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

Glad to learn you're feeling better.



I think part of it was that he was still young and finding his feet at the time. Another part of it was that Boltinoff was too conservative an editor (and according to Cockrum, Boltinoff got more conservative in relation to the Legion's growing success, as if the editor was afraid that taking more chances might somehow jinx the book.) Bates went on to write some fine stuff in the 80s (I particularly like his 50-issue run on Captain Atom, although that was a heavily collaborative effort, which might have helped.)

It stood for Energy Release Generator, though perhaps Bates intended it to have a double meaning.

For me, it's only about 40 years old but according to wiki, "erg" had been a unit measure of energy for about 150 years so I'm pretty sure it was an intentional word play. Still prefer "Wildfire" though.


Interestingly "erg" was derived from the ancient Greek for "work" (energy per unit time) while "Tyr" was a one-handed Norse God. Those comic book guys were all over the ancient form of wiki called "dictionary."

197 . . .

This was only the fourth Legion story I ever read, and the first of the Bates/Cockrum era. My original copy is all tattered and torn, a fragile relic from that bygone summer of 1973. I remember that it had been some time since I'd seen the last issue of the Legion's old reprint series, so, when I walked into a 7-11 and saw this cover on the magazine stand, I came as close to bliss as an almost ten-year-old can get.

So, does the story hold up after all these years? Yes, yes, and no.

Yes . . . because it demonstrates that Bates was a master plotter. He gets us into the story immediately by bridging the gap between Superboy's world and the Legion's. New readers were treated to a familiar sight of Lana and Clark hanging out on a hill and, then--in a moment of teenage wonder and angst--she demands he kiss her. Just in the nick of time, Clark's silent Legion alarm goes off, and he dumps her--or, rather, dumps apples on her head to knock her out. (Very uncharitable and dangerous in terms of possible brain damage.) Then it's off to the 30th century, where Superboy finds the "crisis" he was called to help with is actually a cause for celebration.

Timber Wolf's "return" makes a wonderful introduction to his new feral appearance and costume, as well as an introduction to the Legion itself. The half-page spread of the Legionnaires coming out of hiding is one of my favorite shots of the team ever--made even more so by the fact that not all of the Legionnaires are present. (Some must have been on missions.) It's a wonderful image that creates that feeling of family and celebration so many of us love about the Legion.

Yes . . . because of the number of excellent scenes and story telling techniques, as Fanfie points out above. Things happen very quickly: The president arrives, Brin tries to kill him, Mon and Superboy subdue Brin . . . and all of this is just in Part 1. None of it feels rushed. In fact, there is a palpable sense of danger and concern for what has just happened. Brin tried to kill the president. Even as a nine-year-old, I knew his actions should have enormous repercussions for him. I felt for Brin, who was clearly not in control of his actions, and for Mon and Kal, who couldn't understand why their buddy had become a homicidal maniac.

And I've always loved the manner in which Superboy and Mon save the president: by stretching Superboy's cape into a wide circle around the whirling Timber Wolf and prez. It's one of those imaginative solutions that just works in a comic book.

The tone of Part 2 is noticeably different from Part 1. The danger apparently over, Brainy is lulled into pronouncing everything fine and even Superboy takes off. Our action story then becomes a spy drama as the still brainwashed Brin ("The Zuunian Candidate," perhaps?) seeks to destroy the Legion with only Saturn Girl standing in the way.

Most of this is very well done (though it's mighty convenient that a ricocheted shot returns Brin to his senses), and the story ends with an unexpected and highly suspenseful cliffhanger. All well and good so far.

No . . . although the plot is top notch, the script is kind of meh. Legionnaires appear and disappear as the plot demands, and there is no character development. In fact, most of the dialogue is interchangeable. Imra's confrontation with Tyr, for example, is nothing more than a lengthy exposition which tells us little we don't already know.

I also found myself wishing that the cover scene--in which several Legionnaires gang up on Brin--had appeared in the story. I understand why only Superboy and Mon-El went after Brin--it's a much tighter and controlled action scene--but for a team that calls itself a "legion," it would be nice to see more of the members actually involved in the story instead of serving as background fodder.

"Timber Wolf: Dead Hero, Live Executioner" is good for what it is. But, after doing our reviews of the latter-day Adventure and Action runs, I found myself longing for the nuanced characterization of Shooter. Even as a nine-year-old, I felt the ending was lacking something, even though I couldn't wait for the next issue.

Excellent review, He Who. I always love it when a poster shares his or her own reminisces of the circumstances surrounding that particular comic being discussed. And I think it's awesome that you still have your original copy, tattered or otherwise.

I didn't mention the apples because I felt it was just one of countless examples of Superdickery.

I agree that we should have seen at least several members of the Legion attack Brin en masse. That they did not probably relates to what Cockrum said about Bates not liking to use large groups of Legionnaires.

I love learning about the personalities of the creators and how they influenced the final product. I can certainly see how Bates and Cockrum's different sensibilities clashed.

Yeah, and we'll see an even more ridiculous example of Bates' reticence when we get to # 200.

Superboy 195

He’s determined, stubborn and borders on being plain rude. That’s Mon El telling Drake he’s not Legion material. Those Adventure traits still show through in the established Legionnaires.

I was never a huge fan of Wildfire’s personality. In the issues when I started reading the Legion, he was over confident, rude, caught in a repetitive scene loop with Dawny and was often reduced to an energy blob in fights to get him out of the way.
But when he’s done well, his personality is a refreshing counter point to the others. He’ll become a challenge to the way most of the Legionnaires conduct themselves. He can be every bit as rude as Mon El shows here. But while the Adventure members border on the brutal to applicants, it’s Wildfire who works most closely with them later on.

I had seen Wildfire’s origin a couple of times through flashbacks etc. before I got to read this issue. His personality can be seen from his stance in the first page. Overconfident jock? Or perhaps overcompensating for being a bag of energy? There’s some depth and doubt there right from the start.

Drake’s very much a Marvel hero. Great powers, but with matching physical/ mental scars to go with them. It’s the portrayal of a man who willingly faces death having only just escaped it’s certainty to gain his powers.

Cockrum’s art reflects this all nicely. We see everyone’s powers in a new uniform. We see Drake’s Marvel angst at not being able to reveal his unique power. This is later paid off with the “I must use…The Power!” line. Mon El whirling round from possible resentment at Drake’s power levels to Chuck’s mission announcement is also a good panel. Eltro is settling into Lar’s psyche nicely.

I prefer Drake to another character with some Marvel pedigree, Timberwolf. Bates operates on a slightly more mature level. Drake doesn’t go down the sulky adolescent outsider who can’t be loved, yet strangely is, route. Tinya backs Drake’s application, but manages not to pine over him for the rest of the run, as Ayla did Brin. We do get the new kid trying to prove himself to be good enough to get on the team trope though.

Note that Drake’s introduction is cut away from to show a vital appearance of a variation on EDE’s cap. But that’s not the only fashion show in town. Is that Tinya and Gim in new togs? Tinya’s look certainly lasted as did variations on Gim’s. Overstayed their time in Tinya’s case really, but a positive change for a lot of years.

At the announcement of a terrible eating machine on Manna-5, I flip back to the start to see if Tenzil was at Drake’s try out. He…wasn’t!

Poor Condo. Splaaccking away at the machine when he should have been using his power to disrupt that giant reaction that we can all see so clearly.

The Legionnaires are pushed aside by the Devourer (not Tenzil) all too easily to make Wildfire look good. Gim fares particularly poorly. While Condo’s powers are often inconsistent, it’s a bit hard to believe everyone builds machines to stop people from Phantom Girl’s planet. They’ll all be using Kryptonite in absolutely everything next…oh.
Cockrum’s rendering of Drake’s rumpled costume was the inspiration of so many similar scenes in the future.

Looking at Tinya’s tears, I wonder if there were any plans to make Drake a rival to Jo for her affections. They do share some similarities.

You do wonder how much of a one shot hero Erg actually was. The memorial that they intend to build for him would be an important part of a future appearance.

The backups have often provided us with a look at a handful of members. Since Wildfire was a member when I started reading, seeing him get so much spotlight here didn’t seem odd. So it’s a pretty decent issue. The foe isn’t the greatest, but serves its purpose in getting Wildfire to sacrifice himself.

It’s something Drake would end up doing again in the future providing a character circle, if not an arc. In the 5YG he would sacrifice himself to prevent our sun destabilising. I think it involved our friend from recent re-reads Doctor Regulus.

So TMK get some points for picking that out. Of course, Drake’s strength of personality meant that he really needed to be moved out of the way for the run to work. While beset with personal issues, he doesn’t have the flaws that allowed the team to slip from the grasp of the likes of Dirk and Brek. Nor does he have the valid distractions that took Imra, Querl and Reep away. In a back handed way, it shows what an important character Drake would become for the team. Not bad for a “One-Shot Hero!”

That run worked?? News to me.

All joking aside, there's some thoughts I've had recently on that run, and, no, they're not entirely negative. I'll share them in another thread to keep this one on topic.

By "for the run to work" I was really referring to them dismantling the team.

He became too much of a mainstay to just fade into the background. His outlook was too strong avoid a confrontation. So, they needed a solution and I guess touring the galaxy with Dawny in a Quislet-shown Erg-Bod wasn't on the cards. Perhaps that was out because they had come up with Bounty by that point.

Mon really does come as a jerk in these stories, and, even though he's always been my favorite Legionnaire, I'm fine with that. It's refreshing to learn something new about these characters.




Wonderful breakdown of Drake's attributes. I was never a fan of his, either, partly because of his abrasive personality, but also because there was a large amount of wish fulfillment in my choices for favorites. Who wants to be a bag of energy?

But he did contribute much to the Legion by challenging, and in some cases upsetting, the status quo. You're absolutely right that he was a Marvel hero, saddled with a sense of tragedy--something no other Legionnaire had before his time.



Nah. Tinya is just weepy. She also sheds tears for Lyle in 203.

I do like the fact that she is sympathetic towards Drake and becomes friends with Lyle because of their similar powers. She's just a nice person who is comfortable around boys in a platonic sense--one of those "hidden" traits I'm picking up on.



In 197, there is a bit of dialogue in which the Legionnaires express their fear that Timber Wolf had died like Ferro Lad and ERG-1. This is an odd reference since ERG wasn't a Legionnaire (though it would later be said that he was made an honorary Legionnaire posthumously). The only reason to mention him here, so far as I can see, is to keep his name in the reader's mind. This suggests that his return was planned all along.

Or just a nod to a person that they'd just fought along side, who had died saving one of their own. That bit of dialogue never occurred to me as "odd" but rather a nice bit of continuity without necessarily any implication.


From what is said about how these books are written and put together, I think they might have had a lot of flexibility. It could have been planned from the beginning to bring him back or as a one and done but when fan response came in overwhelmingly positive, they might have had plenty of time to readjust and come up with a reason and means to bring him back. I wouldn't think it the first time they've written in response to fan wishes.


Yeah, the personality was grating but the look, dynamic!


Is there anything from the writers themselves on the topic?

Re: #197, the apples always bugged me. It's spring in Smallville, and the apples are ripe. Maybe Smallville got moved to New Zealand in a previous Superboy story. Such a small point, but that's what sticks in the mind. I still like the President in bell bottoms, though.

HWW underlines how the tone of the story changes with Part 2, which I think makes it a more satisfying story. The mystery of Timber Wolf's return in Part 1 is not just accepted; the Legionnaires are suspicious and trying to find out what's really going on.

The constant surveillance of all rooms in HQ is sort of creepy. There's a lot of surveillance in the Legion stories that I never gave much thought to at the time, but in the light of the present day, lends a different tone to their 30th century.

Lately, I've become interested in Saturn Girl, how independent and tough she has been portrayed throughout Legion history. In this story, she's knocked out; when she returns to consciousness, but still flat on the ground, she manages to give Tyr an angry look and just talk right back to him. (However, the text says "she can only look dazedly" - she looks pretty focused to me.) Also, she's the one who remembers that the self-destruct detonator is still on.

I wonder if this mind control that TW underwent could be linked to his later Lotus addiction.

I'd forgotten the details about Drake's demise. Tom B. has written that he didn't really like Wildfire's brash personality. Moving him out of the story altogether was one way to deal with that, but as you point out, it was an interesting closing of the circle.

Your comments do make me consider if, in a different universe, Wildfire could have kept a Legion together had he lived.

I very much believe he could have.

It's the vagaries of the Pocket Universe.



Yeah, that was kind of creepy. It would have made more sense if they had simply said they were monitoring Brin for any changes in his behavior, but that's not how it comes across. Voyeurism, apparently, is a legitimate security policy in the 30th century.



Imra does acquit herself quite well in this story.

I think Drake would struggle to deal with an Earthgov that operates to turn the public and legislation against the Legion.

However, I also think he would have probably been fairly proactive about his suspicions and forced a confrontation far more than the Legion actually did.

Perhaps he would have assumed the leadership role and used the Espionage squad. But had he not sacrificed himself perhaps Earthgov would have some up with another way of removing him from the team. Definitely one for a "What if the Legion had found evidence of the Dominators at the start of the 5YG" tale.

I suspect that's one reason he needed to be taken off the table in order for the 5YG plot to work.

^True dat.

Superboy 197

I was a little surprised at this being the next cover. I’ve had this one for a long time. It must be one of the earliest back issues I got. I must admit, I don’t remember much about it.

LW Ad: “Awkward date? Annoying Companion? Try Concussion! New from Krinn Fragrances.”

The Lang/Kent relationship looks to have advanced rather suddenly. Tune in for next month’s teenage pregnancy issue where Lana says “How could I know my Bio Ring would give us 1000 drone Kryptonian spawn!”

Speaking of concussion, the back story on Brin left me feeling like I’d missed an issue. A pretty bad issue, mind you, with a giant space bird and pointless explosion. But still.

Recalling Mon-El’s attitude last issue, he looks particularly evil and paranoid here. There’s a viewing room that can monitor every room in the HQ, including personal quarters? Yikes! Eltro seems to be taking advantage of it. I wonder who he was looking at before he switched to Brin as Superboy walked in? Note the classical sculpture (borrowed from Dirk’s collection) of a deep thinker in Brin’s room. Someone with a sense of humour?

Cockrum goes Cosmic on page 6, as Brin is overcome by mental commands. For longer time readers, this is clearly not the work of a villain but just another flash of Lotus Fruit withdrawal.
Cockrum’s art on the mind control panels is really well done.

I do remember groaning at the use of super capes to solve the situation. There’s a lost cover showing Jimmy Olsen rejected as Elastic Lad because he duplicates the powers of Superboy Cape Kid which is elected in his place. Looking back, at least Bates didn’t flinch from having Mon-El and Superboy tackle the problem. We’re spared a protracted fight scene. And the story moves on at a good pace.

Although it’s a short battle it, and the cover, are good reminders of Brin’s strength. He’s often shown as being agile or the books focus on his feral traits. But he’s immensely strong too. Cockrum brings all of Brin’s abilities to life visually this issue. It’s quite a contrast from the loner issues and the lovelorn Ayla putting up with him.

All of the art in this issue is a treat. The size of Tyr (whose French moustache is also rumoured to be sentient and detachable); the technology in the HQ and the action that leaps off the panel like a Timberwolf jumping at a self-destruct panel.

Timberwolf gets to redeem himself by defeating Tyr in another satisfyingly short contest. However, it’s at the expense of Imra. She’s smart enough to have suspected something was amiss. But instead of alert other Legionnaires to their problem she provides the reader with exposition.

Tyr’s plot is a bit of a stretch. Find Astral Vulture; Train it to menace shipping in a certain area; Hope that Legionnaires will visit; Hope that one of them isn’t invulnerable; Miraculously capture them more effectively than Superboy can rescue them; Double brainwash them and send them back home; Have intimate knowledge of Brainy’s treatment to ensure that only single brainwashing can be removed.

Superboy doesn’t seem to have grasped time travel. He doesn’t have to go back to a groggy Lana Lang. He can go back to whenever he likes.

For a second consecutive issue we get a look at a Marvelesque character in the Legion.

“Our pal’s become a savage mad-man with a killer instinct says Mon-El of Timberwolf in September 1973. Just over a year later, a certain pointy clawed psycho would make his first appearance at Marvel.

Brin’s mental state has always been an issue. From the days where he believed he was an android through his Lotus Fruit addiction to the Zuunium radiation changing both his mind and body. For all his power, he’s never comfortable in himself in the way he probably thinks that Superboy or Mon-El are. Both his time as an android and his feral characteristics mark him out as a loner in a group bound by common goals and companionship. I think these differences reinforce the sometimes awkward relationships he has with some of the other members, not least Ayla.

While Cockrum rightly gets plaudits for shaping the look of this future, Bates is also bringing in some fresh ideas to the characters to boost the book’s popularity.

A very good observation, Thoth. That's probably why I found Brin's bromance with Blok so moving -- here was somebody he could actually connect with, albeit with layers of distance and bantering, but still...



At this point, Cockrum was contributing a lot to the scripts, so the lines get hazy as to who came up with the good stuff. Judging by the decline Bates went into shortly after Cockrum's departure, my guess would be that most of the good stuff was Cockrum's.

Superboy 198

The cover shows Superboy falling victim to the Persuader’s atomic axe. The villain’s mental control over the weapon makes it look as though Superboy is about to kill himself. Getting others to do the work is probably why the Persuader looks a little paunchy on the cover.

The splash panel continues to give Validus sized hints about the villains, killing Superboy in one timeline and removing the Legion HQ in another. This could be that by killing the boy of steel in the 20th century there would be no inspiration to base the Legion on in the future. Let’s see how many notes Levitz and Byrne were taking on this issue when they wrote themselves into a similar corner years later.

Lana continues to do all the work to try and get Clark to make a move. This time it’s to try and hold hands on the scary rides. The Swamp Thing and Man Thing guarding the ride is a nice touch.

There’s a gorilla diversion, possibly due to DC still hoping that the appearance of one will shift some issues. Then it’s onto the real plot. The Fatal Five have infiltrated the carnival. The emerald eye has been seen over Smallville and it’s not long before Clark unmasks the fortune teller as the Emerald Empress. There’s a nice human touch about seeing the Persuader go to the aid of his colleague. Once again, the Five are more than your standard villain team. They work well together, are all threats in their own right and clearly have a plan.

The plan involves something called a Time-Sorter, presumably going for the result we saw in the splash panel. For a change, the implications of the cover really do come true. Superboy hits himself in the head with the Persuader’s axe. We see an energy outline of this to protect the readers sensibilities. Can’t have little Timmy the Reader trying to borrow Dad’s axe to try out the panels here. With Superboy defeated, three of the five swear an oath and tell the reader that their next target is the Legion.

I groaned a little at the thought of the Five working in a carnival. But actually, it works just fine with the pacing leaving us with some worries for the Legion’s future if their most powerful member is beaten. Has the Empress removed him from the timestream by capturing him here?

At the start of part two the Legion, aware of the Five’s plans to travel to Smallville, arrive in the aftermath of the battle. They talk to an upset Lana Lang. It would seem that there’ won’t be any Insect Queen appearance, which is a shame.

It’s good to note that the Legion have different cultural values. Take Jan for instance. He’s wearing his new outfit, that was supposed to be for Colossal Boy. We’ll learn more about the spiritual nature of Trom more under Levitz. But we get a glimpse here that he has a different view on matter, energy and life. Superboy may be dead, but he doesn’t let any anxiety get in the way of getting himself some candy floss.

Back to in the future, Mon-El just has time to sort out some continuity regarding the gap since the Five’s last appearance before the HQ and everyone in it disappear. A gloating, and half melted form last time, Tharok gloats as their time based plan.

Looking at the way the Five utilise time travel to destroy the Legion, you wonder what the true motives of the Time Trapper are. He could easily have removed the Legion from history at many points, but has chosen not to do so. It’s those sorts of motives that lead to theories such as the Legion being the Trapper’s creation or that the Trapper is either Rokk or Rond.

In Smallville the Legion encounter the Five who look to kill of the last of the organisation that has thwarted their plans so often. For a couple of pages, it looks bleak for the heroes. Brianiac is about to fall to the Atomic Axe, Mano looks to disintegrate Element Lad and Jeckie and Val are no match for the Emerald Eye. But sadly, the villains can’t stop telling everyone their plans in a massive fit of comic book gloating. The Legionnaires manage to escape. Val manages to shatter the Emerald Eye along the way. It may have been only for a moment, but it shows the power of both combatants. He also failed to see his own comic series during the time bubble travels as he says the 20th century wasn’t his specialty.

They look down from a hill outside Smallville. Jan tells them that “our Legion is dead…and we’re stranded here forever.” Considering his last attempt, I imagine he states this matter of factly. His head is bowed at the thought of no more candy floss in the future. The stranded Legionnaires, cut off in time from an immense threat reminds me of the classic first appearance of Mordru. The stakes are clearly very high in this adventure.

Two things do cross my mind. If The Legion no longer exist due to the removal of their inspiration, why to the foundations of their building still exist. Also, why are the four Legionnaires still there at all. They never joined a team that never was.

The only other character I can think of with costume studs other than Element Lad is Libra. Considering Jan’s coolness here, I can begin to imagine a time traveling Element Lad/ Libra/ Progenitor adventure.

With things so bleak, part three quickly establishes some hope. Mano appears in the future, having been delayed. But if he’s there, then who’s the Mano back in Smallville? Readers of the roll call will know. But by the time the Persuader and Empress find out their Time Sorter has been discovered. There’s some good use of the Legionnaires powers, as well as the terror a Validus sighting brings, in destroying the device. Cockrum’s art brings the countdown to life. Karate Kid’s previous use of his power against the eye turns out to have been to establish how he gets to the device and end the threat. In another nice touch, a different two of the Five escape this time.

Once again, the Fatal Five were not beaten in battle. Their plan may have failed but they still retain a threat. Although Mano being late to turn up is only one of the steps that will take him down a few rungs beneath the others.

We learn that Brainy had sent Cham ahead to find out the Five’s plans. Since the others arrived to try to save their friend you wonder why they arrived later. Perhaps that explains Brainy’s reluctance to provide details right back at the start. But there’s no explanation as to why Brainy knew that Mano had been delayed.

It’s great to see the story stretch out to book length. The three parts worked nicely. Cockrum’s art let the story shine. Looking back, the futuristic technology, his ability to capture everyone’s movements well, and the flourishes such as the countdown are all there. But I was following the story more than I was diverted from it by the art, which is a good thing. The colouring in my issue isn’t very good and age doesn’t seem to have helped it any.

On characters, I’ve mentioned Jan above. Brainy assessed the threat, the impending danger to both Superboy and the team, and arranged a time travelling plan accordingly. The Five’s plan was no push over and he showed the level of his practical intelligence in the field. Intelligence is much like science skills in comics. They can be applied across every field interchangeably. So, you can see why Brainy inevitably became so indispensable.

Val and Jeckie got some nice panels, both in action and in reaffirming their love when it looked as though the group would be abandoned. Karate Kid’s own title was only a few years away, and this is one relationship that will develop.

Uh...Thoth, we weren't supposed to get to 198 until Tuesday.

There's a timeline on these? I had no idea. Mind you, I had no idea about Wednesday being comic day for years either.

Just pretend it's not there until then. That gives you a whole day to work on fake surprised expressions for when you see it for the "first" time.

LOL Right.

Until then...