posted
Surprise #1: The solicited cover is not the actual cover. The feralization of Timberwolf is even more extreme. I believe the cover artist is Scott Kolins. I just don't get the cover switch. The solicited cover by Calero was my least favorite of the five Caleor covers, but that's kinda like saying the Miura is my least favorite Lamborghini.
We begin on Lallor with ERG-1/Wildfire threatening to kill the president. Out pops Vi with her sidearm to protect the pres.
Three hours earlier: Vi, Shady and Brin in a good old-fashioned slapdown with Lalloran armed guards. Calero's depition of Vi and Shady in a slugfest is spot-on.
Observers of the fight describe the Legion as diversion in their planned assassination of the Lalloran president.
Brin pulls one of the Lallorans aside and learns that Lallor is in a Pro/Anti U.P. civil disruption and that the Lallorans attacked the Legionnaires assuming that they were part of the planned assassination force.
Elsewhere on Lallor, "Randall" talks to his "bro" Drake who is in a containment tank about carrying out the planned presidential assassination and mentions that "old friends" will be blamed for the attack.
Shady and Brin, with Shrunken Vi meet the Lalloran president (nice capital building, Dennis) to get permission to seach for Cosmic Boy without being hounded by the president's goons. Brainy is communicating only with Vi that an attack on the capital is imminent and that she should let Brin take the lead in the resistance. (nice pic of Supergirl on the monitor in Brainy's lab.)
E.R.G.-1/Wildfire's attack on the capital starts. He takes out some armored guards with suspiciously little violence for someone who's supposed going to assassinate the president. He breaks/burns into the capitol building (let me reiterate -- this building is a glorious fusion of Brasilia-like funkiness with Bladerunnerish techno-intimidation. Calero excels like no other artist I know at story-telling though architecture.) In the building he is met by Brin, Shady and Vi. And in what is possibly the most awkward part of the book, tells his backstory. I'm here to kill the president, but first a few words about myself. I was born in a small town in . . .Turns out E.R.G.-1/Wildfire was turned into an energy being in an accident. He tried to join the Legion, fought a faminebot alongside CB,LL and SG. He defeated the bot, but his containment suit was breached and he spewed out and was left for dead by the Legionnaires. He harbors abandonment-oriented hostility toward the Legion as a result.
Brin, Shady and Vi, having grown bored with his curious sob-story finally go on the offensive. Fighting ensues, and E.R.G.-1/Wildfire is kicking LSH butt. A section of the building collapses on Brin, Vi asks Brainy if he's getting life-signs from Brin's ring transmitter.
Briny tells Vi, "Just stand clear of the rubble -- he's coming out." I was excited about the possibility of turning the page and seeing Brin reveal an HRC t-shirt under his costume or something, but that's not the kind of coming out that occurs.
Shirtless, hairy, be-clawed and sporting his Cockrum-era do, Brin says Okay, NOW I'm Mad...
end of issue to be continued in #35 Part II of E.R.G.onomics.
I'm disappointed that we didn't get the solicited cover, and will be really pissed if we don't get the other solicted Calero covers.
The story moves quickly - a little too quickly. I got to the end and felt like I was owed 5 or 6 more pages. There are good character interactions between the three featured Legionnaires. I'd say Calero's artwork is far more hits than misses (the recycled pic of Vi on page 2 and page 4 was a little confusing at first, and the pursed lip shot of Brin saying "Two -- if Cos was really . . ." is sort of distracting. This issue doesn't diminish my gushing enthusiasm for Dennis' work on this title. The sci-fi look distinguishes it from the clutter of mainstream super-hero groups.
I'd like to see this trio of Legionnaires together again. The Legion of Super Hard-edged Butt-kickers. Shady assumes the role of the level-headed diplomatic team-member. I'm really gonna miss this creative team when it's gone.
[ September 27, 2007, 04:25 AM: Message edited by: Lad Boy ]
From: Washington DC | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
It's a *lot* more extreme, and I don't like it. For that matter, I don't like the feralization of Atom Girl either. Calero's art seemed pretty choppy for a lot of the issue, and I thought that the schedule demanded a lot more would be wrapped up in this issue. Bedard and Calero's other LSH issues were better than this one.
posted
This doesn't sound like a full comic. It sounds like part one of a multi-part story from the Silver Age only those were 8-11 pages long and the second part appeared right afterward.
I hope there's more than than what's been mentioned thus far.
From: San Diego, CA | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
There's more; he just hasn't filled it in yet. There's a lot of backstory on Wildfire, for instance, most of which matches his original history.
posted
This is in indeed 1 of 2 part story, that culminates then in issue 36 that wraps everything up! Stick with it!
From: New York | Registered: May 2007
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Drake's 'old friends' are the Legion. We learn that Wildfire was probably one of the earliest after the founders to join. But during his first mission his suit cracked. Brainy was not with the team yet and would have detected his energy so Cos, LL and SG thought he died. Wildfire is kind of upset that they gave up on him so easily.
Randall seems to be using Drake as part of his anti-UP plan. Apparently he is going to frame the Legion for the President's assasination.
However Wildfire does seem to be part of Brainy's plan because he is kind of responsible for the Wolfman's transformation.
From: Canada | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
I liked that Wildfire's orginal suit in the flashback looked like the Copiel version from the reboot. Although not a real fan of the art I did really like seeing Wildfire back in action. The Legion has been in dire need of some Wildfire goddness for a long time. This version of Wildfire's origin is 10000000 times better than the bastardized version they gave us in the last reboot. The best part is as long as they don't destroy him next issue that mean he will be around for future writers to bring onto the team like he should have been from the start.
My one complaint about this issue is Atom Girl. God do I hate the new personality Waid slapped on her. She comes off as almost a nutjob half the time. That and Legionaries should not be carring around guns. The old Violet could have gone through those guys jsut as well without needing a gun.
From: Michigan | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Man, I really wish we'd gotten the other cover...
So.... Wildfire's back.
I'm not sure what's worse - the fact that he's an assassin for hire or the fact that Vi keeps a running body count. (could that be any more "LotR"??) Of course there's a chance Drake will get over his bitterness and join the Legion, but right now, he's pretty much a villain.
I'm also curious about his brother Randall. I believe the only brother Wildfire's ever had was Squire during TMK. Is Randall from elsewhere?
I do like how the Coipel suit was used, but this origin, while similar to the original, is obviously inferior. It makes me think they should stop trying to "reinvent" the Legion - cuz the new iterations almost never stack up.
I like Calero's art, but there were a few storytelling lapses, especially during the fight -- it kinda looks like Timberwolf is breaking the column against Wildfire, but the sound effect seems to indicate he's using his powers, despite no visual evidence of it (a fault of the colorist?), then that panel of the roof collapsing on T-Wolf is really unclear. if Shady hadn't told us what happened I would have had no idea - I looked at that panel for a minute or two and thought maybe Brin had gone through the wall.
And someone tell the colorist that the triangular section on Wildfire's torso is RED!!
[ September 26, 2007, 08:53 PM: Message edited by: DrakeB3004 ]
From: New York, NY | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
While I'm not too thrilled with the increasing level of violence (whatever happened to invulnerable super-villains?) that "body count" suggests, I gotta say that the new Vi is no more a dangerous nut-job than old-school Brin.
Back in the day, we spent a lot of time watching Ayla trying to calm down our raging wolf - and no one seems to be upset that he's back and about to decimate the room.
Yet Vi, as a rough-rough character, is triggering a response. Interesting.
For myself -- tho I'd like less real-seemeing violence in general -- if we're going to have crazy fights, I want to see it dished out by the girls as well as the boys. And I don't expect anybody who enjoys and/or specializes in hitting to be an especially nice kind of character.
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted
How sad that we didn't get the cover from Dennis that was solicited. It was far superior to the Kolins' cover. I wonder what the story on that is?
After being disappointed last month, I'm back on board with the Bedard/Calero Legion with this issue. I love artists who take risks. You never know with Dennis what to expect from page to page. It is a delight to turn the page and find images that are memorable and surprising. I look forward to following him to future projects. The colors continue to compliment his work and set the mood for the book.
Atom Girl was fun. Yeah, I know a lot of people object to this personality, but she was presented consistently with the way that Waid introduced her. She got in some good lines and some good action. My biggest disappointment was that she expressed an attraction to boys. All of the current members are now on record showing heterosexual leanings, so the opportunity for the 3boot to introduce a gay Legionnaire at the ground level has been missed. That is sad to me.
The changes to Lallor since it appeared early in the WaK run were explained smoothly. Nice touch that Bedard remembered that Brin wasn't involved at that time and used his questions as the vehicle for getting us up to date.
Wildfire has a brother named Randall. I'm curious to see where this goes. I hope he isn't forgotten like Gim's brother. Does anyone remember Drake's brother Squire from the Tom and Mary days?
I like the fact that Wildfire got an origin story. Many of the current members still haven't had their stories told, and those who have, got twists that didn't work for me (Gim, Lu, Tinya). Drake's is simple and fairly true to the original. No complaints from me. There is still plenty of room for him to turn it around and become one of the good guys. Great upgrade on his powers. No more leaking out and being scattered by a breach in the suit. That was seriously overused in the past.
I'm once again looking forward to the next issue.
-------------------- No regrets, Coyote.
From: Missouri | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
Squire was BS. It was a tease, a twist, taunting those of us who wanted Drake back in the book! I believe the first mention of a brother was when TMK showed him instead of Drake, and he convientently had the same powers (and how Dominator mind control can affect a being of anti-energy I will never understand, comic book science or not...). Don't even go there!
I figured Bedard used Randall's name since post-boot Randall was one of the two heroes who fused to become Wildfire after the battle with Mordru. Let the lameness begin! Don't even go there either!
I haven't read the issue yet, but I'm glad to hear Drake's origin has reverted to close to the one we know and love.
-------------------- Craig C.
- Time travel stories are told in chronillogical order.
From: Santa Ana, CA | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I just double checked the post-boot issues, and Randall Burroughs, a.k.a. Atom'X, of Xanthu was one of the two whose energies fused to become Windfire. So it looks like Bedard used both preboot and postboot stories in reimagining Wildfire.
-------------------- Craig C.
- Time travel stories are told in chronillogical order.
From: Santa Ana, CA | Registered: Jul 2003
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