Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Kitson/Fraction's The Order...SPOILERS

Barry, quick question. I love the layout of the issue(panels, etc). Does Matt script that or do you get to lay things out how you like?

It's certainly different than your Legion work.

Thanks.

Hi Ultra Jorge
Glad you liked the issue!

The layouts are mine - with suggestions from Matt too! The differences you see from the LSH pages are mainly due to Matt's different approach to storytelling to Mark's - I always try to come up with layouts that tell the story best. I think you would see differences in my approach with every different writer I work with.

The Soviet villains were all 'proto-types' of the characters that appeared in Marvel comics in the 60's - the 'Beta-versions' if you like.

I hope you continue to like each new character as we learn more about them!

Blame it on Mark.

Done!

Late to the party here, but these two issues were much more enjoyable than expected. I picked it up for Barry's art, which was excellent, very dense (in terms of lots to look at) and such a pleasure! The story hooked me too, which was a surprise, since I generally don't like the Marvel books, stories set in L.A. or TV celebrity stories. However, there was a lot of character focus and human drama, the problems of commercialism, the alcoholism - all for a great, on-going story.

And I got a good laugh out of bulimic young Becky eating that bomb.

Well I finally read #3. Barry the art looks amazing! You were born to draw technology it seems. Infact I really want to see Iron Man (not tony) guest star to see you draw him!

Zobos sound pretty funny yet a good name for a nemesis. Like the fact the Fraction works California stuff in there. Maybe Marvel should fly you and Matt out to California for a month to "research". Do the LA area and San Francisco. You need to get a "feel" for it!

Love the hi-tech aspect of things so far. With Marvel getting rid of mutants I thought they were going to dwindle the superhuman community totally. But here we got about a dozen people with powers. Are they all tech related? I hope so. Wouldn't mind some more hi-tech explanations behind the powers. With nano-technology in a comic book universe anything is possible.

This series rocks. Wouldn't mind them running into some WCA foes like the Nightshift, etc.

Fraction talks Order @ CBR!

I just learned who Matt Fraction was recently. I really like his Order and I LOVE his Iron Fist.

Legion Worlder's Unite! Buy this book now! It has our fan fave Barry Kitson and a writer who is quickly making a big name for himself. Matt Fraction is writing two of the best Marvel titles right now!

This issue focuses on Veda. Maybe the most apparent example that Fraction is truly modeling this on a mythic pantheon. Well I think that started way back when in Civil War.

Veda is the "Gaea" of the team, Mother Earth. She can make rock men (golem like) out of the earth. She calls them her children. More importantly she's not a cliche. Her story reminds me of a alternative Wonder Woman. Very well done.

More Zobos. We learn someone is targeting the Order. Who? They give a number of major Marvel villains as suspects.

Muholland uses her psychic powers to talk to Avona's ghost. Interesting. Hellrung and Stark have a good chat. There IS a sex tape but so far it's not being handled like a cliche. Calamity suprises us with his...quest? Heavy turns out to be not just muscle (he only got a few lines but they are good ones).

Fraction has the ability to make all these guys sound unique and different. You think the character arc is going one way and then you are pleasently suprised. Kind like Johns does on JSA (imo).

Barry's art as usual is amazing. LOTS of details here kids. Lots of tech as well. The tech stuff reminds me a bit of Bob Layton for all of you Iron Man fans. (would LOVE to see Layton ink Kitson on this)

It's a Marvel book but it's not. So it should make Marvel & DC fans happy.

Oh and then there is the M.A.N. from S.H.A.D.O.W. which is rounding up some of the fired ex-members?

I have to reread some of the back issues see what M.A.N. is up to. I don't remember much about him. Maybe that's his "thing".

Barry if you still around any thoughts/hints on M.A.N. or the series in general?

Hi Wild Jorge
Yep - I'm still around!

Glad you are enjoying the book too!

Without giving too much away I can tell you that Matt has a master plan and the series will tie-in very soon with bigger events in the Marvel Universe

Thanks again for following my work!

It would be quite interesting if Stark's little pre-fab heroes ended up with a stronger moral sense than he himself has displayed in the last year or so, and it led to conflict and drama.

How does the preachy moralistic parent react when his 'children' turn out to be better people than he has become and remind him what 'hero' actually means?

Or has Stark's psych-profiling carefully chosen 'damaged goods' (such as ex-alcoholic party-boy Hellrung, or the overly public partiers that he had to 'fire' in the first issues) to avoid this very thing, as Stark has learned from Captain America that he can't 'count on' people that he can't bribe, blackmail, intimidate or otherwise ruin and destroy, financially and / or socially?

It's fairly unlikely that his initial profiling let those first ones he had to fire 'slip through,' out of the thousands of potential applicants, which suggests that Stark is deliberately selecting for people who are flawed and whom he may be able to control through their exploitable flaws.

Or his 'profiling' sucks and is biased towards drunken frat-boys with a tendency to get into trouble. Also a possibility, since he might not recognize that as 'flawed,' given his own history with the sauce.

Set, it depends what book you read with Tony. He's a fascist in one book and a hero in another. I don't mind his tough love hero approach but Marvel has been inconsistent with it. Hellrung appears to be a better adjusted Tony.

As for the profiling? Yeah I question that. Shouldn't these people be trained SHIELD agents? Why they pick celebrities or wanna be celebrities? Part of Stark's PR? Anyone who is trained properly can be a superhero?

As for Barry's comments; I didn't even think of the Skrull stuff affecting The Order! We have tons of characters running around atleast ONE of them has to be a Skrull.

(speaking of Skrull's...anoyone remember Effigy? The Skrull Lost Gen hero? It would be cool if he was an imposter but on the side of the angels...double agent skrull)

True. Ever since he mind-jobbed Green Goblin into killing an Atlantean diplomat to start a war with Atlantis so that he could rack in some war profiteering on the side, he's been firmly un-savable for me. The whole cloning-Thor thing even managed to retcon and make him into a villain over a decade ago, willing to violate his own team-mates.

But I do see some writers at Marvel futiley attempting to save the character by having him act like a hero, only to have Bendis and crew yank him firmly back into fascist dictator mode.

It's gonna take a writer far better than anyone they have on staff to turn Iron Man back into a hero, and it increasingly looks like they'll have to do it over Quesada and Bendis' dead bodies.

Good point, and it would explain the profiling thing if the people in charge of the profiling were Skrulls, making sure that America's next generation of heroes where useless or co-opted right from the start!

Pepper Pots is on my short list. A supporting character abandoned *twenty years ago* suddenly back in the picture and an important part of Tony's life? Yeah, that's not suspicious at all.

I give absolutely zero chance of that being remembered or used. Continuity is Kryptonite at Marvel these days.

The absolute best thing that I could be saying about this series a year from now is that the execution was comparable to Strikeforce: Morituri, a team of heroes fated to only serve for a short time, and desperate to make their mark in the time they had.

Right now I'm buying it out of loyalty to Barry.

Set, good point about the Tony/Green Goblin Atlantis thing. I have a feeling it will be revealed Tony is not responsible for this and someone framed him. Yeah there are more obvious ways to frame him but that is why it will be such a good frame job. It's so sublte. But that's an Iron Man post so I will stop there.

PEPPER POTTS! I agree. Busiek actually brought her and Happy back from a nice comic book limbo life in the burbs. Why?! Happy is dead and she became Oracle/Hera. She has to be a Skrull. I like what Fraction did with her. Paired her with Hellrung instead of still being a Stark love interest. She is a perfect candidate to be a skrull.

Regarding continuity, Marvel & Effigy. The original continuity is shaky at best. It's Byrne's Lost Generation maxi-series. I don't think that's in continuity anyways. I was just being hopeful. He was one of the few characters I liked from the series.

In Avengers Initiative it looks like they will be rotating the main cast and I like it. I don't mind it if the Order does the same. Ofcourse I love most of the team.

My sekrit reason for wanting Pepper Pots to be a Skrull (and then go away) is because I miss Tony's old assistant, Mrs. Arbogast. She was snarky, like a female Alfred.

lol, Set I loved Mrs. Arbogast and was going to reference her in my own post. But if I wrote Iron Man I wouldn't bring Mrs. Arbogast back for the sake of progress. I WOULD have her just as snarky hot niece Ms. Arbogast work as receptionist for Tony. See? Progress.

I love the speculation guys!

Big events start occuring in #6 that will help you with your deductions... So big that we even had to keep the cover to #7 a secret...

I like Pepper - her developing interaction with Kate and Henry is a fun aspect of the book.

So I'm starting to become a real fan of this book. It took me three pages to realize Barry didn't draw it. I was so excited about the story I didn't pay attention to the art. My bad!

I really like the Black Dahlia's. Matt is bringing some California folklore into the mix. Personally I love all that old pulp Cali stuff.

Can't wait for next issue.

Hi Jorge
Glad you're still enjoying it! And that it took you a few pages to realise Kharu helped out - that was really the idea with my doing the breakdowns for him to keep the story telling style the same. You can see some of the thumbnails at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/barrykitsonart/files/The%20Order/Thumbnails%20for%20%235/

Same here. The "Tim Burton golf club" line is a classic.

It would really bug me if any one of these characters turns out to be a Skrull, since I think these characters work so well together.

Barry, you did the breakdowns? That does explain it I guess.

While I don't know which hero is a Skrull I do know who used to be a Black Dahlia.

Hi Guys
Glad you like the characters Outdoor Minor!

You know about as much as I do then Ultra Jorge!

Well I have to admit that I am really enjoying this story arc as well. I have held back commenting because I wanted to see how it all panned out.

I will say that Barry made me break two of my own personal “cardinal rules” over comics and collecting. Firstly, I became such a fan of his work after the legion I actually followed a creator rather than a character. Secondly he’s made me buy Marvel comics for the first time since the 60’s.

I didn’t want to buy a marvel comic as I am such a completist I would find myself spending a fortune in back issues. Yet picking up The Order has been a wonderful self contained introduction to the Marvel Universe and an easy to follow storyline, good character development and plenty of action has made this a fun read.

Barry’s art is as always a real treat to look at and draws me into this series with a beguiling ease.

Curse you Mr Kitson

ditto...except replace "since the 60's" with "ever in my life."

You guys just made my day! Thanks!