That's kind of cool. I like the idea that various Legionnaires powers might have more practical applications, such as Light Lass being able to accelerate the cruiser by reducing it's effective weight.
Light Lass, Phantom Girl, Shrinking Violet and Chameleon Boy all are capable of reducing their mass, and could be able to fly much faster than normal with their Flight Rings than someone like Invisible Kid or Star Boy.
Both postboot Star Boy and (during her brief stint with the "floaty" powers) Spark were ultimately stated to affect gravitational forces rather than mass once someone worked out how they worked.
Originally Posted by Set
Light Lass, Phantom Girl, Shrinking Violet and Chameleon Boy all are capable of reducing their mass, and could be able to fly much faster than normal with their Flight Rings than someone like Invisible Kid or Star Boy.
Tinya doesn't actually reduce her mass, she just reduces its action on the "real" world. The ring, in full phase with her, would still act on her entire mass. And Vi's ring reduces in mass in proportion to *her* reduction - she should probably still get a boost, but nowhere near as much of one as a full-size ring would give Tiny Vi.
*suddenly pictures mini-Vi riding a full-size ring like a surfboard, standing on the L*
My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
It's after midnight, and I can't sleep again, so . . .
Jimmy Olsen # 76
One wonders what Jimmy sees in Lucy, though, since she is egotistical, rude, and boorish. However, her own cluelessness accentuates his. Clearly, these two were made for each other.
As for the Legion, it's good to see a story focus on the girls. We don't learn anything new or interesting about them, though it's nice that they staged this practical joke merely for the purpose of getting Lucy to appreciate Jimmy. Too bad their ploy failed. Also, it's a darned good thing Jimmy was up to the task Ayla set for him as she placed a lot of lives in danger on that monorail.
Any of the Legion's females would have been a better choice than Lucy. But hey, Jimmy's cluelessness is what caused the plots of most of his stories...
And so we get the second Jimmy Olsen LSH story! Funny how the cover by Curt Swan seems to light-hearted and silly, and the opening splash on page one by John Forte seems so full of venom and anger! Complete with Light Lass calling Saturn Girl a Hussy!
Forte draws perhaps the single most beautiful Lucy Lane ever. Too bad she’s remains the most vile, mean-spirited character in the entire Superman family of comics! Man, I wish Imra would just knock her out Lyle Norg style! Luckily I can tell from her dialogue about the Sultan of Ramnipur that it’s obvious Lucy served as a high end escort in one of those white slavery rings for harems in the middle east. Jimmy should throw that back in her face!
The problem with today’s Legion is it doesn’t do things like send members to the Galactic Explorer’s Society. I’m serious. That gets into a long conversation we’ve had on LW about the difference between “Knights” or “space-cops”.
Jimmy stopping the thief with his stretchable fingers if both brilliant and totally disgusting!
Bloody Liberty! Stopping a space-crook and getting a kiss from Luornu after would be the greatest mission in the world!
Imra’s sequence feels so out of character with the kiss unless you already know it’s a ruse. Even as a ruse though, I have a hard time seeing her do that. However, the panel just before, she genuinely seems impressed by Jimmy solving the problem and lets out a light-hearted laugh. Seeing her like that—laughing and being happy—gives her a real nice depth of humanity that we haven’t really seen yet. A great little panel!
All in all, despite the usual silliness of a Jimmy story, this issue features the Legion girls actually doing more than they’ve done yet so far in the main series! They are shown as capable, intelligence and brave—acting as if the duty of Legionnaire is something they are used to and good at.
Also, I love that Jimmy’s pals in the Legion were looking out for him. Everyone has had a friend who was dating a real monster (whether male or female). I only wish when my friends dated those kind of people, I pulled off an elaborate prank / ruse like this.
Complete with Light Lass calling Saturn Girl a Hussy!
Ayla likes using that word. She uses it for both Imra and Lu on page 8.
Quote
Forte draws perhaps the single most beautiful Lucy Lane ever. Too bad she’s remains the most vile, mean-spirited character in the entire Superman family of comics! Man, I wish Imra would just knock her out Lyle Norg style! Luckily I can tell from her dialogue about the Sultan of Ramnipur that it’s obvious Lucy served as a high end escort in one of those white slavery rings for harems in the middle east. Jimmy should throw that back in her face!
Little known fact: The sultan of Ramnipur made his escorts perform for his guests by swinging on swings. That's how Lucy became the unwitting inspiration behind Dire Straits' hit, "The Sultans of Swing."
Jimmy is clueless, but he's sweet clueless. Has he ever been mean to anyone, apart from the times he's been turned into a monster? Lucy is unpleasant, if not nasty, and usually looking for a better catch.
They should have set Jimmy up with Dream Girl, in the 20th century.
I did read this Jimmy Olsen story the other day. I read over the comments here and saw all of my observations would've basically replicated what you guys had written. However, I'll add a few words.
I found the tale in question rather charming overall. It's one of those types of lighthearted Silver Age tales that mainstream superhero comics don't tell anymore, and probably never will again. I's kind of a shame. Just goes to show how humorless and ultra-serious most of them are. Even more lighthearted fare like Hawkeye would probably not tell a story where three gals try to build a lovelorn guy up to his girlfriend. Books like Young Avengers and Teen Titans could really benefit from a story like this, with perhaps some mild updating.
My only other observation is that this is definitely a Jimmy Olsen tale and not a LSH story and could've been left out with probably little repercussion for the Legion fans. I'm kinda glad it wasn't, though. It was nice, lighthearted fare that's even more refreshing to read now, then it was 20 years ago when this edition of the Archive first came out. It's mostly gore and despair in comics these days, folks.
P.S. Was this the first time Imra was called a "hussy" in-story? I'm so used to us calling her that here, that it was amusing to actually see Ayla call her (and Trips!) the infamous epithet!
This story certainly read like it was based on some classic WWII movie, but I couldn't find anything listed for the time.
We've got the Planetary Chance-Machine, one of the greatest decision-making instruments of all time.
There's a giant pyramidal structure of a soon-to-be-lost civilization, well before our current knowledge of how widespread pyramids among ancient Earth civilizations.
We never find out what happened to the rest of Throon's civilization; all that's left are two "zany old men", as Night Girl describes them. I might have said insane, since they delight in destroying ships and killing people, thereby paralyzing all trade between planets.
There's a cringe-worthy illustration of Throon, used twice for extra effect.
Dr. James Bannon is quite the fetching nerd with his white push-up bra - the Legionverse's first cross-dresser.
Tim Vare, Interplanetary Trader, must surely speak with an upper-crust British accent. Too bad we didn't see him again - he could have been a pal of R.J. Brande's.
A team of Legionnaires heads to Throon to end the menace to interplanetary trade (a very contemporary concern!) and encounter a devastating series of attacks, defeating them. Superboy is taken out right away.
We get some indication of the seriousness of this disruption to trade by seeing a paralyzed spaceport, a planet facing famine and people on the verge of rioting on Earth, held back by SPs, imploring the Legion to do something.
A second team follows, but for some reason, mighty Mon-el remains at Legion HQ. The second team is also immobilized. More freezing rays! They sure are common in these early stories.
A third team, with Mon-el, heads out - and is quickly felled, again by the freezing ray. There is some rational explanation for the failure of each Legionnaire's power, but one could say that they were all over-confident in their attack, just rushing in as a group.
The Subs to the rescue! While the boys attack the Citadel, Lydda tunnels through from the dark side of the planet and finishes the job! She smashes the machinery with one fist, gets a rapid confession/explanation from the two zany guys and comes to an agreement that they will be left in peace, with no need for their weapons - all in two panels, with some big word balloons.
The story ends with the Subs feted in a parade, openly acknowledged for their heroic feat, and the Legion cheering along with the crowd.
Did the Subs show more ingenuity, or did they simply benefit from the Legion teams' experience? They appeared to have a better plan of attack, although the boys were taken by the giant robot - which they already knew existed.
One could argue that the Subs' main plan was distracting the citadel long enough for Lydda to do her job. They certainly showed more strategy than the Legion's third wave! The second wave had a decent plan though.
Still puzzled as to why Lightning Lad was singled out for being captured - and why so much drama was made of Colossal Boy's battle with the robot, when ultimately it wasn't much of anything. What the heck is with these anticlimactic cliffhangers?
This IS a different story, isn't it. As has been mentioned, it is really a Jimmy Olsen story (not surprising since it was in a JO comic) but it is nice to see the girls have a chance to take centre stage rather than just following after whatever the boys have decided to do. They get a lot more to say here, even if most of it is an act.
That cover is more attractive than the splash page isn't it, although it is actually less stilted and more dynamic than I find a lot of Forte's art. Man, I never realised how short Lournu's skirt was! It's really riding up int that scene.
Nothing really significant for the Legion here and if it never happened nothing would be lost. Still glad to see it - fun in a ridiculous sort of way.
Much like I described "Mutiny of the Legionnaires" as the essential Legion story, Adventure #319 could also be applied to that description--if for nothing other than the sheer amount of Legionnaires utilized! It's really uncommon all the way until Great Darkness to see the entire roster play a part in one issue.
This story also serves as basically the climax of Hamilton's Subs Saga. First, they were introduced; then they flirted with the idea of being exposed; then they were exposed but found themselves held in high esteem by their beloved Legion--and in the process realized they had come to mean more to each other than the Legion itself. And here, they at long last get their big moment in the sun, and save the day when even the entire Legion has failed. It's a big moment for them, and in a way "ends their story"; hereafter, they become true supporting players in Legion lore for basically 20 years.
I should also note that I agree with the UP and the Legion here. Isolationism is truly an unrealistic and ridiculous goal. Further, no community "deserves" to be left alone to any degree that it can disrupt someone's personal travel. Send in the Legionnaires!
This issue has a fantastic cover. The last issue did too, and this really is a string of great Adventure covers.
This issue is also important for the sheer amount of threads and posts on Legion World dedicated to the two zany old, gay coots in the Citadel of Throon.
Very nice intro by Hamilton to showcase the tension and political issues.
The Planetary Chance Machine remains pretty goofy. It's archaic really--you'd expect that process to be used in Ancient Rome.
More "Too Dangerous for a Girl" stuff. Yikes. Imra ain't having that.
Brainy is his cold and calculating self on this mission!
Back a HQ, Sun Boy is still playing the part of a leader to some degree.
Lightning Lad shows himself to be the hardened veteran and daredevil, braving it to go alone. This scene certainly could be argued against Garth / Proty, since this is right in line with his death sequence.
Tenz gets to do something cool again! And Jo and Thom are showcase after their recent issues.
Another freezing ray used in early Legion takes. Definitely a recurring Hamilton trope.
So the only Legionnaire not show is Supergirl.
Colossal Boy fighting a giant robot!
And the Subs arrive! The panel with them unleashing their powers is magnificent!
Night Girl shines though the science doesn't really hold up. Oh well. She rocks!
Two zany old men!
I feel like there was a bigger part for Garth to play but either they ran out of room or the story got away from Hamilton.
This one, too, reads like Hamilton adapted it from a film. The conceits of this story--shipping lanes being affected by the Throonians' attacks, the Legionnaires assaulting the citadel in waves, the "suicide squad" gambit--read like a WWII movie. In fact, some of these ideas make sense only in the context of a film set in modern times. Trading routes are so badly affected by Throon that people are starving? Space is an immensely vast environment, yet we're led to believe there's no way for ships to avoid their world?
(Well, I suppose the same could be said about the ocean, but still . . .)
But if we accept this conceit and a few others (such as the so-ridiculous-it-must-work Planetary Chance Machine), the story works quite well. The Legionnaires have a mission to perform. Lives depend on them. They must do or die. While it's ironic that two old geezers in a giant building defeat the entire Legion, it was also ironic that the Titanic sunk. This story, like history, demonstrates the drawbacks of hubris and overconfidence.
One plus about the mission, though, is that it brings out individual personalities and inter-group conflict in the Legion. Brainy thinks the mission is too dangerous for a girl, but Imra puts him in his place. Mon comes off as a loose cannon, and the others just let him go his own way and fail. But it's Star Boy who comes off as smart and capable. His strategy of having Matter-Eater Lad hollow out a rock so the Legionnaires can land on Throon undetected is brilliant.
Once again, though, it's the Subs who truly shine in this tale, and Night Girl who comes to the rescue. This supports my theory that Hamilton would have preferred writing a series about the Subs alone. They demonstrate more resourcefulness and ingenuity than the regular Legion, and they once again win the day.
On the Planetary Chance Machine: It may seem like a wonky idea, but I like the implication that the Legionnaires have so much confidence in themselves that they believe whoever gets bonked on the head first is capable of leading the mission. Not only that, but each subsequent member who gets bonked will have something valuable to contribute to the mission. It's an egalitarian way of selecting mission team members, although it leaves everything to, well, chance.
Of course, this means why bother electing a team leader at all? Saturn Girl doesn't do much except assert her proto-feminist rights.
It's nice to see more than a handful of Legionnaires involved; unfortunately, most don't do anything useful either. I'm torn between this approach and the approach favored by later writers, in which only four or five Legionnaires were present. Stories such as Adv. 352-353 (or most of Cary Bates' and Jim Shooter's '70s runs) would feature a small number of Legionnaires, but each one contributed something necessary to the story and their personalities and interactions were allowed to shine. Here the Legionnaires mostly trip over each other and don't get to use their powers. If I were an Element Lad or Phantom Girl fan, I would be disappointed that I had to wait months for them to show up and not do anything.
But the few Legionnaires who strut their stuff are well used. Lightning Lad hurls lightning bolts at the citadel. Colossal Boy fights a giant robot. Ultra Boy uses his super-strength. Given that it's important to the plot that they fail, it's still worthwhile to see them giving the mission their all.
So, if we accept that the science fictional world of the future is going to be a lot like the real world of 1964 (or 1942) in terms of shipping lanes and other conventions, we have a suspenseful, well-paced tale with a surprise ending and underdogs winning the day. Not bad for a day's work.
Following up on one of HWW's comments, this is a few issues almost in a row where Tenzil and Thom are interacting heavily with one another and working well together. I never thought of this before, but it's almost like they are good friends and work really well together. Following Eryk's thought that maybe Star Boy brought along Tenz on his super-secret mission on the nuclear fallout planet where he was MIA for some time, that would make sense.
Another thought that occurred to me randomly while reading this story. Traditionally, I've never been much of a fan of Garth's Silver Age costume--preferring the 70's version and then the reboot version most above all. But I have to say that its really growing on me during this reread. I love him wearing a cape, and being more brooding & heroic. Other than the odd puffy waste aspect of it, I think I'm starting to like Garth's Silver Age costume best of all for him.
Well, that was fun. I enjoyed the romp and having everybody in it even if some members were a bit slow to use their powers. In particular the espionage squad never had the chance to try to sneak in. Their team leaders all just said "Charge!" and that was it.
Ah, the Planetary Chance Machine. Just what every bureaucracy needs. I wonder how things would be if we selected our politicians that way. Might be an improvement. I do like HWW's comment on how it demonstrates their confidence in every members' abilities and leadership skills, even if this story perhaps demonstrated that this approach has its flaws.
Team 2 were the best with Thom's wonderful strategy, even if he did end up with a charge at the end anyway. Great to see Tenzil being useful again.
I was counting up the Legionnaires and thought someone was missing (besides Supergirl) and finally found Invisible Kid in 1 panel. He was selected for the first team but we never see him again - hey that's actually kind of funny and appropriate! Maybe he did use his power but was caught by the electric force anyway. Who knows how long he was left lying on that planet before someone finally asked where he was!
30 million miles! I guess that sounded like a lot to the writers, and it is a lot, but even Mars at it's closest approach to Earth doesn't get that close (about 33 million miles or 54 million kms) so that leaves an awful lot of space to get around in. At most I could see it blocking off a single planet. Ah well getting the science wrong is the norm for comics (and movies) even these days. Doesn't really spoil the story if you squint a little.
Glad they got those experts in. They were SO helpful. (Saw a little but we never find out what, the jungle is dangerous so don't do what you are planning (ignored), and we have no information.) Still good to see the Legion consulting.
Night Girl has x-ray vision? (Part 2 page 8 panel 5) Since when? And I've always been confused about whether she loses her strength in sunlight or any light. Different writers seem to handle it differently.
Still this was fun and there were quite a number of thoughtful strategy decisions shown even if most boiled down to charge. The story was written to show off the subs and it does so beautifully. I thought Cobie's comment on the Subs storyline was very interesting and made me appreciate this issue even more. Go Subs! Yay!
Almost forgot. Isn't it wonderful that Night Girl's powers included super-hair-styling so when she tunnels through the planet(oid) it doesn't mess up that wonderful hair style. Must be those super strong hair roots. I wonder if her hair collapses in sunlight?
I was counting up the Legionnaires and thought someone was missing (besides Supergirl) and finally found Invisible Kid in 1 panel. He was selected for the first team but we never see him again - hey that's actually kind of funny and appropriate! Maybe he did use his power but was caught by the electric force anyway. Who knows how long he was left lying on that planet before someone finally asked where he was!
Invisible Kid actually appears in 3 panels. He was chosen for the first team, but later, is shown when the 2nd team is chosen! Later a fan wrote in about this and the editor said it was Proty impersonating Lyle in the right panel.
The ol' Proty explanation. A better one would be that once Imra said to Brainy "go eat a space dick" and jumped back on the team, she took Lyle's spot, who then stayed behind to join the second team.
In addition to Night Girl's x-ray vision, notice that Fire Lad has the ability to shoot flames from his hands (Part 2, Page 7, last panel).
This is another instance where I wish the creators had trusted the readers. Would it have hurt to draw Fire Lad throwing off his space helmet so he could *breathe* fire? Couldn't readers have put two and two together without a long-winded explanation that he was taking off his space helmet so he could use his fire breath? Why take a short cut by depicting a power he's never had before (or probably since)? Was it to accommodate new readers who might be confused by Staq using his established power? Or was it that hard to keep everyone's power straight?
Previous Thread
