Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-Reading the Legion: Archives #4

Yeah, I don't see the UP as similar to the UN at all. It's always appeared much more like the EU, or even more like a Federal Government for all it's member planets. I can easily see a case made for the UP being akin to the Federal Gov of the USA.

All that aside, I'm in definite agreement with Seth about the diversity of planets in all ways including economies and class issues.

I think we ran out with Adventure #339, which is coincidentally the most recent issue I still don't have a copy of. Time to start a new thread for Archive #5!

Ah, topic drift! But in this case, I've really enjoyed these discussions about Kid Psycho, economic disparity in the 30th century, and the set-up of the UP government. Every post has been amazingly on topic (even if the topics are subtopics of the main topic) and full of insightful commentary.

What a way to wrap up Archives 4.

Yeah, it is. Though, admittedly, I have very little interest in the socio-economic aspects of the 30th/31st centuries. Still, interesting to hear from those who do!

I was going to mention, regarding the Beast Boy tale, stuff like how Imra's boobs really seemed to get the spotlight early in the story as Forte shows her in profile in, like, three panels on the same page. And, my, doesn't she seem bustier than the other Legion girls! But, well, hard to fit that in when everyone's concerned about the slums and the downtrodden and all.

Good thing I never brought the boobs up, right?

Imra's bust size and Rokk's working class background have a direct correlation to their success as Leaders of the Legion, both officially and later symbolically!

See, that was Brainy's problem. He had neither a sizable bust nor a working class background.

So Lardy, will you start the next one? Once you do a good deed once and all that...;)

Sure! I'll do it some time tonight....

One last comment I had about the Beast Boy story...

I actually thought the depiction of his death was rather violent for a Silver Age story. I know there was no blood shown nor any descriptive sound effects, but essentially, Beast Boy gets his neck snapped in the jaws of a vicious wild animal. And the act is shown on-panel.

I'm not condemning the depiction, but it's a much more visceral depiction than Garth's death by freeze ray or Andrew Nolan's death by explosion, among others. I'd say it's perhaps even more graphic than Lyle's death by Validus, which is more Bronze Age. yeah, pretty tame compared to Superman being beaten to death, Pantha being beheaded, Damian Wayne being impaled, etc., but pretty aggressive for its time. Especially so because maulings are a very realistic and nightmarish way to get badly injured or killed.

^Good point, Lardy.

Two thoughts:

1. While the dog is shown in the mouth of the Maw, it's not a very explicit death scene, i.e., there's no SNAP! (Which leaves it ambiguous as to whether BB died of a broken neck or shock or a punctured jugular, etc.)

2. The death of Triplicate Girl in the next ish (and on the cover, no less) shows the times are indeed a-changin'.

Yeah, I tried to make it clear that it was explicit for it's time, even pointing out the lack of blood or sound effects. I think his neck was probably snapped most likely because of the quickness of his death and where the Maw had him in its grasp.

In terms of function, I absolutely agree with both of you. Just the creation of the Legion points to an EU or federal gov't set-up (imagine getting the present day UN to agree to the creation of a super-powered force that can intervene in affairs on any UP world!).

What I was trying to get at in my original post though was the diversity of planets in terms of economy, government and culture. The UN would be a more apt comparison than the EU or USA for that aspect.