Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-Reading the Legion: Archives Volume 13

SLSH #224 When Stargrave Strikes! by Jim Shooter, art by Mike Grell & Bob Wiacek



The cover shows Pulsar Stargrave, fallen Legionnaires at his feet and Superboy held in some orange glowing blast. Obligatory torn uniforms on Brainy and Saturn Girl show defeat.

As the story opens, a few lines of text explain that the Legion is on a planetoid, attempting to seal a space rift. The visuals open with Holdur, a demon-like creature with a power to hold things securely, getting an unbreakable grip on Superboy. As team members try to free Superboy, they sink into liquified ground, thanks to the power of Quicksand, who liquifies and solidifies things. With the Legionnaires immobilized, Stargrave appears.

Disco King! Well, that's how he's dressed. White bell-bottom sleeveless jump suit, flowing cape, red jewels on belt, cape clasp and headband. He's got green skin, so you figure he's Coluan.

"Awesome energy crackles around him" and he mends the space rift that the Legionnaires were trying to mend as the issue opened.

The team is suddenly teleported into a hall and told by Stargrave that this is his home. He seals them in a force field and proceeds with his soliloquy. He caused the space rift to attract the Legionnaires; he needed them to oppose the one foe stronger than himself. He also released the Time Trapper (as seen in the previous issue) in order to see if the Legionnaires were up to the task.

Superboy is having none of this, breaks out of the force field and a battle ensues between Legionnaires and Holdur and Quicksand, as Stargrave looks on, staring at Brainiac 5. It's a tough fight; Superboy attacks Stargrave directly, is flung into space and returns. Now Superpboy's mad!

But Stargrave goes nova, and Superboy falls, to the horror of the other Legionnaires, who also fail to bring Stargrave down. Only Brainy remains standing, wondering what's going on, as Stargrave reads his mind, addresses him directly as Querl, and says that their mental processes are similar.

Stargrave further explains that he was once mortal but, as a result of a failed life support system on his spaceship, was found and teleported by an unknown race into a star, just as that star went super-nova. The super-nova collapsed into a pulsar and Stargrave was fused with it. We learn that Brainy remembers Stargrave from 15 years ago. Brainy asks why someone as powerful as Stargrave needs the Legion.

The Legionnaires are next seen back in their HQ, with Brainy explaining that they should help Stargrave control the universe. That doesn't go over too well, but the final page shows Brainy, later that night, meeting Stargrave alone and reporting that the Legion would help him defeat his terrible foe, but would then would try to defeat Stargrave.

The final panel has two shockers: the terrible foe is Mordru and Brainy addresses Stargrave as "Father". Superboy/Snooperboy is eavesdropping in the shadows, shocked.

*****

There's a lot of action in this issue. I don't usually enjoy the battles as much as the character scenes, but these fights are interesting. The beautiful and exotic Quicksand and creepy Holdur are formidable foes; Stargrave's power, albeit ill-defined, trumps them all. (You just have to overlook the logic of the super-nova/pulsar origin and get on with the story.)

Apart from the fight scenes, most of the plot is Stargrave's explanation of who he is and why he wants the Legionnaires. Although he looks like a Coluan and the headband is reminiscent of Brainiac's forehead markings, his incredible powers cloud the question; it is at the end that we learn he is indeed Coluan and Brainiac 5's father. Of course, this will prove to be false, but we don't know that now.

Having the villain give an extended speech to advance the story is generally considered to be lazy writing, but I found Stargrave's autobiographical tale interesting.

The big reveals in the final panel were good and, I think, unexpected for a first-time reader. To have Superboy eavesdropping ensures that the Boy of Steel will either run off and tell the other Legionnaires what's really going on, or confront Brainy directly in the next issue. They would already know that the terrible foe they've been recruited to fight is Mordru; that one's a surprise for the reader. The shocker for the Legion is "Daddy" Stargrave, and the reader is left wondering what complications will develop from that.

This is obviously the beginning a longer story. Unfortunately, it won't be continued until a few issues later.

The opening mission of sealing the space rift is confusing; in the previous issue, Legionnaires went to seal a space rift, some were captured by the Time Trapper and the rift destroyed the remaining Legionnaires - until the Trapper was defeated and the Legionnaires went back to the point in time when they're about to take off to seal the rift. Did Stargrave completely manipulate the Time Trapper and the space rift, or did he just set both in motion and watch events take their course?

The Time Trapper and Mordru will be the central foes of the 5YL series. I wonder if the source of that conflict was this Pulsar Stargrave story.

EDIT - Archive #13 includes stories from Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #224-229, DC Special #28, then S&LSH #230-233. - Cobie

Superboy and the LSH #224

When a longtime Legion fan considers Pulsar Stargrave, it's hard not to take into account all that comes after his initial appearances, from his complicated and hap-hazard first arc resulting from multiple creators, to his joke appearance in the Subs special to the attempt to explain him at last in LEGION. But when you look at him here in this issue, in a vacuum if possible, there's actually something quite epic about him. He is masterfully presented by Shooter, and appears to be a major LSH villain in the making. He is extremely powerful, mysterious and wildly complex in his motivations. There is a sense he could be the best LSH villain ever.

This is enhanced by additional factors: the revelation that his is Brainy's father being the most important, which implies there will be immense emotional complications to come. Then there is his war with Mordru which is thrilling to the extreme, as Shooter is bringing back another of his famous, epic creations. Add in Holdur and Quicksand, and there is something special here.

But alas, it would all be jettisoned as Shooter exits the Legion for the second time and the creators and editorial totally bungle the Stargrave story. All of those things are forgotten, and he eventually becomes relegated to b-level villain. One might wonder if DC's editors might see this as a sign to hold off on continuing stories--luckily Boltinoff was replaced by Denny O'Neil by now or he definitely would have. At least Levitz will pick up Mordru for his epic Earth War, and TMK will take the concept of the private villain war to new levels 10-12 years later, albeit between Mordru and the TT (and then Glorith). But when discussing "what might have beens", this is a big one.

The plot is very straight forward here without much nuance but that doesn't make it any less appealing. It is full of action and a little bit of exposition, and this causes a continued heightened tension and desire to learn the secrets of Stargrave. Also, 9 Legionnaires showcase their stuff here, which is nice.

One can't help but feel Shooter was on the cusp of another epic run of major LSH stories. Instead, both he and the LSH itself were about to go on to bigger and better things.

A few thoughts after reading FC's post:

- as you can see, I immediately thought of the TMK Mordru / TT war too, and I think you're correct, that this was probably were the germ of that idea originated. It also shows yet even more influence of Shooter's work on future LSH stories.

- I also found the opening a bit confusing too before I realized exactly what was going on when Stargrave healed the rift. But once I figured it out, I was glad they wasted no time.

- when I was a kid, my only reference for the late 70's was old comics. I often wonder how likely it would be to see someone dressed like Stargrave or Phantom Girl outside of a major city on a Saturday night. If any Legion Worlders were part of the Studio 54 crowd, please post pics!

Wonderful reviews, Cramey and Cobie. I think you've both hit the high points of the story.

For me, this issue is quite jarring from the previous issues. The creative team stays the same, so the change must be due to new editor Denny O'Neil, who allowed Shooter to do what he apparently wanted to do all along. It's a pity Shooter won't stick around to develop what was clearly intended to be the Legion's first multi-part arc. This story is rife with a lot of might-have-been's.

However, I, too, found it choppy and somewhat unconvincing. Perhaps much of the craft we've been attributing to Shooter and Bates was actually due to Boltinoff. The story gets us into the action too quickly and without much set up. It took me awhile to realize the space rift Stargrave healed was the same one the Legionnaires were responding to last issue.

Continuity glitch: What happened to Shadow Lass?

This is basically a balls-to-the-wall straight action fest meant to establish Stargrave's seriousness as a threat. It does this quite well, as the Legionnaires are powerless before him. He blasts them and bends time and space. Our heroes aren't even awake when he sends them back to their HQ. I also love the twist of Stargrave being Brainy's father. I wish later creative teams had kept this twist. It provides Brainy with a true dilemma--parental loyalty versus team loyalty. I wish this, too, had been explored in more depth.

It seems unthinkable that Superboy would overhear the great revelation at the end and not do anything about it, but there you are: a change in creative teams and the brilliant drama set up here is tossed out the airlock.

Yet for all the story's pluses, there are significant minuses. Most of the Legionnaires are just cannon fodder (solar blast fodder?); they do little of consequence. It's Superboy who keeps the action going and Brainy who provides the plot twist.

It was interesting, though, that Jeckie stumbled upon Mordru as an image to frighten Holdur, not knowing that the mage was, in fact, the great enemy Stargrave wants to oppose.

I also enjoyed Holdur and Quicksand, two villainous underlings who have exhibited more personality and power than most Legionnaires have in some time.

Though flawed in its execution, 224 stands out as an exciting departure from the staid and formulaic tales we've grown used to. Unfortunately, it also stands out as the start of an aborted epic that never quite came to pass.

Agreed. He might even have expanded his team of minions. Nevertheless, I'd like to think that the writer(s) would later come up with a more rational story for Stargrave's powers.



Changing writers mid-arc must be a challenge. Have there been successful transitions, or do the storylines usually get botched? I find it hard to understand why such a promising story couldn't have been better developed.



I totally missed that one! And maybe it should have been her skulking in the shadows, eavesdropping, at the end.



This would have been a fascinating area of character development to explore. It's a classic story.



This was a strange image to use to frighten someone you don't know anything about. Maybe Holdur had never heard of Mordru? Wouldn't a big monster beast have been a better bet? This little scene could suggest that Projectra can sense what her opponent most fears (or desires) and deliver that illusion. It would have been a nice extension to her power.

I like that the idea of Stargrave being Brainy's father essentially fulfills the potential that Brainy's first appearances, which hinged so greatly on his being the descendent of Brainiac, promised. Not long after those appearances, Brainiac became a full-blown Superman character who could not be pulled away and changed for a Legion story, and so it became less important. But here, we get a chance to delve into something similar, allowing the writers to put Brainy through the ringer as he must contend with forces pulling him in different directions. Brainy's loyalties can be tested to the extreme at last.

Or, they could have been, but that's comics. The best we'll ever get is reboot Brainy's Dark Circle mother.

On Jeckie using Mordru as an illusion: It does seem like an odd thing to do, especially in the context of this story and with Mordru having been a no-show since # 188. However, in the larger context of the Legion's universe, it might make sense. Mordru was a significant scourge of the galaxy who once came close to overrunning earth (as recounted in the flashback in Adv. 369). Using him as a de facto bogey man may be like invoking ISIS or some other real and nebulous threat today.

Shooter seemed to be invoking this larger universe now that he was on his way out the door--and he didn't bother to explain things to readers (such as Karate Kid's comment to Superboy in 223 about being "piled up"). Perhaps he took it for granted that long-time readers would draw the connections.

Um, I think we've jumped ahead. The JLA issues should come at the end of Archives 13 or the beginning of Archives 14, per Cobie's post over on the Archives Discussion thread, as well as the cover date.

My mistake, I was rushing last night to get it out - really, I've got 234 and 224 totally mixed up and entrenched in my head for some reason. So I've deleted the JLA review which HWW refers to and will proceed with #225. Thanks HWW. (Hurry back to this job!)

#225 And Who Shall Lead Them? by Paul Levitz, art by James Sherman & Bob Wiacek



The story opens with the "holovised" ceremony to swear in Wildfire as leader, with Superboy flying in to top it, claiming that he got the most votes. Supeboy grabs Wildfire, and Mon-el stops him with a super-slap. Dream Girl shouts at them to stop; it's bad publicity and Superboy should have read the explanation in The Legion Bulletin. New rules: both he and Karate Kid were ineligible to be leader since they were both part-time members (KK being in the 20th century and his own series now).

Superboy storms off, in full sore loser mode, is confronted by Shadow Lass, who ask what really is the matter, since he's too noble for this sort of behaviour. He says he has to sort it out on his own.

The next scene shows Legionnaires, led by Wildfire, flying off to deal with the Resource Raiders, whose ship has cracked a dam, causing floods. The team fails to stop the ship, so Wildfire tries to fix the dam by blasting it the crack closed. Superboy flies in, stops him, gets Ultra Boy to help him fling the Raiders' ship away from Earth and explains that the dam had been coated with explosive power. Wildfire's blast would have blown up the works.

Back at HQ, other team members discuss the mission and Jo claims there was no powder; he would have seen it. Nura has no vision, but claims her intuition tells her "there's more to this than meets the eye".

A shadowy figure with a cape approaches a display case with one of Wildfire's containment suits and takes it; the figure is Superboy and he's interrupted by an angry Wildfire. Superboy claims he'll be leader, no matter what it takes and a fight ensues, again in shadow - so when Wildfire walks out, we don't know if it's him or Superboy in his suit.

A Legion cruiser takes off, with the team again led by Wildfire (or not?) to go get the Raiders.

The other Legionnaires are baffled at how Wildfire knows where the Raiders are, but the atttack starts and Nura notices that Wildfire is not using his powers - he's fighting like Superboy would. Then he's blasted and his containment suit is destroyed. Superboy arrives and stops a Raider from blasting Nura.

The final page explains all: the computer predicted that the new leader would be blasted on his first mission, so Superboy figured he had a better chance of surviving than Wildfire and tried to take his place. However, the fight they had convinced Superboy that Wildfire could in fact survive. Then another twist: Wildfire, slipping into a new containment suit, claims the computer miscalculated, figuring Superboy would lead the mission and be destroyed by Kryptonite that was in the beam that hit him.

Ultra Boy closes the tale by claiming he'll convince the Raiders to reveal their home base and why they've been taking resources - and then, there'll be a showdown.

Comments:

Deception for the greater good is a common theme in Legion stories and one, in my opinion, that is used too often. This tale does start out with a good mystery; you figure it's a ruse, because Superboy just isn't the sore loser type, as Tasmia observes. But what's the ruse?

The mission against the Resource Raiders isn't that interesting; we don't learn anything about them and the action is really between the quarreling Superboy and Wildfire. It is odd that Ultra Boy later claims that he knew Superboy was lying about the explosive powder, but didn't call him out at the time. This might have made more sense if he'd gone on to say he knew his pal was staging this for some reason, but maybe he just didn't want to add fuel to the fire.

The final page explains the whole thing. (I've seen this in a lot of murder mystery novels: in a page or two, somebody just explains the whole thing.) The mystery as to who exactly was leading the mission - Wildfire or Superboy pretending to be him - deepened the deception; the clues were misleading. Why was Wildfire fighting like Superboy? The final twist, revealed by Wildfire, was unexpected but a bit contrived. The computer made a mistake??

We are left with a continuing story and an announcement that Dawnstar will debut in the next issue. And I got the impression, influenced by later history, that Mr. Levitz really likes Dream Girl. She's used a fair bit, but not using her specific power.

The art is okay; not my personal favourite, but there's a nice scene with Nura and the others back at HQ and a lovely scene with Wildfire looking over the night-lit city.

(There's a back-up story which I'll get to tomorrow - or anyone else is welcome to post a review of it in the meantime!)

No worries, FC. You're doing great.

The premise of 225 was lifted from Adventure 304. In the earlier story, Saturn Girl tricked her way into the leadership because an oracle predicted the leader would die on a mission. Here Superboy tries the same thing. It's very shaky premise and one that relies on the old hoax plot, which as we've discussed, the Legion seems to have outgrown.

Yet since this is Levitz's first foray as writer, perhaps we can excuse him for indulging in his fanboy leanings. After all, he does present a very well constructed beginning and middle of the story. He hits the ground running with Superboy publicly challenging Wildfire's right to be leader. The conflict builds nicely off of Superboy and Wildfire's previous antagonism. The scenes of the Legionnaires fighting the Resource Raiders' ship and carrying off rescues are also well paced and lead to a surprising turn of Superboy undermining Wildire's leadership. All of this is very dramatic and believable.

Then the story takes a bizarre turn into the unbelievable. Wildfire confronts Superboy in the costume room, and we're led to believe--as are the Legionnaires--that Superboy has won and impersonates Wildfire from then on. But the twist is that it really is Wildfire.

As I said, none of this is believable. As Cramey points out, why does Wildfire fight like Superboy? Why doesn't he tell his teammates how he knew where the Resource Raiders were? The reason: The writer needed to keep us in suspense. But this is a sloppy way of making the characters do what the writer needs them to do.

The Sherman/Wiacek artwork is great to look at, though, and much more appealing than some of Sherman's later work. He draws a beautiful Nura and an impressive Wildfire. Little touches such as the Legionnaires' shadows being reflected in Wildfire's face plate (Page 5, Panel 2) and the Legion cruiser soaring above a pattern of lights which dot a darkened landscape (Page 9) hearken back to the best of Cockrum--and this is only a fill-in job for Sherman. He was not yet the regular Legion artist but was only subbing for Grell, as revealed on the letter's page.

One artistic gaffe jumped out at me, though. The Legionnaires are standing in a different order at the top of Page 2 than they were on the splash page, even though only a second at most would have passed, and there was no reason for them to change positions in any event. Also, if you look closely, that shot on Page 2 features two Mon-Els.

So Levitz displays a lot of talent and skill in his first outing--much more than he did on the first Karate Kid issue. But he's hampered because the premise he's set up--Superboy being a poor loser--has to be resolved in a neat and positive fashion without lasting consequences.

#225 A Matter of Priorities by Paul Levitz, art by Mike Nasser & Bob Wiacek

This short back-up story opens with two figures fighting aboard a starship, with one pushed over a railing to his death on a restaurant/lounge floor. (The falling man is dressed very much like Karate Kid - but it's not him, nor does he figure in the story, since he's off in the 20th century.)

A young man jumps up from a table to chase the killer. We learn it's Brin Londo, Timber Wolf, in disguise, accompanied by Sun Boy and Projectra; they are bodyguards for Ambassador Relnic,
on a secret mission. Meanwhile, Brin has raced off, chasing the murderer, who he has recognized as Tseln, a homicidal maniac with a trademark knife. However, it turns out to be Projectra he's chasing, who was trying to stop him. Sun Boy and Relnic explain that the priority is on the mission: Relnic is trying to avert a war between the U.P. and the Dominators, which would result in far more deaths than Tseln could deliver. Secrecy is of prime importance and Brin was giving away the show by displaying his powers.

But Brin has an idea (unspecified). Jeckie and Dirk return to the restaurant with Relnic; suddenly, a big red devil appears, in flames and incinerates a young woman. However, the reader is tipped off: Dirk is synchronizing his flame burst with Jeckie's illusion. Then, a knife-wielding man leaps out, vowing he'll not be taken by the devil since his mithril silver knife can take any demon. Conveniently, the man announces to all that he is Tseln and has killed a hundred men.

The devil knocks him out, he's taken captive and the loudspeaker voice apologizes for the "entertainment" getting out of hand.

Relnic tells the Legionnaires that the Luck Lords were on their side; they didn't have to use their powers, but Tseln was still captured. The Legionnaires agree, laughing.


Comments:

Another deception story. Simple, but with some nice elements. An astute reader may have suspected that this ties into the previous story with Jo vowing to go after the Raiders; now Relnic is trying to stop a war. Wars need resources, or start over resource conflicts. As in the Raider tale, this light-hearted back-up story promises to lead to further and more serious developments. Of course, I write this in retrospect; I doubt I picked up on the greater, developing war story at the time.

Brin is depicted as impulsive, yet he's the one who comes up with the deception to ensnare Tseln.

There's a lot of text in boxes which both advances the story and is very descriptive. I have the impression that Levitz couldn't have fit the story into the pages available otherwise.

Tseln's silver mithril knife is straight out of Tolkein.

I can't decide if the falling man is dressed as Karate Kid by chance or intention. It could have been part of the Legionnaires running their own sub-mission to get Tseln without informing Relnic. It wouldn't have been beyond the scope of a comic book writer to bring KK back to the 30th century for some reason. Clearly, it didn't play out that way.

This is the first appearance of Ambassador Relnic, who will play a continuing role in Legion stories. He seems easily fooled here, not realizing that the Legionnaires staged the Devil attack. Is he playing dumb, like a good ambassador, or is he distracted by his peace mission?

The art is really rough in places, yet there are some wonderful action shots: the man falling to the floor, Brin running after Tseln, the devil appearing, Dirk leaning forward to add his blast to the illusion.

Superboy and the LSH #225 - first story

The first story of #225 is a bit of a mixed bag for me because while the story is very flawed and has rough edges, I still enjoyed it immensely for a lot of the little things Levitz and Sherman do, which will foreshadow a lot of great things to come.

The general plot, lifted from Adv #304 as HWW says and then used numerous times since, is a bit tired and IMO is a trope best left in the Silver Age (or at least in need of a long vacation). Levitz uses it, with a Cary Bates-ish last page bait & switch on top of it, and it is instability forgettable. However, beyond the general plot there's a lot to love: his excellent use of Nura and Wildfire, which he'll do again and again; the aggressive "grudge" between Superboy and Wildfire which we've seen hints of breaking wide open and showing some real down to Earth characterization in the LSH; and even though they don't do much yet, the Resource Raiders signal to me that we are on the long road to Earth War. All of that is exciting!

I also like how Levitz has them fly off at top speed in a V-shape with a sense of total urgency, which is something he always does well. Likewise, he shows different Legionnaires doing different things, including Jo and Nura saving people. It's a small moment but necessary for a cast like the Legion.

Sherman's art is gorgeous and I'm very excited to see his return. I see a lot of places where he may have inspired a young Steve Lightle, especially in the faces. The action is dynamic and the characters attractive. Grell has been nothing short of terrific but this feels like a nice change.

All in all, it feels like relatively mediocre start on paper, but it felt much more exciting to me. I'm anxious for the next issue!

Superboy and the LSH #225 - second story

The second story has many of the same complaints and praise as the first. Once again the plot is weak and this time the ending is really groan inducing. But there's still some things to like.

I love the addition of Ambassador Relnic to the Legion mythos and think he's a great character. His very presence opens up multiple possibilities for stories, and more importantly his pushes along the slow trend of adding more non-Legionnaire members of the cast. I also like Levitz' use of the Dominator wars and tensions of the past, which shows his rich knowledge of Legion history. It would make sense that the Dominators have been an ongoing issue every day in UP life and we should continue to see it or get reference to it.

I'm also a fan of the "small group of Legionnaires on a long voyage" trope. Particularly when they are not typically paired together which is the case here. Sun Boy and Timberwolf both display their personalities well here, though Jeckie is used as a bit of a cypher as "the girl".

Lastly, I'm enjoying Mike Netzer's artwork too. It's a bit rough in places and not as tight as Sherman, but there is a raw energy to it.

Again, not a great story but one I enjoyed nonetheless.

Cramey and Cobie hit the highlights of "A Matter of Priorities."

For me, the aspects which worked included seeing three Legionnaires who don't interact much team up; seeing them operate outside of costume (though with identifying color schemes); the introduction of Ambassador Relnic and glimpse of larger things going on in the 30th century; and the Legion using deception to catch the murderer while maintaining the need for secrecy. The deception here works much better than the one in the first story.

It was also nice that the villain came from Thaun, the world of superstition first seen back in Adv. 343. There's even a reference to the Luck Lords.

The story even affords us more character development. Brin and Dirk have competing priorities, and each is willing to sacrifice something for what he considers to be the more important goal (catching a murderer versus the mission to prevent a war). Their conflict drives the tension.

The ending is a bit of a copout. It's unclear why Tseln revealed himself to take down the devil, or why the Legionnaires thought their masquerade would work. Sure, Tseln is from a superstitious world, but it does not follow that he would want to slay devils. (Of course, we don't know why he slayed any of his victims.)

Levitz also does not spoon feed us the clues by telling us the girl was part of the illusion or that Brin was concealed by the illusion (he had to be so something solid could punch out the villain). He leaves it to the reader to figure these things out.

You know, I remembered Thaun from its later appearances but totally forgot it was a callback to Adv #343. Levitz was a master at Legion lore from the beginning.

I like the not being spoon-fed part too. That simply didn't happen in earlier eras.

FC also mentions the Tolkien-esque references to Thaun, including the mithril knife. The very mention of the word "mithril" immediately made me think of Tolkien too.

Lastly, even though its been something we've been talking about for awhile since it was announced a few issues ago, it's pretty bold for Wildfire to be elected leader! Although I guess the precedent is there with Karate Kid, where a relative newbie, albeit a popular one, gets the Legion's top job. I think its a clear indication that the Legion is changing again, which would be a constant part of Levitz's short first run.

#226 The Dazzling Debut of Dawnstar by Paul Levitz, art by James Sherman & Jack Abel; Dawnstar designed by Mike Grell



The cover text suggests a less than dazzling debut.... a petulant/angry Dawnstar is surrounded by accusing Legionnaires. What did she do? The opening page explains that she led Legionnaires into a trap set by the Resource Raiders.

Star Boy and Sun Boy are flying through Legion HQ, chasing some Resource Raiders who escaped from their cell. They capture their prisoners with a little teamwork and tell the reader that Lightning Lad could only get a course heading for the raiders' home base, not an actual location. Star Boy says "...if anyone can track them, Lightning Lad can!".

However, Garth informs a meeting of Legionnaires that the track leads nowhere, just empty space. Wildfire accuses him of an inability to track, Imra jumps to his defence and WIldfire presents his solution: Dawnstar. Without further explanation, Wildfire takes off with Dawnstar to a Legion cruiser and tells the others to join them. The others react very badly to the "16 year old expert" and talk of impeaching Wildfire.

However, Dawnstar impresses navigator Garth with her speed and accuracy; Wildfire explains that she's a mutant who can track anything anywhere.

They stop near the orbit of Pluto; Dawnstar is accused of blowing it, since there's nothing there, but Saturn Girl picks up thoughts from a convoy under attack.

The Raider attack is brutal, ripping open ships and thereby killing the crew; Dawnstar joins in the fight to help the Legionnaires, saying she will not ignore evil. The Raiders escape as the Legionnaires are busy rescuing crew members.

Lightning Lad accuses Dawnstar of failure, since she took off without giving the Legion time to prepare a battle plan. Yet Dawnstar claims she can still track them, even through a space warp. (Space warp is defined here as "the mysterious gateway between dimensions - the side-step across the stars that conquered time" and where tracking devices cannot function.)

Dawnstar leads them back to Earth, to the Siberian Hydroponic Gardens, where the Raiders are stealing raw materials. We finally find out what they're up to: they will take all the resoures, then give them back if people will live as their slaves. This message is delivered from behind a wall, through which Superboy and Sun Boy fail to find the entrance, but Dawnstar leads them through.

Within is a giant brain, with eyeballs, in a vat: the Raiders' leader. Superboy and Sun Boy shatter the bio-electric console and prepare to capture the Raiders.

The next scene closes the story, amid the after-effects of the battle, with the Legionnaires apologizing to Dawnstar and she saying that this was more rewarding work than guiding hunters. Wildfire tells her that they'll work together again, if she accepts their invitation to join as a full-fledged (Hah! I just got the pun now) Legionnaire. Final panel: Dawnstars face, stained with tears of joy.

Comments:

It's an impressive introduction for a new character. Dawnstar is a mystery; we're not told where she's from nor the extent of her powers. She does not respond to the insults of the Legionnaires but goes about the job she's been given. She has a noble character, joining in the Legion's fight because she will not stand by where there is evil. Where did Wildfire find her? one wonders. She begins to win over her critics, but they quickly turn against her - only to find that she is indeed a superior tracker. She can also fly through space on her own, without a suit or flight ring, at considerable speed.

Her appearance is striking with those huge wings. She is beautiful and looks Native American, especially with the costume. Sherman & Abel make the most of the fringe, which gives a great sense of movement.

That Wildfire just brings her into the mission and annoys everybody is an interesting development. It tells us a lot about Wildfire and the others' testiness with respect to his leadership. Even Saturn Girl gets into the sniping.

Levitz packs detail into the story to add to his world-building. Space warps, Siberian Hydroponic Gardens, Pluto as the guardian base for the solar system. There's even a bit of the old Adventure era-style tech with the Truth Beam used to interrogate the captured Raiders and the brain in a bottle as leader.

The Resource Raider plot is revealed, although we'll find out later that this is just the first layer of the Russian doll that will be Earthwar.

There are a few logical problems with the story: Garth reports that there's absolutely nothing in the area revealed by questioning the Raiders, yet it turns out to be near Pluto. Why doesn't Saturn Girl wear a helmet in outer space? Did Superboy kill the Raiders' Bottled Brain leader when he fried the bio-electric controls?

Looking back with hindsight, I found it odd that bristly, independent Dawnstar would be shedding tears of joy at the prospect of joining the Legion. However, her personality will only be fully developed in later stories.

I enjoyed the artwork. Dawnstar is beautifully rendered. She has a real look of horror on her face when the convoy is destroyed by the Raiders. I liked the reflection of her face in Wildfire's helmet at the end. The Legionnaires and Raiders are well drawn; the bodies don't look at all stiff. The backgrounds are not too complex, but display some attention to detail. It's too bad that Dawnstar's creator Mike Grell couldn't have drawn her initial appearance, but Sherman & Abel do a great job.

I can't help but think of Greybird while reviewing this story, whose enthusiasm for Dawnstar was boundless.

#226 - the backup story: Five Against One by Paul Levitz, art by Mike Nasser & Jack Abel

This back-up story opens with several Legionnaires listening to a message from Brainiac 5, as Superboy mentions "that weird adventure with Stargrave".

The visuals switch to a menacing structure with a statue of Mordru. The message continues, Brainy relating that he is on Zerox, the Sorcers' World, on a mission for Stargrave to take Mordru's Star Stone. There's a brief recap of the events of #224. Then Brainy advances through the building, attacked by a guard (who he fights with martial arts), some tables which come alive (he defeats by will power), a giant black mountain lion (repelled by hitting with a jar). Finally, he remembers to activate his force shield. He next encounters an insane image of himself and simply denies that it could be him. As he advances, a large crystal identifies itself as the Star Stone and declares he has passed the four barriers and must now deal with the final one, the Truth. The Stone tells Brainy that Stargrave is not his father, not even human and is manipulating Brainy. Brainy leaves the room, declaring that he will find Brainiac 1, who is posing as Stargrave, and kill him.

The scene returns to the Legionnaires, as Element Lad declares they must find Stargrave first, or Brainy will be expelled for murder. To be continued next issue....

Comments: This is a very short bridge story with one purpose: to confirm that Stargrave is really the 20th century Brainiac and not Querl's father. On the other hand, all this is revealed within Mordru's sanctuary, so why should we believe it?

It's not entirely clear why Stargrave would want Brainy to get an object which undermines the deceiver's hold on him. Perhaps he doesn't understand the Stone's powers.

The challenges Brainy must meet to get to the Stone are classic quest material. I didn't find them very interesting; too easily defeated. Well, there weren't many pages available for the story.

The reader is left at the edge of the next story, which promises to be a hunt as Brainy seeks Stargrave and the Legion seeks Brainy to prevent the murder. It's a bit oddly stated by Element Lad that their main objective is to keep Brainy in the Legion, rather than preventing a murder.

226/Dazzling Debut

Cramey noticed a lot of pluses to this story that I had overlooked--things such as the world-building, the subtle clues to Dawnstar's personality, and Sherman's depiction of faces. All of these are great observations.

For me, it's difficult to separate my current thoughts on this story from my initial feelings toward it. I was so disappointed when Grell left and was replaced by Sherman, whose work is very different and, as inked by Jack Abel, somewhat reminiscent of Win Mortimer's work in the late Adventure and Action runs. (As I recall, Abel also inked Mortimer's Legion work, hence the similarities.)

The change in artists is crucial; Sherman became a dynamic artist, but he wasn't there yet. Some of his figures appear awkward, and what's with the green space backgrounds? Was he too lazy to draw stars? As inked by Bob Wiacek in 225, Sherman's art was breathtaking in places; here, the pairing with Abel results in cartoonish and mundane images. Even the action scenes lack excitement.

As for the story itself, there is a lot I like and a lot I don't. Among the likes, Wildfire shows he's a resourceful leader by bringing in Dawny, and he doesn't mind stepping on his fellow Legionnaires' toes to get things done. His abrasiveness generates much needed conflict on a team where everyone has generally been too buddy-buddy.

It also seems quite believable that the Legionnaires would resent being upstaged by a "16-year-old 'expert'" (even though each Legionnaire was roughly the same age when he or she joined). Their catty comments recall how mean they were toward applicants during the Adventure run; it's about time someone gave them their comeuppance.

Dawnstar is both a like and a dislike for me. She is certainly established as a formidable tracker and warrior who engages in a fight that is not her own. She endures the insults and quietly does her job, seeing many things the Legionnaires do not. (My favorite scene consists of Superboy and Sun Boy colliding with the walls of the optical illusion while Dawny calmly strolls down the middle.)

Yet whereas Cramey saw subtle hints of her personality, I thought she came off as a flat character. We learn nothing about her background or what she wants. Like a typical Silver Age hero, she's devoted to eradicating evil wherever it flourishes--but we don't know why. Surely the Legion must have encountered some powered youths who didn't give a whit about evil.

Because we know so little about Dawnstar, her tears at being offered membership do indeed come from nowhere. Until now, she had not reacted to the Legionnaires at all; for all we know, she may have thought they were a bunch of jerks (which they were).

The Resource Raiders are just there to further the plot. They are not interesting villains, and their "leader" is simply a giant brain globe with eyes. I too wondered if he/she/it had been boiled alive.

The main aspect I disliked was that the story was too short to do it justice. Levitz crammed a lot of plot into 11 pages, but more room might have allowed us to get to know Dawny better and to care about her as an individual. In spite of her not-so-dazzling debut, I felt it was more Wildfire's story than hers.

226/Five Against One

This is what happens when a story line changes writers in mid stream. Out goes the idea of Stargrave being Brainiac 5's father and in comes a new twist: Stargrave is actually the original Brainiac.

That's really the whole purpose of this short back up: to discard the original direction laid out by Shooter and introduce a new one by Levitz. It's almost like someone has come into a half-painted room and decided upon a different color scheme. The problem is that, as a reader who saw the original color scheme, I liked it much better.

I'm not sure what purpose changing Starfinger's identity serves. If anything, it diminishes the story. Believing that Starfinger was his father, Brainy was torn between two worlds, and the Legionnaires had a believable purpose in wanting to track down Brainy and bring him back. But the Brainiac One revelation removes all of that personal connection and sends Brainy on a mission to murder Starfinger for no clear reason.

Sure, there is a very tenuous connection with Brainy's old shame over the criminal deeds of his long-ago ancestor. However, this motivation hadn't been mentioned since roughly Brainy's first appearance. Also, it makes no sense for Brainy to want to kill Brainiac One--as opposed to simply stopping him. The whole emotional context is lost.

Also, since Brainiac One was an android, would killing him truly qualify as murder?

As Cramey points out, the rest of the story is a fairly average quest type of story, though it's nice to see Brainy in an action role as opposed to simply playing scientist/doctor. There's a nice reference to him being trained by Val Armorr.

Another nice (and perhaps unintentional) touch is that when Brainy confronts the mad illusion of himself, it evokes Nardo's brainwashing technique from Adventure 344-45. (It also foreshadow's Brainy's eventual madness.)

Final thought: Did I miss something? To what does the title refer? There appear to be at least seven Legionnaires watching the video and pledging to go after Brainy. Or do "five" and "one" refer to something else?

Agree 100%! Why murder him? And it could have been a phenomenal story if Stargrave were his father. Perhaps the emotional impact of such a story would have been beyond the scope of Levitz' early writing (and the Comics Code). I'd like to see it handled today by a competent writer.



Brainiac 5 would know that Brainiac 1 was an android, but the other Legionnaires might not? The readers would know this as well. Possibly there could be laws against killing androids. It's not clear - maybe the issue will be addressed at the time of the confrontation, or ignored.



Re: Five against One -I believe the five were the five barriers set up by the Star Stone against one Brainiac 5; it's also a bit of a clue, Brainiac 5 versus Brainiac 1. (The last one just occurred to me as I was thinking about your question. Clever Mr. Levitz!)

I totally missed the call-back to the Nardo story, another evocation of the Adventure era. Interesting how many there are in this first Levitz run!

(Edit to fix the quotes, darn brackets)

The change in artists is crucial; Sherman became a dynamic artist, but he wasn't there yet. Some of his figures appear awkward, and what's with the green space backgrounds? Was he too lazy to draw stars? As inked by Bob Wiacek in 225, Sherman's art was breathtaking in places; here, the pairing with Abel results in cartoonish and mundane images. Even the action scenes lack excitement.[/quote]

He's quite a change from Grell, that's for sure. In The Legion Companion, Sherman acknowledges that he only hit his stride later in his Legion run and that Jack Abel was his favourite inker - but maybe that came later too.



It's almost like a coup d'état, Wildfire is such a different style of leader. It does generate conflict, although I eventually found there to be too much focus on his abrasiveness to the detriment of his other characteristics.



I wonder how much of Dawnstar's history and personality was mapped out from the start, or if it evolved over time.



An interesting perspective. Although he's not much featured in the action, the story is driven by Wildfire's choices and attitude.

A further comment on the Resource Raiders: yesterday I was discussing with someone the usual financial shenanigans and growing repression of the banksters, and it occurred to me that the Raiders represented what's going on today throughout the globe: corporate entities grabbing resources, which they control and sell back to us debt slaves. Okay, that's my lefty moment for the day, but I found the similarities interesting.
[/quote]

Ah, so that's the meaning of "Five Against One"--and a double meaning, at that! Kudos for noticing, Cramey!

Since Brainiac One was as much a part of history as Superman, it's hard to believe the Legionnaires wouldn't know he was an android, or that Brainy would have any reason for keeping the truth from them.

Also, Brainy's a smart guy--so why would he decide to go off and murder someone and TELL HIS LEGION TEAMMATES ABOUT IT . . . knowing they would plan to stop him?

Perhaps this, too, is addressed in the next issue (I don't recall if it was or not), but right now it makes no sense that not even the Legionnaires would question it.

On the Resource Raiders: I like the concept behind the villains, and their modus operandi certainly remains timely today. It's not necessarily a criticism to say they were just there to further the plot. With Dawny and Wildfire serving as the focus of this short story, it's understandable that less attention was paid to the villains.

You'd think so! I do find that hard to explain, especially since Brainy did openly acknowledge his evil ancestor back in the Adventure days. The Legionnaires could have gone off to help Brainy, fearing the android would defeat him, but that's less dramatic and makes our resident genius look weaker.



A cry for help? He's already started to go mad?