Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-Reading the Legion: Archives Volume 12

On Mon-El, it's going to be interesting to see how he develops without Superboy around so much.

The Eagle annuals inspired a generation of engineers.

Some thoughts on Mon-El's future "growth":

Superboy & the LSH #219

Well, the series appears to really be on a roll again, as I enjoyed the heck out of this issue. We get another full length story, and Shooter and Bates use the length to its fullest extent. It had drama & characterization, action, science-fiction elements and best of all the great usage of no less than 9 Legionnaires and 5 incredible villains.

You get the sense that Shooter wanted to go all out with his creation, the Fatal Five. All 5 are used to good effect, especially the Persuader and Validus, and they are very capable and threatening foes. He also gives them both an over the top sci-fi plan which I liked, brought down to Earth with some very empathetic motivations.

Grell's art was also spectacular. By now, he's clearly emerged as a huge superstar, which of course means he'll move on soon. His layouts were terrific and his line work was stellar. The panel where the Persuader sliced into Duplicate Boy was fantastic.

I also like the Vi / Gim / Dupe Boy subplot here, which did a great job adding some humanity and drama to the story. It also smartly gave a duel happy & sad ending, which is very effective. Shooter, always a terrific writer, is able here to use a lot of what Marvel developed in the prior decade: action-focused plotting with a heavy dose of personal tragedy in the ending. And it works.

The full length stories are just such a breath of fresh air. It feels like the series is evolving again and that is welcome. In addition to full length stories, we'll get the new Legion leader in Wildfire, new creators in the form of Levitz and Sherman, and some more changes to the line-up. It feels exciting!

When I think of Fatal Five stories, I usually don't think of this one. But it's actually a pretty great story, keeping the consistency of their appearances being memorable.

A lot of interesting thoughts on Mon-El. Given the writers hesitant usage of him over the decades, one can infer a pretty complex personality. And I think that would certainly be the case after 1,000 years in the Phantom Zone. He'd of course be a little clingy: reveling in being able to connect with a sentient after so much loneliness. (I doubt the Mighty Ganzor was a great conversationalist).

I'd like to think he was confident enough to let others shine. This too, though, is likely a by-product of 1,000 years of being an observer. Perhaps that was a hurdle he had to keep overcoming? He could "take over" and solve everything, but his perspective may be to let the others handle things, since he'd seen so many over the centuries do the same?

I agree that Shooter's Fatal Five stories are very impressive. Additionally, they are very well written but not at the expense of the Legion.

There have been all too many stories where the writer's pet villain/character takes over the story, but it's something that Shooter is able to avoid.

Great comments on Mon-El guys. Some things to think about there. I particularly liked the last bit in HWW's spoiler and ...



Of course, we all know that any deficiencies are down to Eltro. Actually, I think I've been calling Mon-El that in a couple of reviews when he's not come across too well.

Possibly unrelated, but do any of you guys hear a humming noise when you post to this thread? There's definitely...oh it's the Phantom Zone projector...

Uh Cobie... Gazor says that all the other mad scientists think he's a great laugh and he reckons that Phantom Girl really fancies him. Not to worry. I told him that we've had more than enough of him trying to get the earth to move for people, and he's back in the zone.

The one that sticks in my craw is when his anti-lead serum was losing its effectiveness and he had a series of "poor me" tantrums. It really turned me off to the character

Mon-el/Valor's restraint - to let others shine, as Cobie wrote - was well handled in the early TMK stories, especially the Dark Circle arc. When he needed to be the ultimate power hero, as in destroying the Time Trapper (and sacrificing himself), that's what he was. Yet when Jeckie appealed to him to solve her problems with the Dark Circle's influence over Orando, he refused: he would not be the step-in god figure she wanted.

He still displayed self-doubts in these stories, but it seemed to be more an expression of trying to deal with others' high or unrealistic expectations of him.

I didn't like the crazy unstable Mon-el either, so, yeah - blame it all on Eltro.

We ought to start a new catchphrase. When someone acts out of character or loses their temper, we can say they're doing an Eltro.

Doing an Eltro: the 30th century version of demonic possession.

Superboy 220



Superboy delivers a smackdown, complete with Smallville street talk, to anyone disrespecting his new reptilian overlord (not to be confused with Jeckie from the postboot) on both the cover and the repetitive splash page.

But was the minion who Superboy hit trying to warn his ruler about the Legion’s duplicity? Whatever happens, we do know that the reptilian tyrant, Thargg, loses a consonant in this story, before becoming editor of the new 2000AD comic in the UK.

Shooter gives us a dramatic introduction to a world that had once been prosperous, but was now in thrall to another civilisation. The introductory prose stays on the right side of ponderous. Shooter keeps it terse, moving the plot quickly into the arrival of the Legion.

Superheroes, so used to arriving to save the day, are a little surprised when the people they have come to save turn on them. The heroes get an explanation a little easily, having just fought off a mob. Perhaps the mob doesn’t really have the heart to turn on each other, and perhaps they cling to a hope that they can be saved. Still, it provides the Legion with a moral issue. A populace are being enslaved, but the price of their freedom is their destruction from a bomb at their planet’s core. Not everyone is willing to take the risk to gain freedom at such a cost.

Shooter has given the characters enough personality, that they can debate more than one side of an argument. Wildfire and Element Lad suggest leaving, while Phanton Girl, Superboy and Mon El opt to take action. The Wildfire/ Superboy clash of personalities rears its head briefly. Jo is compromised by his affection for Tinya override his common sense. Fortunately, she can become a phantom which no doubt helps keep clingy people off.

When Phantom Girl takes matters into her own hands, Mon El (with a grim expression) takes the fight to the oppressor’s homeworld.

Mon El certainly takes on the leader’s role in this issue. Superboy does get plenty of panel time, but he’s really there only because his name’s on the cover. Superboy gets to slap down one of Thargg’s minions as he delivers the news of Phantom Girl’s plan.

He also gets to return Tinya to the group when they thought she might have perished. With the role of invulnerable powerhouse thus split, Superboy comes across as the smarter, more adventurous hero, while Mon El is the determined, stoic leader type. That’s also how I picture them generally.

At the thought of Tinya’s death, Jo seeks revenge. Thargg must be very resilient to have survived the first blow (He does get that consonant knocked out of him). Jo is only prevented from killing him by Superboy and Mon-El.

This is pretty much as Jo would be portrayed years later. When Roxxas attacked the Legion in the TMK run, Jo was going to kill him, forcing the villain to deploy weapons he was intending to use on any Daxamite opponent. He is fiercely protective of Tinya and the Legion.

Back in the day, all major villains would have large throne rooms from which they ordered the demise of any who crossed their paths. They were always cavernous, empty, sad looking places. In between tirades and edicts, your villain would just sit there being really, really bored.

Technological advances weren’t always adopted easily to such places. Here, for example, the view screen is placed behind the throne. Wall mounted screens were a must for villainous throne rooms. You wouldn’t want your hero to get dragged into the villain’s lair only to find him in a dressing gown and slippers watching a TV placed right in front of his big chair. But Thargg misses the advantages of boredom relief entirely. He places the screen where he can’t see it at all. It cost him his kingdom, and was a lesion to all villainous lair architects across the galaxy.

The ending delivers a moral message about it taking courage to ensure freedom. This is delivered by the person who informed the overlord of the Legion’s actions.

Sure, she learned a lesson. But I can’t see her being popular with any of the others on her planet. When elections come back, I can't see her getting any votes with her "What would our Evil Overlords Want?" platform

Tinya also escapes the tale without anyone mentioning to her that she was a plot point away from blowing up a planet. That old “just rip out all the wires” trick really isn’t something that people should put a lot of faith in. Perhaps waiting for a plan to be discussed next time? Still, nice to see her break out briefly from being the back end of Jo &...

In summary, this was a tightly scripted story, added to by Grell’s excellent art. We saw conflicts across worlds and between characters. There was a message in the action, and it managed not to beat the reader over the head too much. Better still, the Legion had to make a major moral decision. Seeing their reactions in a plot that requires a little more than beating up the villain is always a treat.

Superboy & LSH #220

I found the plot on this one to be a little convenient and by the numbers, with the moral being spoonfed to the readers. But as Thoth points out, the story has the very positive element of the Legionnaires showing some real personality from start to finish, and that makes it enjoyable enough where I can forgive the plot. I also like the unusual beginning (for the LSH at least) of them receiving the opposite of their usual welcome.

Wildfire stands out again, showing that fully formed personality that made me love him right off. Jo and Tinya also get good scenes, particularly Tinya who shines better here than she has at any point thus far in franchise history. She is one of the more capable and confident Legionnaires--comfortable with the extent of her powers--and that shows here. We also get the ongoing hints of a Superboy / Wildfire rivalry with the dialogue; on its own it may not so but we've seen it a few times so far.

Grell's art is spectacular here. His layouts, which are a continuation of what Dave was doing, clearly influenced later Legion artists.

All in all, not a story that I'd place in any top 20, but like all of Shooter's stories at the tail end of his second run, I enjoyed it.

220/Super-Soldiers of the Slave-Makers

This issue holds up better than I remembered it, primarily because of the Legionnaires' differences of opinion and moral dilemma (abandon Murgador to slavery or risk blowing up the planet).

When I think of this story, if I think of it at all, I wince at the cover which shows Superboy defending the reptilian ruler against his fellow Legionnaires, and of the splash page, which shows a similarly enthralled Superboy slapping a smaller reptilian servant. It's a typical bait-and-switch image in which what appears to be happening isn't really happening--or, rather, Superboy's super-dickery is easily explained. But this snake oil tactic of grabbing the reader's attention was wearing exceedingly thin by '76.

And that's a shame because the cover overshadows the story, which has a lot going for it. A planet has been enslaved. Someone alerts the Legion. Our heroes arrive but are greeted by rioting protesters (shades of the Vietnam War!). They learn that if they try to free the planet they may doom it. Good stuff so far.

I appreciate the characterizations of the Legionnaires. My man Mon does indeed act like a leader, calling the shots but keeping silent while the others debate a course of action. (Good leaders listen more than they talk.) Superboy's irritation with Wildfire shows. And Tinya takes matters into her own hands. Still good stuff.

In fact, the biggest problem I have is that the story's length does not do it justice. Plot points have to be truncated or simplified, so Tinya does indeed pull the wires out instead of demonstrating any knowledge of defusing bombs. Also, the story ends too quickly with nothing of note happening. (We knew our heroes would win.) Unlike last issue's Fatal Five story, in which a lot of drama is milked out of Duplicate Boy's survival, and 218, in which Tyroc wins us over by defeating Absorbency Boy, there's little to care about here or get invested in. I'm sorry, but Jo is just a whiny, clingy boyfriend, and this trait of his was used to much better effect in Legion Lost.

The Grell art has its ups and downs. The page with Lightning Lad creating a "thunderclap" is as dramatic as they come; however, there are too many worm's-eye view shots (page 4, panel 5; page 5, panels 1 and 5; page 7, panel 6; page 8, panel 3; and page 11, panel 1), which create a distorted and claustrophobic feel.

Shooter explores ideas; I like that. I just wish a different series format or perhaps a less conservative editor would have allowed those ideas to grow and lead somewhere.

I agree about the length. The story definitely felt constrained and needed a little more breathing room. At this point it feels that writers, fans, even the series itself needs full length stories.

Also of note is that in the back of the issue, DC announced the series will now be monthly--one of the few DC series to do that in the mid 70's. The LSH was definitely hooking in new fans by now.

The frequency of full-length stories will increase along with the monthly status. Perhaps the full-length stories sold more or generated more positive feedback than the other issues.

Dream Girl's Living Nightmare

The key events in this story would have unfolded exactly as they did where the Legion showed up or not. Dream Girl, the only Legionnaire allowed to nap on the bridge, predicts the death of a much loved leader. It’s another of those dreams with lots of details but enough vagueness not to give the ending away.

Brainiac is actually keen not to bother doing anything, as he believes in the finality Nura’s precognition. For a guy who loves investigating the mysteries of universe, it must be tough finding a point to his days.

Chameleon Boy isn’t just going to stand idly by. No, he’s an impersonation to try out. Like many of his other ones, it gets spotted and he’s unable to prevent an assassination attempt.

The switch is that the old leader wasn’t loved enough to have his supporters prevent a takeover. A takeover by a man with no wardrobe of his own. The outfit of the ruthless dictator matches his predecessor’s exactly. You can’t tell me that yellow flares are a presidential uniform. The bad leader’s death fulfils the conditions of Nura’s dream. Cham flies off in a nice panel pleased that there’s a happy ending.

Behind him, the loved leader is probably already rounding up sympathisers of the “ruthless dictator” for execution. I didn’t believe that smile for a second.

It’s a really forgettable story. Nura looks nice in Grell’s art. We get an interesting viewpoint for Brainy. At a push, I could link Cham’s inability to let something go to his revival of the legion years later. But it’s more of an interlude than a a story. Even a back up story.

^In spite of the title, it's really Cham's story--or would be if he actually did anything or learned anything of note. You can't change fate, huh? But the Legionnaires do that on a regular basis.

Yeah, totally forgettable.

Totally agree. The most forgettable story in a few issues. With a premise that I hate (re: you can't change fate). That kind of thinking will keep Nura under-utilized for a few more years.

I hadn't noticed it before, but in both stories, a single legionnaire takes matters into their own hands. It would be an interesting tally to see how many stories used this approach versus the teamwork/follow the leader tales. Cham's tendency (?) to go off on his own would cause serious problems later when he went galavanting off to Khundia. (I don't remember off-hand why he was responsible for the team winding up on that asteroid that led to the Imra-Brin soap opera.) Otherwise, forgettable. We never saw that planet or their beloved leader again.

The first story is one I've enjoyed for a few reasons: the rather overt moral dilemma of die on your feet or live on your knees, yet another mining industry (mining is the dominant industry in the Legionverse) and the character Dinda. It's rare today to see an older woman in a comic book who isn't somebody's peripheral granny, even more so back then. Unfortunately, she's not exactly the freedom fighter type, but her very presence as a leader is notable.

I'm sorry we never saw Murgador, Dinda and Pollar again. It was indeed a very compressed story and the dynamics of an oppressed people recovering their freedom would have been interesting.

Mon-el does come off quite well here, as does Tinya. Tasmia is often criticized for being clingy, but I think Jo outdoes her in the overprotective character business.

The other thing about the back-up story is that Brainy hands Cham his force field belt. This is a terrible story-telling move, long-term, since it opens up the question of why Brainy didn't make force field belts for everybody.

Good point. This was a very forward-looking aspect.

Dinda puts me in the mind of Hillary Clinton. She takes charge and does what she thinks is best for her world, even though her actions may lead to unforeseen consequences. It's great that the Legionnaires did not arrest her for betraying them and that the Murgadorians did not remove her from leadership for informing Thargg. This is another example of the story's subtle complexity and maturity.

You heard it here first folks. A vote for Hilary is a vote for the perpetuation of our enslavement by the reptilian overlords of Thargg!

Don't let Trump hear that!

I'm pretty sure that both Trump and Hillary are already thought to be reptilian shape-shifters, per internet conspiracy theories.

So Bernie could be Pollar?