In Superboy 212, Tenz defeats Calorie Queen by taking a bite out of the Legion flagpole, causing the flag to fall on top of her. While she is stunned, he then ties her up in the flag. Corny, but effective.
I would like to have seen Tenz attempt something similar with Dupe; he didn't even have to beat him, just forestall him long enough for Dupe to listen to his "If Violet really loves you" speech.
(I confess, I'm reading some of my own experiences into this. When I was a teenager, my attempts to "reason" with bullies--based largely on what I learned from stories such as this -- did not go over so well. Dupe, of course, isn't a standard bully, but he did not appear ready to listen to reason when he bent the girder.)
Still, your points are well taken; Shooter did make some less-than-obvious choices, and he did have a difficult Legionnaire to work with, power-wise.
And, yes, subplots were frowned upon in those days and happy endings were a must. Still, a fan can dream.
If one is going to plunge headlong into the realm of relevancy, one has a responsibility, I think, to get it right, or at least to make a statement about the issue that goes beyond the "look how relevant we are" bandwagon. Seven years later, DC would be justly criticized for getting it wrong when they introduced a black Legionnaire without putting much thought into what black people are actually like. I think the same criticism holds true for stories that halfheartedly tackle addiction.
Just a few thoughts to add. In the opening scene, Tenz could've simply flown home on his own if he was ashamed of his teammates seeing where he lived, but I suppose the ride in CK's car gave us a chance to see a few more Legionnaires and his insistence on walking home alone played up his shame and loneliness. Love Violet's dress and Tenz's formal wear. Also Duplicate Boy's new costume. His old one was kinda clunky and circusy. Nice to see all 3 of them wearing different colors than usual. I liked that Vi stood up for Tenz when Projectra called him a stick in the mud and when Tenz called her "Flower Girl", a reference to her Violet codename? I also liked that Tenz talked Duplicating Dude down without resorting to fisticuffs. It was a refreshing change from all the fighting we usually see, often even among friends, in comics. I didn't like that Tenz's mother was portrayed as too weak and nervous to get a job. With all the 30th century advances and the fact that they don't need to eat traditional food, it's hard to believe that housework could keep her all that busy. Shirley the Kems can afford a Rosie the Robot housekeeper. They probably come as standard equipment in Metropolis apts.
It's a familiar conversation here: how to balance 1000 years in the future relationships (the home and day to day life particularly) and keep it recognizable and relatable to today's readers.
1000 years in the future has to be like 5000 years in the past. I can't imagine what relationships will be like without going all dystopian and impersonal. I'd love to have a peak at the tech but I don't think I'd like to live then at all.
Nice to see Duplicate Boy's jealous side with regards to Violet. That impulsive, I'm gonna beat up anybody who kisses my girl attitude comes back in Levitz's run, and this time Colossial Boy gets gets his butt kicked by Dupes. At least M-E Lad was able to talk his way out of the situation.
I do feel sorry for Vi though, Dupes had the time to stomp in at a moment's notice to kick butt when another guy kisses her, but doesn't make the time to actually take her on a date. You'd have thought she might have reconsidered the nature of their relationship after this incident.
Also, the wrap up with Tenz's parents was way too abrupt. When I read the conclusion of the story, my first thought wasn't that they were reforming their ways and wanting to mend the relationship with their son, but like any addicted dysfunctional family, they actually wanted him to come home, with empty promises, because they realized the financial support for their addictions had dried up. If this story were allowed to play out further, I think we'd see Tenz regretting going back home because the addictions and verbal abuse continue.
Salu insists that neither boy fight over her in the splash page. That would make her feel as though she had to favour one of those involved, when she doesn’t really want a relationship with either. It’s Ayla she really wants to get close to.
Yup it’s tough being a Legionnaire. In the opening pages we see Chemical King get a car as a personality replacement,; Jo feeling travel sick completely undermining his street tough image, and Tinya’s parents have only just discovered that 4D cooking just means keeping it in the over for some time. Don’t just take the dish straight out again guys. From the race that mumbled the name of their home world, it’s not a surprise.
What does surprise me is when I see the parents of the Legionnaires. It’s even more odd to see them on Earth. I read so many issues with not a hint of them outside of a wedding on Orando or a Metropolis firebombing. My first thought was that they glommed onto their kids for the UP handouts. This was the issue I eventually read that showed that this is exactly what had happened to Tenzil.
Practically the first caption set the tone. Mile high buildings casting shadows. It turns out that most of the team live on the fancy upper levels, while Tenz is on the lower ones. So, the future still has upper and lower distinctions, glamour for some – Imra and Garth are going out to a 3D movie – and not others – Tenz’s mom watches 3D on her TV.
Tenzil’s dad losing his job to robots casts a whole new…well shadow… over the 30th century. I’m reminded of Rokk Krinn going to earth looking for work at 14. Perhaps some of that melodramatic seriousness in the Early Legion is due to the economic necessity of having to excel.
It’s tough at home. Tenzil’s dad has trouble tucking shirts in while his mom is really nervous about everything, except for the moments where she can get cash out of her son.
Exactly why the family from Bismoll have to worry about food bills is left unexplained.
Walking to clear his head, Tenzil meets Salu at the Legion HQ. She’s lonely and misses someone. “Anyone in particular?” asks Tenzil. There’s a handy panel break giving time for Salu not to say “Ayla” and compose herself.
As Salu talks about her relationship, the panels seem to show that Duplicate Boy is even more reluctant about the relationship than Vi is. He’s either got a girl in every spaceport, or….
Vi seems to get really dressed up. It’s just as well Tenz pushed the robotically chauffeured boat, or car, out. That could have been yet another awkward teenage moment in this issue that reminds us of so many.
No wonder Vi got her best frock on. She feels terribly for Tenz because he can’t indulge in consumerism which must make him really miserable. According to Vi, the money trouble makes things seem so much worse. I half expected her to say “Gee! I thought they were just beating you. This is much worse.” in the next panel.
Still, they have a lovely evening together. One ruined after the kiss by the Super Voyeur…of Space!
So, Duplicate Boy can visit Vi if he wants to all of a sudden. I think he felt he had to arrive to keep up appearances. I think the relationship they have suits both of them just nicely, while they both look towards the genders they are actually attracted to.
Tenzil stands up to Duplicate Boy. Apparently DC asked Shooter to rewrite the cannibalism battle to a slightly less exciting battle of words instead. Having seen so many ‘80s movies I’m outraged that we didn’t get a montage showing Tenz training to take on Dupe.
The end is a bit sudden. We don’t get to see Tenz facing a long battle to turn his parents around. Heck, we don’t even get Tenz telling them they’ll have no money this month as he blew it all on a date that dumped him at the first opportunity.
“Pop’s even given up gambling! How about that” “Oh wait, he said that he bets that he’s given up gambling. Grrr.”
Like the previous Action issues, we get a closer look at some less used characters, we get some relevant issues discussed, and we’ll always remember that Tenz and Vi have a friend and a confidante in each other when we see them in futures issues.
"...not having to believe in a thing to be interested in it and not having to explain a thing to appreciate the wonder of it."
Tenz called her "Flower Girl", a reference to her Violet codename?
I didn't notice that. Nice catch!
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I didn't like that Tenz's mother was portrayed as too weak and nervous to get a job. With all the 30th century advances and the fact that they don't need to eat traditional food, it's hard to believe that housework could keep her all that busy.
Why get a job when you've got a famous Legionnaire son to take care of you?
I like Leather Wolf's suggestion that the Kems' promise to change was an empty promise just to get their son and his money back. That would be a more realistic outcome.
However, the next time we see the Kems, it is not the deadbeat parents who are the focus; it is Tenz's traitorous brother. This family has some serious issues.
What does surprise me is when I see the parents of the Legionnaires. It’s even more odd to see them on Earth. I read so many issues with not a hint of them outside of a wedding on Orando or a Metropolis firebombing. My first thought was that they glommed onto their kids for the UP handouts. This was the issue I eventually read that showed that this is exactly what had happened to Tenzil.
Yeah. In this issue, we learn that the parents of Jo, Tinya, and Tenz all reside on earth, and in the past we've learned that Luornu's do, too. Probably others.
Perhaps one of the perks of being a Legionnaire is that your family gets frequent flier miles and accommodations in Metropolis. A time share, maybe?
Tinya, and Tenz all reside on earth, and in the past we've learned that Luornu's do, too. Probably others.
Nope. Tinya says that her parents are visiting from Bgztl. Tenz's parents were last seen in Adv. 338. I believe they were visiting from Bismoll then. Apparently they came to Earth, worked for 20 years, all while Tenz didn't age at all, then moved back to Bismoll by SUP 184, and became affluent again when they realized they didn't have to spend money on food after all.
Jim Shooter takes the Legionnaires into James Bond territory as the team infiltrates the lair of a shady businessman who manufactures androids designed to put them out business.
This is a wonderful premise, and I wish it had been given much more room to develop. Once again, the eight-page format restricts what could have been an Adventure-length tale of intrigue, betrayal, and difficult choices, as the title implies. Instead we get choppy scenes and not a very convincing ending.
But there is still much to enjoy about "Kill a Friend," such as Karate Kid's first outing as Legion leader, an average of six panels per page (meaning more story), and some solid action between Ultra Boy and the first Protector and, later, between KK and a disguised Timber Wolf.
The story begins much like 378, with a Legionnaire--UB, this time--being lured into a trap in public. I've read so many stories in which Jo switches back and forth between his ultra powers on a whim that it's a refreshing change to see him not have time to switch to invulnerability. As a result, he is left badly injured by the Protector.
Enter the true villain, Mr. Cosvarr--a slick and sleazy businessman who boasts in a holographic image to the UP security council and then to the Legion that his android Protectors will make the Legionnaires obsolete by offering more advanced protection to UP worlds--for a price. KK and Violet immediately realize that worlds with Protector, er, protection will pose a threat to those who choose not to do business with Cosvarr, so he must be stopped.
In a nice nod to previous stories, KK wonders how they will stop Cosvarr since Chameleon Boy, leader of the Espionage Squad, is nowhere to be found. But never mind: KK conducts his own espionage mission with the Legionnaires on hand.
Another nice touch is that Shooter doesn't reveal who "Carina Walter" is from the get-go, but leads the reader to think she actually is a customer of Cosvarr's--one who makes his female partner, Zorla (who dresses like she's been watching too many Flash Gordon serials) bitterly jealous.
Everything goes fine as Violet and Timber Wolf do their parts to sneak into Cosvarr's lair on Jupiter, but then a complication arises. Zorla discovers Brin--disguised as a maintenance worker--prowling around and confronts him. Brin, perhaps still suffering from the effects of lotus fruit withdrawal, goes into premature panic mode and summons the still hiding KK. This leads to Brin having to fight KK to avoid blowing his own cover (hence, the "Kill a Friend" title).
But Cosvarr's plans come undone when Zorla learns he intends to replace her with "Carina Walter" (actually Light Lass in disguise), on whom he is trying to force himself. Zorla graciously allows the Legionnaires to escape before hitting the headquarter's self-destruct button, blowing up herself, Cosvarr, the Protectors, and who knows how many human employees.
So, it all comes down to "The fury of a woman scorned." Shooter even uses this trite phrase to close out the tale.
It is a shame that the story's imaginative setup is undone by the need to end the story so quickly. Cosvarr and Zorla devolve from clever and ruthless capitalists into cardboard villains who do what the plot dictates.
The Legionnaires don't come off much better. Nothing comes of Brin and KK's fight, the dilemma posed by the title. Although KK is momentarily overcome by flying Protector components, when next we see him--three panels later--he is no worse for wear.
In the end, the Legionnaires don't really accomplish much. It is Zorla who does everything--and, for awhile, this seemed to be more her story and Cosvarr's than the Legion's. For example, it is intriguing that they built a base on Jupiter and were perfectly legitimate--which means it was the Legionnaires who committed crimes by trespassing!
So much wasted potential in this one.
Interesting side note: Neither Ayla nor Brin appear in costume in this story. In fact, with her blonde wig, Ayla remains unrecognizable.
Another interesting tidbit: It was a fun twist how Mon-El and Superboy were worked into the story as the secret source of the Protectors' powers. Their names are not listed in the opening credits, making their cameo a nice surprise.
This issue had potential for an interesting storyline, but literally blew up in the end. The conclusion of Zorla letting the Legionnaires escape just so she could blow up the place and kill her unfaithful partner was very disappointing. The Legion did nothing to stop the suicide/mass murder of all of the factory workers. Instead of them being herores and trying to save victims lives, they just fly away in their spaceship commenting on the disaster. Talk about a total letdown of Legion standards and heroics.
The other dangling plot thread was the kidnapping of Superboy and Mon-el. How two Legionnaires could be off radar while on a mission and nobody noticed back at Legion headquarters baffles me. To create androids that mimic their super powers would have taken weeks to perfect. The fact that the Legion hadn't thought to check up on them in all that time is simply irresponsible.
This issue had some interesting plot elements, but there were simply too many weak points in the storyline to make this a great story.
Kill a Friend to Save a World starring Karate Kid. Or, had Giffen been writing it, Kill a friend to...oh, someone's killed Karate Kid!
Ultra Boy is challenged and defeated by a new advancement in protection. In a nice parallel to defence contractors and departments escalating their own budgets by creating an arms race, we meet Cosvarr and Zorla. They have Protectors and are willing to sell them to anyone willing to meet the price. Who would be without such a thing when all around had bought theirs?
The Legion’s self-doubt continues this issue, but it’s a bit odd coming from Karate Kid. The guy who can fight Superboy to a draw. His available team of Brin, Ayla and Salu are no slouches either.
Zorla’s a strong character. While putting their plant next to Earth is good for business, it may well attract undue attention. She’s also not keen that her partner leches over every woman he meets.
But Cosvarr isn’t just a salesman. He’s captured two of the Legion’s powerhouses and has experimented on them. His Protectors are humanoid versions of the two, making them formidable, and creepy, opponents.
The Legion infiltrates the plant. Without Superboy, it’s much more effective than the Adventure issue where they sneak onto Talok.
They’re all in position, Ayla has the information she needed about the humanoids, and then Timberwolf blows it for the team. He signals an alarm in a situation he’s able to then bluff his way out of. But it’s good that everyone’s not a top spy. Having everything not go to plan is also a sign of a decent writer.
Zorla’s a bit smarter when Karate Kid turns up and guess that he’s not alone. But the story is over all too soon when Zorla catches her partner about to betray her. If you must cheat on someone, ensure she doesn’t have access to a nuclear arsenal is the message of this story. Zorla detonates the whole plant over her betrayal.
Interesting villains, minions and a plot that would affect the whole UP and beyond. The UP gave the Legion the authority to destroy the plant. This raises lots of questions about the missions the team will happily go on because the UP tells them of a threat. It’s easy to picture the usual arms dealers pressurising their UP lackeys into contacting the Legion.
Zorla is someone who would have been good to see again. Their death reminds me of the Odyssey themed issue where the two villains also killed themselves.
Elsewhere, the Superman story is a gimmick dragged out of the Golden age with Lane suspicious of Supes identity and Perry White firing Kent and Olsen to get the plot moving.
"...not having to believe in a thing to be interested in it and not having to explain a thing to appreciate the wonder of it."
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-- did not go over so well. Dupe, of course, isn't a standard bully, but he did not appear ready to listen to reason when he bent the girder.)
