Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Mission Monitor Board A Written History of the LMBP - now complete!

As some of you know, I have been working on a massive project for over two years now—a complete history of the LMBP. It is exactly that too, and by checking it out, you can see what I mean.

I’ve finally completed the final version! It is now available in the Encyclopedia Galactica section of Legion World, right here .

It started as an aside with Lash, and then a continuity research thread here in the MMB that took me months to complete. Then, another year and a half process of organizing a distinct timeline in draft form, and now finally, a complete version, up until the beginning of Kid Prime’s term in Oct. 2004. This covers the entire history of the LMB, which of course includes Legion World and all the posters involved up until that date.

Of course, final is a relative term…as there is no ending yet. That is because now that I have up until then complete, I need to get back to what I originally was doing and update our continuity with these last long months . So that will be my next step…back to square one for Oct. 2004 – present day, and any later posters will see yourselves in there…

I, of course, hope you’ll all check out what I have so far. Its very thorough, so don’t be overwhelmed! And enjoy seeing yourselves, for those of you in there!

I suddenly feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment…revealing a geeky side of my personality that I really only suspected existed . I’m glad though there is none of that feeling of completing something and then knowing its over and done with…as LMB Continuity moves forward, waiting for more updates and chronicles…

Cobie, all of Legion World must bring you alms. This is a wonderful (and unbelievably complex) history of Legion fandom. I started my online participation with Legion on the old alt.rec.comics.dc.legion or whatever it was. I didn't participate a lot because I was kind of intimidated by everyone's knowledge of minutia. I remember there was a very prominent female poster with the last name of Draper. I'm surprised that she has never joined Legion World ---- or has she?

I remember the early days of LW. It was kind of like Fire Island, pre-AIDS. We really do need to go way gay again.

Thanks against Des. And for all of you who don't know, Cobie's real first name, is my middle name.

Congratulations!

...so when do you get to the part where I joined?!

Kidding, I kid. It really is something to (attept to) read.

You've done the most amazing job there, dad.

I'm not surprised that you feel a sense of achievement.

Well done, and thanks.

Thanks guys, it means a lot!

There's some parts that still need a little bit of fixing that I forgot (the Table of Contents and one section), but its really finished for the most part! This will fit in well with our LMB Sixth Year Anniversary, which is in four days on Sunday, March 12! (I probably should have waited, but oh well )

Semi, those early days were crazy weren't they...? . The gay flirting was rampant, but its no coincidence that it was probably then that Cobalt Kid 'got lucky' with more female alts than any other time!

And if anyone is wondering, the Legion World stuff comes in around page 8...

I've been following this as you posted it Des. A great read and as one history buff to another I appreciate the amount of research you must have had to put in just to get things looking reasonably stright.

Now whatcha going to do with all the spare time you got now you are finished.

We restart the thread where we ask Cobie obscure facts about the LMBP and see if he can answer them. Yay!

Actually, I've been following the thread as it's posted as well (some great memories in there) and it's bizarre rediscovering little facts along the way. Like that even though it was me that had Lucien and Lash reprogramming the LMBP computer it was actually Shark Lad that had it take the form of Dolly Parton. I'd thought that was me (since it's the kind of thing I'd do) so it was funny to realise it wasn't. I'm still pretty sure I was the first one to inroduce the JSMBP though, even if others actually fleshed out the characters and the rosta of heroes on it. I've been going back and re-reading a lot of the tag teams and such as well and there are bits and pieces in there that I'd completely forgotten about. Like, I'd completely forgotten how funny all the stuff is with Cher and her wigs. It's a shame such a lot of good stuff was lost along the way with all the various board troubles.

Trivia: She married former Legion editor KC Carlson. She gave up the newsgroups a while back but may still be doing her Comics Worth Reading site. I see her at the occasional con.

That is a massive project, Cobie and really well done!

Now maybe we should put it in a time capsule and, in 1000 years, it will be found and inspire a group of <strike>teenagerss</strike>people to form a group and perform great deeds! (We better include some Bits pics so they'll know how to dress.)

Just finished reading it.

As someone who's only been here a little under a year, I greatly appreciate your LMPB History thread, Cobie. And I look forward to the next update with the arrivals of the "Class of 2005."

Yeah, Draper would have been Joanna Draper Carlson.

I never had any contact with her, but just from stuff I read from other posters years ago on the old DC MB, I got the feeling that she was rather intimidating or something.

I seem to recall she and KC Carlson met when she attacked him with a knife at a con after they killed off Apparition!

Okay, maybe there wasn't a knife, but that makes a better story!

wow Cobie !!

you've created an amazing piece of work !! how long did it take to research everything ?

did you have a plan or method, in collecting all the facts together ?

did you have a number of note books, with different info it, members names, when they joined, elections, events etc ......

i imagine that you must have had a wall planner, covered in 'post it' notes, with different facts written on them, that you were forever moving around, and then putting them all into the correct order !!

from reading over all those pages, it made me feel really special and honoured, to be part of this group of friends !!

i have neen lucky enough to meet some of you over the last couple of years, and i hope to meet more of you, at some point in the future, especially if the Legion Meet Up 2008 happens !!

one of my favourite memories was the LMBP elections from 2002, and myself being away on holiday in the USA [ where i first met RHINO and STU ] and learning that i had been nominated to be in the running of becoming LMBP LEADER !!

and then actually winning the vote !! that was cool

many happy memories to remember and many many more to come .......

thanks for the all the hard work Cobie !! your dedication has been noted

Matthew.

Matt, it took at least eight months to a year to research up until where I am now, in the LMB Continuity thread. During this time, I would also do updates for the thread for the then ongoing continuity (i.e. Dark Stu Saga). Then it took about another year for me to lay it all out the way I did in the Draft thread in Bits, before I condensed it into a non-discussion thread in the Encyclopedia Galactica forum.

It actually turned out to be a HUGE undertaking. I've always had a basic knowledge of LMB history, but I was more thorough here than I've been on papers I've written in Grad School! I reread all the old saved threads, sometimes multiple times. In addition to an ongoing discussion with all posters in various threads, I even PMed people with questions on specifics. Then I read the ENTIRE Yahoo Group posts -- every single one for over 3 years worth! To get a sense of the people posting and the in jokes that were popular at the time, which helped inspire most of the stories that I made up for adventures. You'll see I often tried to create adventures so every LMBer had at least a few sentences with their name in print, so I often had to reference jokes that might relate to them. I also want to add that a variety of people were extremely helpful, particulurly Lardy, Bevis, Faraway & Loser Lad (on the beginning years) and Eryk (on the foundation of Legion World), since there are two glaring bits of LMB history that I was notably absent from.

I've had multiple pads with notes scrawled all over them and lists upon lists of active LMBers at certain times.

By the end, I've become so comfortable with the notion that I truly have a very real love for this group. The whole project started as a way to get a timeline for the 'in continuity' parts, but as I went on, it just became so much more important and fitting that it be an equal narrative on the real life aspects of the group's history. Its obviously very biased, but I could care less about that--all historians are all very biased, so I see no reason why I should be any more honorable than the greats

I remember when you were elected leader too, as I was actually running that election! I had been leader the previous term and I also remember the very cool and warm feeling of being elected. I really can't wait for the massive Legion meet-up in 2008, which we all must ensure really does happen!

I also have thousands upon thousands of little nuggets of history that I just forgot to add into the narrative. I will most likely inflict these on Legion World (as I'm sure there have to be some people who are sick to death of me talking about LMB history by now ).

Man, you guys must have been into some weird and crazy stuff before I came along, Cobie...

I'm glad you were able to finish this, Cobalt Kid.

Understatement of the year!
Glad to see you back Viv!

wow Cobie !!

it's amazing the time and effort you put into this project !!

hey who knows at some time in the future this type of story may even get turned into a book or film !!??

perhaps you should send it out as a pitch/script ........

Matthew.

Perhaps I missed it somehow, but I believe the historic meeting between Cobie and Pov at a Connecticut truck stop (January 16, 2003) was not included. Was this not the first official meeting of two Legion World members?

I actually didn't include any of the meetings b/t Legion Worlders, as I want to have my facts strait!

But there were a few meetings prior to Pov and I finally getting together.

First: either Beagle Boy and Midnight Son met up, or Beagle Boy and Lash met (I can't remember the order). I distinctly remember thinking how cool it was!

Next: I believe next was a bunch of the British LMBers at the time (Faraway Lad, Bevis, Looks that Kill Lad/Paul, Mart, Terrence and possibly Ultra Matt). Actually, all of them probably weren't there, but they began meeting around then.

Next: Then Stu met a bunch of LMBers (Lash, Beagz, Omega Matt, Mystery Lad) and possibly some more. He also met Pov before I did, and possibly Rhino and Ultra Matt. He was also in London and had met a few London LMBers, including Terrence and Looks that Kill Lad.

Next: Ultra Matt's visit to the US, where he meets Rhino and Stu.

Now, the funny part is, when all of these meetings began taking my place, my dormroom at Uconn was literally five minutes from Pov's house. We were posting for a good few months before either of us realized we were both from not only CT, but the Storrs area! After finding it funny we kept trying to make plans but various things put it off at the time b/t our responsibilities. Pov had a brief lull in activity, and then when he was back to full posting power I was once again gone. And this time for a year and a half, in which time I left Uconn, never actually meeting Pov (to my hometown, which is an hour away). Well, I returned and came to LW, Pov was like an old friend by then and we laughed about it...until FINALLY Lash demanded that Pov and I meet up for 'ice cream and girl watching'. Thus, the fateful meeting took place! Now Pov and I have met 6 times (I think its 6--possibly 7), so we're kinda like the Butch & Sundance of LWers meeting up! I don't think anyone else has met up more than us...it just took us two years to get to doing it, even after we went from being literally 5 minutes apart to an hour.

The only legion worlder that I've met is STU. We've met twice, actually, the second time as recent as last week.

I've lost track of the number of times that I've met Sonnie, sometimes several times in the same day - first official meeting was circa 25th October 1968.

Does that count for something?

Well, it would count for double if Sonnie would put in an appearance here!

And thanks for the additional historical info, Cobie. I just remembered how cool it was that you and Pov actually got together in person. Then it was Faraway hopping across the ocean a couple of times and meeting with you, Pov & Quis - and the real world meetings seemed to multiply from there.

I think Numf, Sonnie and Harbi have us all beat

It really was cool when Pov and I met up! The next meeting was when Darden came over to the US (and I had been posting online with Darden since the Fall of 2000) and we hung out again. That was followed by a meeting with Quis & Stu and Pov & myself, all of whom Darden met but not at the same time. I think after that there were some of the cons going on, and more LWers were meeting (San Diego being one) followed by the big one to Dallas were the '9' got to hang out (I still wished I hadn't missed that one). Of course, in between all of this, Stu has met people here and there and I can't really believe anyone is close to beating him (its gotta be up to like 20 at this point).

Pov and I hung out again one more day for comics, pizza and the Incredibles and then the next time was our trip to Niagra Falls with Far, Gigi, Kent and Lou, which was cool as there were more people I'd met! The next time after that was the Boston Con, where almost everyone I'd ever met so far was at, and an additional six people (including the lovely Ms. Cramer, Vee, Miner, larger than life Abin and Cru, who I'd been posting with since before there even was an LMB). I also got to meet Kinetix there too real quick, another nice poster on LW that doesn't post as much. In later months, I got to meet Caliente too for coffee in Cape Cod.

The first meeting with Pov was really cool though. There's a certain amount of awkwardness of meeting someone in real life for the first time, followed by a 'how cool is this?!' feel to it, followed by a realization that you've actually known each other for awhile and are comfortable with being friends.

Actually, I'm overdue for another hang-out day with Pov right now--so clear your schedule for late April/May buddy!