First up: "The Outlawed Legionnaires!" from Adventure #359:
And here's Cobalt Kid's first review, posted earlier today to the Archives 6 thread:
Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid
Adventure #359
Adv #359 - 360 is a story that I've only read once before and loved; things are no different this time around. One of the most obvious things is that Paul Levitz stole, er, ah, I mean borrowed heavily from this story for Universo Project; from a writing perspective alone (leaving art aside) this one is FAR superior.
After several strong stories focusing on smaller groups, Shooter just goes for it here and includes just about everyone. And it works in a big way here: it highlights the scope and lets several Legionnaires shine throughout.
As for the surprise villain (and stop reading now if you are behind), this is by far his best story ever. Shooter using one of his prior villains so quickly is a bold move and finally starts making the Legion feel like its got a growing rogues gallery. Universo is never as awesome as he is here.
The premise for a sudden political coup isn't all that far-fetched. Coups usually happen quickly and usually accompanying a panic such as an assassination. I also wonder if Boltax is inspired by someone? Was Nixon back in the public eye yet?
While the scope of the general plot is grand, the little moments make the issue:
- Luornu and her parents, just like the girl next door.
- Val's restlessness and thirst for battle.
- solid action with Legionnaires strutting their stuff.
- Jeckie's political connections.
- hey, Supergirl! Nice to see you! The one major flaw in this story is she takes off for the 20th century off-panel, though.
The street gang is more than a throwback to the 50's--street gangs *were* a problem again in 1967. Shooter has the Legionnaires in full on action with no powers, in yet another interesting take on an action sequence. Though Jeckie gets comatized for the first of many times, I like the several of them shine, especially Chuck and Vi. The entire sequence serves to highlight the camaraderie and teamwork that will be the only thing that will get them out of this.
And given the intended age group, there's nothing that says "we're all in this together" when the entire world is against you--including your parents.
From there we get Takron-Galtos, RJ Brande and the Legionnaires in civilian clothes! Whew! Something else else great on every page.
Bonus Cover Design Discussion: after a brief stint, the go-go checks have ended. Though its still hard to tell on the Superman books, who have retained classic artists like Curt Swan on their covers, DC Comics is really starting to change now. It's more apparent on the rest of their line, as 1967 sees numerous series cancelled and changing with 1968 being the real advent of the Age of Transition and the horror series boom. But soon enough, Neal Adams will be doing all the Superman covers, including Adventure and Superboy, and that's a signal that the Silver Age is ending / has ended.
Man! Adventure #359 was AWESOME! I'd read it once in this Archive many years ago, but I barely remembered it (as is the case with many of the specifics of the other once-read stories). Little did I know what a fun re-read this would be!
Why did I love it so much? I think, in a nutshell, it's because for the first time, it felt like the Legion was far outside its comfort zone. I mean, suddenly, they're outlawed, kicked out of their clubhouse, forbidden to use their powers, baited into a street fight (!), forced to wear civilian clothes (), mining jewels, washing laundry with old-fashioned scrubbing boards and hiding out in the sewers! Never before has the Legion been so oppressed and non-worshipped by those whose safety they've assured on countless occasions! LOVED IT!!!
It was just terrific and even had a (admittedly, somewhat heavy-handed, but still cool) bit of subtext about the generation gap and how teens and adults often share a mutual distrust and alienation. As unsubtle as this approach might seem, it's still a lot more clever and well-done than the whole "Eat it, grandpa!" premise to the Threeboot.
And Shooter really made a concerted effort to show more of the Legion's family life and of them in unfamiliar situations. The aforementioned street fight was like nothing we'd ever seen in a Legion comic, for instance. It was cool to see them succeed overall with nothing but their wits and hand-to-hand skills. That said, it was a little disappointing to see the women relying on the men to pull them out. Yes, they got their licks in--go VI!--but of course, it was one of the women--Projectra--who gets socked over the head and falls into a coma. Of course, it's very likely that she was specifically targeted for her political influence, but it was disappointing. It was nice to see her take down one of them with a throw before she was taken out, though.
All this and the story ends without the villain being revealed yet! I found this very innovative for a story like this, particularly a Legion story. In a way the story has about as downbeat an ending as any continued story could have with Legionnaires serving in jail at hard labor, one in a coma, several injured and in captivity and just a few of them left hiding out in the sewers after being ratted out by their parents and their benefactor. It's practically the Legion's "Empire Strikes Back!"--and we all know what high regard that particular movie has in the hearts of Star Wars fans!
Great, GREAT story on so many levels--and already one of the best and most offbeat tales of the Legion to date! Can't WAIT to read the conclusion Monday--and I sure hope this story will heat up the Archives discussion over the weekend as others have!
I thought Swan really knocked it out of the park here, by the way. I loved his designs (or were the Shooter's? ) for the Legionnaires' 'covert' clothing and just thought he nailed all the crucial scenes. It just solidifies for me that I'm justified in naming Swan as one of my two very favorite Silver Age artists (the other one being John Romita).
Yeah, he killed it. One of the things I'm noticing is that Swan has just gotten better and better in the 60's, and he was a veteran already by the start of the the decade. The street fight felt raw and real, like a scene from West Side Story (the film).
All right, I'll contribute a post to keep the discussion moving.
Like Lardy, I adore Curt Swan (and John Romita Senior) and feel his art is what really makes Shooter's stories pop, especially when Swan was inked by George Klein.
Unlike Cobie, I like The Universo Project far more than The Outlawed Legionnaires, even though the former is admittedly derivative of the latter; after all, Levitz's specialty was taking elements created by earlier writers and turbo-charging them with what was, at the time, a state-of-the-art approach.
This is, I've had to admit to myself, part of the reason my interest in the Silver Age/Bronze Age re-read has waned. Even though Lardy is of my generation and Cobie is one generation younger than me, I don't completely share their appreciation for the storytelling techniques of the time. Compared to Levitz's 80s approach, it just seems too old-fashioned and lukewarm.
Sorry if this post turned out too negative. That wasn't my intention. I just find that, as I get older, I get equally impatient with both the traditional approach to comics and the modern approach to comics, kinda like Goldilocks trying the bowls of porridge -- this one's too hot, this one's too cold, this one (roughly, the mid-80s through the early-90s) is just right.
Hmmm...I've already done the re-read thread where I reviewed what I thought was Levitz's most consistent string of issues, and I've already done the L.E.G.I.O.N. re-read thread. And I don't really have the time to re-read Levitz's entire 80s run.
Maybe I should do an in-depth re-read thread devoted solely to The Universo Project.
And, having said that, there are still a few Silver Age/Bronze Age stories that I have strong feelings about (both good and ill) so I'll chime in these threads from time to time to review them.
I might have to re-read "Universo Project" after I read #360, so I can compare/contrast the two. I only remember the broad strokes of Levitz's 4-parter, so I can't make a reasonable comparison between the two at this point. In fact, I'd encourage anyone interested in comparing the two stories to go ahead and read/re-read both and report back on this thread. Cobie, I'd encourage you to do same as well, just so you can make a totally fair comparison (assuming you haven't re-read the Levitz story within, say, the last year). Fickles, will you?
Good! This kind of cross-reviewing is a natural outgrowth of this re-reading process, particularly when the comparisons are natural and worth examining more closely!
“Oops I Tripped.” Cham's exclamation isn't a bad description of the plot devices used to move this story along. With the exception of the little brain storming session to determine the water supply was the problem, things just happened or became known without any support. Comparing two issues to four probably isn't fair but I do think Shooter could have done a little of Levitz' “hiding facts in plain sight” way of leaving clues. This was the least of Shooter's efforts so far, particularly the second issue.
The good part, we got to see nearly everyone and the art is more and more dynamic and expressive.
With several issues in, we start to see the hooks Shooter uses, a few that I think are unnecessary and annoying. Referring to the bad in the abstract “it” worked in the Sun Eater story. This was a threat of myth and mythical proportions. Man on the street would understand “it.” In this story, “the influence” seemed awkward and unnecessary. Another trait that annoys is the inclusion of odd “explanations” that I've determined in my head to be efforts to forestall fan-boy gotchas. Same goes for the Outpost. Instead of an insulting reference to some untold, off-panel tale that would account for why the error, wasn't an error, I'd always rathered they just say “congrats, maybe we can work in a fix in a future story.” [u][/u]
World's Finest: Composite Superman So, through no fault of your own you become a “bad guy.” You still save the two greatest heroes ever and your reward is a statue inscribed, “Lived his life as a criminal.” Sheesh. Some bitter water in Manhattan in the 60s.
I've never been a fan of “composite” villains. Maybe this story was the source of that? Anyhow, not a bad story but I'm glad I was a Legion reader, not a Batman reader. This type dialogue was all fun and games in the tv series but lays flat on the panel.
And Colossal Jimmy! (coloring error making Gim look like Jimmy O.
Is this Shooter? The series continues to show great Sci-Fi instinct IMO. Is this the first time we hear of “inertron?” And the fan-bases long held belief that the ADV era was a time of promise and peace is put to bed with the retroactive creation of a two decade war.
Like Fanfie, I liked the Universo Project more because of the in-depth focus it gave to four very interesting Legionnaires. While the Outlaw Legionnaires was also very enjoyable, it didn't dig quite as deep. It DID give pretty much every Legionnaire a chance to shine though, and I loved the camaraderie between all of them (breaking their pals out of prison). Plus, I cheered when the Legionnaires broke curfew/the no-powers rule to save those people in the train. Shows how heroic they are, even when the whole world is against them.
After speaking more generally about the 2-parter on my last review, I can focus on #360 particularly by saying it does something important: it fulfills the promise of #359. We get a plethora of things happening and characters doing things, as the tension continues to mount and a final showdown takes place. Making sure a great part 1 has a great part 2 is a strength the young Shooter has in spades.
We get a ton right away: Lex Luthor's old lair! The Espionage Squad in action at long last! Rond Vidar returns!
Something else else else I noticed: during the brilliant break out (which is great btw), Star Boy calls Phantom Girl "P.G." Here, Shooter starts using the nicknames we've come to know and love, and I look forward to seeing "Brainy", "Cos", "Dreamy" and the rest soon.
As the Legion moves from one victory to the next battle, we get to see how well the Legion Leader and Legion Espionage Squad Leader interact. We know (and suspect we only ever saw the tip of the iceberg) that this wouldn't always be the case.
Part 2 opens with some fantastic espionage squad action, setting the tempo for all of Legion history to come. Really well done.
Lyle and Brainy apply some logic and figure out the population is being controlled by the water--much like modern day America is controlled by the chemicals on our food and by pharmaceutical drugs. Er, I mean, maybe I'll get back to the topic at hand. (Ps - I'm not really joking?).
The finale has several things happening at once, and again, the action is done quite well. With the fun and excitement going full blast, we also at last learn Rond Vidar's name and then get to see at issue's end his induction as an honorary member, something I've always loved.
Things get tied up quickly--perhaps a little too quickly--but I appreciate a firm conclusion. As I said, I think this is a fantastic story and one of Shooter's best.
Bonus Lettercol Review: Liz Kane fires back at Dave Olsen! (At least I think it was this one. It may have been #358 as I read them all together).
Fanfie, your thoughts are much appreciated. Obviously we disagree but it's interesting to see a different opinion. For me, what stands out in Universo Project is the to die for art, which IMO makes a slow and boring (at times) story much better than it deserves to be. I'd be interested to reread when we get there.
I have to disagree on Universo Project being boring. Personally, I enjoyed the pacing and felt it was appropriate given the mystery of who had kidnapped the Legionnaires, what their purpose was, and who the heck all these other super-powered beings were and what connected them with each other.
Granted, the Outlaw Legionnaires had faster pacing, which was appropriate for the setting/situation as the Legionnaires were on the run at the time.
Man! That said, it was a little disappointing to see the women relying on the men to pull them out.
You'll notice that my gals Duo Damsel and Supergirl were among the first to wade into the fight! But yes, it was disappointing that the other 3 girls stood around doing nothing until they were directly assaulted. At least Vi and PP got their licks in and had some great lines, "Legionnaires are nobody's passports, Mister." and "You have a lot to learn about respecting a lady, and a Legionnaire is just the one to teach you." LOVED it. Only PG was fairly useless, resigning herself to "Keeping you busy until the fellows mop up your playmates."
Following the strong Adv #359-360, we get another strong story and also another political one. This one is much more so, and the complex politics involved are very mature. Again, it sure impresses me that a 15 year old wrote it!
This also introduces the Dominators as Shooter is just on freaking fire! Even though their look is nowhere the extreme cool factor that Giffen & McFarlane established, there is quite a huge amount of canon established here in their first appearance: origin, history, societal differences, what their disks signify, etc.
The art in this issue never feels quite right. Swan is iconic and Mooney is fantastic (one of my favorites). But Mooney inking Swan just isn't doing it for me.
What's more notable is the coloring is slightly darkening a bit as the 60's march on. It's a dramatic effect, and was taking place industry wide.
The story is a great political / spy thriller, with tight, tension-filled pacing. The tension between the first attack and the second is particularly well done as the Unkillables purposely make the weary Legionnaires tire themselves out by being on high alert.
The continued inclusion of Kandro Boltax is well done and makes the Legion's continuity tighter and more real.
Just like Shooter remembered Jo's weakness to radiation, he also remembers inertron blocks his penetra-vision. The truth is it was probably continuity buff Bridwell who remembered.
Page 21 has an art mistake where Tinya is depicted when it clearly should be Luornu.
The final reveal is well done an is a mystery that could have been solved. The historical assassins bit I can do without though. Especially since Oswald is an innocent patsy, Brutus and Cassius killed a tyrant and Booth was part of a larger plot and not a lone nut killer. But historical assassinations are a topic I have spent quite a lot of time reading about.
I do like though that the whole trip was a decoy while the real ambassadors made it to Earth. Now that's a proper spy story twist and its nicely pulled off (though as usual things end so abruptly).
To me, we're in the real "meat" of Shooter's run. All the famous stories have kicked it off and now we see a series of just flat out fantastic Legion tales.
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), mining jewels, washing laundry with old-fashioned scrubbing boards and hiding out in the sewers! Never before has the Legion been so oppressed and non-worshipped by those whose safety they've assured on countless occasions! LOVED IT!!!
) for the Legionnaires' 'covert' clothing and just thought he nailed all the crucial scenes. It just solidifies for me that I'm justified in naming Swan as one of my two very favorite Silver Age artists (the other one being John Romita).
