Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Len Wein's DCU: Legacies

I actually enjoyed this issue more than the first. I really was drawn into Paul's story much more. Lots of fun cameo appearances
and the Seven Soldiers was more fun than the first issue's rather gloomy back up. I would typically be bothered by an issue that has this many transitions in art style. For some reason, it's working here. Maybe because there is such a variety of characters that the mood of the story changes quickly depending on who is on screen. The art seems to complement that.

Not as fun as the first issue, but still pretty good. Sad we're leaving the Golden Age already. There were a lot of touchstones that could have been explored further. I like the Newsboy Legion well enough, but that segment could have been trimmed a bit in favour of more All-Stars.

One question about the Seven Soldiers: Have TNT and Dyna-Mite now been retconned into this group? While they are a good fit, it kind of negates a good bit of The Young All-Stars, which many of us do remember fondly.

Just looked at Wikipedia, and couldn't find anything helpful. Sorry.

This could be an earlier adventure of them.

I want to say that they were near the initial Crisis...to cover for Green Arrow and Speedy...who no longer existed in that era.

Going by loose memory here.

Actually, Stuff the Chinatown Kid was a member, and Alias the Spider's not present either.

According to the Johns retcon, In the finals days of the Seven soldiers the members were Shinning Knight, Star-Spangled Kid, Stripsey, Crimson Avenger, Wing, Alias the Spider and Stuff (the last two replacing Pre-Crisis Green Arrow and Speedy). Now it's possible that's out, or that Alias and Stuff joined after TnT's death and Dan's migration over to the A*S*S.

It's also possible that sometime after Young All-Stars that TnT was revived (a hero back from the dead? never happen!).

Just read issue #2. I liked it a lot. It's covering the highlights of the DCU and not dwelling too long on any one thing it seems.

The art is fantastic as it was with issue #1. Can't wait for next month.

IIRC, Roy Thomas had initially tried to retcon Vigilante's original sidekick Billy Gunn as a member before Stuff. I much prefer this new TNT deal, and he can always be swapped out for Alias the Spider later on.

As often happens with a series like this, more questions get raised then are answered. For instance, it wasn't true that Dr. Fate left the JSA just before Starman and Dr. Mid-Nite joined. That was Green Lantern. But is that an editorial gaffe or the new continuity?

As I've said before, that's the main reason I gave up comics at last, and from what I've read here about the DC trend toward more gore and shock ("Second Dark Age", anyone?), it sounds like I bailed out at a good time.

However, I didn't really choose to bail out; a reduction in my work hours, and hence in wages, made the choice for me. (I still make all I need, so don't worry about me.)

Given the amount of care and love with which this book has been put together, I'm going to be optimistic and guess it's the new continuity.

I just read #2 and I really enjoyed it. Equally with #1.

I love how Wein is not focusing on the usual Golden Age suspects with this story (Green Lantern, Flash, etc.) but instead choosing to use those characters whom we haven't seen in some time - Crimson Avenger, Atom, Sandman, the Newsboy Legion, etc.

I really enjoyed the SSoV back-up tale too. JH Williams' art was fantastic as always. Is he doing the back-up in every issue? Awesome if so.

I didn't have any problem with Wing's depiction here either. Other than his stilted English he came across as a perfectly capable, heroic sidekick. And I'm glad his English wasn't perfect because I think using his poor language skills as an excuse to keep him as the unoffical 8th member is a lot more acceptable than what was probably the real reason at the time - that he was Asian.

I think TnT and Dan the Dyna-Mite are great substitutes for Green Arrow and Speedy too. I've always had a soft spot for Dan so it was great to see him rock a little here. Plus, this doesn't negate the Spider history since he could have easily joined after one or both of them quit.

Also, does Shining Knight not just have one of the best comics 'looks' out there?!? His visual is fantastic IMO. It's a crime he's been in limbo for so long. He needs to reappear! (And as Sir Justin! Not Justine - the crappy retcon from Grant Morrison's otherwise excellent SSoV maxi-series.)

Finally, does anyone know what eras/characters we can expect from upcoming issues?

I know we have -

* a 50s Sea Devils/Challengers issue
* a 50s/60s space characters issue (with probably Captain Comet and Adam Strange)
* a Crisis issue

Anyone know what else is coming up?

There's also a Teen Titans issue, with a eulogy for Sgt. Rock as the backup.

^ Thanks FL. I forgot about that one. Should be a good issue I hope.

I didn't have a problem with how he talked as much as with the same tone being present in what he was writing. I would have preferred something "translated from the original Chinese" or whatever.

I also liked the idea that Wing wasn't an official Soldier because the Crimson Avenger thought he was cut out for better things.


Both were definitely mentioned as appearing, along with Space Ranger.

I haven't heard that idea before but I like it too.

I believe Geoff Johns came up with it, when he reworked the Soldiers' scattering through time in Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.

I thought Wing was already in the Seven Soldiers beforehand. He was already the one who sacrificed his life to stop the Nebula Man.

Wing appeared in all their adventures, but he was never considered one of the Seven.

Sarcasm Kid -

The Seven Soldiers were originally:

1. Star-Spangled Kid
2. Stripesy
3. Shining Knight
4. Vigilante
5. Green Arrow
6. Speedy
7. Crimson Avenger

(with Wing as the unofficial 8th member)

Now it appears Green Arrow and Speedy have been replaced by TnT and Dan the Dyna-Mite on the team, with one or both of them later leaving allowing Spider to join.

Oh.

I feel I should have known that, being such a big fan of Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers. It WAS one of the books that got me into serious collecting.

I can't think of why they would do that though, unless they wanted to retcon out Fate's "Half-helmet" days.

"Optimistic" to me in this case would mean that it was a mistake.

No worries. Morrison's version (which I love) has little relation to the original team.

I don't think Wing was ever called the "8th soldier" until the team's return in the '70s anyway.

Well, before that, I knew who the Seven Soldiers. I knew about a lot of obscure characters before I ever started collecting seriously.

Seven Soldiers of Victory, the Starman that was actually Batman under a different identity, Joker's Daughter, Batwoman...