Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-Reading the Legion: Archives #7

I enjoyed this "last" Super-pets story, overall. It's a simpler and (ironically) more childish yarn than most of Shooter's others, but it's nice to have one last hurrah in the Super-pets series.

I found it especially interesting to see such a focus on Comet this go-round. I remember hearing bits of SA Comet's background, but this is the first time I recall seeing it all laid out for me, as I don't have those Supergirl stories. I've also heard people allude to the hindsight-creepiness about him having a human form and of there being some romantic attraction between Kara and Comet in that guise. But I find him fascinating in this Silver Age version and see some untapped potential. I don't know if she ever found about Comet's dual identity. If she didn't, it was a missed opportunity not to tell it before SA Kara died.

As a story that is just emblematic of the charms of the Silver Age in such a way that we don't see stories like it anymore, this one was very well done, albeit with a few problems. The main problem is that the Super-pets just don't come across very well in the end. In a bid to assert their equality, they are really shown up by the humanoid Legionnaires. They are chastised for failing to use better strategy against the machines, they are derided for actually being recognized by a society and ultimately, they are out-thinked and rescued by their humanoid superiors. Plus, in a kind of shocking panel, Cham manhandles Proty in order to force him to come along. In the end the story reinforces that these are pets and inferior to their humanoids.

I would've hoped for the Pets to come across a little better in a story in which they "revolt". But this was the Silver Age, and these characters were primarily intended to be adorable companions to the headlining heroes. So it was what it was. Kind of bad for Comet particularly, though, since he was half-humanoid and even full-humanoid in certain circumstances. They were all portrayed with human-level intellect, so maybe it's bad for them all.

So a couple of other questions arise: 1) Streaky gets his powers anytime he's exposed to X-K, as the story explains. For how long, or did he have some tucked in his cape or something? 2) Proty could talk as Blockade Boy. They've had him talk while in disguise before, but there was an explanation to get around it when it happened, iirc. How did he do it before, and would that fit in here to explain it?

By the way, I loved the one large panel (page 10, panel 2) artist Pete Costanza drew in which part of it shows Supergirl in an iconic pose giving one of the machines an uppercut. Garth dominates the foreground, but the detail in Kara's pose is very kick-ass! Overall, Pete does an excellent job drawing the animals accurately and especially giving them believable mannerisms. Not a fan of the multiple pages with arrows showing you which panels to read in order. Swan does it some, too, but it didn't seem as glaring and frequent as in Costanza's issue.

So, farewell, Super-pets. It wasn't your finest hour, but it was a worthwhile send-off. The Bronze Age and onward will mostly sweep you away or at least downplay your prominence, and part of me thinks that's a shame. (Kind of ridiculous, though, to footnote Superman's iconic origin with: "...and by the way, baby Kal-El had a monkey stowaway aboard his rocket...." :rolleyes: )

I remember buying this issue in a cellophane wrapped 3 pack of coverless comics for 19 cents around 6 months after the cover date. I know it was after I bought Adv 367 new. I liked it at the time but it hasn't aged as well as other issues from that time. I wonder if Supergirl got suspicious when she got sent away on a different mission after she recognised "Bronco Bill Starr".

Adventure #364

This was a late addition to my Legion comics years ago. The cover put me off, as I had no interest in the Super Pets. There was a little embarrassment around them . As I got older, I appreciated the fun and such stories that appeared before my childhood self could have appreciated them.

The splash page shows the super-heroes slinking out of town, beaten by the feted Super-Pets. It’s a common Legion theme. They not only have to defend themselves against villains, but prove themselves against rival groups such as the Wanderers; the Super-Rejects and the Super-Pets. Legion writers telling the reader that life is a competition and you can’t be complacent.

The villains on the splash page are a cross between Khunds and the overly smiley villain from Murra who infiltrated the Legion in #337. It must be hard being a new Legion member when there have been so many traitorous ones. They must have to prove themselves to ridiculous extremes. You wonder if it’s self fulfilling. That a member just goes bad because the villains aren’t as mean to them as their Legion team-mates.

The seriousness of the Legion isn’t apparent in the super pets, who get together to frolic through space in the opening panel. No hunting villains, no treason, disaster or angst. Just frolicking, setting them apart from every other super team.

Not being grim, or angst ridden enough gets them into trouble with the Legion when the super pets foil an invasion. Meanies Lyle and Querl, again having to take time out of their bromance, go off to track the source of the invasion with determined Salu & Jo.

Left to guard the clubhouse, the Super Pets commit an early act of sabotage, by boring the reader with flashbacks of their origins for over 3 pages. Looking at Super Monkey and Super Dog’s key contributions to Superman’s legacy possibly prompted the reboot in Crisis. Failing that, it was pressure from the animal liberation movement. They must have been opposed to Jor-Els fascination on experimenting on every species he could get his hands on, before launching his son into space. Krypton’s explosion clearly didn’t take anyone by surprise.

The super pets communicate telepathically with each other thanks to Imra. Because having them speak would be silly, as they are different species. Obviously. But their thoughts aren’t “cat” or “dog” but Interlac. That makes perfect sense. It’s a fudge, but I recall Imra creating a version of Tinya in the postboot and wonder if she isn’t really pulling the strings of all the super pets.

The super pets leaving on their own may well have inspired the Grant Morrison series We3 decades later.

Telepathy is all the rage, and the sulking super pets are invited by Rikkor Rost to his planet, where they are all heroes. No-one questions why Rost was lurking around Legion HQ trying to telepathically hack into events. Heck, you’re probably not even reading this. I’m sending it telepathically.

After some snappy patter, the Legion track the pets to Thanl. They have to go the old fashioned, faster than light spaceship way, and not the teleportation way Rost uses. Someone is confident that they’ll get the pets back “because we’re humans. We’re smarter than they are.” I’m betting its Brainy, reading the Jor-el guide to vivisection.

On Thanl, the Pets are honoured and are reluctant to leave. We get a lovely montage of Pets/ Legion adventures. I liked the Ghost Ship of Space and note that the Luck Lords wear the featureless face masks that Sensor Girl would later adopt. It’s those sort of throw away moments that add a lot of depth to books. In later years, books without the publication history of Legion would insert such moments to get that same feeling; from Supreme to Planetary.

Ironically, it’s Chameleon Boy who loses his temper and tries to force Proty to return. Cham, who is closest to animals by being able to assume their forms, obviously has no empathy for any of them. Another example of Durla’s nasty xenophobia revealed!

As intended by Shooter, the Pets have everyone’s sympathy and they kick the Legion’s butts off of the planet. Highlights are Super horse flying into Gim’s eye. An eye patch would have been an interesting costume change for him. Supercat Streaky takes down most of the Legion. They should count themselves lucky the claws were kept in. We would have seen a real Composite Legionnaire next issue as they try to find enough pieces to stitch anyone back together.

The war between Legions has started. Rost indicates that the Legion may be spying on the pets. So, the pets infiltrate the Legion. We get yet more members who will clog up the membership list forever by appearing for a single story; Biron and Blockade Boy.

The good news for any time travelling Green Arrows is that the Legion isn’t fussy about their “no mechanical devices” rule when it comes to archery. Welcome Biron! Despite being duplicated by Reep and Querl the Legion put aside their “don’t duplicate what we have” rules. Welcome Blockade Boy !That’s blockade Boy II , as is fully explained, along with yet another Super Horse ID, for readers who would grow up to produce continuity kids of later generations. They just clutter up the membership list! What were they thinking? …and breathe.

The superpet members solve the mystery and head of to confront the villains of Thanl. It’s a battle that goes badly for the pets as Thanl has access to some nifty keen gear. Universal Teleportors, Kryptonite traps and Eighth Dimensional neutralisers. That’s better than Mxyzptlk’s and you can spell it! None of which ever appears again, gets logically pinched by Brainy or stops the human Legion for a moment. Still, it’s nice that the Legion and Pets work together to stop the final ultimate trap, even if it is spring loaded.

It’s odd that the Legion would put their animal colleagues at such risk, just to prove a point.If nothing else, this issue made me trust and respect the Super Pets more than the human Legion.

The Legion tell Comet that they recognise Bronco Bill from their history books. There must be some massive pre crisis story we never saw. Bronco Bill lassos the Anti Monitor? Something else else that made him memorable.

They all have a little chuckle at the end, but I’m worried about the thinness of Salu’s legs. Could she have had an eating disorder, trying to force herself into a body image that's she feels is expected of her?

In summary, this issue's message is that it’s OK to be mean to someone if you can then drive them away into a situation from which they have to be rescued by you! A lesson we could all live b…oh, hang on, the divorce papers have just landed on the mat…

One thing I forgot to mention that I liked that Thothkins alluded to: The flashbacks to previous Super-pets adventures, including 2 out of 3 being non-published stories only referenced here. I've noticed references like these in various Adventure-era stories, and I, for one, enjoy that sense that what we've read only scratches the surface of the Legion's adventures. And it makes perfect sense that this would be the case in a group as large and galaxy-spanning as our cast.

Seems like the only time this ever happens in modern day comics is when writers have some colossal ret-conning to do. Nice to see references to past adventures that are just fun and hint at the potential of the concept!

It's like Depth-Plus when the Legion does it as they already have such a rich history. Dropping extras in along the way really added an extra layer to that.

It's something that very few books can do. Massive retcon, then adding more and more layers to the set up of their world. Most writing teams have left a book before they get anywhere near that. Heck, most books have been cancelled/rebooted/Evented-away before getting anywhere near that.

Adventure Comics #364. "The Revolt of the Super-Pets"

This is one of my least favorite Legion stories. Mainly because I think super-pets, like Bizarros, are just silly. And Paladin points to one reason why I think so:



Almost every hero character--human and non-human--in this story comes across as petty and selfish at some point. While the plotline is kind of cute in a what-if way, the characters themselves suffer in the telling.

I think thothkins had a good line:

Sure, we're rereading this 40+ years after the story was published, and I've just watched Rocket Raccoon and a tree be equal partners with some super bad/good human-ish dudes. But that aside, this characteristic, in my opinion, is not one of the charms of the Silver Age.

Other posters have covered everything else I would say. Except this: On pages 11-13 some of the Legionnaires were apparently channeling some mid-20th century teenagers:
Saturn Girl: "They blew their stacks and walked out on us!"
Superboy: "It's not April Fool! Cut the gags!"
Saturn Girl: "I'm telling it straight!"
Brainiac 5: "Chuck the chatter!"
Somebody: "Dig those cheers from the mob!"

Ah, that takes me back to the good old days.

Are we sure Shooter wrote this story? It always seemed to me to have more of a Bridwell feel to it.

Well if Mort told Jim Shooter to write Legion of Super-Pets It might be kind of hard to get a Shooter feel out of it. OTOH you have good point & unlike the question about whether Siegel or Hamilton wrote Adventure 340-41 some one could ask Jim Shooter.

Adventure Comics Featuring Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes 365

This issue was even better than I remember. There's that nice touch of real-world darkness, with Talok VIII's conversion from pacifism to war-mongering and the danger that their bomb tests are putting their neighbor worlds in, and it's not heavy-handed or preachy at all. There's also three instances of Cosmic Boy acting like a dick -- mouthing off at Brainy twice and whining about how heavy his backpack is -- which supports my contention that he always was a dick. I laughed when the heroes and heroine are passing for mountain people, and a Talokian woman calls them simple-minded, much to Brainy's chagrin. Super-deathtraps are a familiar trope, but they're cleverly used here, and the Fatal Five are at their most menacing.

Finally, of course, there's my favorite Legionnaire, Shadow Lass, who is introduced in this issue. She was actually created by a couple of Legion fans, whose original concept was that she came from a world of black separatists (basically the same concept used later for Tyroc). In Weisinger and Shooter's tweaking of the concept, Talokians became blue-skinned, and Shadow Lass' features became racially ambiguous, so I really think she can be any exotic race that the individual reader wants her to be. Being a Latina myself, I personally consider her an honorary Latina. And from the very beginning, she was one of the most kick-ass of the female Legionnaires, as well as smart, regal, and poised. What's not to love?

^How could I forget to mention the Curt Swan/George Klein art (with help on the layouts by Shooter)?? It's exquisite, though it's also bittersweet in that Klein would not stick around much longer, as DC laid off many on its longtime writers and artists. Klein would land at Marvel, where he'd have a short but wonderful run on Avengers over John Buscema's pencils before dying in 1969.

Been out of the loop again, but if I may backtrack a few issues, I've been wondering just lately where were the Subs in issues 359 and 360 when the LSH was on the run? Were they brainwashed along with everyone else on Earth, or were they in jail, or off planet or what? It would've been nice if some reference to them had been made, but I suppose since young Shooter did manage to include every single Legionnaire in the story I guess he can be excused for omitting the Subs.

I'd guess a combination of off planet & brainwashed.

First off, sorry for the delays on this. Work, kids, travel, etc. Lately I don't know what's up and what's down.

Adventure Comics #365 - 366

The first Fatal Five story is a classic, forever a part of Legion lore--and rightly so. But for me, it's the second Fatal Five story that holds a place in my heart as the best Fatal Five story of not only the Silver Age, but of all time.

I think that comment holds up today, when we view all of the F5 stories in retrospect. But I also have to add that this story means a lot to me because it was probably the first Adventure story that just flat out blew me away as a kid when I finally went back and reread various stories.

The reasons are numerous:

- with their origin out of the way, the Fatal Five come across as a true threat--terrifying and immense. Yet, they aren't like Mordru or the Time Trapper in that they are unquantifiable. They are just a truly scary group of sadistic villains who are as powerful, clever and tough as the Legion.

Even at story's end they are not captured and that goes along with their intense depiction all story long. There's a gravity to their presence that isn't spoon fed to us or narrated to us-- we know it's there because we feel it all story.

- the camaraderie of the Legionnaires. Shooter presents the best scenes and dialogue of the Silver Age between Brainy, Cos, KK and Supes. I love Brainy responding to Cos's complaints of a heavy backpacks with "you'll be wishing for a heavier pack before long when the food starts running low!"

That "ball busting" (to use an official literary term) makes it feel believable and entertaining. And Cos's gallows humor at the end of the first part, claiming each one can take on a thousand soldiers is just great.

When the setting changes in the second issue, that doesn't change either. They're more focused on the issue at hand, but some gallows humor and friendly ribbing maintains that sense of the Legionnaires being confident in themselves and each other.

- the best introduction of a Legionnaire thus far, and perhaps ever. Shadow Lass is magnificent from day one and she instantly becomes a favorite of mind because of this intro. She's badass in a way only Imra is so far, but she is able to be more physically aggressive. She has a "warrior princess" vibe, but it's actually much better than that: she doesn't need to be a princess; she's a planetary champion.

Plus, her visual is fantastic. Whoever made the decision to give her the blue hue made the right call, despite contradicting the future LSH canon. Even better is that this story does not even give a nod to that story--other than the name and look, Shady stands totally on her own.

In part 2, the scene where Shady raises her hand and swears the Legion oath, knowing that all of them may--and probably will-- die, yet she'll do it as a Legionnaire, is one of THE great moments in Legion history.

We also see her feisty chemistry with Brainy, which I've often wished would be explored more.

And of course, it's Shady who turns the tide when all the boys are overpowered by their various sparring partners at the end of the story. It's a fitting, great way to end the story and give Shady a proper intro--other writers should take note.

- it's this story here that cemented my love of Brainy, KK and Cos too. All of them were among my potential favorites already but this out it over the top. For the boys, they remain my favorites, along with Ultra Boy.

- the overall plot is great. The concept of exploring a somewhat alien planet and having to "rough it" is great. The mystery of their assailants is also great--and the payoff of who is really behind things is fantastic!

Page 2 has Shooter giving an awesome one page introduction to the mystery of Talok VIII that is masterful. It says all you need to know to be curious and then dives right in.

I also like the reference to a mountain people who have their own language and customs. That, of course, will pay off later with Lady Memory. But in general it's more realistic and adds depth to the planet.

In the first half, Shooter also gives a wonderful 2-part plot structure that he further refines in the Mordru story: the first issue gives the Legionnaires a tremendous problem or series of problems to overcome, which they eventually do. But at the end, the real threat still exists and must be addressed, despite being much more horrifying that what they've already gone through. Mark Waid has often claimed that this plot structure (specifically the Mordru story but this one is an obvious precursor) has influenced every story he's ever written.

The second issue gives us a clear part 1 and 2 as well--the first allowing readers to get reacquainted with the F5. And the second brings it all home in a major way.

- also it has to be said that the art here is simply phenomenal. When we last left off in the archives I mentioned that the Swan art, with Klein inks, at the tail end of the Silver Age was the best art of his career and I was notably impressed by how dynamic it was. That comment stands as the art here is terrific. As DC loosened up at the end of the 60's, Swan as obviously enjoying experimenting like Infantino and Kane were. Also, the coloring is vivid and exciting.

In the second half, Swan opens the story up particularly strong. The army attacking the Legionnaires is explosive, and then a few pages later his depiction of Validus looming menacingly over the other four is awesome, especially with the diagonal viewpoint.

It's also noteworthy that Neal Adams takes over here as cover artist, as he did for all the Superman titles--another attempt by DC to stop declining sales and losing marketshare to Marvel. His cover for Adv #365 is okay, but the cover for #366 is awesome.

In Crisis of Infinite Earths, a big deal is made at how marquee a villain Validus is during an offhand conversation between Luthor and Brainiac. It's clear that this story and the first F5 story set that tempo.

This ranks for me among my absolute favorite LSH stories of all time.

Um...I thought we were only doing one issue at a time?

I think there was a post about doing am entire story somewhere if folks felt like it. Single issues fine too. Don't ask me where I read that, but that's what I thought.

Okay. Thanks, Thoth.

I'm feeling an Avengers/Legion disconnect doing these together. So if I go on about Kid Rage just humour me

Yeah, a few pages back it was decided that for two parters you could do the whole story at once or single issues, depending on how you felt at the time. Mainly to allow as much leeway as possible for potential reviewers.

I guess I'll be reviewing Adventure 366 sooner than I expected, then.

Here's my review from the previous page, just so nobody misses it:



And then I added:

Adventure Comics #365
I hadn't noticed how obvious Tharok's arm was on the cover before. Not that much was left to the imagination with "Escape of the Fatal Five!" on the cover. Skipping past Karate Kid's Ketsugo (not a board game I learn) ad and onto the story.

Where the splash page gives away even more than the cover. Grant Morrison would have just had this page and an Fatal Five escape panel and have done with it. It's usually a sign of a writer about to be shuffled off for a "rest" when they start having death taps that go along with their puns. Am I the only one who thinks Green Arrow should rescue Karate Kit after his JLA initiation issue?

My first look at Talok was way ahead in the 318-319 story, with a single fortified city and barbarians at the gates. A world trying to force itself to modernise. Yet here it's a 1950s utopia...for a while. It's a nice link to the later issues.
With the UP worried about Talok's stockpiling of weapons, they send the Legion on a spy mission. It's good to see the subterfuge used in the fugitive legion story being used again here for a different type of mission.

The UP are probably also hoping that a few weeks in the Talokian desert will cure the heroes of the hip lingo they've picked up like a space plague. We meet their guide Shadow Lass for the first time, except for the time we met her before, although I wouldn't see her for the first time until much later (readers may wish to use a time bubble to understand adult legion stories)

In the most recent Legion run, they used drop capsules to land on a planet. I thought it was odd at the time, but there's something much better here: Space Parachutes! But no explanation of why Superboy can't just fly in.

It's a long trek for our heroes across the desert. Annoyingly, the native Shadow Lass is the first one to collapse. The good news is that someone remembered to bring a giant notepad and pencil along in one of the backpacks. It was probably in Cosmic Boy's as he wines about the weight.

With these, our heroes find a way into the capital, unaware that their every move has been monitored and assisted. The rest of their backpacks must have been filled with the props of Frank Herbert's Dune novels as they manage to impersonate Fremen Hill People and get into the city.

Now we learn that Superboy can't attack the city as they have stockpiled Kryptonite. It seems that Krypton was the largest planet never to have formed into a sun since everyone has a piece of it.

But it does make sense for every government to have a Superboy deterrent. It says a lot about what really goes on behind the Legion's backs. In addition to Shadow Lass' casual mind wiping, another example would be the discrimination felt by the hill people at the hands of their city cousins. That's something Levitz would return to.

Why waste pages getting your heroes into death traps when you can just teleport them? The heroes use their ingenuity and willpower to escape their traps, most of which were fun to read. Superboy's looked pretty cool too. Even things made in red sun systems can affect him! In some sort of super-energy transfer, their exertions have given the Fatal Five a way of escaping.

Not a moment too soon. Poor Tharok has spent ages in another dimension without a monologue. So, that's the first thing he does for a page and a half to get it out of his system.

We do learn that whatever chance Validus had of breaking away from Tharok has now gone. All the more poignant when we later learn his origin & Legion connection.
The cliffhanger is a bit of a disappointment, as the Legion are facing an army of minions. The Legion do have Superboy on their side too.

Superboy's inclusion in the story can only be down to sales. He's not really suited for the spy mission or much else here. It needed a less powerful member to add some extra tension.

Why super energy isn't just energy has baffled me for as long as I've read comics, and does so again. A plus are the villains. There's something mature about the Fatal Five as villains. They all have strong personalities and all vie for internal control at this point. They handle themselves well, as do a lot of the Adventure Era villains.

The much later Talok story was one of my first Legion comics, and this story really laid the foundations of that tale.

I had never thought of that before, but I agree. There was no need to have Superboy in every story, even if the covers did read "Adventure Comics Featuring Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes." They could have just given him cameos once in a while depending on whether his presence would suit the story or not.

Adventure Comics #365 -- "Escape of the Fatal Five"

Although the preceding issue contained one of my least favorite Legion stories ("Revolt of the Super-Pets"), this issue tells one of my favorites.

Almost a year before this issue appeared, the cover of the Adult Legion story (Adventure #354) introduced me to the Legion. It was the image of the fallen heroes' statues, with Shadow Woman's among them, that captured my interest. And now, here, Shadow Lass appears on a cover again, this time as a living person. Is this when she will become a Legionnaire? Will she die in this story? I couldn't wait to read it.



Yes, what Cobie said!

It might have worked if Shadow Lass hadn't been, as Brainy put it, "hip to the terrain."




There was a lot about Part 1 of this story that presented Shadow Lass not as a "girl hero" but as an adept and powerful colleague in the small, strong, otherwise-male team. The exception was when Superboy was carrying her through the desert. But then in Part 2 she not only gets bonked on the head by a guy two feet away (obligatory battle treatment for female Legionnaires, especially when Princess Projectra is not around to take the hit), she also falls and sprains her arm after an electric shock from Validus. The writers couldn't let a "girl" just plow through the punches throughout the story, I suppose. On the positive side, her injuries do heighten her heroism at the end when she goes into battle in spite of them.

Regarding Shady's "previous appearance" in the Adult Legion story, I wish that had been ignored. Much as I love a lot of things about Paul Levitz's 80s run, I always cringe at the scene in LSH issue 300 where she's wearing whiteface. That was pure fanwank, in my opinion.



This.



It was the times. I can accept that and still enjoy the story.



That's my girl.