Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #12 - Previews and Spoilers

v8 Issue 12

On our infodump page, Imra reveals that her telepathic powers stray into telepathic manipulation, particularly when the residents of Titan are particularly keen on an idea. Imra's powers have been a talking point across the various versions. This adds some interesting ideas into the published mix, not least of which relate to the free will of those in the cast. It would have been interesting to now go back to #1, and see instances where Imra has already unconsciously influenced those around her. As the scheduling of the book and its content has not been good, I'm not expecting to find any. But it would be a decent sign of some forethought and get some needed credits.

It's unfortunate that Imra's concerns haven't been discovered as part of the plot, and has to be part of some opening exposition. The Titanian mind manipulation seems to be why Imra partly joined the Legion. So she would find a way that Titanians and the rest of the UP could interact without one side getting their way, and the other side thinking what was a great idea that was. She's not doing too great a job of that, if she's manipulated the Legion into bringing Jon across time.

The circle that Bendis tells us is going on here, isn't nearly as deep as he thinks. That's something that applies to a number of things in the issue.

The big battle this issue was set up to deliver, was a big disappointment.

Rogol Zaar is prepared for Imra's telepathy... Because!
No one has any injury in the battle that a little pick me up can't fix... Because!
Doctor Fate returns...Because!

The Legion were shown to have been captured, in part, by a guy with a giant axe. The villain falls at great speed into the heart of their unconscious forms. While I don't particularly wish for a body count, the biggest casualty, as Imra brings them all round to fighting fitness, shouldn't be Laundry Lass faced with some costume sewing. Rogol can destroy as much comic book real estate as he likes, but has not gained any credibility in this story.

The team, unable to get away from appearing in group shots, pile into Rogol. They are doing pretty well, yet Gim throws the villain away, losing their tactical advantage. There was no reason for any regrouping. I'm not sure if Blok is supposed to be in one group shot. He was missing last issue, then pops up later in this as Mordru's slave. That lasts all of a panel or two as a threat.

Gim has just told us about the Horraz, but panels later we're supposed to be surprised by... The Horraz! Oh and Mordru. Can't forget Mordru. He's the reason why Bendis is telling us about there being layers to what's going on. It's a masterstroke. Well, it would be had criminal masterminds and their schemes not been a staple of comics for nearly a century. But thanks for pointing out there were layers anyway.

Why would Wildfire and Brin feel underappreciated in a group that was so recently formed? There must be a lot going on off panel.

The villains offer such little threat, in among some further group shots, that our heroes banter about how good they are, thank each other for being part of a pitched battle, and remark on how enjoyable the whole thing is.
Rogol keeps bleating about having had 1000 years to prepare. But his allies are whisked away in a handy teleportation spell by the team's ACME mystic. Rogol himself is punched out by Lar and Kal in a panel that made me laugh out loud when it was used in Infinite Crisis. It's just as lame here, regardless of them adding a bit of superspeed into the punches.

Mordru boasts that he's had his revenge on the Legion, despite the group of heroes' resounding victory. Perhaps the Legion fall apart...Because! This would be in keeping with the rest of the book.

As Rogol gets shunted off to the phantom zone with not a whimper, complaint or a reason (it's enough that Mordru woke him up), there's some light banter and another splash page. The Gold Lantern subplot is about the only thing that progresses at a decent pace.
Element Lad doesn't seem to understand his own powers, even as he says them out loud, being more Transmogrify Lad here.

We also learn that this damp squib of a story wasn't the Great Darkness. Premonitions of that are now pervasive in the team, although not to the extent that any of it is shared with the reader. Almost as if Bendis really doesn't know beyond the broadest strokes of it.

I can only hope that this was just one of those layers Bendis felt the need to tell us about. We can hopefully look back at it as one, rather bland battle scene, chapter in a much more interesting whole.

So it turn out the Gold Lantern's ring isn't really a Lantern ring at all, and the Guardians are fake.

This isn't actually his still unrevealed awesome origin, though, since these facts were just discovered this issue.

I think perhaps Imra is a bit full of herself to blame the entire situation on herself.

Rogol Zarr looks even bigger than I remember him from Superman. He was always over-sized but now seems even more so. Perhaps he just continues to slowly grow over time. Also he has more cyborg parts than when we last saw him. Not that any of that matters to the story or Legion readers.

Imra using her "probe" to distract Rogol Zarr while the others recover (with an anti-sleep thought I guess) is a positive in terms of battle tactics. It is a bit overpowered. Got someone who has been knocked out? Imra can just wake them up with no nasty after-effects like concussion or anything and they will be raring to go. If bad guys want to beat the Legion they will have to do permanent damage or Imra will just get them up again.

I thought Gim's throwing RZ away actually made sense. The others had thrown him off-balance with their unexpected attack but giving everyone a moment makes a bit of sense to me. At least Colossal Boy (sorry Incredible Shrinking Man or whatever he calls himself) got to do more than be a big target - oh wait, next panel.

Imra's thoughts about the Legion stopping Mordru from his grand scheme and chasing him all over the galaxy would be a great description for a longer story instead of fairly easily defeating him once and doing a little look around for him. Maybe this is Imra's overblown view again or a reflection of a quick wrap-up.

Wildfire's comment about the rest of the legion not realising how great they are is a bit ambiguous. I first read it the same as Thoth that Wildfire and Timber Wolf are big-headed and think they are some of the Legion's greats, but on second read I thought the intention might be that Wildfire thinks the Legion doesn't realise how great the WHOLE LEGION is, which is a much better view but unfortunately poorly worded.

I chuckled at "How do you know that?" - "I'm Brainiac." - "I have got to stop asking you that." If the character was written with arrogance this would be unpleasant but he isn't so I like it.

Once again Lightning Lass appears twice in two different outfits with two different hair styles, blasting lightning in the first and lightning on her costume in the second. Who knows?

Mordu captured Cosmic Boy last issue but here he is fighting with the team again. Huh?

Karate Bomb? KARATE BOMB?

Wish we could have seen how White Witch, Dream Girl and Saturn Girl's powers combined as they had practiced, but no, Imra is too upset seeing Jon get knocked about, White Witch is unsure, and in the end others win the day.

Triplicate Girl appears to split into more bodies shifting across the spectrum as she does. Interesting. Maybe she just prefers the threesome?

Mon-El got to be heroic for a change, which doesn't make up for his whining.

Blok suddenly showing up as Mordru's slave seemd a bit weird as well. He'd been teleported into space last issue, and I really figured he'd take awhile in making it back. But apparently Mordru decided to use him for some reason? His line at the end ("Hey! This is Blok! You're missing the libations!") really didn't sound much like anything classic Blok would say.

Doctor Fate's reappearance was a bit weird as well, as it seemed almost like he planned to fake his death and return, which didn't feel like it matched up with his "death" last issue very well.