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

SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #201

How do I love the lead story in this issue? Let me count the ways.

1. The return of my favorite male Legionnaire, Wildfire -- back and here to stay for the next decade-and-a-half.

2. Cockrum's art, especially when Wildfire fries the Molecule Master robot to pieces.

3. Infectious Lass' first appearance.

4. Shadow Lass, my favorite female Legionnaire, upgrades her headband to a tiara and starts to grow her hair out.

5. Because the timing and the story beats are both so sharp, I can be more forgiving than usual for the holes in Bate's plot -- the most bothersome being, how come Wildfire's costume display case has a force field around it, but not the freaking Miracle Machine??

"The Betrayer from Beyond" is a genuine crowd-pleaser, no two ways about it.

The backup story strikes a sour note at the beginning, with Dream Girl as the damsel having to be rescued by Karate Kid, which in my opinion it never quite recovers from. The message that every Legionnaires power counts feels to me like a backhanded compliment to Dream Girl, who wouldn't become the Nura we all know and love until the early-mid 80s.

The dialogue is such that the intent went beyond 10-year-old me when I first read the story. She says she isn't sure she even wants to be Supergirl anymore (shades of '70s Captain America) and can't devote time to being a part-time Legionnaire until she gets her 20th century life sorted out. But she promises to return at some point.

I didn't realize this was her way of resigning until I read her bio in the Legion Handbook, more than a year later.

Superboy 201

My lasting memory of this issue was how cool Molecule Master looked. Sure, there’s a dark secret there, but that’s a look that deserved a place on the team. Besides, Brin would have really had someone he could relate to. I still see a connection from Molecule Master’s power to that of Energy Boy from the try out issue drawn by Steve Lightle.

The audition has all the hall marks of the old Adventure issues. We see how important it is to Drura, Pete and Molly. We see things not going quite as planned and we also get the short, sharp note of rejection. But the pacing is different as Bates cuts between the above and the return of a certain energy blob to HQ, and its attempts to be revealed. He even manages a nice way of getting in a recap of Wildfire’s first appearance.

Both plots would merge as the threat is revealed, showing a bit more of Bates’ craft. Although it’s not quite clear why Wildfire thinks he can control people’s minds just because he’s made from energy.

Cockrum’s art draws the reader in really quickly. The applicants have distinct looks and Drura would become a bit of a favourite. Tenzil can be seen wise cracking as Star Boy is carried out on a futuristic stretcher. It’s a nice touch that there are three empty seats for the next applicant as Star Boy is tended to. I wonder if the Green Room was really Chlorophyll Kid making yet another failed attempt to get in.

Wildfire’s handy ability to read the (brilliantly drawn) android brain of Molecule Master certainly moves the plot along, and is a bit too convenient. Cockrum’s art offsets this to a degree as we’re distracted by the obvious pain on the Legionnaire’s faces as they fall. The content smile on Molecule Master’s face as Shady collapses is particularly chilling.

The Miracle Macguffin provides further convenience. It attracts the villain (and a loose end in its creator) as well as a way for probable Legion fatalities to be restored. It’s something of a throwback plot. But there’s that distraction in Cockrum’s art as Wildfire and Molecule Master battle for the lives of the Legion and the future of mankind! The Machine would appear again, but you can see why it, and the huge range of Wildfire abilities, would be reined in.

In summary it’s a pretty tight story, helped along by a couple of things that are plotnipotent. The art is excellent and the visuals alone show that this is a Legion that has moved with the (future) times.

The back up provides another standard Legion subplot. This time, it’s Dream Girl who doesn’t feel worthy enough to be on the team. Has anyone done a list of Legionnaire’s with this subplot?

She’s offset by Karate Kid, who tackles crooks and looks very self-assured this issue. I’d not be surprised if Karate Kid also had those self-doubts at some point, as he doesn’t have the super powers that many of the others do. But this is very much Shooter’s Karate Kid. He comes out of this story very well, his injuries providing another insight into his abilities. His calm confidence defines him well, and you can see how he inspires the others.

With Chuck & Lu both having had similar self doubts, you wonder if Nura was another character that they were thinking of dropping. Perhaps Cockrum’s extensive use of her nightgown persuaded them otherwise.

Years later, at the start of the Baxter run, Nura would beat lumps out of crooks in a belated follow up to her reaction here. I think this back up has to be at least partly responsible for the idea that Karate Kid trained a number of his colleagues, resulting in their greater combat abilities as the years went by.

Alan Moore would have another take on this scene with Nite Owl and Spectre in Watchmen.

Reading this issue, I felt Nura over reacted. The whole point of Karate Kid is that he should be the most reactive in a combat situation. Everyone looks like a slouch in comparison.

Glad you noted that. It was, in my opinion, the story's second worst contrivance, narrowly beaten by the lack of a force field around the Miracle Machine.



It had never occurred to me that she might have been on the chopping block. Thank the Gods it didn't happen.



Good observations. So Val had his uses after all. Just kidding, Val fans.

Superboy & the LSH

Well, what can I say? Fanfie laid it all out pretty nicely! I effing love Wildfire and therefore this issue is like drinking my favorite Pinot noir. I soaked up every panel with the feeling of utter joy.

Wildfire gets his first real starring role here where we get some inkling of his personality and in a way, knowing how he'll soon be depicted on a regular basis, we get a cool look at the "real" Drake Burroughs. With no one watching and totally overwhelmed by fears and anxieties, we see Drake totally vulnerable in a way we usually never will, and therefore totally heroic. His triumphant return at the end of the issue is cheer-worthy and I love it!

This is probably the only miracle machine appearance I truly love, and I enjoy the sheer brashness Wildfire has to just go ahead and use it...3 times!

Cockrum is just rocking and rolling here too, and his layouts and panel designs are explosive. His character designs are second to none and that's shown here. All four new characters (counting Wildfire again) look totally unique and new.

There's just a lot to love here. Superboy as a Legionnaire again! This is surprisingly not stated outright (yet) but it is an exciting turn and is another step in showing the LSH is back. More exciting, we get Infectious Lass, and she looks amazing. We get Porcupine Pete, who may be silly but has a weird, unique look and has probably the coolest codename in the history of comics. And we get the Molecular Master, another great nod to the Adult Legion timeline, especially if you're a fan who immediately realizes this bastard will one day destroy poor Reflecto in a duel.

This is actually the first LSH tryout in like 8 years besides the first Wildfire story. It has Superboy going full dickhead judge. It's also probably the best tryout story of them all.

Great issue, coloring mistakes notwithstanding, and it leaves me excited for the stories to come as the Legion continues to change.

(I'll review the back-up separately later this week as I like to do them by story, regardless of size).

201:

"The Betrayer from Beyond" is indeed a very good story--tight, well-paced and suspenseful. It features a hero we can relate to, one who has a difficult to challenge to meet and who comes through with flying colors. As a bonus, it introduces us to Drura and Pete, and, yes, Molecular Master's costume and power were so unique that it's a shame he was just a throwaway character. Even the throwaway characters and the settings (such as the Green Room) show Cockrum's commitment to originality and detail.

My main gripe about this story is the same as for 195: It's basically a Wildfire story (or ERG-1, as he hadn't adopted the Wildfire name yet). Although more Legionnaires appear this time, and several have substantial roles, they are basically walk-ons. Cos's appearance, in particular, reminded me of various shots of the Enterprise crew in the original Star Trek: just there to give the illusion of a full crew.

In fact, when I first read this story, I was excited to see the role call on Page 1, listing seven Legionnaires plus Superboy. My excitement turned to disappointment because none of them really do anything. Chem and Colossal Boy appear mainly in flashback to 195, though, just for good measure, both rate cameos in the main story.

But, taken on its own merits, "The Betrayer from Beyond" is one of the better stories from this run, plot conveniences notwithstanding.

"The Silent Death" is also a fairly good yarn, even though it once again relies on the premise of a female Legionnaire doubting her worth. It's a shame none of the boys ever had doubts.

To compensate for that, however, we have Val acting overconfident and even cocky. He is so convinced he's not going to be the one to die that he brushes aside Nura's prophecy. Whereas some see his behavior in the monitor room as a mark of calm self-assurance, I always read it that he was being arrogant and slightly insensitive toward Nura. In that context, his comeuppance was well deserved.

I did admire how the sneakiness of his injury was worked into the story, and LL and PG were used to good effect to heighten the drama.

Thank you, Cobie. Cheers.



Amen to all of that. What is a shame is that after all the fanfare, he'd spend the next two years as a second-or-third-stringer until Levitz Mark I restored him to his rightful place.

Yeah, face time could have been more balanced among the cast. We were having a discussion not long ago about how few full-length Legion stories there were around this time -- I think this one might have merited a full issue.

Superboy #201 Part 2

You guys did a good job hitting on the positives and negatives of the Dream Girl / Karate Kid backup, including its negatives, so I'll hit on some of the minutiae.

Before I do though, I'll say I agree that another story about a female Legionnaire having doubts about her role on the team was not needed. Especially my girl Nura! That being said, this was a nicely paced and plotted out story--Bates clearly has his rhythm down for short stories.

First, the art is stunning and this includes perhaps the single sexiest series of depictions of Nura ever in comics. Wow! Really: WOW. Second, let's make note of the infamous "Thom in Nura's bed panel". Love it. The Legionnaires are screwing each other's brains out and dammit, we want to know about it! Third, we haven't mentioned this yet, or at least I don't think, but Cockrum is now experimenting with the "Asian Karate Kid" look. It's actually something I've never felt strongly about either way.

But more than all that, the reason I like this story is it sets up the idea of Val and Nura being good friends, and Val being her mentor in physical fighting. Later in the series, it's mentioned that she's one of the Legion's best fighters, which implies she's probably Val's greatest students. I think that's great! Even more, it's rare in the preboot to see a great friendship between a male and female Legionnaire without any sexual tension or problems. It's refreshing to see one, and see it so casually (even if this friendship is somewhat read between the lines over the years).

Some other nice touches in this issue:

--The tryout chamber and chairs remain studded with Porcupine Pete's quills throughout Molecular Master's tryout.

--The Legionnaires sitting around that table are not all shown in one panel, but a near-complete list, from left to right, appears to be Timber Wolf, Chemical King, Karate Kid, Matter-Eater Lad, Saturn Girl, Chameleon Boy, Shadow Lass, Star Boy, Superboy, Phantom Girl, Invisible Kid, Ultra Boy, vacant seat?, Shrinking Violet. What impresses me is that this arrangement is maintained in subsequent panels, even though they are shown from different angles. Not many artists would put in this much attention to detail.

--The Ferro Lad statue in the memorial room goes unexplained, which is a nice touch for long-time fans.

--For all the talk of Thom in Nura's bed, no one seems to have noticed another unusual co-mingling in the back-up story: Phantom Girl "enters" Lightning Lad's body. No wonder he had such a huge smile on his face.

However, not all the details are perfect: Colossal Boy's costume is predominately red in the flashback to 195; in the original story, it was predominately blue. A minor change--and one done no doubt for consistency--but it stands out.

I was wondering why Nura didn't wake up Thom. Perhaps he was suffering from Drura's try out? But I didn't notice him. Looking at the panel, it looks more like Proty.

Thom's head is underneath the pillow.

Little-known fact: Nura snored.

"Shreekkk! A Legionnaire is Dying!!"
"Someone is being...smothered!!"

Legion #201 - "Peril of the Pillow Predator!"

We assume it was Thom in Nura's bed, but that looks like a bald orange head to me...

I hadn't thought about it before, but Shady's new look with tiara, longer hair and cut-away costume make her more elegant and mature. The original by comparison looks like Gidget joins the Legion.

As others have stated, it's a great appearance for Wildfire, illustrating his ingenuity and persistence.

It will be a long time before we find out who sent Molecule Master. (I had to look it up, figuring there had to be some clue in a later story which I'd forgotten. The result was disappointing.)

Re-reading this story, I conclude that Infectious Lass was unjustly rejected and should have appealed the decision. Superboy claimed that she could make all the Legionnaires sick, but her only mistake was to overdose the one person she was aiming for - and even that, as she pointed out, was a temporary illness. A little practice and she could have developed more control. At the least, she should have been directed to the Legion Academy, which admittedly didn't play the same role as it would under Levitz.

Cripes, it hadn't occurred to me that Nura might have been on an editorial hit list! What a loss that would have been.

I was reminded of Kitty Pryde & Colossus in an X-Men issue where they battled the Hellfire Club and Nimrod. That would have been my first read of that tactic. It seemed original when I read it there, but they were just avid Legion readers (no surprise considering the Cockrum influence)



I always thought that her lack of control wasn't just on the intensity when targeting someone. Instead, it was the chance of random, uncontrolled illnesses when she was going about her duties or in combat.

So, she could accidently take out her own side as well as others; There would be an increase in the number of colds in the clubhouse; Smallville is wiped out in the past by weird future virus causing a paradox.

Besides, she's pretty powerful as seen in the 5YG.

Darkseid: The galaxy will be mine to shape in my image! Mine to >cough< control and >wheeze< I haven't felt this bad since Granny Goodness' Curry Night >bleahrgh!<
- The alternate Great Darkness Saga

Well, Sally Field did go on to become the Flying Nun.



Porcupine Pete also looks like he could have been an effective Legionnaire with a little practice, but I gathered that the Legionnaires were looking for applicants who had already demonstrated mastery of their powers before joining. It wasn't truly the Legion's role to teach them how to use their powers.

Just to drive home how unsuitable Drura was to be a Legionnaire, she is rejected a second time in 218. As she leaves the audition, another reject, Quake Kid, tries to put the moves on her. She is receptive, but he instantly comes down with stomach cramps because Drura forgot to turn off her power!

Infectious Lass: The 30th century upgrade to a cold shower.

Dartalon from the updated Wanderers is an example of what Porcupine Pete could have been.

In a fanfic I wrote where one of her ancestors shows her three alternate scenarios of how her life could have gone, one scenario takes place shortly after she'd joined the Legion -- and when she sees herself in the mirror with her original hairdo and costume, she's all like, "What could I have been thinking?"

Not tonight, dear - you have a headache....

I'd forgotten the scene in #218. Maybe her subconscious took over since she really didn't want to go out with him.

It's too bad that she became a joke even by Subs standards - until 5YL, but somebody had to play the part. She could have been an effective Espionage Squad member - just send her in (ahead of everybody else, of course) to disable the bad guys, guards, whoever the Legion was fighting. She'd have been the perfect solo Legionnaire.




Well, we can forgive her for being a young girl from the sticks. You can't keep 'em down on Talok VIII once they've seen Metropolis.

LOL Very true.

Hey, guys! It's your old pal, 'er...Pal!...back from the Legion Re-read abyss! I've used the past couple of days to read the entire Volume 10, so I could participate before this thread reaches its conclusion---and hopefully, to put me in prime position to participate regularly in the Vol. 11 thread and onward!

Here's a few scattered general thoughts on Vol. 10 as a whole:

Re: Cockrum--Wow! If I'd been participating in this thread as I should have, I would have DEMANDED that the parenthetical subtitle of this thread be edited from "DAVE COCKRUM" to "DAVE EFFING COCKRUM!!!!"

I mean, if you own this Archive, take a moment to turn the page from the last Bates/Tuska story to the first Cockrum-pencilled story! It's like (pardon the Legion pun from later in the same Archive) night and day! I mean, is it me, or did anyone else develop an insta-crush on Tenzil's mom in Dave's first splash? SCHWIIING! Matter-eater MILF, much?

Seriously, the level of detail in each and every page and the drop-dead BEAUTIFUL women (er, I guess the guys are okay, too? ) immediately distinguish Dave from the Tuska blahs and bring the Legion firmly into the Bronze Age stylistically. I mentioned particularly in Vol. 8's thread that Curt Swan was making some strides in that area before his departure, but the incredible talent of Dave brought the Legion completely out after Tuska had kept them stagnant for a while in between.

And what an immense talent Cockrum was! I'm embarrassed to say that I never really appreciated his talent for its genius until the recent X-Men re-read project that Cobie, Fickles and I tackled together last year. That and seeing some of his other great work on some Avengers issues during my subsequent huge avengers reading project really set me straight on that account. Revisiting his big break again on the Legion just hammered it home by showing how he was already full of talent before the X-Men work shocked the world.

Now, if only the stories were up to Dave's art. Many of these stories are good, and none of them terribly bad per se, but it's hard not to get mad at Cary for reigning in the cast constantly. I honestly don't know if Cary ever wrote a BIG Legion story during his time (I'll find out with you guys for the first time in upcoming Vols.), but it's a shame he wasn't inspired to write something bigger for a collaborator like Dave during their brief time together.

I knew Dave was responsible for many of the '70s costume changes, but I had mistakenly attributed some of them to his successor Mike Grell, particularly Violet and Element Lad. I honestly can't say there's a one among his designs that I don't at least like a lot!

Knowing some of his later proclivities, it surprises me in hindsight that none of our Legionnaires ended up with a sash! Given what he did with such characters as Phoenix, Ms. Marvel and Corsair, it's a bit of a surprise. Methinks he simply developed a fondness for them later. You can definitely see some of his later X-Men design since in his designs for Cham and Gim, though.

And in his short time with the Legion, Dave still managed to add some lasting creations like Tyr, Drura, Pete and, of course, Drake, easily one of my all-time favorite Legionnaires.

Such a great, great talent and one that rightfully earned an important place in Legion annals as one of its most influential and important artists, even with such a comparatively small body of work on the strip.

DAVE EFFING COCKRUM!!!!

And a GREAT BIG EFFING "WELCOME BACK" to you, Lardy!!

Seriously, it's so good to see you back here as we prepare to wrap up Volume 10 this week and then jump aboard the rollercoaster ride that is Volume 11 next week.

I agree that most of Bates' stories are rather bitty, but I think a lot of the blame for that needs to go to editor Murray Boltinoff, who always had the final say and who, in Cockrum's words, got increasingly conservative as the Legion became more successful, almost as though he was (erroneously) convinced that to take more creative chances would somehow undo the success that he, Bates, and Cockrum had worked so hard for.

I also think it's good to remember that Cockrum found himself on the other side of the coin during the last year of his second run on Uncanny X-Men -- the Brood Saga took so many issues to finish that Cockrum didn't even see it through to the end! (Incidentally, I wonder if anyone sees parallels between DnA's "Legion of the Damned" and "The Brood Saga" like I do?)

I saw the title edit, btw--however, you left out the 4 exclamation points!

And before I completely move on from Tenz's family, it was interesting to note that they bore little resemblance to the one depicted in Vol. 9's "The Hapless Hero", physically or otherwise. The parents look quite a bit different, now live in Bismoll instead of leaching off Tenz near Legion HQ on Earth and have apparently moved up in social status in addition to the reveal of a previously-unseen second son.

I think this was clearly a (minor) continuity oversight. It's a bit surprising, though, because overall the stories in this volume show rather excellent continuity with the older stories, including many callbacks and nods. Given that, I might have expected a throwaway line acknowledging how far the Kem family has come since pop gave up gambling. (Who knows? Maybe Renkil was in foster care at the time because social services intervened?)

It's slightly disappointing to me because that Action backup was easily my favorite among that batch. But it's nice to see Tenzil get another rare spotlight irregardless.

(I haven't read this entire thread, though I intend to, so forgiveness if this was well-trodden territory.)

Regarding the most recent issue reviewed, 201, I thought I'd chime in a bit:


"The Betrayer from Beyond"

You've really got to love Dave's design for Drura, a complex design for a character who could have just been a one-off. The fact that she wasn't speaks both to Dave's memorable design and the comic potential that other writers find appealing.

Molecular Master is indeed also an interesting design, one I can't help but feel that Dave may have revisited later in another character. Maybe he didn't. The mask reminds me vaguely of Defenders character Devil-Slayer, but a search shows me that was a Rich Buckler creation. I'm intrigued, though, to learn from Huey that the loose plot-thread of who sent Molecular Master will be addressed, though disappointed to hear it won't be terribly interesting. It seemed like one of those things that would just be left out there.

I have to both agree with Cobie that this was one instance in which the Miracle Machine was used very effectively as a villain objective and as a way to resolve Drake's problem and with Fickles that it should have been better protected. You could easily argue that any villain out there could and should have been after the MM on a monthly basis. I'm not sure when Tenz will eat it, but I hope it appears some time soon, so we don't have to keep suspending disbelief that it shouldn't be involved somehow in each and every plot!

I also like that Drake's return began as a subplot in the previous issue and as a mystery at that. It makes me wonder how many readers realized it was him from the beginning. It's a shame to hear that Drake doesn't appear a lot for a while, but at least we know he'll certainly get his due, unlike some.


"The Silent death"

I really like this story because, well, SEXY NURA! I mean, I love that Dave was able to get away with basically having her wander around in a sexy negligee all issue! This, on top of Thom's lump/head-top cameo really helps to bring the book out of the Silver Age in a subtle but not TOO subtle way!

Nura's power really lends itself well to short one-offs like this one, giving us a quick mystery to resolve. Yeah, I'd rather it was not framed in the context of Nura doubting her Legionnaire cred, but we know she earns it in a big way later on. Plus, Chuck had the same sort of story (ironically) right before he loses his power, marries Lu and quits, so it's not just the girls. At least Nura sticks around so that we may adore her later on.

Cobie saw what I did, that Dave drew Val with vaguely asian features. I've never been in love with that idea with the pre-boot version of the character. later 'boots are fair game, but since Val was introed as caucasian, I feel that's how he should stay. For the most part, he did, but there are exceptions.

.....mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....sexy Nura......

I don't know if it's been mentioned here, but Cobie's comment about experiencing these stories in vibrant color reminds me that Volume 10 is actually the one which DC made exchangeable because it was said to have "washed out" colors. I ordered this one online from Mile High Comics at the time and received it as a new release. When I heard the news, I looked through it and figured it looked good enough to me and wasn't worth the effort it would take to replace it.

Looking through it compared to others, I'd say the colors looked slightly duller but still look fine. It makes me wonder how many copies were exchanged and how many people here who own one have the original or the corrected version. I also wonder if there exists some photos that compare, say, the same page from each version to illustrate the differences.

It's something I often think of when looking at this volume, and I wonder if anyone has any thoughts or experiences to share regarding the whole affair.