Stop now as there will be some spoiler info ahead if you are trying to go spoiler free! (Along with unsolicited opinions!)
Well, if you've read the preview pages you know that this issue formally reintroduces another Legionnaire into the mix, previously seen only in cameo: Princess Projectra. I don't have time for a full recap but figured I'd get the ball rolling.
Suffice to say that as was previously spoiled in the preview thread, Orando is the new Trom. Oh, and as Orando was the economic hub of the UP we are in for a big financial catastrophe it seems.
There's a short story with Brainiac 5 and none other than Lemnos himself. Lemnos reveals his backstory (assuming he's being truthful) which would seem to render all our anagram-based guesses incorrect. I can't remember if he has any past analogues in Legion lore, though if he is the real "villain" then I would suppose not based on the "no reboot" villain policy.
Lastly, as has mentioned there are 3 pages reintroducing the Letter Column, which includes one tasty tidbit - it was indeed Brin Londo seated by Projectra way back in issue 1.
Overall feelings - mixed. This issue seems like more endless setup for the approaching war. I hate to see yet another planet destroyed in a Legion tale, honestly. I sure hope that we get a little good news in this book soon. We do see some interesting teamwork, and the subplot about Jo's powers is further explored. There's some good interplay between the members, which is one of the strengths of Waid's work thus far. My favorite scene is another meeting of Brainiac 5 & Dream Girl... Good to see her comment to him earlier wasn't just a one-off joke.
The art by Kitson and Thibert is better than ever. I think the inks are becoming more suited to Barry's style. The backup story has a guest artist (sorry, forgot the name) whose style somewhat resembles that of former cover artist Tony Harris.
quote:Originally posted by matlock: I can't remember if he has any past analogues in Legion lore..
You're not supposed to though are you?? mwah-ha-ha!
He's got an interesting power and his motivation is an interesting parallel/counterpoint to the Legion's missoin. I almost thought he was some interesting Time Trapper/RJ Brande mix since he's an older guy who has been manipulating (or just helping) the Legion all along. I'm not sure how he's able to get into all those places he claims to get into in the first place (unless he's able to make people forget him the instant they see him, making him virtually invisible - which still doesn't explain surveillance cameras to me).
random thoughts: - the Cham/Invisible Kid game was cute, but they're really stretching this notion of the Legion as fanboys. We're getting that a lot in "Young Avengers" lately, but it's getting used up a lot more here. - Jo's subplot has given us some interesting group interactions, but it doesn't seem to really be going anywhere. - I hope Rokk is proven wrong and Projectra is able to prove herself a worthy member of the team (I also hope we don't have a lot of "the spoiled princess has to adjust to life as a commoner" jokes for the next several months - I've already seen "The Simple Life" thank you). - "Aakkk-kkkk!" Honestly, I don't understand why Brainy is so obsessed with Lemnos' identity if he doesn't have much faith in Dream Girl's ability in the first place. I guess he secretly does trust her... - Awesome visuals and details on the Princess' room. It appears Barry tweaked the Princess' costume so that the "crest" behind her head is softer somehow rather than the stadium shell thing that it appeared to be before.
From: New York, NY | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I thought it was overall a good issue. Waid's characterization IS the strong point of the series. I loved the scene between Jo, Tasmia and Val and the Brainy/Nura scene was cool too.
Jo's "focus" issues make sense for someone who has multiple powers and can only use one at a time. Maybe his training will bring about a friendship with Val. I just wonder what the freak accident that gave him his powers was?
I also like the "spoiled rich girl among the common people" approach to Projectra. Hopefully her need to prove herself as a Legionnaire will give her more depth as the series continues.
Lemnos and Terror Firma are pretty interesting villians and Lemnos power is truly original.
I look forward to the final showdown when the Legion finds out that Lemnos has been manipulating them.
Registered: May 2005
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
Lemnos actually reminds me of Universo more than anyone.
Any thoughts on how Luornu fits into all of this? Apparently we have the explanation for the planetwide catastrophe on Cargg, plus her lack of memory of anythng before it.
How many Legionnaires are going to end up as survivors of Lemnos-engineered tragedies? We already have Luornu (probably), Projectra, maybe Brainy (with Colu the next on the list), and Nura (we know from her visions that her generation of Naltorians will be the first to fall in the coming war).
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Overall good issue, finally the threat is fleshed out. Excellent character moments. Villain's Plan revealed to be: Create chaos (use terroformers), save day(use legion), take credit(Lemnos)
Lemnos - Like Darth Sidious of Star Wars is hidden but his hand in every event. Even origin of individual legionnaires and the legion itself? What happens if/when Terrorformers find out he's playing both sides?
Projectra - she'll get her chance before the story's done. If she's just a spoiled brat, no way she'd attract Brin. I'll trust his judgement of her character and trust her motives.
Brainiac - This made the book for me. He seriously thinks she came to his dank, creepy, poorly lit lab to do homework?
Analysis in Equation Form for Braniac 5
Nura(Crush) + Querl(Dense) = Querl(No Action)
I was kinda like this B5 as a teenager, now at myself in hindsight.
posted
My first thought was that Lemnos was Mnemonic Kid; maybe Fortress Lad is on the way to save the day!
Wholly unfounded random predictions:
- Nura's unreliable, intuitive power will ultimately reveal Lemnos to the Legion.
- Lyle, the physically Invisible Kid will have some significant role in his downfall. Then again, Jeckie's illusions might not be a bad counter-power either. Hopefully it won't be Imra taking him down. Now that I think about it, Nura's "I'm not really here right now" mentality might be an effective counter as well. A lot of options there.
- "Daddy, I might finally get to do something important!" Jeckie's not just a spoiled rich kid on holiday.
I was going to list the character interactions I liked, but frankly I liked all of them. I especially liked the fanboy stuff with Lyle and Cham. I'm not sure exactly why it clicked with me this issue. Maybe because after I left the comic shop, I rolled up my copy of Legion, stuck it in my back pocket, and went home to let our new puppy out over lunch. Sitting in the back yard with a creased copy of a favorite comic, playing with a new dog on a spring day - yeah. That works. And I always confused the Silent Knight and the Shining Knight too. But Captain Comet didn't look like that in SA #9
Other major point - the letters column. When I realized what they were doing, I was a little irritated. 3 pages for 6 letters? But I found myself enjoying it by the end, so I guess it was a good idea after all. What's your Legion number if Cos responds to your letter personally?
Registered: Sep 2004
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Despite the "no old villains" rule, I was really hoping for a re-imagined Universo or Time Trapper or Mordru or someone to be behind Lemnos. I guess things can't be perfect.
I can't wait for Projectra to shine and get her revenge.
From: San Diego, CA | Registered: Jul 2003
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Ultra boy- if you look closely, one of his powers appears to be having and than not having a 5 o'clock shadow.
Karate Kid- awesome! I can't wait to see him go up against some arrogant super powered villain and hand him his a*& on a silver platter.
Projectra-wow. It will be interesting to see how she develops.
Australia- wasn't there something on the news a few months back regarding the shift of the magnetic poles? Apparently climatic shifts like in the story would occur.
Letter's page- I really enjoyed the format. The visual gag of Micro Lad's hand pushing Cham. Good stuff. And perhaps Querl has a brother or sister.
From: chicago, IL | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
Good to see Karate Kid finally demonstrating his skill after the beatdown in #2. I guess we're meant to assume he was playing possum then.
Nura's forgetting about Lemnos was neatly done...we assume it's due to her temporally-destabilized ditziness, but by the end we know that the real reason was quite different. I was also tickled to see her continuing to needle/flirt with Brainy.
And I loved the letter pages. Make it permanent, please!
I notice that the Lemnos in the backup story looks rather different--in particular, no tattoos. Simply artistic difference, or does his "standard" costume, including tattoos, have some particular functional or ceremonial purpose?
posted
Oh, and did anyone notice Brainy discreetly hitting a couple of buttons at the end of his confrontation with Lemnos? Hopefully he left himself a clue to work on post-amnesia.
Additional thoughts as they come: Loved the coloring and inking on this one. The lighting and atmospheric effects were simply beautiful.
And I like Cos' new power level. He can be a powerhouse when he needs to, but at a price--one which means his leadership is still more important than his raw power in the field.
posted
Oh yeah, another thing I liked about the issue was that Nura had silver hair again. Let's keep it that way!
Registered: May 2005
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
quote:Originally posted by Nightcrawler: Despite the "no old villains" rule, I was really hoping for a re-imagined Universo or Time Trapper or Mordru or someone to be behind Lemnos. I guess things can't be perfect.
It's funny, because I was so irritated when DnA had Venge turn out to be Computo, thinking that they'd ruined the most interesting new villain to face the Legion in years. But this time, I'd rather have someone old instead of this new villain, who seems really like a variation on all the various political manipulators we've seen in the past.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by SiliconDream: Oh, and did anyone notice Brainy discreetly hitting a couple of buttons at the end of his confrontation with Lemnos? Hopefully he left himself a clue to work on post-amnesia.
I caught that too but can't figure out what he could have used that wouldn't have been affected by Lemnos' power.
Also, I like the idea of rolling up some old characters like McCauley and Brande into Lemnos. Take a little bit from here and there and make a new villain. And who's to say that when (or if) the Legion defeats him that they really do. He could just appear to be beaten and then use his power to make all evidence and memories disappear so he can start plotting again.
From: Utah | Registered: Jul 2003
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