Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-Reading the Legion: Archives Vol. 10 (DAVE EFFING COCKRUM)

(See the previous threads on Archives #9
Archives #8, Archives #7, Archives #6, Archives #5, Archives #4, Archives #3, Archives #2 and Archives #1 and feel free to add in your two cents on those stories. It's NEVER too late! )


For the next few months, we'll be reading and discussing the stories re-printed in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 10. Archives 10 has this cover:



We start out with four George Tuska-drawn stories which IMO are okay at best. But then, just when it looks the Legion has been condemned to an eternal hell of back-up feature mediocrity and bad fan-designed costumes, along comes Dave Cockrum to save the galaxy!! Born in the early 1940s, Cockrum was old enough for his influences to date back to the Golden Age (particularly Mac Raboy's Captain Marvel Jr.) Perhaps that's one of the reasons why his style was so much better than a lot of other fan-artists made good. Whatever the reasons, he was an energetic storyteller, a solid draftsman, a brilliant designer, and, most importantly, a science-fiction fan! In other words, perfect for the Legion! The question is, will Cary Bates' stories hold up as good as Cockrum's art? Let's find out ASAP, shall we?

The goal here is to read and review approximately at least one story a week. If it's a 2-parter or it takes up the entire issue, then it counts as one story. Cool?

As an added treat, this volume has a wonderful intro by Cockrum himself, Gods rest his soul, which I plan to quote from where appropriate.

For those of you who own the floppies or are following in Showcase, the stories reprinted within are, in order:

Superboy #172, 173, 176, 183, 184, 188, 190, 191, 193, 195, 197-202.

Got it? Good!

So...AVENGERS ASSEMBLE! Oops, sorry, force of habit.

As appetizers, we get a beautiful Curt Swan/Murphy Anderson cover for Adventure Comics #403, a giant all-Legion issue reprinting Silver Age classics. So far, so good, but then we get "Fashion From Fans", showcasing some truly horrible fan-designed costumes. Ross Andru & Mike Esposito must have been alternately weeping in shame and laughing their asses off at what they were being paid to draw. There's also a diagram of the Legion Headquarters, which is okay, but nothing special.

Superboy #172

By far the best of the four pre-Cockrum stories in this volume, "Brotherly Hate" firmly establishes Mekt Ranzz/Lightning Lord as a villain to be reckoned with, complete with the hauntingly iconic image of his hair turning completely white. Other positives include a good use of Timber Wolf, and a nicely economical recap of the Legion's origin to bring new readers up to speed.

That said, I think there's two big problems with this story:

1) It's way too ambitious for a 7-page backup, and while writer E. Nelson Bridwell does the best he can, his plot and script ultimately come off as rather simplistic and sketchy.

2) George Tuska draws the story in a clunky, ham-fisted pseudo-Marvel style (at the time, he was doing more work for Marvel than DC). It would take Dave Cockrum's arrival for the Legion art to properly combine Marvel dynamics with DC elegance.

Still, compared to a lot of the pre-Cockrum stories that bookend it, "Brotherly Hate" is not that bad.

The fan designed uniforms in the "Fashion From Fans" showcase are simply hideous. What were they thinking? They scream 1970's disco era not 30th Century fashion. The worst part is that some of these fan designed fashions actually make it into actual upcoming Legion stories! I'm so glad they were only a blip in Legion history and not the uniforms worn for the next decade.

Having grown up with Levitz' Legion with Lightning Lord as an established member of the Legion of Super Villains, it was fascinating to read this story as the intro to Lightning Lord's villainy. The hesitation of Garth and Ayla to take on their brother is one subplot introduced that will be utilized for years to come.

You are right, there is a lot of story crammed into eight pages, which ultimately makes the conclusion feel rushed. Nice use of Timber Wolf in this issue.

Superboy 172
Nothing fancier than a bank robbery to start off this tale. We get a potted origin of the Lightning siblings and also one of the Legion’s origins (well, it is their first story in this book, and it wasn’t that long ago that the origin was revealed to readers). This plot picks up on the reason why Lightning Lad joined the Legion.

I’m not sure why the Legion would ever need Dawnstar when you can just trace rocket exhaust pretty much anywhere. A rather clunky way of propelling the plot forward.

And there is Lightning Lord. Handily waiting for a fight, removed from any scenery worth drawing too. The Legion prevent each other fighting Mekt about as much as actual conflict with the villain. Timberwolf never gets to land a blow as he’s stopped by the other Ranzz siblings.

Mekt is taken down by the old conductivity solution to any character with Lightning powers.

The only things of note are that this is the issue where Mekt’s hair turns white and the quote from Bridwell that closes the story.

Other that those, it’s a basic plot that’s resolved without any escalation, mystery or suspense.

Elsewhere…
Who knew the origins of Predator were based on a Superboy comic? Hunters in the jungle vanish without trace, themselves hunted by a powerful being from another world.

That’s not all. We also get another of the stories that would make most of the later Elseworlds stories pale by comparison. A combination of animal experimentation by Krypton’s scientists and Tarzan provides an alternate civilisation for Superboy to face.

I read 172 two nights ago and actually enjoyed it. I agree with Fanfie that it's probably the best of the pre-Cockrum stories.

I liked the idea of Mekt waiting for them. It shows his arrogance. I also admired the panel of his standing alone on the rocky surface. Tuska wouldn't be my first choice for Legion artist, but that shot was as close to breathtaking as we're likely to get. Also, Tuska had a very good sense of drama, and this story contains more action than any in the so-called Action run.

But, yes, it's silly of Garth to blast the bolder out of Brin's hand just so he can get a shot at Mekt himself. The whole "He's my brother, he's my responsibility" angle was cliched even then.

Ayla serves no purpose in this story other than to be the female victim. I'm missing her intent to blow herself up from Action 378. At least then she demonstrated guts (even if she wouldn't have had them for long).

Brin doesn't do much either, but the showdown between Garth and Mekt is quite exciting. I don't mind Garth using the "super-conductor" method of defeating Mekt as it works into the story another scientific concept, reminding us that comics used to be edjamacational.

Nice to see the Interplanetary Bank guard beasts from back in Adv. 350.

Another nice touch is that Superboy narrates the story. This provides a three-fold advantage: 1) It ties the Legion series more closely to Superboy's book, 2) it provides a narrative reason for Superboy to recap LL's and the Legion's origins (e.g., he's telling this to readers/listeners as if he's telling a story to new friends), and 3) it reveals that Superboy hasn't severed all ties with the Legion--he's still a reservist and is keeping up on what his pals are doing.

SUPERBOY 173

In my opinion, this Bates/Tuska snorefest is exactly the kind of story that got the Legion downgraded to backup-feature hell. I think it's a grade-school level science puzzle with nothing to make it appeal to adult readers. Superboy must figure out which of two Cosmic Boys is the real thing and which is a mystical construct spawned by Mordru. The closest thing it has in my eyes to a redeeming quality is that Tuska's art is less hysterical than in the Lightning Lord story and he draws a decent Mordru. Otherwise, it's forgettable fare.

"Trust Me or Kill Me" isn't one of the Legion's highlights, but I found myself enjoying the story more than I remembered.

It is indeed based on a very simple premise--Superboy must figure out which Cos is the real one before the rest of the Legion returns and blunders into Mordru's trap. A time element ratchets up the tension, and Superboy's resolution--while based on "grade school science"--holds true to our understanding of the characters.

My initial dislike of this story when I first read it years ago was based on the fact that it featured only one Legionnaire, apart from Superboy. From a pure story-telling perspective, however, that focus turns out to be a strength. It provides the two Cos's with a reasonable excuse to recap their first meeting with Superboy and to show us a glimpse of Cos's home life. As such, a lot of exposition is worked into the story in a natural way.

Interesting Bits Dept.:

Cos (both of them) demonstrate anger management issues when the impostor appears. This is oddly consistent with his later treatment of Lydda and Ayla. In other words, it's wasn't just women Cos liked to slap around, it was, well, himself!

Saturn Girl, if the Mission Monitor Board is to be believed, has returned to her old costume. Either that, or someone has gotten lax in updating the board.

I love the idea that the entire Legion would run off to get a vaccine leaving just one member to hold down the fort. What was Cos supposed to do if aliens invaded earth, a distant planet requested their assistance, and the UP once again asked the Legion to undermine the legitimate government of another world? There's only so much one Braalian--or even two--can do.

Why Superboy didn't simply warn the Legion away before he figured out the puzzle is unexplained. Perhaps there's a reason why he took off so quickly. Does he think Nura is still miffed at him for putting her name into the resignation hat back in Action 387?

Tuska's art is indeed better this time, and, in places, reminded me of Grell.

But that's exactly my problem with a lot of these backups, I think they're so bitty, lacking the grandeur and scope of the Legion at its best.



And he richly deserved it, the neanderthal scumbag. (Yeah, I know I said I understood him better after writing a story that focused on him, but that doesn't mean I don't still dislike him.)

If we were ever in a scenario where we had two Fanfies and one was an imposter, we could just have them both write a fanfic and the one who wrote Cos in a good light would be the fake.

No argument there.

For the sake of diversity in stories, though, I don't mind a "smaller" tale from time to time. I liken the Legion to a typical police force: sometimes, you have to deal with murderers and hostage situations; other times, you get pick pockets who are too stupid to avoid capture. "Smaller" stories give us a sense of the Legion's day-to-day operations, I think, when the Fatal Five were busy and Mordru was in a toying mood (as here).

These sorts of stories work better as back-up features in a regular Legion comic, however, than in a steady dose. Unfortunately, at the time this was all the space the Legion creators were given, so I'm willing to cut them some slack.

Stalgie, LOL

He Who, good point well taken.

I agree, this kind of story is why the Legion was stuck in back-up status.

Superboy solved the mystery of the real Cosmic Boy by a clever gimmick, but the ending was really uneventful. I don't understand why Superboy had to rush off before the rest of the Legion returned. His excuse that he needed to protect Smallville as a full time job is such a lame excuse. This issue is just disappointing.

I think these two points interesting to compare side-by-side.


Sociology is also a science. Argument could be presented that his "cliché" would accurately represent culture. Expecting people to take care of their own and be responsible for their own is a fairly common thought.


I think a one-liner in the story mentioning that LL's responsibility was not as "brother" but as "law enforcer" would have added to the dynamic. Then the cliché would have been on the character's shoulders instead of the writer's.

This was the occasional visit to the relatives as opposed to the big holiday event. Not in itself unpalatable but not the sort of thing you would take a new friend to in order to build a relationship.

I think your point well taken. It seemed written as to not take the shine off the main feature as opposed to as a grandly written short story.

Superboy 173

Anyone want to speculate on what the VSR in VSR virus stands for?
Mordru appears like an evil Genie, creating a fake Cosmic Boy to supposedly destroy the Legion. Somehow. I mean, the returning Legion will see that there are two Cosmic Boy’s so it’s not as though there’s an impostor sneaking in. We get some background on Cosmic Boy as he’s the only character other than Superboy.

Here Magnoball is like ping pong. As for the Teen of Steel, we’re frequently reminded that he’s no longer in the team, but misses it. A standard comic book fake out reveals the real Cosmic Boy. Superboy doesn’t even hang around to meet the others. He can’t miss the team that much.

I don’t mind Tuska’s art. But there’s not much of a story here. It’s straightforward page filler. The last two issues have definitely seen a downward slide in quality.

Elsewhere we have a bit of fun with Prof Lang bringing back yet another ancient antiquity (suspiciously looted from another country) that goes disastrously wrong. But Super-Clark has the powers of the gods and it’s good to see something other than Shazam or takes on the normal super-power set.

You have a point. I guess my problem with the scene was how it was depicted, with Garth blasting a boulder out of Brin's hands. Under a more nuanced writer, Garth might have worried momentarily about Brin hurting his brother--familial feelings overriding logic. But, as shown, Garth simply wants to be the one to take down Mekt for no other reason than, "He' my brother, my responsibility."

There were many other possibilities, though. Garth could have been paralyzed by indecision until both Ayla and Brin had been defeated. Garth could have been prompted by his own feelings of sibling jealousy. (What? A hero whose motives aren't pure? Who'da thunk it?) The outcome would have been the same. It would have just been handled in a more believable way.

Interesting. I was thinking the story quality had improved from the last several Action issues. Bates was finding his way around the Legion's universe with this story, and "Brotherly Hate," by Bridwell, developed the long-standing plot thread of Garth and Ayla having a villainous brother. That story added some of the emotion that was absent from Mekt's previous appearances, but which we knew had to be there.

Neither story is quite what we hope to see of the Legion on a regular basis, though.

NOTE: The Legion does not appear in SUPERBOY 174-175

SUPERBOY 176

Although this story is cut from similar cloth as the previous one -- a juvenile, simplistic science-puzzle (Invisible Kid must figure out how to stop a thief who's copying his invisibility powers) with adequate George Tuska art -- I find this one much more satisfying. That it stars the under-used Invisible Kid and Chemical King certainly has something to do with it, but I think its main advantage is that the writer is E. Nelson Bridwell instead of Cary Bates. Bridwell was generally good at writing short and sweet stories -- his late 70s/early 80s Shazam run in Adventure Comics, drawn by Don Newton, is my favorite version of Shazam other than the definitive Golden Age one -- and I consider this one to be smart, tight, and well-crafted. Unfortunately, this would be Bridwell's last Legion story. I don't know the exact reason for this, but I suspect that Bridwell did not get along with Murray Boltinoff, who had recently replaced Mort Weisinger as Legion editor. Whatever the reason, Cary Bates would, for better and for worse, become the sole Legion writer until Jim Shooter's return.

Bates had his moments story wise and some of his character developments became part of lore. I seem to recall a note in a comic about him leaving to do a movie script or something? So he must of had some skill but I generally found his plots forced.

I really like the premise of the story because it goes to the heart of super hero self-worth. There were ton's of Braalians and Titans.., something IK didn't have to deal with until this. And unlike most of the other heroes that got their powers by birth, accident or evil doer, didn't he invent his own serum? That had to be unnerving that someone had reinvented or stolen his invention.

"Invisible Invader" has its pluses. I, too, liked the premise of somebody copying Invisible Kid's serum. This gave him a very personal reason for stopping the crook--his pride and reputation were at stake.

It also created some personal conflict for Lyle as whatever means he could devise to stop the thief could also be used to stop him.

Yet the solution is obvious--why genius Lyle didn't think of it at once is unexplained--and the drama overplayed. At one point, Lyle is hunched over and sweating because he can't come up with a solution! One would think the world was at stake instead of whatever the thief wanted to steal. Perhaps Lyle took his pride and reputation very seriously.

I did enjoy the unusual combo of Lyle, Chem, and Mon (with Jo and Rokk thrown in as background eye candy). Subsequent writers would reveal that Lyle and Chem had a close personal friendship, and it would appear that this friendship began here (though a later Secret Origins retcon suggested it began much earlier). A pity death would soon end this friendship.

Tuska's art is a mixed bag. The faces are quite ugly, but the layouts and action keep the story moving. His noirish art does suit the mood of the story. I loved the creepy image of Lyle being half invisible.

Odd and Interesting Tidbits Dept.:

Is Mon turning out to be a dickhead as a leader? His body language and dialogue ("So he got away, eh, Chem?" [emphasis on the last word]) suggest he holds CK personally responsible for failing to capture the crook. Later, he stares stone-faced at Lyle. Maybe that's why Lyle is sweating.

It's interesting that Chem doesn't know Lyle's origin. One would think it would be SOP for all new recruits to be briefed on each Legionnaire's powers and origin, but apparently the Legionnaires didn't even talk much to each other. A later story (Superboy 211) will reveal that Thom doesn't know about Jan's tragic past.

"Invisible Invader" is better than most of the other recent yarns, but it still feels like a case that shouldn't have given these three Legionnaires much of a challenge.

I always thought it was a shame that the Invisible Invader didn't get reused as a regular villain.

It is rather eerie in hindsight that both of the stars of this story were destined to die within the next few years.



There was potential there, for sure.

Catching up...

Superboy #172

After a brief, but at the time must have felt a devastating absence, the LSH returns in Superboy's series. "Brotherly Hate", or as it might also be called "How Lightning Lord got white hair!" is a straightforward tale that is pleasant enough but doesn't really have much to say. While featuring all three Ranzz's plus Timberwolf, there isn't much going on.

However, as a possible introduction to a new home it allows Bridwell to catch up possible new readers on the Legion via Superboy's opening narration and a retelling of their origin (which he originally wrote). And in classic Bridwell fashion, being the man who fills the gaps of continuity, he helps push melt down the path from the LOSV Academy story to his eventual status in the adult Legion. All of this gives the story a certain charm that it really doesn't earn on its own.

The art is not that great, with Tuska failing to show what he can do (as opposed to his excellent work on Iron Man). Thus, the Archive opens with a story that isn't bad by any means but still makes me yearn for what's to come when Dave arrives on the scene.

Thanks for noting that Bridwell wrote the Legion's origin story, Cobie. I had forgotten about that.