Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-Reading the Legion: Archives #5

(See the previous threads on Archives #4, Archives #3, Archives #2 and Archives #1 and feel free to add in your two cents on those stories. It's NEVER too late! )

For the next few weeks we'll be reading the stories from LSH Archives #5, with a discussion of a single new story every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.



Archives #5 covers Adventure #340-349 in consecutive order.

LOTS to look forward to including: Computo! A Legionnaire KILLS! Dream Girl returns! The Luck Lords! NARDO! Four Legionnaires join---and one's a TRAITOR! Dr. Regulus! UNIVERSO!

Plus: The end of the Hamilton era! The coming of SHOOTER! Curt Swan succeeds John Forte!


*gasp* This may be the greatest Archive yet! Let's find out for ourselves....

First up, Adventure Comics #340: "Computo the Conqueror!"



Note: We're skipping the Origin & Powers of the Legion feature that opens this Archives, as far as it getting its own slot, but feel free to discuss it if the mood strikes!

Lol, I can still see in my mind, the army of Computos, arms all waving about.

346 was my first issue but I went back and got these. I still didn't know the characters all that well and to me, Ferro Lad was the "first" to die so the death of Luorno (later found to be only one of the bodies) didn't really hit me but boy I remember that army of Computos. The other scene that stands in my mind is a battle with Colossal Boy. As I recall there was that usual art battle over how big to make him.

I think it's time to hit the garage and pull out some issues.

The Computo story was epic, but a bit disjointed. We have the scene where Colossal Boy pretends to be nuts and frees Star Boy and Sun Boy. I remember thinking, why only them? Were they afraid Computo would get suspicious if Gim kept going on and on? Then we have Bouncing Boy suddenly popping in; and Brainy creating a Bizarro Computo (and I had to echo Superboy's line here! Maybe Earth would have a better chance of survival if Brainy stopped thinking)! Really, how could creating a Bizarro anything help matters? Bizarro Computo was so absurd I couldn't help but laugh, but it was a really weird inclusion for a storyline which saw the apparent death of a Legionnaire.

Luornu's "death" was sad, but an astute reader would surely have noticed the other two Luornus getting away and known she wasn't completely dead. The trauma of losing one body is not touched upon here at all. A returning Chuck doesn't comment on it either (although with everything going on he wouldn't really have had time); sometimes I forget that the Lu-Chuck romance didn't start until after Chuck's return to active duty.

Tenzil shoots of his mouth to blame Brainy, and while I agree with Superboy stopping the argument(now isn't the time for infighting), Tenzil has a point. Brainy had good intentions and he was commissioned by the UP, but his actions indirectly caused several deaths - we have scenes where other scientists and even civilians are killed. That is something that should have been followed up on.

I did like the scenes of Legionnaires visiting Brainy; if I remember right this is the first time we've seen Brainy act all absorbed in his work and being snippy with his teammates.

My comics buying in the early years was somewhat sporadic, so I missed quite a few Adventure stories (including #340) the first time around. When I did finally get to read 340 a few years later I was struck by how inconsistent the general tone of this story was with the rest of the Hamilton run, particularly in terms of characterization. Hamilton's stories were always plot oriented; his characters tended to have bland, interchangeable personalities. Yet here we had Brainy being testy with his teammates (and a bit arrogant as well), Tenzil (and ever Superboy!) being sarcastic...all leading me to believe there was another hand at work on the dialogue of this story. Was Mort starting to feel the heat from Stan Lee at this point? Did he himself rewrite the dialogue to make it more "Marvel-like", or (more likely, knowing Mort) have his assistant E. Nelson Bridwell do it (uncredited of course)? All these years later I still wonder about that.

I actually pulled out this Archive in preparation to participate when I realized a lot of the stories in Archive 4 had slipped from my immediate memory. Then I had a good laugh. This archive IS one of the best. It's chock full of classic stories and I found I had plenty I could talk about already with each story. They're all so iconic!

This was a great issue for the team at large, I feel. Brainy being the cause of Computo set up some drama and allowed one of the more featured Legionnaires to be called out. Indeed, many of the heroes who remained captive were some of the bigger names. It was nice to see little scenes with characters like Star Boy and Element Lad at the start of this issue who often get lost in the crowd. Like Hermit cited, there's a lot more personality to our kids here. Whatever the cause, be it ghost writing or comfort at last with the characters, I welcome it.

The death of one of Triplicate Girl's bodies sure is noteworthy in Legion history and the main reason this tale has significance, maybe even more than the birth of Computo. The funny thing is though, knowing what we do about how creators at the time felt about Luornu, I don't know that this storybeat was engineered as character growth. She was often belittled for her power, so I can see them using her just as a plot device for another layer of drama until her obvious reveal later of survival. "Eh, she's got another body to spare."

Though Lu's inner turmoil and dialogue is something that doesn't get featured, I'd like to think her prolonged absence from reuniting with the team was to give herself time to cope. Knowing Lu in this situation, she had a flood of emotions and then put her game face on when she was ready. She's far too cheery to reintroduce herself as alive and Duo Damsel for my taste, even without knowing future reference material.

Great start to the Archive and, really, an era of historic Legion tales for various reasons.

Adventure #340

The fifth archive begins as Hamilton is winding down his Legion run, and within these final Hammy-scripted stories we find some of his very best Legion tales, and some of the best LSH stories in general. IMO that began with the last issue featuring Beast Boy, and that continues in major way with the Computo story.

The Computo story is pretty epic and it benefits in a major way from being a two-parter. Hamilton can both take his time and also add in all the elements needed.

So much of the story centers on Brainiac 5, who has clearly emerged as one of Hammy and Mort's favorites. His major error here is a natural progression of his personality thus far and adds some terrific pathos and humanity (through guilt) to Brainy.

Of course, one of the biggest takeaways is the loss of one of the Triplicate Girls, resulting in Duo Damsel. On the surface this is kind of a "half loss", not really being a true death. Thus, I much prefer the TMK idea of Luornu having three separate selves, and therefore this is indeed a true death; if you use the reboot blueprint of the three personalities on the preboot, this is likely the preboot Triad Orange dying. Many tragedies had fallen Legionnaires already and in this one, it adds a major layer to Triplicate Girl, who was the least developed of all the Legion girls (and possibly the whole Legion in general).

Computo himself is of the Legion's best villains. His Silver Age look isn't all that great but he's awesome in all other facets. He's only had a few appearances though it sometimes doesn't feel that way.

The story opens with a more casual "day in the life" feel that we're seeing more of now. And soon Brainy utters my favorite line of his of all time: "What is this...a private lab or Grand Central Spaceport?!!"

The initial interaction between Brainy and Computo is well done and very interesting. Hamilton does it in a way I haven't really seen before. Computo is clearly scary, and the readers can see that; yet Brainy doesn't quite see it right until Computo unleashes his army--he's cracking jokes and still fascinated by the science of it all. Yet with his tentacle arms swaying around and his clear inexhaustible desire for knowledge (which really means power), Computo is unnerving. And interesting interaction.

Ultra Boy and Superboy return from "a mission in the far future"; perhaps following the defeat of the Time Trapper, the LSH is visiting the future regularly?

Computo's plans are quite extensive! He's takes over their HQ and renders them all powerless. Meanwhile, Element Lad gives Superboy some serious lip!

Good ol' teamwork and ingenuity get them out of that, but its out of the frying pan and into the fire. And then the unthinkable: the death of Triplicate Girl! Computo beats the Legion and takes over Earth...and the issue ends! What a cliffhanger!

The Legion is perhaps in its most dire shape ever at the close of this issue. I note there was no part 1 / part 2 either--it was all one flowing, singular narrative that plows forward with quite a bit of force.

Can't wait for part 2!

Bits of Legionnaire Business Review: readers create Plant Lad and Shadow Kid!

Herm, I think you're theory has some real merit! Bridwell was just becoming a much bigger force within DC and we know that sort of thing happened all the time. It can never be proved but there is some circumstantial evidence to support it--this issue (and in a few instances the last few issues) mark a shift in dialogue that adds additional tension and depth through more complex personalities.

Future, I'm thrilled to have you back reviewing! Great point on Imra, Dirk and other "stars" being captured while some more second-tier Legionnaires can shine.

BB, I def hope you dig up those longboxes for a reread. I also enjoy your anecdotes about the first time you bought and read these stories.

Perhaps they were looking for evidence proving that Dynamo Boy was the Time Trapper!

A quick correction to some of the posts above: If "Computo" seems odd for an Edmond Hamilton story, that's because he didn't write it, at least according to Showcase Presents. Jerry Siegel did.

Adv. 340

This story marks a dramatic departure from previous Legion stories. Some aspects of this departure are welcome and overdue. Others are jarring.

The story is truly epic in many ways. In a single issue, Brainiac 5 is transformed into a tragic hero—one with great power but brought down by a terrible flaw: He is simply in love with his own creation. Look how servile he acts toward Computo, putting up with rude behavior and commands, and even letting his creation tell him what to do. Brainy, in effect, becomes a parent who has transferred the role of parent onto the child. The result is one hell of a spoiled brat.

The plot is exceptionally well developed. We watch Brainy turn aside his Legion friends, we watch him become emotionally captive to Computo, and then, finally, he becomes a physical captive, as well. Greedy for knowledge, Computo extracts all the knowledge from his creator’s brain and then creates an army to seek out other brilliant scientists and steal their knowledge. When anyone defies him or doubts his ruthlessness, Computo kills them.

The power and efficiency of Computo plays upon the fears many people had then and have now about technology—and these fears are very effective as story-telling devices. (Though Computo and his “computeroid” army are laughably out of date in the 21st century.) Not only are machines ruthless, but they are smarter than we are: Computo cleverly lures the Legionnaires into a trap, captures several members, and order the three mightiest to leave earth. What a rollercoaster ride!

As effective as the plot is, the dialogue threw me out of the story in several places. The theory that Bridwell or someone else scripted this story seems sound, as much of the dialogue is too hip for anything Siegel (or Hamilton, for that matter) had attempted before. Where the dialogue really grates is after Brainy has been captured. He doesn’t seem to be taking this whole thing too seriously. Instead, he thinks, “When I create a Frankenstein monster, it’s a beaut!” and “I feel so low I could walk under a snake’s belly wearing a high hat!” This does indeed sound like Stan Lee hipsterism.

There are a few plot missteps, as well. Brainy waits how long to remember he can signal the Legion? Did Computo siphon off 11 and a half levels of his intelligence? Also, the digression to Tombor is fascinating but misplaced. It and other glimpses into the Legionnaires' missions slow down the story when it should be speeding up.

Then there’s the most famous scene in this story, the death of Triplicate Girl. It would have been more effective if the escape of the other two Luornus wasn’t shown (or, perhaps, was left ambiguous). Here, I felt, Mort and company truly did not trust their audience or did not want to alarm them. Yet it truly is a shocking scene, so perhaps a bit of extra caution was warranted.

Plotwise, “Computo the Conqueror” is excellent—not perfect, but close to it. Scriptwise, it's a mixed bag of tragic hero motifs and too-cool-for-it's-own-good dialogue.

The Archive lists Siegel as scripter as well. Interestingly, Part Two/Adv. # 341's "Weirdo Legionnaire" is credited to "Jerry Siegel or Edmund Hamilton"! That's exactly what it says! Must be a story behind that...

Probably "bad record-keeping".

Does it have Edmond's name misspelled, as well? That is indeed odd.

Both Showcase Presents and the Legion Handbook list Siegel as the author of 341.

...er...no. That one's on me.



Perhaps, they've since clarified it? Showcase, at least, was printed long after Archives 5. In any case it makes more sense that Siegel completed his own cliffhanger. Lots of exceptions in comics, though.

The painful 1960s hipster lingo aside, this story really did establish Brainiac 5's character for decades to come. Intent, oblivious, quick-tempered when interrupted, grandiose visions of benign inventions. Unlike the last panel in the most recent Legion issue ("It's all my fault" he declares to his team mates), this Brainy is blaming his invention, not himself ("That boiler-factory Benedict Arnold"), although he does initially take credit when talking to himself.

From Waid's intro to volume 5:

"Computo's two-issue debut...also protrayed resident omniversal genius Brainiac 5, for the first time but not the last, as a scientist often unable to see past the end of his emeral nose; a "twelth-level intelligence" (whatever that meant) focused exclusively on results...without regard to whatever chaotic fallout might accompany those results."

This story was purblished in 1966, two years before Arthur C. Clarke's HAL would revolt in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Were computers gone wild a common theme back then, or was this the beginning of concern with A.I.?

When we talk about deaths in the Legion, we forget about the bystanders (at least, I do) such as the Android Master.

Nice to see Star Boy save Superboy with basic ingenuity!

I don't understand why Luornu said that splitting into three would help her make a fast getaway. Diversion? Was she preparing to sacrifice one body to let the other two escape? It could have been interesting if there were some twist that her natural abilities (running, hitting, jumping, whatever ) increased when she split.

The Hermit mentioned the Stan Lee influence. I thought that the final text ("Have we flipped and have we actually allowed a nutty computer army to triumph over the gallant, but beaten, Legion?") sounded very Marvel-like.

I think my confusion lies in the DC Database website crediting Siegel for part 1 and Hamilton for part 2. Usually they're spot on (I'll post links later when I'm not on my phone).

It certainly doesn't feel like any other Siegel stories we've seen before. But as others have mentioned, a whole lot doesn't feel like Hamilton either.

That makes me think its Bridwell more than ever. Or at least scripting a story Swan drew based off Hamilton or Seigel's plot. Or both? Usually when a story is a mish mash of creators, it turns into an "all hands on deck" approach (see: a helluva lot of 70's Marvel).

If any of that is true, it's amazing that this turned out to be a great story!

I thought at first that all she needed was for one body to escape, then she could reintegrate across a distance. Then I remembered that:

1) I don't remember Preboot Luornu being able to do that;
2) Postboot Triad could, but she could only reintegrate back into her "Neutral" body (so for this to work, the Neutral body would have been the one which needed to escape)
3) If so, her plan should have been to have her other two bodies create a diversion!

I like the idea of her having triple the physical abilities of a "normal" girl while split, but would it make more sense for her to have triple those abilities while integrated? She could still use her triplicating abilities in tandem with her power-ups while integrated to totally floor an opponent by triplicating and then reintegrating quickly in battle.

The ability to create or absorb duplicates at some range would be kind of cool. In an RPG, one of the players had a duplication power and could create / absorb her dupes at about a 15 yard range, and she would occasionally use it as a form of teleportation, making someone appear 15 yards away, and then having that duplicate absorb her original body, etc. allowing her to cross chasms, climb ladders super-fast by just bamfing up stairs, etc.

As an aside, looking at the cover of the Archives I suddenly realize that it was Princess Projectra, Dream Girl and Shadow Lass who were the first female Legionnaires to show that much skin! And although Dream Girl appeared early, she didn't join permanently in her first appearance.

Before them, the female Legionnaires (Saturn Girl, Phantom Girl, Triplicate Girl, Shrinking Violet, Light Lass, Supergirl) all showed quite a bit of leg (except for Tinya with her pants), but we didn't have any sleeveless costumes.

More circumstantial evidence for Bridwell ghost writing dialogue for the Computo story: before coming to work for Mort, Nelson was writing for Mad magazine, where he coined the phase "What you mean 'we', white man?" The tone sure sounds the same to me.

I can't imagine any 60s Mort Weisinger edited title being scripted after the art was done. I'd say that it's more likely that the combined Siegel/Hamilton 2-parter didn't mesh well and that Bridwell was called in to clean up the dialog.

You know, as much as Lu's triplicating power and it's implications were explored so coolly (in the reboot especially), it's clear now to me, from these discussions, that her true potential has still been largely untapped! Making her 'Duplicate Damsel' appears more and more to have been a cop-out, so lazy writers don't have to think about her too much and explore her awesome potential.

Had collected back further than I recalled: ADV 293 and I had the Superman with LSV. Heh,

anyhow

I think I get a bit defensive, reading comments like hippy language or simple exposition or dated depictions. So I spent some time meta-cogitating, wondering why do I think this way? These stories are not my work.

I like a 57 Chevy. It's not exactly the fastest. Most definitely not the smoothest. Stinky radio. But, it's classic. It has a huge fan base.


Do I want a Michael Bay Computo? Did any of the other Computos scare me more than these?

No!

I want MY Computo bubble-headed boxey with waving tentacles and a nice green paint job.

All these plot holes, still meta-cogitating, created US! They created the fan base that created the APA's and blogs and posts analyzing and stories filling in plot holes and the stories mentioned but not told (power guys return from mission in the future). Would these have happened if stories had been written as they are today, stretched out over years, every detail exposed? Would WE have happened?

I sincerely remember Trip G dieing! Not a body. Her! Why? Right there on the page 16 ( I LOVE page numbers) panel 3, two of her are running away. Why did I believe that heartless-souless (hippy) monster ~choke~ killed her?


I believed she had been killed because I had in panel 4 been told she had been killed. Even if I did happen to see the other two bodies running away, hidden in plain site while my eyes were focused on the one in the tentacles, in panel 3. I was 8 years old and panel 3 was a LONG time ago.

This was wonderful! Levitz was terrific at this, hiding important plot points in plain site. Was it luck in this case? Calculated. Instinctual writing? Poor reading skills? It would be 30 years before I would be clued in on the joke behind Planet Bismoll so I don't feel bad that I thought Trip had been killed in panel 4, regardless what panel 3 clearly shows. It was brilliant!

That said, I do rather prefer modern shocks and a nice new stereo in a 57 Chevy! I think it would be fun to see this story re-dialogued and re-paced so I will guard myself against getting defensive when reading the opinions BUT!

LEAVE MY COMPUTO BE!


ps: these books smell GOOD!

Good points, BB.

I hasten to add, though, that critically analyzing a story takes nothing away from its value. If it's true that these stories created US, then they also created us to be discerning readers.