Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Since when did Brin get so popular?

Along with Rokk, Gim, Jo, Reep, and Jan, Brin was always one of my favorites.

Like Spider-Man and Nightcrawler, from that other company (or Nightwing, from DC), I was always a fan of Brin's kinetic energy, leaping around acrobatically during combat. I laughed a little when the Threeboot referred to his power as 'prodigious physicality,' sort of making him the opposite of Brainiac Five, who had prodigious mentality.

His gruff persona, unlike another Marvel character he's often conflated with, was paired with a strong desire to be part of this group, to 'make a family' for himself, which made it interesting how he kept kind of sabotaging himself by pushing people away (and treasuring the people who were able to become his friends despite his attitude).

Wow, seeing the Legion of 3 Worlds costume alongside all his others doesn't do it any favors, does it? :|

I like most of Brin's looks but Legion Lost is my favourite I think.

A part of me has to wonder if Brin's popularity didn't begin when he was front and center with a bold new look when the Legion re-emerged in the 70s? It was very striking. I never got the sense in the Adventure days with how infrequent he appeared that he had a following, despite the unique "Lone Wolf" angle.

For me, like others, I will say when the universe started dumping on him with losing Ayla that he started to come alive. The Blok friendship and the suicide run for Val's will come to mind. He had a whiny moment or two but I do think the Baxter Legion showed him as more than just a fighter - but a guy with a soul and well-meaning despite his own shortcomings. Even when he wanted to fit in, he would always be a bit of a Lone Wolf.

His Furball days I don't feel gave him much beside a ferocious new visual. That flashback issue, LSH v4 #52, with Ayla was everything for me though. After they were both miserable when their relationship ended, it was great seeing them ten-some years later in good places and able to confirm a loving friendship had always been there.

I too liked his Legion Lost look, which surprised me. I found it an improvement on the Retroboot outfit which I didn't think added anything new to him.

It has occurred to me recently that Brin was at the center of two of the greatest could-have-led-to-something-great loose ends of the Baxter Era:

1. The ties to Karate Kid's legacy, already mentioned a couple times earlier in this thread. I'm not a Val fan, but I do find Brin a far more complex character, whose larger-than-life antics are also easier to suspend disbelief for. And I *do* like martial-arts-slash-fantasy stuff -- The original "The Bride With White Hair" is one of my favorite movies to come out of the Golden Age of Hong Kong Cinema. Brin could have gone on a series of adventures that would have built him up into DC's own version of Marvel's Iron Fist (and with Brin being far less Aryan-looking than Iron Fist, it would have been easier for me to stomach.)

2. "Bizarre Love Triangle" -- not the Eighties-tastic synth song by New Order, but rather Levitz's tease of a possibly blossoming attraction between Brin and Dawnstar. I would have *loved* that, and even though Wildfire is my favorite male Legionnaire, it would have been hard to deny that Brin would appear the more natural choice for Dawny.

Imagine the possibilities...

That triangle was also teased (in that it never went anywhere beyond jealous Wildfire) in Legion Lost II. It does seem like a natural pairing. Two loners would have the sense to give one another enough personal space.

Agreed 100%, FC. Brin was the first person we ever saw make Dawny laugh. That was one of the best images from the otherwise mostly blah final 28 issues of the Baxter Era.

Dawnstar certainly wasn't snippy towards Timber Wolf like, say, Phantom Girl was.

There was a great scene in the (generally overwrought and repetitive) End of an Era arc, LSH #59, in which Wolf is comforting Jewel/young Mysa after the death of Andromeda and Ayla makes some snide remark about his sincerity. She gave him the boot, but still harboured some resentments. In that version....

Crumbs! A Dawny/Brin/Ayla/Drake/Imra/Garth/Mysa Love Heptagon!

Let's throw Blok in to make an 8th!

Things sure do get messy in the future.

And who's gonna do the dirty work of cleaning up that mess?

Postboot Chuck, of course.

I wrote an essay titled "Brin Londo Wants Your Girlfriend" for Klordny a few years ago. Here's the list of women associated with Brin at one point or another:

Ayla Ranzz (original)
Imra Ardeen (who knows? original)
Marella Tao (Baxter)
Aria (as Furball: not romance; in the 20th century, as close companions) (5YL)
Jewel (teenaged Mysa) (5YL)
Tinya(DnA)
Projectra (3boot)
Violet (3boot)
Ayla again? (Johnsboot)

I may have missed a few. And we thought Sun Boy was the womanizer?

Heh.

Good point, FC. Although at least Brin wasn't a cad, like the way Levitz portrayed Dirk.

If anyone is going to master the art of Puppy Dog Eyes, it's going to be Brin.

LOL

Why, Brin, you dog you.

He's a wolf in...well, Wolf's clothing.

Now I have this image in my head of Brin wearing a zoot suit, like the wolves in those Golden Age cartoons. LOL

So Brin's less of a Lone Wolf and more of a Dirty Dog?

Still, he always ends up alone. I guess he's good for a ride, but not someone you bring home.

Ayla and Dawnstar reinterpreting one of those earworm songs that you'd like to forget, but can't:

"The boy is mine, the DOG-gone boy is mine."

Agreed on both counts.

Cheers, Ibby.

I seem to recall my first readings of Brin were when he was in his whiney post break-up stage so it took be a while to get to like the character. Prefered Fur-ball to that depiction. Actually now piecing it together, he's had several cringe-worthy depictions.

His best offering, off the top of my head, was the KK tribute.