Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-Reading the Legion: Archives Volume 16

With Fat Cramer's blessing, it's time to kick off a new thread for our new archive! Here we'll be continuing our historical reading of the Legion with this fictional sixteenth archive volume, containing:

Legion of Super-Heroes, v2 #260-#272
Superstar Holiday Special

And perhaps, if the chronology checklist I'm referencing is right, Secrets of the Legion #1-#3? Let's find out!

#260 Come to the Circus – And Die! By Gerry Conway, art by Joe Staton & John Calnan, colours Gene D'Angelo, letters Milt Snapinn



A third circus performer dies before his fellow performers, disintegrated when he opened a package. They conclude that there must be a murderer among them.

On Earth, Legionnaires watch some of their teammates leave with R.J. Brande to help recreate his fortune. Wildfire is morose that no one will help the Legion rebuild, but Brainiac 5 gives a peptalk and Wildfire's spirit - and that of the others – revives.

A government rep, Pheng of the Department of Culture, approaches them with a mission to help Ringmaster Goodman Gissark of the Barley Carnival to find a murderer. The meeting is interrupted by a robot shuttle gone awry, which is dealt with by the Legionnaires.

Pheng explains that the circus is a visiting cultural delegation from the Cygnus System. Brainy gives a history lesson on cultural exchanges as a prelude to negotiations.

Leader Lightning Lad comes up with a plan and we next see the Legionnaires as disguised members of the circus troupe, participating in the freak show, the strong man performance, fortune telling, magic tricks and acrobatics.

Suddenly a Jovian Attack Squid breaks loose and attacks its trainer. Tinya deals with it; as the beast collapses, she observes a dart in the creature which had delivered chemical agents to drive the Squid mad.

Brainy reviews three murder suspects with some of the team members. The discussion is interrupted by a cry from the main tent, where Timber Wolf is performing acrobatics. The equipment has malfunctioned, but Brin manages to land safely amid great applause. One of the suspects is seen fleeing, so the Legionnaires conclude that he's the murderer and capture him. Brainy, however, has doubts that this is the culprit.

Comments:

Really, this wasn't as bad as I'd remembered, but it was pretty bad. Nothing much happens. People are murdered, but we have no investment in these characters. The final reveal that the real murderer is still at large isn't a big surprise, since arresting the wrong guy is such a common device. Why did Inik run? We don't really care. The computer selected three suspects based on intelligence and the fact that they couldn't be accounted for at the time of the killings: no consideration of possible motive is given. It would only have taken a few extra sentences to mention a grudge, a debt, blackmail, mental instability, something to point to a motive.

The robot shuttle incident takes up several pages and doesn't add to the story. The Legionnaires do get to show off their powers; it could have been targeting Ringmaster Gissark, but this isn't clear. A crashing robot shuttle would have taken out a lot more than one person.

The idea of a freak show in a galaxy full of alien sentients is absurd, if not embarrassing. Fortune telling, sawing women in half, wild Squid tamer – circuses have fallen out of favour today, largely due to their treatment of animals, but it's hard to imagine this sort of show entertaining the population of the future.

Mon-el is quick to judge the fleeing Imik as guilty, even calling him a murdering monster. This may be to set up the fact that the real killer is loose and the Legionnaires have let their guard down, but it grates to read that sort of comment from a “hero”.

Brainy seems off, personality-wise. Too cheerful. Maybe he's on some post-insanity medication.

There were some redeeming points:

* The splash page featuring Timber Wolf landing on his feet, falling from a great height
* The Jovian Attack Squid
* Lightning Lad asserting his authority as leader (with help from Brainy or Mon-el)
* A reminder of the various cultural exchanges between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. in the 1960s and '70s, which sometimes produced thrilling defections and even got a reference in Flanders & Swan's “Glorious Mud”
* Mention of the Cygnus System, which IIRC we never heard of again
* Tinya's performance, from her teasing Brainiac 5 to capturing the Jovian Attack Squid
* Confirmation that the Legionnaires were true to their word as a team left with R.J. Brande to help rebuild his fortune, in a cool looking ship called "Star Maker"
* Secretary Pheng is a monk-like Oriental; a stereotype, but it reminds us that Earth has a global government.

Further comments on this issue may be found in the Gerry Conway thread. It also merited a thread, I STILL haven't read “Space Circus”, in which people post that they have or haven't read the story, a must for scholars of the Space Circus issues.

Thanks for the covers Future. I love that front cover with them racing out of the circle and Dr. Mayavale is a must to be featured on the back!

#261 Space Circus of Death! By Gerry Conway, art by Ric Estrada & John Calnan, colours Gene D'Angelo, letters Todd Klein



Imik, the murder suspect, is electrocuted by a brain scanner administered to prove his guilt. The Legionnaires turn their attention to the other two suspects, but the murderer strikes again. He describes himself as a patriot and his victim – one of the suspects – recognizes him. The victim's death cry alerts the Legionnaires and Timber Wolf pursues the masked murderer. Brin is distracted by a dangerous Venusian Night Shark. Star Boy and Projectra fail to bring down the beast but Phantom Girl shocks it by passing through its brain and solidifying slightly.

Ringmaster Gissark informs the Legionnaires that his circus must leave Earth's solar system due to the danger, even if it means war from this failure of cultural exchange. He, as one of human descent as opposed to native Cygnian, wishes he could help find the murderer. The Legionnaires decide to accompany the circus as it leaves the solar system.

Although one of the original suspects remains, Brainiac 5 thinks someone else may be guilty. Mon-el and Star Boy follow the last original suspect, only to have him murdered by a bomb and they themselves knocked out. Brainy claims that he expected the murderer to attack the Legionnaires and thereby start a war between the U.P. and the Cygnus Confederation, but not this soon. The Circus caravan begins to prepare a hyperspace jump and the Legionnaires just barely grab onto the hyperspace field to follow. They are only protected from this exceedingly disorienting journey by Projectra's illusion of familiar reality.

On Cygnus IV, Gissark attacks them and is subdued by Phantom Girl. He confesses that he wanted to start a war so that Earth would destroy the native race on Cygnus and leave it to the human settlers. He tries to escape and runs, only to find that this is simply an illusion and he is hurled into the madness of hyperspace.

The Legionnaires decide to go home.


Comments:

First off, I am struck by how much more dynamic the Legionnaires look on the Archive cover that Future prepared, without all the extraneous background of this cover.

Phantom Girl rocks! She defeats another gigantic wild beast AND the murdering villain. She's a one-girl Legion!

It's inconceivable that Mon-el would be knocked unconscious by an explosion which didn't destroy everything around him.

Brainy plays his cards close to his chest: because he likes to keep information to himself or he's not entirely confident with his deductions? It doesn't help his fellow Legionnaires to be kept in the dark.

The travel through hyperspace without a ship is hard to swallow. Is hyperspace like the time stream? I can't quite get my head around Projectra's illusion that instead of being in hyperspace, everyone is on Cygnus IV. She does say that she's having trouble maintaining it - and it does fool the reader for a couple of panels - but it's challenging to imagine an illusion as strong and all-encompassing as this one.

The Legionnaires may not have foreseen Gissark's leap into hyperspace, but they're rather cavalier about his fate. The story ends so abruptly, I was looking for an Epilogue page.

The reason for the murders – to involve Earth in a war of genocide – is interesting. It's a big and deadly motive, Earth history isn't exactly a stranger to genocide and the Legionnaires accept it as a valid motive. Valid, in the sense that it's reprehensible, but nobody is calling Gissark insane.

Could it have worked? Is there something in the untold history of the millenium between our age and the 30th century? It's speculation like this that saves the story. That, and Tinya's kickass performance....

Legion of Superheroes #260-261

So it's with great embarrassment that I admit that after being delayed for a long while due to travel, when I finally got around to reading the space circus two parter, I learned some surprising news: I don't own part 2, LSH #261! I didn't realize it was a hole in the collection, and what that really means is that I've almost certainly never read it before! I'll rectify that soon when my never ending work travel stops, but alas, I'm on the road again this week in Delray Beach, Florida. (I wish I had higher expectations for this lost treasure; some readers have never read Earth War before...I'm stuck with part 2 of the Space Circus story).

In regards to my reaction to part 1, I think FC summed it up pretty good: it's pretty run of the mill, but it is no where near as bad as I remembered or thought it would be. Conway gets such a bad rap, that it's clearly become the norm to refer to his run with immense exaggeration and hyperbole. All in all, this story was pretty decent, with a coherent plot. Additionally, many Legionnaires get a chance to shine and do something, and Conway always seems to have a strong handle on where things are going with various subplots and other characters.

That being said, it's hard not to admit that the story itself is pretty dull. There isn't much tension or drama all issue long. And the concept of a circus 1,000 years in the future falls flat; it probably could have been interesting but it fell so far short, and made so many obvious mistakes, that I don't even want to think of the dozens of ways the concept could be utilized.

It's also noteworthy that this is a classic "Gerry Conway plot". Conway's work at Marvel is peppered with 2-part mysteries, that always leave the hero mislead at the end of part 1, as the reader tried to piece together clues. He wrote many of these very effectively for Spider-Man, usually between the tentpole, bigger stories. (Examples: the Vulture story in 127-128, Mysterio in 140-141, etc). From a purely plot structure viewpoint, Conway was usually very good.

So, a mixed bag at best, but between Tinya's scene, Garth being a leader, etc, it's easy to enjoy the issue. I really want to read the Tinya scenes in part 2!

In reading FC's comments on part 2, I have to say that Gissark's motive is really interesting! It's very similar to historical scenarios in Roman history and even American Colonists / Native American history.

Special thanks for FC for posting the links to the older threads. When I read the comment on the "I still haven't..." I actually laughed out loud. Then ironically, I learned that I actually also now fall into the category of still not reading the whole thing!

Lastly, as usual, Future has outdone himself on the awesome fictional covers to the Archives! Just perfection.

Legion 260

Right. I’ll just sneak quietly in, while no one is looking. Not making a noise, it’ll be like I never left…OH SOD! IT’S THE NASSIN’ SPACE CIRCUS ISSUES! I fear my cover has been blown…

“There is a murderer among us” says the Ringmaster, after the surviving troupe members kindly introduce themselves on the opening panels. That’s quite a deduction, this early on. My credits were on the post man who delivered the disintegrating microwave oven. I guess he’s had time to read more mystery novels than I have.

This is the issue that introduces the Bacaro Bailey sideshow satellite. Could our own Legion World be a combination of the fun here and the dedicated heroism of the Postboot Legion World? (With the inbuilt hotness of Brande’s World obviously)

Will Bacaro Bailey show up to reclaim it from Bacaro Barley, which is the way his name is spelled for the rest of the book?

Conway gives us a quick recap on recent events, and a well done big split of the team, while Staton shows that lots of artists can do Wildfire visor effects. They get quite carried away with themselves, with a group hug. But that’s because they have to stand around until the plot arrives.

It arrives along with another murder attempt. There’s a leadership squabble that the last run of Levitz would be proud of. Conway familiarises new readers with the Legion’s powers by giving them all some debris to contend with. That’s fine, but that’s eight Legionnaires across a whole two and a half pages. It comes across as a bit padded and gets in the way of the story.

The Legion is called in to investigate the murder attempts. Does Conway feel he has to explain to us that the circus is a cultural delegation, in case we don’t believe it? Or is it a nod to the newspaper that the story comes from? Right above the ad for the Circus coming to town.

Jeckie, who should have been one of the last to object, tells Brainy “Surely you’re not serious? The idea’s absurd.” Knowing that Jeckie has seen him dress up as Supergirl, but with his recent madness still in recent memory, he has to play it cool. But how did she know he called himself Shirley?

“She founded our carnival, old Grandmother Barley… and it’s kept her name for the past two centuries…” Someone should tell him about the spelling mistake.

It’s a bit odd to see a sideshow in what I take to be a future of embraced diversity. On the plus side, the story starts to get going. With a few alterations, this could have followed on from the introductory threat. Staton makes the beings in the sideshow stand out well visually. But the whole thing seems like an anachronism.


The Legion are posing as carnival employees. I hope that the money they make goes to the real employees whose places they are taking. Gates would have a fit.

I really, really think it’s a bad idea to let your resident madman wear a cloak and give him a Saw.

The Jovian attack Squid is a real highlight, and it’s no wonder it makes the cover. Having Tinya be the one to subdue it makes a nice change. It’s not all about punching things into submission. Tinya now believes that there’s mischief afoot.

Which leads nicely into the next scene where the legion try and do some investigating. Like so many Batman comics, there’s not actual detective work in sight. Their Plott Computer narrows it all down to three likely offenders. Which, anyone whose watched enough detective shows means that there’s enough red herrings in there to open a fishmongers with.

Timberwolf gets a lovely page to show off what makes him a unique Legionnaire. “It is less a sentence of death than a challenge to live.” Very nice. He also has a flight ring, mind you. Brin escapes an attempt on his life, and the Legion think they’ve captured the killer.

Oddly, it’s Brainy whose intuition is telling him that it’s all a little too easy. This is Brainy, whose firm grasp on politics gives us “Political radicals are notoriously illogical.” Earlier in the issue.


Legion 261

Crumbs! Even the Orwellian mind control equipment can’t be relied on! The Legion lose a suspect as their device malfunctions and electrocutes the poor chap. They have to feel a bit guilty about that, surely? Yes, he ran away from the scene of a murder attempt. But he was in the same panel as super powered people shouting “And there’s the would be killer…”

Something else else must have fired Tinya’s head too, as Jeckie has to explain the plot to her again. Brainy thinks the real murderer has technical knowledge. They also have knowledge of how to dress up like Black Panther. Unlike the Panther, they carry one of the un-sneakiest gins in comic history. The scream of the person who runs into the murderer is a lot shorter than the huge noise of firing the gun.

So that’s two of our three suspects killed. How did the Ringmaster know to sabotage the mind scanner? Has he sabotaged every other device in the circus too?

More Timberwolf love this issue. We’re seeing some of his good attributes here, and some of his flaws in a sympathetic light. He catches the gunman, but only by entering the cage of the Venusian Night Shark.

Also more Tinya love. She expands her powers, disrupting a creature by altering her phase through it. I wonder if she’s been keeping in touch with Cockrum creation Nightcrawler over on the X-Men.

Timberwolf is stunned by his encounter with the creature. I was thinking that he might have pulled away the killer’s mask, making his unconsciousness tie in with the plot. Poor Star Boy. He got thumped by the creature too. But no one noticed and he just has to get back up and try and shoehorn in another plot summary.

Our killer reveals himself fully, when the Ringmaster (also known as Bacard Barley this issue giving him enough IDs to be a Carggian) gives the game away about programming the Plott computer from last issue. That ties in with Brainy’s suspicions about the killer having technical knowledge. In a nice bit of dialogue, the Ringmaster misunderstands Brainy’s question about the computer.

The thing is, that Brainy knows what’s going on. But rather than stop it there, he allows the Ringmaster to kill the last of the three suspects. There’s no additional knowledge gained by this murder. Nothing further is revealed by the death, and the Ringmaster doesn’t reveal himself. It’s one thing to portray a character as super intelligent. But if he’s just a device to move the mystery along, he can come across as super aloof and super inhuman.

Star Boy is injured in the explosion that kills the third suspect. But there’s no time for anyone to notice (poor Star Boy) as the team are swept up towards hyperspace as the Circus departs. If it gets home, and gets to tell what a nasty time it had visiting Earth, there will be war. It is a different info dump than Jeckie’s earlier in the tale, highlighting different problems should their mission fail.

For something like going into hyperspace without a spacecraft, you’re really looking at a Superboy or Mon-El class of character. Mon El is even there. But Conway gives Timberwolf another spotlight. In fairness, Conway has highlighted Brin’s super reflexes earlier in the tale. There may also have been scope to show the strain on a body that [i]isn’t[i] as resilient as other Legionnaires. But that’s only hinted at visually. This one could have been shared with someone else in the team.

Rather than get home safely the Ringmaster reveals himself by attempting to kill the Legion in hyperspace. Could he have waited until he got home to blame the Legion? Could he have found another way of getting rid of them, like blowing away the ship they were attached to?

If he had, we wouldn’t have seen Princess Projectra getting a very interesting use of her power. We see her face concentrate and there’s a great close up of the strain before reality warps around, not just the Legion, but everyone in the vicinity, including the Ringmaster. It’s so effective, that it dooms the villain when he believes he’s no longer travelling through hyperspace outside his ship. It’s Tinya who subdues him so we can hear the reasons behind his scheme. If Tinya hadn’t got him, Brin was right there.

So, it’s clear that Conway has some favourites in this story. It will be interesting to see if this continues (or has been in recent issues) or if he just rotates through the cast, giving everyone lots of panel time in turn.

In summary:-

With the sideshows and the better mind control through science, the Legion’s future is a warped funhouse mirror reflection of the changing face of what we consider an acceptable utopian dream to be.

The germ of the plot is decent. An unorthodox diplomatic mission is a cover for murder to set up a war. The irony of a diplomat looking to start a war because the people he’s representing were so undiplomatic to his family is also a good twist. We’ve also seen that a lot of huge wars are set up on the flimsiest of pretences.

Tinya, Brin and Jeckie get a lot of attention in the story. A few of the others get to use their powers but not a great deal more. Estrada and Staton both bring some nice panels to the book. Estrada seemed keener on cheesecake in the second part.

On the downside, the actual mystery stumbled through a few standard mystery hurdles. In the end, the villain might have got away had he stayed on his ship. Brainy’s characterisation reminds me of him during his insanity a lot more than it does when he’s a part of the team.

One suspects brought attention on himself, and all were bumped off without really having a part to play in the story.

Leaving on a positive, Jovian Attack Squids continue to be great and I’m sure with a bit more exercise out of a cage (Bad Future People!) the Venusian Night Shark would also have looked great too.

Welcome back, thoth. I've missed your reviews.

#262 The Planet that Captured the Legion by Gerry Conway, art by Jim Sherman, colours Gene D'Angelo, letters Ben Oda



Legionnaires Light Lass, Ultra Boy, Shadow Lass, Wildfire, Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl rebuild their headquarters, with some problems and a few laughs. Shady counsels Wildfire to think happy thoughts, Garth worries about the teams away on missions.

Aboard R.J. Brande's ship, Dream Girl, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Violet, Karate Kid and Chameleon Boy celebrate the creation of a new star for a dying world. R.J. reflects that this ship of his Great Great Grandfather's is a wonderful craft and they proceed to their next project, shepherding a star to a new location. However, when they arrive, the planetary system has been demolished. They find one survivor and Cham, changing form to match this being, asks him what happened. The survivor mumbles that it was pirates, now heading galactic south. R.J. and the Legionnaires leave the star and head after the pirates.

As they leave the Milky Way, they encounter pirate ships, firing cannonballs, and are boarded by men dressed as 18th century pirates who have no need of space suits. Dream Girl foresees an explosion, moments before it happens. The Legionnaires awake in their underwear, are decontaminated and permitted to dress as robots announce they are to meet The Engineer.

The Engineer, however, turns out to be a corpse, dead for 253 years. Cham checks a computer and discovers records indicating that the Engineer designed this planetoid and its robot servants three centuries earlier in order to live alone, entertained by androids acting out Earth history and fantasy. Programmed for escalate the entertainment, the planetoid destroyed planets and had now captured the Legionnaires as the latest amusement.

Colossal Boy “breaks out” and is immediately felled by the planetoid's defense system. Chameleon Boy takes a wiser approach, impersonating The Engineer and ordering the planetoid to end. As the Legionnaires and Brande depart into space, the planetoid explodes. R.J. closes the story with a philosophical moment.

Comments:

Legionnaires attacked by robots/androids is pretty standard fare, but this story has quite a few outstanding elements.

We get a quick update on the three Legion teams' activities via leader Garth's voiced concerns. It's a rational and tidy method to recap previous issues and keep the reader in the loop. Garth is a real worrier, but he stays balanced as long as Imra is around to calm him.

No Miracle Machine anymore, but that doesn't stop the Legion from rebuilding its own HQ, wall by wall. The light-hearted scene between Ayla and Jo as they share a teasing kiss is charming and it looks like Shady is trying to patch things up with Wildfire.

The Brande star-making enterprise brings some harder sci fi to the book than we've previously seen, with explanations of how to express direction in space, star and planet formation, gravity wells.

R.J. Brande is further developed as a character, given a family history (which was later discarded) and is presented as the big picture man, with a very long term view of the cycle of life and death. Despite their history of adventures, the Legionnaires are evidently thrilled to participate in this star creation enterprise.

Chameleon Boy is yet again the hero who saves the mission with his logical thinking.

Colossal Boy and Violet are drawn next to one another in several scenes. There's no overt expression of Gim's love for Salu, but the way they're drawn suggests a physical closeness.

This may be the first issue in Legion history to show nearly-unclothed Legionnaires as a group together. That may have pushed the limits of the Comics Code at the time (1980). It suggests a future in which men and women are comfortable with nudity and I can't help but think it might have been a bit of a big deal back then.

Good to see you here, Thoth. Who can resist a space circus?

LSH #262

LSH #262 was a surprise to me, and that is because I actually ended up liking it a lot! A done-in-one issue, I thought it had a fantastic sci-fi plot that was interesting and complex. And while the individual 6 Legionnaires didn't get a lot of characterization, I felt the issue allowed the setting of the LSH itself to shine: the 31st century, the United Planets and the hard science fiction trimmings that have made the series endure.

All of this is greatly helped by an artist I've come to really love, Jim Sherman. Reaching back into my memory, I'm almost sure I read this story first, long before I ever read the earlier Sherman issues, and that meant I probably disliked it, as I'd yet to warm to his art. But overtime I've done to really appreciate his artwork: the layouts, the cartoony faces, the heavy shadowing in places, and seeing his art here was a welcome surprise which I liked more and more each page. Sherman's art on top of a Conway plot felt like a good combination for each to bring out the good qualities in the other. I'd love to have seen them do more together.

One thing I have to mention is that I cannot believe--am stunned actually--that we on Legion World don't have 20 threads devoted to speculation about a Jo / Tinya and Ayla / Brin swingers topic! The opening sequence was certainly *interesting* for lack of a better word. On the one hand, it was meant to be sweet and a show of heartwarming friendship, albeit with some flirty playfulness. But it felt like it went a bit over the top especially with Jo and Ayla full on kissing, as on the reflection of Wildfire's helmet, while other Legionnaires look on and laugh it off (even commenting about Tinya and Brin not minding). Sherman's style made it feel sexy but innocent, yet perhaps verging on being sexy and deliciously wrong.

(To gear up for the swingers thread: did this inspire the three boot off panel hook up between Ayla and Jo? Following this issue, did they do a little swapping later and loner Brin couldn't emotionally accept it, then under performed or ran out, prompting Tinya to call him icky on the later Levitz run? Did Jo and Tinya swing again? With Shady and Mon? Surely Ayla was as free loving as it got, with her always naked Winnath upbringing? Okay, I'll stop. For now.)

Was this the greatest LSH story? Certainly not. But this kind of offbeat, well done stories are ones that I enjoy, and I don't mind when titles veer off like this, and specially when it's a reflection of the larger tone of the series. Batman should have offbeat detective mystery, Hawkman should have pulpy historical adventures and the LSH should have some high concept sci-fi. With continued low expectations of this era, I've been hoping for a few forgotten gems and I think 262 qualifies.

And one day you may get one, instead of my as-I-read ramblings HWW



Not me Cramer. I can just eat this candy floss* all...another issue up? Jillikers!

...and thanks!

*thoth would like to point out that he eats candy floss like a normal person and not like sociopath Jan Arrah does.

Legion 262

In the last story there was an early scene where the Legion reviewed their recent misfortunes, but resolved to build anew. They then ruined it by having an embarrassing group hug. The first scene in this issue, continues that subplot. The team are rebuilding their HQ.

They have no benefactor, and Brainy hasn’t learned to assemble one from scratch yet. So they have to build it themselves. And they benefit from having to go through each painful step. They reaffirm their bond to each other and the team.

Conway continues with his interesting take on individuals. Here he show how Ultra Boy powers work when the task he’s undertaking requires two of them. He has the strength to hold up the wall, but not the invulnerability to avoid feeling the effects. It’s a very good touch that would get used in the later Levitz run.

As Sherman continues with the visual theme of having reflections in Wildfire’s visor, we see two Legionnaires laugh and have fun. It is odd looking. There’s no romance. There’s no tension. No super villain interrupts and neither of them is an impostor. Just having fun in a funny book. As weird as it looks, good on Conway for showing us another side to their lives.

“People get what they want out of life. If you want pain, you’ll get pain. And if you want happy… you’ll get happy.” It’s a nice sentiment to show the change in the Legion’s outlook. They might never get what they want, but it’s still worth aspiring towards.

I’ll leave whether this has any basis in reality to one side and go to the next panel

Lightning Lad smiles too… for a moment. Then we get some foreshadowing on the leadership and personal issues he’ll face later on. We get a nice reminder of what the rest of the team are up to, in the days before holographic mission monitor boards.

We then get a glimpse of what made RJ Brande his fortune. Star Birthing. He not only creates the stars, but is able to transport them across the galaxy to the systems where they’re needed. This is sci-fi on a huge scale.

There’s an interesting reveal that he’s using his great, great grandfather’s ship to create the stars. That’s a subplot I’m not sure got much further. Brande has changed in appearance and method in previous appearances, as his character became more rounded. This is before secrets of the Legion(?), where more would be shown.

We get into the action/adventure part of the book as Brande’s customers for his new star are annihilated. Again, it’s on a massive scale, but that doesn’t stop Brande taking it on an all too personal level. He gets the team to cut loose his star, so they can find the perpetrators. Rumour has it that the suddenly adrift star came as a bit of a surprise to nearby inhabited systems. Not to mention that everyone’s star charts were immediately out of date.

Violet is a bit creeped out at Cham’s change to talk to a survivor. Her powers allow her to physically change size, and she’s seen him do it often. But there’s still something that bothers her. That’s sentients for you.

Last issue we had a space circus. When I was typing away about how out of place it was, I was thinking that it was right up there with sailing ships in space. I’ve seen them in some sci fi stories and I’ve never taken to them. Lo and behold, in the very next issue, we have pirate ships.

We get a bit of action, as the team fight off the pirates. It starts with the obligatory leadership scuffle, and ends in an explosion. One foreseen by Dreamy, but annoyingly not in enough time for anyone to do anything about it.

The Legion wake up naked on an examination table. They’re so naked that a bit of artistic colouring is needed to pretend otherwise. An example of Sherman's mature art style having outgrown the comics code.

Freeing themselves, they find that they are in the Disneyland… of Space. Sherman even goes to the trouble of giving an attendant a certain mouse like appearance. The Engineer lies dead at the heart of his complex, the computers running entertainments regardless. I wonder if this was written around the time Alien was in the cinemas. The Engineer’s entertainments send android pirates and others out to interact, and destroy, inhabited systems.

There’s a quick solution to the android hordes. Cham impersonates the Engineer. With the machines shut down, the team arrange for the whole miniature world to self-destruct. Which is a shame as I’m sure the place and its androids could have been put to a better use. Brande takes the long view regarding the atomised mini world, tying up the story with a nod to the star birthing that started it.

Summary:-
With the team split, Conway can move between substantial sub plots. That can be used to alter the pacing of the story. It’s fairly late in this issue before we get to the incident that starts the real plot, for example. If the solution to the real plot is fairly straightforward, as it was here, it allows Conway to adjust the number of panels he can use on one of the other teams. It gives him a bit of space to work with.

And I liked that straightforward ending. Conway sets it up by having Cham impersonate one of the survivors of the androids’ devastation. He adjusts his voice accordingly. It’s essentially the same skill that he uses in the end, including the voice switch.

The writer roots his stories in the everyday. Last time out it was a circus, here’s it’s a theme park. Somewhere there’s an issue with a subway. Personally, I don’t think the everyday is masked well enough by the sci fi to make it work. But the sci fi he uses here is excellent, with a lot more than we normally see of RJ’s business.

Conway also gives us another take on someone’s powers. These stand up very well. Here it’s Ultra Boy and Chameleon Boy. Even better, they don’t hog the limelight quite as much as Timberwolf did last time out. By moving across teams, it does prevent any pet favourites being forced on the readers every issue.

l liked the downbeat ending. There has been slaughter, but it’s preprogramed. There’s no person to bring to account. Destroying the android world is as close as they get, but there’s no satisfaction in it. The only beneficiary is possibly a civilisation born from a new star aeons in the future. That reminds me that the other character focus this issue is definitely RJ Brande. We not only get his sense of purpose, but his vision and his morals too. It’s never preachy or overdone.

Finally, another huge plus is Sherman’s art. It’s just all so well drawn and in a depth that brings out the Legionverse in every scene. The technology, the aliens and the Legionnaires look great.

Your comments on the downbeat ending being are well said. I also like that choice, which for the LSH so far is somewhat unusual.

Your commentary on the team split too is right on. Conway clearly has a real handle here on how he wants to split the team and how it will allow him to tell certain kinds of stories.

(And welcome back! Lots of good commentary, as usual!)

Catchign up on COmments

From 260/261:-

That would have made a big difference to the plot. It could also have, without taking up extra space, provided a reason why one ran away and the other was out snooping when they ran into the real murderer.

Glad to see I wasn't alone in thinking that the side show was a bit off, as was Brainy and that the Legion seemed a bit reckless with other people's lives.

From 262

Good catch. As was the Wildfire Shady patch up.




Don't look at me. I'm still shocked at Jim Shooter's character appraisals. That and being chairman on the Victorian Purity Society (formerly Movement and Drive but changed as those are dirty words) is keeping me busy.

I took it as being a little much partly because it's such an offbeat moment, so as a reader it seemed a little odd. Also as it's supposed to be them playing a game, showing us their youth, which in all the destruction doesn't get much attention.

But Jo and Ayla? Hmmmm... if only I had a thread or twenty to speculate on...

and thanks for the kind words Cobie!
and super work on the cover Future!

Let's just say that, as I was 16 when this issue came out, that's what I remembered most about it.



Alien came out in '79, so it fits the timeline. However, I remember thinking that this plot development reminded me of a similar one from the TV series Logan's Run. Of course, the idea of human creations continuing to operate without them is an old one. Star Trek used it a time or two, and Ray Bradbury built a memorable short story, "There Will Come Soft Rains" (1950), around it.

The "downbeat ending", as Thoth observes, is a good one; sometimes there's no bad guy to arrest. It does have more weight with R.J.'s closing speech and admonishing Rokk that anger serves no purpose. R.J. the elder statesman, the one with more life experience - it's a good portrayal of this character, who pages earlier, put philosophy aside for sound business sense (nobody kills my clients and gets away with it).

I haven't gone over the previous issues, but have the impression that a lot of them end with this sort of summing-up life lesson.

Re: Cobie's swinger thread (fantasy? :)) - surely there must be a thread somewhere on this... at least, we can keep our eyes open in future issues to hints of off-panel swings.

When I was doing the review I was also thinking of the Extremists and Wacky World.



I'll take a look when I get round to review them, and it gives us something else to watch for in the issues to come. When we're not looking out for swingers that is.

#263 Day of Judgment by Gerry Conway, art by Jimmy Janes &Dave Hunt, colours Gene D'Angelo, letters Ben Oda



Five people stand before the new Legion HQ. We learn, in the next few panels that they are Chameleon Boy's mother (Ji), Ultra Boy's parents (Crav and Mytra) Shadow Lass's mother (Tarnia Tolarn) and Violet's father (Arn). As they enter the HQ, they are attacked by a costumed man announcing himself as Dagon the Avenger, who fires anaesthetic darts at the Nahs. Ji turns into a large fanged cat and attacks but fails; Arn shrinks down and fires a weapon provided by the Legion, which also fails to fell the villain. Powerless Tarnia hides, attempts to call for help and activate a defensive shield, but these also fail to stop Dagon. She physically attacks him, meriting a nod of admiration from Dagon that it's not just fathers who teach children to fight, and leaves her belt on her daughter's statue. Then she, too, is brought down by Dagon.

Legionnaires Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Light Lass, Wildfire and Tyroc arrive back at HQ after responding to a fake emergency call.

Garth sees that the alarm system is dead, Imra scans but finds no intruders. Tyroc notices that Shady's statue is damaged and Shady finds her mother's belt. The Legionnaires verify that her mother did leave Talok for Earth, but Shady has no idea why. Tyroc comforts her as Ayla discovers that other Legion parents travelled to Earth and others are missing. Someone is kidnapping the Legionnaires' parents. Ayla signals somebody for help.

That somebody is Dawnstar, who is in the Asteroid Belt rescuing some crash victims. One of them calls her “a cold fish”. She returns them to their base, then answers the Legion's call.

Tyroc teleports himself and Ayla to Brande Enterprises and encounter a surly employee, who blames the Legion for the loss of scientists' jobs following Brande's bankruptcy. Ayla causes him to float in the air and he agrees to answer their questions about defective security devices.

Dawnstar arrives at HQ, is greeted by a critical Wildfire. As they join the meeting inside, Ayla and Tyroc also appear – but Tyroc claims he has received an urgent summons from Marzal and must leave. This angers Wildfire, but Shady defends him. As Ayla explains that the three Brande scientists who supplied the Legion's security systems were laid off and blamed the Legion, an image of Dagon appears.

He demands one billion solar credits within 24 hours or their parents will die.


Comments:

The main point of interest in this story is the introduction of Legion parents. Otherwise, it's a repeat of the many hostage-taking villain with a grudge against the Legion stories.

The Legion HQ is now completed and even offering tours to tourists. Since the Legionnaires were still building it in the previous issue, this feels like a distortion of the timeline – but these construction projects seem to wrap up quickly in comic books.

However, the Legion is still caught in the aftermath of the Brande bankruptcy, since it appears that a resentful ex-employee has sabotaged their security devices. I guess Brainy didn't run any tests during the installation.

Unlike previous stories in which the villain's intended victims perfectly match the Legionnaires available, only Shadow Lass is in this story to deal directly with a parent's abduction.

The five parents are named and some (Ji and Arn) have the same powers as their children. The Nahs, powerless, are the first to fall but Tarnia surprises us with remarkable fighting skills – and presence of mind to leave a clue for her daughter. It's a shame that these parents were dropped from continuity and, in some cases, the family history rewritten.

Tasmia and Tyroc are shown to be pretty good friends. A Legion fan (not a member of this forum) reminded me recently that there are several instances of Tasmia defending Tyroc in the series, so perhaps this could be a hint of a simmering relationship which never developed.

It was a bit of a surprise to see Tyroc after his long absence but he disappeared just as quickly, leaving a mystery to be unravelled in a future issue.

Wildfire has gone full hot-head again, even rebuffing Dawnstar. We're reminded that she tends to be unemotional (“a cold fish”) by what strikes me as an ungrateful woman whom she rescues. Her companion makes a derogatory comment about Durlans. What a pair! Dawnstar isn't on a Legion job, though: she's collecting these two for money, a finder's fee from the Spaceman's Union. Note of inconsequence: the male space-companion looks just like Denny O'Neil's Green Arrow – perhaps he's Oli-3 Queen, who will turn up as a tour guide in the Baxter series. He better get over his Durlan prejudice if he's going into the galactic tourist business!

Legion of Superheroes #263

For as long as I can remember, this story has often been included along the "weak Conway stories of the era". I have to say though, that is not a fair assessment at all! This was actually a very solid issue that had a lot to offer and was an excellent first partner. Whether the second half holds up remains to be seen, but I have little to complain about here.

The Dagon plot is another "classic Conway mystery 2 parter" which I referenced earlier about the Space Circus story, very much in the vain of his Spider-Man (and many other) runs. In this issue, Dagon is mostly a mystery. But the plot itself, involving the Legionnaire's parents, is a novelty, and offers a glimpse into a part of the Legion that we almost never ever see. It's cool to get a sense of the parents perspective of the Legion, especially at this point in their careers where they've both saved the world countless times and yet have also seen several of their members die. Such mixed emotions could be mined for dozens of stories with the Legion parents.

I also have to make mention of the Super Sexy Adventures of the LSH parents, one of the long running concepts and threads on LW. EDE really needs to read and review this story and Space Circus stat!

The "super sexiness" surely comes from artist Jimmy Janes who provides art here with Dave Hunt. Janes' characters are all *really* attractive and I don't mind it at all. Not only are the parents sexy, but so is everyone else. Ayla may have never looked better!

What really makes this issue though is the extensive characterization that returns to the series. There's a lot here: Ayla very capable and intelligent; Dawny cold and aloof; Drake's fiery temper; Drake & Dawny's burgeoning romance; Shady giving Tyroc the benefit of the doubt. It's a lot to like and feels like the robust Legion we were starting to real see under Levitz. Between this, the good art and Conway's mastery at plot structure, it's a nice issue.

Turning back to Tyro, this is essentially his last hurrah. For a few decades at least. In the letters pages we are told the creators have really tried to figure him out and Conway is starting something here. You almost think Conway is on the cusp of making him more usable...but alas, he's ultimately on the verge of being pushed aside.

We also at long last see the new Legion HQ here, bringing that long running subplot to its conclusion. It's inclusion as the setting of act 1 make the entire scene more interesting. Seeing the Hall of Heroes and the statues of dead members gives a sense comfort.

All in all, a lot to like here! Now, can they stick the landing?

FC, perhaps this was how Oli-3 came to appreciate the LSH!

Nice call on the Tyroc / Shady interaction(s). There are so many 'might have beens' with Tyroc and it's hard not to dwell on them. Yet, this is comics and there is always still time...perhaps he'll be the most prolific Legionnaire in the 2020's.

Legion 263

The Legion had no funds when they were rebuilding their HQ. They did a marvellous job, but needed something bold to stand in front. With no money, they looked around and that’s why there’s a planetary chance machine outside. Or it’s a captured Brian Globe of Rambat as explained here. .


Anyway, five folks have just sauntered past it, into the building. Someone forgot to set up security when thye finished their building work.

I sigh quietly. Not because of the narcissistic statues of the living heroes in their own lobby, or that the letterer gives dialogue to the wrong person on page 3. But because this is the issue that gives us more of the Legionnaire’s parents. I first saw them in Who’s Who in the Legion and I thought they were a dull looking bunch even then.

They have been used usefully in plots before. For example, when providing a look at family life when the Legionnaires have only hours to live, or when doing the bidding of Universo. But they don’t add much in the way in the way of story potential from their own lives. They’re just cardboard characters to be moved around the story.

These guys are part tourist, part walking target as they get a self guided tour around the HQ. I note that they don’t seem to know that Omega was created by one of their kids pals. I know it was common knowledge by v4, but I’ll need to look back to see if it everyone knew it then. I thought that they did.

They are all knocked out by Dagon, the Avenger and kidnapped. Or parentnapped as the case may be. They are all fairly young looking, and have the superpowers inherent form their home planets.

I’m reminded of the old Legion story where we’re told that the team encountering Supergirl are the children of the Legion that Superboy met.

Shadow Lass’ mom even makes sure to get shot at behind her daughter’s statue, where she leaves a clue. That's planning.

A Swan plus one of Legionnaires returns to the HQ. We see Wildfire’s anger at being sent on a wild goose chase. But someone has to dig up that palm tree you’ve just destroyed Drake! There’s a nice panel of the others coming into land on the plaza behind him. Very Alex Ross of Kingdom Come.

More startling than that, is Tyroc getting a role in a story!

Conway continues to highlight the use of individual powers. Drake gets to light up the clubhouse. It’s a small trick, but shows the control he has over his power, and that it’s not all about blasting things. Imra gets to scan the clubhouse for life. Again, it shows the versatility of her powers. It also means that she will spoil any future plots containing sneaky villains, unless boringly surprised all the time.

The team discover that it’s not just the parents we’ve seen that have been taken prisoner. Parents of Earth based heroes are also missing. Tyroc seems particularly startled by the news. His parents aren’t on the list, but his response makes you wonder if there’s a subplot around them.

Drake seems to become withdrawn and angry when told his are missing (Years later, his brother would be taken too) and it’s Garth and Ayla who push the team into action. It says a lot about how much Drake can be relied upon if it's a crisis that affects him personally.

Who do you shout for when you need something tracked? The UP Postal Service Dawnstar! Conway does a very good job in showing us a lot more about her character as she’s called. We learn that she’s still taking commission from side jobs, beyond her Legion duties. We see that she’s all business while doing it, even if that puts out Ollie and Dinah, two astronauts who have crashed their ship.

Another interlude takes Tyroc and Lightning Lass to RJ Brande’s home to check into why their HQ security devices failed. They meet a Henry Gyrich look-a-like. He blames the Legion for Brande’s ruin, and the resulting job losses. He isn’t interested in hearing the Legion’s side of events. Obviously, this makes him villainous so Ayla uses her powers on him. Way to win hearts and minds Legion! Still, it’s a nice pairing of Legionnaires, due mainly to Tyroc’s infrequent appearances.

Having just shown us Dawnstar’s business face, we see her friendliness being rebuffed by Wildfire. Conway’s dialogue tells us that he’s aware of Wildfire’s immediate pestering of Dawny from the moment they met. So, Drake’s emotionally stunted actions here are due to his missing parents.

Drake is even less pleased when Tyroc is summoned home, and out of the rest of the mission. It was too good to be true to think he’d have a speaking a part through a whole adventure. From his words, this looks to be leading up to his departure from the team. That explains why there’s a plus one to the traditional five man mission team. HWW mentioned Logan’s Run last issue, and I’m reminded by that when I see Tyroc’s glowing belt, telling him his time is up.

Drake is determined to see Tyroc’s time as a Legionnaire ended. Again, his attitude revolves around what’s important to him, i.e. his missing parents.

It’s interesting to see both Dawnstar and Tyroc having lives outside of the Legion. It adds some depth to their characters, could provide lots of subplots and shows the broader working of the team too. Shady’s support of Tyroc’s actions perhaps comes from her own role as planetary protector.

“Gyrich’s” reaction to the Legion, is used as a reason for the kidnapping of the parents. Of course that must be what is behind it. Like the Space Circus, we have three suspects. Will the possible culprits be given more characterisation this time round? Perhaps not, as Dagon reappears to demand a ransom for the return of the missing parents. We don’t see his Dr. Evil gesture, but I’m sure it’s there as he demands one billion credits!

With the Legion, Brande and the UP all broke, I’m not sure where he thinks that’s coming from. Perhaps they can call up Element Lad.

I’m keen to learn more about Shadow Lass’s mom having the name Tarnia Tolarn. She was the one who taught Tasmia her fighting skills, reinforcing that female lineage of Talokian champions. If Ji Daggle is Reep’s mom, then how well does she know RJ?

I love it when others pick up on things I don't/never did. A Shady/Tyroc friendship would have been so cool to see develop.

Another poster on these boards once suggested that Shady and Superboy had a close friendship. The evidence was slight, but it would have been great to see more of these sort of unexpected relationships.

Clearly, DC missed the boat by not introducing the Super Sexy Swinger Parents of the Legion. Cobie and I would have been devoted readers!

That Henry Gyrich spotting is a good one. Not only does he look like this issue's floating scientist, they're both involved with security issues and dislike superhumans.

Where's the money coming from is a relevant question, as is where did the funds come from to rebuild the HQ. Maybe that's why the parents are there - the kids hit them up for a few million credits in the time-honoured tradition of teenagers sponging off Mom & Dad.

I missed that we had three suspects again. Three suspects, five team members - recurring elements. Could be why Tyroc had to disappear.

Re: Shady and Superboy - I recall she was very supportive of him in the leadership dispute with Wildfire. There were probably other instances illustrating their friendship. It makes a lot of sense, since Superboy and Mon-el would have been close and one of Shady's earliest Legion adventures was in Smallville when they escaped from Mordru.

A later issue will have Brainy/Computo rebuild it in moments. That resulted in the great Metropolis Construction Strike of 2982.




That's interesting. I wonder what the next issue will hold, to see if there's any reason for that. In case it's avoiding the easy option in one issue only to have each of those parent's powers be important to get out of plot traps the next (although Jo's don't have any anyway).



I had taken it as an understanding from having some similar responsibilities. But why not? That could just be something that draws them together. It could have added some tension in the Shady/Lar relationship.



I was a little surprised by this. It might not have been a Legion job, but it's a slippery slope. Dawny's reputation for such work would be greatly enhanced by being a Legionnaire. Before you know it there's paid advertorials in Fringe World Monthly showcasing her abilities. I thought that Brande was paying her, so that she didn't go on such missions for pay. She could still have rescued Ollie and Dinah, but just not taken anything for it.

In a later version Chemical Kid points out that he can't break the Legion rules and accept reward money, But his dad could, and would then share it.

It looks as though we all took one look at that panel and went "Ollie Queen!"



I'd add in the innovative look at the Legionnaire's powers and the occasional highlight scene for some of them (Brin, Tinya etc) as other examples of the good work Conway is doing here. He's adding a lot on top of the plots, to the benefit of the book.



I think his face appeared as one of the suspects, so we'll find out more next issue.

"You can't arrest me! Because you have no legal power after I had your UP Security Clearance revoked! Now here is your new membership..." - Gyrich takes over the Legion next issue.



Jo: I'm so glad that we joined the Adventure Legion.
Rokk: Yes, it's a relief to be deadly serious and earnest.
Gim: I think we're all better away from our hip, crazy swinging parents for a while.
Jan: Yeah, they were just too cool.
Jo: Uh... not really a problem for you Jan...
Jan: Waaaaaah! I'll get you Roxxas! See if I don't! Waaaaaah!



I like that a lot as one of those background friendships.

DC Holiday Special 1980
Star Light, Star Bright... Farthest Star I See Tonight! By Paul Levitz, art by Jose Luis Garcia Popez & Dick Giordano, Adrienne Roy colors, Ben Oda Letters





Superboy approaches the nearly-finished Legion HQ on Christmas Eve. He greets Mon-el on roof top guard duty and is by some mistletoe, Phantom Girl and a kiss. Saturn Girl, on monitor duty, shows him some other Legionnaires – Karate Kid, Projectra and Sun Boy celebrating in Japan, the Allons celebrating Chanuka, fireworks trees on Snerl and Cham patrolling Durla since there's no Christmas for Durlans. Superboy longs for an old-fashioned Christmas with a real tree and tinsel, not futuristic technology. He comes up with an idea to go search for the Star of Bethlehem. The others see this as a wild goose chase but humour him.

Master navigator Garth plots the course but finds no star where it should be, only a small planet. Saturn Girl stays on the cruiser while Superboy, Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl and Wildfire go investigate.

They find a planet with sea, land and air-based sentients, all of whom are suffering from the beginning of an ice age. Wildfire helps the sea beings, Lightning Lad and Phantom Girl rescue some land-dwellers and Superboy saves the nest of some bird people. As the moon rises, the four Legionnaires come together and ponder what else they could do to help what seems to be a hopeless situation.

Superboy has an idea. He gathers the telepathic plugs, adjusts them so that the three races can communicate with each other and gives some directions before flying off.

Lightning Lad and Wildfire carve out a cave according to specifications given by Superboy. He arrives with members of the three races in tow and explains how they can inhabit the cave and survive, if they cooperate and share resources, until the U.P. can evacuate them.

Superboy muses that although 30th century science shows that the Star of Bethlehem doesn't exist, something brought them to this planet that needed their help. Wildfire is skeptical. The Legionnaires fly home aboard their cruiser, which Superboy has decorated with a Christmas tree.

Comments:

Superboy is back for this short tale, which gives us some glimpses of Christmas in the 30th century. As usual, he's the central figure and the one who solves the problem, and he brings both his 20th century outlook and his good old Superboy enthusiasm to Christmas Eve 2979.

It's nice to see the others sort of rolling their eyes at his plan to seek the star, but going along with it. They may think it's goofy, or antiquated, or just unlikely to succeed, but they enjoy spending time with Kal.

Once again, Phantom Girl features prominently. She must be a favourite of both Conway and Levitz.

A minor point, but it was a good realistic touch to show the HQ still under construction.

The story itself, a lesson in cooperation for the greater good, is sadly relevant for our present day, as our planet faces climate and environmental challenges which need cooperation among nations. We don't have a U.P. evacuation team to take us to another planet.

There are a number of explanations for the Star of Bethlehem which present it as a temporary astronomical phenomenon. Weren't some of these speculations known in 1979? Perhaps Superboy – and the Legionnaires – were aware of these and everyone was just playing along with the mission to find the star as a way to celebrate a holiday of importance to Superboy.