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Time Trapper
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Time Trapper
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So what did everyone think? I'm going to re-read it for a third time later on but I loved it! Steve was in top form and every page was absolutely beautiful. His Jazmin was the best I've seen. I almost forgot I hate her. And what do you think of Tasmia's new companions? And of what happened to her 'distant' cousin?
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Joined: Jul 2003
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Time Trapper
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Time Trapper
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This was a great view into Talok - not inconsistent with the pre-boot, but different. We also learned a bit about her dark field/shadow force. There was a beautiful interplay with the darkness and light, especially in the cloaks and goggles. The whole comic looked like it was taking place on a world engulfed in shadow.
Tasmia was in fine form, tough, competent, noble - a real warrior. And she looked great, I loved Steve's depiction of her and her world.
I thought it was a great parable for our "closing" and increasingly fearful society, as well.
It was interesting that she, like Imra, would have a mentor of some sort, the Shadow Maven. I would be interested to see him again. The distant cousin thing really surprised me. But that's recoverable, lots of people on Talok.
Holy Cats of Egypt!
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Wanderer
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Wanderer
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With all due respect to Chris Bastista, I really would LOVE to see Steve draw this book every month! Or at least on a rotating basis. Man, is his art sweet or what! BEAUTIFUL! Let's hope they keep the shadow warriors in place. And poor, poor, well, you know. We never got a chance to know him. That sucks!
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Wanderer
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Wanderer
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Sigh...
Mine won't be shipped until next Wednesday...
Touch the magic...
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Wanderer
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Oh. I forgot to over the artwork. *sigh* Too bad the story was a bit weak.
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Leader
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What story there was, I thought was okay, but I think it was stretched pretty thin. It could've been done in half the space. Then maybe we could've had a backup story featuring Tenzil or somebody. I wish D&A would figure out the pacing. It took me about 5 minutes to read the issue.
The art was very nice, but I was curious why Steve showed Shady climbing the tower immediately after showing her flight ring. Why didn't she just fly up? Was it just to show what a hardass she is? Why not save her energy for the fight?
I was reading Shadow Maven as a woman. Did anybody else see him/her as a man? With that cloak and goggles it could've been a rhinocerous, I guess.
Maybe I just read her as a woman, because when I first read "Shadow Maven" I immediately thought of Shadowplay and Sk8Maven rolled into one. What a force that would be!
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jimgallagher said: The art was very nice, but I was curious why Steve showed Shady climbing the tower immediately after showing her flight ring. **** Maybe that was a ring she got with her DC Direct Legion action figures. Those things seem to be faulty. Mine doesn't work at all. Imagine my embarrassment when I shouted, "Up, up and away!" and gave a little jump, at the airport. There was all that snickering from those smug ticket holders who made THIER flights that day. To make things worse, flight attendants, pilots and air traffic controllers all assure me that my "flight" ring is solid plastic. "No working parts," they said, while rolling their eyes and pointing at my head. I'm glad you enjoyed the art, Jim. Next time I'll try to draw a functioning flight ring (if the script allows for it). Steve L.
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Leader
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Thanks for 'splaining, Steve, but it wasn't clear to me at all that Shady's flight ring wasn't working in the story. Maybe I'm just slow.
Now maybe you could tell us whether you were drawing Shadow Maven as a man or a woman?
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I liked it, though I missed the Jolly Roger covers we've gotten lately.
I like that Tasmia is being depicted as competent, and having grown since her introduction.
Too bad about Grev in this continuity - always liked Mohawk-boy.
The final scene with Jazmin was perfection, for my money. It would have made almost any issue worthwhile.
I'm curious about the new Shadow effect - presumably the shadows of past Shadow Champions. I wonder if they will have any practical application. And I wonder, didn't anyone think the Legion artists have enough characters to draw already?
The only thing I could have gone without was the little metallic panty-liner Tasmia's wearing.
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I'm sure that you're not slow, Jim. There was nothing in the script that explained that the ring didn't work. That was just a bit of tongue in cheek speculation on my part. My honest guess would be that Tasmia's choice to climb, rather than fly, was a matter of Talokian honor. She may have given us a clue as to her thinking when she said, "It's not what CAN I do ... it's what I MUST do." After expressing her identity as a Legionnaire, with a symbolic donning of the ring, she then faced her opponent as a Shadow Champion, as her honor demanded.
That's my take on it. The script leaves room for other interpretations, though.
Steve Lightle
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The Jolly Roger studios did color the cover to Legion #24, as I'm sure they will color covers to my future issues.
As for me, I was a bit disappointed to see how much art was covered by type. We lost the alien Eye and even Grev. Oh well ...
It's nice to hear from you again, Mondo.
Steve
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Don't Stop Peelieving
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Don't Stop Peelieving
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Originally posted by Nightcrawler: That sucks! Maybe you need to make a graemlin of Sugyn sucking up a pool of water, hmmm??
"Anytime a good book like this is cancelled, I hope another Teen Titan is murdered." --Cobalt
"Anytime an awesome book like S6 is cancelled, I hope EVERY Titan is murdered." --Me
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Active
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Steve -
I think you did a great job on this issue - I imagine it was not an easy task considering the story takes place in almost complete darkness. Loved the lights illuminating the Talokian robes. The ancestral figures that are now part of Umbra's dark field are very cool and eerie looking. Now I'm anxious to see how you would depict the rest of the Legion and their various powers.
The poster formerly known as Carggaphile.
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I'll do the old, post my thoughts before reading those of others' (the smart ones). It's much easier to be an effective gadfly that way. Also at the bottom are some questions/ideas for comment I hope other posters will respond to. Steve Lightle's art, the colors, lines, panel layout, particularly the depiction of Talok VIII and the shadow warriers, just had me entranced. I could and will just stare at this book for hours. My favorite page is either, oops, page numbers lost in shadow. My favorite is either the page where Tasmia is lifting the shadow or the POSTER in which Tasmia is discarding the cloak. Interesting choice of armoring there I might add. Oh wait, maybe it is the page on which Shadow Maven shows Tasmia the city. Perfect. Another artist might have made that a full page splash which would have looked cool, but Lightle added so much more showing enough of the village, with some side panels of story. Rave, rave, rave. No my fav has to be the small panel of Umbra changing, with Shadow Maven looking off. Hot! Story: Very much a Legion World's type story and I thought that those parts of the story describing Talok were as good as any of the Legion Worlds or Titan. Tasmia/Talok could support a mini-series I think. It is far removed from Legion ethos so it is easy to pick up, yet has all the components needed to build story based upon fantasy and nightmares. I liked how DnA used one question from the Kwai to tell us so much about Talok. Maven quickly became a sympathetic character and was used well to update us on the rest of the Talokian story. Jaz' reaction at the end was a bit of a surprise. I would have liked to see DnA also make Grev a sympathetic character as opposed to a "distant" cousin. And I would have like to see the direct battle with the Suited Grev (nightmare city) for a couple more panels, with "Grev" actually showing SOME ability to cause damage. This was very typically where DnA's skills just do not meet basic expectations. They do not seem to be able to inject feelings between the characters or between the readers and the characters. Their endings are blunt. No give and take. No doubt in the outcome so why waste time? Whatever. Even their usual adeptness at snappy battle banter was largely missing, I make a big deal of this because of the lost opportunity. Fairly obvious is that McCauley is still haunting (from the grave?). His tech was present in the night goggles, and who else would be responsible for the failed suit? If the emotional attachment HAD been made between Grev and Tasmia, all the more reason for her to want revenge. This could have set up quite a future story. His end was ghoulish, but who cares, this was just some guy, not the Grev of Pre-boot. Questions So now is the shadow force a channeled energy much like Green Lantern? Can all Talokians channel to some extent and are there any others that can do it to high levels? In pre-boot, they avoided the bad guy with the same power, and instead created Lady Memory. Which is better? Is Maven really a reincarnated Roy Orbison? Are the Shadow Warriers past champions and can they be "called" individually? Is McCauley still around and was the suit of his manufacture?
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Wanderer
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I Haven't gotten it yet, but after reading all of this - I'm leaving for the comic shop right now.
Just an Old, Broke-Down, Drunk, Bum!!
With a Power Ring...
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Originally posted by Jim Gallagher: Now maybe you could tell us whether you were drawing Shadow Maven as a man or a woman? I'm convinced it was Roy Orbison. Can a "maven" be a male? What is a maven? Originally posted by SteveLightle: as I'm sure they will color covers to my future issues. "issues" plural? Has something been said? Anybody, what was the "Mettler" sig at the bottom of the cover? Is that a colorist working for Jolly Rogers? Thanks for a great and entertaining issue and hope you enjoyed drawing it. Though I LOVED this issue's art, I am happy with watching Batista grow on Legion as have so many other artists. It would be great for Batista to also become part of lore. However, man I would really like a short or an attempt at an on-going about Talok, in either present or future continuity. I've been a bit indifferent to Shady, but this issues points out so MANY possibilities that would be unique to DCU. I cannot think of a better artist to both draw and sell the book than Steve Lightle. Two art comments to the questioning side. Once artists show "the ring" they seem to forget to draw it in on following panels. Will DC ever get brave enough to deliver at least one issue with the Legion cover title in Interlac?
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One more thing - I was rather hoping Tasmia would emerge from her Talok adventure as Shadow Lass...or just Shadow...something with an S at any rate....
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I agree with the unanimous verdict that Steve's art is beautiful. For that reason alone, the issue is a standout.
As for the story, my first read through left me cold. I felt like Peggy Lee - "Is that all there is?" On my second read through, I started to see more depth and traces of humour. However, I could not shake the feeling that the story was thin. In the Silver Age, I imagine this story would have taken two pages at most.
I'm still optimistic, though, about the upcoming story line and the return of Supes.
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I agree that this was a quick read. The art was very nice on all the characters but one (See the end of the post). Random thoughts on the issue: - IF they survived that, those UPers aren't going to want to go back to Talok in a hurry, huh?
- I read "Shadow Maven" as a guy. And hey, nearly two pages of naked Umbra
- Sheesh - that dressing panel that, thanks to Dean & Scott, got spread around so much was less than ¼ of a page?!
- "The Shadow Champion has to be of the blood, and I was the last of the line" - isn't that basically tatamount to saying she has to have a kid one day?
- McCauleyTech. Typical. After the hackjob Al-Ghul/McCauley forced Lu to peform, is there anything left of Brande Industries?
- Love Tasmia's sneering expression on the "It wants me, not you - do your worst" panels
- Passage of time - Umbra left in, what, issue 10? We pick up straight from where we left her there. We don't know how long passed between pages 6 & 7 (exc. ads), but I doubt it was more than a few hours. So is there a big time leap between pages 20 & 21? Would make sense I suppose, but we really should have been given more of a sense of her doing something in that time.
- Not allowed to give us a whole-LW shot Steve? I'm sure Gary would have had it on the logo ASAP if you had
- Nice as the art was for most of the issue ,I do have to say that, on the last page or two, KQ2 just looked... off. I don't know - I never thought of her as baby-faced, but here, with the huge eyes, she's über-baby faced. And any particular reason why she would just jump on Tas like that, so suddenly? Friend or no friend, just going from standing beside her to jumping right at her...
Nice issue art-wise, passable story, 7/10.
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Originally posted by SteveLightle: My honest guess would be that Tasmia's choice to climb, rather than fly, was a matter of Talokian honor. Ah, so it was about her being a hardass. What? She couldn't have found a staircase up that tower? This is a woman who's barely conscious after having the tar beat out of her by the shadow beasties, and now she's just going to suck down a cup of soup, throw on some clothes and CLIMB a sheer tower wall with her bare hands and not even take any weapons to fight the beasties that already kicked her butt once? Not to mention the fact that her neon cape would've made any attempt at stealth null and void. Also, what about the timing of this story? As someone else mentioned, it doesn't seem to encompass more than a couple of days at most, yet she's been absent from Legion World for some time. I guess she could've stayed on Talok for a while to re-establish herself as planetary champion, but why not show that? With a full issue at their disposal, I would've liked some sort of wrap up, or some behind the scenes coverage of what Grev's been doing since he took power, or at least a longer conflict between him and Shady. Once again, D&A are all about drama and not about logic. Ah, well. It's the only Legion book out there, so I guess I'll have to live with it. At least the art's fabulous.
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Originally posted by Blockade Boy: No my fav has to be the small panel of Umbra changing, with Shadow Maven looking off. Hot! Don't know why [He or she, I'm not sure] bothered looking away - Maven'd already got a full-frontal look in the panel straight above
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Wanderer
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random thoughts: -- As everyone else has been saying, GREAT art by Steve! -- Shady looks beautiful and tough -- DnA made her competent and strong but not bitchy -- I loved the lighting effect with the robes -- I'm not sure how I feel about the "shadow warriors" following her around -- Hey, lookit all that interlac! -- The big hug also seemed a tad odd to me -- Poor Grev... -- I liked the basic idea of the story - that they took the shadow back after thinking Shady was dead and deciding to hide themselves from the "curse" of the UP. I like the growth that was shown in Shady and admitting that the Legion are her family after seeming emotionally distant from them for so long.
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Originally posted by DrakeB3003: -- The big hug also seemed a tad odd to me
Several, including me wrote the same thing but I forgot to add, that I didn't consider it a writing error because Umbra was also surprised. Were Kid Q and Umbra ever shown as having much kinship? Could there be a connection to Kid Q leaving as leader? I want answers damn it! Originally posted by DrakeB3003: -- -- I liked the basic idea of the story - that they took the shadow back after thinking Shady was dead I also thought this a really cool idea, and didn't mention it in my way too negative comments.
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Time Trapper
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On the flight ring - I figured that since her shadow power was gone, she couldn't activate the flight ring. Don't they activate on will power, or have some bio-link to the wearer? If the darkfield was part of her, and left, perhaps she was missing some vital aspect which had tied in with the flight ring.
What was also remarkable was that she was able to climb a stone tower and not break a fingernail...
I just assumed the Shadow Maven was a man - comics stereotyping, shame on me! Of course, he could be a she. Funny that Tasmia's mentor is Maven, Imra's is Aven ... who's next? We could get a Raven, a Haven and the unfortunate Craven.
The shadow force must be present in at least some other Talokians, if Tasmia had a teacher who could sense her shadow. We could certainly benefit from a Legion World/Talok VIII to explore this further.
The concept and depiction of the shadow warriors was great, but I hope they recede a bit; it could get rather cluttered with all those silhouettes every time Umbra appears.
McCauley Industries - still up and running, or just old stock visors? I have a feeling we haven't heard the last of McCauley Industries, maybe not even McCauley himself - although I would expect to see his successor more than Leland himself somehow brought back to life.
Shadow Kid must be in mourning, he thought he'd get rebooted and all he got was booted ... but no reason another Grev couldn't show up, cousin or not. Perhaps Umbra has another cousin, closer but too young to have taken the responsiblity of Planetary Champion.
The light swords were interesting; on the cover, they were light but in the story more shadow-like. Is this part of the power-up for Umbra? There is no shadow without light; I wonder if that's how they work. The shadow beasts - are they a projection of one's mental fears? Very primal! A whole book could be devoted to the lore of the shadow force. (I'm waiting!)
Who's got the translation for the Interlac on the SP pages? I am so lazy.
Holy Cats of Egypt!
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Originally posted by Fat Cramer: Who's got the translation for the Interlac on the SP pages? I am so lazy. p4 panel one -- next to the hangar door, it says "29 YRS" (I think that's a nine...) above the inset panel it says "beware of darkness" running across the first line of the two signs. The big letters are "G.H" Next page: The canister says "Warning Contents under pressure" the thing on the right says "Operate only under(? - it's cut off) Apults (I'm guessing it should be "Adults") With Supervision. (that's cute ... "adults with super-vision" get it? ) Next page (where the shadow breaks in): written upside down on a crate -- "This End Up"
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