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

Legion of Super-Heroes 70
Beyond Belief
Issue information

Summary:

Andromeda is suffering from deadly lead poisoning, and Brainiac 5 is the only one who can help her. Will Andromeda's xenophobia make it an impossible task?

Also, Violet discovers something chilling about Andromeda.

Thoughts:


My first impression for this issue was that Jason Armstrong's art is hideous. The characters' faces have no symmetry. One good thing I can say is that he does facial expressions well, as evidenced by the roll call page. But the interiors are a shame, especially in contrast to the gorgeous Alan Davis/Mark Farmer cover.

On to the story. The Andromeda/Brainiac 5 dynamic works very well; you have a xenophobe who believes her race is superior, and a highly intelligent man with a superiority complex of his own. "Someone of your intellect lacking faith in my prowess is akin to a dog lacking faith in its master." Ooh. Fighting words.

Andromeda herself is interesting: she whispers she's scared but won't admit it to Brainy; she apologizes to him in the end but only because he proved that he isn't truly inferior; she swears she's angry at the thugs for defying her but perhaps, just perhaps, she does care enough about Triad that she doesn't want her to die. And when Brainy shows his own contempt for Daxamites, of course she can't help but react - she was raised to believe they are the superior race, after all.

Andy won't be able to rest for long though. Andy's White Triangle connections are outed both to the Legion and to the readers. Her guilt is clear; she herself admits she knows the White Triangle faction is actively working to destroy the UP.

Violet, on a lesser scale, is also (at first glance) a creature of contradictions. She's bothered by Andromeda's thoughts towards her, but once she finds something that points to Andy's guilt she doesn't hesitate to share it (rather dramatically) with the rest of the team. I DO find the circumstances behind her finding Andy's necklace a bit too convenient (She acknowledges she doesn't know Andy well, but thinks Andy will appreciate her cleaning up her room. and she knows she shouldn't snoop, but she still moves things around...?) I think her actions do make sense though. She's obviously more loyal to the team than to Andromeda.

Let's talk about Daxam as well. Having the White Triangle be social outcasts, and not representative of the Daxamite government, is a good logical step which explains why Daxam is a UP member. It's comforting to know that the White Triangle members don't represent the majority of Daxamites.

Other plotlines:

Saturn Girl's case seems as hopeless as ever. At least Triad is back in action, and she seems none the worse for wear.

Kinetix is in high spirits, considering she's just lost her powers. She must be very confident she can regain them, and it fits in nicely with how she acted in her first few appearances. She's also keenly perspective when she's not distracted by thoughts of power.

Spark's secret admirer plotline is clumsily shoved into the scene. I know, it's there to set up Zoe's suggestion to Violet of giving Andromeda a gift, but she could just as easily have suggested it without Spark being there.

The Cosmic Boy-Winema Wazzo scene is another clumsy one. Frankly, Cos jumped the gun here. All Winema did was say she would monitor the situation. Without knowing exactly what it would entail, he antagonized her and dragged Apparition into it. Oh, Cos.

These other plotlines seem very inconsequential in the shadow of the main Andromeda/Brainiac 5 plot, though. Andromeda's near-death experience and her being saved by Brainiac 5 is a realistic way of making her confront her xenophobic beliefs. She doesn't totally discard them, which would be unbelievable; but she is forced to admit to herself that maybe not all races are completely inferior to her own. And yet, it may be too late - looks like the White Triangle plot is going to blow up pretty soon!

Legionnaires 27
Eyes of Hate
Issue information

Summary:

The White Triangle is getting bolder: they're destroying Stargates around the galaxy and killing inter-species couples. Cosmic Boy tries to have Andromeda expelled from the team due to her White Triangle connections, but the secretly White Triangle-aligned Ambassador Roxxas ensures she'll stay - after she gives up the lead antidote. Things are looking very grim indeed.

Thoughts:

The Legion and the UP are in over their heads, and this issue does a good job of highlighting that. The White Triangle is moving fast on many fronts; destroying Stargates not only costs lives but compromises transportation across the galaxy, and also causes paranoia. Heck, with all that happened this issue I'm feeling pretty scared for our characters myself.

I love that RJ Brande takes it upon himself to investigate. After all, he created the Stargates. Every time he appears I find him more and more likable.

The "evil eye" being used by the White Trianglists is chilling, and the deaths senseless and pointless. I shudder to think of something like that happening to me while I'm kissing Blaze. Though the killings are heinous, I have to admit the scene is extremely well-choreographed. Having Tinya and Jo's kiss lead right to a Triangle attack is a great way to further their relationship, and to further the story as well. The fight scene is very well done, with each of the 5 characters playing an important role. I love how Apparition's brains and tactical ability are just as important, if not more so, than her phasing powers her. Ultra Boy's machismo and lack of battle smarts helps limit his effectiveness and tempers his (already bad) one-power limitation, and this helps heighten the drama during the battle. Also love the sibling rivalry between Spark and Live Wire being alluded to in the end.

The Andromeda plotline also picks up, and proceeds quite well. Andromeda knows she's found out, and in her desperation to avoid expulsion she gives up the lead antidote. Her hesitation and her reaction in the last panel show that she knows it's the wrong thing to do. She's being set up to be a very tragic Legionnaire, indeed.

Other things I liked:

Marla Latham finally makes an appearance as adult Legion advisor, and he and Rokk play off each other nicely.

Having Roxxas be a White Trianglist, and being of a higher rank than Obin Der, adds important context to Andromeda's Legion membership and explains why the UP allowed a xenophobe to join.

Live Wire's visit to Saturn Girl is a test that for Garth. What does he really feel for Imra? Is he willing to let Mekt wait so he can stay with her, and will he really be able to help her?

Tinya's being upset with Jo is natural. I'm not happy with how she forgives him so easily after a little sweet talking, but I have to admit it seems realistic.

XS, Spark and Apparition looking at preboot Phantom Girl and Shrinking Violet costumes is a nice nod to the Preboot.

This is a wonderful issue: it's a good standalone read in itself but it also moves the White Triangle plot along marvelously. It heightens the tension and drama and sets up a lot of dominos which are sure to converge soon. Now that I'm reading this in the proper order I'm amazed at how much impact it has on me.

I've known people like that, too. Unfortunately, we don't know enough about Aven yet to know why he acts this way.

Even if his behavior is explained in subsequent issues, as Ibby says, it leaves a hole in this story. Aven is set up so the reader will think he's a bad guy, much as Lu does, out to do Imra harm--but how many of us were really fooled by this?

Again, I think a very young audience might have bought into the setup; as an older (much older, admittedly) reader, I was jolted out of the story by the fact that Aven didn't bother to tell anyone what he planned. He's not a bad guy; he's not doing anything illegal. Why not approach the Legion or the hospital administration first and offer his services? Only if were turned down would his actions make sense.

(By the way, did anyone else notice that the man at the hospital--whom I take to be Imra's father--sees Aven but does not recognize him, even though Aven is Imra's teacher?)

With Winema taking on a more direct advisory role, it leaves me wondering about Shvaughn, who was made SP liaison in Annual 6 but has yet to appear in that role in the comic. I think it was you, Ibby, who mentioned the lack of adult supervision in the Legion. With Marla, Shvaughn, and now Winema, it seems they will be overrun with adult supervision.

Speaking of Winema, I thought Cos (in # 70) was trying to be very diplomatic in telling her to keep her relationship with Tinya out of her dealings with the Legion. But Winema, being Winema, reacted badly. I get the feeling nothing Cos said would have mattered.

I do like how Cos stands up to both Winema and President Chu in these last issues. Although he is powerless to countermand their dictates, he's willing to stick his neck out for his team like a good leader should.

I like the Lyle/Cham scene precisely because it leaves it up to us to surmise what is going on. It stays true to the boundaries established so far in the series: Cham does not speak Interlac and needs a translator. His translator (Lyle) doesn't translate for the audience since "we" are not actually there--it would be breaking the fourth wall if he did. (Though he breaks the fourth wall anyway, and understandably so, by speaking in "English" to begin with.) But it's clear from their exchange that something unexpected is going to happen, and this sustains my curiosity into following the next issue.

I'm not sure what you mean about the art being confusing. Cham's father is being lowered into what looks like a molten lava pit for burial--that's what I took out of it.

Ah, thanks for clarifying your point that the writers probably wanted to develop tension and make us fear Aven. I do agree that this was a poor and illogical way of doing it.

As for the man in the hospital, my reading of it was he was the father of another patient and not Imra's father. He was simply put there to show that visitors generally aren't let in by the hospital staff, and that Aven was using his telepathy to conceal himself from the staff.

Re Cos and Winema, I do agree with you that he is right to stand up for his team. I respect and appreciate him for that. My criticism is that he should already know how difficult Winema can be - butting heads with her and pointing our her issues with Tinya was one of the worst things he could possibly have done especially since she is already being given some sort of power over the team. Approaching Marla or RJ Brande or even Chu herself for help would have been the better way to go.

What I meant was that the scene was confusing precisely because we couldn't understand the script. The art itself wasn't confusing, but it didn't clear up the script at all.

I think too that they tried to show arrogance with Aven. To me he reminded me of someone like Magneto from x-men. They way he used his powers on people without a care was pretty telling.

The secret admirer thing was a bit forced too. I think it was done to try and get more relationships going that were different from previous ones. With no Timber Wolf I guess they thought Cham would work well.

I liked the thing with Andromeda being a part of the white triangle. It made for some conflict within the team but but didn't seem to forced for the sake of it.

I remember when the secret admirer thing happened I was really bummed it wasn't Vi, especially when if I remember correctly it did seem like they were hinting at that...I think I read an interview with Mark Waid once where he said he didn't feel like the Legionnaires were old enough to be aware of different sexual orientations (or something similar) so to him the idea of a girl being into another girl wouldn't work...which I've always found kind of disappointing because aside from that I've always thought of him as a fairly progressive writer.

Funny how things change though, for example looking at the latest Young Avengers series where only one person out of the whole team was actually straight and that was quite well received. I think the internet has been really good for showing that comic fandom is actually quite diverse

I can separate being a progressive writer and having progressive experience. I mean really, each person only has a rather narrow look at the world.

Taking him at his word, it's not that hard to believe that he would believe that. I think we're still in an era where even most progressive ADULTs would believe relationships develop that way.

The thing I found most incorrect about his statement is that at present, open relationships between girls is much more accepted than open relationships between boys, even amongst their peers.

I wondered about that, too, but, if so, it was left ambiguous. Since the only patient we're aware of is Imra, the natural conclusion is that the man was there to see her. A little extra dialogue or changing the gender of the patient might have cleared things up.

By the way, the nurse was pretty cold in her attitude toward him!

That's a good comparison. To add, both of them have a very strong idea of what is right and what is wrong, and seem to be willing to pursue what they think is right at all costs.



Yes, the nurse who showed Triad Purple where to find Triad Neutral's room was also pretty cold (though not THAT cold!)



Another error: He says they're not old enough to be aware of different sexual orientations? The Legionnaires are 14-15, I think they'd be old enough. And I would assume homosexuality and bisexuality would be more common in the 30th century too.

I think that's the point razsolo was making. I just don't necessarily proscribe (correct word?) the error to not being a progressive writer. I proscribe it more to experience in life. I don't know what experience Wade has with teens and their relationships but I'd venture that most Adults on the planet don't really know the state of the next generation.

As for how he should/could have reflected the future, I think present trends would agree with you about what shape the future will take but I'm not sure trends at the time of this writing would. Also, we've seen writers talk about the decisions made between writing the future as they think it will be and writing the future to the desires of a present day audience.

We'll probably never have anything but his word as to why he wrote the plot as he did.

This is one of my favorite single issues so far because of the contrast between Brainy and Andromeda. It’s interesting to recall that Andromeda is the Supergirl analogue in the reboot and, thus, the creators are playing with our perceptions of how their relationship should go. Further, the writers round out both of their personalities by giving them negative qualities (Laurel as a racist, Querl as condescending) that would have been unthinkable in the preboot.

I love the nuanced character portrayals. Laurel is someone we should detest—yet we can’t help feeling sorry for her. She is utterly vulnerable here, both physically and psychologically. Her body is under attack from lead poisoning, and her cherished beliefs are under attack by circumstance: Her survival depends on a member of one of the races she deems inferior.

And Brainy milks her predicament for all its worth. In addition to the “dog and master” analogy, he delivers at least one other memorable zinger when he tells Laurel to try to be worth his efforts to rescue her. Later on, he questions whether Laurel cares for a “mongrel” Carggite. Querl never lets up in his efforts to puncture Laurel’s assumptions, and his efforts pay off. The climax of the story occurs when Laurel can say neither that Brainy is superior nor inferior. Yes, there is hope for her yet.

But, just when we start to care about Laurel, Violet discovers a shocking piece of evidence which appears to polarize the team against our recovering xenophobe. The last full-page panel is one of the most effective cliffhangers in the series thus far.

I’m also intrigued by the depiction of life on Daxam—of the separatists who raise their children with their own distorted view of “the truth.” I live in a part of the country where a certain church feels it necessary to “protest” at funerals to further their views that God hates homosexuals. In the reboot universe, Valor takes on a Christ-like significance as “seeder of worlds”; he is deified by diverse cultures, as shown by Triad’s devotion to him. Yet on Daxam, his homeworld, his historical truth is distorted and perverted by those who are wrapped up in fear and hatred—just like some of Jesus Christ’s own so-called followers—a sad, sad reflection of reality.

As for Jason Armstrong’s art, it is a very rough departure from what we’ve come to expect. Yet, I think he serves the emotional tone of the story well. I also like his individualistic faces—much like Moder’s—although Violet looks about 30.

Things I didn’t like? The Saturn Girl plot line has her reduced to a child-like mentality, but this seems very familiar (Star Trek’s “The Changeling,” perhaps?). It also seems unnecessary. Imra’s sidelining—as well as Zoe’s departure—seem on one level an attempt to manage the Legion’s large cast by moving certain characters off to the side for awhile. On the other hand, such plot lines feature unexpected twists that give most of the characters something to do. (Interestingly, though, Gim—who was so prominent in earlier issues—has really lapsed into background character status at this point.)

As a reader, I felt like I was being pulled through an emotional ringer in # 70—hate Laurel, feel sorry for Laurel, feel hope for Laurel, feel allied with the team against her—and I appreciated the skill with which the writers and Armstrong kept me so emotionally involved.

Grade: 93.4 (A)

"Proscribe" means to forbid, so perhaps you want to use the word "Attribute"? But I agree, it's probably because of his experiences and not because he doesn't want to be "progressive".

These are also among my reasons for loving this story. The writers have very masterfully used it to build up the tension and conflict for the grand finale (of the story arc) in Legionnaires Annual 2!

HHW, I like the points you raise about Laurel's depiction....it is a testament to the writing that someone who is an all-powerful bigot comes across as sympathetic even while we disagree with her ideals. I think Waid (Mark Waid was still writer at this point I think?) did a great job of showing Laurel as someone who was motivated by ignorance and fear more than hatred.

Mark Waid is indeed still involved, razsolo. In fact, Waid is credited with the dialogue in this issue, which probably explains why it has so many memorable lines and exchanges.

One of the sad things about racism is that kids who are brought up in such a belief system often embrace it before they have any "reason" to fear or hate others. The church I mentioned in my previous post regularly takes children along on its "protests," having them carrying around signs that spew their vile filth. If you're a child and Mommy and Daddy are telling you that Carggites or Durlans or homosexuals are bad, who are you going to believe? Waid and crew are unflinchingly honest in their depiction of Laurel's mindset.

They also struck an amazing balance between Andy's upbringing and her "inner good", so to speak. Her moments of hesitation and self-doubt are extremely realistic and sympathetic. It's just sad that future issues didn't utilize the character quite as well. But we'll get to that eventually

Sadly, Laurel's character got shallower as the series progressed. Super Space Nun was pretty one-dimensional.

Yeah I thought super space nun really ruined her...interesting idea for how she'd respond to everything but terrible execution

Especially after she came back from the Anomaly. That was a totally unnecessary and useless change. I didn't know what to make of her after that.

The White Triangle story kicks into high gear with this issue, after building gradually for several months. In fact, since Doyle was backed by the White Triangle, this plotline has been brewing since the reboot’s inception, which gives the series the welcome feel of a novel—gradually building to a climax. The various subplots weave in and out of the main plot, which is finally coming to the fore.

This issue does a stand-up job of moving the story along, though I felt a bit unsatisfied. After the nuanced portrayals of Laurel and Brainy in the previous issue, it was a letdown to see the main villains reduced to one-dimensional stereotypes of racists. They do despicable things—murdering innocent people for kicks, destroying stargates and disrupting the economies on countless worlds, and spewing hate-filled terms such as “gene-trash” and “half-alivers”—but that’s all they do.

One might point out that that’s how racists, homophobes, and others come across in real life, and they would be right. But fiction should always try to make sense where real life fails. The purpose of fiction, some theorize, is to provide structure to our unstructured lives, to offer a model of reality in which the unexplained gets explained. We may never know what drives serial killers, for example, to murder random strangers, but fiction can provide us with a means of filling in that gap, by showing us possibilities and causing us to seek and question instead of wallowing in the pit of despair and uncertainty. We should never identify with villains who commit horrific crimes or excuse their actions, but if we can see them as individuals who have made some very bad choices, we can perhaps glimpse how our own choices can lead us astray.

Sadly, none of that is present here. The White Triangle members are cardboard bullies who serve the needs of the plot, nothing more.

For that matter, the Legionnaires themselves are not portrayed much better. Ultra Boy (who is not a Legionnaire yet, but we know he will be eventually) is even more dumb-jocky than usual. His cluelessness in relating to Apparition is understandable and even endearing, but when he can’t figure out how to use his powers in battle without her telling him so, he really does come off as muscle-brained. (She, on the other hand, emerges as perceptive and quick thinking under fire.) Spark and XS serve the needs of the plot, which is fine—a good story needs solid supporting characters as well as main characters.

It’s good to see Garth back in a major role, and he is well utilized and developed here. He approaches Brande for a space cruiser, and learns of Imra’s condition. The scene of him watching her as she plays with the video game is truly moving; Garth barely knows her still, yet the interest and attraction is there. He must be unsure of how he is feeling or supposed to feel.

It’s less clear why Garth follows his ex-Legionnaire teammates through the city, but it’s good that he does. The scene of him blasting the White Triangle member, then casually leaning against the building to announce his presence (“Please. No applause.”) tells us so much about him, as do the reactions of his teammates. This is one of those “Glad to see you back where you belong!” moments, even though no one says those words.

In addition to Garth, Cos is also well handled in this issue. He unleashes his controlled fury at Andromeda and then demands her expulsion from the team, only to have his wishes undercut once again by President Chu. A telling moment occurs when Marla says under his breath that Cos should try acting mature. This is a subtle reminder that Cos is still a teenager and is being challenged as never before. These scenes push him (and us) towards a moment which can make or break him as a leader.

I’m not sure why it was necessary to make Roxxas—Element Lad’s old adversary from the preboot—a Daxamite ambassador and the power behind the White Triangle. This, like the dresses in the window, comes off as a cursory nod to preboot fans, but whereas the dresses were included for laughs, the appearance of Roxxas feels arbitrary. Why not make one of the other preboot villains a Daxamite—Nardo? Evillo? Regulus? Or better yet create a totally new character to fill that role?

Roxxas' bullying of Laurel, however, is all too real. He relents only after she tells him about the anti-lead serum. Laurel digs herself and the Legion into an even deeper hole, yet one can’t help but feel sorry for her and sympathize with the limited choices she has.

The Mike Collins/W.C. Carani art is among the best in the series so far although uneven in places. Their depiction of R.J. Brande at the bottom of Page 5, for example, is full of individuality and determination. Yet their depiction of Laurel often comes off as forced and cartoony, particularly at the bottom of Page 11.

Legionnaires 27 is expertly plotted; I just wish it had featured more nuanced characterizations like the previous issue. Then, Waid was credited with the dialogue; here the plot and script are both Tom Peyer’s show (though Tom McCraw is co-credited with the plot), and while Peyer has the competence to pull it off, he lacks Waid’s finesse.

Grade: 88.8 (B+)

I am glad you mentioned Cos; I can't believe I forgot to do so. Unlike with his clumsy confrontation with Winema, I greatly admire and agree with Cos on this count. Laurel's affiliation with the White Triangle is an urgent matter that impacts the safety of every Legionnaire and of the entire UP. This requires urgent action.

And I agree that we can't help but sympathize with Laurel. The scene shows us how conflicted she is - she clearly felt pushed into giving up the lead serum. That final panel on the page shows how torn up she is about it.

As for Garth, his confusion is portrayed so well here. He can be cocky and confident elsewhere, but when it comes to Imra he's a bit lost. First love, perhaps?

The answer to that will be revealed next issue Though sadly, Element Lad NEVER meets Roxxas.

I've re-read LSH 71 now, and I see the logic of making Roxxas a Daxamite. I still have mixed feelings about it, though, which I will try to articulate when I do my review.