Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-Reading the Postboot Legion! (LSH 110, L*67)

Legion of Super-Heroes Annual 6
Deep Background
Issue Information

Summary:

Shvaughn Erin is appointed Legion Liaison Officer. She gets teased mercilessly by her fellow Science Police officers. Though she is upset, she is a professional; she goes through the Legion's files, and digs deepet into the origins of XS, Kinetix and Leviathan. At first, she skips over Leviathan's file; like most Science Police, Shvaughn believes the Legionnaires are incompetent glory hogs, and thinks Leviathan betrayed the ideals of the Science Police to join the Legion.

XS: Running Scared reveals that XS is indeed part of the Flash family; she's the daughter of Dawn Allen and granddaughter of Barry Allen. In this reality, XS' mother Dawn and her uncle Don went into action to rescue Dominator captives, but were themselves slain. The news made it to Earthgov; to protect the family, grandma Iris took Bart (who manifested speed powers) into the past (though XS didn't know about it, just that they were safe). XS' dad took her to his homeworld, Aarok, where they could hide from the UP... but not from the Dominators.

Her powers manifest themselves when she sees Dominators torturing her father. It takes time, but eventually the stress of watching her dad be tortured gets to here. She runs out and saves him, and stray Dominator shots blow up the lab they were in.

XS' dad is worried that her powers will put her in harm's way (we know they have!), but XS is determined to make it right.

Shvaughn is impressed, and continues.

Kinetix: From Dawn to Darkness tells us that Kinetix's obsession with power stems from the feelings of perfection and usefulness that using said power gives her. Sadly, her quest for more power leads her to losing hers!

We open with a scene from Kinetix's dream journal, where she uses a lot of flowery words to talk about her love for power. "I'm not a person anymore, but a personification, a presence... a visitation. .." "I'm too powerful, too pure to allow such suffering to exist..." Whoa, girl! She uses her powers to make plants grow, turning a barren area into a paradise. Whew. So that's why she's not satisfied with what she has now.... She wants to be ablde to do that!

We find her and Violet on an archeological dig. Zoe gushes about power, and Vi calls her out on it. Zoe is taken aback, and talks about her origin. Her mom was an archeologist, and Zoe always felt useless hanging around digs and being unable to help. One day, her mom fell ill from poison gas, and nothing could heal her. But Zoe taught herself a magical spell from an old book, and used the Moon of Koll to heal her mother. "It could transform a drop of love into a wellspring of health, once in a lifetime..." Zoe succeeded, despite her mother's fears and her brother Thanot's skepticism. It's telling how, when Zoe's family is hugging, Zoe kept looking at the Moon of Koll. The feeling of "being useful" made her throw herself into her mom's work so she could find more power... which she did, through an energy-pool on Titan. She absorbed it and gained her amazing telekinetic abilities. But Zoe still says it wasn't enough, not when there's so much more. Violet finds the Star of Akkos hidden in the ground. In her rush, Zoe digs it up - almost burying Vi, who calls her out on it again. Zoe barely hears as she holds the Star... which charges her up.... and makes her lose her powers! Violet comforts her as Zoe stares forlornly, saying that she just wanted the power to end suffering and to feel "perfected".

Shvaughn sympathizes and continues. She reads through the remaining Legionnaire bios, files on RJ Brande, stargates, the Legion HQ and staff (interestingly, Marla is described as the team's advisor and Brande Industries liaison (his primary assignment now!), while Tenzil is described as non-officially acting as Legion counselor. The Athramites are aesthetic designers and maintenance coordinators. We get a map of Legion HQ, descrpitions of the Legion cruisers, telepathic earplugs, transuits, utility belts, and a brief history of the United Planets including a list of member worlds (though the writers built in an out, saying the UP is currently expanding).

Finally, Shvaughn has only one file left...

Leviathan: Greater Good shows Gim choosing to leave the Science Police for the Legion because his commanding officer was just using his him to further his career. He believes the Legion will enable him to do more good.

We flash back to the day Gim was drafted. He lashes out at his Science Police colleagues for teasing him; he is focused on building a career in the Science Police. Chief Wilson, Gim's commander, refuses to let him go. Gigi Cusimano, Gim's close friend, tells Gim to be wary of Wilson using Gim to further HIS own career. Gim reflects; he does see the appeal in joining the Legion as a force for good, but has always wanted to be in the Science Police. Gim gained his powers from a meteoroid crashing near him.

They are called away to deal with a terrorist situation. Racists are threatening to blow up some alien hostages. Roon Dvron makes an appearance. Gim has a plan, but Chief Wilson (that idiot) strolls right in and takes charge, refusing to risk Gim as "Gim is his ticket to fame". Two Science Police officers go up, and one is killed by the terrorists. Wilson STILL refuses to let Gim go, at which point Gim defies orders, grows to giant size and takes out the terrorists with one slap of his hand.

Gigi is upset at first, worried that Gim has outgrown their friendship. Gim reassures her that is not the case, but that Wilson's actions have shown him that he needs to serve the greater good. Gigi says she will stay in the Science Police and help expose Wilson for the gloryhound that he is.

Their stories, and their "unswerving belief in something more important than themselves', inspire Shvaughn so much that she does a total 180. She digs into all the Legion's files, reading up on all their adventures. She becomes convinced that the Legionnaires all truly believe in their mission - something that is more important than themselves. She tells off a colleague teasing her, by introducing herself as "Liaison Lass, with the powwer to super-liaise. My weakness is creeps who don't want to liaise and therefore won't talk or listen. Since my power is useless in combat, I would be lucky to even become a Reservist. But if that day comes, I will be proud to be a Legionnaire."

Thoughts:

The opening scene reminds us that the Legion has a long way to go to prove themselves to everyone. It does make a good framing sequence for the story though, and sets Shvaughn up to become a more prominent supporting character.

The one-page bios are nice and informative. The highlight of the issue, of course, are the origin stories. It's no surprise that the two Legionnaires who were created in the Postboot, XS and Kinetix, get two of the spotlight stories.

XS' origin is a nice way to tie the Legion into the 20th century DC Universe without making these ties too restrictive. The only requirement for her origin to hold up is for Barry and Iris Allen to raise a family in the 30th century. It's a pleasant story, but is very much standard superhero fare: the hero is normal, then her powers are triggered by seeing someone important be placed in harm's way. It reveals her past but doesn't really reveal anything new about her personality. If anything, she seems more confident and competent in this story than she was in LSH 62 or Legionnaires 19. We do understand her motivations for being a Legionnaire better though - she wants to make her family proud.

I've written about Kinetix's origin and powerlust elsewhere, and my opinions stand upon rereading. Zoe loves using her powers because it makes her feel useful and "perfected"; while she tells Violet her origin she refers to herself as "useless" at least thrice. It doesn't seem as though her mother neglected her, so maybe Zoe just wanted to be useful as a way to repay her. Now we understand why she craves power; it completes her. She has a very deep need for self-validation, and the story shows how addicting power can be - you see it when Violet finds the Star of Akkos, and Zoe recklessly retrieves it without regard for Violet's safety. Now the big question is - where to next? The writers didn't g to all this trouble to create a Legionnaire and strip her of her powers just as a cautionary tale.

By the way, I love the gorgeous Alan Davis/Mark Farmer art in this story.

Violet is put to good use as well. Besides moving the plot along, we see more and more that she isn't exactly shy. She doesn't hesitate to question Zoe's need for power, or to call Zoe out for being reckless. In contrast to Zoe's need for self-validation, Violet displays a sort of inner strength. She really is an odd one.

We get some informative text pieces, though the stories so far haven't yet demonstrated some of what we read. Marla Latham's primary assignment is as advisor to the Legionnaires, though I only remember seeing him in that capacity in LSH 66. Tenzil is a non-official counselor to the team, which makes some sense as he is their age. And we know RJ Brande's past is mysterious, though his "uncle-ly" manner certainly doesn't make him seem mysterious.

I'm sure many fans were thrilled to see a lot of familiar worlds on the list of UP members - besides homeworlds of introduced characters, we have Kathoon, Lallor, Lythyl, Manna-5, Myar, Naltor, Phlon, Rann, Schwar, Taltar, Tharr, Vengar (a misspelled Venegar?) and Zuun. Many Substitute Hero homeworlds on this list!

We move on to Gim's origin. He's hotheaded as ever and blows his top at a little teasing. I can give him a pass though, as he's confused by the (apparently recent) emergence of his powers and the two career options presented to him. He displays the same tactical thinking and regard for the good of many that we've seen him do in recent issues. Having Chief Wilson be a dirty gloryhound gives Gim an easy choice; he won't be able to do much good under the Chief's thumb so joining the Legion is the logical step.

His friendship with Gigi is used to help him verbalize his inner conflict, and is also a good way to show that his new powers have changed things for him. It's odd that they would send Gigi all the way to Earth just to recruit Lyle; we already know there are plenty of SciCops on Earth. I guess it's as good a way as any to get her on Earth too, but she hasn't appeared since Legionnaires 0 either.

All in all this issue served its purpose - it gave us a lot of information on the Legionnaires and their immediate universe. It added new dimensions to 3 Legionnaires and set up future storylines for Kinetix. It was a pleasant enough read, even for readers who aren't big fans of XS, Kinetix or Leviathan.

Like Ibby, I was impressed with the non-stop action, which flows logically from one scene to the next and is well paced, allowing for a few natural pauses (such as Brainy and Lyle arguing before getting zapped, Laurel tossing the police cruiser away, and Imra and Rokk sniping at each other). Even though the tension escalates, the story does not feel rushed. Rather, it moves along a natural curve towards its inevitable climax.

So many things work well in this tale. Cham’s inability to speak Interlac actually serves the story as we can see he’s upset in his fight with the Composite Durlan, but we don’t know why until Lyle translates. These scenes build tension and keep the reader hooked.

Speaking of tension, Cos and Imra really go at each other here. The events of the last few issues seem to weigh on Cos, and he acts as if he feels personally betrayed by Imra’s failure to support him when he divided the team. There may also be some confusing feelings between them over their near kiss. Whatever the motivation, these are the two founders left, and their division does not bode well for the team.

As for Saturn Girl, I was puzzled why she offered to “warn Andromeda further away” when we were led to believe that the latter was already out of the Composite Man’s scanning range. It’s clear, though, that Imra is trying to dodge Cos’s order to link with the Composite Man’s mind. Imra is very willful in these scenes, and I have to remind myself that this is not the Imra I knew of the preboot. It’s difficult to imagine the original Saturn Girl disobeying an order or shying away from telepathically monitoring a villain, but this Imra is a different character with a whole different set of emerging motivations. Her refusal to link minds with the Durlan seems as real as Lyle and Brainy’s miscalculation.

But ultimately the solution does come down to Imra, who must face her deepest fears in order to stop the villain. I admire how the resolution of the story tied back into and grew out of her visit to Cham’s mind last issue. This is a very natural and sneaky way of plotting a story, as the earlier scene seemed almost a throwaway that could have been left out of the story. Instead, it foreshadows the tale’s ending.

There are only two things that ruined this story for me. One is the Moder/Boyd art. Ibby makes a good point that parts of it feel more natural, yet other parts seem rushed and as if drawn by the proverbial sixth grader. Look at Lyle and Brainy on Page 2, Panel 2: they are humungous heads atop underdeveloped bodies. Look at Imra at the top of Page 9: her expression of fear looks forced and amateurish.

Yet such flaws are offset by the layouts, which continue to be innovative and fluid. Laurel’s confrontation with the SP craft on Page 4 is handled in a series of panels which look like shards against a white background with a black stripe. And the two-panel sequence of XS and the Composite Man zooming across the façade of the building on Page 17 features an impressive use of angles to convey motion. So, the art remains a mixed bag for me.

As for the other thing that ruined the story for me . . . by now, I’m well used to the cliffhangers, but they seem to be getting more and more outlandish. Each issue tries to top the previous one by raising the stakes a little higher. This issue’s cliffhanger features a drooling, straightjacketed Imra, rendered catatonic by her costly victory over the Durlan. It’s almost as if the writers didn’t have the confidence to end the story on a positive note or at least a less devastating one. Worse, the book is starting to feel like Lost in Space, the ‘60s children’s sci fi show in which every episode for the first two seasons ended with a cliffhanger.

The two Legion books remain an engaging read. However, if I had picked up these issues off the stands in 1994-95, instead of buying back issues several years later, I might have checked out at this point. The writers don’t seem to have enough confidence in their story or in me as a reader to avoid such cheap ploys.

Grade: 80.0 (B-)

That's a good point which I didn't pick up on. I had attributed Imra's sniping to her earlier failure with Cham and fear of peeking into C.D.'s mind. I failed to factor in that the kiss and the unspoken feelings behind it may have played a part.



I have to agree with you there. Not only do the stories end with so many cliffhangers, but we're seeing the team get slowly broken down instead of being built up. In about half a dozen issues we have:

- Triad nearly beaten to death
- a catatonic Imra
- a depowered Zoe (in the very next issue!)
- an orphaned Chameleon

That's 4/13 Legionnaires, and of course we also have founder Live Wire getting booted off the team a few issues earlier.

I didn't originally read these issues chronologically, as I started a couple years down the road and slowly pieced together my collection of back issues. Had I started from the beginning I would probably have been upset. Why introduce so many new Legionnaires so quickly, only to heap such tragedy upon them?

These statements pretty much sum up my thoughts on Annual 6, as well. It's one of those necessary evils in comics--a special edition that doesn't really tell us a whole lot but encapsulates a lot of information for new fans and old alike. The one-page "bios," for example, tell us nothing new, unless fans are dying to know each Legionnaire's height, weight, and eye color.

The various text features do what they are meant to do, though I felt somewhat cheated by the unattractive design of the cutaway diagram of Legion headquarters. But then I grew up with the diagram of the '70s headquarters, first published in one of the tabloid editions. That diagram included color and panels from actual stories to show where they "took place" in the headquarters. A lot more imagination went into that diagram than in this abstract model.

As for the stories themselves, I prefer Kinetix’s the most because she was an unknown factor at this point and pretty much anything could be done with her. Some have theorized that the creators planned to turn her, not Vi, into the Emerald Empress, and the seeds of such corruption are clearly planted here. Zoe is not only power hungry but also full of self-deception. Even at the end, she professes that she did nothing wrong.

(The story is also good for confirming her friendship with Violet, hinted at in the regular series. Clear contrasts are drawn between their personalities as “Shy Vi” does indeed emerge as the stronger of the two.)

Jenni’s and Gim’s stories do what they are meant to do, but little else. Jenni’s confident personality certainly seems at odds with her depiction in the early issues of the reboot. I can buy it that her power emerged under duress of seeing her father tortured, but she never expresses alarm or uncertainty in what to do next. She whizzes past the Dominators and rescues her father as if she’d been super-heroing her entire life.

Gim’s tale gives him an outwardly despicable antagonist in Chief Wilson, which provides Gim with an easy choice to make at the end. There is no growth in his character, and we learn nothing new about him—except that he is very thin-skinned about being teased by his sci cop colleagues.

I did enjoy the banter between Shvaughn and the other sci cops. This seems very real to me, as does the territorialism displayed by the sci cops in the series so far. My brother is a police officer, and I’ve witnessed many of the same behaviors in him and his colleagues. Some of it is just well-meaning banter and some of it reflects a deep commitment to the job and to others who wear the same uniform. No police officer anywhere, I imagine, would appreciate kids coming out of nowhere and telling them how to do their job, as Cos and certain other Legionnaires have done.

As for Annual #6, it has little to recommend it. For completists only.

Grade: 65.0 (D)

Annual 6 used to be one of my favorites, but after rereading it (and seeing that your opinions are pretty much the same as mine!) I agree that story-wise it doesn't do much. Much of the art isn't particularly good either (though I love the beautiful art in the Kinetix story).

However, if I had to I would still buy it all over again if only for the Kinetix story. As HWW says, it's the only one of the three which really reveals new layers about its subject. Zoe's story is very poignant and showed her vulnerabilities very well. Besides sowing the seeds of corruption, it also sows the seeds for a future heroic arc where Zoe must wrestle with her need for power.

I've often posited that Vi's later seduction by the Eye was because Violet was stronger (indeed, that was the focus of my fanfic on Vi). Whereas both Vi and Kinetix liked using the Eye's power, Vi didn't need it to feel good about herself. Kinetix did.

By the way, HWW, there are two stories in the Showcase series which take place at around this point in time. One of them features Andromeda and Apparition and should probably have been placed before Legionnaires 25, though it shouldn't make a difference to our review thread.

I don't have the Showcase stories, Ibby; however, feel free to review them.

You make a good point about the value of the Kinetix story. However, given that this was an eight-page story in an annual priced at $3.95 (in 1995 dollars), I would not have considered it worth the effort or expense.

Thanks HWW. I will prioritize the main series stories though. I am really enjoying reviewing all these with you!

Re the Kinetix story, I admit I may be biased considering Kinetix is my favorite Legionnaire XS is a favorite too though, but her story is certainly not as insightful as Zoe's is.

Showcase '95 #6
The Alienation of Unification
Issue information

Summary:

Apparition and Andromeda escort three students to the new Legion Academy: Tomb, who can control bodily functions; Cannus, a canine tracker; and arrogant Brawler, who is tough and can mind-mesh with machinery. Andromeda and the three students hate each other, but are forced to work together when their ship is hijacked.

Thoughts:

The story by Beau Smith is generic and bland; it's nice enough but I never find myself getting excited.

Even fans of Apparition or Andromeda won't mind skipping this issue, as we learn almost nothing new about them. The action is generic and virtually no character development occurs. Even their personalities don't match what we've seen in the main series: Apparition plays a leader role but loses almost all of her sarcasm and "fire", while Andromeda's demonstrated aggression towards the three students could be chalked up to annoyance and irritation rather than her xenophobia.

None of the three students is particularly interesting. Brawler acts like your typical arrogant jock, and Cannus contributes nothing to the story besides punching some bad guys (there was really no reason to make him a tracker or a canine). Tomb is the most interesting; his power is very formidable. He's also silent and the only hints of personality we get are that he has some sense of humor (laughing at Brawler getting shot down by Andromeda) and apparently isn't afraid to kill (though nobody dies). We're not given a good reason for why Brawler and Tomb, despite their good powers, are not considered Legion material. Is Tomb's power too lethal or scary? But what about telepathic Saturn Girl or shapeshifting Chameleon? Is Brawler too arrogant? Then why is xenophobic Andromeda a Legionnaire? Perhaps the reason is politics, but it would have been nice to say so.

The story is generic: Andromeda, Brawler, Cannus and Tomb dislike each other. Apparition is the voice of reason, but has to leave to infiltrate the enemy ship. Andromeda and the students work together out of necessity, and not because of any deep realizations. They certainly don't end the story as friends - or even as a team, despite what Apparition says.

The art (Mike Huddleston - pencils, and Jim Mahfood - inker) is good; cocky Brawler and aggressive Andromeda in particular are drawn well. There's a lot of shading though, which gives it a very "bleak space" feel and the characters look much older than teenagers.

This story is fun enough, but is definitely for completists only.

Showcase '95 #6
Learning Curve
Issue information

Summary:

Hard-headed, violent and rebellious Science Police Officer Sybelle Deacon has been placed under the supervision of Gigi Cusimano and Shvaughn Erin as a last resort - either she begins to fall in line or she will be discharged. Along with Leviathan, the four investigate a robbery. The day is saved thanks to a combination of Sybelle's unorthodox tactics, Leviathan's powers and teamwork from Shvaughn and Gigi.

Thoughts:

Here's another story that tries to teach a lesson, and the delivery is pretty rough. Sybelle Deacon is the one who notices that the dragon-creatures they're fighting are being controlled. She then defies orders and goes after the crooks without backup, but is saved only because Leviathan, Shvaughn and Gigi work together to track her and surround the enemy. It would have worked decently if not for the fact that Leviathan himself countermands Gigi's orders twice; Gigi and Leviathan wrangle over who has jurisdiction over the scene; and Shvaughn herself can barely stand working with Leviathan. (Which is a pretty big continuity error - Shvaughn expresses dislike not only towards Gim but to the whole Legion, when she is already Legion liaison; but LSH Annual 6 clearly shows her gaining respect for the Legion immediately after getting the assignment). Although they are certainly a lot less brutal than Sybelle, their behavior isn't all that far from Sybelle's contempt for authority. Yes, Gim, Gigi and Shvaughn do work together in the end but they give each other a rough time doing it. Gigi's supposed to be the voice of reason, but she's undermined because the writers have Leviathan go against her orders - and be right doing so!

The art is okay, but Leviathan is toothy and grimaces a lot. There are times when the transition between panels isn't clear, and the action can be hard to follow.

Again, an okay story but unless you're a big Gigi Cusimano fan I'd give it a pass.

Sounds like I didn't miss much by not having those issues.

I enjoy doing the reviews, too, Ibby. I wish more people would participate, though. It's starting to look like the Ibby & Huey Show.

I'll get to the main series again soon, hopefully tonight I just did these two since they're relatively short - and the upcoming developments with Andromeda made me think it was best to sneak in this inconsequential story right now.

I spoke to Blacula about it on the Legion Trivia thread, and he said he's holding off on rereading because he plans to do one big reread soon.

As for Reboot, he's just busy right now but has expressed interest in reviewing too.

Maybe instead a review of each issue, do it arcs. Sometimes a single issue is blah but taken in a whole story arc it makes sense. For example: right now I'm on the Dark Circle arc.

I thought of that and had suggested it to Reboot, and it makes sense considering that the Postboot era has fewer stand-alone issues. My concern is that it would take a very long amount of time per arc - perhaps we can continue to do single-issue reviews, and those of us who prefer to do arc reviews (like you) can chime in when HWW and I have covered the last issue of an arc?

What do you think, WangLung?

I'd love to participate in this thread but like IB said, once I've picked up the comics I have stored at my brother's place in America later in the year, I plan on doing a MAMMOTH re-read of my entire DC comics collection in chronological order, and I'll get to the Reboot Legion toward the latter part of that.

I plan on posting my thoughts as I go through it so hopefully some of you will still be interested enough to talk about these issues again then.

Oh, definitely. Just post as you get to the issue. I know I'll be chiming in.

Wonderful idea, WangLung.

One advantage to reviewing individual issues is that I get to see how they stand up on their own and to grade them as such. I've always believed that each issue should stand on its own merits, even when it's part of a larger whole. When you have to wait a month between issues and each issue, at that time, cost $1.75, the investment better be worth it. However, there is a lot of merit to reviewing story arcs, and there's no reason you or others can't do so.

I don't even think you need to wait until the arc is completely reviewed. Go ahead and jump in when you think it's appropriate to do so.

Unfortunately I just don't have the time for writing like that. As it is I'm reading this when I should be working lol.

You could always jump in and comment on entire arcs as a whole

And lately I've been having trouble finding the time too. Lately I've been working overtime 3/5 days a week I'm only up now because I fell asleep on the couch when I got home!

You don't need to write in-depth reviews. I do so just because I'm anal in that way.

But any comments and/or interaction is always appreciated.

I almost need to go back because I'm a bit ahead right now. Sometimes I start reading and I can't stop lol.

You don't even need to comment on specific story arcs. Just jump in with any general observations, even if they're not directly picking up on anything we've written.

I thought I commented yesterday but apparently not! Mysterious! I really enjoy reading these reviews, thanks y'all!

I usually stay lurky in the background because it's been so long since I read these issues that I can't remember a lot of the individual details....it is fun seeing stuff brought up & being reminded of bits and pieces though!

Legionnaires 26

“Authority”

Summary:

Saturn Girl gets some unexpected help from a former mentor. Apparition meets up with Ultra Boy and accompanies Workforce on a mission in which they learn some (more) unsavory things about McCauley.

Review:

I want to be charitable towards this issue because it develops some of the ongoing subplots and has a few memorable twists and turns. However, one of the two major plot lines reads like an idiot plot—a plot which would end very quickly if the characters stopped acting like idiots.

The chief idiot this time is Aven, Saturn Girl’s former teacher on Titan. Having learned of his pupil’s catatonia, he travels to earth to cure her with his own formidable mental powers. Unfortunately, Aven doesn’t bother to announce what he’s doing. He simply performs some Jedi mind tricks to get others out of his way and reveals who he is only after Cosmic Boy interrupts his mental ministrations.

This kind of set-up creates a lot of false and unnecessary drama. If Aven had stopped acting like a jerk, much of the plot development could have been avoided—and the story would have been better for it. Imagine Aven reaching out to the Legionnaires first, and them inviting him to earth to help Saturn Girl. We could have gotten into the meat of the story much quicker. Complications could even have been introduced if Aven’s mental “operation” turned out to be as unsuccessful as it is here—with Saturn Girl waking up but being able to repeat only one sentence (“Hello, Cosmic Boy.”).

One might suppose that Aven's behavior was influenced by the UP-wide distrust of telepaths, but this long-dormant plotline is not mentioned here. Instead, Aven behaves like a bad guy in order to build tension in the story. The tension, however, is artificial; as a reader, I felt I was being talked down to, which goes back to my earlier theory that the creators of the reboot were targeting very young children who might find such story telling techniques fresh.

The other main plot is more successful. Tinya, thoroughly smitten with Jo, is annoyed with him for being late, yet she instantly forgives him. Jo plays the typical dunderheaded teenaged boy who doesn’t realize the girl he likes might have preferred roses to a cactus (a cactus?). Perhaps on Rimbor a cactus is considered romantic. In any case, their date is interrupted by McCauley, who sends Jo on a mission and invites Tinya along so she can see how “professionals” handle super-heroing. Tinya accepts, affording her a brief reunion with Garth and a chance to tease Jo over his casual relationship with Spider-Girl.

More importantly, the Workforce tackles a group of White Triangle racists who reveal that McCauley is their former business partner. It seems that McCauley doesn’t care who he sells arms to. Showing they have more integrity than he does, the thieves are willing to die to prevent McCauley's arms from getting into the hands of races they deem inferior. Only quick actions from Karate Kid, Jo, and Garth prevent “the entire region” from being destroyed by a glowing globe of hazardous waste.

This sequence brilliantly shows the contrast between the Legion and Workforce. One team has dedicated itself to idealistic purposes; the other doesn’t care about McCauley’s double-dipping business practices as long as they get paid. Tinya loses her respect for the Workforce, including Jo. Garth, at least, has the sense to quit.

So, Legionnaires 26 is a mixed bag for me. Both plot lines are well intentioned and flesh out our understanding of the Legion’s universe. Only one, however, is delivered in an authentic and convincing manner.

Grade: 84.2 (B)

I'm not sure I would expect someone with Aven's particular power and position to have social skills or recognize authority. I've certainly seen people with less power, act similarly. I almost think that had to be part of the story.


As I recall, the storyline follows up on this reasonably well.

I found both storylines convincing. The art isn't much to my liking and I didn't care for many of the long range plots and that's why I rarely get back to these issues but there are some one or two issues plots/stories and characterizations that I strangely count in my favorite all time.

Issue information for Legionnaires 26



Aven's characterization is consistent - future issues (LSH 80, Legionnaires 38 and 57) will show him doing much the same, and Legionnaires 57 will also flesh out his background and give some insight into why he acts that way.

I agree with BB here, that it felt natural for Aven to act that way. None of the Legionnaires are telepaths so he probably assumed that none of them would be able to help much.

What I do want to know is - did Cosmic Boy's interruption do more harm than good? If he hadn't intervened, would Aven have been able to fully heal Imra? Somehow I doubt; Aven's expression of - shame? regret? - in that page shows it, and he would have told Cos outright if his interference had been the cause.





This is consistent with his indirect role in Angtu's destruction.



It's a shame, as the Workforce members (in this issue, Karate Kid, Ultra Boy and Inferno at least!) show they are decently competent.

Subplots and other developments:

The list of recent tragedies IS pretty long: an injured Triad, a catatonic Saturn Girl, an orphaned Chameleon, a missing Andromeda, and now a depowered Kinetix. Whew.

Spark's secret admirer strikes again. The suspects are few: assuming it's a male Legionnaire, we only have five. Cosmic Boy and Leviathan are too direct (and are more interested in Imra and Zoe, respectively) while Brainiac 5 is too oblivious. So, Invisible Kid or Chameleon? Both of them are on Durla now, but they COULD have planted the gift before leaving.

Spark does well standing up to Winema Wazzo. Good for her. As for Winema, well... she is who she is.

The one-pager with Lyle and Cham is confusing, and the art and lack of translation don't make it any clearer. Is Cham thinking of leaving the Legion? Does he know have new duties on Durla? It's too cryptic.

Cosmic Boy does well trying to convince Chu to let Kinetix leave the team. It makes sense, and Zoe's presence (and lack of protest) mean he discussed it with her beforehand. Chu's priorities are not in the right place, as she places politics before Zoe's safety.