and Lu the door again, and Chuck appears only sporadically throughout the remainder of Levitz' run.

TMK Era: A minor player alongside his wife.

T&MB/SW6 Era: Poor Chuck doesn't even rate an SW6 counterpart! Although a young version does show up for "End of an Era".

Post-Boot Era: Surprisingly, Chuck makes out like a bandit here, especially for a non-powered character. Featured regularly throughout the reboot, by the time DnA's THE LEGION comes out, it appears Chuck has actually joined the team (though this is never specified).

WaK 3Boot Era: Fans are toyed mercilessly on the letters page about Chuck's return. He has yet to appear.

Tooniverse Era: Bouncing Boy fans inflate with delight. Chuck comes to the fore and a new generation of fans insure he will never be forgotten.

Countdown Era: Chuck has a statue-- that means he is/was definitely a member.


SUMMARY

Despite his up and down history in the LSHverse, no one can deny that the LSH cartoon has now made Chuck a star. Prediction: Watch for Bouncing Boy to come back bigger and better than ever!

Analysis with MLLASH...there's a joke in there somewhere

Very true, SB-SG!


PRINCESS PROJECTRA/SENSOR GIRL/SENSOR


Shooter Era: Her debut is astounding, but she fails to live up to that potential. Still, her royal status and romance with Karate Kid give her some nice development. Bonked on the head with a club by a gangbanger, she lapses into a temporary coma. Also voted by the computer to be the most likely to go bat$#!t during extreme stress. However, seeing her costume on a man does not destroy her psyche.

Cockrum/Grell Era: Hubba-hubba! She appears semi-regularly throughout. Lapses into a coma from the pain plague, lapses into a coma because she misses Karate Kid, powers go haywire for one backup tale because she's all stressed out.

S/LSH/80s Era: Pretty much just "there", she continues to appear regularly.

Levitz Era: Some good play, then is written out after her marriage to K-Kid. Returns for a defining moment during the LSV war storyline, vanishes again. Returns as Sensor Girl and experiences the biggest popularity of her career.

TMK Era: Powered WAY down, now a minor character.

T&MB/SW6 Era: Her SW6 counterpart is casually killed in an explosion. I am beginning to think that TMK hate Jeckie! Then Giffen leaves, and (non-SW6) Jeckie reappears right away. Looks like Giffen was the princess-playa-hater.

Post-Boot Era: A snake. Raccoon servants. No appearance of Rocket Raccoon. One word: Uggh.

WaK 3Boot Era: The discarding of Orando was ridiculous, but I do like the romance with Timber Wolf. She's appeared semi-regularly, no lapsing into comas as yet.

Tooniverse Era: Not yet, and not likely what with Saturn Girl's role as illusionist here.

Countdown Era: Looks like some fans of Jeckie's stint as Sensor Girl now write comics.


SUMMARY

Okay, some of my synopses were a bit flip, but make no mistake-- I love Princess Projectra. Her LSH career has been somewhat odd, but that makes her fun to watch. I even grew to tolerate the Sensorsnake, but never quit wishing for a human Jeckie. It's good that the COUNTDOWN crew are Sensor Girl fans, because I'll be surprised if she appears in the Tooniverse.

hey LASH, thanks for the promt ULTRABOY profile, keep them coming !!

Matthew.

I started a similar topic with a different format about a month ago, and interestingly, started off with Lu just like Lash did. I got a few good responses. I'll try to bump it up as a companion to this threat so you can compare.

Everyone check out Jerry's thread... some people's picks are quite interesting and unexpected!

Though everyone should have expected my next pick to breakdown here:


INFECTIOUS LASS


Cockrum/Grell Era: Dru has a pretty amazing (failed) tryout, and that should have been the end of it. Yet she appears again 17 issues later at another tryout. One rarely saw repeat tryouts for rejected candidates. Obviously something struck a chord with someone. My guess is it was a combo of her amazing visual, her hilarious first tryout and her potentially dangerous powers.

Levitz Era: I'm wagering it was Keith Giffen who placed Dru in the Subs for two very important Levitz-era appearances, in DC COMICS PRESENTS # 59 and the SUBS Special. She does not appear again until...

TMK Era: Again, leading credence to the theory of Giffen's being a Drura fan, but she pretty much remains a background player. It is also established that Dru was a full LSH member during the 5 year gap.

T&MB Era: Dru comes to the fore and appears regularly for the first time ever. She continues to appear semi-steadily after the Bierbaums exit through "End of an Era".

Post-Boot Era: Drura shows up just before the end of the reboot as a LSH cadet. She helps save the day.

Tooniverse Era: Surprisingly, Dru has gotten major play both in the cartoon and the tooniverse comic.

Countdown Era: Continuing an upswing in Drura appearances. Infectious Lass unexpectedly turns up in TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED as a member of "Team 13". Soon to be released in TPB.


SUMMARY

Infetious Lass' history is an interesting case study. Not even I can understand her recent emergence in the 'tooniverse and the TotU story, though I am delighted by it. This is apparently a case of what should have been a one-off appearance making an impression on enough people to evolve into someting no one could have foreseen. Not unlike a little group calling itself... the Legion of Super-Heroes.

SUN BOY


Adventure Era: I would call Dirk a "core" member during this time, and he appeared regularly.

Shooter Era: Not as much a "core" player, but still appearing regularly.

Cockrum/Grell Era: Like a good neighbor, Sun Boy is there.

S/LSH/80s Era: Dirk is hanging in there with the rest of the gang.

Levitz Era: Now things start to get interesting. Dirk emerges as a bit of a ladies man, possibly turning off some fans. Still appears regularly throughout Levitz' run.

TMK Era: Things really go south for Dirk here. You can't apply a layer of slime to a character without negative consequences. Dirk ends up branded a traitor, suffers horrible tortures and eventually is put out of his misery.

T&MB/SW6 Era: SW6 Dirk is so interesting to me. He's such an ass, but the kind of ass you want to get approval from. Everyone has someone like that in their lives at some point. Appears regularly again.

Post-Boot Era: Missing for years, and when he does turn up it is only a minor role.

Wak 3Boot Era: A promising start cut all too short by his exit. Still has yet to make an impression after his recent return.

Tooniverse Era: Cameo appearances.

Countdown Era: A statue, he's there somewhere!


SUMMARY

Now THIS is an example of highs and lows. I feel like Dirk still hasn't recovered from the path his character was started on with Levitz' "smarmy ladies-man" take on him. Still, that take gave him such interesting characterization. No good deed goes unpunished.

WILDFIRE


Cockrum/Grell Era: An instant fan-fave, Wildfire makes leader status while still a rookie.

S/LSH/80s Era: A top-tier player throughout this era.

Levitz Era: Remains a top-tier player throughout Levitz' tenure.

TMK Era: And now the fallout begins. Drake vanishes entirely from the comic after years of being a superstar.

Legion on the Run Era: I actually have to start a new "Era category" for Drake. Once Giffen and the Bierbaums are completely out of the picture, Drake returns instantly. Unfortunately, it was during a really bad period of LSH history.

Post-Boot Era: Drake appears years into the postboot, but suffers from a poor origin this time around.

WaK 3Boot Era: Looks like it might be happening if the cover solicits can be trusted.

Tooniverse Era: Not yet, to my knowledge.

Countdown Era: "Lightning Saga" Wildfire is a major player so far.


SUMMARY

Has any Legionnaire joined to such instant popularity and then just been discarded so casually? I'm a fan of TMK, but their handling of Drake is pretty inexcusable and probably hurt the book's popularity somewhat. Like I say in Dawny's summary, though, a new generation of fans has now come into power... so look for Wildfire to become a superstar all over again.

DREAM GIRL


Adventure Era: Her debut was unforgettable, what with all the boys fawning, the girls hating, and the Naltorian super-science. But that was just a one-shot appearance.

Shooter Era: Dreamy joins... but she does not appear often.

Cockrum/Grell Era: Dreamy appears usually only whenever a hot chick in a skimpy negligee scene is called for.

S/LSH/80s Era: Sporadic appearances.

Levitz Era: Nura is forced to the forefront when she wins the readers' leadership election vote. "On-screen" time goes up, like, 90%, popularity surges. Appears pretty regularly even after quitting the LSH.

TMK Era: This era's tendency to ignore characters that were popular during Leviz' run continues.

T&MB/SW6 Era: Dreamy does appear for the reunion Annual, the Mordru 6-parter and in the batball/Star Boy issue. No SW6 counterpart, but a young version turns up for "End of an Era".

Post-Boot Era: Rejected at her tryout, Nura continues to appear (usually in a really cute rainbow-fabric skirt). She later goes from ditzy to gritty and joins the team.

WaK 3Boot Era: An excellent start for Dreamy that quickly devolved into her nonsensical non-death. The jury is still out here.

Tooniverse Era: She's there, and set for a spotlight epsidoe in the 2nd season.

Countdown Era: A major player in the "Lightning Saga", including a JLoA cover appearance.



SUMMARY

Dream Girl is a prime example of just how much influence LSH fans have had on the book in its history. Would Nura ever have reached the levels she did without winning that leadership election? Doubtful. And again, obvious fans of that era in LSH history are now in power at DC, so I'm expecting big things in the future (pun intended) for Nura Nal.

TYROC

Grell/S/LSH/80s Era: After his debut, appears twice more quickly, then pretty much vanishes except for the ocassional cameo. Is eventually written out completely about 50 issues after his debut.

TMK Era: Re-appears, remains a background player but eventually becomes vice-president then president of New Earth.

WaK 3Boot Era: There was that 1 cover appearance alongside Dawstar and Bok that got everyone so excited awhile back.

Tooniverse Era: He's made at least 2 cameo appearances, mentioned by name once.


SUMMARY

Poor Tyroc was a victim of writers taking the easy way out. Something else else could have been done to make him a viable character. His usage in the Tooniverse is both unexpected and exciting. I'm waiting to see if he will be around in the "Countdown" LSH continuity.

About Wildfire: he had one sort-of appearance in the cartoon. The name 'Drake Burroughs' (or was it just 'Burroughs'?) appeared in Interlac on a list of athletes competing in the Galactic Games, in the same episode where we were introduced to the cartoon versions of Jo Nah and Tenzil Kem... and of course Zzok of Sephia.

Lash, I love these! I can't wait to hear what you have to say about more of the characters. Personally, I'm hoping for Night Girl. And Cos. Because I love him.

Your wish, etc. etc...


COSMIC BOY


Early Adventure Era: For a founder, he is overshadowed frequently by co-founders Garth and Imra, but still appears semi-regularly.

Shooter Era: Still appears regularly.

Cockrum/Grell Era: A few negative appearances don't do much for Cos'character, but that Grell costume insures that every Cos appearance is memorable.

S/LSH/80s Era: Still rolling with his homies regularly. "That" costume maintains a surprisingly long shelf life.

Levitz Era: Tragedy enters Cos' life. Remains a regular until Levitz writes out all of the founders. Even afterwards, appears semi-regularly. "That" costume is discarded by Giffen.

TMK Era: Here is where Cosmic Boy truly begins to shine. A major player throughout TMK.

T&MB/SW6 Era: Both Rokks remain major players.

Legion on the Run Era: Rokk steady appearances culminating in a "Rokk is the Time Trapper" revelation that is best forgotten.

Early Post-Boot Era: It may be here that Cosmic Boy shines brightest.

"Archie"/DnA Post-Boot Eras: Rokk continues to be a major player.

WaK 3Boot Era: Book should be titled "Cosmic Boy and to a much lesser extent, the rest of them".

Tooniverse Era: He's there. Cameo appearances.

Countdown Era: Cover appearance on an upcoming ACTION. Safe to say he'll be a major player.


SUMMARY


Rokk really had to fight for his eventual popularity, didn't he? It seems in the early days he was always overshadowed by Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl, but once he grabbed onto a starring role (TMK), he's never let go of it.

Great analyses(sp?), Mllash! I wonder if Cosmic Boy's popularity shadows Magneto's rise to prominence and dominance in the X-verse?

By the time I quit reading all X-books (around 1996/7), Magneto had become a major player in the X-verse and there was even that younger version of him running around (please, no one bother to update me... I've long since quit caring). So this very well might parallel Cos' rise in prominence during the reboot era, and certainly follows the intro of young SW6 Cos.


BLOK

S/LSH/80s Era: Blok is intro'd as a villain, and later joins the team. An early example of the later trend of hero-izing villains that ran rampant in the 90s? Appears semi-reguarly.

Levitz Era: Appears semi-regularly.

TMK Era: Blok is killed early on, garnering a surprising amount of outrage (to me) from LSH fans.

T&MB Era: Zombie-Blok gives Laurel Gand a run for her money during the Mordru multi-parter.

DnA Post-Boot Era: A cadet is intro'd late in the series that looks very much like Blok. The cadet is never called by name.

WaK 3Boot: That cover appearance of Blok, Dawny and Tyroc caused quite a bit of excitement.

Tooniverse Era: Cameo appearances.

Countdown Era: I'd have to check to be sure, but it seems I recall a Blok statue.


SUMMARY

Blok has never been a huge favorite of mine, but he does have many fans. I was among those very excited (and afterwards, very disappointed) by the recent WaK cover solicit featuring a trifecta of long-ignored LSH characters (including Blok). What with the Tooniverse cameos and the Countdown crew being big Levitz fans, I'm predicting a return to regular appearances by Blok in the near future.

CHEMICAL KING

Shooter Era: Condo joins late in the Adventure run, appears semi-regularly through the remainder of Shooter's run.

Cockrum/Grell Era: Usually relegated to team-shots, Condo does have a couple of moments here: He's on hand for Erg-1 (Wildfire)'s sacrifice and has a pivotol appearance during Element Lad's capture of Roxxas in S/LSH 211. Chemcial King saves the day and is killed for his efforts in S/LSH 228.

Levitz Era: Condo appears in a couple of flashback issues but has a shining moment in SECRET ORIGINS in the heartbreaking tale "The Unique Properties of Condo Arlik".

T&MB Era: Zombie-Condo is a serious threat.

Post-Boot Era: Condo Arlik is a little-seen reporter, seemingly older than his once-upon a 'boot-teammates. The hint of a romance with Invisible Kid causes a stir, but nothing ever develops.

Countdown Era: Correct me if I'm wrong, I don't recall a Condo statue.


SUMMARY

One could argue that Chemical King is the winner for "short end of the stick" in LSH history, especially for one who joined during the popular Shooter/Adventure era. His no-shows in the Tooniverse and Countdown eras don't bode well, unfortunately.