Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes A Look Back: L.E.G.I.O.N. #1-55

In a few issues from now, I'll have no longer been reading the series, which is a shame, since it appears those were some of the best. I remember really wanting to read the Valor/Lady Quark/Captain Comet issues. I really can't wait for the rest of the reviews!

And if you mean Garryn and his wife Stealth, I totally agree about the Eye at least making them funny for a bit.

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 # 13 - "Deceptions"

Main Cast: Vril Dox, Lyrissa Mallor, Garryn Bek, Strata, Lobo, Phase, Stealth

First L.E.G.I.O.N. appearances of: Lady Quark, Lar Gand

Credits: Alan Grant, writer and co-plotter - Barry Kitson, penciler and co-plotter - Mark McKenna, inker - Gaspar (Saladino,) letterer - Lovern Kindzierski, colorist

Plot: Best summed up by this conversation:

Stealth: It's that idiot Bek! That eye he found is feeding him with power - and driving him crazy in the process. He's literally smashing his way to Vril Dox!

Phase: I'm sorry, but I don't see how that's my business. Your group is ALWAYS fighting with each other.

And the sub-plots: Dox tests two possible new members, Lady Quark and a Daxamite named Lar Gand, while Pulsar Stargrave impersonates a Talokian god in order to kidnap Lyrissa's daughter, Lydea, whom he intends to use as a pawn in his revenge against L.E.G.I.O.N.

Thoughts: The first all-Grant & Kitson issue is a near-classic, except for some spots of weak inking from McKenna. Lady Quark would become one of my favorite members (the only previous appearances of hers I've read were the ones in the original "Crisis,") and Lobo finally makes me laugh, twice in fact:

1. "Get serious. A giant evil eye? So where's the giant evil NOSE??"

2. (After everyone else has asked each other if they're all right after Bek's rampage) "And are you all right, Lobo? Why, yes, thank you, teammates, I am very well indeed! Please don't fall over each other in your rush to assist me...wimps."

Lovern Kindzierski's coloring has been great from the start, but here he outdoes himself, compensating for McKenna's inspid inks with some atmospheric work, especially in the creepy scenes with Stargrave (already knowing what this sub-plot is leading to actually makes it more disturbing to me.)

A nice nostalgic bonus: this issue contains an elaborate fold-out ad for one of my favorite horror movies, "Nightbreed." I've never removed it, because it just seems cooler to leave it there.

Thanks, Cobalt Kid. Knowing that makes me enjoy what I'm doing even more.

Eye do indeed mean the Beks. Meye eyes are watering with laughter just thinking about those scenes ahead.

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 # 14 - "The Sound of Silence"

Main Cast: Vril Dox, Lyrissa Mallor, Garryn Bek, Strata, Lobo, Phase, Stealth

Credits: Alan Grant, writer and co-plotter - Barry Kitson, penciler and co-plotter - Mark McKenna, inker - Gaspar (Saladino,) letterer - Lovern Kindzierski, colorist

Plot: On a low-tech planet, Stealth and Strata round up some bank robbers in a Wild West-style showdown. On Talok VIII, Stargrave begins his horrifying scheme of using an abusive Lyrissa robot to brainwash baby Lydea into hating her mother. At L.E.G.I.O.N. headquarters, Garryn is getting loonier, while Lobo apparently wants to leave the team and join the band of one of the galaxy's worst space pirates, Dagon-Ra.

Thoughts: Even though McKenna's inking keeps getting worse and worse, Grant and Kitson easily transcend it. This issue has some of my favorite Stealth scenes - I got my Legion World signature from a line she delivers before shooting a bad guy - and the banter between her and Strata is great. As horrifying as the scene with Stargrave is, it is not played for cheap sensationalism, the way Giffen would have done - Grant and Kitson present it starkly, with compassion for poor Lydea. And Grant's ability to shift tones from scene to scene is nothing short of amazing.

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 # 15 - "Nightmares"

Main Cast: Vril Dox, Lyrissa Mallor, Garryn Bek, Marij'n, Strata, Lobo, Phase, Stealth

Credits: Alan Grant, writer and co-plotter - Barry Kitson, penciler and co-plotter - Mark McKenna, inker - Gaspar (Saladino,) letterer - Lovern Kindzierski, colorist

First L.E.G.I.O.N. appearances of: Garv, Telepath, and (PLOT SPOILER, read ahead.)

Plot: In addition to giving Garryn delusions of godhood, the Eye also causes Dox to have a nightmare about the still-missing Durlan. Stargrave's political puppet discovers what the villain is doing, but Stargrave threatens to kill him if he tells. Lobo successfully infiltrates Dagon-Ra's band of pirates after a sadistic hazing (Dagon-Ra using his matter-transforming powers to turn the air around Lobo into poison gas.) Stealth - whose pregnancy has become public knowledge - and Phase start becoming friends. And as Lyrissa thinks about how much she misses her baby daughter Lydea, she has no way of knowing that Stargrave has not only brainwashed Lydea, but also used a machine to age her overnight into a psychotic teenager - Lydea Darkstar!

Thoughts: Another typically fine job from Grant & Kitson. This issue introduces my favorite male L.E.G.I.O.N. member, Garv. I love his big-heartedness and his earthy common sense; he's like Marvel's Thing without the self-pity. Being bulky and hairless, he's destined to get seriously involved with the similarly featured Strata, who's the luckiest girl in the galaxy to have him. Garv actually reminds me of an ex co-worker I had a crush on, but I never acted on the crush, because workplace relationships are risky.

Quote:
Dox: Stealth! I'd like a word...
Stealth: Okay, how about CREEP? I'm off duty. You want to talk to me, send for me on PAID time!

If you'd like a shorter abbreviation, everyone in KLORDNY for the last 15 years or more has been calling it "L dot".

Thank you for the information, but I'm perfectly happy calling it "L-20."

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 # 16 - "Monster, Monster!"

Main Cast: Vril Dox, Lyrissa Mallor, Garryn Bek, Marij'n, Strata, Lobo, Lady Quark, Lar Gand, Phase, Stealth

First L.E.G.I.O.N. appearance of: Captain Comet

Credits: Alan Grant, writer and co-plotter, Barry Kitson, penciler and co-plotter - Mark McKenna, inker - Gaspar (Saladino,) letterer - Lovern Kindzierski, colorist

Plot: Lar Gand of Daxam is officially made a L.E.G.I.O.N. member. As a welcome gift, Dox exposes him to lead, the one thing that can kill a Daxamite. This forces Lar Gand to depend on Dox's supplies of anti-lead serum; typical Dox, really.

Meanwhile: Garryn has gone completely nuts and now Marij'n is starting to be affected by the eye, too; Lyrissa is furious when she finds out that Dox is planning an assault on Dagon-Ra's headquarters without consulting her first; Dox requests to have full custody of his and Stealth's child once it's born - she refuses.

At Dagon-Ra's headquarters, we see that probational team member Lady Quark is also undercover there, and Lobo gets into a fight with Dagon-Ra's goons after one of them winds up Lobo by joking about killing space dolphins. Dagon-Ra has Lobo thrown into the dungeon, where there's already another prisoner: veteran space hero Captain Comet.*

Thoughts: This issue is the first one where the Eye-possessed Garryn starts talking in a weird speech pattern that's hard to describe, but funny to read. Some examples:

"Eye must seize my destiny as leader of L.E.G.I.O.N."

"Thus do eye send forth the I."

"I don't think the I likes that."

"I! I mean...eye! No...aye!"

Dagon-Ra is turning out to be a memorable villain, and Kitson comes up with imaginative designs for the colorful variety of aliens working under Dagon-Ra.


*Captain Comet was a last minute replacement for Adam Strange, due to editorial and scheduling problems. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise - I don't think Adam Strange would have been a good fit in this book.

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 # 17 - "The Power of Positive Thinking"

Main Cast: Vril Dox, Lyrissa Mallor, Garryn Bek, Marij'n, Lobo, Lady Quark, Lar Gand, Strata, Garv, Telepath, Captain Comet, Phase, Stealth

Credits: Alan Grant, writer and co-plotter - Barry Kitson, penciler and co-plotter - Mark McKenna, inker - Gaspar (Saladino,) letterer - Lovern Kindzierski, colorist

Plot: Unaware that Lobo has failed to assassinate Dagon-Ra as planned, Vril Dox charges ahead with the attack on Dagon-Ra's headquarters. Meanwhile: Stargrave's unwilling pawn Lydea Darkstar boards a commercial flight to L.E.G.I.O.N.'s home base of Cairn; and an experiment to free Garryn from the Eye's control only makes the Eye even more attached to both him and Marij'n, who has lost hundreds of pounds overnight thanks to the Eye.

Although the attack on Dagon-Ra's headquarters goes disastrously at first, there is a brief hope, thanks to Lady Quark and to the secret betrayal of Dagon-Ra by one of his underlings, the gentle Telepath. But Dagon-Ra regains the upper hand after using his matter-altering powers to turn Lar Gand's blood into molten lead.

Thoughts: The attack on Dagon-Ra's fortress is breathtaking. Once again, Kitson shows he's a master at depicting both the sheer beauty of outer space and the widescreen spectacle of science-fiction battles. And also once again, Kindzierski puts in extra effort with his coloring to compensate for McKenna's bad inking. Grant does a great job with the morally ambiguous Lydea Darkstar's first full scene - when she boards the flight, a sleazy guy harasses her, so she responds by torturing him with her Darkforce powers until he backs off. Then she smiles quietly.

So last minute, in fact, that I believe Alanna and Sardath have a cameo in #14 or #15.

#16 was my first issue of L-20, due entirely to that appearance of Captain Comet in the last panel. I'd not warmed to the cast in their INVASION! appearance, so I'd skipped the monthly. That said, though, it was the overall quality of the book that kept me buying it.

Thanks, Outdoor Miner. I had completely forgotten to mention Alanna and Sardath. Even though this is a very good storyarc, it's one of the more difficult ones to keep track of all the details.

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 # 18 - "From the Jaws of Victory..."

Main Cast: Vril Dox, Strata, Garv, Lobo, Lar Gand, Lady Quark, Captain Comet, Telepath, Phase

Credits: Alan Grant, writer and co-plotter - Barry Kitson, penciler and co-plotter - Mark McKenna, inker - Gaspar (Saladino,) letterer - Lovern Kindzierski, colorist

Plot: Confident in his victory, Dagon-Ra changes the lead in Lar Gand's veins back into blood, then changes the air around Dox's troops into sleeping gas, intending to make them all his slaves. He spares Dox so that his guards can bring Dox to him, the better to humiliate Dox. Telepath uses his powers to convince Dox to attack Dagon-Ra; Dox is nearly killed but for the last-minute intervention of Captain Comet, which provides Lady Quark and Lobo the chance they need to slaughter Dagon-Ra and his army. Lady Quark and Telepath join L.E.G.I.O.N., and all seems well until Lady Quark tells Dox that he reminds her of an alien she met on Earth - Brainiac. Realizing his father still lives, Dox immediately makes the team's next mission to find and kill Brainiac.

Thoughts: A thrilling conclusion and an exciting new beginning - the team has just had its first major victory, and is about to come full circle by taking on the man who twisted Dox into what he is - plus, unknown to the team, Lydea Darkstar is coming. Unfortunately, it would be just at this point that Barry Kitson took a six-month hiatus from the book in order to draw the "Wild Cards" limited series for Epic Comics. It is to Alan Grant's credit that, despite some very bad artwork in Kitson's absence (and one incredibly well-drawn issue which we'll get to soon,) the book not only stayed readable, but extremely readable.

I may not recall this correctly, but didn't Dagon-Ra die when a big ol' boulder fell on him mysteriously, in a bit which set up another subplot (which I won't mention here)?

That's right, but only because Lar Gand interrupted Lobo while he was killing Dagon-Ra (no wonder Lar Gand never fit in with this team.) Even if the boulder hadn't fallen, Dagon-Ra would still have been killed.

Slowly catching up.

The first two pages of #3 are chillingly reflective of current events.


#13-14: The Pulsar Stargrave storyline is the highlight for me being both well paced and again, chilling. I'm not quite clear why he feels the need to have compliance from the population?

The other two storylines really jump the shark IMO. The Eye's personification just never worked for me and seemed silly. The growing the crystal thing also seemed a stretch and risks poor science.

Dox' characterization continues to grow with his one panel interaction with the eye. Something else else's up. Well, something is always up with Dox.

LOL Excellent, Gary. The emoticons on this board are some of the coolest I've ever seen.

Since he once ruled a whole planet when he was the Computer Tyrants, he probably wants to rule Talok VIII the same way.

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 Annual # 1 - "Childhood's End"

Main Cast: Vril Dox, Lyrissa Mallor, Lar Gand, Lady Quark, Lobo, Telepath, Strata, Phase, Stealth

Special Guest Star: Superman

Credits: Alan Grant, writer - Jim Fern, penciler - Jeff Albrecht, inker - John Workman, letterer - Lovern Kindzierski, colorist

Plot: Following a misunderstanding on Earth between L.E.G.I.O.N. and Superman (in Adventures of Superman Annual #2*), the team has found out that due to Dox's neglect of Colu, the planet has been taken over by Dox's father, Braniac. They head to Colu on a mission to kill. Superman, unwilling to let Dox play judge, jury and executioner - even with one of his own worst enemies - follows the team to Colu. Brainiac is well prepared for the confrontation - he's got the Coluan army, a pack of monstrous Bio-Mutants, and his own considerable mind powers.

Thoughts: Alan Grant wrote one of his best L.E.G.I.O.N. scripts for this issue, and if it had been drawn by Barry Kitson or an artist of equal talent, it would have been a masterpiece. But even with the crude and sloppy art by Jim Fern, the story is still a good read and manages some incredibly powerful moments, especially between Dox and Brainiac, a villain whom Grant seems to understand better than any of the Superman writers. Perhaps the most powerful is when Brainiac offers Dox a chance to join him - Dox responds by declaring his hatred for Brainiac and spitting on him. And it's not all doom and gloom, there's also a hilarious scene where Brainiac mind-controls the rest of the L.E.G.I.O.N., and uses their grudges against Dox to turn them into a kangaroo court, sentencing Dox to death. Once again, Grant shows his talent for switching tones seamlessly.


*If you haven't read the AOS Annual, don't worry, there's no need to, because the L-20 Annual provides a good recap. Plus, Grant didn't write the AOS Annual, and the other writer badly mis-characterized the L-20 members.

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 # 19 - "Bitter Victory"

Main Cast: Vril Dox, Lyrissa Mallor, Garryn Bek, Marij'n, Strata, Lobo, Lar Gand, Lady Quark, Telepath, Captain Comet, Phase, Stealth

Credits: Alan Grant, writer - Jim Fern, penciler - John Nyberg, inker - Gaspar (Saladino,) letterer - Lovern Kindzierski, colorist

Plot: Having been brainwashed by Stargrave into feeling a murderous hatred for her mother, Lydea Darkstar arrives on Cairn and stalks Lyrissa Mallor. Meanwhile: Captain Comet is recovering and all are grateful to him for saving them - except Dox, who's not even sure he wants him on the team; Marij'n begins talking in the same "I/eye" speech as Garryn, and acting even crazier than him; Lar Gand is discharged from L.E.G.I.O.N. by Dox; and Stealth has had just about enough of Dox.

Thoughts: The Lydea Darkstar subplot finally takes over the book, and the result is one of the most tragic and disturbing issues of L.E.G.I.O.N. Words cannot describe the horror of the final scene, where Lyrissa enters her room and Lydea ambushes her, except to say that Grant continues to outdo himself, and Kindzierski shows what a magic touch he truly has - in the last few issues, he had to compensate for bad inking, but this time, he has to carry the crudely drawn pages entirely on his own. Kindzierski deserves as much credit as Grant for making that last scene work as well as it does.

"Kindzierski shows what a magic touch he truly has - in the last few issues, he had to compensate for bad inking, but this time, he has to carry the crudely drawn pages entirely on his own. Kindzierski deserves as much credit as Grant for making that last scene work as well as it does."

I'm reminded of Tom McCraw's work on the regular LSH book. After the switch-over to computer-coloring (which took about 3 months of adjustment and faded-out pages before they figured out what they were doing) the next 2 years, I often thought McCraw's work was the ONLY GOOD thing about the book. At all!

Fern eck eck

This was a great issue anyhow. All the plot threads wove well, moved well, and gained my interest.

My favorite part of this issue occurs when Lyrissa is storming out of Dox' office (is there any other way to leave?) and makes the off-hand comment to Stealth and Lady Q "watch out he doesn't eat your baby." This of course sets Stealth off in a panel or two of paranoia wondering how anyone knew she was pregnant. One of the little touches that made the writing so fun.

The killing of Lyrissa IMO, was an exchange of a great character and capable foil for Dox for a non-descript back in the pack character. Lyrissa was a character that could have held her own in the DC Universe, perhaps with the occasional mini. The only good issue with the Lydia character that I recall was the Ancestors issue and the interest of that story had more to do with the characterization of Talak VIII and Lyrissa than a "coming out" of Lydia. Even the look of the two characters was a poor exchange.

On another note, the next year commenced a series of about four or five years of completely forgettable crossover Annuals by DC.

I think Lydea had potential which nobody bothered to fulfill.

Lyrissa was an amazing character, which is exactly why her tragic loss was so shocking and powerful. In the world of comics, I personally prefer that characters, no matter how great they are, be allowed to come to their natural end, and Lyrissa was one of the few who did. Not only that, but the chaos which the loss of her deputy leader skills threw the team into made for good drama.

I don't agree about the look of the two characters being a poor exchange. Both had equally bad hair. On the other had, if Lyrissa had survived, perhaps she would have eventually adopted a less severe look. But in the end, I still think it was best for things to happen exactly as they did.

And as bad as crossovers are, a handful of great stories came out of this upcoming one, including L.E.G.I.O.N. Annual # 2, which I'm looking forward to because it was the very first L-20 issue I ever read.

L.E.G.I.O.N. # 20 - "Girl Trouble"

Main Cast: Vril Dox, Lyrissa Mallor, Strata, Garryn Bek, Marij'n, Lady Quark, Lobo, Telepath, Captain Comet, Phase, Lydea Darkstar, Stealth

Credits: Alan Grant, writer - Jim Fern, penciler - John Nyberg, inker - Gaspar (Saladino,) letterer - Lovern Kindzierski, colorist

Plot: The others arrive too late to stop Lydea. When Phase tries to stop a distraught Strata from killing Lydea, her powers cause an explosion which puts more than one member in sickbay. Lyrissa now lies in a coma and Lydea is Dox's prisoner. Telepath reluctantly follows Dox's orders to read Lydea's mind. Upon finding out that Lydea was sent from Talok VIII by Stargrave, Dox strategically sends the by now insane Garryn & Marij'n as cannon fodder, with Lady Quark following them as Dox's secret weapon. And Stealth, sick of Dox trying to chain her down with office work, says goodbye to Strata and Phase, steals a ship, and goes A.W.O.L.

Thoughts: As Fern gets even worse (there's one panel where Dox SMILES after finding out the truth about Lydea,) Grant gets even better. In the end, the book stays good, Kitson will be back soon, and that's what matters. There is a scene towards the end of this issue which begins a subplot about another planet seeking help against the Khunds which will eventually turn into what I consider the greatest L-20 story arc ever.

Countdown to Barry Kitson's return: 5 issues to go.

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 # 21 - "Light and Shade"

Main Cast: Vril Dox, Lyrissa Mallor, Garryn Bek, Marij'n, Lady Quark, Lobo, Telepath, Strata, Garv, Captain Comet, Phase, Lydea Darkstar, Stealth

Credits: Alan Grant, writer - Jim Fern, penciler - Jeff Albrecht, inker - Gaspar (Saladino,) letterer - Lovern Kindzierski, colorist

Plot: As Lyrissa remains in a coma, the team members all pay their respects (except for Lobo who is grossly disrespectful, no surprise there.) The idiotic Garryn & Marij'n blunder their way to Talok VIII, and Stargrave promptly goes on the attack. Stealth randomly chooses a planet for her exile. Lyrissa quietly passes away.

Thoughts: Where other writers would have gone for melodrama and bathos, Grant's portrayal of Lyrissa's deathwatch is refreshingly understated, a dignified exit for the most dignified member of this team. Rest in peace, Lyrissa.

At the other extreme (and, as always, it's amazing how Grant pulls this off,) the scenes with Garryn & Marij'n, as goofy and over-the-top as they are, make me laugh. This is really the only time I can say anything positive about those two characters - once this story arc ends (next issue) and they cease to be comedy relief, their marital troubles and the subsequent love triangle with Captain Comet would be IMO the most annoying and boring L-20 subplot EVER!

Countdown to Barry Kitson's return: 4 issues to go.

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 # 22 - "Starr-Doom"

Main Cast: Vril Dox, Phase, Strata, Garryn Bek, Marij'n, Lobo, Lady Quark, Garv, Telepath, Captain Comet, Stealth

Credits: Alan Grant, writer - Jim Fern, penciler - Jeff Albrecht, inker - Gaspar (Saladino,) letterer - Lovern Kindzierski, colorist

Plot: Strata is burning to avenge Lyrissa. She threatens to kill Dox unless he tells her who is responsible. Before long, a group of L.E.G.I.O.N. members (Strata, Dox, Lobo, and Phase) is headed for Talok VIII. Good thing, too, because not only has Stargrave easily disposed of the Beks, he has also proven to be an equal match against Lady Quark. In the end, teamwork saves the day. Meanwhile, Stealth has settled into an idyllic wilderness to await the arrival of her baby.

Thoughts: Where the last few issues managed to transcend bad art thanks to the nuances of Grant's writing, a pure action issue like this one leaves little room for subtlety and depends more heavily on the art. This, along with a lazy way of writing out the Eye (after the battle, it simply dissapears) makes # 22 one of the Grant era's weaker issues.

On the other hand, the Eye was a bad idea to begin with (and let's not forget, it was Giffen's idea, not Grant's) so all I really care about is that it's gone. Plus, two of the longest-running subplots have finally been resolved, and a third one - the Durlan - will be resolved in the outstanding next issue, in which (thankfully) Fern only draws a few pages, and the art is mostly by a great talent named Richard Piers Rayner.

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 may have ended a little flat, but L.E.G.I.O.N. '91 is about to get to a really good start.

Countdown to Barry Kitson's return: 3 issues to go.