Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! Some Mon-el news

Nuts. I didn't realize DanDi was on the presentation list at Toronto. If I had I would have made an effort to dump my lunch date to go to this.

That was actually me who brought up Mon-El at the convention. It was really in response to a different question, not that that matters, but if I had named a character I wanted to see I would have said XS.

Cool.

How was the Con? Certainly the biggest guest list they've ever had.

Maybe I'll make it to the HobbyStar expo in August. My brother works in graphic arts and sometimes he and his buddies get a table and do manga style sketches at that show.

I've never been to a convention before, so I don't really know. I liked it okay. Got some of the many Legion back issues I'm missing.

The full conversation about Mon-El went something like this (I am paraphrasing throughout, but making every attempt not to distort):

DiDio: We want to hear from you. What's your favourite DC comic and what do you like about it?

(various people answer various things)

Matthew E: I stopped collecting comics for a while because of [reasons that aren't relevant here] and only got back into it because I missed the Legion.

[DiDio and Matthew E chat about why I stopped collecting and what I had been getting before that. I took the opportunity to put in some support for Atari Force, which DiDio said they'd totally reprint if they had the rights.]

DiDio: So which version of the Legion did you come back for?

Matthew E: At the time I didn't know there was any other version. But any version would have done. And I really like the current version. I'm just waiting for Mon-El to show up.

DiDio: We might see him in another title... [I forget his exact words; the wording quoted above in the first post is just as good as mine]

Matthew E: (grumble grumble grumble)

DiDio: Did I say something wrong?

Matthew E: Well, I want him in the Legion.

And I do. As far as I'm concerned, you need five characters to do the Legion right. You need the three originals (although you don't necessarily have to keep all three around forever), you need Brainiac 5, and you need Mon-El. Everyone else is negotiable.

So, to advance the wild speculation, you could tie together DiDio's Mon-El comments with the Dominator's utterance of "the 52" in S/LSH #17 to conclude that both Lar Gand and the disk heads have a role in 52 and/or OYL.

Agree completely but would add Cham as an absolutely neccessary sixth.

Great job showing support for Mon in the Legion!

Ugh. I for one am not excited about seeing yet another Mon-El origin story. Especially when none have ever been as cool as the original.

And, as much as I hate to admit it, I think you need Superboy to do the Legion right.

Dammit. I want Mon-El in the Legion. His own title sucked imo.

EDE's right. Any Mon-El origin lacking firebreathing jack-in-the-boxes and super-baseball is going to seem lacking. Kidding aside, the solo space explorer background remains more interesting to me than his later 20th century Valor background.

Just a quick question ?

In the current continuity does Superman know much of his Kryptonian Heritage, I mean specifically does he know his family name of El?

If he does then I don’t see any reason to really change the original Mon El origin story or naming conventions.

That is an amnesiac soace traveller crashes near Clark and with superpowers like Clarks and message from Jor El, Clark can “jokingly” call him Mon El because he was found on a Monday or because Mon means foundling in Kryptonian or something. I would trust Waid to come up with something to modernise this sort of origin but give us enough of a tip to the past.

That said I did not like the Valor name, or much of his own series so I would prefer to avoid that sort of Mon El story.

I think the meeting of Jor-El during the last days of Krypton is a really important part of the story, at least as far as I'm concerned. Fire-breathing jack-in-the-boxes are a bit less important.

The good news is that it sounds like they will do something with the character. I happened to really like the Invasion/seeder-of-worlds Lar Gand, mainly because I thought it was a really neat story -- it made Lar an interesting character AND explained all those humanoid aliens in the Legion. It gave the cosmic side of the DC universe an incredible sense of seamlessness, and Lar was the master tailor. Lar became an Abraham/Gilgamesh sort of character, which kind of got ruined with the "Valor the God" thing in the 2-Boot. Now all of that is buried under 3 versions of the Legion. I hope (and trust) that Waid's plan is dig up the character, dust him off, and fit him into the new universe. Re-establishing the connection to Krypton would be great, because the "Superboy's older brother" thing was also cool.

I have to agree with you there. Of course, I might say that you need to put Ultra Boy in that group as well.

I believe there are those among us who would argue that any one of the three founders could be traded out for Matter-Eater Lad.

I seem to recall that in one of the very early discussions concerning the "upcoming" new series, either Barry or Waid commented that we would not see Mon until after the first year because he was off limits until after the Crisis. I've been waiting to see the role he would play in the DCU during IC and now assume that it will be either as part of 52 (perhaps he will be the vehicle that gets Clark back ino the hero business) or in connection to Kara. (She could well have met him when he visited Krypton prior to its distruction.)

Either way, it's time to get him back in action. This Legion needs Lar around to temper Jo's (and the entire groups) immaturity and help them begin to grow into the true heroes they should be. Lar has always served as the big brother figure in the Legion, not only for Kal but for all of them and they need him more now than ever.

And add me to the list that hopes we see a return of Mon-El, the explorer and not Valor, the godling.

I didn't like Dan's answer.

Yes to Mon-El, no to M'onel. And put me in the camp that considers Superboy as an absolutely essential character to the Legion. There wouldn't be a Legion without him.

I didn't like Dan's answer either. To have a few members who are 'essential' over others in a large group format like the Legion is short sighted. I enjoy the Legion first and foremost by the interaction of different members with each other, and the constant rotation and fresh mixes of these members. In the current run, Cosmic Boy, Brainy, and Saturn Girl are already agitating some readers. The freshest personalities to date (imho) have been Dream Girl and Supergirl - neither one on anybody's short list.

Maybe now that there are rumors of Superman
being Superboy after IC, we can get him into the Legion again....wasn't Supergirl technically inducted into the Legion before Superboy pre- crisis? Give me Mon-el and Superboy. Let's get back the Legion's status quo!!! LLL

Re: Superboy I think there is a lawsuit with his creators. Reason Smallville is called that and never refers to Superboy...also maybe the reason the latest Superboy...isn't around anymore. (IMO, they could've just changed his name ala Nightwing)

Mon-El? I actually loved how Giffen used him as a replacement of sorts for Superboy in the Legion mythos. I'm a huge fan of Mon-El and want him back in the Legion. It might even get me to buy the title.

Well, here's a good clue to where Mon-El will be appearing, other than the Legion:

Action Comics Annual #10 Cover

I seem to be the only one who prefers the postboot's interpretatin of Mon-El, as Valor, "seeder of worlds" who has, in the far-flung future, come to be viewed as a god.

I just love that interpretation. He tries to be a hero and do the right thing, and all of a sudden, he's thrown into a future where everyone believes him to be a god.

The M'Onel name isn't my favorite, admittedly. I just think of the character as Valor, but I can accept Mon-El as well.

I don't mind the "seeder of worlds" idea, but I absolutely despise the "believed to be a god" aspect of it.

I'm just glad he's closely tied to the Superman mythos. That aspect of his character is one I always loved.

I just hope he and Superman have a super-speed pancake breakfast, but this time it will be Lois cooking.