Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-Reading the Postboot Legion! (LSH 110, L*67)

Legends of the Legion 1
Guts
Issue information

Summary:

Chuck Taine is touring six suspiciously similar kids around Legion HQ (they look like rebooted versions of Night Girl, Porcupine Pete, Infectious Lass, female Color Kid and Antennae Boy; the only named kid, Doro, wears all green and could be Chlorophyll Kid). Doro leans too close to the rooftop edge, and falls when Spark, Star Boy, Ultra Boy and Umbra fly by. Jo saves Doro. A chance remark about Jo getting his powers in an accident, leads to the kids clamoring for his origin.

Flashback time. Jo hangs out with his friends/gang on Rimbor, when a kid runs in. He's being chased by the Bone Spike Clan for stealing the viewscreen from their vehicle. The Spikes beat up the kid; Jo steps in to say he's had enough. Jo acquits himself well in a fist fight against two Bone Spikes, but has to run when more show up. He escapes in his cruiser. The Spikes chase him for a while, but turn tail when a Space Whale shows up. Jo has no time to turn, and is swallowed.

Luckily, there's a thin oxygen atmosphere in the Whale's body. Jo entertains himself with videos (1 year's worth!) and his food supplies (1 week) while waiting for the atmosphere to thicken. Unfortunately, Jo realizes his cruiser is being digested by stomach acid. He resigns himself to dying for a while, but after four days he regains his will to live. He makes it to a "meat island", and replaces his digested boots with shoes made from whale meat. To survive, he begins eating the whale meat too - and that is what gives him his powers. Jo makes it to a group of 7 other survivors, who have mastered their powers (and are suspiciously similar to the cast of Gilligan's island!). Jo learns about the powers, and that the Space Whale opens its mouth every 10 days. Determined to escape, Jo realizes that the Whale's stomach acid can create oxygen as a byproduct of digestion. He fashions air-tanks using the stomach juice, and escapes after 10 days. The settlers stayed behind, not confident that the escape would work.

Jo ends with this lesson to the kids: being a trouble magnet isn't all bad, if you can take on the troubles head on and turn them around.

Spark laughs at Jo's definition of trouble, saying that she had to battle a whole planet. This leads us to next issue...

Thoughts:

I was initially a bit disappointed to see that the four Legionnaires chosen for this mini-series were all Preboot-debutantes with established backstories. But, this issue changed my mind. This is a nice update to Ultra Boy's origin. I like that he gained his powers not purely by accident, but also because he had the "guts" (heh, apt story title) to a) fight for what was right, and b) escape from the Space-Whale himself. The whale also ties him closer to the story of Jonah. Jo eating the whale meat is a good twist (and I love all the references to it being ewwwww gross).

Barry Kitson does a good job plotting here, and Tom Peyer shines on scripts.

Tood Nauck is a great choice for artist too; he really draws scrappy older teens well.

Fave moments:

1) Ayla keeps busting Jo's chops.

Jo: "People used to think of me as a trouble magnet!"
Ayla: "Used to?"

A tad misplaced though, as Jo has been on the up and up since becoming a Legionnaire!

Porcupine Pete kid: "Did the meat shoes make your feet smell bad?"
Spark: "No, his feet always smell bad."

2) Jo and Thom have a better relationship here, being like playful guy pals (see Jo play-choking Thom when Thom's remark forces him to tell his origin). Way back in LSH 81, there was some friction as Thom told Cos about Jo's sudden pains.

3) Jo getting revenge on Ayla, by calling her out for saying she had to battle a planet. Even the next issue blurb: "Next issue - the lie, I mean the legend, of Spark!"

Legends of the Legion 2
Resistance
Issue information

Summary:

Spark's turn. She explains that her "kicking out Live Wire" from the Legion (LSH 64) was because she was drafted by Winath. Origin time: Ayla, twin Garth and older brother Mekt steal parents' cruiser, make emergency landing on planet Korbal, try to use lightning beasts to recharge cruiser, get electrocuted. They are saved because the authorities track the cruiser's homing beacon. Their parents are so grateful to have them back, they never even asked about the ship. Turns out, Mekt woke up a few days earlier, and used his lightning powers to leave without anyone knowing his plans. Ayla and Garth decide to keep their own lightning powers a secret; Garth believes the lightning messed with Mekt's mind. Their dad thinks it's because Mekt has no twin, whereas nearly everyone else on Winath has one. Garth eventually leaves to find Mekt; Ayla stays behind, as she believes losing all three children would break her parents' hearts.

Back at school, nearly everyone mistreats and bullies Ayla for being a "solo", even going so far as to make a Garth dummy and put it beside Ayla's desk/seat. Only four friends stick by her: female Hegga and female twin (who look like pig-tailed Phantom Girl); and female Garla and male twin (of African descent). Ayla puts on a brave face, getting good grades, to help keep her parents happy.

One day, Winath's twin presidents, Zakk and Fegg Arzz, are set to inaugurate a new shopping mall. Ayla and friends are in the crowd when a quartet of villains show up and thrash the guards, kidnapping the presidents for ransom. They are: High-Brow (force-field powers and leader); Violence Queen (fighting machine); Slopp (stretchable body); Klamorr (super strong and tough). High-Brow sets up a force-field around him and the presidents, and another one keeping the crowd from escaping. Ayla and friends hide, but Garla and Hegga encourage them to save the presidents. They hatch a plan: climb up a beam and literally jump on the bad guys. They do, but High-Brow repels them with a force-field. Hegga tells off the bad guys, prompting Violence Queen to get ready to shoot her. Without thinking, Ayla lets loose with her lightning to save her friend; she even fries High-Brow's force-field. She turns to the crowd, and sees them all in shocked silence. She turns her back to them in sadness, only to be surprised as they carry her on their shoulders.

Ayla gets awarded the Presidents' Medal, first solo ever (her parents and friends are in attendance, and I hoped her friends got awards too!) This stops the bullying, and Ayla gains planet-wide fame - with the Presidents hand-delivering her Legion draft notice.

Ayla's lesson: do the right thing, and things will work out in the end.

Umbra calls bull, as she did the right thing and got vilified on Talok VIII. This leads to the next issue...

Note: check LSH 73 and L* 30 for the resolution to the Garth and Mekt plot! Quick spoilers:

Thoughts:

Again, although I know Spark's origin backwards and forwards, this issue takes a refreshing new look at it. Specifically, what happened after; how Ayla adjusted to being not just a solo on a planet of twins, but a super-powered teen on a planet of "normal" people. As a kid, I could relate very well to her feelings of being left out and her ordeal being bullied. The title sums it up well: Resistance, she resists passively against the prevailing culture and oppression on her homeworld for the good of her parents.

Ayla's friends are extremely cool too; not only did the four stick to her until the end, but they attacked the bad guys without having powers! In fact, it was their idea! It's also rare that we get to see the civilian lives of the Legionnaires, so this is quite a treat. Hegga is my favorite one-shot bit character for gutsily telling of the bad guys! I really hope they got awarded too, after all they also risked their lives!

It is sad to see see many planets in the "enlightened" 30th century still subject to such "oppressive" ways of thinking. Mekt must have gone through something similar to Ayla when he was growing up, though I don't doubt he already had other mental issues as well. See also Durla (and its conservative religious isolation), Orando (and its king's conservative resistance to change), and Cargg (and its mistreatment of Carggites whose selves exhibit differences).

Fave moments:

1) This time, Umbra is the one ragging on Spark.

"Night Girl" asks about Spark getting Live Wire kicked out of the Legion. Spark explains that she was drafted by Winath, and that she would never do anything to intentionally hurt Garth.

Umbra: "That's right, because you're much too sweet and perfect."
Spark: "Like you would know about either of those things, Umbra!"

Before, she describes her parents sitting close together "as if they could heal their broken hearts by squishing them into one". Then when Ayla talks about how she was shunned, even at social events:

"Porcupine Pete": "Wait a minute. You mean to say you couldn't get a boyfriend? I mean, you're so... so..."
Ayla: "Thank you! And you're so sweet. But no, I couldn't. And maybe it's for the best. It was such a hard time, a steady date probably couldn't have helped."
Umbra: "I don't know, maybe you could have healed your broken hearts by squishing them into one."
Ayla: "Oh, shut up, Umbra! A little sentiment wouldn't kill you!"

2) I love Ayla's narration. "Once upon a time, three bad children took their parents' new cruiser on a joyride through space. No, make that two bad children and one virtuous little girl who just came along to make sure her dim-witted brothers didn't screw up."

Another one, when Ayla and friends are getting ready to attack the bad guys. "Halfway up, we heard a roar and thought we were caught. But it was just Klamorr, tormenting my usual tormentors. When I saw that, I switched sides, turned my friends in and married the big brute. Just kidding."

3) Kind of creepy, but the Winathian presidents give their speech in tandem.

4) When Umbra complains about doing the right thing:

Umbra: "Oh, what a load! I did the right thing, and look where it got me!"
Kids: "What are you talking about/ You seem fine to us!"
Ultra Boy: "What are you doing, Umbra?"
Star Boy: "You're going to poison these kids minds!"
Spark: "Big surprise there."

Legends of the Legion 3
Eclipsed
Issue information

Summary:

We finally get the full story of Umbra's fall as Planetary Champion of Talok VIII (first alluded to in L* 44).

Star Boy, Spark, Ultra Boy and Chuck Taine react with disbelief at Umbra's bitterness about her past. To her, not even Legion membership is equivalent to losing her title. Umbra notices the childrens' shock, and begins her story. She comes from a long line of Shadow Champions; eldest children are taken from their mothers (and possibly fathers too) at birth to prevent instances where an accident or danger kills the entire family line. She only saw her mother on seven occasions, all religious ceremonies where they could not speak. She was raised by priests of the shadow cave, for on Talok VIII there must always be a Champion or else disaster will fall. Tasmia enjoyed it though; she loved the importance of her role, the thrill of fighting, learning of her ancestors' great acts, and dreaming of one day joining them in death.

Ultra Boy interrupts, calling Talok VIII backwards for its medieval superstition. Tasmia fires back, saying his homeworld is the backward one for giving him such an ethnocentric attitude. Jo questions why Talok VIII refuses to progress; Tasmia says there is more to life than materialism, and that he might understand if he listens to the rest of her story.

Umbra enters the Shadow Cave, and for the first time she doesn't know what will happen. Only Champions survive the cave, and none speak of what happens inside. Even to her audience, Tasmia can not, and does not, say what she saw, other than that she spoke to her mother's spirit. We see what happens, though: all her ancestor Champions are there, and they chide her for not even wondering how her mother died (gutted by Arctic Spiders on the East Pole, who sliced her open, unleashing shadows that destroyed them. Oh wow.) Her ancestors say that they can live on through her, but that she must let go of her ego in order to achieve her full greatness. Tasmia says she understands; her ancestors say she's lying, but they hope she eventually will. Tasmia exits, displaying her newfound shadow powers for the first time; apparently, this was the most powerful display of shadow power ever.

Umbra describes her time as Champion. Apparently, the rich and the wise leaders listened to her. The comic shows us the truth though: at one meal, she gently criticizes a tribal chieftain for importing food from a foreign cuisine. "Global commerce threatens our twelve distinct traditions." The chieftain firmly tells her that his tribe will trade as it pleases. The priests even chide her for dictating policy to the chiefs, as it is not the Champion's role.

One day, a United Planets ship lands. Umbra lies again, saying the "monster" inside never identified itself. But we see it introduce itself as Ambassador Dao Ilbruct of the UP, with an invitation to join. Umbra is enraged, thinking of them as invaders, and attacks the ship. Her combat skills are impressive; she makes it through most of the armed guards and uses her shadow powers to interfere with the light-based systems. What she didn't count on was the effect: she causes a huge explosion. The UP staff survive thanks to their crash training; Umbra is knocked out. We see that the priests breathed a sigh of relief at the thought Tasmia might be dead, considering they felt she was too zealous and close-minded. Tasmia is kept drugged and unconscious while Talok VIII concludes negotiations for UP membership. They try to convince Tasmia of their point, but she insists its capitulation and that their cultures will wither.

Tasmia says she resigned. In reality, the priests kicked her out, telling her to study the galaxy and open her mind. She says she joined the Legion to eventually free Talok VIII. Star Boy questions her story, saying there are no reports of an occupying force on Talok VIII. Tasmia says tyranny has learned to pass itself off as freedom. Thom still calls bullshit; Tasmia counters by saying she at least has a story, whereas Thom's is just a series of "stupid mistakes and meaningless coincidences." Cue Thom's origin!

Thoughts:

Another good story title. All of them have been very clever so far. This one alludes to both Umbra's powers, and her fall from grace as Talok VIII's champion.

As someone curious about foreign cultures, I appreciate this very different one. Talok VIII takes Orando's spot as the medieval, magical world (as well it should, Reboot Orando is full of fairy-tale talking raccoons and snakes). Communing with ancestors is common in many Asian cultures too, so I could relate. My own Chinese culture gives plenty of importance to ancestors; I grew up watching the adults light incense to pray to our ancestors for guidance, and I took part in the burning of paper offerings to send to our ancestors for use in the afterlife. If you burn a paper car or house, you will send a car or house to them where they live. Umbra's communing with her ancestors seems very similar.

What I dislike though is how Tasmia is the close-minded one. Unlike with Ultra Boy or Spark, who embraced the values of diversity, Umbra wanted to close Talok VIII off. In fact, the leaders of her world were much more open-minded. I do appreciate her wanting to preserve Talok VIII's cultures, but she is the unreliable narrator here. The issue makes that very clear. And her idea of purity is pretty steep: she even frowns upon Talok VIII's tribes trading WITH each other! Again, I can relate; I've known elder Chinese-Filipinos who prize cultural purity above much else. Any change in the old practices horrifies them (not being fluent in the old language, not using the proper honorifics and titles for each relative...).

Although the issue clearly shows us Tasmia's self-delusion, it does so without being overly heavy-handed. There's quite a bit of nuance here, though it is also unequivocal in showing that Tasmia's mind was too closed. One odd thing: she joins the Legion to eventually free Talok VIII. Didn't she realize that the Legion has such close ties to the UP? Or even then, is she lying to herself and us; perhaps she joined for fame and honor, and so she could give a big "take that" to her home planet?

Also a bit chilling, but Umbra says she spent her entire life waiting to hear four words: "Your mother is dead." She acknowledges it sounds callous, but explains that a) she had no emotional connection to her mother, and b) it meant she would take on the mantle of Shadow Champion. Whew!

Legends of the Legion 4
Casualty
Issue information

Summary:

Umbra and the kids urge Star Boy for his story, with Tasmia getting in a cheap shot at Ultra Boy's expense. "If even Ultra Boy could glean some lesson from HIS past..." Thom begins with his Uncanny Amazers career. Algamenon Raiders attack Xanthu, Amazers (Atmos, Atom'x, Insect Queen, Kid Quantum II, Monstress) beat them back. Thom finds their victory too easy, and decided to join the Legion for the greater challenges. The deceased Kid Quantum I supposedly felt the same way. The other Amazers are displeased, thinking that Thom is running out on them for fame. In a bit of revenge, Kid Q II pranks Thom by having his cruiser's entertainment system tampered with to play ONLY Durlan Space-Shanties. Thom then says he had his accident. The kids, Spark and Umbra interrupt him, saying the music MUST have had something to do with it. Thom finally relents, admitting that the music drove him so crazy that, after exhausting all his options for a mechanic, he desperately stopped on Rimbor for repairs. The mechanic who repaired his ship ripped him off, but Thom didn't care. As he's drowning his sorrows, he encounters the Bone Spike Clan beating up a kid again. He makes them heavy; the bar patrons gleefully take revenge by trying to beat them up, only to injure themselves hitting their super-dense mass. When Thom reveals his power will wear off, they run away; Thom begins wondering if he did any good at all.

Thom finally leaves Rimbor (after thrashing it verbally, to Ultra Boy's amusement/commiseration/teasing). He runs into the four escaped criminals from Spark's origin (Legends of the Legion 2), who make him swerve and lose control of the ship. Knowing via police transmission that they are criminals fleeing WInath, Thom makes their ship too massive to move, getting them caught by the Science Police. However, Thom strained himself too much that his ship drifts into an asteroid belt being mined, and he gets caught in an explosion.

Thom wakes up in the mine infirmary, and snaps at the mine employees for blasting. They counter that the blast field was clearly marked, and Thom was in the wrong. Thom further gets in their faces when he learns they shot at a Space-Whale recently to chase it away, as it is endangered. The employees decide to get revenge on Thom by putting some of the Space-Whale blubber (the Whale wasn't killed, but bits of it were blown off) in his food. Thom and the doctor treating him never find out about the Space-Whale meat in his food, and are perplexed at his rabid recovery. His injuries were so severe that he should have taken months to recover. And then, Thom makes his way to the Legion.

Umbra and Ultra Boy posit that Thom must have ingested Space-Whale meat somehow, but silly Thom never makes the connection. The kids are annoyed at how Thom's story is so random and has no connecting thread. Thom's lesson is that life doesn't always make sense, but that we should follow our hearts anyway, leading Umbra to roll her eyes.

The Legionnaires end by restating each of their lessons:

Ultra Boy - don't hide from trouble
Spark - we each have something great to offer, ourselves
Umbra - don't take nass from anyone
Star Boy - believe that things will turn out well

Chuck ends with a cute one-liner about how he uses all his willpower to control his humongous appetite.

Thoughts:

Lots of Thom's story is filled in. He wasn't exactly drafted, but he sort of volunteered to replace the deceased Kid Quantum I in the Legion. I like how his story intersected with Ultra Boy's (space-whale) and Spark's (the same four villains she faced crossed Thom's path). I did facepalm a couple of times at how dense Thom is; he never connects the miner's mention of a Space-Whale with his newfound powers that are SIMILAR TO ULTRA BOY'S, who got THEM from Space-Whale meat. Not even after Jo and Tasmia point out this coincidence. Oh, Thom.

Can I say again, that I love the Reboot Legion's dynamics best? There's a bit of chop-busting and plenty of sarcasm, but the Legionnaires still treat each other as teammates. And I get a sense that while they snipe at each other, they work well together.

Running gag again about how Xanthu is so backwater, that nobody's heard of super-team the Amazers.

Thom's story IS extremely random, and probably the worst of the origins. But, the writers get my admiration for poking fun at that fact AND highlighting Thom's unending optimism (to the annoyance of everyone else).

Fave moment:

Descriptions of the Durlan Space-Shanties. Star Boy pretends they didn't bother him, but after pressing from Spark and Umbra, he admits they drove him nuts and contributed to his accident. "The 11 minute extended version of "I am a Space-faring Shapeshifter..." followed by the day-long (!!!) remix of "I am a Shapeshifting Space-farer. Then the whole thing again at full fracking blast..."

Legionnaires 62
Dark Circle Rising Part 1: Crossfire - Balance of Power
Issue Information

It's been a while since we've had a "crossover" that runs across both Legion titles, and the covers highlight that fact. Besides the in-story titles, the covers also give each part their own title.

Well, this had better be good. Though if I remember right, the Dark Circle first appeared in L* 56, not too long ago. Action taken: (L* 56) attempted kidnapping of Silvans (beings of light, aka failed Legion draftee Lume) for energy sources; failed recruitment of Daxam by preaching about the United Planets' unsuitability; (L* 57) deliberately botched assassination of RJ Brande to create fear; (LSH 102/L* 60) faked invasion and rescue of Xanthu to get them to switch alliances; (LSH 104) fanning of paranoia about Durlans to get planets such as Winath and Orando to switch.

Summary:

Dr. Gym'll has a frustrating time examining the team that explored the Space Anomaly. Most are uncooperative. There's a lot to unpack in this scene; M'Onel and Umbra get a clean bill of health and have no changes, and leave. Brainiac 5 has become so nice and cooperative, he's the only one who defends Gym'll. The poor doctor despairs that Brainy's nice demeanor means his mind has turned to mush, only to be surprised that his intelligence seems intact. Gates also seems to be physically fit and to not have undergone changes. Brainy and Gates try to get through to Kinetix, who barely reacts to the word around her as she was so awed by the Anomaly. When Gym'll snaps at her to answer in words of more than one syllable, she replies "Okay" and lifts him telekinetically.

Summary of the team:

Sister Andromeda: refused examination and left
M'Onel: powers normal, no physical changes, defends Sister Andy, thinks Umbra's darkfield pranks are cute
Umbra: powers normal, no physical changes, flirts with M'Onel, uses darkfield to make fun of Gym'll behind back
Gates: powers normal, no physical changes, no obvious personality changes but has developed friendship with Brainiac 5
Brainiac 5: change in physical appearance, force-field is now an internal power, no change in intelligence, has become extremely nice and friendly
Kinetix: new costume and hairstyle, though no other obvious physical changes except perhaps becoming taller; powers seem normal, so awed by Anomaly that she barely reacts to outside stimulus

Lori Morning lies to XS, saying her changes into Future Girl (LSH 105), and other super-beings, were the result of excess chronal energy. Lori conceals the existence of her H-Dial. XS is suspicious, but ultimately agrees to keep Lori's secret for now.

RJ Brande makes strong statements against the anti-Durlan bigotry fanning the galaxy, urging the United Planets to pull together.

Leland McCauley addresses the Affiliated Planets ruling council via viewscreens, accompanied by Chief Armorer Amilia Crugg of Khundia. They amaze the Council by using Evolvo's Omniscanner to channel the Anomaly and teleport in. With Crugg's support, the AP quickly make plans to use the Omniscanner for all their transport needs, as the Omniscanner (which allows planet-to-planet teleportation) is much more versatile than Stargates. After McCauley leaves, the AP Council reveal their true identities as the Dark Circle leaders. Member worlds include Khundia, Elia (Dominator's homeworld), Tyrraz, Sklar, and Gil'd. The plan continues: to exploit Durlan paranoia. Besides the propaganda campaign spearheaded by the Khunds, the Sklarians have released the Durlan living weapons (who can copy powers, not just forms! one of them was the Composite Durlan fought by the team in L* 25, LSH 69 and L*55); and the Gil'dans are disrupting Durlan communications.

On Durla, the new Spiritual Leader tries to keep a lid on things. He forbids asking Chameleon for help, though other Holy Council members protest that Cham's knowledge of the outside galaxy could be helpful. In the Cave of Atonement, Cham goes through his absolution ritual: to meditate on his sins whil passing through all the "corrupt" forms he has assumed. As this was merely his cover for his Espionage Squad mission, Cham tries to contact the Squad's other undercover member - Sensor. But all he gets is static. The Durlan acolytes responsible for guarding the Durlan living weapons approach Cham for help, saying the current Spiritual Leader is a fool who would only mishandle the situtation.

On new AP member Orando, Sensor and brother Prince Willum visit the mines. They are appalled to see the raccoon miners being overworked and without proper safety gear. An enraged Sensor orders the snake chief to stop operations and to stop threatening the workers. King Charlz refuses to listen to pleas, saying the AP member worlds are demanding more ores. When Sensor confronts the King, he sidesteps by blaming the UP for coddling the Durlans. Sensor uses her powers to make the King feel what the overworked miners are feeling. The King still refuses to listen. Sensor and Willum talk at the grave of their mother; Willum mentions the "Durlan" problem, to Sensor's shock. Willum apologizes to Sensor; he has decided to represent the raccoons, who are going on strike. Sensor abdicates her right to the throne in favor of Willum, and leaves Orando, intent on considering "the larger picture".

Sister Andromeda spends hours meditating and praying, still in awe of the Anomaly. The Mother Superior of the Sisters of the Eternal Cosmos sends her to help the Durlans.

Gil'd UP representative Ar'by (of the worm species) is visited by Ar'dn (of the brain species), revealing that Ar'by is the mole in the UP. Ar'by was responsible for arming the Sklarian prisoners who attempted to kill Brande and then killed themselves (L* 57). Ar'by also reveals that his species/race of Gil'dans pretended to denounce Ar'dn's race's violent conquests, which is the only reason the worm species was admitted to the UP. Suddenly, their telepaths alert them to a spy: Violet, who has been recording the whole thing. Violet shrinks to microscopic size, and Invisible Kid makes the Gil'dans blast each other, allowing them to escape with the evidence.

Spark and Triad leave on a mission to Winath, now also an AP world. Dyrk Magz and Chuck Taine bid them goodbye. Spark still can't get in contact with Cham.

Thoughts:

A lot of moving pieces here! It feels a bit like Game of Thrones, in the sense that many things are being put in motion. The only action is Vi and Lyle versus the Gil'dans, which was fun. Other than that, there's plenty of talking and catching up. The Anomaly changes seem like an afterthought though; only Kinetix and Brainiac 5 and Andromeda are changed. Still, there's so much going on, and the ante is being upped. As part 1 of 6, it's a promising start. The danger is that there are so many different threads, it might not be easy to weave them together.

Fave moments:

1) Although I feel for Dr. Gym'll, who is only trying to make sure the Legionnaires are healthy. But it was funny seeing Umbra prank him by making her darkfield resemble him. And there is some bit of Kinetix in there, as she pranks Gym'll too.

2) I cheered when Sensor used her illusions to make King Charlz feel the thirst and fatigue of the miners. What a creative use of her power!

3) Ar'dn revealing that Ar'bys worm species mistranslated the Gil'dans as "Gil'dishpan". "We were centuries living that down!" Hah! So that explains it. Nice nod to the Preboot.

Legion of Super-Heroes 106
Dark Circle Rising Part 2: Assassination - High Crimes
Issue information

Summary:

Sklarian raiders steal some Imskian microcircuitry. Apparition, Cosmic Boy and Ultra Boy stop them; though one Sklarian, Kono, can phase AND has the loot. Tinya goes after her and stops her. Cos begins telling the Imskians that the Sklarians may be helping the Affiliated Planets undercut the United Planets. XS, manning the Legion cruiser, detects a Tyrazzian ship. The Tyrazzians destroy Imsk's stargate, cutting the planet off from the rest of the UP and stranding the Legionnaires. The Tyrazzians and Sklarians use McCauley and Evolvo's Omniscanner to teleport away. However, the ship materializes inside out, killing half the crew. Kono is enraged, but the Dark Circle leader calmly brushes it off, saying the technology is still miraculous.

On new AP member Winath, Spark, her family and Triad are guests of honor at a state dinner. Triad triplicates, sending two selves to dig through Winathian government records for clues on why Winath defected from the UP. Feg Arn, one of the twin Presidents, is killed by twin fiddlers, who shapeshift into... Chameleon? Spark and Triad protest, as Chameleon is on Durla; plus, the shapeshifter copies her powers, which only the Durlan living weapons can do. Unfortunately, the crowd is whipped into a frenzy and refuses to listen to them. News of Chameleon as assassin is broadcast throughout the galaxy. The surviving President threatens to declare war on Durla. Triad's two selves are caught spying; Triad and Spark use force to escape, stealing the President's speeder.

Brainiac 5, Rond Vidar and Gates work on something to find the Time Trapper. Saturn Girl brings Koko to Brainy, who surprisingly now misses Koko. Marla Latham, on behalf of RJ Brande, asks Brainiac 5 to work on Imsk's destroyed Stargate. Brainy boosts the Virtual Reality room at Legion HQ to communicate with Cosmic Boy and XS. Under his guidance, they make the Stargate work for a millisecond - fast enough for M'Onel to fly through with a new one.

Sister Andromeda tries landing on Durla, but is stopped by UP Customs. Security is heightened, as six AP worlds have issued official threats. Andy cooperates, and the Customs officers accept her help to go after a Winathian ship trying to land on Durla. The Winathians warn that more are coming. Andy stops an officer from arresting Sensor, who protests about the UP's treatment of Durla. The Customs officers point out there's a full-scale blockade going on.

Thoughts:

Hm, some of the plotlines (Winath, Sister Andy, Sensor) move forward. The Durlan gambit leaps forward, with an assassination of all things. This is realistic though; how many times have we seen fake or misleading news, and how many people do we know who absolutely refuse to believe something despite evidence? Chameleon-as-assassin is a sad, but realistic, example.

I do like how the Legionnaires and various bit characters show how widespread the Dulrna hysteria is. Little things like Rond Vidar being worried help drive this home. The UP has been acting judiciously as well; the heightened security around Durla, and them accessing Andromeda's file to refuse her entry. The Customs officers lamenting at how Winath and other AP Worlds are acting uncivilized is spot on, too.

A couple of problems with the Legionnaires, though. I feel like they are being unduly careless here.

1) I find it a bit odd that Cos is so freely telling the Imskians of their suspicions that the Sklarians are working with the Affiliated Planets, AND trying to undercut the UP through theft. Without hard evidence, that could put them in a risky position! Cos is usually more careful than that.

2) Triad asks Spark if the coast is clear, and then triplicates. Huh, couldn't she have chosen a more hidden place to do that? They were standing just off the banquet hall! Plus, I feel like... I don't know. There were a lot of holes in their plan, and I'm not surprised Triad got caught. Maybe none of the other Espionage Squad members were available, but this just feels sloppy.

3) I don't get Sensor's protest over the heightened security around Durla. "Let these officers arrest the Princess of Orando! Perhaps it will call attention to this ridiculous clampdown on Durla!" Wait, the UP is doing this to protect Durla. Am I not getting something?

Fave moments:

1) Everyone groaning at Ultra Boy's bad joke. When defending the Imskians from Sklarians, Jo goes "Grife. You're going to make me say it, aren't you? Pick on somebody your own size!" Cos groans,and Tinya promises to beat up Kono before Jo can make another joke.

2) Sister Andromeda being targeted by Winathians. "Targeting ME? Try it and I'll pray hard for you... Because you'll need it!" hah! What a line!

Legionnaires 63
Dark Circle Rising Part 3: Resignation - Winds of War
Issue Information

Summary:

Surviving Winathian president Zakk Arn threatens war if Chameleon is not surrendered by the United Planets, for the murder of his brother. As we've seen, Chameleon has been framed (LSH 106).

Gil'dans Ar'by and Ar'dn have been arrested using evidence that they are working with the Affiliated Planets to sabotage the UP. Winema Wazzo and a Titanian Science Police officer question Ar'by, while RJ Brande and Saturn Girl take Ar'dn. Ar'dn doesn't budge, but Ar'by gives up the address of Ar'dn's local residence. Apparition disables the alarms and sneaks in, finding that Ar'dn is using it as a recruitment center, and it's filled with anti-Durlan propaganda. Tinya approves of Winema not grandstanding, as past Winema would have stormed the place herself instead of calling in the Legion.

Brande and Invisible Kid touch base with various Espionage Squad members. Triad reports on Winath (she and Spark know Cham was framed, but everyone else is beyond reasoning); Sensor (waiting to land on Durla to extract Chameleon, who cannot be contacted); Violet (joining a mission to Colu). Apparition reports in on the sheer amount of Anti-Durlan propaganda she found. Brande and Lyle call in Admiral Everett and Sister Andromeda. Something else else is jamming Durlan communications, but there's no trace of an installation like the one that caused blackouts on Xanthu (LSH 103, L*60). Their hunch is proven correct: the Imskian microcircuitry stolen by Sklarian raiders (LSH 106) has been hidden in debris, and is blocking communications. Admiral Everett's people help narrow the search, and Sister Andy begins destroying the circuitry.

Invisible Kid pulls together a squad to extract Chameleon: himself, Saturn Girl, Gates, and Shvaughn Erin as Science Police officers; Kinetix and M'Onel as themselves. They pick up Sensor in orbit around Durla. Because the Imskian microcircuitry is being cleared up, they are able to track Chameleon.

The Dominators have secured a dead Durlan, thanks to Kono. They will study it for the secrets of shapeshifting. The Durlan living weapon that assassinated Winath's president is visting his "sister", marooned/imprisoned on an asteroid. He tries to convince her to join the Dark Circle. She won't have anything to do with it, telling him he is just being used. To illustrate her point, a Tyrazzian arrives to order him around. He leaves his sister to die, slowly, on the asteroid.

On Durla, Chameleon and the Durlan acolytes search the remains of the Living Weapons' prison. The raid that freed the Living Weapons has left one acolyte buried alive. Cham leads the Durlans in finding the buried Durlan; and Lyle's crew saves them before a landslide buries them. Unfortunately, the rescued acolyte is dying; he/she gives some coordinates before passing on. This turns out to be the location of the female Durlan living weapon. Left for dead by her "brother", Cham's group saves her. They are surprised that she shows no signs of hostility. Unfortunately, her injuries have depowered her; she can't even shapeshift. When Imra comments on how calm she is, she notes that she IS angry at Durla's paranoid, insular culture. Though she doesn't blame the individual Durlans, she acknowledges the injustice in her being imprisoned by the very people who genetically engineered her to copy powers! Chameleon expresses his support for changing Durla, and regret that he didn't change things himself. Lyle, Sensor and Gates of all people tell him not to blame himself. Cham declares his intent to save Durla from the AP and change it.

Kono begins to get disgruntled; there are less than 1000 Sklarians still alive, and the other Dark Circle worlds don't show concern for them.

The Affiliated Planets makes increasing demands of McCauley, who demands that Evolvo improve his Omniscanner even more. Spider-Girl and Evolvo notice McCauley and Amilia Crugg becoming closer, using their first names and Crugg unconsciously massaging McCauley's shoulders.

Brainiac 5, Kid Quantum II and Violet head to Colu. Brainy gets a call from someone hidden in shadow (which leads nowhere).

Thoughts:

Little action again. The Durla plot moves forward, but boy, are there many plot holes:

1) The "Chameleon Rescue Squad" confused me. A) Why are there so many going? Do they really need 7 people to get Cham? Or are they also planning to help Durla? B) So I sort of get why so many pretended to be SP Officers, so the Legion presence wouldn't be noticed. But why have M'Onel and Kinetix, then? Why not just disguise everyone as an SP? Neither Kinetix nor M'Onel are so distinct that they can't pretend to be any normal humanoid. Gates and Sensor - especially Sensor - seem more distinct, as they could only be Vyrgan and Orandan, respectively! Sensor even points it out by sarcastically telling Gates: "I hardly recognized you in that clever disguise!" Gates retorts with a "sarcasm ill becomes you, princess!"

2) One Durlan living weapon is unaccounted for. InLSH 68, there were THREE Living Weapons. We only know the locations of two: the one who murdered the Winathian president, and the one imprisoned because she won't join the Dark Circle. Where is the third?

3) The dying acolyte somehow knew the coordinates to the female Living Weapon's prison. But how did he/she get this information?

Another plot hole: the call Brainy gets leads absolutely nowhere. Sigh again.

Some likes, though:

Little things, like Spider-Girl jokingly telling Evolvo that his powers might make people think he's a Durlan, underscore the paranoia. We don't see normal people say it, but this is a good way to sprinkle it in through the plot. Gates commenting on Karate Kid being so un-materialistic, refusing his own quarters and sleeping in the gardens.

I love how Gates, though much more personable, still spouts funny one-liners. When Cham declares his intent to change Durla, Gates goes "Vive la causa!" He encourages Cham by saying, "and a lone revolutionary would have been ground up under the old hierarchy! So don't go talking like a martyr all of a sudden!"

Moy's art continues to shine. He sprinkles in so many little things, like Gates teleporting in with a medi-kit to treat the dying Durlan. His facial expression when wearing a Science Police uniform is GOLD.

Fave moments:

1) The Easter Egg of Invisible Kid running a facial recognition match between Monstress and the Khunds. Hey, best to be careful...
2) Kid Quantum II asking Brainy what effect her powers would have on a stargate. I do get frustrated as he never answers the question!

Overall, this issue was meh. It moved things forward, but I have the uneasy feeling that it wasn't particularly well-plotted. Too many questions and inconsistencies abound.

Legion of Super-Heroes 107
Dark Circle Rising Part 4: Duplicity - Brainspotting
Issue information

Summary:

Brainiac 5, Kid Quantum II and Violet arrive on Colu. Upon detecting Brainy, the Coluans go into hideaway mode, shutting down buildings (I thought it was a reaction to his bringing the original Brainiac back in the 20th century, Showcase '96 11-12); but Brainy explains it's a reaction to his research methodology, where he constantly blew up labs. He explains that Coluans prefer theoretical science to applied science. He brings Jazmin and Vi to his old lab, but they are attaxcked by security systems. Jazmin easily dispatches the little flying tasers by freezing them in her stasis field. Their mission: to convince Colu to stay away from the Affiliated Planets. Brainy uses the Coluan Sleepnet, a network that links sleeping Coluans so they can share knowledge, to reach the population quickly. Jazmin is annoyed, but Vi says Brainy's power is his intellect, and that if they understood everything he did they wouldn't need him. Brainy initially encounters fear and resistance from the Coluans, but opens himself up to them and convinces them to stay out of the AP. The Coluans reward him by showing him an image of his mother's face (she abandoned him at birth, and he invented time travel to see her! - revealed in LSH 77). An angry Coluan exits the Sleepnet.

On Winath, Spark and Triad hide out in Spark's old treehouse. They bond over Triad's confession that her childhood was spent hiding from psychiatrists, as Cargg has no tolerance for Carggites whose selves have different personalities (see -https://www.legionworld.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=799881#Post799881). Spark cheers Lu up by quoting Tom Robbins: "it's never too late to have a happy childhood." Triad reveals that she found evidence as to why Winath defected from the United Planets to the AP. They are attacked by the Composite Durlan, who copies both their powers and impersonates Triad to confuse Spark. Triad engages in a three-for-three fight; her superior experience and skills win the day, allowing her to "know" which of the selves are her; the Durlan ends up beating himself up. This allows Spark to identify who is Triad and who is the Durlan, electrocuting the remaining Durlan selves.

The Dark Circle leader is ware of Brainy's actions on Colu, and forces McCauley to send the Composite Durlan to kill Brainy. McCauley begins to suspect the AP's involvement in the Winathian assassination. Spark and Triad are caught up in the teleportation. The Durlan takes out Lu, Ayla, Jaz and Vi, but Brainy uses the Sleepnet to render him catatonic. In return, Brainy gets access to the Durlan's memories; he realizes that the Dark Circle is tapping into the Anomaly via McCauley/Evolvo's Omniscanner, and that the Time Trapper is affected. Brainy warns the Legion that if this continues, time itself could end.

The Dark Circle leader meets the Council. Everything is in place for some of the fleet to engage the UP fleet while they launch "Plan D". The leader curiously comments that it still feels nothing, and orders the Circle to send their entire fleet to Durla. The Khundian rep protests, saying their goal is to ostracize Durla, not capture it. The Gil'dan rep calls the leader irrational, leading to its death in revenge.

The Dark Circle fleet arrives on Durla, and engages in a firefight with the UP forces.

Thoughts:

I honestly don't know. Things move forward, but I'm beginning to feel like there's little pay-off here. The mingling of the two plotlines (Dark Circle and Anomaly) is clever, but unfortunately executed. The Dark Circle plot dominates, but the Anomaly remains unexplored. I get that the surprise factor was important, but still.

I feel like the Colu, Winath and Durla plots were wasted opportunities. There were a few nice moments (Kid Q II getting her first Legion mission, Triad and Spark bonding over their childhoods), but overall I feel dissatisfied - the Colu and Durla teams were vastly under-explored. This could have been a good opportunity to get to know these worlds more.

I think this is a case of too many plots spoil the book. So much is going on, but not enough of it is explored and developed properly.

Fave moment:

Triad is shocked at how normal Spark's childhood was, with her tree house. Spark cheers Triad up by quoting Tom Robbins: "it's never too late to have a happy childhood."

Legionnaires 64
Dark Circle Rising Part 5: Enlightenment - Time Out
Issue Information

Summary:

The Dark Circle/Affiliated Planets is falling apart. McCauley is suspicious of the AP leader's refusal to meet face-to-face, and of their involvement with the Durlan that assassinated Winath's president. He orders Evolvo to trace the leader. The McCauley staff monitoring the Anomaly show McCauley that it looks distorted. McCauley realizes he's in over his head, and calls RJ Brande. Amilia Crugg, chief armorer of the Dark Circle, rushes in, raging against the AP's idiocy in starting an all-out war with the UP over Durla. Crugg warns that the Khundians are giving in to bloodlust, and may cause the Anomaly to disintegrate.

The leader kills the Gil'dan rep on the Council for insulting him/her (LSH 107); its death cries resonate with Gil'dans across the galaxy. The Gil'dan arrested by the United Planets, Ar'by, decides to turn state's evidence over the Dark Circle leader's irrationality, much to Winema Wazzo's satisfaction. Kono, also disgusted by the manby Sklarian deaths, refuses to help the Dark Circle on Durla.

On Durla, Sensor and Saturn Girl sense Dark Circle forces teleporting into the Durlan Holy Council chambers. Shvaughn Erin, Gates and Kinetix teleport in, saving most of the Council, but not in time to save the Spiritual Leader. Sensor, Saturn Girl and Chameleon link minds to warn the Durlan population to prepare for invaders. The Durlans use their shapeshifting to ambush them. M'Onel and Sister Andromeda engage the fleet in space. Andromeda demonstrates some new light-based powers; as she flies, she's surrounded in a halo of light, and she can generate beams of energy. The angered Khunds begin drawing on the Anomaly to make their ships faster. UP Admiral Everett reports the UP fleet is holding, but their scanners show the Anomaly is distorting faster and faster. The Legionnaires converge on Durla to assist.

The Dark Circle leader is the only one happy with the war, cheering the bloodlust on.

Suddenly, the Anomaly splinters, freezing time! Only the following are unaffected: all Legionnaires except Karate Kid; Shvaughn Erin; Sister Andromeda; and Lori Morning. Lori tries using her H-Dial, but it malfunctions, bringing her to the dimension where all the Dial selves are "stored". The Time Trapper appears, revealing herself to be a future version of Lori! Unseen by Lori, Trapper puts her to sleep, saying she is too unpredictable and that everything is up to the Legion.

The Legionnaires coming from Earth, the Outpost and Colu all somehow end up in the timestream, possibly because they all triggered Stargate jumps simultaneously when the Anomaly splintered. With Kid Quantum II's help, Brainiac 5 contacts the team on Durla. His theory: the Time Trapper foresaw this, and triggered various events (being stranded in the 20th century, being stuck in the timestream (L* 47 and LSH 91), the timeslips in LSH 82 and L*54, and the final timeslip in L* 61/LSH 105) to "train" the Legion to rescue time. Brainy cites the frozen Karate Kid as the one Legionnaire with no real contact with the Trapper. Despite Lyle's sarcasm, Brainy pushes ahead with his plan. Some Legionnaires are sent to Durla, while the rest help Brainy build a machine to restart time. They think the Composite Durlan is frozen, but somehow he duplicates their abilities to remain unfrozen; he plays possum, waiting for the time to strike.

Ferro, Live Wire, Monstress, Umbra, Violet and the frozen Karate Kid reinforce the team on Durla. They make the trip through Kid Quantum II's quantum sphere. They join the following:

Chameleon, Saturn Girl and Sensor link minds to track down all the Dark Circle forces.
Ferro, Gates, Invisible Kid, Kinetix, Monstress, Shvaughn Erin, Violet record the happenings while disarming and capturing ground troops on Durla.
Live Wire, M'Onel, Sister Andromeda and Umbra disarm the space fleet. Umbra displays the ability to make her darkfield solid, punching through a ship. Andy displays light energy powers.

Apparition, Brainiac 5, Cosmic Boy, Element Lad, Kid Quantum II, Spark, Star Boy, Triad, Ultra Boy and XS reach the Anomaly. They find it splintered, and the Time Trapper is trapped inside each shard,calling for help. Brainy leads his team in building a machine to restart time. When the machine is completed, Brainy decides to pilot it. The Legionnaires argue, saying it's too risky and that they need Brainy. Each offers to pilot it themselves, offering different reasons for why he/she is the best choice. The Composite Durlan is inspired by their willingness to sacrifice themselves AND their lack of a selfish agenda; he grabs the machine and takes off, choosing to sacrifice himself. Brainy decides to trust the Composite Durlan, and orders Spark, Cos, Jazmin and Thom to pour their powers into the machine (as the Durlan has a head start anyway), restarting time.

The Dark Circle leader realizes they have lost. Chuck and Tenzil find a sleeping Lori and her H-Dial. The Anomaly disappears, much to Andy's regret and Garth's and Tasmia's relief. The Composite Durlan confesses all it knows, and learns that his "sister" has survived, before dying. The Legionnaires mourn him for his sacrifice (except Jo, who is angry).

Thoughts:

Plot lines converge, finally. I don't know, the whole time stopping thing fell flat for me. It was cool they restarted time, but much of the suspense was lost. At least on Durla; with frozen targets, the team there had little trouble. Thank goodness the Composite Durlan was there to add some drama! On the plus side, pretty much every Legionnaire, plus Andromeda and Shvaughn, get something to do. The Composite Durlan redeeming himself was a nice touch, but fell a bit flat too.

Those who read Zero Hour will know that the Trapper was revealed, in shadow, to have long hair. Future Lori as Trapper brings this full circle.

Some more plot holes and odd choices:

1) Karate Kid "had no real contact with the Time Trapper", leaving him frozen. Huh? Wasn't he there in LSH 105 too? I mean, that was enough to keep Monstress and Kid Quantum II unfrozen. Well, OK, they were there in L* 61 also... just seems odd though. Shvaughn also remains unfrozen due to being in L* 47 and LSH 91; then Dyrk Magz should be unaffected too, as he was there. Andromeda remains unfrozen because of the Anomaly, I infer.
2) The death of the new Durlan Spiritual Leader was EXTREMELY convenient.
3) The three Legion teams (from Earth, from the Outpost and from Colu) somehow managed to enter Stargates at exactly the same time, leading them all to meet up in the timestream? oh-kay.
4) The Composite Durlan. So his bonds do not prevent him from copying powers. Boy, was that a monumental oversight on the Legion's part!
5) Brainy deciding to trust the Composite Durlan and trigger the machine. The unfortunate implication is that this directly leads to the Durlan's death. Time was, this would have ledto a court-martial at least! But this isn't even discussed. For that matter, the other Legionnaires present would be equally complicit!
6) Kono escapes, apparently, to steal another day. Why they didn't tie her up, I don't know.
7) Amilia Crugg, despite being privy to the Dark Circle, escapes prosecution too. Political considerations I guess, especially as she sort of switched sides by warning the UP of the Dark Circle army.

Several power-ups are revealed in this issue too:

1) Sister Andy has some new unique powers, interesting - her apparent ability to control light
2) Kid Q II's powers are becoming deus ex machina quality. Now, she apparently is able to help Brainiac 5 contact Saturn Girl from within the timestream?? And she can send a handful of Legionnaires out of it???? What a big step up from stasis fields! Also
3) Umbra can make her darkfield solid enough to punch through a ship

Fave moments:

1) Gates turning a "frozen" Karate Kid into a puppet. Yes, I know it's bad and disrespectful, but it was kind of funny. Violet goes, "Gates, you have a truly evil sense of humor." Gates replies, "Thank you, Leviathan. Big of you to say so!" And hwen time is unfrozen, a confused Karate Kid kicks the nearest Khund prisoner!

2) Kinetix still has snark in her. When Kono unfreezes, she sees the Khundians tied up.

Kono: "... take this stupid war and shove it up! Sideways! Right up your... your... you're all tied up."
Kinetix: "Smart girl."

3) When Brainy talks about his plan, he says it's risky. Lyle slips in an "Big surprise." Brainy hears him, and retorts "but it beats waiting for the stars to go out, Lyle!" All Lyle can muster is an "Oy."

4) The Anomaly team each offering to pilot the machine. Their reasoning is cute: Apparition says she can phase, Brainy insists his forcefield will protect him and that he knows how it works, Ayla says she can guide it electrically from a distance, and Cos says he can guide it magnetically from a safer distance, Jan says he can transmute with whatever happens, Jazmin feels her time powers will protect her, both Jo and Thom insist they're invulnerable (to which Jo retorts that he's tougher than Thom and that Thom's driving sucks!), Lu thinks she can send only one self and reintegrate to safety, XS says she's fastest.

5) As the Anomaly team mourns the Composite Durlan, Brainy says a quote from physicist Edward Tyron. "Perhaps the universe is just one of those things that happens now and again. I wonder, can the same be said of redemption?"

Legion of Super-Heroes 108
Dark Circle Rising Part 6: Revelation - The End
Issue information

Summary:

First couple of pages recap the plot so far, which I won't get into. It's like the writers realized how complicated things got, and it takes one page for roll call and two pages for the recap!

The Durlans are grateful that the Legion stopped the invasion. In space,Cosmic Boy is pulled by the Time Trapper into a pocket universe or something. Trapper congratulates Cos for the Legion's successful restarting of time. Cos is angry at the Trapper's manipulations and attacks. Trapper is insulted, and tosses Cos through time, aging him rapidly until he ends up back in the Legion cruiser. Cos realizes he's made an enemy of the Trapper.

The Dark Circle ruling council turns on their leader for leading them to disaster by having the entire fleet attack Durla. Leader turns tables and slaughters them all, saying he/she didn't fail and got what he/she wanted. RJ Brande orders an assault on the Dark Circle's temple; Science Police officers find the dead Council members and find out that a "shipsuit" has taken off.

Brainiac 5 is informed via Coluan Sleepnet (which he can access anywhere due to his Anomaly changes), that his mother, Brainiac 4, has resurfaced. He drops everything to run to Colu. All the other Legionnaires are briefed by Saturn Girl, who splits the team up to follow the Dark Circle leader's possible flight paths. Gates enlists Spark out of worry for Brainy; Live Wire overhears.

A group of Legionnaires, including M'Onel, track down the shipsuit and find it empty. It was a decoy.

On Colu, Brainiac 5 meets mom Brainiac 4. She suddenly tampers with his force-field, turning it into a device that burns Brainy's body. She confesses that she did it because it made her feel something. Ever since birth, she has wanted to feel any sort of emotion. Giving birth to Brainy was one of her attempts; she abandoned him because he didn't make her feel anything. She tried several things, such as becoming a beggar, a gambler, a superhero, and even becoming Dark Circle leader. She never felt any emotions until she sent the Dark Circle fleet to attack Durla (to its death, she says, but the fleet didn't die. Whatever.). Waging war and causing death finally made her feel; she threatens to have more children just so she can kill them and feel something again. Gates, Spark and Live Wire teleport in, saving Brainy at the last moment. As Brainy recovers, Gates tries to empathize (I can imagine how you must feel"; Brainy insults him ("If you could imagine anything, it would be a first."). Gates teleports out in anger.

RJ Brande asks Chameleon (coming from victim planet Durla), Saturn Girl (as Legion leader) and Sensor (coming from Orando, which returns to the United Planets in shame) to be special ambassadors for healing, diversity and inclusion. Brande has convinced Durla to release Cham from obligations as Spiritual Leader. Brande notes that it's possible not all worlds will be readmitted into the UP.

Thoughts:

Boring title. Like they didn't even try. Ah well.

This issue was lackluster. I do appreciate the wrap up of several long-running plot points, such as the mysterious timeslips ("training" by the Time Trapper), and Brainiac 5's mom (started way back in LSH 77!; it's also implied that Vril Dox's bargain with the devil Neron for a soul of his bloodline, was paid off by Brainiac 4). The status quo has changed forever, which I do appreciate. The Dark Circle is pretty much handily defeated, what with the fleet being captured, the ruling council dead, and Brainiac 4 taken out.

I feel like this plot was overly complicated and not very well executed; the plotting was a bit all over the place, compared to the Chu Sting, the Mordru/Emerald Violet battle and even COMPUTO. Ah well, it's not bad, just worse than other plotlines. The focus shifts so quickly, too. It's not bad, but it could have been so much more.

Shvaughn Erin, despite playing at least as big a role as many Legionnaires, isn't even on the roll call.

Brainy being able to access the Coluan Sleepnet from anywhere is convenient, but plausible.

Some weird character moments:

1) Violet is drawn all insecure again, hands to her chin. Hmph.
2) Element Lad saying "don't be silly, death is the middle!" Sigh. Jan's spirituality has become a shallow, one-off joke...
3) Ok, so Live Wire overhears Gates and Spark talking. But did the writers have to have him tag along? I feel the moment was weakened, considering Gates approached Spark as they were the two closest Legionnaire friends Brainy had.
4) Cos unnecessarily antagonizing the Trapper. Whew. Again, this seems odd considering how patient and under control he was with the Chu sting! He pretended to curry favor from LSH 72-80, L* 29-36!
5) Ferro is even more of a wuss than before, distracting the Legion while wondering "won't Brainy get in trouble" for ditching the meeting. Gosh! He's shown more backbone than this recently!

Fave moment:

Gates tossing his Science Police uniform away. "I can finally get out of this Science Cop suit before anyone else I respect sees me!"

Legionnaires 65
Dark Circle Rising Part 7: Dark Circle Falls - Days of Reckoning
Issue Information

Summary:

Surviving Winathian President Zakk Arn is caught in a Legion Espionage Squad (Apparition, Chameleon, Invisible Kid, Sensor, Triad) sting, trying to flee with his embezzled money. Apparition spooks him, and he confesses to having billions of credits in untraceable money. Turns out, the money came from inflated sales of Winathian grain, and was financed by Sklarian pirate raids. Arn was complicit in the murder of twin brother Fegg to conceal his crimes. Invisible Kid points out to reporter Condo Arlik that Zakk, who spurred paranoia versus Durlan shapeshifters, disguised himself trying to escape.

The Legion has been deputized by the Affiliated Planets too; many member worlds decide not to rejoin or join the United Planets, but to stick together as a separate legitimate entity.

On Durla, several Legionnaires (Chameleon, Ferro, Invisible Kid, Sensor, Violet and Sister Andromeda) help RJ Brande and new Durlan Spiritual Leader Leejah (the depowered female Living Weapon) prepare for a galactic address. Lyle and Condo get along well. Spark escorts Sensor's father, who apologizes for buying into the Dark Circle's Durlan paranoia. Brande addresses the galaxy, including both UP and AP, calling for reconciliation and healing. King Charlz adds his voice. Leejah takes the mike, calling for forgiveness. Several Science Police officers still express some fear of Durlan shapeshifting, prompting disapproval from Saturn Girl (who for some reason still wears her Science Police uniform). Sister Andromeda resolves to stay on Durla to help. Sensor finally clears up her relationship with Chameleon, convincing her father that they are only friends. Sensor further says she would never date a "mammal". This is helped by Spark and Chameleon hugging.

At Legion HQ, Brainiac 5 tries to process his mother's attack and role as Dark Circle leader. Brainy has gone to Dr. Ryk'rr for therapy and writes a journal. Several Legionnaires try to help Brainy; Gates is particularly notable, supporting Brainy the entire time. Triad's three selves disagree over what Brainy should do; Brainy is grateful as it helps him visualize his conflict. Other Legionnaires weigh in: M'Onel tells him not to isolate himself; Umbra warns him not to waste himself (and pales upon hearing she gave similar advice to Gates); Element Lad talks about change not always being bad; Karate Kid reveals his mother died in childbirth and he doesn't know his father, but is at peace with it because all living things are family. Chuck Taine and Tenzil Kem also offer their support. Brainy reflects on his newfound emotional intelligence, retaining the capacity to empathize and be polite. Lori Morning's H-Dial has been confiscated; Lori tries to pester Brainy for it, but XS sternly takes her away. Brainy expresses optimism that he can overcome his tragedy.

Kid Quantum II, Monstress, Star Boy receive news from Dyrk Magz, that Xanthu wants to recall them. (nothing ever comes out of this). Star Boy manifests flame breath as a new power. Dyrk looks for XS; Kid Q and Monstress tease him over it.

Amilia Crugg decides to stay with Leland McCauley; she has cut her losses and denounces the Khunds as brutish losers.

Thoughts:

Meh. This whole issue felt overly simplistic. The address from Durla was cute, but lacked impact. Brainy's wool-gathering took a lot of time, but didn't add much depth to most of the characters involved. I do like that not everything reverted to normal; there's a new status quo, with the UP and AP co-existing. And there is still some fear of Durlans, which is realistic.

Somewhat random assortment of Legionnaires on the cover. I love them being reflected in the Legion symbol though.

Ah, Lyle and Condo. This was supposed to go towards the reveal they were in a relationship, but oh well.

More plotlines introduced that lead nowhere: the three Xanthian Legionnaires never answer Xanthu's summons, nor is it ever followed up on.

Umbra walks out of the cafeteria when Gates teleports in, calling him "the pillbug of happiness" and claiming she loses her appetite. That's rich, coming from her, who always insults and condescends towards the others. It does tie into her history of self-delusion and self-aggrandizement though (see Legends of the Legion 3 for a particularly bad example!)

Moy's art seems shoddier here. It's odd, as he's worked with W.C. Carani before and the results have been good.

Starman 50
Lighting the Way: Then, Now and Yet To Be!
Issue Information

Star Boy and Umbra meet time-traveling Starmen Jack Knight and Mikaal Tomas and from the 20th century!

Summary:

Jack Knight, Mikaal Tomas and a hologram of Ted Knight (created by a Mother Box) arrive in the 30th century. Star Boy recognizes their names and greets them warmly; Ted is known for harnessing cosmic energy, which allowed Earth to colonize space. Star Boy is a fan; he's studied them all, thinking he will be Starman when he grows up. Thom is leading the Legion response to the Dark Colossus, a giant cloudy black mass that has engulfed several uninhabited asteroids, and is devouring Xanthu. Umbra comes in with data from the Science Police, and immediately kneels before Mikaal, calling him "My Lord". Umbra begins revealing Mikaal's future, before Thom stops her.

Atmos is the only "surviving" Uncanny Amazer; he was forced to leave Insect Queen and Radion, among others, behind to warn Xanthu; Atmos lies delirious, repeating his final conversation with Insect Queen over and over. The Amazers entered the mass because they detected its center was organic. The quintet decide to enter the mass without waiting for the other Legionnaires, as it's growing at a very fast rate. Holographic Ted disappears almost as soon as they enter, and nobody can see anything until Umbra uses her powers to create a "shadow bubble" that deflects the Colossus' darkness. Solid shadow creatures attack, though the team is able to defeat them. They also find victims, Xanthians covered in shadow; dying but still alive. Insect Queen is one of them. Thom tries to bring her, but the others convince him to leave her as she will sow them down. Besides, if they defeat the thing in the center, they will save her.

Eventually, after what would be the equivalent of 8 days, they find the Shade at the center! Shade is barely alive, and asks Jack to spear him with the cosmic rod. Shade instructs Mikaal and Jack on how to harness the energy of the stars outside. This restores Shade's control over his powers, and all the victims are freed and expected to recover.

Shade reveals that Star Boy will, in his future, take the name Danny Blaine and become Starman of the early 21st century. It was Thom-as-Danny who told Shade how to free himself in this time. Shade tells Thom his future to close the predestination loop, as Thom-as-Danny instructed Shade to do. Thom is upset, as he doesn't want to be predestined to live Danny's life (he knows how Danny will die). Jack comforts him by saying that this future may never even come to pass, especially as Jack knows about it. The 20th century Starmen take their leave.

Thoughts:

A pretty nice story. Though it's obviously geared more towards the Starman fans, both Thom and Tasmia get some good use here. Both also act pretty well in character, and acquit themselves well in battle.

It was cute of Star Boy to be tied into the Starman legacy. The link is pretty tenuous though, as besides the name there's not much else linking them. I dislike the "Star Boy as Starman of 21st century" revelation. I hate that Thom is sort of boxed in, but I appreciate that the writers gave some hope this would never come true. I appreciate Thom's negative feelings about this as well. I would probably feel the same way if told my future were like that.

Umbra is also a lot more personable here, though she still retains her warrior edge. Though she won't break the Legion code against killing, she is pleased when Mikaal offers to kill Shade, as it shows he is still a warrior at heart.

There are also some cute moments where Tasmia and Jack bond over 20th century literature - including Homeboy, which is apparently a classic.

Legion: Science Police 1 of 4
Ringers Part 1
Issue Information

So what was with the throwaway line in L* 63 about Saturn Girl re-establishing ties with the Science Police? Why was Imra in an SP Uniform in L* 65? This will be tangentially answered in Legion: Science Police! But it's really about disgraced SP Officer Jarik Shadder and the sinister happenings behind the Ringer project...

Summary:

Officer Jarik Shadder is part of the SP response, led by Captain Hagbard, to a group of hostage-takers. Shadder refuses to take initiative without direct orders. The Ringers show up and take charge; Hagbard reluctantly tells his officers to stand by.

The Ringers: Each has a ring that generates a tac-beam with a unique effect

Driana Allon, sister of deceased Legionnaire Leviathan/Gim Allon; leader; ring creates molecular decay
Klen Rokkart; ring generates portals to a "cold" dimension called "drop holes"
Shallee, shy and stammering; ring generates nannite pulses that interferes with electron-based technology
Vincel, large; ring generates "remote pounders" that act as cylinders with concussive force, which he swings around like fists

The Ringers make short work of the hostage-takers: Shallee disables their force field, Drianna destroys the door, Klen makes the equipment they hide behind disappear, Vincel knocks them out. Hagbard orders Imra Ardeen (! implied in L* 63 to have pretended to leave the Legion for the SP as part of the Legion Espionage Squad operations) to scan the area, she detects two bad guys escaping. Shadder sees them, but hesitates to act until Hagbard commands him to. Once he does though, he takes them out easily. The SPs are disapproving as Drianna gives an interview, name-dropping the Global Grace Foundation for sponsoring them. SP Officer Omar Magz (yes, Dyrk Magz's older brother) gives Shadder grief for not acting unless ordered to. Hagbard sternly tells Magz to stop. Imra and Shvaughn Erin discuss Shadder, who was once a legendary officer.

Driana's boyfriend Lohn says she's changed. Driana brushes it off, saying he should be happy for her. She was contacted by the GG Foundation because she was "genetically suitable" for the Ringer project, and she's happy to live out of the shadow of deceased Gim.

Collen Hasteen, reporter, bumps into Shadder at a bar. Hasteen shares his suspicions about the Ringers: the powers are oddly familiar, and many accidents hitting big corporations started happening around the time the Ringers debuted. Shadder refuses to help.

A purification cult attacks Roundrock prison. They believe that evil should be eradicated, and they plan to kill all the prisoners with a bomb. The Ringers show up and stop the bad guys; Klen makes the bomb disappear, then toys with the cult leader. Vincel narrowly saves the leader from falling into a drop hole; Driana gives Klen grief for using his dangerous powers on a living being. Driana tells Shallee and Vincel to spirit Klen away, and plans on covering up as there were no real witnesses. Unknown to her, Shadder and two other offices saw the whole thing from a hidden vantage point.

As Driana worries about Klen, she snaps at Lohn and points her ring at him. She is shocked by her actions.

Hasteen visits Shadder with more information. A rogue Vyrgan had a power exactly like Klen's ring, and was killed resisting arrest. In fact, all the Ringers' rings mimic the power signatures of super-powered criminals who recently died! Hasteen posits that the GG Foundation has managed to transfer the powers into the rings, and is worried that the personalities may have been transferred too!

Thoughts:

This first issue is well-done, and is so far a better mystery/intrigue story than the Dark Circle Rising! There's plenty of action, but what I like more is the whole detective/mystery angle. The Ringers seem clean at first, but Klen and Driana begin acting oddly.

I like how the Legion is mentioned (Saturn Girl leaving it for the SPs; one of the rogue villains being from Gates' homeworld). The writers do a good job of injecting just enough exposition for the casual reader to understand the plot and links to the Legion without making it boring. The series also draws on the Legion's rich world, bringing in established characters like Shvaughn, Hagbard and Omar Magz.

New characters shine as well, though. Driana gets a nice hook, mourning her brother but also wanting to be out of his shadow (a bit like Kid Quantum II). Shadder is set up to be an interesting former top cop with a past that has made him afraid to act on his own. Hasteen is a good investigative reporter with a strong sense of right.

It's an excellent first issue that makes me look forward to the rest of the mini.

Legion: Science Police 2 of 4
Ringers Part 2
Issue Information

Summary:

Driana leads a training exercise. She reminds the Ringers to be careful, as in real life they have no guarantee their opponents will be automated. She stresses that they should not use their powers against living creatures as it could be lethal, and reminds Klen that nobody knows where his drop holes lead. Klen saves Shallee's life when a training drone almost crashes into her. Driana meets with Director Vyke and Shaar T'gari of the Global Grace Foundation, who is concerned about Klen almost sending an enemy into one of his drop holes. Driana reassures Vyke that Klen is fine. Vyke gives Driana a "clandestine mission", which Driana likens to sabotage. Vyke reminds her that the Foundation isn't publicly funded, and that big corporations pay big money to have their rivals hindered. Driana continues to protest, but Vyke threatens to take her off the Ringers' public team. Driana quickly capitulates.

Reporter Collen Hasteen visits Officer Jarik Shadder again; Shadder agrees to help Hasteen, though what that help is isn't revealed yet. Saturn Girl, in her role as SP Officer, asks Omar Magz why he's so hostile to Shadder; Magz explains that Shadder now only follows direct orders, and is unreliable. Imra picks up anger, fear and death from Shadder and Hasteen, and talks to Hasteen.

Driana explains again to boyfriend Lohn that she enjoys being a Ringer because she's not overshadowed by deceased older brother Leviathan anymore. They affirm their love for one another. Driana leads the Ringers on their mission; Shallee and Vincel express reservations, but reluctantly agree that raising money this way allows the Foundation to help more people. The Ringers subtly sabotage some equipment in Shiroki Industries, a mining company, that will shut down production for a few days. Klen breaks ranks, making some equipment disappear into a drop hole and triggering alarms. Klen makes three guards disappear into a drop hole, leading the guards to authorize lethal force. Driana begins relishing it too, until a horrified Vincel shakes her out of it. She tries to stop Klen, who threatens more guards. Suddenly, his ring stops working; the guards kill him. Driana and the others escape.

Driana confronts Vyke and T'gari about why Klen's ring stopped working. Vyke calls it a malfunction. Driana pushes; Vyke says an investigation could shut down the Ringers, making Driana back down again. Vyke and T'gari resolve to keep an eye on Driana, especially as she's been showing signs of instability too. Vyke orders personnel to intensify the training for two replacement Ringers.

Thoughts:

Hm, the pace has slowed down a little bit. I found some of the early scenes repetitive; do we really need Driana to explain again that she didn't like being in deceased brother Leviathan's shadow? Or to see Omar giving Shadder a hard time again? Overall, less happened this issue because of that. However, the ante is upped a bit: Klen dies, the Foundation is shown to be sinsiter, and Shadder agrees to help Hasteen. Too bad that Shadder and Hasteen get little screen time and their share of the plot doesn't move as much.

Driana is also erratic in this issue. Twice we see her confronting Vyke, only to back down once she realizes her status as Ringer could be threatened. It's almost the exact same scene.

Legion: Science Police 3 of 4
Ringers Part 3
Issue Information

Summary:

A man called Dahtri is raving in Science Police headquarters, and has a gun. Jarik Shadder calmly orders lunch and offers Dahtri a drink, asking what's wrong. Dahtri claims someone is sabotaging his business. Shadder makes no move to stop Dahtri until Hagbard orders him to; then Shadder disarms him with ease. What follows is the exact same scene from last issue, where Magz gives Shadder a hard time and Hasteen asks to speak with Shadder! This time we do see the conversation: Hasteen summarizes what he knows. Most of it was revealed in issue 1: the Ringers' ring singatures match those of deceased super-powered villains; acts of sabotage started happening around the same time they appeared. The new bit is that Hasteen has tracked the rings' production to a research facility called Tomorrow Light. Shadder refuses to act without orders as he's afraid people will die; he alludes to an incident in his past that caused him to think this way. Hasteen points out he was the only one who stuck up for Shadder, and calls in his favor. Shadder finally agrees to help, but says this will make them even. Imra Ardeen asks Hasteen for a talk, saying she sensed fear and blood. She asks Hasteen if Shadder is a threat. Hasteen says no, and reveals the incident: Shadder was chasing a terrorist group leader. The leader hijacked a shuttle with dozens of civilians and planned to crash it into the Metropolis Spaceport Terminal. Shadder only had time to destroy the shuttle, killing the dozens on board but saving the hundreds in the terminal. Shadder was cleared by authorities, but vilified by the public. Ever since then, he's avoided responsibility by refusing promotions, and acting only when direct orders are given. Imra is sympathetic, but presses harder on Hasteen's conversation with Shadder. Hasteen refuses to divulge anything, except that Shadder is acting on the side of good.

Shadder infiltrates Tomorrow Light by using his Science Police identity to "question" an employee and duplicate his card key. He hacks into their systems and downloads all their data. He sees Dahtri, the man who threatened SP headquarters earlier. He plans to let Dahtri go, but realizes that Dahtri made off with one of his pieces of equipment. He chases Dahtri, to find that he planted a bomb! Dahtri miscalculated though; Tomorrow Light's rebounders are absorbing the bomb blast and doubling its power. The rebounders are triggering successive explosions, each twice as powerful as the last. Shadder makes it to the controls but freezes; he can't bring himself to make a decision. Luckily, a Tomorrow Light scientist arrives and shuts it down. Shadder narrowly escapes by saying he's an SP Officer who followed Dahtri, and that Dahtri is delusional.

Shadder gives the data to Hasteen, who thinks he has enough to expose Tomorrow Light. Shadder also thanks Hasteen for helping him.

Commander Hagbard suspends Shadder pending investigation, as Shadder's presence at Tomorrow Light was questionable and Dahtri has a different story. The employee who Shadder questioned came forward too. Shadder visits Hasteen, only to find him dead and the data on Tomorrow Light deleted!

Thoughts:

Well, things have moved much faster this time. Although Driana and the ringers are entirely absent, the rest of the plot makes up for it, I feel.

I like how the Science Police are shown to be smart. Hagbard makes a lot of good decisions: investigating Shadder's presence at Tomorrow Light, listening to Dahtri's version of the story.

I do have a small problem, of the exact scene from last issue (Omar and Hasteen with Shadder) repeating itself again. But oh well. Plenty else happened, anyway. I do feel like issues 2 and 3 could have been compressed though.

I did like Shadder using his smarts and tech to infiltrate Tomorrow Light.

Legion: Science Police 4 of 4
Ringers Part 4
Issue Information

Summary:

Angered by the murder of his friend, reporter Collen Hasteen, suspended Officer Jarik Shadder storms the Global Grace Foundation's satellite storage vault. He lets his ship be destroyed to provide cover for his escape pod.

On Earth, Shaar T'gari reports to Foundation Director Vyke. Though data suggests the vault was affected only by meteors, Vyke is cautious and dispatches the surviving Ringers; the three are cautious, as they are suspicious of the death of Klen, whose ring stopped working at a critical moment.

At the station, Shadder disables its self-destruct sequences. The Ringers catch him, and Shallee uses her ring to restore surveillance functions. Vyke can now speak to them in real-time. Driana, Shallee and Vincel try to bring Shadder in, but their rings stop working like Klen's did. They blame Shadder and attack him physically. Shadder manages to trap Vincel and Shallee in energy cages. Driana stops Shadder; Shadder shows her that the controller that shut down their rings has a Global Grace logo. Shadder reveals his findings; the Foundation studied super-powered villains because they were afraid of a public outcry if they studied heroes' remains. They found a way to isolate and channel the unique energy signatures of the villains' powers into rings. Unfortunately, the rings also captured essences and personalities; the more the ring-wearer uses the powers, the more and more he/she is corrupted. The controller was built because the Foundation wanted to have corrupted users die in the line of duty. And readings indicate that Driana will be corrupted if she uses her ring one more time.

Vyke decides to cut his loses, and fires the vault engines, intending to let it crash. Shadder thinks of a gamble: Driana uses her ring to decay the rocket engines, hoping they will fall into the water. Driana is afraid of being taken over, but Shadder reminds her that innocents could die if they crash into a city. He tells Driana of his own story, and lets her choose for herself. She reluctantly agrees. Driana boosts her ring's power to the maximum and destroys the rockets; she is successful as their trajectory will now send them to the sea. Unfortunately, Driana's personality is taken over. Shadder tries to shut her ring down, but Driana still has powers; Shadder hypothesizes that her personality change gives her access to the powers even with the ring disabled. Driana is about to murder Shallee. Shadder gambles, and overlaods the ring's power; the evil personality is burned out of Driana, who is injured but unharmed. Shadder and the Ringers escape, and Shadder confesses to Driana that he wasn't sure she would survive.

Shadder arrests Vyke, revealing that he downloaded the vault's entire store of data before it crashed. Shadder resolves to begin making decisions and taking responsibility again.

Driana is expected to heal fully. Though she no longer has her ring and its powers, Driana is still treated as a hero for her actions - being invited to appear at events and give talks.

Thoughts:

Well, a happy ending for the survivors. They earned it though; I like how both Shadder and Driana were forced to make tough and realistic choices. Even Shallee and Vincel get their moments. This was a good ending to the series, and wraps things up nicely. It introduced some interesting new characters into the Legion's universe. It's a shame that Shadder, Driana, Vincel and Shallee won't appear in the normal Legion books.

The writers have a good handle on future technology, much more than what we see in the regular Legion books I feel. The vault being a bomb is common practice, because corporations want to be able to destroy sensitive assets if needed. In fact, corporations seem to have a lot of power; by law, the vault is allowed to destroy anything it detectsin orbit that doesn't respond to hails! Seems dangerous, what if a ship's crew is disabled and floats nearby?

My only complaint was that this series could have been 3 issues instead of 4, as some scenes were repetitive. The mystery is developed nicely, which gives a sense of suspense. Though again the pacing wasn't so good; as early as the end of issue 1 we already know or suspect most of what's up. But overall, it was a good story and a worthy addition to the Legion mythos.

Legion of Super-Heroes 109
Wish Fulfillment
Issue information

Summary:

Violet leads Kinetix and Star Boy in battling what seems to be a Rebooted Molecular Master, who uses energy blasts and fists (he punches Star Boy). Star Boy and Kinetix are behaving rather incompetently, with Kinetix scaring civilians by telekinetically animating objects into weird shapes to evacuate them; Star Boy's mass powers can't affect Molecular Master directly, and he causes massive collateral damage. Violet tells Kinetix and Star Boy to switch tasks, and Kinetix captures M. Master. But the M. Master suddenly vanishes. Zoe is still out of it, barely even registering that M. Master is gone; Thom leaves Vi to deal with things because he has a date with Dreamer. A frustrated Violet returns to Legion HQ empty-handed.

Violet visits Leviathan's memorial, reflecting on his death and her possession by the Emerald Eye. She feels like she's come to terms with Gim, but still has doubts about the extent to which her increased self-confidence was because of the Eye. She's interrupted by Star Boy and Dreamer flirting. Vi tells Thom off for abandoning his post on Monitor duty. Thom teases her for being too uptight and kisses Nura; Vi angrily points out that Thom is being all flirty and irresponsible in front of Leviathan's statue. A dejected Thom marches back to the Board. Vi apologizes to Nura, who apologizes back. Vi then asks Nura if dreams are just dreams; Nura says dreams are real if you believe they are, and that Thom will apologize tomorrow.

Vi idly thinks that maybe the Emerald Eye was trying to help, and she simply lost control of it. She chastises herself for even thinking that such an evil thing could have been good, then concludes that the Legion doesn't trust or like her because she thinks like that. She thinks romance is the answer. She considers Ferro, but discards him for being too shy. "He might melt if I make the first move." Chuck Taine comes along, and Vi thinks he's perfect - non-threatening and kind of cute. She mentally asks Triad for forgiveness, and asks Chuck out. Chuck stammers and runs away.

Vi is in a sparring session with Zoe. She worries about how lost and spacey Zoe has become, and is sad that this has deprived her of her best friend. She accidentally knocks Zoe out; she tries pulling Zoe up, but trips, causing Zoe to hit her head again. Trying to make up for it, Vi visits Zoe in her quarters and suggests a sleepover. Zoe telekinetically changes Vi's outfit into pajamas. Vi snaps, then apologizes. Zoe says she's going to sleep.

Vi lies awake, thinking that she only snapped because the outfit change reminded her of the Emerald Eye's transformation. She wakes to Zoe's mumbling and a green light. To her horror, the Emerald Eye has returned! Zoe embraces its power, becming the Emerald Empress! Zoe turns Vi into an anthropomorphic mouse, reveling in her power; then, she turns to stone. The Eye says Zoe wasn't strong enough, and begins seducing Vi by offering confidence, power and beauty. Vi resists, but is transformed into the Emerald Empress. Yet, she retains enough sense of self to attack the Eye, saying she did really want the power, if only to use it to destroy the Eye. The Eye destroys Zoe's stone form in retaliation, and begins ageing Vi. Vi absorbs all the Eye's power into herself, reducing the Eye to a powerless orb and crushing it. But when she looks in a mirror, she sees herself as the Empress again. The Eye attacks her once more. Vi surprises it by growing suddenly, and wrapping a mirror around it. With its power reflected back at itself, the Eye is defeated.

Vi begins mourning Zoe, only to find her well and awake. The debris from her battle with the Eye fades away. Vi realizes it must have been a dream; but the catharsis makes her feel whole and confident. Chuck Taine walks in, his eyes covered, explaining that the debris is because of XS' floor collapsing from too many super-speed vibrations. He explains to Vi that he's covering his eyes because he once walked in on her while she was changing (L* 37). Vi asks Chuck out again, and this time he is dumbfounded but kind of sort of says yes.

Thoughts:

It was an okay issue. A long exploration into Vi (which we just had in L* 52), but this time told from Vi's point of view. It's a nice step in her evolution, and does show that she suffers from some after-effects of her possession. Vi fans would probably like it. Others might get bored by it, as there's a lot of wool-gathering.

KC Carlson guest-writes, and we see a couple of throwbacks to earlier days. Star Boy acts thoughtlessly in battle and in the memorial room, much like his stupid move of crashing through a recently-repaired wall while chasing Ultra Boy (LSH 81), or wrecking the gym floor during training (L*33) - both incidents which infuriated Leviathan. Kinetix's power is the closest to her original "bring things to life" power (LSH 66), and is very close to what Preboot Life Lass would do. It's not necessarily bad; with Kinetix, I like how versatile her powers are. With Star Boy though, it could be character devolution from his more recent maturity (i.e. on Xanthu in LSH 102-103).

I read a lettercol submission saying Vi was selfish for asking Chuck out while knowing that Luornu liked him; she even says "sorry" mentally while doing so. Is it selfish? Maybe. But she was definitely inconsiderate in not speaking with Lu about it at least.

Molecular Master's disappearance leads absolutely nowhere, which is annoying. Oh well, fanfic fodder.

Lee Moder returns, and his art is quite an improvement over Jason Armstrong's! He draws a good Vi, though I dislike the shorter hair.

Fave moment:

Thom and Nura being surprised by Vi's presence in the memorial room.

Thom: Thought you said no one was in here!
Nura: I said I didn't "see" anyone in here. See, "see" is different from see. I didn't "see" anyone, see?

109 was the first issue of the Reboot I picked up. I must have liked it because it inspired me to continue with the series. In reading through Ibby's description, what I remember now is Vi's friendship with Kinetix and how both it and Thom and Nura reflected real teenagers in how they spoke and acted. Also, Vi's battle for self-confidence is a universal theme and endeared me to her instantly.

The eye-catching cover drew me in, as well.

wow, what a coincidence it seems like this issue was stronger for the relationships rather than for the action (Vi vs. Eye)! Also, Vi's growth

Legionnaires 66
Missing Persons
Issue Information

Summary:

Preboot fans will recognize Jacques Foccart and Mara Grace infiltrating an Earthgov spy training facility two years ago. Jacques, Mara and Lyle are all classmates there. Jacques makes small talk, but his will is quickly subsumed by Mara's mental control (in a twist from her Preboot powerset). She makes him sneak into Lyle Norg's lab to steal his invisibility formula; when Lyle finds them, Mara controls Lyle, but Jacques knocks him out. Jacques locates Lyle's formula, and Mara makes him drink it as a test. Lyle screams as Jacques fades into nothingness.

Lyle wakes in the present, restrained and captured by Mara, who now calls herself Charma. After the incident with Jacques, Earthgov covered it up as an accident. Lyle went along with it. Mara was kicked out. Today, Lyle is investigating Mara's casino based on a tip that the casino owner was manipulating wealthy business people to control the local economy. Mara forces Lyle to recount his life: his biological parents were United Planets diplomats who were never home. Lyle spent most of his time with the Foccarts (Mr. and Mrs., plus little sister Danielle), and Jacques was like his adoptive brother. Though Jacques preferred athletics, Lyle learned a lot about biochemistry from Mrs. Foccart. He invented his invisibility serum, which he tested on himself. It worked, but Jacques decided not to take it because it smelled too bad. Charma rages at Lyle, saying the invisibility made him special. Lyle recounts how he and Jacques would spy on Earthgov facilities for fun; and how Lyle talked then-President Jeanne Chu into using him as a spy. Jacques came along. They met Charma then, who was very competent but painfully shy. Charma was from planet Turabeau, whose population was decimated by the Pain Plague. Lyle says that past likely contributed to Mara's issues, much to her anger. She rages against Lyle for being a reckless spy, blowing everything up. Mara then narrates her past: her mother was a UP diplomat, which was why Mara became a spy after she died. She tried to replicate Lyle's invisibility serum so she could be left alone, but instead gained the ability to control the minds of men - only men. After she failed stealing Lyle's formula, she was kicked out but not imprisoned. To her horror, she found that her serum also affected her body chemistry enough to make her hit puberty at an accelerated rate. She decided to embrace her powers and the attention her body brought her, by enriching herself through manipulating men. She prepares to murder Lyle. While she's preparing her poison, Lyle's bonds are somehow loosened. This allows Lyle to fight back. Charma tries to mind-control him, but Lyle is able to put his transuit on, protecting him from her mind control. Lyle takes Mara out. He then calls out to Jacques, saying that only someone invisible could have freed him. Jacques won't reveal himself, so he leaves.

Jacques appears after Lyle leaves. He reveals that he barely survived drinking the invisibility serum. But when Jacques uses his powers, he becomes almost completely undetectable - without even an audible heartbeat. Using it strains his system so much that he could die, though. Jacques' deal with Earthgov is: they supply him with meds to keep him alive,and he acts as their super-spy. It was Jacques who tipped Lyle off about Charma.

Secondary plotline continues from LSH 109: Vi's date with Chuck Taine. Triad finds out about it, and is jealous as she likes Chuck! Neutral bring up Violet's possession by the Emerald Eye; Chuck counters that Vi had no control over the Eye, and that he's just trying to be a friend. Almost everyone else is supportive of Violet asking Chuck, though. Kinetix lends Violet an outfit; Chuck is surprised when she arrives all dolled up, as he thought their date would be more casual. The Legionnaires and friends rally: Tenzil covers up for Chuck and discreetly slips him some money; Kinetix transforms Chuck's outfit into something as classy as Violet's suit; and even RJ Brande wishes them a good night out. Triads Orange and Purple restrain Neutral, while the other Legionnaires marvel at how beautiful Violet looks. Violet and Chuck have an amazing night out, and share a friendly kiss at the end. The next day, Vi thanks Triad for letting her ask Chuck out. Vi explains that she just wanted to feel less lonely, and that Chuck really likes Triad. The two reconcile.

Lyle and Saturn Girl watch Vi, with Lyle thinking that the support of friends will keep Vi from turning out to be like Charma.

Thoughts:

A nice done-in-one story that introduces both Jacques and Charma into the Reboot. It also pushes Vi's characterization along, showing us how most of her friends don't blame her for any of her actions while possessed by the Eye. Also another look into Lyle.

Charma's power gets a nice reboot here, and it's much more formidable than her Preboot version of making men love her and women hate her. Her, she can mentally control only men - but she doesn't suffer any danger from women, and she can use it subtly and from the shadows too, as the men she controls don't seem to realize that they have been controlled. Her beauty also stems in part from her powers; she's 16, but looks older. Another nice Easter egg here: Charma's alias is Drisden, her family name in the Preboot.

I am a bit puzzled about Charma's motivations. On one hand, she says Lyle's invisibility made him special. But she also says she coveted it because she was shy and didn't want to be noticed. So which is it? Or perhaps her motivations are purposely clouded and illogical here, to show just how disturbed she is. Not crazy-disturbed, but ambivalent-disturbed. And in the end, she embraces her mind-control powers and her beauty to live a comfortable live. She would have gotten away with it too, if she hadn't overreached.

Lyle's sarcastic, charming personality shines here. He recounts his past with such chutzpah that I can't help but crush on him. He even laughs at younger him for testing the invisibility serum on himself, a stupid idea for sure. He also alludes to his genius; he invented new flavors of ice cream which still pay him royalties. I did find it a little annoying how his spy past was portrayed as James Bond on steroids: blowing everything up, being reckless, being killed if not for Jacques. I did like that Charma mocked him for that, calling Lyle a moron and saying spies are not supposed to be seen. I can see why she was jealous of Lyle.

This issue dates the Legion's founding somewhat, as Lyle's flashback implies he's not yet a Legionnaire (else, why would he be in Earthgov facilities?)

Jeff Moy draws a lovely, luscious Charma on the cover, highlighting his versatility. Though Charma is drawn in the same style as Moy's female Legionnaires, something about her face and posture just makes her... sexier.

Mike Collins does a great job on the interiors; his sexier, more adult style fits well with sexy Charma and shirtless Lyle (this issue was one of my first clues that I was gay :p)

I liked the puns in the issue credits. "Invisible writer, visible artist, etc." Cute.

There are many lovely little bits that make the characters seem more human:

1) Kinetix's closet is even crazier than I expected. Despite her ability to conjure up any outfit, she has hundreds of clothes - including the superhero costumes of Wonder Woman, Adventure-Era Shrinking Violet, and bell-bottom Phantom Girl. Also, though she's still all zombified and utters one word sentences, glimmers of Zoe are in there. When she turns Chuck's outfit into a suit, she jokes "Midnight." - a reference to Cinderella.

2) Chameleon and Tenzil both flirting with Violet. Even Jo and Thom are stunned at beautiful Vi (to Tinya's slight jealousy and Triad Neutral's great jealousy!)

Again, it's great seeing the Legionnaires have some down time. Non-Legion staff like Chuck and Tenzil help add to the sense of friendship and community here.

Legion of Super-Heroes 110
The Power of Thunder!
Issue information

Summary:

M'Onel investigates a magical BOOM! in space; he rightly thinks that he shouldn't have heard such a sound. Even Brainiac 5 and Invisible Kid, the Legion's brains, are monitoring the explosion from the Legion Outpost. Its magnitude scares them, and M'Onel is sent in to investigate. He encounters an unconscious female, alive but weakening. He gets a transuit on her; she recovers consciousness, throws M'On off and flies away. M'On follows her, to Brainy's annoyance. Lyle calms Brainy down by saying they registered the same energy signature as the explosion... on FawcettWorld!

On said planet, a group of "soldiers" of the Objective Order attack some kind of cave-temple. These people of science hate all magic, and one of their number seemingly blows herself up - and takes the cave-temple entrance and some unfortunate humanoid tigers (like Tawky Tawny!) with her. Their actions: they blew up the Rock of Eternity, housed here in Fawcettworld, from a distance. What they can't explain: why the explosion happened in space rather than here; and why they needed to come to the cave of the Rock has been destroyed. Leader Dr. Savant tells his soldiers not to try and make sense of the illogic in magic, and reaffirms that this lack of logic is exactly why they hate it.

The now-conscious female arrives on Binderaan, but doesn't recognize it: it should be inhabited. She remembers being at the Rock of Eternity in space. M'On catches up to her and helps her calm down. They talk, and the female - Thunder, real name Cece Beck - realizes she's in her past! She's from 90th century Binderaan, which is a bustling planet. She explains her origins: empowered by Captain Marvel to share in the SHAZAM power. M'Onel recognizes the name, and recounts Captain Marvel's own origin, to Thunder's surprise. M'On doesn't explain that he knew because of his Phantom Zone imprisonment that allowed him to look into the real world, but just says he studied histroy. Thunder fleshes out her own origin: caught in a terrorist attack that killed her parents, she was somehow transported to the Rock of Eternity where a Wizard (who is implied to be an aged Billy Batson) grants her Shazam powers when she says Captain Marvel. She defeats said terrorist, who also had Shazam powers; and she is adopted by foster parents. Naturally, she's eager to get back to her home time. She also lets slip that Earth is dead in her time (real world note: Thunder was introduced in the Dead Earth event). She thinks of going to Fawcett City on Earth, but M'On tells her about FawcettWorld instead. (quick note: I've read Thunder's origin, and she doesn't quite tell it like it is! More on that below).

Brainy, Lyle, Live Wire, Spark and Violet arrive on FawcettWorld. They tell the welcoming committee that they have readings of a hazardous energy source. The FawcettWorld-ians are surprised, as they power everything with magic. Brainy insults them, calling magic the "blunt instrument of the ignorant". Lyle not-so-smoothly apologizes and asks them to ignore Brainy. Cut to a scene of the Legionnaires having waited for hours. Lyle calls Brainy out on his rudeness, while Garth rages at the wait. Vi asks why he's all enraged; Ayla explains it's because Saturn Girl has permanently assigned them all to the Legion Outpost, away from Imra. Vi begins to wonder why Imra did that to Garth, but then the Legionnaires are ushered in to meet the leader - S.H.A.Z.A.M.! A living computer powered by magic; on its screen is the face of an old man with a beard. Lyle explains about the explosion, and suddenly S.H.A.Z.A.M. fades out. The FawcettWorld-ians exclaim that their computer powers EVERYTHING. Lyle quickly tells the Legionnaires to go, and they begin saving people from the catastrophes that come with power running out. M'Onel arrives in the knick of time to bolster them, but Thunder shoots past into the cave!

The Wisdom of Solomon having told Thunder that she's needed here, she finds Dr. Savant and company gloating over their victory. Savant prepares to seal the cave and strand Thunder there. His squad seemingly blow themselves up, and Savant attacks Thunder, telling her to die with him. M'On blocks Savant's blasts. Knowing he's beat, Savant prepares to blow himself up, and Thunder races to catch him. Both vanish in the explosion before M'On can stop them.

The Legionnaires help build some power plants to replace S.H.A.Z.A.M. Thunder returns with a captured Dr. Savant. She explains her reasoning: real suicide bombers see their deaths as a way to enter heaven. The Objective Order didn't have a similar motivation, so they must have been bluffing to scare enemies. The explosions were really teleportation technology that destroyed places they warped out of. Interestingly, it's called Anomaly technology, but the Anomaly was destroyed in L* 64, but whatever. Brainy shows Thunder a fragment of the Rock of Eternity, to prove that it's been destroyed. It weakens Thunder, like kryptonite. She also wonders why the Rock exists in her time if it's destroyed now, and resolves to collect every piece and restore the Rock. The Legionnaires ask her to join up while she's stranded, and she happily accepts.

Thoughts:

Nice done in one story! Plenty of action, an interesting new villain in Dr. Savant, some nice subplots (Garth and Imra and the Outpost/HQ split).

Thunder makes a good impression, acting with wisdom. Though, she doesn't seem all THAT different in personality from M'Onel. At least, despite really being a little girl, she's more mature than Lori Morning! I do wonder if she'd have stood out more had she not ALSO been blonde (like Andromeda, Supergirl...) But she makes a promising new Legionnaire, and is easily one of the most powerful now.

M'Onel. It makes sense that he feels a sort of kindship to Thunder: both are powerful, both are in times foreign to them. Unfortunate implications of his Phantom Zone stay are alluded to her, as he could have seen a large number of unsavory things in his wanderings. I'm not surprised he didn't immediately explain his Phantom Zone thing to Thunder, though if she stops and thinks about it she would wonder how he knew of Captain Marvel by studying history. Even in her time, it's supposed to be a secret, apparently.

Dr. Savant is a surprisingly compelling villain! At first he comes across as some generic dogmatic, jingoistic loon. But it's really brilliant when you look at it: instead of being a religious nut, he's a scientific anti-magic nut. And his whole "holy terrorist" thing is a ruse: instead, he's crafted a cunningly devious cover. And his ranting at Thunder hints at his real motivations. "Because I am a scientist! Because that is the only reliable way to comprehend existence! Because ignorance is holding the humanoid races back! Because I worked for my degree! I didn't just fall into a cave and say a word and turn into..." He seems to truly believe what he is doing is for the greater good, and there's a bit of envy here too. His speech also reminds me a bit of Karate Kid's last speech to Jeckie in the Preboot, when he dusts himself off and prepares to tackle the army of villains on Orando...

Brainy is now at a balance between the saccharinely sweet post-Anomaly self and his arrogant pre-Anomaly self;he plays decently well with his teammates but insults the FawcettWorld-ians.

Lyle. Lyle has changed, his L* 66 depiction being more like the early Reboot: flippant, sarcastic. He's more vanilla here, acting the part of leader dutifully. Ah well.

Not much to say about Vi, Ayla and Garth. Vi seems to have slid a bit down the confidence scale again, though she's not shy: just not as dynamic as the others. Garth is full-on angry again because of Imtra, yet still doesn't talk to her. Ayla is the same, not above teasing her brother.

Fawcettworld seems an anachronism. It apparently doesn't survive into Thunder's time, where she still knows only of Fawcett City. It's interesting that Tawky Tawny's line survives into the 30th century; and I chuckled at how the "human" representatives all resemble Uncle Marvel! And also: did Thunder's Wizard know about FawcettWorld? Why didn't he tell her if so?

Thunder's origin: I read the story introducing her, and she got some details wrong. First, she and her parents chanced upon a robbery, NOT a terrorist attack. The bad guys were just trying to get away, not kill anyone: Thunder had gotten too close out of curiosity. Her parents weren't killed by the robbers' weapon directly, but were crushed by a falling police robot (which had been damaged by the robbers, but the robbers' dialogue even has them telling Thunder's parents to move away). I understand the need to simplify her origin for Legion readers, but this hardly seems fair to the robbers!

This is the first issue to mention a semi-permanent Earth HQ/Outpost split for the Legion. Thoughts:

1) It DOES make sense, considering the recent shocks of the Dark Circle/United Planets/Affiliated Planets and the socio-political backdrop. Later issues will expand on the reasoning: to have the Legion respond more quickly to threats elsewhere, as even with Stargates it can take time. And when you think about it, minutes matter in these things.
2) Implementation-wise, it's still a bit shaky: it will be a couple issues more before we see the team settle into a 12/12 split for the two HQs. Here, we only have 6 + 1 on the Outpost, only about 1/4 of the team's strength.
3) I wonder what went through Saturn Girl's mind when she made the assignments? On the Outpost we have both of the Legion's top scientists (Brainy and Lyle), both lightning-wielders (Garth and Ayla), and now the team's two most powerful (M'On and Thunder). So much for power/skills diversity. From a story standpoint it's gold (Lyle and Brainy make good foils for one another, and M'On/Thunder have a budding friendship going). And perhaps Imra wanted to keep the Ranzz twins together. But still, from a practical view I would consider a diversity and balance of abilities first.
4) As for Garth's anger at Imra assigning him far away to the Outpost, I'm with Garth here. The least Imra should have done is explain WHY she did that, directly to Garth. Assigning him is one thing, but not communicating is another. So much for relationship-building! Imra has a lot to learn there. On Garth's side, he should have called Imra and expressed his anger calmly, too.

The Alan Davis cover is beautiful, and reminds me how well he draws facial expressions. I especially like his happy, smiling faces with the closed eyes.

Scott Kolins is a welcome improvement over Jason Armstrong. His faces are smoother, though they are a bit inconsistent. In the roll call, Invisible Kid looks great with his big smile; but Live Wire's grin is a bit lopsided. Still, his people are considerably more attractive than Armstrong's were. I also like that his Brainy, Lyle and Garth are leaner than his M'Onel - see, not every superhero has to have THE heroic build! His action scenes flow well, as do his backgrounds. Ron Boyd does a good job on inks too, adding the right shading in caves and in outer space.

Fave moment:

M'On sarcastically commenting on Brainiac 5's nagging. Looking back, M'On was justified, as Brainy treated M'On like a newbie; though on the other hand, M'On also shows over-confidence in his invulnerability.

Brainy: "And keep your telepathic earplug link open. I may wish to experience some of your perceptions firsthand. Oh, and when you catch up to it, keep to its outer rim, just to be safe."
M'On: "I'm invulnerable, Brainy."
Brainy: "To nearly everything we know about. This is unknown. Are your armband scanners in good working order?"
M'On: "Yes, mother."

Legionnaires 67
Here Be Heroes
Issue Information

Summary:

The intangible Kono (last seen refusing to continue aiding the Dark Circle in L* 64) sneaks into the Crystal Caverns on Earth. She's turned to acting as a hired thief for some bigshot collector. Her partner, Stormfront (a horned humanoid with lightning powers) startles her by speaking too loudly, nearly causing a cave-in.

Ultra Boy and Apparition test-drive a small flyer, with Element Lad along for the ride. Jan is amused and a bit confused at Jo's exuberance; Tinya is just amused and agrees with Jo to buy the flyer. Ah, young love. Han gets a call, later revealed to be from Star Boy.

Lori Morning pesters Saturn Girl about sending Brainiac 5 away to the Outpost, as Brainy has "something of hers" (it's her H-Dial, found while Lori was asleep in L* 64). Imra holds her off as she's in a call with Live Wire, who questions why he was "banished" to the Outpost. Imra says it's to avoid seeming to play favorites; and unlike Tinya and Jo, they aren't married! Lori storms off, to add to Imra's guilt.

Star Boy tests his powers with Monstress in a training session. His other powers (flame breath in L* 65) have been unreliable lately, and he's worried that even his original mass powers might be affected. Jan and Candi help Thom test his powers, and they seem to function normally. Jan notes that Thom's power changes are unlike superficial qualities, such as color* (this will be important next issue!). A frustrated Thom wants to get out of HQ: Candi can't, but suggests they bring Ferro along.

At the Crystal Caverns, a boy (Dennis) wanders off from his tourist group. Bad move, as a cave-in occurs not soon after. Everyone except Dennis is evacuated. His worried parents rejoice when Ferro, Jan and Thom show up. Ferro is touched by the parents' concern, as he remembers his own uncaring parents (he never knew his father, and his mother abandoned him at birth because of his deformity - Adv 540). Jan, on the other hand, thinks that death is merely a change, and wonders why so many people are afraid of it. Thom's penetra-vision can't see very far, so the trio go in. Thom's penetra-vision konks out inside the cave. Jan comments that maybe the boy isn't meant to be found, to Ferro's anger. The three split up to search the cave. Jan finds Dennis, and sees signs of vandalism in the cave. He concludes that that's what triggered the cave-in. Thom's electro-vision begins going nuts, causing static that blocks the Legionnaires' communications. Thom decides to leave, as his uncontrollable powers might cause further cave-ins. Jan, despite his belief in destiny, resolves to help Dennis as inaction would condemn him to death more surely than fate. Through some clever use of his powers, Jan bolsters the cave roof, digs Dennis out, and creates a pallet out of the flight ring metal to carry Dennis out. Unfortunately, said metal is "bizarre", and Jan needs to concentrate to hold Dennis aloft - meaning he dare not transmute anything else. Luckily, Ferro shows up to help, and the two fly Dennis out into the main cavern - where Thom covers them from more falling rock.

A happy ending for all. Jan thanks Dennis' parents for showing him a new perspective on life and death, while said parents extend the Legionnaires an invitation to visit anytime (much to Ferro's happiness). Jan also resolves to track down the vandals who caused the cave-in. Elsewhere, we see Kono deliver some stolen crystals to her mysterious employer, who ponders sending her after the Hope Diamond next.

Thoughts:

Another nice one-issue story. No fights, but plenty of action. The cave-in setting is inspired, and having to evacuate an injured boy on a flight ring pallet allows Jan's powers to be hampered without it seeming artificial. Each of the three Legionnaires get some good development here; Ferro being so touched at the family's fear that he gets angry at Jan's fatalism; Jan questioning his spiritual belies and jolting himself out of fatalism; Thom realizing that his lack of control is a danger to others. I put down this issue with greater respect for each of them.

Nice to see Tinya and Jo's relationship going strong, with them making purchase decisions together. Healthy, functional relationships are so rare these days. Which segues to the Garth/Imra relationship, where Garth confronts Imra about assigning him to the Outpost. Imra's reason? She doesn't want to appear to play favorites;and unlike Tinya and Jo, they aren't married. This seems fair, though she could have told Garth earlier to save them both some headaches, no?

A bit weird that Element Lad, of all people, has been called in by Star Boy. Everyone's excuse is that Jan "understands change", but gee. Jan is the type you call in if you need to go through an emotional change; he hardly seems the scientific type. I guess Thom is desperate; Monstress testing his invulnerabiity seemed unwise too. What if it konked out while she was punching him? Jan IS wise enough to know that his powers wouldn't be useful if Thom's flare out of control again.

Earth/Outpost assignments (because I'm a big nerd):

a) Outpost: Brainiac 5, Invisible Kid, Live Wire, M'Onel, Spark, Thunder, Violet
b) Earth: Apparition, Chameleon*, Cosmic Boy*, Element Lad, Ferro, Gates*, Kid Quantum II*, Monstress, Saturn Girl, Star Boy, Ultra Boy
c) Unknown: Karate Kid, Kinetix, Sensor, Triad, Umbra, XS

*assumed: Mission Monitor Board shows Chameleon and Cosmic Boy on Earth; Gates and Kid Quantum II on planet Rygor; Thunder at the Outpost.

Fave moments:

1) One of the Crystal Cavern tourists is a worrywart alien afraid of cave-ins. I laughed at its partner sighing and rolling its eyes while it nagged all the guides. And when the caverns DO cave-in, it goes "I hate being right!" Classic.

2) Candi going off to make bagels with Tenzil. It seems exactly like what I would do with friends of mine Very cute.

Quite a good issue, and I especially like that it shows being a Legionnaire is more than just beating up bad guys! Bonus points for adding some mystery by introducing a mysterious employer collecting priceless artifacts. Kono's use is good too, as she's definitely not Legion material as things stand now.

OK, IB, I told you I was going there with more thread resurrections, but here we go.

I'm going to be pretty selective in the early issues, as there has been a lot of discussion, but since the thread (as it stands as of this writing) ends in 2018 with the Dark Circle and the aftermath, I'll probably have other things to say as well. But when I came across this issue while reading this thread I had to comment.

But as selective goes, there are probably about 5 issues/story arcs that solidly define the reboot era. L* 23 is one of them. And its about a day off with the kids relaxing and having fun (and yet still getting into some trouble).

All the characters are featured in some way. All are distinctive.

Moy's art pops out, both in the styles for the on and off duty Legionnaires, but also his famous sci-fi easter eggs, which were part of what defined his run on the book.

But at the end of the day its damn fun to read. I'm not 100% sure, but it also may be one of the first Legion books I ever read. (also note that the other two "day off" books don't hold a candle to this issue)

That?s a great point GL, this day off issue encapsulates so much about that era - the camaraderie, the sheer fun of being a hero (kinda, despite not getting into the club and the Winema surprise lol). And yeah, this was done way better than L*59 for example (that one maybe had too many characters and not enough whimsy / truly funny moments).

Yeah, 59 had a LOT going on in it, so while it was nice to see the day off issue (which a lot of us were clamoring for at the time) it didn't have nearly the same focus due to all the tracking of relationships (which in the end, was mainly what 59 was about). 77 was similar - it was better than 59, and fun, but it was very bittersweet for sure. Hard to believe those episodes were written over four years apart.

23 had a very straightforward plot and only slightly veered off when they cut to the scene with Imra and Rokk briefly.