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ah what could have been. I think the writers then were just so thrown by the whole Anomaly, they didn't know what to do!
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Well, I'll disagree here. This is where editorial leadership comes into play.
The Anomaly came about when the switch from Carlson to McAvennie happened. Rather than working on coming up with creative ideas on how to use this, he recycled the Dark Circle story - which had been previously rejected - to serve as the vehicle to explain its purpose.
IMO it was editorial incompetence.
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Hmm, is the editor the one responsible for coming up with nee creative ideas? I always thought it was a shared responsibility with the writers?
In the end the Anomaly was folded into the Dark Circle story. So sorry, I don?t follow why the blame should primarily fall on the editors
Last edited by Invisible Brainiac; 11/24/21 02:41 PM.
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This one's a little more convoluted. For an effective team line of titles, its a team effort - the writers do the writing, but it has to be pulled together as a cohesive whole with the leadership of the line editor.
The Dark Circle story was initially suggested when KC Carlson was editor, but was rejected as not being up to snuff. Later, when Carlson was no longer editor, it was consciously brought back to the forefront and integrated with the anomaly. And it did neither story justice, IMO.
So your point is absolutely valid, Ibby - the writers definitely share a portion of the blame here, but they were placed behind the 8-ball from the jump with a substandard story outline. And THAT choice was that of the line editor.
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yeah, good point GL. I was also thinking about it this morning, over my morning coffee. I do agree the editors share some of the blame - for that matter, the editors would be to blame for accepting a story like the Anomaly intro if there weren't any good ideas for its resolution yet. and then meshing it together with another substandard story like the Dark Circle. Thanks btw for that tidbit about Carlson rejecting the Dark Circle story, then it being consciously brought back. didn't know that, and I absolutely see now why the editors deserve their share of the blame!
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I'd like to have been the fly on the wall for the discussion of 101 things to do with the Anomaly - who shot who's ideas down. Funny/odd about the rejected Dark Circle story being recycled, I wonder how often that happens.
Hah! I didn't even pick up on the Tinya survival hint, even though knowing how it eventually works out. Andromeda and the Anomaly.... ugh. I'm already rolling my eyes at the memory of gigantic Andromeda in the sky.
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re Tinya surviving, I don't think I would have picked it up from any of the hints here. I'm curious which hint you picked up, GL?
the only thing I could see here was the "who's asking, there are three of you" bit, which funnily enough later alludes to Tinya being half-Carggite - which is also how she gained physical form again (though that was not how her spirit survived inside Jo's body). but it was very subtle, and I think until now there had been no foreshadowing that her dad was Carggite... so this just went over my head, and I chalked it up as a funny bit of dialogue. Mood whiplash, actually! Some comedy, some romance... then death... yikes.
Add me in as someone completely dissatisfied with where the Anomaly ended up.
I didn't hate the set up,
I didn't hate how it was used to drive the Dark Circle plot,
I did hate the useless changes to Kinetix and Andromeda, (though I didn't mind the changes to Brainiac 5, as it spurred some character development; and I did think the internalized forcefield was a nifty idea)
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I'd like to have been the fly on the wall for the discussion of 101 things to do with the Anomaly - who shot who's ideas down. Funny/odd about the rejected Dark Circle story being recycled, I wonder how often that happens. I totally agree here - I'd surmise the original person who shot that down was Carlson due to the timing. But it would be so cool to have that retelling of how the Legion was made at that time to answer these questions. Levitz teed up something that could have been really interesting. re Tinya surviving, I don't think I would have picked it up from any of the hints here. I'm curious which hint you picked up, GL?
the only thing I could see here was the "who's asking, there are three of you" bit, which funnily enough later alludes to Tinya being half-Carggite - which is also how she gained physical form again (though that was not how her spirit survived inside Jo's body). but it was very subtle, and I think until now there had been no foreshadowing that her dad was Carggite... so this just went over my head, and I chalked it up as a funny bit of dialogue. Mood whiplash, actually! Some comedy, some romance... then death... yikes. Yes it was specifically that line that jumped out at me back in May or whenever that was. Add me in as someone completely dissatisfied with where the Anomaly ended up.
I didn't hate the set up,
I didn't hate how it was used to drive the Dark Circle plot,
I did hate the useless changes to Kinetix and Andromeda, (though I didn't mind the changes to Brainiac 5, as it spurred some character development; and I did think the internalized forcefield was a nifty idea) Definitely hated the changes - or lack thereof - that the Anomaly made. The character changes made no sense in anything other than design. It seemed to be a setup for M'Onel and Tasmia but that went nowhere. But the whole of the story didn't seem to DO much in the end except have an odd conspiracy to be EEEVIL that just ended up eliminating the anomaly altogether.
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Ah, thanks for clarifying the Carrggite hint re Tinya  I remember the end of Levitz's story saying something like "man and woman combine" or some such thing... but yeah they never really did answer who called Andromeda to the Anomaly or why. I guess we could assume it was the Time Trapper, but... yeah.
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Legion of Super-Heroes 72
Absent Friends
Issue InformationSummary: This issue doesn't deal so much with the effect of the White Triangle invasion on the galaxy, as its effect on the team. The deaths of Apparition and Andromeda are heightening tension among UP officials; Tinya's mom wants to shut the Legion down more than ever, the Alephian government is worried about Kinetix's absence, and morale is low among Legionnaires and allies (such as RJ Brande). Cos tries, but fails, to play politics; this causes Pres. Chu to limit the Legion's freedom and to block the memberships of Live Wire, Ultra Boy and Jan Arrah. The pressure causes Cosmic Boy to become aggressive and emotional, and he alienates his fellow Legionnaires. Thoughts: Ah, the pressures of leadership. I've been there before, and I can say that Cos' reactions in this issue are realistic. He tries his best, but curve balls and people pulling him in all directions are causing him to snap. It's depicted as a slow buildup too - we see signs of this in previous issues. Cos tries his best to take care of the team, but in short order he (not purposely, but absentmindedly) alienates Shvaughn, the ambassadors of Aleph, Braal and Titan, and finally President Chu. He really should have waited; I'm certain Chu wouldn't have come down so hard on him if he hadn't stormed off in front of the cameras. It's admirable that he wants to boost the team's morale so, but sometimes timing is key. He wants to help soothe Brainy, but understandably can't tell him the truth about Andromeda. That was wise, but what wasn't is his denying Brainy's request for leave. Surely Legionnaires can get time off? I'm sure he could have done something about it. Then there's the Garth incident. I can understand Cos removing him from the Legion, as President Chu checkmated him. But the normally cool Cos overreacted by magnetically pushing Imra away. Hothead Garth escalated, of course, and walks away - Garth's reaction may also be spurred by some jealousy; Imra doesn't exactly make it clear to either boy which one she likes, or even if she does like either of them. The issue ends with Cos yelling at the gathered Legionnaires and alienating them even more. Granted, the other Legionnaires aren't being very understanding, but this just highlights a sad breakdown in communications. Past issues have shown that if Cos explains his reasoning and command decisions, most of the other Legionnaires will understand or at least accept them. He doesn't even try to talk to them here. Imra's the only one who seems to understand the pressure he's under, and Cos shuts her out too. He could really use a friend right now, but he seems all out of those. In other news... A couple of pages tell us that White Triangle cells through the galaxy have been obliterated, members arrested, and that's that. I guess the writers are more interested in exploring the effects on the team rather than on the UP as a whole; possible sanctions against Daxam aren't even mentioned. A lot went on in the few pages showing the funeral. - Interestingly, even as Violet thinks nobody will miss Andromeda, we get a line from Leviathan remembering how she came through against Tangleweb. - A Durlan bows to Chameleon, making me think his dad's spiritual leader post is hereditary. - Kinetix's missing status is mentioned, but the writers don't show us how she's doing - Ultra Boy is about to leave the Workforce, but this is left hanging - The Trommite philosophy is touched on, with Jan Arrah talking about envying his people. In the annual though, he said that no punishment could be harsh enough for the White Triangle members. So, what's going on here, Jan? I suppose death is welcome, but murder is not? Oh, and as if things weren't enough, we have Doctor Regulus on the horizon. A lot happened this issue, and the writers are juggling a lot of subplots! This all gives the impression that the team is in a state of flux and is heading for turbulent times. In the end, I feel much like Cos does - reeling and a bit confused, and wondering what will happen next.
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Cosmic Boy: set up to fail. That was my initial reaction on reading this issue. It may not have been intended to be read that way, but consider the situation: a teenager thrown into a demanding leadership position, just lost two members of his team, with one missing and - at the funeral, no less - is thrown to the media and a couple of political sharks. Here's a kid who needed a public relations training course, if not an active handler. Maybe R.J. is blind to the limitations of his kids, but I'd wager someone like Chu might have just let this happen. And where is Marla, adult adviser?
Furthermore, plenty of people were murdered at random by the White Triangle and there wasn't any indication that the SPs were being criticized for slack policing. I'm taking a comic book story into real world conditions, but these thoughts came to mind, so I'm fairly sympathetic to Rokk's unenviable position.
Andromeda is alive and in jail - and no one but Rokk can know. That's a very heavy burden. He may have denied Brainy time off because he just doesn't dare to rock the boat any further. As IB wrote, Rokk hasn't been great at communicating, although the rest of the team isn't too understanding.
With everything on his plate, it's not surprising (although disappointing) that Rokk didn't stand up for Garth to stay in the Legion. In the light of this, his team pep talk sure faded fast and the group turned against him.
The White Triangle was dispensed with pretty quickly. I'm not for dragging plots on forever, but would have liked to see something more than a rapid mop-up the mess. Maybe some family members of the deceased protesting outside the Daxam Embassy, an apology from Chu for not detecting Ambassador Roxxas' true nature... something.
I really liked Violet's quiet comment that nobody missed Andromeda; it says a lot for her. Gim's mention of Andromeda's role in the Tangleweb affair struck me as damning with faint praise, but, really, Andromeda didn't contribute that much to the team in her brief tenure.
Jan's a welcome character to add to the mix, with his unusually spiritual outlook on life and death. I don't have a problem with him calling for justice at the same time as accepting his race's extermination; one might believe in the afterlife but still require murderers to pay for their acts. He says he's heading back to Trom, but it's certain we'll see him again.
This issue sets the stage for lots of problems ahead: the secret of Andromeda, Garth's explosive personality, Winema's anger at the Legion, Chameleon regarded as Durlan royalty/hereditary priest class and possibly called to replace his father, what Lyle tried to tell Rokk only to get rebuffed (I find the Lyle-Rokk animosity interesting!) and Dr. Regulus on a killing spree.
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This is one of the more memorable post-major-event issues that I remember from any comic due to a lot of the reactions (and over-reactions) to the preceding events by the characters in this story. Cos comes across as a leader out of his depth here. He, quite understandably, but recklessly, turns away the reporter and blows off Shvaughn before getting into it with the ambassadors. Winema's reaction was predictable and understandable and well done on the page. The only downside is that this was the one note that was played by her character for about five years. I'm going to voice an unpopular opinion here - and I know that its teens and young love and the character histories and all that - but I didn't like Jo's blubbering. The two had only known each other for a few weeks at this point. Yeah, I can be an unromantic bastard sometimes.  I agree with the above comments about Jan - at the end of the Annual, it seemed like he was going to personally round up the Daxamites; now he's very serene about it. I loved the exchange about Apparition and Andromeda between Vi and Triad. It showed a lot of depth to Violet being the only one in the room really thinking of Laurel, as we then turn to Brainy who is walling himself further away from the team (as also noted in his blank spot in the roll call). The Reep/RJ section was a fun read given the pre-boot history of the two characters, but also the implications of where the story would go next regarding Cham himself. Chu using a funeral as a photo op to pull Braalians and Titanians was in extremely poor taste in the way she did it, setting up the private conversation between Imra and Rokk, causing the latter to overreact. He gives a great pep talk but at the cost of Chu looking bad in front of the senators, then any goodwill Cos had created with the team goes rapidly downhill with his lack of defense for Garth, setting up his quest for Mekt, and the violent shoving away of his teammates.
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Good points FC and GL, re poor Cos being set up to fail. Even adults would be hard-pressed to deal with all of this...
... also the bit about everyone being concerned re the Legion. they're teens! they actually saved the Earth and stopped the White Triangle. Give em some credit!
Also gonna reiterate the point I said, and FC also said, that the White Triangle got wrapped up really quickly and pat eh. We get a scene of Gigi and company finding one, and telling her that they've rounded up the Trianglists across the galaxy. the end.
I actually feel for Cos here. So much pressure, and not much sympathy from his friends (though Imra did try!) But it sure shows how quickly things can turn around. I can empathize though, I've been in leadership positions I was not ready for while I was younger... thoroughly unpleasant.
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Also gonna reiterate the point I said, and FC also said, that the White Triangle got wrapped up really quickly and pat eh. We get a scene of Gigi and company finding one, and telling her that they've rounded up the Trianglists across the galaxy. the end.
I actually feel for Cos here. So much pressure, and not much sympathy from his friends (though Imra did try!) But it sure shows how quickly things can turn around. I can empathize though, I've been in leadership positions I was not ready for while I was younger... thoroughly unpleasant. Yeah agree here, and I forgot to comment on that - in a comic book, I think they were trying to thread the needle of wrapping up that loose end, but making more room for the rest of the story. Its a tough one when you have 23 or whatever pages and they need to move on to the next thing. I'm glad at least that they got to it, and even set up the potential for a redux. But this is one of those "bridge" issues where they wrap up the big loose ends and introduce the new threads before moving on to the next arc - I'm reminded of Legionnaires 51 from this same run in that regard. The Rokk leadership story was done - and I've also been in a similar spot. Its really tough!
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It does make a good transition. When I look back at this issue, knowing what comes in the next few (up to LSH 80/L* 37), I marvel at how well they bridged it!
and yeah, leadership is tough, that's why I'm content to be a foot soldier lol!
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Legionnaires 29
Rising Sun
Issue InformationNote: Brainiac 5 makes a three-panel appearance with no dialogue in Guy Gardner Warrior 29 during the events of this story. It's time travel, it's complicated. Summary: This issue picks up almost immediately from last issue. Doctor Regulus has kidnapped Dirk Morgna, son of wealthy businessman Derek Morgna - who is a close friend of President Chu. Saturn Girl, Spark, XS and Leviathan are sent to save Dirk. Dr. Regulus is injecting Dirk with radioactive gold to see if he will gain solar powers; he also intends to ransom Dirk for a large sum of money. Despite the Legionnaires' best efforts, Dirk is caught in an explosion which does indeed turn him into a walking sun - he's too bright and hot for anyone to interact with. We see some Legionnaires and allies dealing with the fallout of the White Triangle Saga, including the revelation that Brainiac 5 has apparently invented time travel (proven by his materializing in his lab with a glass of beer from Guy Gardner's Warriors bar in the 20th century!) ... and Saturn Girl sees Valor again! Thoughts: Old and new collide in this issue. Dirk Morgna still gets the ability to radiate intense light and heat because of Dr. Regulus, but this time Dirk's powers are more of a bane than a boon. He's so bright that nobody can look at him directly. I don't have an immediate problem with it, as it may be interesting to have a reluctant hero on the team (if Dirk does join). But his origin story does leave something to be desired. I can't quite put a finger on it, but it just doesn't seem to make sense. Regulus wanted to use Dirk as a guinea pig. Yet his first comment is, "Still alive? Interesting." This seems to have been before he injected any of the radioactive gold into Dirk. So did he just think of the experiment on a whim? He should have been more careful if that had been his plan all along. Regulus' recollection of the original accident which got him fired (being distracted by Dirk's delivery) is probably biased. Still, it just seems odd that he didn't seal his lab better if his experiment was so critical! The Legion's battle against Regulus is a bit weird and full of contrivances, too. After their great coordination and strategy during the White Triangle war I was honestly expecting better. They did capture Regulus and shatter his armor, but forget his gloves - which allows him to trigger the explosion that ultimately gives Dirk his powers. XS is fast enough to save her three teammates, but can't get to either Regulus or Dirk in time. Saturn Girl now conveniently has trouble shutting down other minds - yet in the White Triangle war she was able to summon four insane Daxamites from around the globe. And the Legionnaires are unaware of Dirk's presence until Imra telepathically eavesdrops on Regulus... yet the Science Police and Derek Morgna knew that from the start of this issue! Despite all that, I did enjoy their final "plan", with Leviathan, XS, Spark and Saturn Girl all working together and using their unique powers to make it work. This despite the minor snags and disagreements (Gim calling Imra out for taking charge, XS feeling the need to defend Cos in front of Imra). THAT is the kind of teamwork I expect. Cos' characterization continues to be erratic, with him asking Ultra Boy to leave Legion HQ because he's not a Legionnaire. Triad even comments that he's in Chu's pocket... yet Cos sidesteps Chu's request for him to go and to bring the team. And readers may have missed the very interesting background art where an Omnicom levitates out of Chu's files while Cos is speaking with her. Invisible Kid? And... did Cos miss that too, or did he notice it? It looks like Cos may be playing the President too! The composition of the mission team may also point to Cos trying to wrest control from Chu. Only four Legionnaires go; even Cosmic Boy and Triad, who were both in Legion HQ, don't go. Did Cos make a call and say Triad was too weak again? Yet Cos went out of his way to look for Brainy for this mission, so how come he didn't go himself? Saturn Girl even comments that Cos couldn't be bothered to come. Looks like the President isn't his top priority after all. Other subplots: Live Wire finally leaves to look for Mekt. He and Ayla sort of make peace too, finally. They are brother and sister, after all. Is Brainy's invention of time travel a way to save Andromeda? (also funny how Brainy returns from his trip - to the opening of Guy Gardner's bar, Warriors, in the 20th century with a mug of beer, takes a sip... then promptly spits it out in disgust. Note, Brainy also appears in Guy Gardner: Warrior issue 29, but he's only there for 3 panels and says nothing, so no point in reviewing) Jan Arrah returns to Trom, and we see that their belief (that death is a passage to a higher state) is helping him cope with his planet's destruction. He takes it upon himself to transmute every single corpse into a crystal monument to help it reach said higher state. It's a nice page that helps give some closure to Trom. I actually enjoyed this issue more for the subplots (the intrigues that Cos appears to be getting into, the time travel revelation, and the glimpse of Valor) than for the main plot. However, none of the developments in these subplots are particularly crucial to their overall resolution. The most important developments are the introductions of Dirk Morgna and Doctor Regulus. However, my enjoyment is lessened even more by my knowledge that Dirk won't actually get to be a Legionnaire in this era; for that matter, nothing much will be done with him. Oh well. It was a pleasant issue, but fails to really accomplish anything concrete.
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Good thing I had IB's notes, since I didn't understand what was making the Omnicom float in the air - and thought Brainy was just drowning his sorrows, not time travelling. The giant image of Brainy as Cos left the lab was confusing. It was a pleasant issue, but fails to really accomplish anything concrete. That pretty much sums it up for me. One thing I did like, which we've seen in previous issues, is how the Legionnaires don't immediately mop up the bad guy. It takes them a while to figure out a plan of attack and make it work but they get up to speed quickly. Even then, they make a few serious mistakes. That works for a young team, but at some point I'd expect them to be more coordinated and efficient right from the start. Doctor Regulus is particularly bloodthirsty, killing without thought. He's got a good look compared to the original version, but the whole living sun from radioactive gold is more suited to the goofy early Adventure era. Is Regulus a one-shot villain this time around? Blind, with his suit melted to his skin, and apparently more insane than when he started, I don't see much chance of a return engagement. It's also difficult to imagine what the writers are going to do with Dirk, given his state at the end of the issue. Contain him in a Wildfire-type suit? There's some closure for Jan Arrah, as well as for Garth and Ayla's relationship; some things do get fixed, to the extent possible. Rokk appears to be going in the wrong direction, however, making no effort to mend his relations with his team. It was curious that there was no comment from any of them about being Chu's team for personal favours. Regulus was a crisis that merited Legion involvement, but the mission was framed as a "bail out my political donor".
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In the spirit of noticing these things for the first time - I vividly remember the omnicom getting boosted while Rokk had Chu's attention. That was my first clue that Rokk was up to something back in the day, and that Lyle was in on it. But what I didn't see until now was Valor in Dirk's energy blast. I think originally I read the "Help me" as Dirk. So neato there. The reboot Regulus IS a nasty fellow indeed. Is it a spoiler to say that he'll be back? Enjoyed Ayla & Garth's reconciliation. Regarding Dirk himself, I had always hoped, given his presentation at the end, that he'd be transformed into a Johnny Storm-like character.
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re floaty Omnicom and Brainy with beer, I didn't get it at first either! took a few rereads for me to be like, waitaminit...
one thing that does remain constant is Imra's bossiness, she just basically takes charge during the mission - even though Deputy Leader Leviathan is around!
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I first thought it was Dirk crying out "Help me" as well, but Imra says "Valor" - it's easy to miss the word balloon in all the action.
Not much of a spoiler at this point to say Regulus returns, although I don't recall how/when.
Bossy Imra - I'd been thinking that in the reboot, we haven't seen much of Iron Butt Imra, but it looks like it's emerging.
Dirk with a Johnny Storm type power would have been cool. There was a panel in 5YL (#9) showing young Dirk saying "Flame on!".
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Wow, I totally missed the "Valor" word balloon.
Johnny and Dirk both seem to be birds of a feather - which is not surprising since writers tend to make fire/energy oriented characters into literal and figurative hotheads. But I've always loved the concept of the Human Torch, so Sun Boy having that capability always seemed to make sense to me. I'll have to keep an eye out when I get to that stage of the v4 legion & early Legionnaires.
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Legion of Super-Heroes 73
End of the Road
Issue informationSummary: Live Wire's search for missing brother Mekt turns out poorly. He's mistaken for Mekt and arrested on planet Bisbe. Mekt breaks him out and brings him back to Korbal, where Mekt reveals his twisted plan... to kill everybody and everything else that has lightning powers, including Live Wire and Spark! Will Spark reach Live Wire in time? And the Valor subplot continues as he makes yet another appearance - in Legion HQ! Thoughts: The missing Mekt subplot is finally touched on after more than a year of "searching", and this issue sets it up well. Mekt frees Garth not out of any sense of family, but because he's eager to preserve his uniqueness. True to his basic goodness, Garth tries to stop Mekt from killing anyone else. Throughout the issue though, you can tell that Garth still hopes Mekt will come to his senses and return home. Sadly, that doesn't seem likely. Unlike Garth, Mekt really revels in his powers. It's also pretty clear that Garth is just using the lightning powers to excuse Mekt's bad behavior; boy is he in for a rude awakening. The conflict between Garth and Mekt, and even Garth's internal conflict, is dealt with really well here. At first I did feel that the whole mistaken identity thing was silly (how far away can Bisbe be that news of the Legion hasn't reached them yet?) but the latter part of the issue fixed it. Shvaughn Erin was able to check Garth's ID scans, and the poor cop on Bisbe figured it out too. It was just a matter of time. Subplot time. Triad's absence last issue (but not Cos') is touched upon as Cos confronts her for her absence. He also notes the absences of Lyle and Cham (but not Vi); why would he expect all three to be together? Hmm. So did Cos not notice the levitating Omnicom in Chu's office? And Valor makes a third appearance, though this time he's a lot more visible (unlike the vague colors in L* Annual 2 and L*29 - though this could be artistic license more than anything else). Finally! For Preboot fans this must have been torture; while new fans are just now understanding just how important this Valor is. Imra also finally explains that he's a holy figure on Cargg, which adds a whole new dimension to Lar Gand.
Holy Cats of Egypt!
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 16,863
Time Trapper
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Time Trapper
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 16,863 |
Of all the villains in the Legionverse, Mekt Ranzz is probably my choice for most crazy and least likely I'd want to be locked in a room with. Universo, the Five, Mordru, all have a certain logic of thought. They might murder you because they're bored or you're in the way, but this guy is Joker-type nuts. He always has had that aspect about him, but it's a lot stronger here. He even looks insane. The odd thing is that he and Garth are alike in some respects, both making excuses for behaviour - their own or each other's. Earnest, well-intentioned Garth thinks there's hope for his brother. Mekt (apparently) thinks there's hope that Garth will join him and tries to kill him only when he refuses. How else to explain the jail break, if Mekt had always planned to be the only remaining lightning wielder? Planets are often named after someone the writer knows - any clues about the origin of Bisbe? It does seem like a stretch that the SPs on Bisbe wouldn't be able to identify Garth and realize he's not Mekt. They could probably do that today. There could have been some excuse like "our galactic ID system is down for the time being". Mekt also looks fairly different, although when someone's trying to kill you, your eye witness skill may suffer. Mekt uses a gun to kill the lightning beast. It's not explained but one could imagine that a lightning attack would have no to little effect on the beast. Other plots move forward at Legion HQ: the appearance of Valor breaking though from some dimension (with Luornu's tearful reaction emphasizing the importance of Valor to Cargg), something cooking with the Espionage Squad which is making Rokk suspicious and Rokk's mismanagement of the team. These three sub-plots are efficiently handled within one scene. There's a high death count in this issue, as there has been throughout this series. Death by burning has dominated lately: the destruction of Trom in fire, Regulus murdering with solar radiation and now Mekt frying people to a crisp. (It's an odd coincidence, but I'm currently reading A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark, in which the opening chapter has members of a secret society burned to death by magic.) How people are murdered in the Legionverse might be a topic to pursue at some point. Triad's absence last issue (but not Cos') is touched upon as Cos confronts her for her absence. He also notes the absences of Lyle and Cham (but not Vi); why would he expect all three to be together? I hadn't observed that he skipped Vi - nice catch - this plays into her continued state of being underestimated and overlooked. And Valor makes a third appearance, though this time he's a lot more visible (unlike the vague colors in L* Annual 2 and L*29 - though this could be artistic license more than anything else). Finally! For Preboot fans this must have been torture; while new fans are just now understanding just how important this Valor is. Imra also finally explains that he's a holy figure on Cargg, which adds a whole new dimension to Lar Gand. I understood his more solid image to be a sign that whatever barrier is between Valor and Earth, it's thinning or he's finally tuned into people who could see him. (I forget how they actually get him out in this version.) Imra acknowledges Valor's importance to Cargg, but the fact that she recognized his hazy image right away indicates that he's a well-known figure beyond Cargg, possibly just not worshipped. When Imra mentioned seeing Valor a few issues ago, it was to Luornu. This looked like they were good friends, which would have been a departure from classic Imra's personality. They may well be friends, but it's clear now that Imra knew Luornu would be highly interested in a Valor sighting.
Holy Cats of Egypt!
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 3,436
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 3,436 |
FC, really good callout on the Garth/Mekt parallel.
Part of me, when reading this, suspected Mekt of tampering with the local database for Garth's retina scan - you can't easily replicate biometrics - but that is somewhat derailed by Shvaughn and Ayla's conversation later in the issue (which leads to Ayla's role in the next issue).
I didn't have too much of a problem with Imra and Luornu at least being conversational at this point - its only a couple months into the Legion's existence and Lu was the first one added after the founders, so it makes sense that there would be some kind of relationship at this point.
For my own reaction, my only real problem with this issue was the sheer na?vet? that Garth shows towards Mekt. I guess that's a totally human thing, but after what Garth has been through the last years worth of comics issues, one would think he'd have a bigger perspective on the universe and not be so blind towards his older brother, but people are known to do stupid things quite a bit.
Also - Moder art. Meh.
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 86,157
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 86,157 |
good observations, gang.
especially FC's musings re Valor, Triad, Imra
yeah, Moder art is hit or miss for me. his teens look more like young-looking, lean adults...
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