Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-Reading the Legion: Archives Volume 24

Welcome.

In this Volume, we shall be covering LSH Baxter issues 44-45, Secret Origins issue 25, and LSH Baxter issues 46-52.

LSH Baxter #44, "Quislet's Story"

Paul Levitz, script - Greg LaRocque, pencils - Mike DeCarlo, inks - John Costanza, letters - Carl Gafford, colors - Karen Berger, edits

THOUGHTS: Firstly, I decided to not post a plot summary, because more than half the issue takes place in Quislet's home dimension of Teall, where beings composed of sentient energy rule, and all solid matter is inanimate and infinitely malleable. It would be an understatement to say that such an environment is hard to describe in the form of detailed text.

Basically, the Teallians operate as a hive mind. Quislet was one of the first (possibly the very first) of the energy beings to develop both free will and a desire to be an individual. When the hive mind tried to re-assimilate him, he rebelled more strongly than ever, stole a tiny experimental spaceship, and escaped into our dimension. Now Quislet finds himself back in Teall, and under pursuit from the other natives. Luckily for him, he has Wildfire by his side (being as Wildfire, though born human, is now an energy being, albeit of a different sort than the Teallians.) Wildfire helps Quislet escape a second time, and they both return to our dimension.

Quislet's long-overdue origin story is not especially original, nor especially profound, but I found it quite poignant nonetheless. I grew up outside the United States during the 80s, in a South American country which at the time had a culturally conservative, rigidly conformist society. So I can relate to Quislet through Levitz's well-judged use of metaphor. This slight tale has a lightness of touch that helps it go down easier than if it had been executed with a less subtle, more heavy-handed approach.

LaRocque does a creditable job at visualizing the dimension known as Teall, all swirly and sparkly. But as much as I like his style, and as much as I consider him on the most underappreciated artists to ever draw the Legion, I cannot deny that there were other artists at the time who might have done a less literal, more imaginative job. I'm thinking specifically of Gene Colan, who drew a couple of Levitz's earlier Legion stories, and who had a great flair for portraying otherworldly realms -- The Spectre and Night Force for DC, Doctor Strange and Tomb of Dracula for Marvel. Looking outside the box of Legion artists, I could also picture the styles of Paul Smith or Marshall Rogers (both artists, like Colan, had notable runs on Doctor Strange.) Then there's Steve Ditko, who pretty much invented the template for otherworldly realms in comic books -- it might have been a job which stood head and shoulders above his Conway/DeMatteis era Legion stories. And, yes, the name Keith Giffen did cross my mind, too, inasmuch as the only thing I think he actually did have a talent for drawing was semi-abstract weirdness.

So, if this issue had been wall-to-wall Quislet and Wildfire, I'd rate it highly. Unfortunately, Levitz keeps cutting away to our dimension, and the subplot about the arrogantly asinine Atmos demanding membership in the Legion. This subplot is merely annoying at this stage in its development, and it will go on to be one of the most tasteless, sickening plot threads of Levitz's Legion run. Therefore, I'm docking a substantial total of four points off this issue, to end up at 6 out of 10 Taryns:

Not much plot, for sure. I never liked this issue much and sort of skimmed over the text. This time, I read the text but it's essentially backstory for Quislet and Teall. I did love the line "Family, friends, lynch mob" and the acknowledgement that Quislet learned from Wildfire how to blast with energy. His position as a rebel is good - and similar to what will be done with Gates. The Teallians looked like space sperm, though, not energy beings. Oh, to have Moebius draw this back in the day! The depiction if done today would probably be more interesting with computer-assisted graphics.

I didn't mind the interludes with Atmos so much, since they broke up the weirdness of Quislet's universe, but the content - alpha male Atmos and surrendering Nura - was distasteful. Even if I didn't know where it was going, I'd find Atmos to be an overbearing, inflated ego. Maybe Xanthu didn't want him back. Nevertheless, characters like Atmos, or Earthman, lend drama to the story. The viper in the nest, the disruptive force - and the reader wondering if they're heroes or will turn out to be villains.

LSH Baxter #45, "Unlucky Streak" (Double-Sized 30th Anniversary Special)

Paul Levitz, script -- Mike DeCarlo with Arne Starr, inks -- John Costanza, letters -- Carl Gafford, colors -- Karen Berger, edits

And Featuring a Stellar Cast of Pencil Artists:

Greg LaRocque, pages 1-13, 18-19, 25-27, 33-35, 40-43, 48-57 -- Kurt Shaffenberger, pages 13-17 -- Curt Swan, pages 20-24 -- Dave Cockrum, pages 28-32 -- Mike Grell, pages 36-39 -- Keith Giffen, pages 44-47 -- Dick Giordano, pages 58-59

PLOT: Those rascally, tongue-twisting Luck Lords act all high and mighty upon their sanctum atop the Ziggurat on Planet Ventura while their seemingly omnipotent powers enable Mekt Ranzz to break out of prison, determined to kill his brother Garth. It appears that Garth has been the Luck Lords' pet plaything from the moment that Garth, Mekt, and their sister Ayla acquired their lightning powers after being zapped by the Lightning Beasts of Korbal.

Meanwhile, Garth, Imra, and Rokk are at Legion HQ, doing boring paperwork stuff.

Flashback: Garth seemingly dies battling Zaryan, but is brought back to life, seemingly at the expense of Proty One.

Meanwhile, Wildfire tells Brek and the Founders in no uncertain terms that Atmos is a ____. At that moment, Atmos confirms Wildfire's accusation by invading Nura's boudoir. (And as she was typing that last sentence, Annfie wanted to barf.)

Flashbacks: Garth's weird and wild young adulthood (losing his arm, being brainwashed into thinking he's Starfinger, getting bamboozled by the phony Luck Lords, regaining his arm, almost being killed by Mekt only for big brother to lose his nerve and run away.)

Meanwhile, Imra and Brainy, then Imra and Jeckie, banter cryptically, making references to the Death of Superboy due to the Time Trapper's machinations, and how Brainy and Mon-El seem particularly numbed in their bereavement. Cue Tasmia dropping a bizarre bon mot about how Brainy and Mon-El need somebody to kill.

Flashback: Garth and Imra's wedding, and their idyllic honeymoon which is rudely interrupted by the Earth War.

Meanwhile, Levitz and LaRocque stage a crowded, cheesy exposition double-page spread, notable only for a foregrounded Mon-El looking exactly as Tasmia described him before.

Oh, and SP Officer Erin thinks there's nothing to worry about when the security monitor all at once go blooey. Cute as a button, dumb as a hammer.

Flashback: Recent domestic type stuff with Garth, Imra, and their sons.

Finally, Mekt attacks Garth while he, Imra, and Rokk are walking through a tourist section of Metropolis. Despite some gadgets which the Luck Lords had arranged to be aboard Mekt's escape cruiser, Garth manages to zap his brother unconscious for the 4223434th time.

The Luck Lords decide to leave Garth alone from now on.

(And readers are none the wiser as to what was the bloody POINT of the Luck Lords machinations!)

Fortunately, there's a nice double-page spread pinup of the whole Legion roster to help the other stuff go down easier.

THOUGHTS: You may not believe it after that snark-fest of a plot summary, but this issue actually has great sentimental value to me. It is one of only two Preboot Legion issues that I am nigh-incapable of being objective about. The other one, we'll be getting to in a few months.

But for now, let's take the WABAC machine to a more innocent time, the mid-1990s, when young Annfie could still be impressed by all the bright, shiny bells & whistles that have been grafted onto this dog's breakfast of a script. The issue is even more gorgeous to look at than almost any previous Baxter issue. Although LaRocque's pencils are wildly inconsistent (all the Mekt sequences look phoned-in, but the scenes with the Luck Lords atop the Ziggurat are absolutely breathtaking in their scope,) most of the other artists acquit themselves nicely. Shaffenberger, who I assume is there standing in for the late John Forte, does a particularly pretty job; Swan, not so much, although as usual for him, there are some nice little character touches; Cockrum's contribution is heartbreaking in comparison to his Legion work from only a decade-and-a-half-earlier, but Grell's is superb, especially his montage-style layout of the honeymoon sequence; and DeCarlo makes Giffen more palatable to me than usual, almost foreshadowing the style of my boy Frank Quitely to come in the decade ahead. And Dick Giordano's pinup is absolutely beautiful, making me wish he had done far, far, FAR more Legion art in his lifetime than he did. And Carl Gafford's coloring is stellar from start to finish.

Another thing that impressed the younger me was the sheer expansiveness and intricacy of the Legion mythos. But that's only because this was one of the very first Legion back issues I ever bought (I'm a sucker for multiple-artist anniversary issues.) But from my jaded, embittered present-day perspective the whole story seems a pointless mess (among other things, I have to wonder if maybe Garth was originally meant to kill Mekt, only for last-minute changes to be made. It still wouldn't have been much of a story, but at least it wouldn't have felt so damn rote!)

In spite of it all, I'm confident I'll never lose that sweet spot I have for this issue...as long as I don't re-read it often, if ever.

Objectively, I don't think this issue deserves more than 6 out of 10 Taryns. Subjectively, I wish I could give it 8 out of 10 for old time's sake. Which averages to 7 out of 10 Taryns:



"Memories...sigh...memories will drive you crazy." - Charles M. Schulz via Snoopy

Moebius! Ahhh, yes. Great choice, Cramey. Ironically, at the time this issue was published, Moebius was doing quite a bit of work for DC's rival Marvel! IIRC, he even did a superhero/sci-fi story starring the Silver Surfer.

Another artist who I think might have done a good job with visualizing Teall is Pat Broderick -- *if* he was giving it his all. I'm a fan of his overall output, but his Legion work is extremely erratic.

Point well taken about the viper in the nest archetype. But, in my opinion, Levitz's execution of both storylines was abominable.

I liked the Quislet story much more back in the day than I do now. These days I kind of wish they'd stuck with something closer to Lightle's original design for the character.

EDE, do you think the story's celebration-of-non-conformity piece still holds up today? If you don't, why not?

Super-creepy is a power. Wildfire & committee clearly have problems with Atmos as a candidate, so I'm curious to see how he gains membership - if it's explained in the next issue.



This along with Polar Boy talking murder after the death of Superboy should have enabled me to put the pieces together, but I didn't at the time. Of note is that no one calls Tasmia on the no-kill code; of course, it could be assumed that she was just using a figure of speech.



Haha! Too true. Not ready for promotion just yet.



Reading it now, I thought this might be a lead-up to the Magic Wars. As Luck Lords, these creatures (?) would favour a universe ruled by chance, not logic and this seems to be what they're trying to bring about. What this would do for them, and whyGarth Ranzz was the key (chosen at random, perhaps) isn't clear. I'm also wondering how the Luck Lords tie into the Lords of Chaos, if at all, and if they're humans with eyeball masks, or just have giant eyeball heads.



Grell's work was truly remarkable here; it really stood out from the rest of the issue.

Over the years, it feels as if we've had so many Garth-Mekt encounters and retelling of Garth's story, but, as a 30-year celebration of the Legion, this issue covers plenty of bases - the history is there, the on-going story advances on a couple of fronts (Atmos, the Conspiracy, Validus), there's a resolution that Garth (and Rokk) will not rejoin the Legion. As Annfie points out, we got a good sampling of different Legion artists. All in all, a successful anniversary issue, although not my favourite story by a long shot. The Luck Lords are mysterious and powerful characters, but their speech seemed stilted and wordy with the one-two-three pattern repeating in all their pronouncements. It bogged down the story for me.

Well, I haven't actually reread the story in ages, so I'm going by memory here. But, while I like the theme, and even the general idea of Quislet as the singular Atman refusing absorption into Brahman, I do wish there was something that gave Quislet more of a heroic motivation. In his initial appearance, one of the things that's mentioned is that he has been volunteering to join various law enforcement organizations before he comes across the Legion. That seems kind of weird in light of his origins as basically a non-conformist rebel. Is there any indication that there is something more sinister in the Teallians desire to explore other dimensions? Because that would at least give Quislet the added motivation of wanting to preserve not only his own individuality but this whole universe of wonderfully diverse individualities.

LOL

If ever!

(I'm so mean sometimes.)



I agree about the Luck Lords' dialogue. A little bit of those stilted speech patterns goes a long way. That said, I find it equally discomforting when everybody, including the cosmic characters and gods and such, talks in Plain English. There's room in stories for all kinds of voices.

Good point about the motivation, or lack thereof. Again, as with Tellus and Myg, a lot of Quislet's backstory seems to have been more in Lightle's mind than in Levitz's.

I hadn't thought about Quislet's motivation and the question of heroism until Eryk and Annfie brought it up here. His desire to leave does bring to mind the R.J. Brande backstory in 5YL, in which he just wanted to get off Durla and enjoy the freedom of the United Planets. The idea that Teallians had sinister aims shich Quislet alone opposed would have added a lot of depth to the character.

This discussion is making me wish more than ever that Steve Lightle would return to posting at Legion World.

LSH #46 "Conspiracy/On the Fourth hand" by Paul Levitz, art by Greg LaRocque & Pat Broderick, Inks by Mike DeCarlo, letters John Costanza, colors Carl Gafford



Four hands clasp together and swear an oath, even if it destroys the Legion. One is Brainy, one's Mon-el and there are two females.

Mon-el broods, Tasmia worries, Brek plots & fumes.

Cham infiltrates Starfinger's crew on Rimbor. Starfinger - not dead after all - wants his money out of Fa Roh's bank which had laundered it. However, Roh believes Starfinger is dead and won't release the funds, until the crew blows up his house. The crew leaves with the money and Cham, in disguise.

Tasmia, Jo, Tinya were sent by Brek to join Dawnstar on her hunt for Cham. Dawny traces Cham to Rimbor and eventually to the area where Starfinger's crew is just taking off. Since it's suspicious to see a space cruiser in that area, Tinya investigates. She sees Cham in disguise, he warns her off; she returns to the team and claims Cham wasn't on board.

Atmos performs for Chuck and Lu at the Academy. They're not impressed with his arrogance and tell him that he's not ready for the Legion; Atmos slugs Chuck. Lu snarks that Nura is caught in her flirtatious web.
Saturn Girl greets Tellus. As she leaves, he glimpses a thought of a conspiracy which includes one of the founders.

Comments:
The expression "the seeds of destruction" comes to mind when I read the Conspiracy arc. Looking back, the tale fascinates me as the tipping point when the Legion started to fall apart. It may have begun before and it would take a long time to devolve, but the seeds of the Legion's own destruction are planted here.

The Conspiracy is the big thing; although it's not apparent yet, Tasmia and Brek sense that something is amiss. Brek orders Tellus to snoop around discretely. The Conspirators themselves swear to follow their path, even if it means the destruction of the Legion. Tellus blurts out to Brink, Blok and Pol that there is something that they would not even want to know. Atmos appears to be on a path to cause disruption within the Legion, whether he becomes a member or not. Reep takes off on his own espionage mission and Brek not only wants to change the rules to prevent that, he sends a team to bring Reep back. Tinya lies to Jo and Tasmia about finding Reep. Ken Steacy's cover captures this atmosphere of secrets, distrust and anger that is developing.

The conspiracy itself is a mystery at this point, although there have been hints that it might involve revenge for Superboy's death. Brainy and Lar are clearly identified; Imra is unveiled at the end as one of the females and there remains one other female to be determined. The sleeve, bracelet and darker skin do suggest Tasmia; this would make her concerns voiced to Jo and Tinya about not knowing what's wrong with Lar - and the Legion overall - a considerable diversion.

I enjoyed the scenes illustrating Rimbor, both low and high society. It was somewhat unnerving in 2019 to read that it was strong privacy laws which led to all the criminality on Rimbor; this story could be a case study for the pro-surveillance advocates today.

Amid all this, it's easy to overlook that there's no explanation (yet) of how Starfinger survived.

Secret Origins #25

"The Dreams of Youth"

Credits: Based on the characters created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino, and a story by E. Nelson Bridwell.
Writer Paul Levitz, Artist Rick Stasi and Dick Giordano, Letterer John Constanza, Colorist Carl Gafford, Editor Mark Waid

There is an opening text saying "In celebration of their 30th anniversary"

Location: The Waiting Lounge, Locus-4 Starport, 2988 A.D.

Lots of bored people - human and alien are waiting around. Some kids (again human and alien, one looks like a young controller) are watching a news report by Marello Tao on the Legion's latest case but then run off and bump into some totally anonymous bearded old man (who we absolutely have NO idea of who he is) who then proceeds to entertain them with a story about the legionnaires.

A starcruiser heading for Earth passes by Saturn and its moon Titan, famous for the mental powers of its natives and its foul cooking (at least according to the old man).

A shuttle comes up carrying, amongst others, R. J. Brande "who claimed to be the third richest man in the galaxy but couldn't have been more than the sixth" and Imra Ardeen. Imra is headed for Earth to join the Science Police. Brande, who knows?

Brande chuckles at two young lads staring at Imra "Ah, to be young and lusty." One was Garth Ranzz looking for his brother and the other was Rokk Krinn looking for work.

Brande takes advantage of his age and status to claim the seat next to Imra. He mentions the boys fascination but Imra brushes it off. "Oh, those two ... they're JUST KIDS. I'm FOURTEEN Earth-standard years old but I'm from TITAN - and much too MATURE for them. At the institute we're TAUGHT all about our EMOTIONS - and how to CONTROL them, not BE controlled."

Garth and Rokk discuss their families and apparently talk all the way to Metropolis. Brande wishes Imra good luck and she responds "Thanks ... but luck has NOTHING to do with it."

"Not true" the old man relates "for even as they walked down the ramp, Brande's luck was with him." Imra senses the strong emotions from nearby and cries out that two men are going to try to kill Brande. Garth and Rokk quickly grab RJ and Imra out of the way. Stepping in front they use their magnetism and lightning to disarm the killers and capture them. Brande thanks them and Imra reads their mind about RJ's cousin Doyle. RJ asks them to meet him at his office in the morning.

He then gets his staff to spend the night finding out everything there is to know about the three youngsters, and he won't take no for an answer. Brande spends the night thinking at his desk, "Maybe Brande dreamed of his son ... or the troubled world on which he was born... Maybe he dreamed of the good he could do that he never had ... or maybe he simply counted his credits 'til he fell asleep, then dreamed unbidden ... but when he woke, ah, how different it all was." "Ya. That will do JUST FINE."

His three guests arrive. He tells them he has a proposition for them. He says they have gifts, not just powers which many have, but the courage to use them. He reminds them of the legendary Superboy and suggests they be like him -- be super-heroes. The three object that they are not like Superboy who was so much more powerful than anyone else, whereas their powers are shared by many. Garth adds that while his powers may be rare there are others with greater abilities, and besides they are only teenagers. Brande tells them he too knows that there are others smarter than himself, but they are not him. He works harder, takes more chances, and look where it has gotten him. So he challenges them to try, to take a chance, and if so many are out there, maybe they will join them and they will be a LEGION of super-heroes. The three teens decide that this could work better than each of their individual plans. Imra questions if it would be legal but Brande says that isn't a problem for him, so they decide to go ahead and form a team.

Brande sets them up with a clubhouse and provides tons of publicity. The teens use their new computer to pick amongst them the best to lead and it picks Rokk. Brande introduces Marla Latham who will get them anything they need and he (RJ) will pay for it. He then uses his contacts to get a law changed and the teens are soon deputized by the SP. RJ discusses with Marla how well it is going and Marla agrees although mentioning how expensive it is getting. Brande brushes that off and tells him to damn the cost. He emphasies to also make them famous. Marla is happy to do so although he doesn't understand why but RJ just says he wants "every child in the burning, blasted cosmos to try to get into that legion" and he thinks to himself that maybe his son will come and he will find him again.

The old man then tells how the plan worked and the Legion became known everywhere, from Cargg to Bgtzl, to laboratories studying time, to the Science Police, and to a Durlan emigre called Reep Daggle who didn't know his father had years ago adopted human form and the name of Brande, and on and on until they really were a Legion, far larger, far grander than anyone had ever dreamed back when those first three began playing legionnaires.

The kids who have been listening tell the old man that's a silly story. They say everybody knows how the legion was formed. According to the kids the Legion saved that old man but that just made them go public. The UP had been putting the team together for years, testing kids from all over the galaxy. One kid had even heard they weren't human but robots until they found a way to give real people those powers. They tell him he is nice but silly and run off.

The old man laughs saying "So -- THAT is the truth, now, eh? Maybe that is what happened to the legend of Superboy. Once it was real, then it became just a story ... and now, who knows?" He thinks to himself "After all, since RJ Brande left Earth and vanished,there may not be anyone left who really remembers the beginning ... but by damn, I will never forget."

Comments:
Let me know if you have heard this one before.
Although it is yet another retelling of the Legion's origin with nothing particularly changed, this is the only one I can remember being told from Brande's perspective. The story he (at least we presume the old man is Brande) tells is peppered with typical Brande "by damn" type comments and extra little bits like Titan being famous for telepaths and foul cooking. (Anyone remember any other mention of Titanian cooking skills? We had a few scenes of Garth cooking, usually badly, but not Imra.)

This emphasis means we spend a bit more time learning his thoughts and motivations. In particular the tale mentions more than once his hope that his son Reep might turn up as a result, but it does mention other possible motives as well, such as just doing something good with his life. Also apart from the initial rescue we don't see the Legion in action, not even a mention of the quintile crystal for example.

We do get one double page spread of the Legion from this period, including more recent arrivals such as Quislet and Polar Boy and Tellus, Jeckie as Sensor Girl and Wildfire in humanoid form. Stranfely enough Cosmic Boy is present but not Magnetic Kid. The art is fairly good, not stupendous but servicable with some interesting closeups and angles.

The idea that the Legion's origin has other tales about it, at least amongst kids, is interesting - perhaps an attempt to make it feel more legendary.

My only other thought is that since Mark Waid was the editor, this kind of gives him credit for being involved in three origin stories including the Reboot and Threeboot.

Overall I would say that if you have a copy it is an alright read but if you don't I wouldn't say you need to chase it down. It's nice but forgettable and is unnecessary for the ongoing story line - unless you are a new reader who I guess it was probably aimed at.

Additional information.
SO#25 also has 2 letters/text pages which is half letters and half publishing history of whoever is in that issue. In this case two and a half columns out of three on one page is devoted to the Legion's story as told by Peter Sanderson. Why he was given the job I have no idea but it does a fair job of telling how the Legion is older than the Justice League and progressed from a throwaway Superboy story through guest appearances to taking over various other comics and now (when this was published) having been in continuous publication in their own comic for 15 years. Many of the writers are mentioned, particularly those with long stints, and some of the artists, and finishes with the comment "Over three full decades the Legion has built a steady, highly committed fandom all its own, and deservedly so. The Legion has had quite some success for what began as no more than a 'throwaway' story device!"

As members of that fandom and in light of the coming new series lets hope it continues to enjoy that success amongst a whole new group of readers.

This is definitely something I've never given the slightest thought to until right now but why WOULD one of the galaxy's wealthiest men be travelling on a normal commercial flight? I feel like there's a whole other story there!

Also, I like the bit about Brande hoping to find Cham...kinda makes the relationship reveal feel less like it came outta nowhere

It is a good question. The story here actually adds to the mystery a bit.

In the old man's own words (i.e. presumably Brande's words): "She (Imra) was headed for Earth to joing the Science Police, and as for him ... ach, he probably dropped a coin there and was going back to find it. Or maybe he had a better reason but would never admit it."

I remember in the Reboot Brande was responsible for the stargate technology that made interstellar travel practical and affordable for the masses. He specifically states that he wants no special treatment and is just a passenger and then goes on to chat to other passengers to make sure they are enjoying the trip. I seem to remember in one of the other re-tellings Doyle or Latham asking him why he travelled in the public ships and he said something about always keeping in touch with the public and customers.

On another note can anyone remember where all the different versions of this tale might be?

It was in the 5YL origin story that Brande claimed he wanted to keep in touch with the public. But I like the way they kept his motivations open in this Secret Origins story.

That's not only the first mention of Titan's lack of cooking skills but one of the few (if not the first) detail about life on Titan we've learned that I recall. It's also interesting that Imra claims they're more mature at 14 than other teens because of their training. Makes sense and explains her iron butt personality. Nevertheless, it was Rokk that was chosen leader.



That is an interesting part of this story. It figures that, in a big galaxy, rumours and legends would spread about the team, or maybe even be seeded by Marla's PR department. I think this idea of various legends about the Legion was used in the reboot (in the Legends series (of course) when Ayla was talking to some young kids and also in the threeboot, when a group of kids in a park told each other versions of the Legion's founding. More Mark Waid - plus he wrote the Fortress Lad origin story - so he's really entwined with Legion origins.

So Brande is now traveling incognito, presumably with a false identity. I guess this is the last we see of him until 5YL.

Thanks for the review!

LSH #47 by Paul Levitz, art by Greg LaRocque & Pat Broderick, Inks by Mike DeCarlo, letters John Costanza, colors Carl Gafford



Ayla, Pol, Brin, Tellus and Quislet deal with a fire on the Midatlantic Broadcasting Tower. Tellus is distracted and tells Pol about the conspiracy he read in Imra's mind.

Jo, Tinya, Tasmia and Dawnstar head back to Legion HQ from Rimbor. Tinya admits that she found Reep and kept it from the others. Dawnstar is angry. Insults are exchanged.

Reep continues his infiltration of Starfinger's gang on Ventura, where they launder credits in a casino. Starfinger congratulates him, but Reep wonders if that's just a holo-construct.

Projectra confronts Brainy, tells him she knows what's going on and he had better be prepared to accept the consequences.

Chief Zendak, concerned about Khund activity, requests a team of Legionnaires to patrol the border worlds.

On Mars, Reep is given a job to murder the wealthy Jonlor, who had been witholding protection money from Starfinger. He impersonates the corpse when the others check to ensure he killed Jonlor, having sent an anonymous tip to Jonlor earlier.

H'hrnath appeals to Commander Rogir Allon to keep the fleet around Nullport, since there have been rumours of Khund activity. Allon gets an alert that a Khund battlewagon has entered the space. Lar is passing by, sights the Khunds and takes his angst out on them, destroying their power source but leaving them with life support.

Tellus speaks to obliquely to Violet about his conspiracy concerns.

On Mars, Reep meets Starfinger, Starlight and Starbright and is approved. Starfinger blasts a star brand onto Reep's arm.

Yera weeps as she tells the Allons that Gim has gone off without leaving any message.

At the Legion Academy, students are training as Tellus arrives to consult with his former teacher, Luornu, in confidence. She tells him not to say anything but to leave it with her. In the final panel, we see Luornu wearing the bracelet of the fourth mystery hand in the conspiracy.

Comments:
Lots of set-up in this issue. The Reep infiltrates Starfinger story takes up a lot of space and is mostly interesting for its visuals of Ventura and Mars. However, it stretches credibility that the very cautious Starfinger wouldn't have a Durlan on staff, or some way of detecting a Durlan infiltrator.

The conspiracy is now known to Projectra, Tellus and Pol - at least. Only Projectra knows what's involved and she isn't telling anyone, including the reader, and so the plot simmers. Does she approve of the mission but worries that Brainiac 5 is incautious?

Tinya's lying about seeing Reep adds another layer of friction between Legionnaires, seeding more distrust. Violet claims that Brainy gets on her nerves. Lar could care less if he's sparked a diplomatic incident with the Khunds. Brek mentions that he hopes some of their troubles "will sort themselves out" - not a strong message of leadership. However, we don't see other members rising to the occasion and offering advice; Legion leader isn't a dictatorship and Brek does seem to be somewhat abandoned by his teammates. Nothing is resolved as more potential problems develop. The dialogue among the various characters imparts a sense that things are degenerating. These exchanges and the artwork, portraying different parts of the 30th century, make this issue a good read.

LSH #48 "To Catch a Falling Star/A Time to Die" by Paul Levitz, art by Greg LaRocque & Pat Broderick, Inks by Mike DeCarlo, letters John Costanza, colors Carl Gafford




Lu informs Brainy and Imra that Tellus has discovered their conspiracy; Brainy reports that Projectra is onto them as well. They're just waiting for Mon-el to deliver the power source. The power source turns out to be a white dwarf star; as Mon-el collects it, he ponders Brainy's mental condition.

Starfinger wants to develop a weapon which will track Legionnaires and kill them. He orders Cham, still in disguise, to steal a flight ring. He breaks into SP Headquarters to use their duplicator and make a copy of his flight ring, but with enough impurities to cause Starfinger's weapon to fail. Before he can finish, he is caught by SP officers and escapes, impersonating Zendak.

Sensor Girl meets with Tellus and Pol within a mystical sensory void to discuss the conspiracy and how they could oppose it. Computo alerts Jan at the Monitor Board about the void, which he dismisses. He is shocked to see Mon-el bringing a dwarf star to the HQ. The arrival of the dwarf causes all sorts of commotion as Brainy's machine fails to contain it. Under Nura's guidance, BLok helps Mon-el push the dwarf away from Earth and other Legionnaires deal with the physical damage. Pol confronts Brainy about his actions and is rebuffed by both Brainy and Imra.

Cham reports that he failed to get a flight ring, but Starfinger announces that he can still help the project by working with Doctor Hazeg, formerly of Takron-Galtos, who has developed an energy projector to attack the Legionnaires and has teleported a flight ring from a tomb on Shanghalla. Cham realizes that Doctor Hazeg is really Colossal Boy.

Comments: One of the more ludicrous issues in the series, #48 is infamous for its white dwarf star. Early Adventure era, it would have worked. 1980s, it doesn't. If it had been some other, made-up power source (like a rare but unstable crystal), the story could have held up better. The point that the project was out of control and endangering everyone would still have been made.

The Cham/Starfinger story drags on; instead of shining a spotlight on Cham's espionage abilities, it makes him look reckless and misguided. Starfinger doesn't come off that well either, apparently fooled by the deception and quite lenient when it comes to new recruits. I don't know what it would take to heighten the tension, since the stakes are indeed high: a weapon to target Legionnaires' rings and kill them, with Cham playing a key role. The urgency seems lost among too many panels, perhaps. And if the SPs have a duplicator that can copy flight rings accurately, that diminshes the exclusivity and wow factor of the flight ring.

There is more urgency felt when the white dwarf experiment goes all wrong. Nura takes the lead in dealing with the catastrophe, although former leader Jan is present.

This issue does do a stellar job of deepening the divisions on the team: the old guard are arrogant and dismissive of Tellus and Pol. I like the symmetry of Starfinger, who draws power from his ring, targeting the Legionnaires' rings. The white dwarf star also fit in with the Starfinger theme.

The artwork is also impressive. Projectra's sensory void, Mon-el's arrival with the dwarf and ensuing disaster particularly stand out as well as the very dark cover.

Gim posing as the physically disabled Dr. Hazeg is a surprise; one might have suspected that he had left Earth to track down Cham, but it's a big leap to see him impersonating another (and new) character entirely.

LSH #49 "Starstruck/A Time to Live" by Paul Levitz, art by Greg LaRocque & Pat Broderick, Inks by Mike DeCarlo, letters John Costanza, colors Carl Gafford


Projectra angrily confronts the four conspirators in the Lab and tells them it's out of hand and madness to continue. Mon-el threatens her, then a scream causes them all to collapse.

The team who were seeking Cham return home; there are still bad feelings between Dawnstar and Tinya. They also suddenly collapse in pain. Legionnaires in deep space suffer the same effect. After they recover, Brek states that the pain felt centered on his flight ring. Starfinger observes one Legionnaire in pain, Brin, who attributes it to indigestion, which infuriates Starfinger. He orders Starbright and Starlight to bring Dr. Hazeg. Starfinger wants to kill him, but Hazeg convinces him to wait one more day. Cham, as Refeej, is given to Hazeg as a test subject.

Recovered from the pain, the Conspirators explain to the other Legionnaires why they took their oath of vengeance for Superboy's death. Projectra agreed that it was valid, but should involve the whole Legion.

Alone, Cham checks for monitors, finds none and asks Gim what he's doing. Gim claims he came there to get Cham, realizing that Cham wasn't one for teamwork.

At Legion HQ, other members are concerned about the pain attack. Jan wants to wait until leader Brek returns; Violet and Brin claim this is no time to play by the rules, while Tasmia thinks things are divisive enough already.

Projectra follows an instinct to seek out someone and ask that person to return to the living, since he is needed.

Brainy is in a bad mood since he can't get his contraption to work. He believes he has failed to find a way to break through the time barrier and wants to give up when Rond Vidar, thought to be dead, walks in, claiming there is a way.

Starfinger is in a bad mood and demands results from Hazeg. He suddenly realizes that Hazeg is Colossal Boy, then suspects Reefej. Starlight and Starbright manage to bring down and reveal Reefej to be Cham. Starfinger blasts them both unconscious with the power of his ring.

Comments:
Things heat up literally and figuratively in this issue. We know it's Starfinger causing the Legionnaires' pain, but they don't, and the four Conspirators appear completely, strangely oblivious to it once they've recovered. (Odd, since they're featured on the cover suffering the effects.) The other Legionnaires are much more concerned and divide further as they argue about what is to be done.

The Lar/Jeckie stand-off was sort of shocking. You could feel the tension in his pose and expression and half expected him to dare her to try and break his neck. The subsequent return to camaraderie as all pledge to work together rings false, as it is meant to.

Rond Vidar's return could have been a final page shocker, but perhaps he doesn't have the character status to rate the final page. Whether Projectra brought him back from the dead or just discovered where he was is unclear and his reappearance clearly astounds the Legionnaires. Jeckie also is the only Legionnaire to take a real leadership role among all the strife: she confronts the Conspirators, proposes a compromise and seeks to advance the common cause.

The Starfinger plot slowly unfolds - it seems silly that he can only observe Brin feeling pain yet attributing it to indigestion - but intensifies as he unmasks Cham and Gim. No more Mr. Nice Starfinger? He would have been a far more sinister villain had he known all along who they were and was just stringing them along. He did say that he'd waited years to confront Gim, and we have yet to learn what that's all about.

LSH #50 "Life and Death at the End of Time" by Paul Levitz & Keith Giffen, art by Keith Giffen, inks Mike DeCarlo, letters John Costanza, colors Carl Gafford
The four Conspirators and Rond Vidar (revealed to be a Green Lantern) battle the Time Trapper at the end of time. One of Lu's bodies is killed, Lar is grievously wounded, Imra is knocked unconscious; Brainy remains conscious and talkative throughout. Jaxon Rugarth, the Infinite Man, is brought out to fight the Trapper. The Time Trapper is defeated and the five wind up in Legion HQ with the help of Brainy's tracing gizmo and Rond's GL energy. Mysa quit, objecting to the use of Rugarth.

LSH #51 "The LSH Must find Brainiac 5 Guilty!/The Trial of Brainiac 5" by Paul Levitz & Keith Giffen, art by Keith Giffen, inks Mike DeCarlo, letters John Costanza, colors Carl Gafford
The Legion conducts a trial of Brainiac 5 for violating the Legion Constitution by taking Rugarth's life unnecessarily. Imra defends, Brek prosecutes, Rokk judges and the Legion debates and votes. 11 not guilty, 7 guilty, 5 abstentions. Brainy decides to quit the Legion. Tinya gets a team together to find Cham. Ayla and Pol corral some beasties at the Interplanetary Zoo.

LSH #52 "Rites of Passage" by Paul Levitz & Keith Giffen, art by Keith Giffen, inks Mike DeCarlo, letters John Costanza, colors Carl Gafford
The aftermath: Brainy has left an upgraded Computo in the form of a small Validus; Nura is asked to take over what she can of Brainy's work. Brek tries to stand on his own two feet. Pol returns to Braal to be honoured, accompanied by Ayla and Tellus; they find a Gil'Dishpan disrupting metal beasts and causing earthquakes. Blok goes to a museum and wanders off into blackness with a mysterious man. Tasmia takes Lar to Daxam to try and save his life and binds herself to him in a Talokian ceremony which involves cutting off a finger.




Comments: Solicitations often announce that "Nothing will ever be the same again" but that statement truly applies to these three issues. The Legion remains, but it's fractured and in some chaos, as illustrated on the cover for #52.
The battle was interesting for the chitchat between Brainy and the Trapper; Rond as a GL would have been a surprise the first time around. The other Legionnaires were dispatched pretty quickly although Lar took up a few pages as a punching bag. Only Brainy remained standing and conscious throughout. The Trapper is left at the End of Time, drained of energy. It's not clear to me exactly what happened: is the Trapper out of energy/finished because he's just entropy yet infinite time continues? Time is such a confusing concept.

Why was Brainy so intent on this mission? Was it the death of Superboy, of Supergirl or the idea that he'd been fooled by the Trapper to think he could travel to the past?

The trial issue shows many of the Legionnaires in civilian clothes, which is very unusual if not unprecedented. Giffen might just be playing around with new looks or saying that the Legion is off-duty until the trial is resolved.

The story makes it clear that this is a Legion Constitution trial, not a criminal murder trial; U.P. authorities have nothing to do with this. I enjoyed the discussions as the voting took place. Of the five abstentions, only Quislet's is meaningful: Cham and Gim are missing, Lar is unconcious, Mysa has left. We know, from Tasmia and his actions, that Lar would have voted not guilty; we know that Mysa would have voted guilty. Quislet's position is unexplained and surprises Brainy.

The guilty votes are interesting: Jan, Brek, Pol, Jacques, Vi, Wildfire and Tinya. Jan has been developed as a character for whom the sanctity of life is supreme. Brek had stated that where there's life, there's hope and Rugarth might have been healed. Pol, an idealistic newcomer, had voiced his opposition to the Conspirators' plan from the beginning. I wonder if Violet and Wildfire, having been in physically distressed conditions themselves, shared Brek's view that Rugarth condition might have been healed. Jacques appears to have voted by his principles (according to Vi) and only Tinya expressed concern over the death of Luornu's other self.

That Rugarth thanked and forgave Brainy is never mentioned. Only Brainy was conscious to hear it, so it would have had no weight as evidence. Brainy is without remorse (despite what is illustrated on the cover); both he and Rond were convinced from the outset that theirs was a necessary and ethical choice and that Rugarth would have agreed. Brainy may have made his decision to leave the Legion regardless of any trial; we've seen him more introspective in recent issues, thinking about the death of Kara and Rond, as well as the deception of the pocket universe.

The Legion's work continues, however. Tinya gathers a team to pick up the Cham-is-missing plotline and Ayla and Pol deal with some beasties at the Interplanetary Zoo (a real Adventure-era type of mission and a bit of nostalgia amid the upheaval).

#52 carries us into the aftermath of the Conspiracy. The team is not quite back to mission-status yet. They recovered more quickly from the destruction of their headquarters at the hands of the Fatal Five and the Khunds. The Conspiracy has damaged relationships and ideals more than property and therefore reaches deeper. The Conspirators themselves were among the longest-serving Legionnaires: of the early team, Rokk and Garth are no longer active, Lyle is dead, Cham and Gim are missing. Lar wasn't one of the very first members, but his connection to Superboy was strongest. This core of the Legion swore to fight to the death and, in a sense, it's the death of the Legion they knew.

Computo has been made even less appealing with Validus' form - and Brainy's motive behind that baffles me. It seems like a cold and cruel move, yet he acted with some compassion for Lu by giving her his forcefield belt and praising her courage. Nura tries to pick up the pieces in Brainy's lab. Tasmia and Lar have gone, perhaps for good. Blok, who is going through physical changes as the Legion changes around him, wanders off into the black with some mysterious man. Is Brek up to the challenges facing him?

There is one peculiar mission underway: the ceremony to honour Pol has turned into an investigation of why a Gil'Dishpan is causing trouble on Braal. Standard fare for a Legion story, but what makes it stand out is Ayla putting the moves on Pol - and Pol not too interested.

Giffen threw a lot of visual change into these issues and at least had input into the script. At the time this was published, I don't know if he had such a reputation for shaking things up as he would later acquire. The Legion is in some disarray at this point, but the missions go on and the team will return to some degree of stability in the issues ahead.

LSH Baxter #51-52



I really like the cover for #52. Steve Lightle really hit it out of the park there. Even the stuff that looks ugly on the interior art (Nura's hair and Brek's hair) looks good as delineated by Lightle. I've said it before, but I still think he's the best draftsman who has ever drawn the Legion.

I wish I could say that I found the contents of that issue, and the issue immediately preceding it*, as compelling as the cover I just praised. But I don't.

And it's not just because Giffen penciled the interiors, although I'd be lying if I said that wasn't a significant factor. Yet having said *that,* I also feel compelled to give Mike DeCarlo credit, because he makes Giffen's pencils halfway palatable to me. Bruce Patterson achieved similar results over Giffen's pencils, way back in LSH #287-288. Moreover, Giffen has temporarily stopped doing pastiches of weird European artists, in favor of imitating Kevin Maguire, who at this time was just wrapping up his popular stint penciling Giffen's JLI series. Bottom line -- Giffen doing Maguire leaves me just as cold as Giffen doing Byrne/Perez back when he first started drawing the Legion. Once again, I get no real sense of artistic personality, only cunning plagiarism which lives or dies by the quality of the inks.

I have nothing to say about the new looks Giffen has imposed upon the Legionnaires. That's because by now, I believe my reputation precedes me.

On to the story, such as it is:



Good question. I am inclined to say the whole Trapper deception. A sentient as idealistic and as proud as Brainy was never going to take such a shattering revelation well.



I think these development could have been turned into valid drama, if only the slow pace didn't continue to be a seemingly insurmountable problem. I wish Levitz had had a firmer editor than Karen Berger (sorry, Legion Worlders, I know she's beloved by many, and she has done a lot of things I like, but I now regard her Legion stint as her learning curve.)



Even for someone who often uses cruel humor as a defense mechanism, Brainy went too far with that, in my opinion. And I'll just bet that was one of Giffen's patented "little bits of last-minute mischief" which inevitably grate with my sensibilities, while tickling many other people's funny bones. To each their own.



This subplot enrages me almost as much as the Atmos/Nura subplot. Firstly, there's the creep factor that Ayla is probably a full decade older than Pol, leading me to assume he's underage. There's also the whole business of Pol being the younger brother of Rokk, the man who hit Ayla in the face (in Superboy #215) and never apologized for it and was never held accountable for it -- this fills my head with all sorts of ugly business that Levitz might have originally been planning to have Ayla seduce Pol and then dump him as a passive-aggressive way of getting back at Rokk. YUK! Whatever, I'm glad Levitz made it moot just a few issues later, instead of seeing it through.




*To reiterate what I noted in recent posts, I did not participate in re-reading the Conspiracy arc simply because I dislike it more than any other Baxter era arc, even the LSH-LSV War. And the latter, I actually did like at one time. But I've disliked Conspiracy since the first and last time that I read it all the way through, and I've only kept the issues for the sake of completeness.

The disconnect between the “cute Valputo” of the art and the strong reaction of the Legionnaires in the dialog made me suspect that they were working Marvel style, and that Levitz got stuck addressing in dialog something he didn’t see coming.

I remember really liking Brainy as presented in the trial issue the first time I read it. I still enjoyed it, but I’ve been so awash in takes on Brainy (and Vril) in the intervening decades that it no longer stands out.

I wish I had more to say, but these issues are tying up the storylines I didn’t reread, and have only read once before 25+ years ago. Hopefully I’ll have more thoughts as we move into new stories in Levitz’ final year.