Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes The Golden Age Legionnaire

Hopefully we'll learn some more tomorrow because while this is interesting, it's not a lot to go on:

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/who-is-the-legionnaire-in-dcs-golden-age/

Just to repeat what I said in the Recent Legionverse sightings thread:

There's one Legionnaire who is genuinely a Golden Age character, has basically been forgotten/pulled out of continuity (even with occasional attempts to restore some version of him), and whose existence would be a *huge* deal for both the Legion and the DC Universe as a whole.

Even though the silhouette doesn't really fit at all... could it be original recipe Superboy?

I'm A) cautiously optimistic and B) squinting at the notion of an event baddie named 'Nostalgia.'

I mean, only one of the other characters has any basis in IRL history (Aquaman), the rest are pure retcon. I wouldn't necessarily bet on it being a known character.

It all sounds pretty bad to me, TBH.

Oh I know who that is! It's clearly NAME AND ADDRESS WITHHELD

My two guesses are:

A) Thom. Johns has claimed that every JSA connected character is going to play a part in this storyline. It wouldn’t surprise me if he pulled Thom back out, even if the silhouette doesn’t match any known Thom design.

B) A new character with the info blacked out so we all speculated wildly about who it could be.

EDIT:

Okay, just read the issue.

After blacking the character out and making a mystery of it, if it just turns out to be Jo Schmukims from the third moon of Simballa, that's going to be pretty lame.

Someone did a side by side comparison of the Legionnaire and Booster Gold and now I am scared that it's either Booster, or God help us all, a teenage version of Rip Hunter

Oh, that's such a comic book thing to do.

Cover, "Who is the mysterious X?!" with a bunch of characters staring in shock at a figure in silhouette.

Inside, "Some schmuck you've never heard of, and will never see again, after this event is over!"

I'm fine with it being Booster, but I also don't think it can be. That would imply Booster was pulled from the timeline, but we all know about him. Maybe its another Booster from another timeline, one that doesn't inspire agony and derision in others?

Maybe its that possible future-timeline Legionnaire that betrayed the Legion but never got a name? Maybe he's one of the several unknown Legionnaires shown at the end of the Legion's debut appearance issue (later retconned to be established Legionnaires). The hair and Bronze Age ring don't match the James Cullen Kid Quantum.

Knowing Johns, its going to be a legacy character. Kite Lad. Dog Welder II.

I really can’t see it being Booster. He’s not a Legion member (despite a weird amount of non-Legion fans insisting that he is). He’s not even from the same century. It would make absolutely no sense.

OH,GREAT, they're fighting the perfume from THE WATCHMEN.... the Legionnaire is Kid Manhattan!

Don't even joke.

I am going to go with Sun Boy. John's co-created the character of Sun Girl for the Titans series in the 2000s so he clearly must like Sun Boy.

Kid Manhattan should totally be named after another borough. Kid Brooklyn or Kid Bronx or Kid Queens!

Or one of the sub-sections of Manhattan itself, like 'Kid Harlem' or 'Kid Village.'

"The Manhattan Kid" sounds like a good nickname!

"Kid Brooklyn" could just be Brooklyn from the Boy Commandos!

Ben Pares - he stole a time bubble and accidentally became a Golden Age hero with his knowledge of... The Future!

OTOH, I want to see a story where someone like Ben Pares attempts to 'pull a Booster Gold' and go back in time (or to a more primitive culture) and use future-tech or knowledge to become a super-hero/celebrity, and somehow just mess it all up and fail spectacularly (shows up at historical disasters in advance to prevent them heroically, but fails to think things through and ends up appearing to have *started* the disaster, since he made a big show of appearing before it happened and doing stuff!)...

Looking at the headlines, Ben Pares wondered if bringing his beloved Earthquake Beast with him to the 21st century was a bad idea.

So am I right that pretty much all of these characters have been introduced at this point, but we still know nothing about the GA Legionnaire?

Most of the Thirteen (particularly the 8 kids) appeared in Stargirl: the Lost Children. Witch Girl also appeared in JSA.

Harlequin's Son, Thaddeus Brown/Mr Miracle, Vladimir Sokov/Red Lantern make appearances or at least cameo/mentions in JSA. (This Thaddeus apparently also made earlier appearances in Detective Comics).

I don't think there has been any reference to either the Golden Age Aquaman nor the Golden Legionnaire.

Thanks! I couldn't remember if Mr. Miracle had appeared, and totally skipped over Aquanan when I was trying to figure this out earlier.

The Golden Age Legionnaire was mentioned by Johnny Thunderbolt (is that his name?) in the issue of JSA where Helena Wayne first visits the original JSA. But only in passing.

You're right! I had forgotten that.

Have we found out who the Legionnaire was?

Not that I'm aware of. And now that Geoff Johns has left DC, we'll never know.

I think he has six more issues of JSA to write, so it's possible we might still get an answer, but I'm not betting on it.

Oh, I didn't know he was still under contract.

It'll take at least six YEARS for him to write all six of them! And meanwhile he's supposed to be heading up that Pseudo-Image coalition. The best laid plans and all that...

So, the Legionnaire turns out to be....

(Don't look if you don't want to know)

....which fits into the theme of this JSA...

Oh, for the luvva...



I don't know whether to rage or laugh!

Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Johns.

When I saw the issue and thought about it I realized

What the actual f***?!?!?!

Gaaah.

Thanks, Nighty. I was thinking about going to the LCS and picking this up. I'll wait until it gets to the app...

Levitz having Universo be a renegade Green Lantern was a good idea.

But this, THIS is a TERRIBLE idea!

I mean, I know he's out the door, but I'm officially done with Johns at this point. I just can't.

I'm gonna be honest that this really doesn't bother me as much as you'd think.

What's annoying me the most about this version of the JSA is that Johns is focusing on a stupid "bring villains into the Society to reform them" plot and ignoring ALL of the other stuff that just gets hinted at just in this very issue. I'd rather get page time on any of the glimpses we get than the actual main story we are told. I want to read about the actual JSA since they've been neglected for a long time. But no, he spends all of the issue/series on this stupid plot and boring villains.

This series might be worth a read as a different take if we had at least one other JSA title dedicated to the real characters that came out like say on a monthly basis, but as it is and with these endless delays - it's not fun or enjoyable to read.

And maybe "The Legionnaire" should have had a long haired silhouette in the tease leading up to this. Just saying. I'm not even sure I understand the logic of it all or how this was one on the "lost" characters to time given the original premise with this reveal.

I think you've hit the nail right on target there, Nighty.

So, the one good thing I have to say about this, is that while reading it I had a sudden suspicion it was going to turn out to be , and so at least it was better than that.

Is it, though?

Well,

Point well taken, EDE.

Don't get me wrong: I pretty much hate this, it's just I got my expectations up that it was going to be even worse! I'd also considered that it could be while talking to Mattropolis the other day!

One puzzling thing about the issue:

When he made the comment about
Sarky, your comment about the inspiration for this story fits so well.

The criticisms made above are fair, but I am waiting to see what happens with the story. There have been some apparently terrible ideas in the past that with good writing have become terrific stories. There is certainly a lot of mysteries still here, not the least of which is why he has a Legion ring.

That was exactly my thought process!

uggggh, that other alternative would be much worse. unless that other alternative will end up dying a messy death, I'm ok with that!

So, we know that the GA Legionnaire was working with someone else last issue, and that he had wanted to acquire Ruby but GL got to her first, so it seems likely that the story he gives the JSA at the end of this issue may not be entirely accurate.

I wonder where that plot went. Just read JSA #11 and based on the writing quality, this should have featured the Rebirth Legion as it was written just as well as that one was. No spoilers, but this is not good Comics. If I read this crap as a kid, I 'd never had starting collecting.

Yep. Like half an issue of super-heroes brawling with each other followed by rushed attempt to hit on/resolve a bunch of plotlines that were never very well developed to begin with.

I thought the opening 6 issues of the series were fine. From there, we had a cast of hundreds making the final resolution seem a bit rushed. Still, I might like it more when read as a trade.

I agree JSA #11 felt like half a comic. Although there were a few elements I liked, my overall reactions was "that's it?"

It actually felt like a shitty wrap up of a forgettable storyline.

Disappointed in this iteration doesn't even come close to summing up my feelings. But at least I got to see a Legion.

Yeah, that's how I felt too.

Same

Just trying to enjoy the art and the fight scenes...

JSA #12. well...I just....hunh.

I guess he used that as his wrap for his sister, but...why?

Mordru was in what...1 pinup scene..?

I wasn't really expecting any Legion content in it, but I figured it would at least wrap up the remaining plotlines of the Lost Children and Villain Reform storylines, but, no, just an issue long tribute to Stargirl/Johns's sister.

About as underwhelming an end to an underwhelming series as one could imagine.

Yeah I was disappointed too. Even forgetting the Legion bits that wasn't, this did nothing to wrap up the the series. Maybe more like a "farewell - this is probably the last thing I write for DC"? Still not satisfying.