Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-Reading the Legion: Archives Volume 21

It must be a 30th century thing that traitors must have blonde hair and wear green and yellow.



Good point. I see this happening in my own RL. On one hand, it's a symptom, I think, of people becoming very familiar with one another and letting their guards down--being "themselves" (some people are just naturally gripy and negative); on the other hand, it could be a sign of general unrest and discontent. The Legion has been short-handed for awhile; overwork puts people on edge.



Tellus does not come off very well at all. I would like to be given some indication of who voted for him and why. This, too, could be a sign of general malaise in the Legion: Let's pick the alien-looking character because he's alien looking. Maybe the Legion now had to meet quotas.



Jacques had at least some hint of motivation in that joining the Legion allowed him to stay close to his sister, who was under Brainiac 5's care at the time. The White Witch's motivation is hinted in her origin story: After spending her youth studying magic among the wizards of the Sorcerer's World, she needed to interact with people her own age. I don't recall Blok's motivation (to atone for the League of Super-Assassins, perhaps?).

It certainly seems to be taken for granted that every young person wants to join the Legion--like a sports team or fan club, perhaps.



Comics: the corrupter of youth.

Comics actually saved me from the kids in my neighborhood! They were basically the same as Cramey's lot, only with big wooden splinters instead of axes. Me, I avoided them as much as I could, preferring the company of comics, crayons, and toys.

I remember that interview. Very cute.



And that, I believe, only proves that TM Bierbaums' unconditional worship of the early Adventure Era Legion blinded them to its faults, such as the awful attitudes the team members often showed, especially to outsiders.

Considering the cast of the later Subs, Levitz seems to already know how things are going to go.

Grev looked to have left the Academy to go solo on Talok as per the Tales story there.



I looked at it as a plot seed. You’re right that there are a lot of ways it could go. Maybe Levitz was still deciding on that one. Not a terrible idea in case the readers had turned out to hate him. He might have had a meeting with Berger to introduce Dahnny Chase Krinn. It’s a bit disappointing that none of those options were used in the end.








Good thoughts on how she might have come across. Just as well Nemesis Kid is dead, as profem jokes might be a touchy subject.



The Legion has pretty much been his world, and it’s members his family since Trom. Maybe that gives him a different perspective on the group, happy to have people to get on with generally, without wanting to get too close. Not going down the Jan=sociopath track today



I think the same.



And…



Bringing in so many new faces worried a lot of the team. It unsettled the dynamic that had kept the status quo back in #304.

You make the really good point that the newcomers aren’t just fresh faces, they are inexperienced in a way the Legion hasn’t often had. All of the Silver Age Legion are earnest professionals who know their stuff. Pol and Tellus aren’t near that level.

Showing new characters as learning their powers seems to make for a good character arc. It matches that sports analogue earlier. New players do take time to bed in and develop.

But here is makes them stand out as perhaps not being good enough in a place where a mistake can get people killed. I’m not sure Jacques should be in the front line much either for similar reasons.

Living in the Olde Worlde, the kids in my neighbourhood found an old rack form the days of the inquisition. And since we all wanted to be like Mr Fantastic…

and



Crumbs! How long do you guys think LW had got?!




I think Levitz was increasingly conscious of having only humans in the Legion. It was hinted at before the recent issues. I was looking at the Omega Men for the Crisis thread, and the really strong McManus revamps there made the team look more alien on our century than the Legion a thousand years later. I do think he was aware of the edgyiness of the Indy's too and looking to keep the Legion on par with those.

As for Tellus... Devil Fish turned them down. Now had Cockrum stayed with the Legion, Levitz would have had nothing to worry about on this topic. >bamf!<

Tellus having both telekinesis and telepathy probably tipped the scales (oh dear, I've done it again) in his favor. Say, is Tellus a he or a she? In hindsight, they easily could have made Tellus a female.

But I remember way, way back when Nightwind, Lamprey and Crystal Kid tried out. The first two did pretty well, with Nightwind knocking Wildfire into a pool/fountain and Lamprey shocking him. They also performed quite well, yet still got rejected, with Wildfire wagging his finger and giving them a speech about teamwork and whatever. Ah well, little in life is fair, and much of it comes from the whims of the writers.




Considering that the Legion's first signs of chatter, gossip and sniping were in the Adventure Era (the founders imprisoning Superboy in their second appearance, Phantom Girl suspecting Karate Kid of being a traitor, all the females' jealousy vs. Dream Girl...), I'd say we have a few decades at least

I'm sure his alien appearance was a definite plus in Tellus' favor. But it's interesting that Levitz chose to present him as not very competent during his tryout. Perhaps this was an attempt to build suspense as whether or not he would get in or to create sympathy for him, but this brings me back to my question of who voted for Tellus and why. It's one thing to say "We need alien characters to keep up with the edgy indies." It's another to give an in-story reason for admitting a character.



I'm not sure I understand the question; however it seems to have something to do with how long the Legion has been around.

According to Levitz's timeline in the Legion Sourcebook, this is Year 14 of the team's history, which means the senior-most members have worked together for some 11-13 years. They've aged, on average, from 15 to 28+, so they've literally grown up together. Based on my own admittedly limited experience and observations, I suggest that the Legion presents a rather unrealistic picture of young people coming of age and working together (right, like having powers and intergalactic law enforcement responsibilities is realistic ). Most people their age would have moved on and done other things. However, there is never a sense that anyone aspires to be anything other than a Legionnaire. (In an Adult Legion story, Gim took on a new career only after an injury removed his Colossal Boy powers; in the "real" timeline, Tenz had to be drafted into a political career; Val and Jeckie leave only after she inherits the throne of Orando; Garth, Imra, and Rokk retire but without a clear vision of where they will go next). Given how dependent on each other the Legionnaires appear to be for *everything*--friends, family, lovers, even antagonists--it makes some sense that the sniping, etc., is a symptom of people who are too familiar with each other--like siblings who grow up in the same house and never move out on their own.

I've always loved this idealistic portrait of the Legion as a team of young people who maintain their relationships, core values, and shared purpose well into adulthood; it's something I always wished could have happened in my RL. However, looking back on it now, some rather interesting if disturbing possibilities present themselves. It may be that the Legion's eventual disintegration had less to do with outside forces than with a delayed sense of maturation opening up other career and life choices.

Ibby's point about the Silver Age sniping is well-taken, but, for the most part, those were story-specific antagonisms. We really haven't seen sustained levels of personality conflicts until the current era.

LSH #15 Hostage on a Hostile Star by Paul Levitz, art by Greg LaRocque & Larry Mahlstadt, colors by Carl Gafford, letters by John Costanza



Wildfire has just put himself into a new container suit, muttering about the new Legionnaires, "stupid, helpless brats". Computo thought he was an intruder; Wildfire blasts Computo in annoyance and goes to seek help to find who blasted their cruiser.

In space, Tasmia hides the Imskian sun in darkness as Sun Boy attracts space dragons away from the planet and Lar steers them away. Vi and Gim arrive with a repaired beacon which is used to direct the dragons' migration away from Imsk. As the Legionnaires return to their cruiser, they receive word from Jan that the five new Legionnaires were abducted on a training mission with Wildfire. As they prepare to investigate, the Legionnaires dispute on how competent the new members are.

On Shangalla, Brin and Sensei pay tribute to Val Armorr, as Myg waits by their ship.

The Legionnaires approach the star system where the recruits were abducted; Lar can't see anything suspicious, but he is suddenly grabbed by a solar flare and pulled to an asteroid. Another flare seizes the cruiser but, before it crashes, Lar catches it and eases it down to the surface.

Dawnstar and Wildfire depart to join the search for the abducted Legionnaires, followed by a second cruiser. Nura chides Jan in a flirtatious manner, overheard by Thom who tells Jan to ignore her teasing. Thom also worries about inducting so many new members at once.

On the surface of the asteroid, an earthquake opens the ground and the Legionnaires come face to face with Dr. Regulus. The five abducted recruits are held in a stasis field behind him; only Quislet is speaking. Regulus wants Dirk.

On Earth, Lydda and Rokk attend the opening of a Superhero Museum in the former Subs/former Legion clubhouse. Lydda is overwhelmed by the crowds and the two fly off on their vacation.

The Legionnaires and the released recruits are back on the cruiser, as Dirk and Regulus face off in battle. Vi wants to help Dirk, but is stopped by Lar, who tells her that Dirk himself wanted this one-on-one. Regulus is giving Dirk a beating until Dirk puts his flight ring on Regulus and forces him to fly into a rock wall, knocking him uncsonscious. He then calls his fellow Legionnaires.

At the Time Institute, Brainy checks records and thinks about madness - and the thousand-year anniversary of the saddest day of his life. He hopes that "she" may somehow live.

Comments:

It's not a great start for the new Legionnaires. They spend their first issue standing around. Wildfire gripes about the "brats" but it appears he defended them when explaining the situation to Jan. Since Regulus managed to ambush the more experienced Legionnaires as well, we can excuse the newbies for falling into the trap.

Doctor Regulus is not one of my favourite villains, by far. He might be more suited to comic relief in a Giffen spoof. Is this his fourth attempt to bring down Dirk Morgna? He lacks the intensity of Mekt Ranzz and strikes me as more petulant than threatening. Although he does give Dirk a bit of a challenge for a few panels, he's easily taken down by a clever use of brute force. There's a chatty bit of history rehashing as Regulus and Dirk fight, which seems to be a given in superhero battles. Dirk out-thinks Regulus; I have to wonder what Regulus thought the end-game would be if he defeated Dirk. Would a whole team of Legionnaires (with more on the way) not have been able to subdue and capture him had Dirk been killed?

The idea of an enemy so focused on one person that he abandons the chance to gain serious villain cred by killing a group of Legionnaires has a lot of potential, but Regulus comes across more as a showoff than a vengeance-seeker. Ego meets ego. Perhaps that radioactive gold has been rotting his brain.

Each new containment suit gives Wildfire slightly different powers? That's a new one and looks like a set-up for playing around with the character's power set in future stories. It doesn't really make sense that the containment suit specs would vary to that degree - and Wildfire hasn't been pulling rabbits out of hats lately, so I don't see the need for this explanation, except as a basis for surprises yet to come.

The space dragons are familiar creatures but used to good purpose here, giving Tasmia a chance to demonstrate very powerful shadow-casting, although it's clearly a strain on her. At least this can explain why she's the only one collapsing from dizziness when their ship is brought to the asteroid. It's not just a ploy to fall into Lar's arms, which worked so well way back in their Smallville adventure.

Another fainting damsel, with no excuse, is Lydda: is she agoraphobic? Reduced to tears in a crowd! She claims the Subs "folded" on her. Without Brek, the group must have been unwilling to continue, which puts their dedication or abilities into question. Lydda might well have been capable of leading them herself, but she's more interested in trailing after Rokk at this point.

Computo continues to screw up, mistaking a disembodied Wildfire for an intruder, and leaving the door open for problems in the future.

Vi and Dirk have gotten a little chummier, she saying that he would be wasted steering dragons away. She's the only one who tries to intervene in his battle with Regulus. This could be a result of their recent (possible) closeness, or her awareness of what it was like to be abandoned by your friends (even if they didn't realize she had been kidnapped). She's sharp-tongued with the new kids, though, saying they were easily caught by Regulus although she herself saw how powerful the flare-creatures were.

The disagreements over new members continue, even now that the five have been accepted. Gim and Tasmia are critical; Dirk thinks the newbies should just jump in. One does have to question, at least in retrospect, why all five would be sent together on a training mission instead of splitting them up to work with experienced Legionnaires.

We get our first glimpse of Sensor Girl's powers; she can tell the heat of the asteroid is rising as Dirk and Regulus battle but no explanation of how she knows this is given.

Brainy mulls over the death of Supergirl and hopes it doesn't happen. This sort of wishful thinking wouldn't make sense for him but one might accept it as his honest emotion overcoming logic. Looking back, however, it's another clue that Sensor Girl might be Kara.

The stand-out page of this issue is #8, with Lar seized by the solar flares - wow!

I agree with all of what you said, Cramey. I only wish he weren't such a sad loser for two reasons: One, his cool, very sci-fi name (I wonder if his first name, Zaxton, might have inspired the name of the classic 80s sci-fi arcade game Zaxxon?); two, his costume, which I've always liked a lot, especially since Dave Cockrum streamlined in back in the day. Hmmmm...if Black Dawn had happened in some way, shape, or form, then perhaps a new villain much more deserving of that costume might have emerged?

Anyhow, we've got the latest Dirk/Regulus clash to deal with right now. And while Levitz's script is formulaic in the extreme, and with an even lamer Regulus Downfall than usual, I still give Levitz credit for keeping the story self-contained and well-paced. And I also like Lightle's cover -- specifically the clean, uncluttered composition, and the way the warm colors pop and fizz without feeling excessive.

But if this issue is about anything, it's about new Legion pencil artist Greg LaRocque making what I consider a very promising debut indeed!

Let's get his faults out of the way -- he may not be as good a draftsman as Lightle, his designs may not be as ornamental or as fanciful as Giffen's, and he seems to have put more effort into some panels than others.

However, at his best (and having glanced at the next few issues, I can say objectively that it's gonna take him a few months to return to the heights he soars to in this issue,) LaRocque brings what I consider a bracing combination of Marvel-style dynamics, an eye for the beauty of the human form, and fluid line-work whose looseness feels more often -- to me at least -- as being more sensuous than sloppy (again, a positive Marvel influence -- look at what the artistic team of John Buscema & Tom Palmer were doing contemporaneously over in Avengers, circa issues 257-264.) If there are Legion precedents for his style, they would be John Forte and Mike Grell (neither of them being everyone's cup of tea, although Forte has won a lot of converts, myself included, in the decades since his passing.)

More than anything, when LaRocque was really cooking, he provided a welcome infusion of *energy!* A level of energy I haven't seen on the Legion since...maybe as far back as the Omega Saga! And I believe that is because, unlike Lightle or Giffen, LaRocque was a fast worker who did not over-think his drawings. There is a genuine kinesthetic quality to LaRocque's art which, to my mind, made him perhaps better suited for Flash (which he would draw for over 5 consecutive years) than for the Legion. But I would also argue that LaRocque took over the Legion at a perfect time. With Lightle being a meticulous perfectionist, and Giffen being Giffen, the Legion's book had, by this point, fallen so far behind schedule that it was almost absurd. The Legion, I assert, *needed* a pedal-to-the-metal, no-nonsense professional at this moment, if only to get itself back on track, and, yes, back to basics.

Legion v3 15

No surprise who the villain is as Doctor Regulus holds the 5 new members in a fiery prison on the cover. The eye-catching colours would have helped it stand out on the racks.

Wildfire has had his containment suit destroyed again. After Magno Lad showed that all villains would surely target it, it was perhaps time for Drake to get something with a bit more armour to it.

He’s not happy about it. He’s blaming the new recruits calling them “stupid, helpless brats!” Wildfire not the most likely to accept criticism, but it’s not a great attitude for the guy who’s supposed to be training such students. I like to think he’s just angry with himself, and knows no one else is around to hear him vent.

He does talk to himself quite a bit here though. His personal feelings about being a puddle of anti-energy are a little on the nose for him to be blurting out.

In telling us something has gone wrong with a mission involving the rookies, we learn that all his Wildfire suits are different. That matches the difference between what he wears now and the original, all powerful outfit. We’ve never seen much difference in his powers though. Perhaps that’s what we’ll start to see now.

As he leaves with his new outfit, it seems that someone blasted their cruiser. SO, the team may have been taken by surprise. We also get a nod to a Legion archive being in tesseract. That could have spawned a back up story somewhere along the line.

Elsewhere a field team of Salu, Dirk, Lar, Tasmia and Gim are activating a space beacon to attract the dragons of Imsk. We see Tasmia use her powers over a vast distance. It wears her out, but it’s the power levels she had shown back in the Silver Age, when all the female Legionnaires had their powers enhanced. We also learn that Dirk can’t adjust the wavelength of his powers, and its that which attracts the dragons. You’d think Imsk would have invested in a back up beacon or two, rather than rely on the Legion to repair the only one they had.

This is the field team that’s called in to rescue the new members. There’s clearly a split, much like was indicated in #304, about new members. Tasmia thinks that they couldn’t handle so many new members. Gim that they should have gone to the Academy. Even though Tellus and Pol are from there, and have easily had as much training as Jacques, Mysa and Blok. And forgetting the fact that Polar Boy has helped save the Legion’s butt on a couple of occasions.

Dirk seems more comfortable with the new members learning the ropes the hard way. His Silver Age approach is probably thinking that this is the best way to flush out the Khundian traitor, the Trapper pawn and the LSV infiltrator from the new members.
On Shanghalla, Brin tells Vl’s grave that his mission was a success. We get a quick summary aobut the purpose of the mission to plant flowers on Lythyl, that Brin is very rich and that Myg is still with them, and to be trained by Sensei.

I wonder why Myg has stayed with them. He hinted that he’s older than he appears, or has some other method of attaining a lifetime of skills. Would he be considered a failure if he returned? Has he automatically lost his place on Lythyl because he was kidnapped? I get the feeling there should be something more proactive form Myg.

The Imsk field team have reached the system where the new recruits were attacked. Lar is attacked by seemingly sentient solar flares and dragged down to an asteroid. He’s invulnerable, but the energies still look immensely powerful against him.

Having seen what the flares did to Lar, it seems odd that the Legion cruiser would follow in after him. The same thing happens to them, and they’re not nearly as resilient. Lar rescues them before they crash. So, I’ll not expect any further criticism from them about being caught.

Back at HQ, Wildfire and Dawny depart back to help with the rescue. A second cruiser goes with them, leaving things a little understaffed at home. I can’t imagine Dawny and Drkae holding back with the cruiser though.

Dawny makes the point of reminding the reader about having to get into space before her powers work. Someone should have reminded Wolfman over in Crisis.

Back at the mission monitor board, Nura and Jan parry a bit. Nura would have a similar chat with Brek when he was leader too. Thom picks up on Jan’s comment about Nura. Thom actually agrees with Jan. Interestingly the couple don’t arrive or depart the scene together. In fact, Thom appears in her trail, out of some moody shadows. All’s not well in the Tom & Nura department.

Back on the fiery asteroid, Lar doesn’t have much luck in finding the new recruits. Tasmia deliberately plays up to reinforce her closeness to Lar. When the ground erupts beneath them, she’s very ready for combat.

Despite being dragged underground in a pile of fiery rubble, none of the Legionnaires is scratched. There’s a nice two-page ad break between the villain announcing himself and the reveal. Well, it was on the cover, but they might not have known that when drawing the internals.

As Dirk confronts him, Regulus reveals that he escaped Takron Galtos during the Great Darkness Saga. The new warden on Labyrinth must have not noticed as he was practising his maniacal laughter.

Lar is the first to go into rescue the new recruits. There’s a few things to point out here.

There’s no information on how Regulus captured the first Legion cruiser. It seems they just happened to be in the area, and Regulus then used them as bait. But that could have been a very long wait for him.

Somehow Quislet knows that attacking will jeopardise the lives of the newbies. How does he know this? Is it due to his particular energy composition?

Regulus and Quislet are warning against Lar using his speed and other powers or the captives will die. But the art shows him doing exactly that as he’s being told.

The captive will die because the flame beings on the asteroid have developed technology to make it happen. Why would beings made of flame want such technology?

It’s just a shame that he’s telling Lar this while we can clearly see him use his heat vision start an attack.

Regulus’ plan is simply to have revenge on Dirk. He had no way of knowing that Dirk would turn up in the rescue party. Regulus made no demands that he should be there. Regulus is breathing fire. I wonder how close the bond is between him and the flame creatures. It’s something that isn’t explored.

Before we get the confrontation between Regulus and Dirk, we switch to Lydda and Rokk opening the Legion Rocketship as a museum. Lydda says that the Subs “folded on her” It looks as though Brek pulled the plug. The others didn’t have to quit, but I guess morale was low after the Subs Special. Lydda was already on leave from the Subs to be with Rokk when it happened though. She was vital to the start of the group, and perhaps her being there could have kept it going. She wouldn’t go far from it for long though.

The pair are swamped by admirers. Rokk tells the crowd that they’re both private citizens. But they’re actually celebrities who have been invited along for the opening. In the end, the pair fly from the crowd using their flight rings and share a nice moment as we return to the main plot (I do note Rokk jokingly suggests he’ll recommend her to the Legion. After all Pol got in ).

It’s a scene that doesn’t do much in this story, but is setting things up for future issues. I’d hope to see Mayor Kahlid in a certain later plot too.

The new recruits are recovering on the rescue cruiser. Gim is supportive as Brek beats himself up. Pol gets to say “amazing” this issue, while Tellus acts as a Blok stand in regarding the reasoning of humans. Quislet gets a line, but its Sensor Girl who alerts the team to events happening below. Lar’s heat vision is defected by the flame creatures creating flame illusions (Plot Powers!). But Sensor Girl isn’t troubled by that. Interesting considering who she’s supposed to be.

Regulus is written well in the finale. He wants his revenge. He’s not interested in the wider Legion at all really. He’s obsessed with Dirk, and the easy success he thinks the Legionnaire has achieved.

Dirk parries with a different version of events, and neither get to be so wordy that they interfere with the action.

Dirk can’t use his powers, as the flame creatures feed on them. He’s no match for Regulus physically. Regulus has been playing around with radioactive gold for a long time, which as we all know doesn’t grant a lingering, painful death but powers!

Emphasising her approach following her time in a sens-tank, Vi isn’t going to let her colleague get beaten to death.

The Legion may have given their word, but Vi is willing to break that, marking quite a change in how the team operates. Note that Brek has recently said “You could bet your life on less,” when referring to the word of a Legionnaire. It notes a sharp difference of opinion between the idealist Brek’s view of the team and Vi’s battle hardened approach. The friction between these viewpoints would spread through much of the remainder of v3.

Salu flies out to confront Regulus. I like to think that she’d do this anyway, and not just because she was trying to get very close to Dirk an issue or so back. She’s stopped by Gim and Lar, neither of whom know that Dirk will survive the next punch. But they are confident in their friend. Maybe they would fly down too if it looked as though Dirk was unconscious. Perhaps the world of a Legionnaire can be more flexible. We don’t get to see it reach that point.

Instead of delivering a killer blow, Regulus pauses for some maniacal laughter. Just because. Dirk uses those seconds to place his flight ring in Regulus’ armour and fly him into a wall.

Lar says “I knew it” as he’s monitoring the fight with his telescopic vision. Behind him we only see Sensor Girl and you get the feeling she knows exactly what Lar knows. There’s a thought that she might be able to tap into the senses of others. Her appearance with a Daxamite here isn’t a coincidence.

I would have thought some of the others would have come up with a plan B though. Even if they didn’t have to use it. Going by the rest of the plot this issue, it would have involved some Imskian dragons being diverted to the fiery planet, distracting the flame creatures enough for Dirk to use his powers.

Another flaw is that Wildfire opens the issue. He’s on his way with a load of reinforcements. Yet we don’t see them again in the story. Those panels are basically wasted, plot wise unless the goal is to take nearly the whole team off the planet.

As an epilogue, Brainy realises that it’s the anniversary of the saddest day in his reckoning of history. Madness is mentioned in passing, hinting at what poor Querl is about to go through.

If the idea was to showcase the new members then it didn’t really work out. It’s really a Sun Boy spotlight. Sensor Girl got the most panel time and did something proactive. Brek pins his idealism to the mast early on and his self-criticism. Quislet was quirky. Tellus was Blok, while Pol was just overawed by it all.

We’ve already had a Sun Boy vs Regulus spotlight issue. So, as menacing as Regulus was in the finale, it’s something of a reprise. The reasoning behind the plot relies on huge coincidence and unlikely actions and technology. Apart from Brainy at the end, none of the subplots stood out as being a contender for the next Legion adventure. I suppose Brainy’s will be due to the Crisis crossovers.

The Imskian dragons were all set up; Thom and Nura is always really understated and glacial; Brin/Myg/Val Sensei looks as though it will move in smaller steps now (good to see Levitz not forgetting to put in a closure scene this issue).

Lydda and Rokk don’t have anything definite to do as they head off on vacation. Like Val and Jeckie going off on honeymoon, that one will become something bigger later on, but you’d not be able to tell that from here. There are hints of more though. Sensor Girl’s mystery; ideological differences in the team; Mayor Kahlid perhaps? But again, you’d have to be raised on Naltor to see the significance this early, resulting in a decent issue without much oomph.

Larocque has a very good first issue. The panel compositions are varied throughout. He’s got a good grasp on choreography making the Dirk/Regulus battle a tense, interesting one. The dragging down of Lar and the Shuttle were well done too. Faces were a bit of a weak area, more in wonky jawlines as several emotions come across just fine.

I'm glad we mostly agree on this issue's art.

Point taken about the jawlines, but at least the faces are prettier than Giffen's. But then, what artist draws worse faces than Giffen?

I think you made the point about having someone on the art to hit the schedules. So, there is the question on how much time Greg got to turn the art in. Not to mention the standard learning curve.

Yes, indeed!

And I'll just bet the ladies of the Legion have been circulating that device since the Cockrum era -- that'd explain why most of them suddenly grew their hair much longer.

As a matter of fact, in my personal Legion continuity, Luornu uses it at some point soon after the Magic Wars. Somewhere, I have some breakdowns I did last year showing her with the device on her head, then taking it off, and then cheerfully running a brush through her lovely, newly restored auburn locks. If I can find them, I'll post them in Bits.

I get you. It took me longer than it should to appreciate Kirby and Infantino and others. Yet, I've had phases where I've really liked Giffen faces. I think there's something about #50 in this volume I like, and then by the time v4 comes around , I'm brainwashed. Come to think of it, that issue where they're showing off some new costumes is the one that did it. I read that before I got #50.

The "secret ingredient" of those issues was Mike DeCarlo's inking style. Compare the Giffen issues inked by DeCarlo to the ones inked by Al Gordon, and there's a world of difference. (Okay, maybe not the Magic Wars issues, but obviously no one was working on those under ideal conditions.)

I'll watch for that. It was Mike DeCarlo doing the finishes on Crisis #4 and that certainly gave it a distinctive look.

I'm actually planning to do a really long article on DeCarlo, and posting it in the Visonaries forum, about 10 weeks from now when he replaces Mahlstedt as the book's go-to inker. The gist of it is, yes, he may have been heavy-handed at times, yes, he imposed his style whether it was faithful to the pencils or not, *but* he gave the Baxter book *exactly* the kind of glossy, super-clean look that suited it best.

While I loved the Perez/ Giordano work on Crisis, I prefer DeCarlo to Ordway's look on the book. Both are really good but are both too strong when together.

LSH 15

This appears to be another in a long line of issues which are marking time, waiting for some major development/plotline to unfold. To be sure, the Legion was caught up in Crisis, so that event may impacted Levitz's plans. Still, after the long build-up to get to this point of the three Founders resigning and five new members joining, it's disappointing to read another inconsequential issue.

The brilliant Lightle cover gives us our five new recruits kidnapped in a fiery circle by Dr. Regulus. However, the newbies play only a small role in the story, so the cover feels like a bait-and-switch. Instead of Lightle's art gracing the interior, newcomer Greg LaRocque takes over. His art is competent and inspiring in some areas, but other images appear underdeveloped. It took me awhile to warm up to Lightle (or for the latter to find his style, perhaps); I suspect I'll feel the same about LaRocque.

The Wildfire opener is unnecessary, though it reveals that his powers change with every different containment suit he adopts. This may lead somewhere, but my initial reaction was that it was meant to explain why Drake could imitate the powers of several Legionnaires in his first appearance (Superboy 195), a power he never demonstrated afterwards. As with the offhand mention of Prof. Vultan, this feels like a reference to the Legion's past for no apparent reason. At the time, I loved such references. The idea that every story existed in a well-defined history where even minor stories/events could be mentioned as if they truly happened was enormously exciting to this trivia-minded fan. However, as I've alluded in other posts, too much trivia weighs a story down. One does not become a good writer because one knows all the minutiae of a character or imaginary world; one becomes a good writer by developing skills in plot, characterization, theme, and the ineffable "magic" that makes writing irresistible. Being a scholar of comics is a plus.

This isn't to say Levitz wasn't a good writer--he was and remained so even post Giffen. But I feel our Grand Legion Scribe has been coasting for awhile--not really challenging himself or the Legionnaires. The main plot of # 15 is standard fare that doesn't manage a shred of originality or surprise. This really struck me when thoth pointed out that the Legionnaires could have rounded up some space dragons from Imsk and had them distract the fire beings long enough to defeat Regulus. Instead, we get a Legion-centric solution of Dirk using his flight ring to catch the villain off-guard. Levitz's Legion can be very insular and self-referential--focusing on elements the reader and writer would already know rather than introducing a novel twist to the story.

These Regulus/Dirk vendettas get old. Regulus's first two appearances (Adv. 348 and Superboy 191) were the best, in my opinion--stories which exercised the characters' intelligence and the writer's imagination. Every Dr. R. appearance since then has been a waste of holo cells.

One area in which Levitz continues to excel, however, is in developing the heroes' interpersonal relationships and conflicts. Dirk and Gim continue their feud, building nicely off the "Triangle?" story. Jan and Thom both appear weary--weary of Nura and weary in general. Vi leaves us guessing as to why she's taken such an interest in Dirk. Her decision to break the Legion's promise and interfere with the fight reminded me of Ultra Boy's similar decision to break Invisible Kid's word back in Adv. 350-351. I don't know if this allusion was intentional, but, in a series that is becoming rife with references to the past, that's the first place my mind went.

Another aspect I enjoyed was the Rokk/Lydda scene. it was nice to see her response to the Subs' disbandment, which apparently happened while she was away and without her input. It was also good to see the playful side of her relationship with Rokk. I don't know about the crying, though--she never expressed discomfort around crowds before.

The Val/Sensei/Myg scene provides a satisfying closure and "What's next?" for the events of No. 13.

The issue ends with the obligatory Crisis tie-in. Brainy realizes it's the anniversary of Kara's death and prays that somehow her death won't come to pass. For this scene to work, it requires us to really suspend our disbelief on how time travel works. Querl must have known all along that Kara would die somehow a thousand years ago. Yet he fell in love with her anyway. A lot of great stories have been written about such impossible romances. I'm not sure Querl and Kara qualify, but I'm curious to see how this story plays out in No. 16. Can't say I remember it.

So, the "new era" of the Legion begins not with a bang or a whimper but with too many overt and covert nods to the past. At the time, I loved such references. Now, I've begun to understand that if one is always looking to the past, it's difficult to see what lies ahead.

A missed opportunity here--so long as Levitz was going to include so many nods to the past--would have been to remind us that Shady weakens under bright lights. This weakness of hers from the Adventure days seems to have long since been forgotten.



Another possible clue is that she is apparently unable to break out of Regulus's ring of fire. However, since Mon-El, too, is affected by the flares, it's unclear how much this is intended to be a limitation on her powers.



I remain impressed by your ability to dissect and describe different art styles. I think you're right about the Marvel-style dynamics--and, if LaRocque could do all this while meeting tight deadlines, he was a formidable draftsman indeed.



You'd think Drake would take an extra suit on the cruiser--folded into an indestructible cannister--so he wouldn't have to travel all the way back to earth.



There are a lot of wonderful and subtle hints in this scene. Myg doesn't fight the other two, nor is he restrained. He just calmly (respectfully?) waits by the ship while they pay their last respects. He seems to have accepted his fate.



Never underestimate the potency of Plot Powers!



Having heard Regulus's threat after he had already engaged his heat vision, Mon switched the application to give the villain a suntan through his suit.

My man Mon--spa specialist!

Here's my "Comics Survey" Top 30 of July 23, 1985:

1. Dreadstar # 20 -- Marvel/Epic
2. West Coast Avengers # 2 -- Marvel
3. Tales of the New Teen Titans # 58 -- DC
4. Star Trek (Annual) # 1 -- DC
5. Crisis on Infinite Earths # 8 -- DC
6. Superman # 411 -- DC
7. Legion of Super-Heroes # 15 -- DC
8. New Teen Titans # 13 -- DC
9. Captain America # 310 -- Marvel
10. Squadron Supreme # 3 -- Marvel

11. Amazing Spider-Man # 270 -- Marvel
12. Vision & Scarlet Witch # 1 -- Marvel
13. Fury of Firestorm # 40 -- DC
14. Avengers # 261 -- Marvel
15. Blue Devil # 16 -- DC
16. Marvel Tales # 180 -- Marvel
17. Power Man & Iron Fist # 119 -- Marvel
18. Iron Man # 199 -- Marvel
19. Red Tornado # 4 -- DC
20. Justice League of America # 243 -- DC

21. Green Lantern # 192 -- DC
22. Avengers (Annual) # 14 -- Marvel
23. Star Trek # 19 -- DC
24. Legion of Super-Heroes (Annual) # 1 -- DC
25. Nexus # 14 -- First
26. New Defenders # 148 -- Marvel
27. Flash # 350 -- DC
28. All-Star Squadron # 49 -- DC
30. Fantastic Four # 282 -- Marvel

Thanks, He Who. Yeah, LaRocque's kinda like Mark Bagley (they are close in age, even though Bagley broke into the biz much later) in that their legendary speediness is actually beneficial to the final art. Their mutual influence, John Buscema (my favorite comic book artist of all time) was also gifted with both speed and strong draftsmanship...although, to look at some of the superhero stuff he cranked out in the 70s (especially in the second half of that decade, after barbarian books became his bread-and-butter gig) it's almost heartbreaking -- both he and his kid brother Sal did a lot of damage to their reputations during that time. It was actually Jim Shooter who gave them much better work & pay arrangements at the start of the 80s, so that they didn't have to churn out the pages anymore. So Shooter deserves thanks for that much.



On Dreadstar -- the early years of that series are favorites of mine, too, especially the way Jim Starlin was liberated by not having to water down and/or dumb down his ideas the way he had to in his Marvel Universe work. And even though it got ugly and directionless for a while soon after changing publishers, I do love the Post-Starlin Peter David era.

On Star Trek Annual 1 -- I have that one in the original Best of Star Trek trade. Love that story, and the way Mike W. Barr & Dan Jurgens make the old "living nightmares" trope feel fresh and exciting.

On Cap and SqSup -- Given that you are an author and a teacher, I have to say I'm surprised to see you rate Mark Gruenwald books so high. I mean, the guy wrote dialogue that sounded -- to me, at least -- like he'd never had a conversation with another human being, and I think his technique was deficient in other salient areas too.

On Avengers -- I'm actually planning to review the trade which collects the space-opera storyline that ends with the issues listed above, in the Gy'mll's forum. Stay tuned.

This seems like an odd limitation on Dirk's powers. He's on or off, can adjust the strength of radiance but that's it?



It could be explained by some Lythyl philosophy or customs. Sensei and Brin did defeat him, so proved they're stronger than him - so he submits. Or maybe he just wants to see somewhere else.



Hah! Vi just couldn't resist a dig at Brek regardless.



Oops!



Quintuple oops!



It might have been enjoyable if the flame creatures had turned on Regulus.



Duly noted.



Another interesting possibility.



Agreed, we don't get much out of those pages.



Good point, I was initially enthralled with the trivia and now see it as taking up space when overused. There's a balance between providing historical continuity and rehashing history. It can be a bit like starting the lecture over when somebody comes in late.



My mind didn't go there, but quite possibly that was intentional. Good memory HWW!



After reading your and Thoth's comments on theis scene, it occurs to me that she might have been shedding tears for the end of the Subs. It must have been emotional for her, even if she was moving on with her life. I thought it was the crowds, but it could have been end of an era sadness.



There's a French song from the 1970s with the line (Ceux qui regardent en arrière, ne voyent que de la poussière): Those who look behind, only see the dust. Which takes a lot longer to say in French....



Ditto! I'm too artless for that conversation, though.

Dreadstar remained a favorite of mine throughout its run, although it was uneven at times. I agree that the early years were the best.



Well, I wasn't a teacher and was barely an author then.

I suspect my views on a lot of these issues would change if I were to re-read them now, as my thoughts on the Legion stories have changed. What I remember of Squadron Supreme is that it took chances that seemed novel, fresh, and risky for super-heroes at the time. In some ways, Squadron Supreme was a precursor to Watchmen. I don't remember the Captain America issue.

*Gulp*

(I'm not embarrassed, not embarrassed at all.)

(Actually, I went very quickly from embarrassment to amusement at my own cluelessness.)




That is very true about SqSup preceding many of Watchmen's themes. And, arguably, it holds up a little better than Watchmen thanks to its lack of pretentiousness. That might sound a bit harsh, but I really have soured on Watchmen in recent years -- it's one of the very few times I've ever felt that Alan Moore was writing down to his readers, rather than engaging them as equals like he usually does.