Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-reading the Legion: Archives Volume 19

LoSh 309 Backup

A nice, relaxing splash page shows two Legionnaires on their honeymoon. The warm, tropical day, that can be seen behind a swimsuit clad Jeckie putting on suntan lotion, seems to draw the reader into the story.

As the main feature seems to be a re-tread of the previous issue, this back up is too similar to the storyline from 286 and 288. Pharoxx defeating the heroes, only to then be bested in single combat by Val is the same. Giffen’s art made the feudal world of Orando stand out in previous issues. It gave Pharoxx and Hagga added threat as you could see what sort of world they came from. As a lone foe on a luxury island, Pharoxx comes across as a vengeful ACME villain, easily beaten by his own magic. There’s nowhere for him to go after this, and it’s not surprising he didn’t make another appearance. The foes who take him away, are hinted at ominously. Pharoxx doesn’t want to be taken back to whoever freed him from prison and he makes a prediction of Orando in ruins.

The one thing I thought Jeckie and Val would do, was to find out why Pharoxx was freed and get back to Orando immediately. They’ve been on a honeymoon for several weeks according to the opening caption. But they are unconcerned about a usurper being let loose with prophecies of doom(That’s three prophets in this issue.)

But having them check on the world they now rule, would have really put a spanner in the works of the Baxter series. They can’t go back yet, and it’s a shame that their sense if duty is dulled in their last extended period of time together.

Apart from that, their relationship still stands out. They bicker, play and enjoy each other’s company. We see the side of Jeckie that isn’t presented with royal duties or Legion threats. She enjoys her position and the comforts it brings. Val, his skills requiring constant honing, is the one slightly uncomfortable with a life of luxury.

They also have differing opinions on the technology levels on Orando. Jeckie wants it to remain the same, while Val considers bringing in some basic upgrades. Technological changes will be the first thing they see when they return home, and this conversation leads nicely into that. They could have been written to return to Orando and out of the Legion universe, but it’s not to be.
The significance of this back up story would be a bit lost on me by the time I got around to getting this issue and the newsstand Baxter story was released. But there are strong, steady beats leading from their induction into the Legion, through their courtship and into that story.

On a deserted island, there’s not a lot of background in many of Broderick’s panels. Mike Decarlo, on inking duties, takes off a lot of the ragged nature of Broderick’s earlier Legion work and keeps the overall look as smooth and consistent as he can.

With only four characters in the story, the couple get a lot of panel time. Page 7 is particularly nice, using the story to give us a lovely picture of the pair while keeping things moving. I’ve always quite liked the effects in this one. There’s a few on the final page, with a favourite being Pharoxx surrounded by the crackling, dark energy of his own making.

Comments on comments!



I only picked up the threat level in this reread. Up until now I thought they were just starting out knocking on castle doors.

At Castle Pharoxx, the LSV seek shelter and allies…

LSV: “If he will give us food and shelter for the night, he can join us in our quest for the Holy Grail.”

Doorkeeper: “Well, I’ll ask him. But I don’t think he’ll be very keen. He’s already got one.”



If it were the Subs of this period, they’d end up using Space Nose as a form of transportation, and a HQ.

Come to think of it, wasn’t Stargrave’s nose bitten off in a Subs issue by Tenzil? An early go at having a Space Nose HQ?



That’s interesting (points lost for Giffen). I had thought it was Danielle all the way through. Then, just as I was looking at Giffen’s panel progression in dim light, I saw the green tone a bit more prominently. And the slump led from that.




The cityscape view on page 8 is just like those from the GDS. He can still do all of that, he just prefers not to. There was a long vertical panel, establishing a building, in a recent issue,. Before, it would have been a clean, gleaming spire full of detail. Now, it was a grubby featureless edifice. That’s the way it’s gone.




Oooh,.. Cramer has just given us a way for The Legion of Superpets to return!



I didn’t pick up on HWW’s comment first time. But it’s interesting to speculate how the story would have gone if Relnic had ordered the Legion out. In some scenarios, there’s a chance that the Khunds could have been removed as a threat. How many lives would that have saved?



… takes Gallop Girl out of upcoming Bits story >sniff<



Oooh… Cramer’s just give Dram Girl her sidekick during her struggles through the Five Year Gap! A talking, often bipedal Saint Bernard! With “Saint” in his name he could even be another failed Prophet of a returned Omen!

#310 Omen by Paul Levitz & Keith Giffen, Larry Mahlstedt Inker, Carl Gafford colours, John Costanza Letters



The Legionnaires are stunned by the arrival of Omen, who looms above them in a white robe and flowers. Imra tries to read his mind but only gets images; at Nura’s suggestion, she reads Prophet’s mind, and only gets “Omen”. Omen sends out a power beam, which Blok, Lar and Jo try to stop, but it surrounds Prophet.

On Earth, Jan and Shvaughn play a game which ends with a kiss. That’s interrupted by Zendak looking for Jan and telling him that there’s a mess on Khundia and, as leader, he has to get the Legionnaires out of there. Jan realizes that he really is leader and dashes off.

On Khundia, Lar tries to keep Prophet away from Omen as Dream Girl calls for a plan. Jo won’t wait and flies into Omen, only to be powerfully repelled. Prophet pleads to be kept from Omen. The Legionnaires try to blast Omen, but fail. Relnic appears as a holo-projection and tells them to leave immediately or the Khunds will declare war.

At Legion HQ, Brainy works on the Computo/Danielle problem, but is distracted by other tasks and thoughts of Kara. Wildfire arrives to tell him that all Legionnaires are needed for the Khundia problem; Brainy refuses, angering Wildfire.

Prophet asks Omen what he wants with him and is told that Omen pursues all that is strange and wonderful. Something else else attracts Omen’s attention. Tinya is trying to get through an energy dome, but passes out; Prophet is commanded to do something to her. The Legionnaires bicker with Relnic, but hearing Tinya scream, fly to her. They are stopped by Khunds who order them off planet and fire on them. Rokk manages to make a hole in the energy dome and is dismayed when he looks inside.

Jan and Wildfire depart for Khundia with a U.P. escort.

On Khundia, Relnic continues to receive threats from Shadrack. On the ground, Legionnaires enter the energy dome and see a Negaton Bomb. Prophet is being absorbed by Omen, who can now speak and delivers a blow, knocking out all the Legionnaires – except for Nura. She’s inside the controls for the Negaton bomb, thanks to her prophetic power. The bomb is set off, sucking Omen out of their dimension. In the space where the dimensional warp formed, Nura sees Lyle Norg, who claims that he’s not dead.

Epilogue: the ambassadors squabble among themselves, but the Gil’Dishpan sides with Relnic that the Khunds acted in bad faith. Relnic tells Shadrack that the Legionnaires won’t help them in the future and walks out.

Comments:
“Keep your eyes from weeping and your voice from tears, for your work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord” (the prophet Ezekiel, as quoted by Linus van Pelt) – and we arrive at the end of the Prophet/Omen saga.

The action seemed muddled to me. I suppose it would truly have been hectic and confusing had this been a real confrontation, but I found some of the story elements hard to follow e.g. where did the energy dome come from (Omen, I guess) and why was Tinya the only one in it? There’s more of the attack scenes we’ve seen repeated in the previous two issues, but now with more Legionnaires. I did think the sense of confusion came across with Relnic arguing with the Legion, the Khunds joining in and Omen’s undecipherable language, but some of the confusion just seemed to be based in the way the story itself was told. The artwork clearly shouted chaos with many panels like shards of broken glass.

At this point, the Prophet reminds me of weepy Sodam Yat. Lucky for him the Legion has a no-kill policy, since it would have been tempting to plug the guy just to shut him up. Or was he killed? Lar punched him into space above Khundia, although Prophet said that Omen had absorbed his knowledge and emotions. I got the sense that the Prophet and Omen were combined in the end, but presumably there’s a body somehwere above Khundia, even though Omen’s visage is half-Prophet at the end.

Omen’s language is indecipherable, although Prophet understands it. Why are the Legionnaires protecting Prophet from Omen? After all the trouble Prophet has caused, why figure the guy in the white robe with flowers is the enemy, based on what the nutter said? In any event, I’m still not sure if Omen came to warn about the bomb or just wander around the universe; he himself seems to question what’s happening when the bomb is revealed. Yet he levels the Legionnaires, saying that they shouldn’t interfere with his experiment. What experiment? We neither learn whence he came nor where he went, let alone why.

The bomb is a classic superhero comic book type of bomb, which means I don’t understand what it was supposed to do – and it doesn’t really matter. Nura displays her precog and scientific abilities by figuring out what to do with it. She’s still acting very leader-like and does maintain her cool throughout – unlike Jo, who acts and attacks impulsively.

The Khunds wind up with egg on their faces. They lose points for messing with nasty secret weapons while peace talks are proceeding. They don’t have to worry about sanctions, though; that only happens in our world. It helped to have the Gil-Dishpan side with Relnic. I wondered where the Dominators were in all this. The bomb was a surprise, thought, which doesn’t say much for any covert information gathering that the U.P. might have been conducting. (If Cham had caught wind of this when he was on Khundia, he could have been a hero.) Instead, we have two more Legionnaires and a U.P. escort fleet approaching Khundia, which could have gotten messy if the bomb hadn’t been discovered. That scene was left hanging; presumably, both sides were told to stand down. Only two Legionnaires, but pretty powerful ones – Jan and Wildfire – in a more streamlined story, they might have been effectively thrown into the fray. As the story stands, their presence would just have added to the mess.

Lyle Norg is back! Or not; we’ve been fooled before. Maybe he’s Omen transformed!! (just kidding) This Lyle does seem more real, but knowing how it turns out.... this will be his third “return to life” - as an exploding clone (with Ferro Lad), in the spirit realm that Jacques found and now this. He’ll also come back as a spirit conjured up by Projectra and a zombie in 5YL. The reboot can’t get here fast enough for fans of Lyle Norg.

Elsewhere... Shvaughn makes her move, Jan finally accepts that he’s Legion leader, Brainy continues to work on the Computo problem and think of Kara, Wildfire goes hot as he loses his temper with Brainy. Not much happens, but these scenes remind us that there are developments to come. The scenes themselves were like a gulp of fresh air amid the chaos on Khundia.

LoSH 310

The cover picks up from the last panel of 309; the giant face of The Omen threatening the Legionnaires: the three founders, Blok and Dream Girl. The Omen has an unusual, eyeless face, and his mental powers are so great that even Saturn Girl looks threatened by them. Omen dominates the cover, and those mental powers conveniently split into segments, creating a regular pattern across the cover. The Legionnaires are arranged in a clock-like formation, as we’ve seen Giffen doing at least as far back as the first annual. Overall, a good cover that has the desired effect of drawing in this reader.

“Omen is Here!” says the cover, having to drop the “…and his dinner is cold! Where has he been?” for space (of more than one type ) reasons.

The other bit of cover blurb tells us “and the Legionnaires will never be the same!” I blinked at that for a moment, as I could only think of Blok getting fried as little. Then I recalled that this was supposed to be a three issue story, and that this was probably the cover that would incorporate events from at least a couple of them. So, the founders are on it because of Imra’s pregnancy from last issue. Blok will go through regular changes from this issue. Dreamy’s tenure as leader comes to an end this issue, which is why she’s on there. Two of the three not being connected to The Omen is pushing their luck a bit though

The story starts with a figure standing threateningly over Khundia, with Legionnaires ready to attack. At least it’s a different figure this issue! Imra can’t read The Omen’s mind but, at Nura’s suggestion, she tries to read the unconscious Prophet.

The Omen seems interest only in retrieving the Prophet. The retrieval energy beams he sends out can’t be clear, as Blok has to tell the reader what they are. That’s not the first time in this story that some clunky dialogue has had to help the reader out. Lar has to do it in the very next page too, illustrating the disconnect between writer and artist. Lar also tries to grab hold of the Prophet. They don’t know what the Omen is, but they’ve heard the Prophet’s rantings and seen the destruction on Trewsk. The beams remind me of Darkseid. Where Darkseid sends his targets away, The Omen brings them to him. As Levitz, having done the GDS, is setting up The Omen as cosmic class villain, I wonder if this was deliberate. An Alpha Beam to Darkseid’s Omega Beam. Where Darkeid represents static change under his rule, The Omen is a transformative figure.

Back on Earth, Shvaughn makes her move on Jan, only to be interrupted by Zendek. What happened in the years since those kissing games in Adventure, for Jan to be so shy? Zendek is suddenly everyone’s messenger. Marte Allon in a back-up and now Relnic. He also mentions that it was Querl who told him where to find Jan. Querl will be interrupted by a different character in a later scene, and makes no mention of it.
Jan realises that he’s now leader and a subplot that has rather overstayed its welcome is brought to a close. Jan and Drake’s subplot acts to link a few things together in the issue. But neither of them has any bearing on the main action at all.

I forgot to mention, but when GiGi left Jan and Shvaughn alone in 307, she said she had a hot date, meaning Sun Boy (it’s in bold and everything ). Of course, he was on Khundia, so I wonder if he was expecting a quick return, or he was just added into that mission. He didn’t really add anything to the story by being there.

While Jan’s comedy realisation sinks it, Nura is telling the troops on Khundia that they have to come up with a plan rather than directly attack, showcasing the capabilities of both in the position of Legion leader.

Jo ignores Dreamy, and is lucky not to be killed. His shock comes across very clearly in an excellent panel. While he’s often the direct type, I wonder if his feelings over being Nura’s deputy play a part in him ignoring her. The Prophet regains consciousness and rants about dooming the universe if the Omen is allowed to take him. Lar, last seen tugging on the Prophet’s cloak, seems unable to do anything. In fact, it seems as though he’s grabbing the Prophet’s cloak just to keep him out of the next few panels. It nearly works as a nice bit of cast choreography.

Nura’s plan is to have everyone attack together, which is what they were about to do anyway, wasting some possibilities there. The Legion are thumped (again), not having learned a thing from seeing Jo fail. As they regain consciousness, probably wondering why they’re still alive, Relnic orders them to leave. This is an about turn from last issue. There, Relnic is threatened about the consequences of actions, but decides to bring in reinforcements. It would seem that the Khunds have had to go back and tell him what the consequences specifically were (The Khunds will declare war), which makes them quite the diplomatic race after all.

Back on Earth, Brainy is working away on a solution for Danielle. We get a teaser for a programme that will play a part in a later story, and he finds himself distracted by thoughts of Kara. He’s not willing to be distracted further and shoos an annoyed Drake away when the latter tries to get him to come to Khundia. Drake makes an unkind, but supposed to be comedic comment about leaving Brainy in the asylum after his last breakdown, as he crackles away down the corridor.

Back on Khundia, the Prophet is reunited with the Omen. We learn that the Omen pursues “death and life, and all that is strange and wonderful” He finds something on Khundia that interests him and tears up the ground to get to it. Tinya is the first to get to their location. I had to go back to find the energy dome she mentioned getting through. Why did the Omen feel the urge to erect it, considering how easily they’ve removed any resistance up until this point? It knocks her out, so it would have been nice to have had it mentioned. The Prophet tearfully approaches her and she screams. This reminds me of the scene in the Sun Boy spotlight issue, where Tinya nearly gets to be the hero. There’s quite a few echoes of earlier Levitz stories recently.

Jo chases after Tinya and the Legion attack the energy dome. They do have to rather pointlessly get through Khund forces along the way, which we didn’t see Tinya having to do. It seems to stop the action, as they’re essentially chasing after Tinya twice. They could have faced the Khunds first.

Dreamy gets another fine moment of standing up to Relnic. There are also some good moments for Rokk, Garth, Cos and Blok here, against the Khunds and the Dome. Levitz has to explain what’s happening to the electricuted Khunds. I’ve no idea how Jacques keeps surviving firing squads and explosions. It’s a balancing act, having a large cast and wanting to show them all participating. But there are some scenes where characters really shouldn’t be. Just ask early Legion member Cannon Fodder Kid. Cos gets through the dome, and his expression is one of dread.

Wildfire and Element Lad approach with a UP escort, while on the surface of Khundia their ambassador says that, regardless of the intentions of the Legion, it’s too late to prevent their deaths. The escort could well be on a near war footing as it looks to prevent the Khunds attacking UP planets.

An unconscious Jo lies at the feet of the Prophet. He’s not there in the next panel (neither is Tinya), as we pull back to see the Omen standing in front of what Jacques tells us is a Negaton bomb and that it creates dimensional holes.

Who knew that Jacques spent his spare time going through Death Machines of the Galaxy Monthly? Like finding the solution to stopping The Prophet, it gives him something to do. At least he’s not reduced to Blok’s “how peculiar” comment at the start of this issue. Is vast knowledge of military hardware seen again? I don’t think so. His niche would end up being political in nature.

Jacques also tells us that The Omen came to Khundia having sensed the bomb’s creation. Going through that portal to meet Darkseid has given Jacques Reader Assistance Powers!

So, there’s a storyline where the Omen was already going to end up on Khundia. But the Prophet got ahead in order to warn the Khundians to unite against their common foe.

But the story we got had The Prophet nip off to Corven instead of directly to Khundia. The Omen only went to Khundia to retrieve The Prophet. Perhaps the Prphet is able to see into a future disaster that he caused?

But any predestination/ prophecy of the bomb’s discovery is undone by the Omen’s surprised expression and the Prophet’s “what has caught his eye now?” comment.

In order to get the most out of pursuing “death and life, and all that is strange and wonderful” the Omen likes to absorb the intelligence of things he meets. He might keep them as companions for an indeterminate, and pointless, period first. But that’s what he’ll do. After all, we saw that, when he absorbed one of the space creatures around Trewsk and the insect creature on that unnamed planet… or not.

The Prophet warns that the Omen is absorbing his mind. Lar throws the body of the Prophet into space, but too late to stop the transfer. I guess that energy shield that proved such a barrier has conveniently gone or the Prophet would have gone >splat< against it.

Using his Plot Powers, The Omen gets The Prophet’s knowledge and, oddly for a Pastor, his hatred. It would seem that Jacques’ friend on Trewsk also shared a subscription to Death Machines of the Galaxy Monthly. The Pastor got a peek at it often enough to know what a Negaton Bomb does. It’s another misstep in the plot. Levitz apparently wanted the Omen to be a cipher of a cosmic villain. By merging with the Prophet, he loses all that.

Although the Prophet never expressed any such intentions, and the Omen seemed happy to follow life and death suddenly he declares he has an experiment.

There were much better, clearer options here. Normally witnessing natural transformations, The Omen takes things into his own hands to transform the Prophet. Taking this further it sees the transformative nature of the Negaton bomb or sees it as a gateway into another dimension of life and death, wonder and change.

Alternatively, The Prophet’s death wish comes more to the fore. We could have had some foreshadowing of this affecting his link to the Omen. As a result the bomb could have been a way for the Prophet to meet his own end and destroying the Omen he fears so much. Quite a lot of collateral damage, but he’s past that as seen by the pile of Khundian bodies.

The Omen blasts the Legion (again). Actually, he seems to read poor Blok’s mind (thanks Plot Powers!) and blasts him first. This would continue Blok’s visual changes. I was going to say start them, but he’s been through a few already between artists. But it’s the start of a longer Levitz/ Giffen subplot for him.

That leaves Dreamy. Her powers enabled her to see the Omen’s blast coming. The last prophecy of the story.

Perhaps she had just been counting the pages between all the other times the Legion had been knocked out in this story, and knew one was due. She operates the controls of the Negaton Bomb (everyone must read Death Machines of the Galaxy Monthly). The device activates and sucks the Omen through it.

“It’s been a fun life,” says Nura in the heart of the maelstrom; a quote that really defines her. This is another example of her powers working while she’s fully conscious. Something else else that would lead into the Baxter run, making her a very effective character.

Although we see lots of debris flying through the warp, none of the unconscious Legionnaires go anywhere. Instead, we get the surprise return of Lyle Norg. This is the panel that Giffen threw into the creative game he was having with Levitz. With so many other things going on, he could have picked a better time. The Baxter launch effectively locks down the final newsstand cast. Norg won’t be in it, giving Levitz a year to get rid of him.

Although it’s hinted that the bomb could be the end of everything, not least Khundia, it must have a variety of settings as it only takes The Omen with it. The bomb itself is gone, and Nura isn’t shown turning anything off. I imagine the designers are executed. An epilogue shows Relnic stand up to his Khundian counterpart who is demanding the Legion’s execution. Although a little bumpy the Khundian plot worked well in the story – providing the source of tensions and personnel on a number fronts.
Relnic leaves to tell Nura what a nice end to her term has leader this was. And it was an excellent term. Nura mentions “everything else has been going sour lately” earlier in the issue (perhaps thinking of the Fireballing and Vi’s abduction), but she has been a stand out leader. She has been the key to seeing off Darkseid and the Omen. She has led from the front and, while her style didn’t endear her to a number of her colleagues, I think she really showed how vital the Legion is to the UP during her tenure.

Oh, Jo and Tinya are fine. You’d have to wait a month to find out. But by then I guess people forgot that it looked as though they were going to die. It’s going to be a problem with Legion stories like this. Levitz puts them into life threatening positions, then provides imminent death panels accompanied by ominous dialogue, only to show that everyone gets out unscathed in the end. Look what The Prophet did to the Khunds and then compare that with how lightly the non-invulnerable Legionnaires fared. The Prophets’ power was a fraction of The Omen’s but they all walked away from him intact too.

In addition to Nura, Tinya is another Legionnaire to come out well in this story. She leads the field team with Shady. She does well on Corven and takes Jacques under her wing. She’s first up against the Omen in front of the Negaton bomb too. Levitz counters this by having her fall unconscious and downplayed with the arrival of Lar ‘n Jo. But it doesn’t hide her quality as a Legionnaire.

I had been of the opinion that it was the extended length of the story that had caused The Omen storyline to falter. While that did lead to a lot of repetition, there are enough flaws in the feature length issues on either side to sink this one. Instead, I’m happy we’ve got those back up stories. They ended up being stronger, in a lot of ways, than the main story.

I put it down to the factors we discussed earlier: Giffen having a kid and getting burned out on the Legion poster; Giffen experimenting with his art (lost in new artists that were inspiring him) to the point that it leads to disconnects with the story; The success of the book resulting in more focus on the upcoming Baxter run ( and the launch of Baxter runs generally) than on the task at hand - Bearing in mind that Levitz had another function at DC, which was going through/building up to a lot of changes (Crisis and the reasons behind it) at the time- ; all of the above leading to little lapses between the two creators.

Broken down into Levitz’s usual structure, the story works, or is at least comparable to how previous stories work. It’s in the execution of the details that it falls away. With the success of the book and Berger’s work elsewhere around this time with the likes of Swamp Thing, I wonder if it was a little too hands off under all those circumstances. Perhaps it wasn’t, and the book we got was actually a lot better than the book we could have got.

I’ve mentioned a few of the Giffen disconnects above. Page 3 already has one of those. But the page doesn’t work overall either. Lar’s dialogue overlaps a panel where we see the Prophet captured by The Omen. That panel overlaps others where Lar has grasped the Prophet’s cloak. But then there’s a penal on the left where Lar is chasing the Prophet. It’s a panel that Giffen has used before to show direction, but it only leads back up to a panel we’ve already read. If the panel on the bottom left is to be read first, then he shouldn’t have used all the overlapping panels on the other side.

In recent issues, Levitz put in subplots where there was a pause of breath, never mind a logical sense of time passing. Here, we get a related plot – Element Lad going to Khundia – right in the middle of the action. It gets better later when he uses the pause when Relnic tells the Legion to leave and also when Cos discovers the non-tragedy of what happened to Jo and Tinya. But that early one didn’t do much for me. When the Omen said “no more interruptions” I half expected a subplot on the following page.

In addition to a number of small reaction shots, that I thought worked for the story this issue, Giffen uses panels as emotions well again too: The fragmentary mind of Omen on page 2 and throughout and Cos on page 15. The lettering of Tinya’s scream (she’s fine) showing Legionnaires faces on 13 is well done. There’s a few nice Giffen standards such as panel size allowing for movement – Jan whooshing off on 5; Jo getting thumped down on 7 as the Prophet gets thrown up on 19; The Khunds whooshing into the Legion attack on 14 (particularly nice this one) and Jan and Drake’s ship arcing down the page on 16.

Another highlight is the use of panel spacing. On page 15, there’s an extra large space between the Legionnaires debating getting off Khundia and Relnic telling them. It’s a story beat that Giffen adds a real degree of finality to with the space, as well as with Relnic’s posture and the shading. That’s the horizontal. On the vertical front, there’s Shvaughn’s kiss with Jan on page 4. There’s an extra large space for the bottom panel. They touch, they move closer… pause indicated by the space… they kiss. Very nice. It’s just a shame that the issue had a few disconnects and a clunker page

Lost Tales of the Legion:

Soil moves on the barren plateaus of the Puppet Planetoid. The last of the Dryads re-emerges. Blok’s transformation at the hands of The Omen enters a new phase.

His suit destroyed and believed dead by his friends, the bodiless energy of Lost Legionnaire Wildfire drifts through the centuries. His energy dissipating, he waits for an end to the loneliness. He would need an empty vessel to contain his form … and then he remembers the energy powered, mindless body of The Prophet.

Bloomin’ ‘eck. Them thar reviews ‘ave gone up a notch!
>searches frantically for Boy’s Bumper Book of Quotes<







She did use her powers to get through, but since the others were all seen by the Khundian forces why wasn’t she?







Crumbs! Was it really that bad?



Dram Girl would have taken none of his nass.



As there wasn’t any body-fading effects, I reckon he’s still up there waiting for whatever disembodied force to inhabit him. I went for Wildfire, but it could just as easily be some of the demons that Command Kid went around with. The dual face look I put down to The Omen having The Prophet’s mind. I might have even thought that it really was the Omen’s face and we were just seeing The Prophet’s as a bit of visual shorthand to remind us that he’s in there.



Most likely just because it was a plot on a string, but I wonder if any of them feared for The Prophet’s life, when the Omen got him? Not that this was mentioned.




The Prophet had given them that 3 page back story, so they perhaps recognised some humanity in him. Which they didn’t in The Omen? Perhaps they just feared having to listen to it again more than they feared the Omen, so attacked the Omen first



I’d have been happy enough for him to have remained an enigma. But Levitz went off course doing that. The experiment makes sense if the Omen had become enamoured with transforming things for himself. So the bomb would provide lots of opportunities. With the mind of The Prophet in there, this could have been hinted at to the reader.

...continued




>gasp!< doesn’t matter? You tell that to the many subscribers of Death Machines of the Galaxy Monthly!



Go Nura! I liked this portrayal of Jo a lot too. Not one to think things through. Particularly when peeved and especially when his love is threatened.



You’re thinking of The Bismollian Egg-Fu Carton Bomb, which you’d know if you picked up Death Machines of the Galaxy Monthly.



It’s the Gil Dishpan who swing it (big band fans that they are). Like the UP don’t have loads of secret planet killer weapons lying around. The Khundians never put forward a suggestion that they didn’t have a bomb. It never came up. It’s the agreement that the Khunds were about to use it, that they know isn’t going to look good for them.



Disc-us throwing championships were on.

I’d have liked to have seen a little more of an impact after this one, showing the Dominators getting an upper hand over the Khunds in some way in the wider political scene. I suppose they did, in that they ended up with Earth. Could things like the Negaton bomb and general Khundian aggression pushed Earth more towards the Dominon?




Nura: We’ve found a weapon of mass destruction!
Relnic: But there aren’t any!
Nura: But all your reports said they had some.
Relnic: Oh, that’s just a report written by a 10 year old Denebian as an excuse to go to war.
Nura: But it’s right there!
Relnic: >looks right past it< nope I’m not seeing anything. Perhaps our puppet regime can have a closer look when they take over. They’d find one jolly useful to keep the locals in line.



Fine margins. I keep thinking we had another group going to Khundia at some point, that didn’t end up with them being imprisoned.

I’m sure it will all be revealed in “I was a Teenager on Takron-Galtos,” by Reep Daggle.



If you took Drake and Jan’s actions out, I don’t think it would have hurt the main plot. You’d have just had to come up with a couple of other ways to link some scenes. That’s about it.




# 311 – “We won’t be fooled again.” – Legion doubt Lyle
#312 – “Who are you?” – Legion interrogate Lyle
#313 – “Substitute” - Jacques worries that the Legion prefer Lyle to him.
#314 - “The Real Me” – The truth is revealed!
#315 – “The Kids Are All Right” – The Legion prevails!
#316 – “I’m One” - Townshend Teen joins to prevent lawsuit.



Oh, I don’t know…
-The Omen becomes increasingly keen on transforming things: the plant, the Prophet
-The Omen absorbs minds and communicates with those linked to it.
-The Omen tries to transform the Legion, gaining a sense of its history. When this fails he uses the Negaton device. It seemingly destroys him, but in fact he comes back as something the Legion held dear. He can then transform them from within…
-The plot is revealed when some bloke turns up with a surfboard telling him he’s behind on his planet eating. More work needed on that last one…

...continued



It’s like, they don’t understand that in comics dead is, like, dead.




Rumour has it that editorial stopped Levitz’s plan to have Vi use exploding clones on all the people who couldn’t tell the difference whether it was the real her or not.



Zombie Norg is a bit final.

Lyle: I’m back from the dead!
Jeckie: Really? So whose flesh it that dropping from the corpse over there?
Lyle: Awww rats… >disappears back into dream realm…<



There’s a parallel world where Shvaughn would only hook up with Jan if he became leader. When he’s outvoted again she dumps him for Brek Bannin.
This Shvaughn would turn out to be the Manhunter agent.



Yeah, set ups to future issues. We’ve had two teasers on what’s going to happen with Brainy next issue. Wildfire is there as a lead into an upcoming back up.

310:
I think it says something that the pages I enjoyed most in this issue were those which did not involve the main action on Khundia. The “quieter” scenes featuring Jan and Shvaughn, Brainy and Wildfire, and Jan and Wildfire were better paced, more purposeful, and better drawn than anything in the main story.

The whole Omen story feels like it is just marking time, getting us through the encounter with this Bad Ass villain while we warm up for the next major story line to come.

Thoth (as usual) did a brilliant job of analyzing this story in the context of other events going on for the creators, the company, and the franchise. I had forgotten some of this and did not know other details (such as the apparent differences between Giffen and Levitz). Levitz’s dual role as writer and DC exec and the “hardcover/softcover” plan also seemed to play a role in diluting this story from what it could have been.

I remember the buzz about the hardcover/softcover plan, and how uncertain it felt for some fans. My home town did not have a comic book shop at the time, so the realization that I might have to do without the new Legion stories for a year until they were reprinted in the newsstand title or find a way to go to Kansas City (60 miles away—a very long distance for someone who didn’t drive then) was unsettling. As a long-time fan, I felt marginalized –no longer significant in DC’s bid to capitalize on the growing comics specialty market. Fortunately for me, a local comics shop opened a few months into the v. 3 run, but the whole idea that DC was leaving a large part of its fanbase “behind” didn’t sit well with me.

I imagine Levitz and company had to spend an inordinate amount of time justifying that decision. With his attention divided and the newsstand series diminishing in importance, it’s perhaps no wonder that the Omen story turned out to be a generic slugfest against a conveniently strange and incomprehensible villain.

There are flashes of originality, to be sure. When Saturn Girl begins probing the Prophet, Omen appears to pick up on her efforts and recalls his servant before she can learn anything. The beam of light Omen sends from his finger easily evades the Legionnaires when they try to stop it. So, these are clues as to his power and motivation.

But then, after our first subplot interlude (the Jan and Shvaughn one), things fall apart. Nura stops the Legionnaires from rushing into battle so they can have a plan. Ultra Boy disobeys (impulsive even for him), and the plan consists of nothing more than rushing Omen—who responds, as omnipotent villains do—by blasting everyone in sight. We are to infer, I suppose, that Mon-El was blasted along with the others as he’s no longer holding onto the Prophet’s cloak.

This is followed by an exchange with Ambassador Relnic, who orders the Legionnaires off Khundia. I almost feel this should be Relnic’s story; he comes across as more interesting, nuanced, and powerful than the Legionnaires. He holds his own in argument against both the Legionnaires and the Khund ambassador. He exhibits a range of emotions and, like a good diplomat, finds a way to turn the outcome to his favor. By standing up to Ghadrak, he provides us with an emotional payoff that is otherwise lacking in the rush to a cliffhanger (see below).

The Legionnaires simply go through the motions of fighting the villain, but some of the action doesn’t make a a lot of sense. Phantom Girl enters the fray, only to pass out from . . . something. But if she’s unconscious or incapacitated, why is it necessary for the Prophet to do to her whatever he does with those glowing hands? Never mind; her scream alerts the rest of the Legion, and they attack after some temporary and unnecessary interference from the Khunds.

At least we find out why the Khunds wanted the Legionnaires off their planet: to cover up their construction of a negaton bomb—a device so powerful it has attracted the Omen’s attention. Again showing how powerful he is, the Omen knocks out the entire Legion except for Dream Girl, who activates the negaton bomb and saves the day.

Thoth made an excellent point that Nura’s term as leader involved the defeat of two extremely powerful villains. And this finale to her leadership gives her a chance to shine in that role for one last time. “It’s been a fun life” was a wonderful line—a stoic attitude from someone who takes everything with a grain of salt (except her nails and hair, of course).

But the Legionnaires don’t have time to celebrate her victory because it’s cliffhanger time. The tale ends on one of the tritest cliffhangers of all: a long-dead hero returns alive.

I had extremely mixed feelings about this revelation. I was a Lyle Norg fan, and while his death shocked me when I was 10, I had grown to accept it and embrace his heroic sacrifice. By the ‘80s, I was starting to become jaded when dead characters returned—and Lyle’s “resurrection” came across as another example of comics taking the easy way out by not having to commit to the death of a beloved character (see: Jean Grey). However, part of me did rejoice. Who wouldn’t love to see a favorite character return from the dead?

I may have more to say on this development as we continue with the re-reads, but, for now, I’ll just say I resented Lyle’s insertion as a last minute “Surprise!” It came across as a cheap stunt. Still does.

A few issues ago, I pronounced the Omen/Prophet story one of the worst Legion stories ever produced. I stand by this opinion. Like thoth, I see flashes of a brilliant story and intriguing possibilities in our mysterious villain, but the execution comes across as rushed and ill thought out. The Legionnaires themselves were pretty much the same afterwards (the cover blurb notwithstanding), but the series itself would never again reach the heights of the early Levitz/Giffen period.

I actually found Giffen's experiments less disruptive this time. Just the same, I would rather he have focused on rendering what was in the panels than the shapes of the panels.



One of the most ill-thought-out aspects of this story is that the Legionnaires (and the writer) just assume the Omen is a bad guy without any real evidence. His actions could certainly be open to interpretation. Perhaps he uncovered the negaton bomb because he wanted the Legionnaires to see it. The "experiment" line seemed tacked on, as a way of justifying him as a threat.

I rather like the idea of the Legionnaires never being certain of his intentions but reacting in a way that made sense to them at the time--a "preemptive strike." Sure, they didn't ]know he was a threat, but they wanted to take precautions. Again, there was a wasted opportunity to examine the Legionnaires' universe and the assumptions they (and we) take for granted.



Now that you mention it, the Omen looks like he could have been a Dominator--evolved through some arcane experiment or some such.



It's unclear (to me, at least) how many Legionnaires joined the space fleet. Drake says only that everyone who wasn't involved in something urgent had been summoned. Star Boy was still at Legion HQ, last we saw. The White Witch and Cham might have returned from Takron-Galtos or met the others on the way. Gim was on leave, but leaves were always being interrupted.

317 - Baba Devlin O'Ryan -- Lyle, Condo, and Andrew form a new band called Teenage Wasteland.
318 - I Can See for Miles -- Lyle discovers his real power is the the ability to see into other dimensions, which allows both him and Jacques to remain on the team.
319 - Athena-- Lyle leaves when he realizes his true love was not the ghost-girl Myla, but rejected applicant Athena, who can explode at will. She is a bomb, after all.

I had the same misgivings as you and wrote a letter to DC expressing them. In return, I received a typed letter from Dick Giordano that included a hand-written note from Levitz. While it didn't change anything, it was a nice gesture - they just as easily could have ignored me.

Rob,
It is indeed good that they responded--not only Giordano, but Levitz, as well. Did they offer any additional explanations or insights into the hardcover/softcover plan and how it would inconvenience fans?

"Dear Rob,
Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding our upcoming plans for the Legion. I can assure you that as long as we have Legionnaires like Karate Kid, we'll always listen to the fans of both formats."

Imra should have thought of this, but I guess her mind’s distracted with the baby.

There are a lot of similarities between the two, along with the servant.


Zendak as messenger boy, not very suited to his position. It was a way of keeping him in the picture and limiting the number of S.P. characters we had to keep track of. Now that you mention it, I can envision an additional scene with Brainy telling Zendak to go find Jan himself, because Brainy’s doing i,mportant work, and Zendak signs off in a huff but does find Jan.


So he got bored and decided to leave early... I pretty much forgot he was there.


This brings to mind Nura’s association with the Khunds in the DnA stories. It would have been fun if some note had been made that Khunds revere female seers, or something like that.


It certainly seemed that way – he’s not going to listen to her, regardless of how impulsive he is anyways.


DMotG Monthly – required reading at the Academy, plus the Legion gets a group discount. Jacques is something of the Straight Man, there to set things up, explain, reveal....


The Super Sponge... of Space! One might think that Omen is a machine or A.I. construct sent by another dimension’s race to study this galaxy. Reminds me a bit of the 5YL blue McCauley probes in that sense.


Those ideas make more sense than what we got, which remains as indecipherable to me as Omen’s symbolic language.



It is a great line for Nura. Heroic, ready to die, and taking it all in stride. Acceptance must be a necessary attribute of seeing the future.


Sort of like the Kamandi Challenge – here, see what you can do with this red herring! I hadn’t read this issue with the constraints of the approaching Baxter series in mind. It explains a few things.


I wonder if this could have been a story in itself, without Omen and Prophet. One Legion team searches for a weapon of mass destruction (based on the rumour column in Death Machines Monthly) while the other is playing background to Relnic’s negotiations.

True. Too bad more wasn’t made of her leadership skill when she was shown to be Head Seer of Naltor in 5YL.



Good points on the behind the scenes complications that affected this arc.


Well, why not? Would the body still be in one piece in the vacuum of space?


If it could be done over, we could have had half (or less) of the Omen/Prophet story and the rest on those and other quiet scenes showing what was up with other Legionnaires. Even a scene with Dirk putting the moves on the Khundish ambassador’s daughter would have been a welcome cliché.



Agreed! But don’t tell him, or he’ll start charging us.



A case study in time management and balancing priorities as well as in how not to write a story. Do you think it could be used in a class to analyze how a story fumbles?



It could have been told from Relnic’s point of view, since he seemed to be moving back and forth throughout the story. Based on your recommendation, I read The Poisonwood Bible this week (a book hard to put down!) and appreciated how effective it was to tell the story with five different voices, and never hearing from the father himself, only as the girls and his wife perceived him. It made me wonder if Omen/Prophet couldn’t have been told in that way. We don’t get much out of either Omen or Prophet, so they could have been kept to accounts from the Legionnaires, Relnic and the Khunds without losing much information.


Oh, I like that idea! Maybe even a Dominator from the future, or one from a more peace-loving sect.

Not really, other than to say that the softcover portion of the plan was conceived specifically because they knew there were people like me who wouldn't have access to a comic book shop.

^Typical corporatese: Telling you that something that's not all for your benefit will be for your benefit.

A few years ago, I read 3001: The Final Odyssey, a sequel to Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the book, we discover





I would love to use Legion stories to illustrate any number of writing choices and challenges.



I'm glad you enjoyed The Poisonwood Bible. You highlighted one of the most interesting aspects, which I had forgotten: the story is told from multiple points of view. It's an interesting idea to compare the father in the story with Omen--both characters exert enormous influence over the people around then, and it's left to them to decipher motive and meaning from his actions.

Reading your reviews of this storyline, it really seems to become clearer to me that it was much more about the tension with the Khunds than it was about Omen and Prophet. Kinda like: Introduce a major threat in Khund space to see where the political situation that was set up in the Espionage Squad story can be continued and brought to a culmination. Basically, Omen and Prophet are a plot device, which is why they are under-developed and remain enigmatic and haven't returned to this day.

I've asked Paul on Facebook a question along these lines. Often, he doesn't really deliver much, usually citing it being so long ago, but hope springs, right?

Of course, it's highly probable also that Keith spearheaded this concept and developed it kinda half-way as he's done in some of his writing efforts.

But I think my first though really feels like the best way to look at this story...at least in a way that makes it kinda work.

I like your idea, Lardy. I wish the story had focused more on the tension with the Khunds than on Omen and the Prophet.

I wondered if the rough edges to the Omen and Prophet story could be dealt with. If they could, what would the story look like. So, I’ve put up the Omen and Prophet - Reworked thread over in Bits.

Now that’s done it’s on with commentary of comments!



Thanks for sharing that. I didn’t get any of the Baxter series until after the newsstand run had finished. Even with access to Direct Sales shops, it seemed odd to break from the title and format I had been happy with. Besides, the Baxter issue would have been more expensive. Pennies I would have used for another newsstand quality comic.



Lar did seem to vanish. I think Giffen remembered, making sure to put Lar’s head in a panel shortly afterwards to show he was still with the team.



I also thought that the UP/ Khund negotiations were the spine of the story. I saw them as a pay off form all the Legion vs Khund stories we’ve seen since the start of the Levitz run. It’s also the part of the story that has a satisfactory arc. The Khunds seem to have the upper hand (it’s on their turf and they’re happy to accuse the UP) militarily – their military proves to be of little consequence, requiring the aid of the UP’s Legion – the Negaton Bomb is discovered giving the UP the upper hand in the wider galactic community.



Does she have trouble passing through other fields of energy in previous stories? Blaster fire seems to pass through her with no trouble in the same story. Perhaps it was because it was The Omen’s energy dome. Not even Tinya can cope with Plot Powers!
Levitz is good enough to know that Tinya would be a very useful scout/ infiltrator. But not so great in figuring out how to stop her. It was radiation back in the Sun Boy story, I think.



Having recently been in the depths of space, perhaps the Prophet’s hands were just really cold. Tinya screamed when he tried to wake her up. That’s the least creepy way I can think of to interpret this one. :sad:



Yeah, I thought this scene held things up needlessly.



“It’s been a fun life.” – Nura Nal
“I don’t think ‘mightier’ powers ever made anyone a more valuable Legionnaire.” – Tinya Wazzo

Two key, and character defining, lines of dialogue in the Legion for me. Both in this story.



I wonder if Giffen had jumped on the conversation Tinya had with Jacques earlier in the story, combined it with Jacques trip into the other realm where he met Lyle, and came up with the ending. Perhaps he also thought that the Bomb removing the villain from the universe needed something a bit punchier too. And that’s my “It was all Levitz’s own fault” defence m’lord.

I tend to view it based on what the subplot develops into. I wasn’t a big fan of the story execution when Jacques first met Lyle either. These were my first sightings of Lyle, which was a bit unfortunate really. It’s probably his reboot version that stands out for me.




“But behind this Lyle Norg Mask… that’s right… I’m Andrew Nolan…wearing an iron mask… which if I take it off reveals… that’s right… and as Proty I I’d like to finally join the Legion!*”

* Three issues on and Proty I is uncovered a, transformed again, Biron the Bowman, who is really Comet the Super Horse!



Depends how it’s done, and the arc that killed them off I suppose. I can think of any number I wish they hadn’t brought back. Some stories are designed to have an ending (although very few of these will be in comics).



I was also picking up echoes of past Levitz stories. Tinya falling in a manner similar to the Sunboy story; The Omen being a flip of Darkseid, with the Prophet being a Dark Servant variation; Parts of the Val/Jeckie back up; The upcoming Jacques/ Lyle plot that will get its own comments; Tinya and Shady only being able to operate if Lar and Jo were there to “help” the plot along. That sort of thing.



Thinks…ouch… I think you’re right :sad: While we affectionately point out both pros and cons in the reread thread, this was the end of one the most consistently high quality periods. The level it drops back to isn’t exactly bad, mind you… and there are lots of highlights.



I agree that there was a missed plot point here. I think Levitz forgot that although the Pastor knew Pierre who knew Jacques, the Pastor didn’t know Jacques directly.

The info dump in #308 was probably supposed to persuade the Leigon. But Lar’s reaction sums that up.







And



Yay! Ors The Negaton Gateway takes the Omen back in time. He is the god of the Dominators! Actually, that would follow up the Progenitor comparison I made earlier.



Poor Thom. Forgotten in a space fleet again. He was in the space fleet that Mask Man wiped out way back in Adventure #310 (thanks Fact Check Femme!)



I consider the absence of a telepathic foetus a missed opportunity in the Legion series. It’s like they’d never seen Scanners!



Levitz clearly wasn’t bothered as a caption was put over Dirk’s head at one point.




I’m not sure I’ve read that one. Is it related to the Khunds seemingly worshipping Glorith in the TMK run? Their almost religiously indoctrinated fear of Laurel Gand too come to think of it.



… miraculously avoid getting killed in the middle of a firefight.







That matador gored himself in a tragic accident! I did not charge him!



I did a list of a lot of this over in the Bits thread mentioned above. – Plumber Lad: Supplying all the plugs you need!




It's not well known but Arthur C Clarke, under a pseudonym, pitched DC for the return of Barry Allen a year after Crisis. “Sure, kill your darlings. But keep ‘em on ice” he said.

Stephen Baxter has done something similar. Actually, I’ve little doubt that there’s a host of writers who simply can’t let go. Which is one reason I rarely bother with recurring characters across novels. The suspension of disbelief rapidly vanishes. Of course, I hadn’t thought of the suspension of animation that Clarke used instead.

FYI: The comment about Imra being distracted is from Cramy and the comment about Frank Poole is from me -- Citation Keeper Kid.

I can't imagine what it must have been like to read the Baxter stories after the original newsstand stories ended. The stories took place concurrently and, while the newsstand series focused on smaller stories with fewer characters, it was understood that they took place at the same time as the LSV war, etc. In a way, it was cool having two Legion series each month (a precursor to the LSH and Legionnaires series in the reboot) and getting caught up with what different characters were doing. However, it felt as if the dense layering of subplots that made earlier issues so enjoyable had been diluted.

Over in the New Teen Titans, which was also a recipient of the hardcover/softcover plan, the decision was made to have the Baxter stories take place chronologically after the newsstand stories had run their course, to ensure a natural flow when the newsstand series reverted to Baxter reprints. There were pluses and minuses to this approach. On one hand, it meant we knew nothing significant or earth-shattering would occur during the year before the Baxter series started. On the other hand, it was like reading chapters in a story out of sequence and trying to figure out what did happen during the interval (rather like the Legion's five-year gap).

Neither approach was fan-friendly, though they did have the desired effect of making fans want to visit comics shops instead of buying comics on the newsstand.

I’ll have a word with Cut ‘n Paste Kid



I was young and knew no better



While there were some crossover comments, I don’t remember being disconnected by not having the Baxter run. I’ll be commenting on that a bit more when we get to it.

If anything, it was more seeing them in Crisis and the History of the DCU that made me realise there was a Baxter book out there. I thought Kid Psycho was a new character, who had joined the Legion in the space between the two series.

I don’t remember Who’s Who throwing up any worrying surprises either. That’s worth me taking another look, particularly as to when the “L2 entries came around.



That’s definitely going to be a talking point in issues to come.



Really interesting thoughts on the differences between the two titles as they switched, HWW.

I was a newsstand reader of the Titans too until the end of that title. Only then did I go across to Baxter. I don’t think I did it immediately either. Baxter Titans would have had to fight for its place, something DC may have thought about when ending the other format.

#311 The Big Blow-Up of 2984 or Destruction by Design by Paul Levitz & Keith Giffen, Pencils by Giffen, Larry Mahlstedt Inks, John Costanza Colours, Carl Gafford Letters



Chuck, Lu and Flynt Broj stand before an exploding Legion Headquarters. Chuck tries to investigate, but bounces off the defense shields. Flynt suggests he should go home, but is told to stay. Lu wonders what happened to Brainy, who was alone on duty; all other Legionnaires had gone to Khundia.

Inside, Brainy mulls over having made another stupid error by overloading HQ control circuits while trying to cure Danielle of the Computo presence. Computo speaks, through Danielle, and another explosion occurs.

Two Legion teams are returning from Khundia, with Lyle Norg, who thinks he was in hell. Mysa wants to congratulate her sister but Jan has already shut off the communication channel. Wildfire asks to leave on a personal mission and immediately does so.

At Legion HQ, Brainy tires to deal with a reawakened Computo, who threatens death and speaks of his supreme intelligence. Brainy remarks on Computo’s ego, observes that the machine has become more human and considers this an opportunity. He enfolds Danielle/Computo in a force shield and proceeds to try separate Computo from Danielle, then isolate him “somewhere appropriate”.

Outside HQ, reports to Chuck and Lu that the area has been cleared and only Brainy is inside, according to the SP link to the Legion computer. Flynt notices that the defense shields are down, then Brainy comes hurtling into the sky. Chuck inflates and provides a soft landing; Brainy is a bit roughed up, but alive and conscious. He explains that he trapped Computo inside a crystal globe and that Danielle should now be completely cured. Shvaughn Erin says the the U.P. will surely be happy to fund the repairs to the HQ. Brainy says that’s not necessary, as a loud hum develops and the debris rebuilds itself into a new HQ. Brainy explains that Computo’s new persona has constructed the new building. The new Computo appears, encased in a glowing orb, and reports that Danielle is resting. Brainy replies that Computo’s new programming as Legion majordomo will work well; Computo thanks him and asks if anyone would like lemonade as the others look on, stunned. Brainy says it will take a while for everyone to get used to Computo’s new personality and laughs.


Comments: Some big changes from this short story: Brainy finally cures Danielle Foccart, rids the planet of the Computo threat (at least for now: never the end, as they say in Legion comics) and the Legion gets a spiffy new floating HQ, with a butler. Nobody got hurt.

Knowing how it would end eliminated any tension, but as a first time reader, I must have been thinking this would be the start of a major story arc, the return of Computo as Chuck, Lu, Brainy and Flynt valiantly fight through the rubble of the HQ.

This confirms Brainy in his role as the guy who blows things up. He’s pretty likeable in this story, though: determined, calm, self-reflective, even modest - and clearly relieved that he’s solved the problem.

Flynt Brojj was last seen in Superboy #209, described as the Legion’s greatest fan. I don’t know how much Legion time would have elapsed since then, but Flynt is still a super-fan, just less excited. Does he hang out regularly with Legionnaires or Reservists like Chuck and Lu? As in his previous appearance, he displays a keen eye while the superheroes are distracted, noticing that the defense shields have fallen.

The Science Police captain is also a return character, the same Captain who had gone to arrest Legionnaires at a theme park in #257 (where they were trying to cure Brainy’s insanity). Maybe he’s the Brainy’s-on-a-bender-again specialist. At the time we read that issue, I thought the Captain looked as if he must have been based on some other character, possibly from TV or a movie of that era. A fellow fan in the APA-LSH group suggested that he looked a lot like Captain Boomerang. Possibly a descendant?

Shvaughn Erin is also on hand, appropriately as the Legion liaison. I thought it was pretty generous of her to offer United Planets money to rebuild the HQ. Whatever happened to “You can never have too much insurance?”

This is also the second time that a demolished HQ has been instantly rebuilt by a super-intelligent machine, the first being the Miracle Machine (as operated by Brainy) after the Dark Circle attack.

Nutsy science I can live with, in a comic book. Human reactions, I expect more. The only sticking point for me was the lack of response from Luornu, immobilized with anxiety when Computo last broke free and now only responding with the group “Huh?” Well, it is a lot to take in. I look forward to reading future issues to see if she – or others – have any more to say about the new Computo.

There’s only a comment that Lyle thought he was in hell, no panels indicating shock as the others learn of his return from the dead, and maybe Brainy or Imra could figure out what happened to him. Legionnaires take these sorts of things in stride.

Element Lad seems to be in high spirits, returning from Khundia. No sniping at Nura, although Wildfire’s interruption of “this needlin’ party” suggests that Mysa was implying Jan should have congratulated the former leader.

New HQ, new Computo, new team leader, the return of Lyle Norg: one senses a turning point for the Legion after this.

(As others have suggested, I’ll do the second story later in the week.)

LoSH 311

My copy of 311 comes with a little crease a third in form the left and running to just over halfway. Holfding it up to the light, you can see it’s actually a score and that a few figures can also be seen. It looks like someone did a little of their homework on it. I think that affected what I paid for it. The little bag has £0.50, which actually more than the cover price, so that might not be the original one.

I remember being (very pleasantly) surprised finding this one. I think it was in a long box of comics that turned out to be the bargain one in the shop, or it was just very out of place. There’s spine roll as well and so, ever since I first picked it up, I’ve felt it a little thinner than the others.

Rereading it now, that thinness could very well be the result of the story inside

The cover tells you all you need to know. A cartoony style Brainy blows up the headquarters, with Chuck and Lu on the scene. And it’s Brainy. Readers know that it’s not “Brainy happens to get blown up with the HQ as he’s innocently walking past it.” He’s going to be central to that explosion.

The force of the blast is so great that it rips off Brainy’s force field belt and pushes him over part of the logo. The large Legion “L” on the building leaves no doubt over what has blown up.

The explosion’s oranges and reds are used to provide backfill colour over the cover. The orange of the clubhouse lends itself well to being part of the explosion, allowing the reader to focus on Brainy. His form is centred in the middle vertical of the cover. 1 that the It’s a well designed cover. It’s dramatic enough to catch the eye of a new reader, and regular readers would have been aware and intrigued at what had happened.

I’ve always thought that his belt looked more like a little Astro-Force harness on this cover. This might just be me. Now I’m wondering if he managed to pinch something off of the Orion mockery in the GDS. I’m also struck by how ‘80s the purple jumpsuit is. Retro Brainy. No ‘sploding HQ crimps his style.

It turns out that the cover um…covers… two separate parts of the story. It begins with the headquarters being destroyed, but Brainy is blown out of it later on as he tackles what’s left inside it. A good eye to combine two dramatic moments.

The destroyed headquarters looks to have been controlled. Like well designed buildings, it collapses inwards. Had it blown up in normal comics style it would have taken out Weisgner plaza and Chuck would be rushing Lu and Flynt to hospital, if he was lucky. If not in the design, then perhaps the debris was contained by the defence shields that Chuck finds are still active.

Flynt Brojj is there for a tour with Lu and Chuck. Normal tour buses, driven by Oli-3 have to settle with a fly past. Flynt, as the kid who raised the most money from a United Planet’s Charity Drive in SBoy 21,1 has a stronger bond to the team than most.

I wouldn’t have known his past when I first read this. I don’t think I was too keen on his cartoony appearance or his haircut. I thought the Legion having a greatest kid fan was a bit hokey too.

It’s a nice nod to a previous story, but I can’t say that he’s grown on me much. Even though he does well in this issue. He’s selfless in not bothering about his tour. He’s cool under fire too. He stands right there with vets Lu and Chuck as a building detonates in front of him. If only it turned out he had superpowers. Oh wait, that's exactly what happened.

Flynt is actually the first to point out that there might have been people inside, prompting Chuck to investigate. Unlike Flynt, I don’t mind a more cartoony Chuck. It suits him when he’s using his powers. Giffen always draws a lovely Luornu and this issue is no different. She concerned over Chuck a couple of times in this issue. I get the feeling that she’s more aware of being a reserve, and therefore perhaps not quite as battle sharp, than perhaps he is. Her having to spell out her reserve status is the standard dialogue clunk of it’s age

With the trio stuck outside the defence shields, the story shifts to what’s going on inside. We’re reminded that although there’s an above ground HQ, there’s also a large underground complex. That goes all the way back to explaining how they could all fit on a rocketship in the early years.

Although it had a futuristic design, the Legion must have accidentally got Anti Lad to do the wiring. There’s no circuit breakers and an overload blows up the whole building.

In his lab, Brainy chastises himself for yet another failure in providing a cure for Danielle Foccart. He mentions his distractions, possibly due to the Khund mission but far more likely to be Kara. His self-criticism distracts him further, and once again Computo-as-Danielle rises from her tank.

It’s essentially a rerun of a scene we seem to have had a couple of times, most recently in 309. The main plot in this issue is a clear example of Levitz building up a sub plot over a prolonged period, moving it up the running order as it goes, until it becomes the main feature. Or those possession movies had a lot of impact on the guys.

Computo wastes no time in hurling the contents of the lab at its creator. It’s threats of domination and elimination are at odds with Brainy’s analytical approach to the situation. He almost goads Computo into ranting as he formulates a plan. His 12 level intellect fixes on a solution in the same page.

It’s an interesting approach. Computo escaping could have taken up any length of story. Levitz would later reprise the Universo story over four issues. This could have been similar. Alternatively, it could have incorporated elements of the first annual, when Computo was last freed. Instead, the subplot is built up over a number of issues and concluded in 11 pages. We know that Brainy has been working tirelessly on a solution. We know that Levitz has had him also working on a few other projects in his idle seconds. So, it’s no surprise when Brainy finds a new approach combining his research. It’s Brainy at his most effective. Smart, confident of his own ability yet self-critical and ever questioning. He contains a still ranting Computo in his force field and completes his idea with a huge sound effect at the bottom of the page.

The pause in the main story are handled better in this issue than in some recent ones.

As Computo started its attack on Brainy we switched to a team returning from Khundia. This is really a set up for Drake leading into the second story. We get a little more closure on the Omen/Prophet story. Cham and Mysa have been picked up form Takron Galtos. I still can’t recall if their presence there was anything other than showing them off Earth for Brainy’s spotlight. We’re reminded of the Mysa/ Nura connection and that Jan is leader. Finally, we’re told of Norg’s return and the dark mental place that he finds himself in. It’s not a vital page to the issue, but there’s a lot of little reminders and movements in there.

There’s another pause as Brainy implements his plan. Normally I’d expect another subplot, as we switch to those outside the defence screen. But Brainy has been blown clear of the building just after he implemented his plan. The creative team remember that there is a force field and conveniently have Flynt notice that it’s gone before Brainy goes splat against it as he’s thrown clear.

More points to Flynt as Chuck and Officer Stereotype engage in some comedy arguing, rather than dealing with the threat at hand. If nothing else, it shows how Chuck has no problems in standing up to the SP. He’s also quick into action again, getting to save a rather battered looking Brainy.

Brainy explains that he’s managed to isolate Computo. As it threw all its energies out at him, he transferred it to a master programme he had been working on (and that Levitz name dropped last issue). The result is a cured Danielle and a captured Computo.

There’s an air of positivity, as things seem to have worked out (not that often this happens in a space opera comic). Shvaughn, who has turned up with other SP officers when it looked as though the site was going to blow up, gets a little carried away. She’s sure the UP would be happy to fund the repairs. That’s not how its worked out in the past. It indicates what a high point the Legion were at. They saved the galaxy from Darkseid and Nura has been seen working really well with the UP and SP throughout. They had just played their part in averting a Khund/UP war. I think the Legion RPG highlighted that the team were stars at this point in their history.

Brainy doesn’t need the UP’s help. From the debris rises a new HQ; it’s upper part now levitating above the plaza. It’s the HQ I first saw the Legion in and it’s also a design favourite, even if it doesn’t have that iconic Rocketship status. I imagine that it’s Giffen speaking through Brainy when he says he’s been working away at it in some quiet moments. It’s a nod back to Giffen’s cleaner art style earlier in the run and shows he can pull that out whenever he needs to.

Computo is a key part of the complex, and now acts as a majordomo (I must have had to look that up when I read the Legion )

The others stand, open mouthed, and the sheer scale of the transformation as Brainy laughs at the success.

Looking back, I only see horror in Luornu’s face and insanity in Brainy’s laugh.

I mentioned that this story could have been of any length. But the constraint that hangs over the newsstand book is the launch of the Baxter run. The team were really building up pace towards that event and how to make it as successful as possible.

Fortunately Levitz’s technique allows for plots to be added in pauses to other stories really well. This reread is making me appreciate just how smooth a transition into the new format the book had.

Giffen had already been hard at work introducing a definitive 30th century too. He had introduced new looks for a lot of the cast. Like Levitz a lot of the design was added over time. I’m sure there was a protoype Computo-domo way back around the time of the first annual. So, I think the seeds for Brainys solution go way back, at least visually.

But to get a really futuristic HQ for the team and a former-foe as Jarvis V into the book meant that there wasn’t much time before the launch. It needed to get some focus in the few remaining newsstand issues.

We’ve spoken about the number of things affecting the creative team at this time. This issue has another second story to give Giffen breathing space. The lack of space may have resulted in the new HQ being formed as if by magic. There’s not much of an explanation. It looks a bit too sudden. In the old days the Miracle Machine would have been behind it. Here,, we’re only told that Computo was very useful in assembling it.

We don’t see the same technology used to reform any of the many, many destroyed buildings in future issues. It’s not used to reassemble the UP after the Magic Wars for example. What I took to be a form of advanced nanotechnology, doesn’t look to be the case. It would seem that the little Computo globe is less of a Legion servant than an extension of the Legion complex it now forms.

That has to provide a few interesting Lost Tales of the Legion. Not least concerning all the resident deaths in Flight Ring Village as Computo takes back control in a lost tale of v4

Going back to Baxter constraints, this issue also mentioned Lyle Norg in his personal hell. That’s another plot that has to be resolved before the newsstand catches up with the Baxter launch. But with Lyle having returned and Danielle having been cured, was there at least a few months if fans were really thinking that Jacques would leave the team? Perhaps the Baxter cast was already well known from the fan mags of the period, taking away that suspense.

On the art, Giffen is fairly constrained in this story, while emplying a good range of panels to make each page different and fresh.

There’s a stylised splash page, with the smoke form the destroyed HQ providing a back panel to the action itself. It’s a very nice design, but it does remind me that I’m in a story.

Page two does really well in combining Giffen favourites. Overlapping dialogue boxes move the reader from the top left panel (Giffen gets a helping hand here); Chuck’s motion moves the eye down the page and there’s an effective close up of Lu. If anything the top right panel interferes too much.

Chuck’s is a character that GIffen must love to draw, die to his powers allowing for all sorts of motion effects. Page 8 gives him another long vertical panel.

Motion would also play a part on page 7 where a propelled Brainy is thrown clear, not only of the HQ but of his panel and any effects. Giffen must have really liked that one.

Page 7 would also have one of Giffen’s slender, vertical establishing panels. This is quite a thin one, not intruding on the rest of the page. It’s parallel to lesser effect on page 4 too.

A close up of Brainy’s eye on page 3 follows from a panel where we see both of Computo’s, drawing the reader closer before… Ka-Thooom!

Panel border display Computo’s effect on its surroundings really well on page 5. The central bottom panel ahs Computo’s raging eyes appear over Brainy’s forcefield. The colouring doesn’t really make them stand out too well, but it does show Brainy’s hands-on- hips confidence against such a threat.

After the “MMMM…” build up we get a landscape page of the new HQ! Too cool a look for a portrait splash page.

Finally, this story shows us Chuck and Lu standing over the site of a ruined Legion HQ. At the end of v7, they both stood over the same site, the HQ having alsoe been destroyed.

But, as both stories show, there’s a larger Legion complex underneath what the public see. A larger operational complex. Never the end. LLL.

Oooh spooky that I just used it for this one too.



It was a bad day for the Legion of Super Infiltrators from Norg World to attack the Legion HQ.




I agree that it could have been part of a longer story. With Computo so easily contained, it does reduce it from the realms of Grade A villain. Brainy can now stop it. If memory serves, TMK sidestepped using it as Computo again, instead placing the Computo Matrix inside the BION.



He’s in a very good place in these issues. The Kara influence?




Flynt is described as an “old friend.” But was that just them being polite? The tour seems like an event, rather than a “Hey Flynt. Don’t forget to bring the chips on Thursday” sort of thing. He’s not exactly the age where they could hang out. But then, perhaps the Legion HQ/ Flynt scene was supposed be an analogue of the DC Offices and Legion fans since as we know Flynt was named after tow of them,



Ah, thanks Cramer. I had a feeling I’d disliked him somewhere else before.



The new name for the Ester’s-on-a-Bender thread.




That’s a new one for me. I had him down as a descendant of Banshee, whjo got stuck in the wrong universe when DC and Marvel squabbled over crossovers in the ‘80s.

Are the APAs still going?




Is there a point where Policy Pam’s employers take her to one side and ask her not to hang around with so many damage-causing super heroes and villains?



Crumbs. Although I mentioned the Miracle Machine, I’d forgotten it had actually been used like that. Thanks Cramer.



Lu was very much there as the back end of Chuck and… in this story. A couple of panels of her beating up Brainy until he renamed Computo and convinced her that the old version had been wiped would have been a start.



I can see way Lyle was dealt with as being a bit of sticking point in issues to come. Form a plotting front, Levitz would have plotted this one before Norg had been drawn. So mentioning him in the next issues was a start, even if it was just through dialogue.




Sociopath Lad has had his ego petted by getting the things that he wanted. So, he’s momentarily happy.

Ah, I’d missed the emphasis on “you” and wondered about that line. Thanks Cramer. Yes, that does suggest that Jan will never really let it go. It’s not a bad thing that the characters have flaws.



A shiny new format awaits!



Welcome to the Legion of Slackers! – founder member, sloth Lad, I mean thoth Lad.