Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-Reading the Legion: Archives Volume 26 "Five Years Later"

The New Legion of Super-Heroes #1 by Keith Giffen, Al Gordon, Tom & Mary Bierbaum, art by Keith Giffen & Al Gordon, Letters Todd Klein, colours Tom mcCraw, Editor Mark Waid

What we know by the end of the issue:
It's now five years after the Magic Wars. The U.P. economy has collapsed, largely from overconsumption of resources. The Legion disbanded three years ago, under Brek's leadership, a result of severe restrictions and harassment from Earthgov. Their HQ has been turned into high-end residences. Members have drifted apart to tend to their own concerns. Dirk has turned against the Legion and is working for Earthgov President Wellington. Rokk is living with pregnant Lydda on Braal; the planet is in ruins after a war with Imsk and occupied by the Imskian Army. Rokk suffers from PTSD, remembering some atrocity called Venado Bay, and he has lost his magnetic powers. Salu has received a dishonorable discharge from the Imskian military, refusing to keep silent about Venado Bay. She is now heading to Winath to join the Ranzz family, who were instrumental in getting her released. Cham has been getting Brande Industries back into shape and now wants to bring back the Legion; he first recruits Rokk for his leadership qualities. An unknown villain has been gotten out of Labyrinth by some non-U.P. character, who wants to help him to "resume his mission".

This issue stunned me. I remember reading it for the first time, late at night, after a long day and just astounded by this story. 34 years old at the time, probably the same age as the Legionnaires. New house, new job, lots of travel for work... I hadn't been keeping up with comics, and this one was like nothing I'd seen before (hadn't read Watchmen yet). The issue was far denser than any comic I'd read to date; not only the nine-panel grid, but the three text pages at the end, delivered via McCauley Omnicom (another surprise) supplied lots of information. By the end, I still wasn't sure what was going on, but I knew I loved this comic book.

The pace was rapid. Each page was a new story, or a new set of characters. There were no multi-page battles, no active battles at all. It was all recap of missing years and set-up for the present timeline and it read like a coiled spring.

Along with familiar faces were plenty of unknowns: Rokk's friend Loomis, Earthgov President Wellington, Marla Latham (didn't remember him). Even among the familiar, there were surprises: why was Dirk bashing the Legion? How did Rokk lose his powers and what was Venado Bay? There were plenty of easter eggs, some of which I got, others I didn't until I read the Archives, years later. Didn't matter; it all fit together. The muted colours, shadows, even the bulky clothing everyone wore spoke of the cold, hard times. There were still a few bright and shiny spots, if you worked for Earthgov. The Legion was coming back to fight the darkness and that was the hope that all would be made whole.

Re-reading the issue lacks the surprise and mystery of that first exposure, but it's still a rich experience; richer, in fact, since I see many details that were initially missed and how they tie into both the future and the past of the Legion.

On LSH v4 Issue 1:



I'm very impressed with the method Cramey has devised for the plot synopses. Gods know, these issues, especially the earliest ones, are hard to summarize. Well done.

I'm also happy to report that, by making the supreme effort to leave all my 5 Years Later prejudices and preconceptions at the door, I can finally appreciate the good things about this issue, of which there are many. Despite retroactive accusations of inaccessibility and excessive density, in truth this is a very uncluttered and straightforward set-up issue promising even better things to come (whether what is to come actually does get better, well...let's not get ahead of ourselves. Forgive the tangents, they're in my nature.)

This is a sterling example of world-building and continuity-connecting, but not in a "do-it-for-its-own-sake-because-we're-so-gosh-darn-clever" kind of way (at least not yet.) There is also a sense that, as bad as things are right now, the final fading embers of hope have been relit by Cham's hard-won idealism. Carpe diem, just as Cham's father and the three founders did all those years ago.

Which brings us to Rokk and Lydda.

I regret to say that the one thing I am still unable to leave at the door is my deep-rooted hostility toward those two. Over the years, I have posted extensively in this forum about how neither are held accountable for their past sins: his Bronze Age jackassery (hitting Ayla, among other things) and her stalker-like pursuit of him during her Subs days. Perhaps readers are meant to infer that the combat trauma which has brought on his PTSD is karmic payment enough? I disagree, but at least it's a valid argument. I only wish TMK had broached that argument, instead of going on and on and on about how great Rokk is.

But what stands out the most about this issue, in a way that it never did before, is this: It feels to me more like a Mark Waid story than a Keith Giffen story. Especially the aforementioned hanging on to one's ideals by a thread, a recurring theme in Waid's writing to come in the decade ahead and beyond. Whatever the truth of his contributions above and beyond his nominal capacity as Editor, what I think it really comes down to is that Waid moulded this first issue into the gem that it is because he knew better than TMK how much it counts to hook the reader straight off, and leave them wanting to come back for more creative delicacies which the premiere only hints at.

And as for the Giffen/Gordon art, it still ain't pretty, but at least it's smooth enough that I can tolerate it as this point. But mention simply must be made of Tom McCraw's exquisite colouring, with its judicious daubs of brightness amid the dominant brown and greys.

Good start. But in the end, a start is just a start. Let's see if the creators are able to sustain what they've begun so promisingly.

Eight out of Ten Taryns:

v4 Issue 1

The cover outlines what the first arc of the series is supposed to be about. Rokk Krinn, without a costume (and we’d learn without powers) makes his way across the shattered rubble. His face is overly shadowed in the Giffen style of the day. But that’s complimented by the head being down and the shoulders slightly hunched. With hands in pockets, it’s a sign of the weight of the years and the state of the galaxy, but also one of determination. In the corner, there’s a hint of hope. The Legion flight ring, waiting to be reclaimed, like the optimism of the galaxy. Showing that heroism shines even more brightly against the darkest of backgrounds, was really the purpose of Giffen’s work at the end of v3 and in this volume.

Even the trenchcoat supports this. It’s a relic of the 20th century, the era of inspiration for the Legion. Even after the Trapper’s revelations in v3, it represents a hope that Rokk still holds onto, like Superman’s cape at the end of v7 or Electric Warriors or the Superman costumes in the recent Millennium.

Unlike later volumes, where everyone in the team appears from the outset, this volume embraces the new reader by starting off with a small cast, that grows with the story. It’s a deliberate response to the cliché that the Legion needs a scorecard to follow.

The splash page (1 panel for a whole Giffen page!) is a simple “Five Years Later.” No 3 pages of fluff and chapter headings like some recent comics (that’s you Mr Hickson). This is a book with lots to tell us, and the last thing it wants is padding.

We find out how much has changed through an interview with Dirk Morgna. It’s a clever way of providing the reader with a little background history, a few recent changes and a couple of revelations. There’s also a surprise when we find out who’s skipping the channels while Dirk is speaking.

There’s the first little retcon too, as Lightning Lad becomes a victim of a Khundish invasion, something that TMK connected Zaryan to. In only the second panel we’re told that that the Legion we knew was in a “simpler, happier time.” It shows the transition from the times we knew in previous volumes, setting up this darker galaxy. Yet that time is highlighted by sacrifice and death through the Sun-Eater, Fatal Five, Omega and Darkseid. The Legion ring in the bottom panel reinforces the bright optimism that the team represents, and may stand for again.

The first revelation is Vidar. We know him as the all too villainous Universo. Here, he’s the ringleader of an anti-government group. It’s a reverse of all the times the Legion were reduced to being “terrorists”, scurrying through sub-levels to fight against Universo’s mind control. This is a huge, early clue to something having such control that Universo now plays the part of an outcast Legion.

It also neatly rules out Universo as being the guy behind all of this in a third Universo Saga.

I get a chill seeing Marella Tao, Brin’s former partner, reading the state news. A comics parallel was in Batman: Holy Terror, published over a year after this issue. There, Lana Lang told us that Oliver Queen renounced his heresies before his execution.

I always thought the green skinned lady might be Lady Memory, using the spoils of her Talokian faction to find celebrity elsewhere. It matches the Universo changing to a new role seen on the same page.

Having shown us that Universo is working against the government, we’re introduced to a big supporter of it: Dirk Morgna. He’s Earthgov liaison now. I’m not sure who he’s liaising between, as there’s no Legion. A later panel on the page states that the Legion may have outlived it’s usefulness. That can give the impression that the Legion is still around. But we’ll find out that it’s gone and that Dirk is suggesting that its time has gone too.

Dirk’s adventures as Sun Boy are shown as examples of heroism such as a fight against Validus. Brek Bannin is shown in a less heroic light, and they find a suitable clip of him being thumped in contrast to Dirk’s portrayal. A nice touch by Giffen.

Dirk may still be a hero, Universo a villain and Brek part of a new Subs group that is more trouble than it’s worth. But something’s not right.

Dirk has clearly moved on. He’s not referred to by his heroic identity and wears civilian clothes, albeit it in Sun Boy colours. He looks older and his hair is long (long for boys and short for girls in v4).

Brek was an idealist in v3, holding onto what he thought the Legion should be rather than the reality of what it was. Has that approach, and his need to be a successful leader caused a rift. Or is Brek still fighting for those ideals in a galaxy that no longer wants them and tries to shut them down?

The surprise comes as we learn that Reep Daggle is the one watching the broadcast. We quickly learn that he’s been getting his father’s company into shape in the last five years as those simpler, happier times went away.

He’s unhappy that things have fallen apart. We learn another ominous thing about the Earthgov Dirk supports. It doesn’t like people snooping on their broadcasts. While Dirk might be unhappy with Brek, it seems Cham is disappointed in Dirk. Dirk has made different choices to the others. Yet for all his government sympathies here, we’ll learn in the text pages that it was Dirk who tried to lead the team during the Five Year Gap. Dirk’s choices were not early or sudden.

Splits and factions are hinted at, in a team that we last saw standing united.

While we see Reep on the bottom panel, we learn his name on the next page as he sends a message to Marla. It’s a simple, yet very effective introduction. We learn the basics without any exposition. That gradual approach of revealing and reinforcing is one of the strengths of these early issues.

Marla Latham is an Easter egg from older issues. He possibly last appeared in the Secrets of the Legion mini, and he’s now been given control of Brande’s company. There’s an underlying hint about the state of affairs. Marla can’t be seen to be giving anything away regarding Mr Daggle’s plans. Only a standard response is given.

The dialogue is excellent here, and throughout. Little hints given within the normal text, constantly adding to the picture.

Although the Legion’s origin revolving around RJ Brande was a retcon, it’s fitting that the Brande legacy kickstarts the formation of *this* Legion too.

An early sign of some daring storytelling is introducing a main character through a distorted dream. Legion readers will know that Rokk is from Braal. He’s in the army, and there’s some sort of attack on his position. It’s only the from the attack that seems wrong to Rokk. It seems his time in the army was real enough. The “little bodies” reference is a hint at who they were fighting.

These dreams, about the bay, have had Rokk wake up screaming. Lydda worries that Rokk carries too much weight on his shoulders and it seems that it’s ruined previous days for them. He’s clearly struggling mentally with events over recent years. The fire balling of his family; the loss of his 20th century passion when it turned out his time travel trips were false; the death of his brother; the collapse of the Legion and his time in the armed forces.

It’s a strong domestic scene with Rokk and Lydda. We learn that Legion got railroaded and that Rokk, like Cham, wasn’t around when it happened. Rokk goes out to meet Loomis. There was a reference to Loomis in the dream sequence and someone lost an arm. Rokk has another flashback. We see, through graffiti, that the Bay is Venado Bay.

Rokk has to pass checkpoints to meet his friend. An indication of how the war went for Braal. Rokk is still a notable person and has clearance across the planet. Being a Legionnaire, who saved the galaxy, still stands for something.

One thing that’s worth noting about this scene is that it highlights that things were *never* completely rosy in the United Planets. Like the opening page on Legion history, there was plenty of grimness in the brighter, happier times too.

Rokk refers to his mother saying “no place to raise a family” Braal was an industrial planet, with employment so limited that 14 year old Rokk had to leave for Earth to find work. It’s worse now, but Braal was never a shiny utopia like Metropolis. There’s a nice nod to Pol in this scene too. No exposition, just a nice nod.

Rokk wasn’t the only Legionnaire in the army. We catch up with Salu Digby. Prisoner Salu Digby. Her detention shuttle is around Braal, giving another huge hint on which two planets were at war. It’s these little advances in background and development that help to make this such a strong issue.

Salu has a scar above an injury that cost her an eye. An eye replaced with something artificial. She’s the determined, focused Vi from last volume. Another hint is revealed on Venado Bay. It was the Imskians that acted there. Salu has kept the scar as a reminder of Imskian actions against Braal, against the wishes of the army. Whatever happened was bad enough that the victors of the war want to keep it quiet. Salu will only get an honourable discharge if she agrees to those terms. She doesn’t, and is dishonourably discharged. She is true to her ideals as a Legionnaire. Like Rokk’s status on Braal, that clearly still means something. The Imskian government don’t try to permanently silence her. We’ll see this reaction in the early issues. There’s a feeling that no one wants to provoke the return of a group of Legionnaires, or perhaps its more expedient to stop the spark of their ideals rising again.

Vi has been receiving letters from Ayla and the others. Her friends know where she is. Vi pauses before sending her letter telling Ayla that she’s going to Winath to join her and Garth. I liked that moment of hesitation. It’s a scene that combines the determination of Vi with her earlier, less sure self. Her focus following her time in the sens-tank (and the actions of others while she was in it) made reaching out even harder than normal for Vi. It’s hard for her to connect with those who have said that they want her; her letter even saying “I just hope Garth meant it” followed by a “Here goes nothing.” It’s a promise that this run, isn’t all about the situation the team finds itself in. It’s also about the people who were Legionnaires.

Back on Braal, we learn that Lydda is pregnant. Pregnancy is used almost tactically in this volume to keep Lydda and then Imra out of the action. Loomis does only have one arm, and the two were presumably in the army together, fighting Imsk. While Loomis might have called Rokk over for a visit, it was only as a ruse to get him to meet Cham in a relatively safe zone. Cham refers to “an old friend’s theatrics” in a quiet, but welcome, nod to the espionage squad.

Continued...

….continued

Cham tells Rokk his idea. But initially we only hear a shocked response rather than what the idea is. We get the follow up conversation as Cham explains further. That gets some writing points, for getting the most out of the scene.

Cham is putting the team back together. Rokk has lost his powers, and we have to conclude that this is an effect from Venado Bay.

There are powered Braalians still around. We could have got a very different volume had Cham chosen to recruit new heroes to a new Legion.

Cham tells Rokk he was the foundation and soul of the Legion. From my time of reading the Legion in Tales the founders were well on their way to being marginalised with a view to moving them on and replacing them. Rokk was never the …um…rock of the Legion for me. It goes back to TMK’s reading of the Adventure era, as much as anything and Rokk being the first leader of the team (possibly via that origin retcon?)

TMK move us past the plot and characterisation. We’re asked, along with Rokk, to “remember the dream” and “remember how it felt” A direct connection to how *we* felt when we connected with the Legion. A comic that looks not only to the inspiration of the team through the story, but moments of inspiration in the readership that followed it.

It’s something to bear in mind, when you read your next event or ongoing containing characters moved around like Despero’s chess pieces for the next status quo enforcing line up.

Rokk does remember. This is a Giffen eye close up that propels the plot. That faraway look takes him, and us, back to the Legion’s founding moment, in saving RJ Brande (now with added eyestalk creature). A few bits of continuity, some retcons, are gelled together to recreate the early days of the Legion in a page. As will become abundantly clear Tom and Mary really knew their Legion history. Yet this issue shows a very light touch in allowing the story to breath, using all that history to create a realistic depth to the galaxy in which it is set.

As Rokk’s objections over the plan are whittled away we get two old friends reminiscing. It’s a great moment that shows the history these characters have, the connection, without bogging down a new reader with the details. Elsewhere, in complete darkness, an unnamed villain is to resume his mission.

Text pages are an important part of this volume. We get three in this opening issue. The first shows the collapse of the UP economy following the Magic Wars in v3. It’s a sad and all too familiar tale of overspending, waste and corruption. Of technological dvances moving beyond the capability of some worlds to support it, or to survive a dependency on it. Even in the ruins, factions are squabbling over the causes of the Great Collapse.

The second shows that the President Wellington that Dirk was so happy to support earlier, was actively looking at shutting down the Legion. It has to be pointed out that early action is needed and that it should be without bloodshed. That bloodshed is even mentioned shows how determined Earthgov were to remove the team. It provides the detail to Lydda’s earlier “railroaded” reference.

Both pages take a more realistic look at some comic based ideas. With a word of Braalians, why aren’t they more widely used. Daxam was quite isolationist, but imagine the help they could have provided during this time. In order to provide readers with lots of action, poor Earth has been invaded quite a bit over the years. Legion HQ has also been attacked a few times. Earthgov look at all the damage this has caused and look to remove the cost burden.

In a nod to v2 #300, Earthgov note that the Legion isn’t prepared to engage the Khunds in the way they’d like. This was the basis for one of #300’s scenarios where the code against killing was altered so the Legion could fight on the front lines. Additional unwillingness to work with Earthgov’s “ vision” is another indicator that the Legion’s ideals are not shared by the government on Earth. Had the Legion been a real-world organisation in our time, think of the number of missions that would have been shut down due to a Security Council veto and the devastation that would result.

The third page is a response from the Legion’s last leader. Brek did get another shot at leadership after all, and the circumstances were even grimmer than the first time. TMK address the “why didn’t they just move elsewhere in the UP” argument, putting it down to a tactical error. Brek’s “regret and anger” add more to the image we saw of him earlier in the issue. Could he be aligned with Universo?

We learn that Sun Boy was leader before switching to supporting the government. I don’t think he so much turned against the Legion, as realised the writing was on the wall and took a realistic, and more than a little selfish, approach to it. Cham can see that latter side only too well, hence his disappointment. But Dirk could argue that at least he stayed to try and keep the team together. Cham, Rokk and (we learn here) Imra had left.

We get our first reference to Black Dawn with the indication that someone died during it. Also, the Legion that Polar Boy led might have had a quite different membership, a second team in the name of the Legion after Sun Boy’s team couldn’t stay together.
Finally, there’s a fun flight ring village ad, showing that the Legion’s HQ is now a set of luxury apartments. Someone’s had the time to repair poor Computo since he shorted in the Magic Wars. He looks far from happy at his new status. Brainy’s programming prevents a world takeover it seems.
Summary
It’s about as good as an opening issue gets. A sense of being right at the start of a new team facing some serious obstacles in a hostile galaxy.

Lovely character moments that provide depth to the small initial cast, giving everyone room to become familiar to new readers and reaffirm them to older ones.

A depth of worldbuilding based on the Legion’s history added judiciously where it helps to add texture to the plot and characters.

Giffen’s 9 panel grid structure is there to support that level of storytelling in a way you just couldn’t get with a 4 or 5 panel grid. True, Giffen achieved similar levels of depth working with Levitz in v3 using a variety of smaller drop panels, inserts etc.

There are such panels here, but incorporated into the larger panels focusing on Dirk and Brek.

Giffen’s use of space has developed. With a grid providing so much information already, he can express all white panels (page 7), black (pages 2 & 3 and the whole last page) or white with blood (page 11) without losing the reader.

As Rokk walks through Braal, Giffen gives us a 30th century version of Hogarth’s Gin Lane. Even here, the premise of the series is reinforced. A population living in squalor, while the purple mountain peaks are bright in the distance. That whole page acts as a single panel combining progression of time in a single moment.

Smaller numbers of panels are also grouped together such as on the second last page and a couple of pages before that, as silhouettes of Cham and Rokk walk across a Braallian wasteland, talking of dreams. One has the background transition into black acting as both a fade to black for the issue and as a fading into memory.

There’s a lot of dialogue in the issue, yet Giffen makes each page flow. He even gets to use repetitive devices such as Salu’s commander, Rokk’s faraway look. They aren’t there just because Giffen ran out of time. Each emphasises a key emotional moment. The weight of the commander’s decision and how much those memories mean to a troubled Rokk. Giffen has always been innovative with page layouts. The nine-panel grid appears to allow this, but in new expressions.

This is the version that got me into the Legion. Interestingly, my introduction was not an issue of Legion, but the entries in the loose-leaf "Who's Who." I had a passing familiarity with the Legion, and seeing this grown-up version was fascinating.

I loved the "what happened?" angle and the bit-by-bit fill-in-the-blanks. Of course, by the time I'd gotten into this Legion, the situation was exacerbated by the Great Valor Retcon. But the whole idea of reconstructing a coherent Legion history out of it all set me on the road to collecting Legion going back to the Adventure issues, and to compiling my Legion Reference File (which I haven't updated since Legion Lost (the first one)).

LSH v4 #1

Chalk me up for another who really started collecting and reading Legion thanks to this issue. I had read black and white reprints of early Legion stories in larger Australian reprint albums when I was young and enjoyed them but at the time my collection from DC was mainly Superman. This issue just looked so different that I wanted to know what was going on. I recognised some of the names but was baffled by others. (For ages I was trying to find earlier references to Tayla Wellington.) I started buying back issues and reading and that was it. I was hooked.

This was a type of comic that couldn't be read in a few minutes and just put aside. If I wanted to understand and get the most out of it I had to reread it and examine it in detail. I know that aspect put off a lot of people but for me it worked really well.

Thoth that is an interesting point about Mark Waid's editorial role. I hadn't remembered that and you could be right. He sure has been involved in a lot of Legion launches, and with very different approaches each time.

As for Rokk being the foundation, at the time I mostly just accepted that. It hadn't occurred to me before but he was one of the founding trio. Garth had by now been written as a less successful or influential leader, and while Imra had shown exemplary leadership qualities at some points she seemed to be devoted to family life at this stage. There was the plot Levitz wrote which had Cos pondering the Legion's future for a few issues which resulted in the original trio resigning to reserve status. That was all Rokk.

As for "The Slap" yeah that was pretty horrible. Unfortunately it is a reflection of an earlier time and rather poor common male attitude back then (and even worse still around with some today). A writer wrote it, a penciler sketched it, an inker finished it, a colourist coloured it, an editor approved it and a publisher published it. Even today no-one seems to object to it being reprinted. Thankfully many of us males have learned and grown up a bit. As for in-universe, weren't a lot of those stories introduced with Superboy telling the reader of another tale of his buddies? Superboy wasn't in that story so he must have heard it second-hand and perhaps he heard it wrong. Maybe another legionnaire embellished it a bit (Dirk perhaps?) or maybe Superboy just interpolated what happened from his own very young, very teenaged reactions. I mean this is the Superboy that on occasion "gently" knocked out Lana Lang so she wouldn't discover his secret identity. On one occasion he left her unconscious under a tree while he visited his mates in the 30th Century. Don't get me wrong Superboy is still a hero but some of his adventures in the 60s and 70s did have some cringe-worthy moments. OTOH maybe we can say that Rokk did behave that way, maybe he was told off, even censured for it later by some of his other teammates, maybe he tried to apologise and maybe it changed and matured him and helped him become the more staid and conservative character he was later portrayed as. You are right Ann that it would be nice to have seen some of that but I guess it is up to each of us as readers to decide ourselves what happened and how it reflected the caharacters' personality.

(On reading this I am cringing a bit that it might come off as being an apologist for males who "accidentally" abuse women. Not my intention at all. Only trying to see how to fit that single horrible incident in with a character that has frequently displayed noble and admirable traits and came to be seen as a significant and effective leader, both in this series and into the future.)

Lydda's chasing after Rokk was pretty silly and teenaged at the start but she came into her own later I feel. Rokk himself said to her in one issue "it was a very silly start to an exemplary career".

Thoth, I too had thought of #300 regarding the Legion not assisting to repel the Khunds in the manner Earthgov apparently wanted. I didn't think of it at the time but it jumped out at me this time, another reflection of how much the Beirbaums were very knowledgeable fans.

Interesting to read the Summit's explanations for the Collapse of the UP. it starts to give us a glimpse of the history we have missed, while as readers we know the main cause was the Magic Wars and the replacement of science/order with magic/chaos. Even though that was fixed by the end of the "war" the failure of all the 30th Century technology would have resulted in numberless deaths and the collapse of the economy. As Relnic said at the time no matter what the Legion achieved dark times were ahead for the UP.

Overall I really, really liked this issue. The depth of characterisation conveyed so well with so little exposition and the excellent images conveying so much of the characters thoughts and feelings. It left me wanting more so in that respect if nothing else it was a success.

Chaim! You wrote the LSH Help file?! I read so much of that in the past. Sometimes I still want to look at it but getting the old windows help files to run on Windows 10 64 bit is a bit tricky. No matter, I appreciate the enormous amount of work you put into it. Thanks!

(BTW the link on your signature is old and no longer works.)

I was just too tempted by this re-read project finally getting to what I consider my favorite era of Legion history. In fact, when it looked like the thread might need someone to lead the weekly discussions, I was tempted to step forward. I would imagine that probably worked out for the best because: a) I might have too much positive bias toward the subject matter, given my attachment toward the era, and b) who knows if I could commit to leading this for the year or so this will likely take to work thru? Luckily, we still look to have the magnificent Cramey onboard as MC for the foreseeable future!

Anyhow,

The New Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (Curious to see how long it will keep that adjective...)

That cover. I remember, even then, thinking that was one of the most unusual first issue covers I've ever seen. Very dark and dreary. A man with a shadowy face standing on some wreckage with only a grungy flight ring (and the logo) indicating any Legion connection. Was it immediately apparent that the man was Rokk without opening the book? Probably not. Far from the bright, shiny colors that were typical of a Legion cover. And that was absolutely intentional. Things haven't gone well since the Magic Wars. And this isn't the kind of Legion storytelling we'd had for its first few decades of existence. The cover sets the tone.

Inside, there's a lot of information. The first splash tells us that we're skipping ahead with the starry back drop and three words (and three dots) that many will later use to abbreviate this whole era. Then, thru three pages of channel surfing, we learn the Legion has disbanded in intervening years, that there's trouble on Earth involving Khunds and Universo and that Dirk (Sun Boy) Morgna has become a smarmy politician and has thrown Polar Boy and the Legion's memory under the bus.

Next, we see the first of our cast emerge as Reep (Chameleon Boy) Daggle is seen having taken over his father's business. But he's been watching the media feeds we've just witnessed, and seeing the Legion's name dragged thru the mire sparks something in him, and he resolves to somehow reignite the dream of the Legion. Cham is an inspired choice for this role, especially as his father had so much to do with the Legion coming into existence, something he himself references as the other legacy (aside from the business) that Cham needs to tend to.

Rokk (Cosmic Boy) Krinn, we revisit next, first thru his nightmare which we slowly learn more about--though more details are to come in future issues. He's had a traumatic experience in "Venado Bay". Rokk wakes up, and we learn that he and Lydda (Night Girl) are married and expecting a child. They are living on Rokk's home planet Braal. Braal has been thru some strife that we are given hints about, and it is clear the planet is under something like martial law. Rokk and Lydda can't leave the planet. Well, Lydda could as an offworlder, but she refuses to leave without him. He reminisces about his brother Pol and his mother. We mourn with him because we experienced their losses, too. Their are hints that Braal has never been very prosperous, but we see this as a new low. Braal hasn't been seen much in previous LSH
stories, but this jibes with his initial purpose for leaving his home that ended up colliding with his Legion destiny--his intention to find work to help his family out.

Next, we find Salu (Shrinking Violet) Digby is apparently a soldier who's been imprisoned after a court martial. We learn that she, too, knows something about Venado Bay and takes a dishonorable discharge because she refuses to keep mum about what she knows. We learn she's heading to Winath to reconnect with Ayla (Lightning Lass) Ranzz on she and her brother's family farm.

Back on Braal, we see Garth meeting his friend Loomis. Loomis, it turns out, has set Rokk up to meet with his old teammate Cham. Cham recruits Rokk to help get the band back together. Rokk is reluctant because, we learn, he has lost his powers. Cham says it's not the powers he needs but the fact that Rokk was the Legion's soul. We see Rokk remember the Legion's earliest moments in a quick flashback, and that look in his eye afterwards tells us all we need to know about where his heart is. Using his considerable influence, Cham will get Rokk off Braal, and Lydda and Loomis will be along for the ride.

I'm curious to see more of Loomis. I had virtually forgotten about him, but he's really charming and engaging in his scenes here. I don't remember much about what role he plays from here. I assume it's mostly supporting and probably not that significant, but I look forward to following him wherever he goes.

The last page of the proper story shows only darkness with foreboding dialogue. My foreknowledge of upcoming issues makes me certain who one character is. Who exactly is recruiting him is something I don't remember.

In what will become a regular feature, we are given three "Omnicom" text reports to fill in some blanks in the 5-year gap. The first details the economic collapse of the U.P. The second shows Earth's President setting up policies obviously intended to undermine the Legion. And the third is a memo to the President formally dissolving the Legion in the wake of her sanctions.

Finally we see an ad for a luxury resort that is what the former LSH headquarters has been turned into.

I found it a quiet but effective beginning to this new era. We meet some key players and get a huge amount of information about what has happened since we last saw our heroes. But there is so, so much left to learn, and that is probably the biggest hook of this new era, initially. Where are all the others? What are the threats they are facing? What got them to this point? These are some of the biggest questions, and there are many twists and turns to come that readers of this first issue would never guess,

Keith Giffen debuts his (in)famous 9-panel grid here. I learned to appreciate it then, and that appreciation has only grown in the intervening years and decades since. His artistic style is widely criticized, but the storytelling is clear throughout this issue. The facial expressions are on point, and the eyes are especially expressive.

And right up front, this is Legion storytelling unlike any other before. Giffen and the Bierbaums are starting with a slow burn. They're giving you lots of information but aren't spoonfeeding you everything. Already, this book feels ahead of its time, using atorytelling devices that would later become common place but not always as effectively. There are hints about Venado Bay and clues about the other participants, but you have to put two and two together. It's dark, but it's damn interesting. And even if you don't know these characters, you feel connected to them. If you DO know them, you're getting a lot of extra juice from the story.

So I'm in all over again. It looks like the love affair will be renewed!

Stile, that wasn't Thoth, it was me.

As for Rokk, rest assured you don't sound like an apologist for men who hit women. But I do have to say, I think TMK had a responsibility to show us all sides of him, and they failed.

Welcome back to the Re-Reads, my good pal.

You're more than welcome! It was a labor of love, though I gave up on it during the Abnett-Lanning run. Consistency of backstory was no longer considered a virtue at DC, and that would have made a proper reference impossible. These days, HTML would probably be a better format for that information, but what can I say, that was the tool I had for hypertext at the time.

Thanks for the heads-up about the link, I'll see if I can find a live one somewhere out there and will alter my signature accordingly.

This site for downloading the Help File is linked in the Encyclopedia Galactica forum.

I haven't looked at it in a few years, but it was definitely a huge part of learning details of Legion lore back in the 90s/early 2000s!

Thanks, I've updated my sig

Oops! And you said it so well too. For anyone who missed it here is Ann's original quote.

Thank you, Stile.

Combining "thoth" with "interesting point" in the same sentence should have been all you needed, to know something wasn't right Stile

I haven't been including the editors in the credits until now, but after reading this and seeing how detailed it was and that Waid was the editor - the king of Legion trivia - I thought he must have had a greater-than-usual role in this book. He has some insightful comments in The Legion Companion on the effect of the removal of Superboy, but begins with less-than-happy memories of his editorial job:

Legion Companion: When you look back at your time editing the Legion, what are you now most proud of?

Mark Waid: Not going to prison for murder. What a suicide assignment that book was. Jesus. I was told by management to let Ketih Giffen go nuts, to let him have his head because, after all, he'd given us Justice League and had a well deserved track record of success. And I trusted Keith to entertain me and entertain the readers, and whatever vision he had, I just stepped back and let him run with it for better or worse. It was darker, denser, and far more complex than I would have preferred, and poor Tom and Mary Bierbaum, the scripters, paid the price because I was always nitpicking them to death and putting the burden on them for clarity, but at the end of the day, I felt good that Keith had a vision and was going places. And then the Superman Ripple Effect hit. ...

I wasn't too thrilled with Rokk being the central character on which the Legion depended, either, but not because of his Bronze Age misdeeds. It just seemed to come out of nowhere that he was the heart and soul of the Legion, so this baffled me and since I never particularly liked the character, grated a bit. Others have cited examples which support Rokk's characterization in this series and, storywise, he's a much better choice than Imra, who we'll see is leading a fairly quiet and content life on Winath. Rokk has the angst and tragedy to suit this series.

Thoth's interesting point (indeed!) about the green-skinned woman being Lady Memory is one I hadn't thought of (I was thinking the new Emerald Empress) - and true that portraying Universo as a freedom fighter is a tip-off that things have changed.

To be continued, out of time....

Okay, dog walked.



One thing that itched about the Rokk as soul of the Legion theme is the question of where was he when the Legion was falling apart and getting driven off Earth? But that list of events would explain his loss of enthusiasm/spirit/interest in leading the team. Sometimes you just get ground down.



Hadn't connected the eye close ups with that sort of plot movement, but it's something to watch out for in future issues. And possibly add to the 5YL "take a drink" game. Thoth also gave examples of creative use of the 9-panel grid - another visual to watch for (but no more drinking! We need clear-headed reviews!).



Can't put it all on Rokk, of course; one has to wonder where everyone else was when Brek was trying to hold the pieces together - did they know that Earthgov was prepared to go as far as bloodshed?




We don't see any more of Braal after this, I believe, which really relegates it to wreckage status.



Loomis really is a charmer. He's a great counterweight to Rokk and good for outsider commentary on the Legion.



So true, and makes me even more regret that this series has never been collected so that people could discover - or re-discover - it. Many of us, as commented in this thread, really got hooked on the Legion because of 5YL.

That's awesome! Thanks, Cramey.

I don't think he should get down on himself for getting tough with the Bierbaums about clarity, though. They needed a strong, no-nonsense editor, whether they'll admit it or not (I don't recall TB saying anything bad about Waid on his blog, but I do recall him dismissing one of Waid's successors, Dan Raspler, as "A Top 40 radio programmer trying to deal with jazz musicians." That struck me as incredibly rude.

I don’t think I appreciated the density of the storytelling at the time. Looking back, I must have noticed that I got a lot more bang for my buck from the Legion than other titles. I think it was at a later reread it began to sink in. Perhaps comics were even more decompressed then.

I read that, because the Omicoms had artistic borders (The Omnicom itself) it meant that it counted as an art page. So, the art team would also get pennies along with the writers.



Really good way of putting it. There was a sense of possibility, but that whatever happened would be well grounded in what had gone before.



I got a lot of the Bronze Age issues fairly late on, so I might not have known about Rokk’s bronze age jackassery. I probably wasn’t old enough to interpret the Subs as anything other than their surface appearance from the Adventure days. That was where I saw a few glimpses of Rokk outwith Levitz shuffling him off into an advisory role. I’d pick up a lot more Adventure back issues in the following couple of years. That’s certainly the era that T&M got their cheerleading outfits from. Again, I probably didn’t notice the absence of so many later characters at the time. Particularly considering the slower build up. Although there would be quite a few signs shortly. I’d be surprised if many thought PTSD was karmic payment for anything though.



I think I had a “So, what exactly did Rokk do?” paragraph already in the back of my mind for this run.



It's always possible that Waid was quite impressed by the concept and chose to do his version of it. Particularly considering the way this volume goes.



I’d need to re-read a few interviews. I think Waid suggested a new volume, rather than a continuation. A lot of the set up for this volume was in place during v3 when Berger was editor. I’m sure he said he was also to let Giffen have a good run at it. That’s not to say he didn’t steer things in the right direction. Some of the best editors have been those that quietly nudge things.

EDIT: I see Cramer has quoted some of it. Thanks Cramer.



It takes a really versatile team to make the layers of Giffen shadow pop.



I *hunted* those issues down a little later only because of the Giffen artwork entries. I have gaps in the collection that don’t have any. I’d be disappointed if someone else did Legion art (Doran on Element Lad I expect for a start)



And, like Stile said, it’s a great resource. Thanks! I hadn’t really thought about how long a Legion reader the creator of the Help File was. But considering the detail in it, I think I had a “forever” in my head. It’s interesting that it was v4 that hooked you to go back.



She was left under the protection of Tree Lad. Tree Lad also appears in the legion Holiday Special of 1980.



Good spot on Rokk’s arc. They’ve not just dumped him on Braal “because” It makes sense for him to be there.



Yeah, even with all of the story density, it’s made very clear that it’s the tip of an iceberg. But the storytelling was so well structured, that didn’t come across as intimidating. I’m sure there are some new reader letters at some point, expressing that.



I didn’t dislike Rokk, but I’m sure I was a little surprised about him being the soul of the team. Again, that comes form the Levitz issues. But it’s a fair enough take, considering the Adventure issues that T&M were inspired by.

There’s no reason why it *couldn’t* have been Irma. Though. I think her being preggers was a ploy to take readers attention away from her being the best person to pull things together. Tragedy of Validus plague and brining in Brainy? Responsibility of driving the Winathians to support the failing UP? The Legion’s best leader? A telepath? All Imra. I went down this track for my Bits notes.

As for Rokk, I think it was the war that took both him and Vi out of the Legion. I’m sure I’ll come to this as we go, but I think Brek trying to hold the Legion together was a last gasp. There’s almost two distinct 5YG Legion’s the one that reinforced the departing members with half decent replacements. When Dirk failed to keep that together, Brek brought in his pals.



It’s a point that I think gets undermined as soon as we visit Talok.

Lottsa Legion Links:-

Kappa Kid did some reviews of this volume, that are well worth a look at.

Tom Bierbaum's blog where he goes through this volume issue by issue.

Dev rereads the TMK volume

Let's Talk Tom & Mary with Lash

HA-bloody-HA

Two of my quotes being credited to EDE?!?

Reminds me of when EDE first came along and Lash was convinced that EDE and I were one and the same!

Kind of a shame, if true. But you can certainly say it served its purpose. There were a lot of Braals out there in the wake of the Collapse.



I love so many of the new characters that are brought in to flesh out this new era, and there are many more to come! (Also, so many pre-existing characters get new life breathed into them in unexpected ways! )



I was definitely going to buy that HC and any successive volumes that might follow. Really shitty timing for DC to contract their collection output. If this Bendisboot is a rousing success, maybe it'll get put back on the schedule!

The Legion of Super-Heroes #2 by Keith Giffen, Al Gordon, Tom & Mary Bierbaum, art by Keith Giffen & Al Gordon, Letters Todd Klein, colours Tom McCraw, Editor Mark Waid

What Happened: Jo & Tinya were planning to marry, but Tinya was apparently killed in some sort of inter-dimensional explosion four years ago. Jo now lives on Rimbor; he and a young Sklarian sidekick Kono have attracted the unfavourable attention of both megacorp Silverale (Jo) and the Khunds (Kono). Khunds are working with a Silverale exec to get the two. SPs are after Kono but fail again to catch her. Assassins are sent after Jo and Kono, but they survive due to Jo's powers and Kono's ability to shift mass. Jo's girlfriend and neighbours die in the attack as the block is reduced to rubble. Lydda and Loomis are en route to Kathoon;she says that Rokk and Cham are headed for Rimbor. On Earth, Shvaughn Erin is still an SP officer and getting unwelcome flowers from Dirk. SP Earth have split from the rest of the SPs, commanded by a woman named Circe, who is in bed, literally, with Dirk and getting information on Shvaughn. The prisoner from Labyrinth seen in #1 emerges from his darkened room amid a chorus of voices, which appear to be his different personalities.

Comments: A lot has changed for Jo Nah. We don't know until the end of the issue that Tinya is (presumed) dead. Like Rokk, he's living a down and out existence on his home planet, but Jo has the megacorp Silverale after him as well and Khund/trouble-attracting wise-ass Kono. We don't know exactlly why, but it's very serious and deadly business. The attempts to capture/kill the two of them take up a substantial part of this issue, but give us a lot of insight into Jo at this point in his life and introduce us to Kono. Jo is serious, cautious - the opposite of Kono. He's grown up and grown deep, compared to his Legion days of being managed by Tinya or playing second banana to Lar and Kal.

Kono is interesting, vital but a tad annoying. Too la-dee-da about danger, bratty, overconfident and feminist, although fully capable of taking care of herself.

The Rimbor SPs have upgraded to serious military-style gear, full helmets, padded suits - a big change from the simple spandex outfits. We had seen a progression to bulkier uniforms, but that was more Giffen's new styles than a response to increasing danger. These guys look like military.

The two assassins are a deadly comedy duo, over-polite and formal, but full sociopaths. It's not clear if they're blue-skinned probes or some alien species. The contrast of speech and action highlights the horror. The other horror show is the prisoner from Labyrinth, whose multiple personalities and lipstick smile presage something very bad for somebody.

Bierbaum's It's Okay I'm a Senator identifies the sources for characters (like the assassins) and place names, but that information isn't needed to follow the story.

Shvaughn is still an SP but having a rough time. There's no Gigi or Zendak and apparently no Jan. Would Dirk presume to court her if Jan were around? With "subversives" as her acquaintances, it looks like she might be playing a double role. Circe is a hard-bitten chief, living up to her name as an enchantress. She's also one of the few (only?) characters in the Legionverse to smoke.

Jo's antique shaving kit was a gift from a friend - I suspected Superboy, but it turned out to be history buff Rokk. The scene in which Jo searches the rubble to find the ruined brush, the look on his face, is very emotional. It had an even deeper impact when I read the text piece announcing Tinya's death: the Legion is in ruin, Jo's life is in some degree of ruin and he clings to this little memento of his Legion days.

Nitpicky question: the Khund says re:Kono "Her pacific transgresion need not concern you." I'm not sure what that means, if pacific means peaceful or without force - wondered if it was meant to read "specific transgression". It just seems like an odd thing to say.

I was thinking of linking in Tom Beirbaum's blog myself but hadn't seen all of the others. Lots of material there. Thanks Thoth.