Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-Reading the Legion: Archives #3

Another fun fact about this story is that it is written by Leo Dorfman rather than one of the usual Legion writers.

I also read the Lois story and while not a full review, here are a few thoughts!

The single biggest stand out for me is how awesome the three girls look in 1964-ish versions of their costumes! Vi looks especially stylish in a green dress--very girl next door.

I also love that this is a Legion girls story sans Imra.

Dorfman does a great job making Lois' story full of fun and silliness while making sure Lois comes off as capable, courageous and humane. She is very admirable here.

What is crazy to me is the cover is so obviously Legion-y with Lois in a time bubble...and that's a totally different story! I was surprised by this! *That* story is only okay; the plot is cool but both Lois and Lana come off as unsympathetic.

Leo Dorfman was a regular Superman family writer though as Eryk points out, he didn't really do any Legion work. IMO, Dorfman is one of the better Superman writers. His stories were always heavily focused on the emotional ramifications of the plot, and he did a great job showing Superman / Superboy's humanity when things went right or went wrong.

Like the Jimmy stories, this one works because of its tight focus and pleasant pacing & charm.

Sounds like a real winner! Hard to believe DC used to be so cool they could give supporting characters like Lois and Jimmy their own (often totally awesome) books. (I wonder why they didn't have Perry White or Alfred Pennyworth series? )


Now, they can put out pretty much ZERO awesome books.

Superman's Boss, Perry White should definely have been a series!

Maybe a Perry/Alfred Team-Up if they were afraid neither could support a monthly alone?

That would be hella-kewl!

- tough, dangerous exposes that he won't let anyone else do but him because of the danger!

- helping out his old war buddies--including untold war stories!

- protecting Superman's secret ID! Helping Superman when various K's screw up his powers! Outsmarting the Superman Revenge Squad!

- battling the Mighty Gazor, his Phantom Zone criminal equivalent! More scenes with the Brain of Garf-Og!

Don't forget his honorary membership in the Supersexy Adventurers of the 2940s!

Its actually shocking this was never an issue of World's Finest!

They must have been old war buddies! Back when Alfred was a spy and Perry was a war-correspondent!

Incidentally, I just ordered volume 2 of the Superman Family Showcases!

It was quite common for Lois and Lana to come off as unsympathetic.

DC was able to give Lois and Jimmy their own series because that's how much Superman sold. He was the Bats or X-Men of his day. Lois and Jimmy were even TV characters, so they were bankable as solo series.

Perry did have his own TV show. It was called Lou Grant.

Jimmy's history is actually kind of interesting. He was barely featured in the comics throughout the 40s, though he was a major character on the Superman radio series. When the Adventures of Superman was adapted to TV in the early 50s, he was then aged from an office boy to more familiar 20-ish "cub reporter" Jimmy. Because of the success of the TV series and the popularity of the Jimmy Olsen character, he was given his own comic series almost as soon as he started appearing again regularly in the Superman comics!

Paladin, I sent you a PM.

Interestingly enough, LL #50 was included in the Best of DC digest #44, which continued the chronological reprinting of Legion stories after the Adventure digest was cancelled in the early 80s.

Adventure #322

You know, as goofy as the cover to #322 is, you can’t help but recognize its brilliance. First the LOSV replicates the original Legion cover, and now the Super-Pets do as well!

This story features Forte artwork with inks by Sheldon Moldoff, a longtime collaborator of Curt Swan, and it shows. It has a “less stiff” look that makes things warmer and more kinetic.

The threat of the Time Trapper continues to loom over the series in a major way. The tension is nicely being built on, and bringing the Subs in reaffirms that. With the Super-Pets arriving on the next page, you get the sense that the Legion needs just about everyone to overcome the Time Trapper!

Proty so innocently considers joining the Super-Pets when Comet gets all uppity! Bah! He’s lucking Proty doesn’t turn him into glue! And look how angry the others are!

The origin of the Proteans is shown again, this time extended and with absolutely beautiful artwork by John Forte.

As the story moves on and Proty begins doing his feats, I find myself rooting for him more and more. I like Proty! He shows ingenuity for Comet’s test and real bravery and fast-thinking for Streaky’s. And damn if he isn’t the most clever Legionnaire ever during Beppo’s. Plus, he’s pretty freaking adorable with the flight belt on.

Awesome visual of Proty turning into the huge scary fish to scare the shark! Plus, Shark Lad’s first Legion appearance!

All in all, I really loved this story! It was full of fun, charm and adventure. I can’t wait to read this with my sons when they’re old enough to appreciate it, which isn’t too far off.

Those snobbish Super=Pets! Didn't they realize adding Proty to their ranks would greatly diversify thei power sets? Okay, so they all have flight, strength, speed, invulnerability...

Adventure Comics #322

So I was actually kind of surprised at how much I enjoyed this story. It was much better than I remembered it being. It largely continues in the tradition of the Subs stories from last volume, with the Legion being pushed to the background and the story about the Super-Pets/Proty II being the main focus. It also advances the ongoing Time Trapper subplot, while also being a major beat in the ongoing story of the Proteans.

--Nice to see the Subs helping out the Legionnaires.

--Light Lass finally changes her costume! Interestingly, the cloud would kind of work for either her new powers or her old, so I kind of suspect she’s still keeping up hope of restoring her old abilities!

--This mission is too dangerous for a pet!

--The origin of the Proteans! Note that it seems to be implied that the Llorn take some of the original Proteans with them.

--Super-Monkey punching a giant Cyclops. Not really anything to say about it, but isn’t it awesome?

--Doctor Karnes, Interplanetary Statue Collector is a character who deserves to be explored more!

--More matter-eating beasts! Note that the name of the planet, “Vor”, is from the Latin for “eat”!

--That giant eyeball in the sky is creepy!

--I kind of dig the form of the ten-armed natives of Procyon!

--The old “completely unscientific bits of machinery thrown together masquerading as some sort of super-science” routine! One would think the Legionnaires would be a bit more upset in this situation. They do kind of have more pressing business at hand!

--“The alien science which put that machine together is too deep for me to understand!” Can you imagine more modern incarnations of Brainy saying anything like that?

--You’d think Kryptonians, including Krypto, would’ve have learned by now that opening lead boxes under the sea is generally a bad idea.

--Proty proves himself by saving Krypto, though one wonders if Krypto hadn’t got himself into the kryptonite trap if Proty could actually have passed that last test!

I love that the Legion continually focused on non-Legion characters in the early days as leads within the stories. 50 years later, and a lot of the very best comics on the market employ that practice--shifting the lead to a supporting player for an issue (usually one of the best).

It enriches the universe of the series, and it reminds the reader that there are all kinds of forces in progress in these characters lives that are constantly shifting and changing. What works today may not work tomorrow, as there are always other factors at play.

Adv. 322

Although I've never been a particular fan of the Super-Pets, this is by far one of the best Hamilton stories. Once again, ironically, it does not feature the Legionnaires as main characters in their own series.

You gotta love Proty II. He's plucky, bold, and smart (smarter than Brainiac 5, even), and, although he expresses doubts about each test, he soldiers on and wins. He's the very epitome of a protagonist, particularly one in a children's story.

It seems odd that the Super-Pets would reject Proty for not possessing a "super-power". After all, he has the same power as Chameleon Boy. But since each of the Super-Pets has Kryptonian-level abilities, their elitism is perhaps understandable if deplorable. Good for Proty for showing them up.

The tests remind me of riddles from classic fables: Answer the question truthfully, and you get the pot of gold; give the wrong answer and the cyclops will eat you (and Beppo won't stop him this time). Each test requires Proty to use his wits as well as his powers. In the first test he must impersonate Superboy and perform whatever mission is assigned to Superboy next. Luckily for Proty, Superboy wasn't asked to save two worlds from colliding, as per 313. Also luckily, a ship happens to be leaving for the planet Vor so he can stow away and retrieve the rare element the Legion needs. This part of the story falls into place a bit too easily, but at least Proty has to struggle to retrieve the element and escape from the Vorian animals.

Then, in another nice bit of drama, Doctor Karnes catches "Superboy" on his ship. It's always a bit odd how 30th century civilians take the presence of Superboy for granted--Dr. Karnes does not invite "The Boy of Steel" in for tea or ask him to perform a super-feat or see him off (which would require Proty to fly without a flight belt). And he doesn't express concern that Superboy just showed up to admire his collection without asking permission. No matter, Proty dodges suspicion wonderfully.

The other tests play out in similar fashion. Each begins with the reader wondering how Proty is going to pull it off and then marveling as Proty outwits Legionnaires and Super-Pets alike to persevere. The stakes continually raise as each successive feat increases the odds of Proty's ruses being discovered.

(By the way, I can't help thinking the Time Trapper's electronic eye served as inspiration for the Emerald Eye.)

The flaws in this story are minor. One that stands out is Light Lass's clunky way of telling us she has a new emblem. ("Yes, Ayla," Brainy should have said, "and what does your new emblem have to do with putting together this generator?") In general, though, the dialogue in the last several issues seems more naturalistic and less expository than in previous stories.

The other significant flaw is that the transition from the bottom of Page 8 to the top of Page 9 in Part 2 is too abrupt. After Proty rescues Krypto, the next image is of "Krypto" carrying what he says is a muck-encrusted Proty back to the other Super-Pets. These scenes would have flowed better if the first one had ended with Proty in danger.

This is a wonderful story that shows how having a goal, sticking to it, and believing in oneself can produce desired results. Proty joins the LSP after completing tests far more difficult than those shown for most of the Legionnaires. Screw the Super-Pets. He ought to try out for the regular Legion.

You just said it perfectly! He's the perfect protagonist.

Did they ever give a stated reason why the Super-Pets decided to settle in the 30th Century with the Legion?

And why Comet allows himself to be termed a pet, considering he's originally a centaur?

As this and other stories have made clear, the members of the LSP, other than Proty, do not reside in the 30th century. The Legionnaires retrieve them from the past when needed.

I just read on some wiki that the LSH retrieved them in the first Super-Pets story, but the other times I've seen them they seem to just show up as if they were hanging around and noticed they were needed. Usually when the Legion is in no shape to retrieve them!

I haven't re-read the later stories in awhile, and it could be that in some the pets show up without explanation. But in 313, Lightning Lad travels to the past in a time bubble to retrieve them, and in 322 Superboy says he is going into the past to get them.

Since all the pets save Proty have Kryptonian powers, they could presumably travel into the future any time they desired.

Yes, that's why I wasn't questioning how, only why they chose to do so.

The answer of course is that at that point the Legion writers were the only one's paying attention to them.

The time for the Legion of Super-Villain Pets is long overdue.