Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-Reading the Legion: Archives #6

I might be in if we cut it down to maybe 1 or 2 stories max per week for a while? I've got a few other read/re-read projects going on, so 3 or more a week would be too much on top of them. And...say...didn't we get further than Archives 6?!? I thought we were on 7, maybe?

(P.S. I might be persuaded more if you'd ever respond to my last VMars post on "Watching"!!! )

I'd be interested in adding some comments, although a slowish pace would be good for me too. Amazon.com says Adv 350-358 is Archive 6, so is the next review for the start of Archive 7?

If so, what's in it, as I've only got the singles, rather than the archive?

ADV 350-351

Hi everyone, I'm here!

Hello? Anyone?

I'm only two years late ...

I just read these issues. I've known the basics of the story for years, having read synopsis and the many later stories that refer back to them, but this is the first time I have read the original stories, and I have to say I am very impressed.

The writer included all the active legionnaires, and the subs, and the super-pets. They had personalities. He gave a chance for many of them to use their powers in a practical way. Shrinking Violet was finally given the chance to be more than her name sake. Invisible Kid showed his leadership. Oh and Cham breaks the fourth wall with a poke at the rival company - I didn't know about that!

I really enjoyed these issues even with the obvious plot holes pointed out above. I did wonder about the covers though. Yes they fit with the story - kind of - but in some ways the story felt a bit forced to fit THEM in. I wondered if the covers had been done first and Bridwell had to write his story around them. Maybe that was why the whole memory wipe was added. I've heard of this happening, but if so in this case he did a masterful job of using weird cover plots to create a good story plot. In the end I suspect I'm wrong but perhaps its more the cover artist was given a little to go on and then encouraged to make them dramatic and emotive.

One weird plot point to me was when and how did Superboy and Supergirl arrange for their replacements? The story flows seamlessly from their unexpected summons to surprise problem causing their dismissal (yes, unnecessary but even modern time travel stories often act as if time continues to flow equally in both centuries) through the memory op and their request for replacements. How did they organise it, contact their replacements, arrange for their armour etc.? Or if it came from Dream Girl's end as we might suppose from the trouble with her sister, how did she and Star Boy contact Superboy and Supergirl? Maybe Nura and Thom had the idea and shouted it out to the cousins who they knew would hear them?

The other thing I wondered was if anyone felt like Paul Levitz may have been inspired by this story when he created the Sensor Girl mystery arc. It just feels to me like there are so many parallels. A masked hero joins the legion on the recommendation of another member. There is suspicion about their motives and identity. Clues are given to the reader - they fly without Legion flight rings because they already had them; they show intimate knowledge of past Legion cases, and legionnaire personalities and relationships; they demonstrate powers that don't seem to make sense, particularly sensory (Miss Terious knows the satellite defenses were shutdown but not that they have been set up again). Supergirl is even a suspect both times. They also gives clues particular to them - e.g. Star Boy supports the affection shown between Garth and Imra with words that are even more meaningful when thinking of his relationship with Nura.

What do you think? Paul shows a tendency to take old stories and characters and redo them in different ways. Inspiration or coincidence?

Nice review, stile86.

I don't have the issue in front of me, but perhaps Superboy and Supergirl contacted Dream Girl and Star Boy (or vice versa) before the team launched into orbit in an attempt to destroy the kryptonite cloud. There must have been some prep for the launch, after all.

I have no doubt that Levitz recycled/was inspired by lots of past Legion stories; still, the parallels you identified are striking.