Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-Reading the Legion: Archives Volume 25

LSH Annual #4 (1988) "Secrets Within the Star" by Paul Levitz, art by Barry Kitson, inks Bruce Patterson & Romeo Tanghal, letters John Costanza, colors Carl Gafford; Second story "Sunset, Sunrise" by Paul Levitz, art by Garry Leach, letters John Costanza, colors Carl Gafford


The Espionage Squad Team finds Cham. While torturing Gim, Starfinger reveals that he was the thief Gim and Gigi captured on Mars when they were cadets; he discovered the ring which gave him his powers while trying to escape into the desert. The SPs join Jacques to free Gim. Violet realizes that Starfinger has hidden in his ring. Imprisoned in a cube, Starfinger lives in a world of his own within his ring, with Starbright and Starlight.

On a date with Atmos, Nura tells him that he has been refused Legion membership. He decides to go home to Xanthu and she leaves with him. Story partly narrated by a celebrity gossip reporter.

Comments: This is an introspective issue, which is where I find its appeal. It also leaves the Legion further weakened, with the departure of Nura and Gim seriously injured.

The story moves from Legionnaire to Legionnaire, each one delivering an inner monologue about their feelings, hopes, fears about their lives and the Legion. I liked that, because I like the talky stuff. It adds depth to the characters. It does slow down the action a bit, however. Jacques, Violet and Dawnstar are plagued by doubts of various sorts (as usual) yet firm on their duty to their fellow Legionnaires. Given the bickering and disputes of late, this is reassuring.

Cham breaking out of his imprisonment took a lot of panels; the character often goes through multiple panels to do anything as a way to showcase his shape-shifting abilities. Here we learn that the name Reep Daggle was assigned to him by an immigration officer, since Durlans have no identity, and that he takes on the surface quality of life forms and objects he changes to. It still doesn't explain how he can go from a large beast to a dust mote, as he does here.

Gim is portrayed inconsistently in the artwork. In one panel, his leg is torn open; later, it's whole. After he's rescued, he has his pants and boots on, but not his shirt. Considerate of Starfinger to leave at least some of his costume nearby.... it strikes me as sloppy art, since the dictates of modesty could have been easily accomplished with the usual blocking of private parts. It's a minor point, but it detracts from the seriousness of the torture, which was all focused on his leg.

This wraps up the Starfinger arc. The biggest surprise is Starfinger's origin, which, for the reader, came out of nowhere, but gives some retroactive weight to the Gim and Gigi story of #39. It also leaves the door open for Starfinger to return, since villains have a way of escaping from 30th century prisons.

Barry Kitson does the pencils on the main story. His first Legion work? It looks different from his current style.

The Nura-Atmos story is sort of depressing. Nura doesn't look that great (just my opinion), Atmos is a grump and a manipulator. You figure he's working on her mind; she even debates whether or not to pull strings and get Atmos into the Legion. Fortunately for readers, she doesn't - and he's off to Xanthu. Too bad she's going with him.

Cramey, I do believe you're right and this is Barry Kitson's first Legion work. There are lots of nice artistic flourishes to keep this Annual's lead story halfway readable, although the deadline must have been tight considering that two talented, seasoned inkers both do a far less impressive job than they're capable of. Dawnstar also makes a better showing than usual for this Legion Era. Other than the above, I find this a very meh resolution to a meh storyline centered around a meh legacy villain. I cannot help but notice some clear parallels to a far better (and far more concise) Levitz story, the death of the Earth-2 Batman during Levitz's excellent JSA run -- there, too, the villain was an every-thug with a grudge. But in the earlier story there were a lot of interesting themes, such as class warfare; here, it's just a story with no real point to it and no real resolution.

I concur with you on the Nura-Atmos backup story, although the words you've used are far less harsh than the ones my mind reels with. Sometimes, there is something to be said for restraint...especially since I've pretty well said, in previous Re-Reads posts, everything about this appalling subplot that I feel needed to be said.

Yes, it's a pretty standard villain story. "Every-thug" is a good term, he hardly rises to the status of a super-villain. There's a panel in which the first Starfinger is shown killed with a purple star on his face and I thought we were going to go the Starro route, but no connection was ever made. What stands out while re-reading these latest issues is how much world-building there is through Galactica entries and character dialogue - and that's what I most appreciate in this run.

Thinking more about the abysmal development in Nura's story, it strikes me as quite similar to the Tasmia-Earth Man affair, both unlikeable if not represhensible males and relationships to which readers (or most readers) objected. Although Tasmia appeared to have made that choice of her own free will, some fans have suggested that Kirk used Imra's mind control power to seduce her.

I'd never made that connection before between Nura-Atmos and Tasmia-Kirt, but now it is all too clear.

I shudder to think for even a second of the implications that a writer would recycle not just his old ideas, but his *bad* old ideas!

LSH #53 "Hunters and Hunted" by Paul Levitz & Keith Giffen, art by Keith Giffen & Mike DeCarlo, letters John Costanza, colors Carl Gafford
On Braal, Ayla, Pol and Tellus seek and find the Gil'Dishpan Hywyndr, who is disrupting the planet's surface. As he insults them, Ayla goes full-lightning and Hywyndr disappears. Relaxing later at a pool, Ayla fails to seduce Pol, who's focused on the Hywyndr problem. They find and capture Hywyndr, place him on their cruiser and head into space, where the Gil'Dishpan's elemental powers don't work. At Legion HQ, Brin, Jan and Brek install a new medi-lab and wonder where Blok is as Gim watches. Tasmia takes Lar into space to seek further treatment, run into some Khunds and a very weak Lar disables their ship with heat vision. Garak the Glow arrives at Labyrinth, watched from space by the Emerald Eye.

LSH #54 "Strength in Numbers" by Paul Levitz & Keith Giffen, art by Keith Giffen, finishes Mike DeCarlo, letters John Costanza, colors Carl Gafford
At Legion HQ, Brek frets about reduced numbers and new uniforms. Word arrives of a prison break on Labyrinth. Garak the Glow, enhanced with Khundian bio-implants to disrupt Labyrinth's circuitry, releases all the prisoners from their cells. Warden Tsarquin appeals for help from the Legion and the SPs. Jo, Wildfire and Dawnstar along with the guards capture most of them, but Garak frees the Emerald Empress. Other escapees are trapped by Jan, Tinya, Dirk, Vi, Cham and Brin. At the Legion Academy, Lu experiments with the forcefield belt and decides it's too dangerous for her. Projectra and Brek chat about uncertainties. Jeckie becomes aware that the Empress is free.

LSH #55 "Different Paths" by Paul Levitz & Keith Giffen, art by Keith Giffen, Ernie Colon, JoseLuis Garcia-Lopez & Erik Larsen, inks by Al Gordon, letters John Costanza, colors Carl Gafford
Mysa settles in on Sorcerers' World and contemplates her past and future. Brainy does the same on Colu. Atmos and Thom deal with an emergency, then fight each other on Xanthu; Thom takes off in a cruiser. Nura cuddles with Atmos but wonders what she's doing there. Blok suffers self-doubts as his body changes and he is held prisoner by a being called Inquisitor, who wants to learn the secrets of silicon-based life. Brek struggles with the Mission Monitor Board which Computo has redesigned.

Comments:
Lots of fight scenes in #53 and 54, which don't appeal to me personally, but they do show the Legion performing well and looking good. The stand-out for me is the Emerald Empress's escape. She's been one of the most interesting villains in this series, so her return is something to look forward to. It was a bit of a slow build-up, but it paid off and the Empress (or perhaps the Eye was coordinating everything) was consistent in using a male as her puppet.

The Gil'Dishpan on Braal didn't amount to much. It gave Ayla an opportunity to pursue Pol even more aggressively (yuck!) and to display her powers (yum!). However, Hwyndyr's devious plot is unclear: is he a rogue or acting on behalf of all Gil'Dishpan? Why Braal? If he wants to clear the population and reform the planet for his species, aren't there more suitable planets for Gil'Dishpan? In any event, he was fairly easily dispatched, although the Legionnaires seemed to be more upset about his insults than his actions.

The costumes have changed radically. Interesting, but they strike me as clunky today. The early '80s big shoulder pads have made their way to the future, along with a variety of pockets and pouches. The Legionnaires never needed pouches before so it's a mystery what they are putting in them. They blame it all on Computo; we look to Mr. Giffen. Computo has also messed with the Monitor Board - evil Computo, evil Brainy or is Computo running on Windows?

#55 follows up on four departed Legionnaires. Nothing much happens, but I, predictably, liked each character's introspection and the details provided about their worlds. Nura's story is a bummer (Atmos triumphant) but train-wreck interesting. Her story could go two ways (not accepting that she remain Atmos's sex puppet): either Thom rescues her in white knight fashion, or she breaks free herself. The latter option is preferable.
I also expect Blok to work his way out of capture rather than be rescued; just a better story and it would complement the physical changes he's going through. At this point, it looks like Brainy and Mysa will be off the team indefinitely; they're where they are of their own choosing. I find it interesting that the two polar opposites - science and magic - have both withdrawn voluntarily from the team, although nothing much is made of this in the story. There's more concern expressed for the loss of Brainiac 5 than for the Witch. The cover is one of my favourites, possibly a riff off an old Beatles psychedelic poster.

On LSH Baxter 53-55

I find it rather telling that, at this point, the only two of the ongoing plot threads which I find engaging are: Tasmia's search for a way to save the life of her fast-fading lover, Mon-El; and Blok's manipulation at the hands of the Inquisitor as the gentle giant seeks to understand his metamorphosis. The confrontation with the Khund warship brings some energetic action to the former thread, and Levitz and Giffen both do adequate jobs in executing it; in the latter thread, Erik Larsen's guest-pencils have a solid Kirby-esque kick to them which compounds the sympathy I feel for Blok's desperation.

Would that I could say the same about the threads involving Ayla and Pol (I've shared details of my distate in a recent post above this one,) Nura and Atmos and Thom (same,) Drake and Dawny (they give up awfully easily, which makes it feel like a contrivance on the part of the creators,) Chuck and Lu and the students (I think he's been far too forgiving, and she is paying the price for her selfish foolhardiness,) the heavy-handed clowning of new villain Garak of the Glow, and even Mysa, despite nice guest-art from the recently deceased Ernie Colon (whenever Levitz journeys into the mystic, the results are not exactly like the music from Van Morrison in his prime.)

And, yes, part of my displeasure is that most of the art in this bunch of issues is Giffen. By this point, even Mike DeCarlo can seemingly do nothing to prevent Giffen's pencils and layouts from looking ugly (the faces have now begun to resemble the Spitting Image puppets* and they're going to get even worse in issues to come,) lazy (far too many closeups for there to be any kind of flow, and flow has always been something Giffen's art has lacked, in my opinion,) and without subtlety (which is not an unforgivable sin -- Giffen's fellow Kirby worshipper Larsen is no more nuanced in the aforementioned Blok sequence than him, but at least there is energy in Larsen's work, and something resembling conviction!)

On the other hand, the Nura-Atmos-Thom sequence is penciled by the great Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, and while it's far from his best work, there are still a few impressive moments -- but unlike, say, Marv Wolfman's Lilith-is-Thia's-daughter storyline from New Teen Titans Baxter, which JLGL also drew, I can't just check my brain and my morals at the door and enjoy the spectacle.

What I think it really comes down to is that, as Levitz plods through the motions during the final year of his longest Legion run, he seems to have lost the lion's share of his ability to make us *care* about these characters, most of whom were never particularly deep to begin with. By "Marvel-izing" the Legion, he has taken the series through many extreme peaks and valleys, only to culminate in a messy, muddy delta where an interminable shaggy-dog tale (of space) lives or dies by how much the individual reader is engaged with the visual component. And I say that as someone who has always been more Marvel fan than DC fan. It was a worthy experiment, being as it gave us the likes of "The Universo Project," but for the most part it's been a noble failure which has gotten downright *ignoble* as the series stumbles toward its conclusion.






* For those younger than "a certain age," Spitting Image was a topically satirical puppet show from the UK during the 80s. They briefly "crossed over the pond" when Genesis commissioned the creators to lend their talents to the video for "Land of Confusion," heavily rotated on MTV.

On LSH Baxter 56

Hope this is okay with Cramey and the rest of the Re-Readers -- as I have noted in the Archives Re-Read Discussion Thread, I wanted us to focus on this issue by itself instead of as part of the greater Baxter arc, because it has great sentimental value to me. Here is a review I did back in 2014, copied and pasted with some updated addenda in italics:


Legion of Super-Heroes v.3 #56

CREDITS: Paul Levitz, writer - Eduardo Barreto, pencils - Mike DeCarlo and Al Gordon, inks - John Costanza, letters - Carl Gafford, colors - Karen Berger, editor

THE COVER: A magnificently dynamic portrayal of Blok, courtesy of Baxter Era cover artist supreme Steve Lightle.

PAGES 1-3: Blok struggles to break out of a dimension of pure darkness in which he has been trapped by an imp who serves the villainous Inquisitor, who thinks he might find the secret of immortality in Blok.

The late, great Eduardo Barreto was the main reason I bought this issue in the first place, because he was my kind of artist: a solid storyteller with gorgeously clean draftsmanship. The kind of artist who could drawn anything, and make it look hyperrealistic. Such challenging characters as Blok and the Inquistor look fully convincing and almost tactile.

PAGES 4-7: A Legionnaire team of Dawnstar, Wildfire, Ultra Boy, and Element Lad is searching for the recently escaped Emerald Empress. They don't find her, but they find some monstrous constructs she created, and fight them.

Paul Levitz was always good at knowing when to throw in an action sequence to keep readers on their toes. And once again, Barreto is up to the challenge, making it dynamic yet fully comprehensible. And Dawnstar looks gorgeous, despite being in her horrible post-Conspiracy costume designed by Keith Giffen, my personal bete noire among comic book creators.

PAGES 8-10: At Legion headquarters, Lightning Lass flirts with Magnetic Kid and scares him away. Shrinking Violet flirts more subtly with Lightning Lass.

Again, the women look stunning and the storytelling is pristine. I don't like the Ayla/Vi romance, though. It doesn't feel progressive to me, more of a straight man's wanky fantasy. I don't like whatever Levitz thought he was doing with the Ayla/Pol thing, either.

2019: My outlook on the Ayla/Vi romance has matured considerably. One of the few things that I give TMK due credit for is the way they made something substantial and emotionally engaging out of what I still believe started out as simply a cheeky throwaway bit from Levitz.

PAGES 11-14: At last we get to what I consider the real meat of the issue, Shadow Lass's ongoing quest to find someone who can heal Mon-El after his injuries at the hands of the Time Trapper in issue #50. On the planet Verzwei, Tasmia discovers to her shock that the doctor assigned to Mon-El is working for the Inquisitor. After fighting off robot guards, she jumps into the teleportation portal that has swallowed Mon-El.

As beautiful as the other female Legionnaires in this issue look, Tasmia's portrayal by Barreto outshines them all. Mike DeCarlo, an inker who in my opinion gets a bad rap, matches Barreto every step of the way. But Tasmia doesn't just look great, she also kicks robot ass and shows incredible courage and passionate love for Mon-El.

PAGE 15: The Inquisitor and the imp watch Tasmia and Mon-El tumble into the dark prison. The imp thinks Mon-El might hold the answer they're looking for, the Inquisitor isn't so sure.

PAGE 16-17: In Metropolis, Earth President Desai transfers SP Chief Zendak to the outer reaches of the galaxy.

Barreto shows his talent for characterization by making Zendak and Desai look distinctive yet attractive.

PAGE 18-23: The Inquisitor's probes put Mon-El in great pain. Tasmia and Mon-El meet up with Blok, and they combine powers to break down the darkforce walls holding them prisoner.

More well-crafted action from Levitz and Barreto, and Tasmia continuing to be wonderfully brave, noble, and heroic.

PAGES 24-27: When the Legionnaires break through into the Inquisitor's master control center, the villain teleports away, leaving the imp to the heroes' mercies. Being Legionnaires, of course, they're lenient with the imp, who teleports them out of there. Blok returns to Earth while Tasmia's quest continues.

SUMMARY: In the big picture, this was not the high point of the Baxter era. That, in my opinion, would be issues #14 through #45, with The Universo Project (#32-35) as the peak. Levitz had actually wanted to leave after Conspiracy, but Giffen convinced him to stay one more year. Despite a lot of bad stories and art, this was actually a blessing in disguise. Levitz had never quite gotten Tasmia until this issue. Shame that her quest subsequently took a backseat to other, less interesting characters and stories, until its truncated, unsatisfying end during the Magic Wars. And whatever the circumstances that necessitated the assignation of Barreto to draw this particular issue, I am grateful to the Higher Powers for making it so. Otherwise, I may never have become a fan of the Legion, and of Shadow Lass in particular.

2019: One flaw which had eluded me in past reads but which is now inescapable -- why in the name of the Ancestors would Tasmia take Mon-El back to Verzwei? Her in-story reason for doing so doesn't convince me at all. I chalk it up to laziness on the part of both Levitz and Giffen (the latter whom I'd assume was heavily involved in the plotting of all the Post-Conspiracy Baxter issues, credited or uncredited. My educated guess would be that Levitz, with one foot out the door, was taking a backseat, especially since everything in these concluding issues had to be adjusted so that it wouldn't contradict or interfere with anything that Giffen and his collaborators had planned for the upcoming Volume 4 relaunch.) Still and all, I love this issue and it holds up far better than my other sentimental favorite of the Baxter era, issue 45 (the Lightning Lad/Luck Lords anniversary special.) I gave issue 45 seven out of ten Taryns, so I am giving issue 56 a possibly over-generous 9 out of 10 Taryns, for old time's sake:



And here is a link to that review's full thread:

http://legionworld.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=820531

On LSH Baxter 57-59

Credits: Paul Levitz, writer - Keith Giffen, penciler/co-plotter - Mark Bright, penciler, flashback sequences in 59 - Al Gordon, inker - Carlos Garzon, inker, flashback sequences in 59 - John Costanza, letterer - Carl Gafford, colorist - Karen Berger, editor

Plot: Freed from prison and completely off the rails, the Emerald Empress goes on a horrifically violent rampage, spanning whole continents, while demanding to be told the secret to immortality. In the midst of the battle, Quislet challenges the Empress only to regret doing so (WTF?) just before she destroys his ship, necessitating his return to Teall. But then it turns out the Empress was manipulating Sensor Girl all along so that SG would blind the Emerald Eye long enough to liberate the Empress from its domination of her, or some such -- whatever, the Empress's wish turns out to be that she wanted to die, which she does. Later, pondering the whole ugly event, Jacques (who was severely burned in the battle) has a crisis of confidence which is alleviated by the ghost of Lyle Norg -- the previous Invisible Kid -- sharing a particularly significant experience of his, involving Lyle and his protégé, Condo Arlik (later Chemical King,) fighting a saboteur at Legion HQ until they are apparently both saved by the ghost of Andrew Nolan (Ferro Lad.) This restores Jacques' confidence. Oh yeah, and Sensor Girl wins the election for the team's new leader, and there's some sort of mystical mumbo jumbo afoot which is going to precipitate the Magic Wars.[/b]

Thoughts: After all these years, I am still none the wiser as to what worth anyone sees in the Empress story! It is ugly on every level -- aesthetically, narratively, coherently, and even, I would argue, purposefully. What is the point of killing Sarya -- a rare comic book super-villainess who was both menacing and sexy -- other than to reaffirm some particularly hateful tropes of popular fiction? Namely, that women are hopelessly vain and shallow, that women can't handle high levels of power without eventually going insane, and that pretenders to royalty must be put in their place. Adding insult to injury, Levitz and Giffen opt for a "tell, don't show" approach in the aftermath. While the flashback sequences have a warm, soothing, old-fashioned charm to them, the estimable guest artists Bright and Garzon doing a creditable homage to the Curt Swan style, they also seem to be there to distract us from what should be weightier issues at hand...such as, accidentally or not, Projectra has taken *another life.* Finally, I can't help but feel that the Empress's combination of disdain, boredom, and desperation is a reflection of the attitudes of Giffen and Levitz -- the former can't wait to take the Legion away from conventional super-heroics, the latter can't wait to just wrap up the series and walk away from the Legion.

I give both issues 57-58 a big, round, ZERO on a Ten Scale.

Issue 59, thanks to the flashback sequences, gets 7 out of 10 Taryns:

Guest...well...not star.... thinks... Guest Light Bulb Review!

Legion v3 #57

The newsstand Tales of the Legion finished with #354, cover dated December 1987 but probably on sale around September 1987. It also marked a hiatus in my Legion reading. I didn’t move across to the Baxter book. I did the same when Tales of the Teen Titans ended.

I just used my pennies to pick up newsstand books, which I would get more of, rather than the Baxter books that I hadn’t bought any of the previous issues of.

I think it was the ad for vol 3 #54 that made me pick up the Baxter book. I may have read something about Giffen returning to the book too.

I’ll pop up a few comments later on those issues, but certainly from #50, when Giffen returned (and I’ve just taken a peek at) and became co-plotter, there’s an extra density to the book. Still plenty of action and super heroics, but a depth to the characters that Levitz is able to bring out with a new/old partner alongside him.

Giffen’s art still looks great here. It’s what the Legion has spoiled me with over the years. Really strong character work *and* attention to detail in the backgrounds. A book that brings its world to life along with the people in it. Giffen’s new costumes are hit and miss with the characters never mind the readers. They have casual wardrobes too.

The redesign of the Empress also remains a favourite. In #57 we get the payoff from her, and The Inquisitor’s recent appearances. Sarya is seeking the secret of immortality. She is suitably ruthless and bloodthirsty. She makes the decision to return to going after her goals without allies. She has grown beyond the likes of the Fatal Five now, having been a member and then a leader of it. She has gone beyond even using agents to find secrets for her. It’s a fateful decision that leads her to expend more and more of herself as she uses the Emerald Eye. Early on here, we already see signs that it’s taking a physical toll.

Elsewhere, we have foreboding from Jeckie that she will meet with the Empress again. Since my Legion break came not long after the Emerald Empress/ Mentalla story picking up the Baxter book when she breaks out of prison must have made the return quite easy for me.

The Legion leader is coordinating the search for the Empress. It’s part of a series of scenes showing Brekk’s struggle with the role. In a nice nod, it’s Cham leading the team that can’t find her. Brekk might show some self-doubt, but he’s picked the head of the Espionage Squad for that mission.

We also get the nod that Dawny isn’t fit to track the Empress which ties in with her scene in this issue with a Wildfire in human form. He’s literally too hot to handle. Dawny, having tried to get close to Drake in this new form, finds that she’s back to deciding to find someone else (return to Kol Dawny!). Poor Drake hasn’t looked this human for years, and it makes no difference. Considering Wildfire could control his energy output, it’s a shame he can’t reduce it enough here. Brainy could always fit him with a Transuit of Lurv for these occasions.

Now, I enjoy this story. In previous reads it’s been a highlight. But in this reread, I’m a little aware that it’s clearly a two-parter. The Empress travels to Earth, continuing her search for the secret of eternal life. While the first scene firmly establishes her search, the rest of the issue has a number of scenes where she appears to be toying with the Legion.

It’s only in the caption boxes that we see she’s gone to Ancient Egypt and Rome. It could have done with more of an escalation in her frustration with Earth. Even showing us that she was looking for something, rather than hovering over cities throughout would have helped.

Finally, she hovers above Metropolis to get rid of the Legion. That move doesn’t tie in with her search. It also doesn’t tie in with her easily defeating the Legionnaires in all the previous scenes. The issue is quite bloodthirsty. Sarya has been shown to have no problem with killing. To maintain credibility, it should really have applied to the Legion here too. She could have killed a few of them along the way, but is instead Plot Pushed into a stand-off. One that is part of a build up to her decision next issue.

Emphasising the two-parter, Jacques gets a long lead into the Empress’s attack. It’s nice to see Danielle, (and tough to imagine her growing so quickly to be a Legionnaire later on). We’re reminded he’s a bit shy and doesn’t like public speaking (flipped in v4). But I’d have liked to have found out more about what he did prior to the Legion. Jacques is brave on a par with his Great Darkness exploits (even doing the follow-the villain bit). With all the Giffen-pouches, he should really be carrying some decent non-lethal weapons about. He does learn that the Empress would have destroyed the Eye if she could.

Speaking of the Great Darkness Saga, Antonio Stefanacci makes an appearance. There’s more foreboding the Sorcerer’s World.

Levitz has continued with the revised founders trio of Tellus, Lightning Lass and Magnetic Kid. Results look to be mixed regarding their success on missions.

In later time, Polar Boy’s powers would expand to show him reducing Tharok to absolute zero. Here, he encases the Empress in ice and is promptly held hostage, further bruising his leaders ego.


Next: Emerald Tizzles vs the Legion of Super Pets!

Welcome back, Thoth.

Oh...the review itself. Right.

I agree to disagree with everything in your post.

And neither one of us is more correct in their opinions than the other.

Nuff said.



Seriously, welcome back!

Legion v3 #58

The Empress had threatened to destroy Metropolis if not left alone. Polar Boy is her prisoner. He concedes that the others should depart. Instead she intends to blow up Metropolis anyway. Only the arrival of Colossal Boy intereferes with her plans. She leaves, not because there’s a chance she’ll be defeated, but because she has failed to find her answers on Earth.

She zooms off into space in a scene that is there to demonstrate her escalating power. But it’s never made clear why she was in Metropolis in the first place. She zooms off without having resolved her trip there.
Is there a Lost Legion scene where she was looking into the long-lived Superman’s origins? A nod to Laurel Kent spending her life there as a long lived Manhunter would have been a nod too. Both Superman and Laurel Kent were probably not what was wanted in the book post-crisis.

Her escalating power levels are made much clearer shortly. The Metropolis scene only acts as a holding scene against the Legion, with the powersphere being a plot device for that to happen.
The payoff to the Wildfire/ Dawny relationship status quo happens in this issue. When life presents her with barriers, Dawny always looks to prove herself against something.
There’s a 2 page domestic scene with Year and Gim. She’s obviously concerned about him and his need to be a Legionnaire, despite his injuries. He cares about her, but has a sense of duty. Considering Gim’s injuries and this scene where Year could be building towards getting him to retire, Gim is in fact one of the last to leave the team in the 5 year gap. Year must have been having kittens (kittens that could become anything, but why change from being a kitten?)

On Trom, The Empress ponders her fate at being partnered with the Eye. Her envy at the dead, is a hint at what’s to come. Her regal bearing/ posturing is also strong throughout, illustrating exactly why she ended up with it. She begins to destroy the grave markers, which really annoys Jan. He enters into combat with her. His line about thieves like her reminds us of Roxxas and of Jan’s past. Jo tries and utterly fails to knock the eye way. It’s visually really good, but I don’t know why it didn’t work. Perhaps the eye is getting stronger as it bonds more with Sarya.

The Legion were held off easily by the Empress all last issue. Here, Jan does some serious damage to her. It forces her to absorb the Emerald Eye into herself. Again, it’s that pretention of grandeur that is her undoing. Even knowing that she has become more and more lost to the Eye’s power, she can’t help but act upon slights to her dignity. Even in a giant form (Leviathan Mk1) her blast fails to kill the Legion.

Dawny is blasted too. She’s wearing her new costume. I’m surprised no one pointed out the burn marks form Wildfire along the way. But then, TMK would have them fail to recognise a lot of things about Dawny Dawny losing a shoe is a sad sign of a villain’s real power after the gosh and wow fireworks are over.

Emerald Energy continues to blast from Sarya as the rest of the team arrive. But it does them no real harm. They get off extremely lightly all through this story, considering the energy being thrown about. Except for Quislet, who had injured her more. She blows up his ship and teleports away. As with Metropolis, we don’t know exactly why she was on Trom. She didn’t take Tizzles for a start.

Perhaps, having now given up on the secrets of immortality, she was there to reflect on her mortality, or lack thereof. It adds a poignancy to an action-packed scene. It certainly shows Sarya going over the edge where she has any semblance of real control over the eye.

With no craft, Quislet is forced to return home. As the very human sized portal to his dimension hovers in the air, Dawny talks Drake out of following rather easily. Polar Boy takes another opportunity to see how events reflect on his leadership. Reduced to 17 (I guess Mysa, Brainy, Mon-El, Shady, Dreamy and now Quislet are recent departures)

Finally, a wounded Sarya appears before Jeckie and asks for a gift. Jeckie has been waiting for her, and this scene is a payoff to their relationship over the years, Levitz shows that Sarya gains her freedom by losing the self-entitlement and grandeur. She sheds her power as a villain and as a queen.

It’s as a person asking for aid that the gift is given. But there’s a twist for Jeckie. She may have renounced her own throne, and claim to know more about the eye than its owner dreamed. But there’s a certain air of power in her dealing with the Empress. Jeckie is humbled too, as she is genuinely shocked as Sarya crumbles before her eyes, free of the Eye’s power at last. Jeckie’s own Sensor Girl persona vanishes as she becomes more human too.

Only at the end is it clear that Sarya spent all those issues looking for the secrets of immortality, not because she wanted it but, because she wanted to be free of it.
I still think this stands as a great story of power, position and greed consuming someone until those things control them. Sarya was a great character to show going through this journey of realisation.
Looking back at the years since, the Emerald Empress was never this good again. I do think it was a great final appearance for the villain, but it removed one of the best from the book.
The Legion, having lost a number of members, have now lost their embodiment of fun. There was a real sense of the paring down of the team going on, with a number of them following their own subplots beyond the scope of the team.

Next: Tizzles: Zombie Master of Trom!

I made sure not to read your posts first.

I *am* looking forward to reading them though. I think we vary quite a bit in this volume. I wasn't a massive Larocque fan (slight understatement, although rereading brings things out), I thought the Universo plot was meh (again rereading brings certain elements of it out), while I liked the conspiracy and the closing final year of issues. While you took a different view, if I recall correctly, on nearly all of that. Which makes the reviews threads so good.

Legion v3 #59

This is a fill-in issue between the Emerald Empress finale and the start of the Magic Wars. Jacques gives provides the reader with framing sequences, a situation update and a connection to the central character in the tale. That’s a lot of work, and no wonder he sits down by the statue of Lyle Norg in the Hall of Heroes (There’s a Superboy statue there, although Levitz probably didn’t write for it to be included Post Crisis).

Giffen takes us away from activity (shown very nicely in that little concourse cameo that he used way back on a Tales cover), to a quieter, emptier part of the HQ, reinforcing the losses and trials that the team has gone through. The update pushes a few subplots forward, without having to spend an issue building them up. There’s an election and Polar Boy’s term in office may be judged by the team’s departures. Jeckie is apparently upset at the death of the Empress and several Legionnaires are scattered elsewhere. Jacques wonders if there is worse to come.

This foreboding feeling leads Jacques into his usual subplot of questioning his place in the team and as a replacement for Lyle. It’s a plot that I thought Jacques had resolved back in the Tales days, after “Lyle’s” return.

It’s good to see Jacques getting panel time in the last couple of issues. I’d have preferred it to cover more new ground with him though. Still, if he wasn’t reflective over Lyle in some fashion, we wouldn’t have such an easy lead in…

The main story is a flashback to Lyle’s time as Leader. He is trying to capture a “ghost” in the clubhouse. A clubhouse with only a statue of Ferro Lad in the Hall of Heroes rather than the much more crowded Giffen version shown in the opening sequence. He’s written the account in a journal and the ghost theme, and his beliefs on it here, tie in nicely with that of his own death. While investigating some bumping noises, Lyle is crushed beneath some weaponry. The crushing fate is also one that will recur for Lyle.

Here, he recovers in time to visit Condo Arlik. Levitz has already established Lyle’s bioengineering credentials as he went through the HQ. He nicely expands on this to show it in action. He’s used his own serum as a base in an effort to cure Condo.

Arlik has a mutant power to alter chemical reactions. We learn here that it’s caused as much harm as good. What’s clear is that it has seriously affected not only Condo’s physical health, but his mental health too. His powers work on his own body. There could be all sorts of emotional and bodily triggers for his powers and he’s had to grow up with a lack of control over them. The impact this has all had on him, may well have provided even more triggers for him to struggle with. “Maybe one day I won’t hurt myself anymore, Invisible Kid” carries the weight of mental health issues, including self-harming, either physically or emotionally. Levitz certainly didn’t lack for emotional power in his closing year on the book.

Levitz knows his Legion history thoroughly, tying in Lyle boosting Condo with the concept of the forming Legion Academy. This story can be seen as sequel of sorts to the previous ghost of Ferro Lad story. Seeing Condo perhaps begin to think of his affliction as a power is a nice moment.

“If there’s ever – ever anything I can do for you” from Condo and “sweet” from Lyle has the two of them in a relationship at some later point in the minds of a number of Legion fans.

Levitz gets craft points for the segue from Lyle telling Condo about listening to Brekk wondering what Jacques is seemingly listening to. An interlude sees Brekk rule out his chances of reelection. In previous rereads, I thought it poor form that he’d try and stuff the membership with people who would vote for him. It’s reads more as a throw away here, but it does define Brekk a bit since he joined the Legion. He’ll stick by the rules, but he’s not opposed to bending them in his own favour when he feels like it. It’s nice to have a Subs moment before we’re back…

… to Lyle and Condo having confronted the very real intruder. Some comics would have Condo emerge as the hero., proving himself against the foe by beating him. Levitz takes a more realistic approach, reminding me of the issue where they considered Academy students joining the team. Condo gets thumped quite a bit. Lyle does too, partly in trying to protect him.

As the villain is about to deal the fatal blow, there’s a crashing noise from elsewhere in the HQ. Distracted, the villain falls to Lyle and Condo. Levitz gets in another continuity nod by tying the crook in with the Taurus Gang.

Condo showed his heroism in other ways. Helping with the equipment that would spring the trap on the villain, and looking to help Lyle on more than one occasion. Being introduced to Lar and Jo and hearing that Lyle thought he helped must have been a big moment in helping turn an affliction into a strength.

Lyle wonders about the crashing noise. Only the statue of Ferro Lad has fallen and it’s made of much lighter material than that which could have caused the noise. Jacques comes to a decision about his place as a Legionnaire. Levitz nicely combines both Lyle and Andrew in his decision (not Condo unfortunately for the – well hattrick is a bad word considering what’s in the Legion’s future).

Elsewhere the emissary from Sorcerer’s world is visited by a companion. One who knows how to push the subplot forward, towards Legion HQ. Next issue is previewed as “Where has all the magic gone?” It’s something that will become an issue, in more ways than one for some, in the issues to come…

Overall, it’s a nice mash up of the Ghost of Ferro Lad with the Magpie story from Tales and the Jacques subplot from around the same time. At the time I bought it, I probably felt a little cheated with a flashback, and an issue without full Giffen art. While I can take or leave flashbacks generally, this one provides some nice depth into Lyle and Condo as well as the period of Lyle’s leadership.

ROTFLMAO



Awww...thanks.



Yeppers. Pretty much all the above, except for my beloved Tasmia Spotlight-slash-Eduardo Barreto-Drawn issue 56.



Precisely! I'll drink to that!

I'm looking forward to reading your comments on that one in particular. I know it was one you liked a lot.

#56 - never one of my favourite issues, but I can appreciate the fine action artwork which Ann has emphasized. (I probably wouldn't even have re-read it but for Ann's glowing comments on the art.) Blok, so naive and trusting, has become a bit more canny now and proves that he's more than just a clobbering machine. Tasmia does indeed shine in this story; that's what stood out for me. Her return to Verzwei after the doctor's betrayal was to me a sign of her desperation, no where else to go. That crooked doctor was a page taken from the Universo Project, in which the bad guy has co-opted a variety of key people, with the omniscience to know who's going to be needed where.

#57 - Thoth points out that the Empress is no longer delegating but drawing on the Eye to accomplish her quest. This explains her big jump in power (and madness), which I found quite a leap from her last appearance. If she was so powerful, why didn't she break out of Labyrinth on her own? I missed the connection that, without servants or co-villains, she's now extracting even more power from the Eye. I also appreciate the density of detail which fills these issues. Complaints about the new uniforms from the Legionnaires is a clever bit to add: that's what an over-reliance on technology/Computo will get you. One can only assume that Legionnaires went along with the new togs in the spirit of don't knock it 'til you try it. The Jacques story disappoints, however: lots of action, but unusually lacking in those world-building details.

#58 - If DC had had a poll to determine whether Polar Boy should be saved or killed at this point, I wonder what the result would have been? The Dawnstar-Wildfire story looks new but is same old. Both the Empress and Eye are bursting with power, like the build-up to an explosion. But who is consuming who? We see that things have finally spun out of control for Sarya.



Agree! I didn't see it as a bad portrayal of women, as Ann did, but as the consequences of power. It not only corrupts, it destroys. The twist at the end - Sarya wanted to know about immortality to end hers - was surprising. Another cautionary tale: long life is a curse if it's lived in slavery, whether to another being/power or to ill health.

This was also a very good story for Projectra. She remained calm through the build-up, monitoring but not taking action until the exact moment. It was only when facing Projectra that Sarya could admit the trap she was in and appeal for mercy. No one else - or few others - could help. The meeting between the two women was not so much a confrontation as a peace talk, with Projectra holding the better hand - or so she thought. Her expression clearly communicates the shock she felt as her gambit failed and Sarya crumbled to dust.

#59 - This must have been only the second time I read this entire issue. I also had an aversion to flashback stories, as well as more Jacques-is-brooding scenes, but this does give a lot more depth to Lyle Norg as a capable, conscientious leader. Quite a contrast from Polar Boy, who does himself no credit in this issue either. There's a couple of tidbits such as Brainy needing a break after using the Miracle Machine (the early seeds of his madness?) and the idea of a Legion Academy which were nicely fit in. The intruder looked a lot like early Iron Man.

We didn't see the results of the voting this time; Jeckie presumably won by a good margin. However, it was disappointing that Brin, voted deputy, was still regarded as a bit of a joke.

Since there had to have been an element of clearing the decks the closer to the end of this volume we get, I had wondered if Brin was a deliberate choice as he could be conveyed as not the most effective of leaders in Jeckie's absence. But from the polls that appeared in the letter cols, he was a clear 2nd.

Jeckie 126
Brin 77
Jan 76
Imra 71
Nura 61
Querl 60

Re: Sarya's fate, I might soften my hard line stance in its disfavor if a *male* Omega-Level Legion villain, i.e. Mordru, were to been seen suffering a similar degree of desperation and humiliation. Are you reading this, Mr. Bendis?

Did Annual # 4 get dropped between this "volume" and the one prior? That contained the conclusion of the Starfinger story.

I just went back and realized that Fat Cramer's comment on LSH # 49 included this:



Annual # 4 is where we found out what that's all about. Was that issue obscure somehow? If none of you have it, I'll dig out my copy and summarize/review it in this thread (though it probably more belonged in the prior one).

Chaim,

Cramey's review of Annual 4, and my comments on it, are the very first two posts in this thread.

So weird...how did I miss that? I think I must have started this thread on page 2 for some odd reason.

The Magic Wars #60 When Magic Shall Return #61 Will Magic or Science Prevail? #62 Why Must Magic Triumph? #63 Where Has All the Magic Gone? by Paul Levitz & Keith Giffen, art by Giffen, Al Gordon (#60-61), Mike DeCarlo ((#62-63), colours Carl Gafford, letters Augusin Mars & John Costanza



Projectra broods over her election as leader; Brin calls her to account. Strangeness begins to happen and spreads on Earth; technological systems begin to fail. Elsewhere, a chained man awakes and struggles against his bonds in a cavern, cursing those who imprisoned him millenia ago. An avian emissary from Sorcerers' World brings a warning to Projectra that science will fail and magic triumph.

Panic and chaos spread as technology fails. Projectra, sorcerer Sarvisa and Imra try to channel powers to restore science, but fail. Sarvisa doesn't understand science; when scientist Dirk is added to the group, they succeed to restore some technology. The man in chains has broken his bonds but now appears as a black grinning figure. In space, Tasmia loses Lar as his life support fails.

Simple tech is still working but chaos is seen on Lallor, Webers' World, Colu and Xanthu. The Legionnaires head to Sorcerers' World for help or answers but find their passage blocked by mystical space spiders. Breaking through, they find Zerox encased in a barrier which they can not penetrate. Projectra perceives there is a lock which can be opened by sacrifice of a life; Tellus broadcasts this information to everyone. As the Legionnaires debate what to do, Pol rushes forward to the lock. Brek valiantly tries to stop him but he enters the lock and is killed. The barrier breaks and the Archmage emerges from Zerox.

The Archmage is baffled by the Legionnaires' powers but fights them off. Brin goes to Earth to tell Rokk about Pol's death; Rokk returns with Brin to Zerox. Brainy, Nura and Thom have also joined the group. Nura had finally broken free of Atmos' mind control. Brainy suggests they should descend to the planet's surface. There they find the Sorcerers leaving through a portal; they believe that the balance of the planet, held in place by gems, had been destroyed and released the Archmage. Only Mysa and her apprentice remain. Mysa fights the Archmage. The Legionnaires hear a voice in their heads, which Blok identifies as the spirit of the world. The spirit of Zerox speaks and asks to be let to die. As Zerox dies, so does the Archmage. The Legion vows to help restore order to the galaxy.

Comments:
As usual, there's a lot of detail packed into these four issues and good continuity with previous stories. This arc reads like an annual, with plenty of guest appearances - Subs, Heroes of Lallor, Relnic, dead Legionnaires, Gym'll, SPs and even the return of Zendak.

Chaos fills the pages, Legionnaires and familiar secondary characters fighting the chaos and trying to save people. Some of the scenes went on too long for my taste, such as the kid playing with the magic wand or Violet unblocking the water pipes. However, the breakdown of society is well illustrated, with clamours for food, riots, injuries and death. The rabble is ready to embrace magic if that will bring them short-term relief.

It's a fascinating and fundamental question, science vs magic (or in real life terms, technology vs the absence of technology), but it's muddy. Some science works, but some doesn't; we're told that it's less advanced tech that hasn't been affected yet. Writer's privilege, to keep the story going - and easy enough to say there's a struggle between science and magic, no final conquest.

Nura sort of redeems herself, but this has been her worst story arc. Having been portrayed as highly intelligent and competent with great leadership skills in earlier issues, it's disappointing to see how the Atmos arc diminished her. A case of kill your darlings, perhaps.

Tasmia's portrayal, however, in only two pages, was excellent: the art was impressive and her anguish clearly felt.

Brek redeems himself, by showing real leadership, heroism and devotion to a friend while trying to save Pol.

Brin does well: he's a no-nonsense guy with a clear view of what needs to be done. He snaps Jeckie out of her sulk and ignores her royal attitude. He should have gone to work on brooding Jacques.

Mysa finds time to be snarky with Brainy, who is calm, rational and doesn't snipe back at her. It takes Blok, with his understanding of the stuff that planets are made of, to alert her that it's the spirit of Zerox speaking. Why she didn't know this herself is odd, but it gives Blok something important to do. The spirit isn't identified as Amethyst, so readers like myself who hadn't read that series didn't get the connection.

Projectra is the key player, as in the Empress story. Nothing is moving forward or getting resolved without her. Who else was better suited to lead the Legion at this time? She understands both science and magic and is the only one able to perceive what the Archmage is throwing at them.

The final page's brave message of hope rings hollow, now that we know how the next five years will go.

On 60-63 and Levitz Mark 2 overall

I have always considered "Magic Wars" a sad waste of a premise with great potential -- the complete breakdown of technology, and its seemingly predestined replacement by magic (which, as an FYI for the laypersons, is directly connected to nature), a scenario which looks even more likely today that it did 3 decades ago. The fans' consensus appears to be that Levitz wasn't consistent in his portrayal of the breakdown and its repercussions (something Cramey notes above in her Re-Reads review,) that Giffen chose the wrong time to start experimenting with the 9-panel grid (robbing the story of visual grandeur), and that the Archmage was an underwhelming, underdeveloped villain, so sketchily characterized as to be almost abstract (a recurring flaw with Levitz-created villains.)

But I think it has to be said that "Magic Wars" has another, colossal elephant-in-the-room flaw which I honestly didn't notice until this (rare for me) re-read: Despite the multitude of characters, old and new, borrowed and blue, nobody has a clearly defined arc!

Consider this: If Pol was meant to die all along, shouldn't Levitz have provided some foreshadowing, some build-up, some reminders to casual readers of who Pol is and what he's all about? Instead, his sacrifice just seems arbitrary to me, as does the sudden importance to the storyline of Mysa, who, like Pol, is just abruptly dragged in.

Which makes me wonder whether Projectra was originally the one meant to sacrifice herself. And, for a change, I'm not saying that because I personally dislike the character! I'm saying it because I think it would have made perfect dramatic sense, and it would bring the Levitz Mark 2 run full circle to Projectra's unexpected coronation after her father's death, back in the 280s of the previous Legion volume! Not to mention provide some closure to the two lives which Projectra took (the first, Nemesis Kid, intentionally, the second, Emerald Empress, unintentionally) and her shaky status quo as both superheroine and planetary regent.

Instead, we get Projectra alternately acting overly bossy and making seriously, outright deadly, tactical errors. Learning curve for a new team leader? Maybe, but Levitz doesn't even make that clear, in my opinion.



I think Levitz is one of many writers who misinterpreted "Kill Your Darlings" as meaning that a character has to face some kind of unpleasant worst-case scenario. My understanding is that it just means that a writer should not hesitate to go the most natural, intuitive route with a character's journey over the course of the story.



Agreed. That was a well-crafted scene, and I only wish the creators had set aside at least one more page for some kind of closure.



Seems too little, too late to me. But, as always, your mileage may vary, as He Who Wanders often says.



Again, your mileage may vary.



True enough, but at least what is to come will be entirely Giffen's vision and not the product of repeated clashes between Levitz's wide-eyed fanboy awe and Giffen's irreverent, mischievous, anything-goes attitude. Because I have come to see the latter discord as the most salient flaw of Levitz's Mark 2 Legion run -- yes, it's a valid argument that Levitz's more pretentious moments demanded to be taken down a peg, but I think it should have not been done in such a heavy-handed, outright mocking way as Giffen did. I believe that the reason "Omen/Prophet" is seen as their weakest collaboration is because that's where the discord rings loudest. I also believe that the discord is consistent throughout the Levitz Mark 2 issues with Giffen, and, quite frankly, it is not to my taste.

In short, with the Re-Read moving on to the Five Years Later era, it's sink or swim time for Giffen. I'd like to be, and hope to be, pleasantly surprised.

I'd never thought of it before, but Projectra dying would have made a lot of sense from a narrative point of view. Wasn't there even a line in the Invisible Kid flashback issue emphasizing the tragic fates that befell the Shooter Four?