Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! Legion #29 - Spoilers

SPOILER SPACE
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Lots of fight scenes in this issue as the legionnaires face off against two Darkseids and young and old Darkseid fight each other.

I was annoyed with THREE pages of what I consider total filler - one of which I think we've seen in an earlier Foundations issue - as the past disappears, we see DC characters getting wiped out.

I have no idea if the "scientific" explanations make any sense, but they add flavour to the story.

Not much character focus, in my opinion. A few individuals get lines during the fight, but it's mostly the debate between the two Darkseids. The team that stayed behind (Kid Q, Superboy, Vi and Jarth) have a more interesting story, as they discuss what to do about the disappearing past. All four contribute something to the plan.

"Too big?" says Superboy. "You're the Legion of Superheroes. Big is what you do." Good description of DnA's approach to Legion stories, I thought. (Is this going to be the Legion stock phrase now? "Fill-in-the blank" is what you do? And yes, we get another "Think fast".)

Nice scene as "Garth" is acknowledged to be an important part of the team - he's going to shield the others with Tromium as the they travel back in time to try and stop the disintegration.

As with previous issues, beautiful artwork - especially if you like action scenes. My only beef would be that Kid Q, Vi and Superboy are smiling as they prepare to fight the end of the universe....guess they enjoy a challenge. (A quibble - Kid Q is on the cover fighting Darkseid, which doesn't happen in the story.)

For me, it was something of a filler issue. What story there was, was good; the plot did advance - there just was not that much of it.

My only question is how many times we're going to see the entire team get into a major pickle and 4 or 5 team members who were elsewhere for various reasons swoop in and save the day? Geez, this plot device has been DONE. Legion of the Damned. Dream Crime. Even the conclusion to Robotica.

Maybe the writers will surprise me with ANYTHING other than the formulaic ending to this arc that I'm dreading.

That was the main negative gripe. I actually enjoyed the "time exaporating" pages, even though we lost almost the entire team in the shuffle this time around. And some of the quips during the battle were genuinely enjoyable.

Ho-hum. We didn't see much of the Servants. It's developing into a very nice arc for Darkseid, but is it too little, too late? Remember, there's only one issue left to this story.

Pretty art. The battles were a bit jumbled. There were some perspective errors. But I enjoyed it overall.

I'm going to avoid the obvious comparisons to the Great Darkness Saga until the arc lumbers toward its ending. I'm also going to avoid criticizing the writers overmuch until then. There's a very slim possibility that they may pull something at least mildly surprising out.

I don't expect it though.

DAMN, Legion Lost was a good story.

The issue did read fast, didn't it. There were a few little quotes in it that were nice. I'm actually looking forward to see how some new writers will work the Legion magic.

The guy at the comic store who rung me out asked me about the Legion because he had wanted to check it out but hadn't yet. I mentioned that the creative team is about to change, which isn't that bad with the writing crew, but the book is losing the best artist that its had in a LONG time. I really liked Coipel, but I genuinely LOVE Batista and Wallace's art on the book.

I was moderately surprised by the Tromium thing. It was previously explained that even most Trommites can't make that material--and now Garth can, after only a few weeks' practice with transmutation? Quick learner...

I'd suggest that there's something significant there but...eh, probably just the most convenient way to let Garth prove his worth.

That would be an amazing little plot crumb to expand upon, and you're right. There's really no way Garth should be able to make Tromium. Only Jan and his father could do it. Unless something's up with Jarth...

Of course, this IS the universe where R.J. Brande was the first president of the U.P. instead of Jeanne Chu.

Keep in mind, Garth is MADE OF Tromium. Maybe that gives him an edge.

It was Tarnium, not Tromium, that only Jan and his father could produce. Only problem here is Tromium is GREEN not silvery blue, as shown in the last panel. I make it a point to remember these things.

I enjoyed the interaction betweeen the two Darkseids, which included a fairly credible explanation of the time collapse and the mechanics of the temporal dam. No surprise that one Uxas whacks the other, but the way it's done is nicely ironic.

Far less plausible is the out-of-thin-air rescue plan -- especially Jazmin's role in it. Local temporal manipulation is one thing. Traveling back to the 8th century with three teammates in tow is really pushing the limits of credibility.

My favorite moment: Thom's declaration to Nura in the midst of battle. So very sweet.

blech

This felt as vacuous as they come.

"Yeah, sure my younger self will give me his body willingly." Darkseid's clearly gotten senile in his old age.

And why is Superboy standing/floating above the table like that? Maybe that's why Cos can't stand him, he keeps standing on the furniture.

I appreciate the scenes of DCs continuity unraveling. In fact, if 80% of the entire issue was given to that, I probably would have found it more compelling.

Ech! Jarth using Jan's powers. Ech! Ech! Ech!

I do wish we could have had one or two more full pages devoted to the legionnaires flying or fighting above the two Darkseids. After all, I'm not sure that the few there were were enough to get the concept across.

Tromium Crystal's right about the color of tromium, of course. But they're not really going back to the 8th century are they? It doesn't even exist anymore. At most, wouldn't they be going back a couple of hours, to stop Darkseid from bring Darkseid through? But, you know what, the whole single individual destroying time thing is just too much to begin with. So, with all that said, I'm eager for the conclusion, if only because it will be the conclusion and because it will at least contain more of Batista and Wallace's art.

Ah, fair enough. Tromium, Tarnium, different elements. And I suppose it makes sense that Garth would think of it--he doesn't have to be a physicist to remember the element that saved his ass on the way through the rift. Though even so, "shielding yourselves against the stresses of extra-temporal travel. I believe Tromium would protect you" sounds a bit...intellectual for our favorite high-voltage farmboy.

Anyone else ever get annoyed with time travel stories that involve the idea "the past has been altered, and the alteration is currently moving through time, and in X hours it will get here?" What does that even mean? They used it in Zero Hour, and it grated on me there too.

I liked DnA's little self-referential exchange with Quantum and Vi, though:

"Maybe my powers haven't been fritzing at all. Maybe they're responding to the collapse."

"On a quantum level?"

"Exactly."

That makes more sense, of course, but I thought Apokolips existed in a different dimension only accessible via boom tube. But what the hell, if Jazmin can suddenly travel through time, I guess she can travel across dimensions, too. :rolleyes:

They know there's a disturbance 10 years in the past. That could be where they're going.

I liked the issue overall.

Utter gibberish - given that for the present to exist, the past must have too (if the year, say, Vi was born is wiped out, how did she come into being?)

Plus how can 1873 be being wiped "now in 3003"? Utter garbage.

One little thing - Vi spends this whole issue 7-8 ft tall.

Just thought I'd say

This may have been the quickest read yet and there have been plenty of them under D&A. I'll be glad to see them move on. I'm tired of seeing 2 issues worth of story dragged out into 4 to 5 issue "events."

I'll also be glad to see the cover team move on. I don't care for their style and what was the point of featuring Ferro and Triad so prominently on the cover when they BARELY appeared in the book?

The only one I don't want to leave is Battista. Please stay with us, Chris! I'll give you my first born nephew!

And why is Superboy still wearing that costume if it causes so much death and chaos among his worshippers?

Vi sitting around giant sized for no apparent reason still annoys me too. I was hoping her injury was going to make her lose the growth powers.

Kid Q needs to go. It's bad enough for her powers to be so vaguely described for all this time, but to have her suddenly be able to transport herself and others through time is just going too far. Make her the new Infinite Woman or something and get rid of her.

And I agree that time being wiped out simply because Darkseid was plucked out of his own era is ridiculous. Not even George Bailey had that much influence.

I ditto all of these (except the nephew part obviously )

And DS being pulled out should have no effect, since he's obviously going to be shoved back in again.

I agree with pretty much everything that has been said so far. I am so sick of looking at hordes of legionnaires doing pretty much nothing.
I am getting more and more comfortable with the idea of DnA moving on. They've obviously run out of steam and interest. Why don't they give the few bits of dialogue some originality rather than recycling annoying catch phrases and such. I hope the new creative team will "think fast" and get to work on some real characterization in the book.

I think DnA have been so plot driven in the past couple of years that they have had to rely on the fans to "fill in the blanks". It is so easy for us to overlay tons of past legionnaire historical behaviour on a character that we don't always realize, at first, that nothing new is being added or expanded upon or that the character actually has a different personality now. If my only experience with Saturn Girl was with the post-boot, screwed-up, endangerment to her fellow legionnaires, I would absolutely loathe her. So many current characters are getting by on the grace of the strong work of pre-boot writers.

How old do you suppose Cub is now? Will he next be seen lawn bowling with R.J. Brande?

They said that, since they were being moved on three issues earlier than they'd asked for, they weren't going to be able to tie up the Cub plot.

I guess in DnA's defense, a lot of fans were clamoring for Violet to play more of a role and she's one of the 4 going into the past to fix things.

Well, I liked the issue.

I admit it was a quick read and this whole saga could have been told in three issues, but I love the art and am glad the word balloons aren't covering it up!

Triad and Ferro as the largest Legionnaires on the cover was a nice change from the usual Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy and Brainy domination (even though out of 20+ Legionnaires the three found their way on the cover AGAIN). I don't have a problem with Triad and Ferro not having a promenent role inside. My original attraction to the Legion as a new reader was the diversity and number of characters. We should see Gates and Gear and Violet and Star Boy on more covers!

I also enjoyed the three time period pages - they worked a diverse amount of the rest of the DC Universe into the Legion book without some forced ridiculous interaction across time. Although it seems implausible to me the time would come unravelled at the beginning rather than the 31st century, I'm no Stephen Hawking, so I can accept the story premise and see what happens. I do expect the "tidal wave" will be stopped and the back wash will cleanse the murk that was created in the Zero Hour and "clean up" some of recent history's mistakes/inconsistancies, such as Wildfire's re-origin, Mysa as Mordru's daughter, and the existance of Domain, etc.

Clearly the best spots in this issue were the Star Boy/Dreamer moment and the "B" team of Legionnaires going into action. I just wish Chuck and the Bouncing Boy would have gone along...

Now that's a good idea! If they use this time crap for a little housecleaning in post Zero-hour continuity, it might not ba a bad thing. Then again, it just might muddle things up even more hopelessly than it already is.

Was I the only one who was totally THRILLED with Legion Worlds #1-6? Why haven't we seen storytelling on THAT level since then? I just don't know.

Or better yet make her the new Time Trapper or Glorith! Would explain the relationship with Cos.

Whoah! Such strong negative reaction to the issue. I thought it was okay, myself. Sure the temporal thing made no sense, but it's just crazy comic book pseudo-science. If you are going to complain about that, then DC is just not the place to be. The Crisis is completely ridiculous. Zero Hour was completely ridiculous. I just take that stuff in stride.

The prominence of Ferro and Triad on the cover also didn't bother me. Covers are often very misleading. I agree with the other poster that showing different characters on the cover is better than the same old, same old.

There are some very interesting possibilities here, with the idea of the time upheavals used to "clean up" various characters or events. Even if that isn't what was planned, it's a device that could be used in future stories with a reference to the time backwash as explanation.
For me as well, it's a comic book story - it doesn't have to conform to the laws of physics as we know them. (Of course, I swallowed the idea that Superman has powers because the sun is yellow back when I was six and haven't shaken that one yet.)

I also like Vee's suggestion that Jazmin could be the Time Trapper - or perhaps she's being controlled by Trapper.

No, you weren't. I was not a huge fan of Legion Lost, and wasn't a big fan of Coipel's "dirty" art (his style just makes me think of Pig-Pen from "Peanuts"). I loved the character work from LW. I especially loved the Braal issue. Paul Rivoche's art was fantastic and we finally got to see Cos as he should be: a really compelling leader. Beyond that, LW offered us the best example of old-school Legion storytelling that we've seen since Levitz. I'd love to see more issues of the regular series written along the LW formula.

(I should mention that I am currently using one of the Legion group shots by Coipel that someone posted recently as my desktop wallpaper. Olivier's art wasn't my favorite on Legion, but it doesn't rank with the worst by any stretch.)

Hi folks,

I was going to drop by and say what a great job Chris and Chip did on the issue. ( Best stuff yet guys!! ) I check in from time to time and I've seen the comments on our choices for who ends up on the covers brought up many times. I wanted to clear up some misconceptions. First of all, the choice of who goes on the cover was rarely up to us. Steve usually had a idea of who he wanted on the cover. During the storyline that's running now Superboy was almost a requirement. Yes, some charcters made more regular cover appearences than others. Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy are both pretty popular. Popular enough for people that don't read LEGION to know who they were. I read Cosmic Boy's solo book before I ever knew who the Legion of Superheroes were. To me the goal of the cover is to catch the eye of the BUYER so much so, they pick up the book and look at what's inside. We want new readers to be excited about the cover so that they actually look at the great work from Chris and Chip are doing inside. The real LEGION fans are likely going to buy the book no matter who is on the cover, but the casual comics fan is probably more likely to buy a copy of LEGION if there is a character they reocognize on the cover, especially if the character has a big red "S" on his chest and is flying at you. As much as we wanted to do a Timberwolf cover, and man o man did we want to, Timberwolf probably isn't as well known as Cosmic Boy. The storylines during our run focused more on those main characters that were featured on the covers than they did on some of the LEGION members we would like to have had to opportunity to take a shot at. I hope that answers some of the questions I've seen raised here. Again, I think Chris and Chip are a fantastic art team. I can't wait to see what they do next.

Tom