Okay, wow! He'll be writing both Adventure Comics and a new Legion of Super-Heroes book? That's exciting news!
It seems like the Superboy and the Legion: Secret Origin story will be in Adventure while he'll start from where Geoff Johns left off in the main Legion book.
I wonder if he's still doing an Adventure Comics annual.
Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
Yes. Yes. Yes. GOD yes.
Posted by Dev Em on :
I think this should be a fun ride. I give Paul some leeway when it comes to the Legion.
The new kid they have as artist looks great. What is it about the Legion being the training ground for artists that move on to much bigger things.
He does reiterate that someone's homeworld gets destroyed. He also says that one relationship has gone south in the missing time we have not seen them.
He says that he is picking up after his initial run, and then Geoff's stuff. This obviously means that the Baxter series happened in total. And the there are obvious things that have happened that we have not seen. With obvious changes/tweaks to continuity...
I'm getting excited. He also says that there is a story that Giffen wants to do with him...that is something that this fan is looking forward to.
Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
I, I kinda blacked out for a few seconds after that last post.
Posted by Dev Em on :
quote:Originally posted by Sarcasm Kid: Yes. Yes. Yes. GOD yes.
quote:Originally posted by Sarcasm Kid: I, I kinda blacked out for a few seconds after that last post.
Should we change your code name? Orgasm Kid..? Posted by Dev Em on :
From the cover they show...it looks like the peekaboo outfits continue for some others as well...
Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
Please. I blacked out because I lost my footing as I stood up and hit my head on the coffee table. If you'll excuse me I have bits of scalp I need to scrub out while the paramedics arrive. Hmph.
Posted by Haggard Lad on :
Give it some time and this new artist might get to redesign some of those costumes.
Posted by Dev Em on :
Sorry Sarcasm Kid...
This new guy looks like a real find. I'm also hoping for some costume tweaks along the way.
Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
I was joking.
Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
Alice! That's it. Cinar's rendition of Saturn Girl reminded me of Alice from Detective Comics.
Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
Although the marriage he's talking about better be Gim and Yera because I have a lot of ideas piled up for the Ranzzes when I break into the field.
Posted by Dev Em on :
I'm actually thinking Tamia/Lar or Jo/Tinya. I think Gim/Yera are okay, as they were still married during Geoff's stuff IIRC.
Posted by Set on :
Random thoughts about that really cool group shot at the bottom of the post;
More guys have long hair (Garth, Brainy, Jo) and more girls have short hair (Imra, Tinya).
This new artist is making me like the costumes a little bit more than the last one (although this is still probably the worst costume Garth has ever had).
Even Night Girl has a boob window. Yeesh. Kudos to Imra and Ayla and Yera for keeping their chesticles in their shirts. Ditto, cheers to any of the menfolk who still have sleeves!
The 21st century contingent is still not present, including Mon-El, Dream Girl, Sensor, Element Lad, Tellus & Starman.
Also Quislet and Tyroc, although mentioned in the interview, aren't around.
Although I may have missed her, 'cause she's a wee lass, I'm not seeing Salu either...
No Sun Boy or Polar Boy, either, come to think of it.
No sign of XS or whomever else stayed behind at the end of Lo3W (Gates?).
Blok, interestingly, is in the picture, although Mysa isn't.
And from the interview, duh, Shadow Lass is the one who should have nine fingers.
Which couple didn't make it?
We've seen that Blok and Mysa remain together. We've seen that Gim and Yera are still married. We've seen that Mon and Shady are still together (when they rescue him from the zone). Cos has stated that Garth and Imra are still together (but that he's alone). Drake and Dawny seem to be more 'together' than they have been in quite some time.
Which leaves, for long time couples, Jo and Tinya, which I don't recall seeing shown as 'together' during the Johnsboot stuff.
(Not counting Brainy and Kara, because today's character is nothing like Brainy's Kara.)
[ January 14, 2010, 09:26 AM: Message edited by: Set ]
Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
What about the one piece dark blue he wore right before the reboot happened?
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
There you go. Rokk and Lydda.
Posted by Para-Dox on :
quote:Originally posted by Set:
(Not counting Brainy and Kara, because today's character is nothing like Brainy's Kara.)
All the eye rolls in the world doesn't sum up my opinion of that
Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
And yet that doesn't stop us from trying.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
I'm pretty damn excited about this! LOSH *and* Adventure! AWESOME!
The 10 fingers comment he made refers to Shady obviously--probably to do with some of the continuity changes that were made.
And not only Levitz/Giffen but Jim Sherman might be coming back too! Wow!!
Posted by Gorilla Nebula on :
Failed couple: could be Ayla/Vi, or Ayla/Brin, or Cos/Night Girl. i like the artist. he's clearly newish and finding his style but i see a lot of potential. also his simple take on faces leaves the age up to interpretation. some artists have drawn the legion too old and grizzled. i REALLY dislike the costumes.(except Cos's) i noticed Cosmic Boy has one orb smaller than the other four on his chest. it's repeated in the group shot. wonder what that's about. maybe it's missing... a tribute to Pol? Levitz didn't mention the Ardeen-Ranzz babies. he mentions Xs. i realize that the Tornado Twins (Dawn Allen is her mom) are still alive in this Earth and same age as the legionnaires. i hope he touches on this.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Also just want to point out that artwork shown isn't a poster or a cover but appears to be a page from one of the story interiors. So it naturally won't include a lot of Legionnaires.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
Somebody's planet is going to be destroyed, huh?
Didn't we lose Orando in threeboot? And Vulcan in the last Star Trek movie?
Apparently, destroying planets is the modern day version of upping the ante.
I'm glad that Levitz is returning to the Legion, and some of his ideas sound intriguing--particularly xenophobia as something human beings never really shake. But in the era of the $3.99 comic book, it's going to take a lot to pull me back in as a reader.
Posted by Gorilla Nebula on :
here's the artist's webpage. looks good! more dynamic than i was expecting. http://www.yildiraycinar.net/ i'm glad he doesn't have an "Image" style and also is not too tight like a lot of artists they put on futuristic books.
Posted by doublechinner on :
Sometimes the universe produces good news just when you need it. I've learned that my interest in comics in general is pretty closely tied to the publication of a good Legion comic. As a result, the past year I've found it harder and harder to trek to the comic book store and fork over ridiculous sums of money. The last week I was seriously considering chucking the whole thing. And then this happens. No pressure, Levitz, but my comic reading future, and DC's continued revenue from ME, rest entirely on your nebbishy shoulders. Do NOT disappoint me!
The IO9 article is a must read. Levitz just gives wonderful interviews -- without spoiling anything major, he conveys a thoughtfulness and insight that few of his "peers" manage (DiDio!).
It's so interesting that Paul has latched onto Earth Man. On the one hand, I worry that Paul is repeating his pattern of doing variations on existing themes rather than striking out into new creative territory. On the other hand, maybe it only makes sense to include a character that recent readers will recognize, especially if you have a good story to tell about him.
Random speculation time:
During the 80s, Shadow Lass cut off a finger to symbolize her "marriage" to Mon-El. She clearly has all her fingers now (as Levitz himself emphasizes in the IO9 interview). Did the marriage never happen? Or is it over? How do Talokians regrow fingers? Mitigating against this is the fact that we saw Shady and Mon together (at least working together in their old familiar way) during FC: Lo3W, when they went to rouse Sodom Yat on Oa. I agree we don't seem to have seen Phantom Girl and Ultra Boy together, so maybe that relationship is over? I honestly can't remember, did they marry during Levitz's last run? Were they ever married in the original Legion? And with Tyroc back, I now agree the homeworld destroyed might in fact be his!
whose work looks really exciting. Wow. I'm almost in good mood now, and for me, in the 2nd week of January in Chicago, that's saying something.
Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
Phantom Girl and Ultra Boy nearly got married during the Five Year Gap, but she was supposedly killed instead.
Tyroc was from Marzal, an island, not a planet--unless this has been retconned or changed over the years.
Posted by doublechinner on :
Wasn't Marzal given some sort of Brigadoon status? Also, maybe in the intervening years, Marzal relocated to an actual planet?
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
quote:Originally posted by doublechinner: Wasn't Marzal given some sort of Brigadoon status? Also, maybe in the intervening years, Marzal relocated to an actual planet?
Marzal shifted periodically into another dimension, a la Brigadoon, but it was still an island.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Wow, Yildiray Cinar looks awesome! He might be like another Olivier Copiel or Frances Manupal!
Of course, once I stop having an easy way to copy and paste his name from other posts you better believe I'll never spell that right...
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
Just think of it as futuristic Legion name. Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
If one of the biggest problems around Marzal was the idea that it was an island populated solely by a race descended from African American slaves who wanted nothing to do with the rest of a predominately white Earth, and that they might be the ONLY black people left on Earth, I doubt anyone would think it'd be a good idea to transfer it to another planet. It'd be enough to cause continuous orgasms throughout most of the skinhead community.
I'm so shrill, aren't I?
Posted by doublechinner on :
Maybe they make the mistake of settling on the remains of New Krypton? Note to all comic book characters -- NEVER sign a long-term lease on a planet named "Krypton."
I too am excited by Cinar's art. On the one hand, he seems to be trying hard to honor the character designs Gary Frank used for the mature Legionnaires. On the other hand, his character studies have fullness to them, a humane quality, that I really like. Cos is particularly interesting. One of the best things about the 3Boot, and the JohnsBoot too, to a lesser extent, is Cosmic Boy's transformation from a generic-looking superhero kid to a distinctive human being. Yildiray seems to be continuing that, which is nice. His close-up of Cos reminds me a lot of Christian Bale in "Batman Begins" -- the prison/ninja apprentice Bruce Wayne. Also, his group shot suggests a decent skill for 31C cityscapes, which is a prerequisite for Legion artist in my book. I would LOVE to see an artist's take on what a 31C Istanbul or Shanghai or Baghdad or Dubai looks like!
Posted by Blockade Boy on :
Who is that, front and center of the group shot?
A Turkish artist. This could lead to some interesting cultural aspects to the art, we've not previously seen.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
quote:Originally posted by Blockade Boy: Who is that, front and center of the group shot?
Brainiac 5. I didn't recognize him, either, until I saw the force field belt.
Posted by Dev Em on :
Not in favor of the sleeveless look on Ultra Boy. Or any of the other guys for that matter.
Posted by Ultra Jorge on :
I'm with most every one here...estatic! That was a great interview. I really liked his answers and where he is heading with things...and his approach.
Can it get better? Yes...an unknown artist who ROCKS! Beautiful stuff man. I agree he makes these new costumes look better. (not that i disliked them before)
Posted by Ultra Jorge on :
quote:Originally posted by Blockade Boy: Who is that, front and center of the group shot?
A Turkish artist. This could lead to some interesting cultural aspects to the art, we've not previously seen.
Agreed. Since it is the Legion and has a different setting than the rest of the DCU he can add something exotic and new to the landscape/design of the 31st century.
Posted by Chaim Mattis Keller on :
Set gave a nice run-down of who's missing from that group shot, but forgot Invisible Kid. Unless we're assuming he's there but invisible.
Posted by Dev Em on :
IIRC Shady performed the ritual after Lar was devastated by the Trapper during the conspiracy storyline. Like I said IIRC...it's been a while since I read that run.
He was on life support and failing, so she did it to show her commitment to him.
He "died" during the Magic Wars due to technology failing.
If he never faced the Trapper, or certain things have changed...she would probably never have performed the ritual.
Posted by Set on :
quote:Originally posted by Chaim Mattis Keller: Set gave a nice run-down of who's missing from that group shot, but forgot Invisible Kid. Unless we're assuming he's there but invisible.
I was like, 'Invisible Kid, isn't he dead?' then I remembered Jacques. Ah, poor Jacques. I remembered to look for Chemical King (who I *know* is dead), but didn't remember Jacques.
Posted by Stealth on :
If Levitz isn't forced to integrate his Legion stories with the rest of the DCU, it might be good or even great. But otherwise, all bets are off as far as I'm concerned. I'm just so sick of the DCU under DiDio, and I'm wary of buying anything because every little bit makes it less likely DiDio will be fired.
I'll Byrne-steal Levitz's new Legion at first and see what I think.
Posted by superboymddjr on :
where are Matter Eater Lad, Bouncing Boy, and Duplicat Damsel? I see Blok - thought he permanently stays with Black White??
Posted by Glen Cadigan on :
Unless I've missed something, no one has mentioned Bouncing Boy and Duplicate Damsel as a marriage that could potentially break up.
Posted by superboymddjr on :
and looks like the 21st century Legionnaires are still busy teaming up with Superman - Sensor Girl, Element Lad, Cham (now where is HE!!??!!??), Tellus.
Posted by DrakeB3004 on :
I really like the art. He has a firm grasp of real anatomy. The new costumes are still god-awful for the most part. I'm encouraged by Levitz's statement that the costumes might get an update.
Posted by Para-Dox on :
You know, from the drawing it looks like someone finally realised that Brainy fits the Byronic Hero archetype. I really used to hate the longer hair but it really fits here. I've had enough of the nerdy social misfit interpretation of the character, lets get back to basics.
As for the interview, such big changes so quickly worries me because its going to end up upsetting core fans and they don't need bad word of mouth.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
quote:Originally posted by superboymddjr: where are Matter Eater Lad, Bouncing Boy, and Duplicat Damsel? I see Blok - thought he permanently stays with Black White??
The image appears to be from within the comic itself, not a poster or cover. So it would appear it's not meant to be a catch all group shot.
Posted by Awkward Pause Boy on :
Hooray!
Except for destroying a homeworld. That's just silly.
Posted by Superboy on :
I've been pretty lukewarm about Levitz return up this point...yes he wrote the greatest Legion story ever, and yes he also was there when the wheels came off.
This article makes it sound like he's on the right track...and he's absolutely right that the Legion pretty much has to be started midstream(it always has been before except once), and it also has to be accessible. Definitely a challenge. Definitely the challenge.
There is one detail from the article though that needs to be fixed:
quote:Paul Levitz: I think the schtick that Geoff started, with what I've come to call "identifier captions," where instead of having Saturn Girl say "And by the way, I read minds," there's a caption saying "Saturn Girl, Powers: Telepathy" is a wonderful tradition and I'm hoping that will help.
Credit where credit is due, I believe it was Mr. Legion Fan #2 aka Mark Waid that came up with that schtick at the beginning of the 3boot. Before Johns started doing it. Granted, it is still possible the idea may have been Johns' but the first time I remember it being used was when Waid launched the 3boot about 2-3 years before the Lighning Saga.
I'm as big of a Johns fan as anyone but the credit for that particular innovation belongs to Mark Waid from what I can recall.
Posted by Jerry on :
Great interview. Great preview art. Two Legion books per month. I can't wait.
Posted by Blockade Boy on :
quote:Originally posted by Superboy:
quote:Paul Levitz: I think the schtick that Geoff started, with what I've come to call "identifier captions," where instead of having Saturn Girl say "And by the way, I read minds," there's a caption saying "Saturn Girl, Powers: Telepathy" is a wonderful tradition and I'm hoping that will help.
am I the only one that was really, really annoyed by those captions? It quickly became, enough already. We don't need those captions for the one or two new readers this month. Like those ubiquitous network identifiers that always hide any play along the bottom sideline of a football game. I KNOW what channel I turned on....
grrrr
Posted by Gorilla Nebula on :
i was only annoyed by the captions when they were wrong! and yes it was from the Waid/Kitson version. who knows whether it was Waid or Kitson or Editor or Production.
Posted by Blacula on :
I'd rather have the captions than, as Levitz mentions, read Saturn Girl saying something like "Cosmic Boy, please use your powers of super-magnetism to keep this villain tied to his chair while I, Saturn Girl, will now use my powers of super-telepathy to read his mind."
As for the news - FANTASTIC! Adventure ComicsANDLegion of Super-Heroes!?! The best part of being a Legion fan in the 90s was that we got a new Legion story every 2 weeks! That's when I became a Legion fan and it's spoiled me ever since. A month is too long to wait between stories about this universe - especially when there are SOOOOOOO many good stories to be told in it.
I, Blacula, have the emotion of super-excitement at this news!
And the artist, whom I've never seen before, looks like he wil be a great fit too. I *love* the Frank costumes and he draws them just as well as he did, along with some impressive-looking buildings (which as someone else mentioned, is very important in a Legion artist) and good-looking faces. He really could be the next Coipel! All that and Jim Sherman too! What a fantastic surprise that is.
And best of all, we finally get a confirmed cut-off point of when the Johns-boot Legion comes from! And the promise of an explanation for some of the inconsistencies between then and now. I wonder if that will be enough for some of the continuity nit-pickers on this board who have been resistant to this version of the team?
The one downside to this interview - a Legion homeworld is still getting destroyed. Planet-destruction - probably the one story-telling device that I am most sick of in the Legion universe!
Another plus though - Tyroc is back? YES!
[ January 14, 2010, 11:24 PM: Message edited by: Blacula ]
Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
Put me down as a fan of the Bierbaum/Sprouse picture/powers roll calls on the splash page.
Posted by Blacula on :
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Put me down as a fan of the Bierbaum/Sprouse picture/powers roll calls on the splash page.
I did like them too. Especially the way Moy made them a fun, unique feature on each opening page.
But too often they seemed like an arbitrary collection of characters that was too limited by how many head-shots they could fit on one page.
Like, characters who might've had a fairly sizeable role in some issues wouldn't get a head-shot at the beginning because too many other members had already taken the spots, while in other issues a character who might've just been sitting around in the background with no lines would get one. It was a bit too random for me.
Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
Guys, you remember that mention from Levitz about Jim Sherman possibly coming back on Legion?
I think I might be responsible for that.
Posted by DrakeB3004 on :
quote:Originally posted by Blockade Boy: am I the only one that was really, really annoyed by those captions? It quickly became, enough already.
I'll take those over the roll call headshots, the silhouetted lineup page from Waid's run or awkward exposition.
Posted by doublechinner on :
Posted elsewhere as well:
There are a couple of ... interesting facial expressions on the big group shot -- Dawnstar looks content to mildly happy, and Saturn Girl looks explosive. Both seem out character for these ladies. I will be interested to see if anything in the stories supports their demeanor. These aren't complaints, just observations. One of the more dynamic poses I've seen for Wildfire; Shadow Lass looks iconic; and this has to be one of THE best facial expressions I've EVER seen for Brainy -- insouciant, supremely self-confident, but not vril-ly. Para-dox states it brilliantly: Byronic.
Posted by Candle on :
quote:Originally posted by Sarcasm Kid: Guys, you remember that mention from Levitz about Jim Sherman possibly coming back on Legion?
I think I might be responsible for that.
Do tell?!
And I like the captions, if I can read them. The red in yellow is a combination that my eyes don't see well.
I'm tired of destroyed planets, too. The reboot got rid of Dryad, Trom and Skylar, at least. It seems like Daxam's been destroyed at least once, I can't remember when, Orando in Primeboot and Zerox in Baxter.
Earth Man, I'm afraid, would be my last pick for a storyarc to be built on. He kind of reminds me of the reboot wacko hero from the DnA galaxy, too.
The Legion has dealt with xenaphobia many times, even before Waid/Kitson. The whole idea of using kids was because the theory was that kids are more accepting of differences. I've worked with kids for many years and that an urban myth that is totally untrue. They're little monsters with anyone different.
College age is where the most acceptance comes in, I think, although I don't have any empirical proof.
Sherman is okay, as is Giffen. I'd like to see Lightle, Hughes and Coipel do arcs, myself. Grell might be fun, as well, as long as they keep him away from costume design. sorry
The new artist looks quite interesting, exciting even. Ayla and Brainiac are awesome, as is Shady, even though I hate her costume. He even made Imra smile! I like her in short hair.
The couple that went south, besides maybe Cos and Night Girl, might be Nura and Throm. The whole Starman thing is so strange, he acts like he's lost her forever, even though he still loves her. She acted pretty strange in the Lightning Saga, too.
I'm really happy about 2 titles plus Lar is still in Justice League and/or Superman? We also have the 'timed' Legionnaires for awhile longer. Such riches!
Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
Because Sherman was at Big Apple Con in June, and I showed him my hardcover of Superman and the Legion because I wanted a commission of one of the Legionnaires in their new outfits by a classic LoSH artist. He did Saturn Girl. I think that was the first he heard of it.
Posted by Candle on :
Ahhhh. Thanks for sharing that encounter. I love little tidbits like that!
Posted by MLLASH on :
quote:Originally posted by superboymddjr: where are Matter Eater Lad, Bouncing Boy, and Duplicat Damsel?
Oh, gawd, NOOOOOOO!!!! Levitz, don't start this merde again!!!!
Meanwhile, the new artist is TITS.
PS/
Don't forget Drura!
Posted by Arm Fall Off Boy on :
WOW O WOW O WOW O WOW O WOW O WOW O Wow! Here I am, have to be at work tomorrow at 7am. "Let's see if there's anything new with the Legion this week..HOLY CRAP!" Now I'm up later than I should be and will probably have a hard time getting to sleep--and I couldn't be happier!
Levitz mentions that Keith Giffen wanted to do a certain issue--I'll bet it's not the one where "the planet___________ explodes into a million pieces."
I am so looking forward to this. Two Legion books a month? It's like Christmas all year long! I'm using a lot of exclamation marks!!!!
This sounds great and the artist looks impressive. Things I'd like to see changed:
1. The caption boxes. Okay, fine if you are going to keep them, but contrasting colors please! Black and white...Yellow and black...White and blue... 2. I'd like to see LL's costume change too. Looks too much like a diaper. 3. Just a little longer hair for Saturn Girl. It looks like she had it shaved in some prison camp and it never grew back right. There was just no explanation for why the sudden change.
The group shot: Hopefully this is either a centerfold page or one of those where they fly off at the end of the issue. Nothing says it has to be from the first issue either. In summary: YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!
Posted by cleome on :
[waves at AFOB]
I honestly don't understand why SG's hair needs to be "explained." I see plenty of women IRL who wear their hair super-short. (It has nothing to do with, er, "prison camp." Women like it because it's low-maintenance and doesn't feel heavy and unwieldy, usually.) Frankly, I always like seeing it in comics, rather than the traditional flowing locks all over the place.
Now if we could just get some curly-haired females in there somewhere.
Posted by razsolo on :
Sooo....which planet do we think it's gonna be? Off the top of my head, if I HAD to choose a Legion homeworld to destroy, I would choose Braal. Other than the fact that it's Cos's homeworld, I don't think it really adds anything to the Legion mythos (unless they want to do the Braal/Imsk war, which might be interesting).
I think a lot of potential could be lost by losing a lot of the other worlds....Bgtzl, Titan, Naltor, Carggg, and so on; I think all of these have really interesting stories waiting to be told about their societies, their contributions to the UP and such...
The only problem I guess is that Cos has already lost his family and broken up with Lydda, does he really need any more tragedy?
Something that I noticed in Levitz's interview was his mention of a Legionnaire with ten whole fingers who SHOULDN'T have ten whole fingers....I guess this isn't really a spoiler because I noticed it in LO3W as well, but I assume he's talking about Shady? I am interested in knowing how her betrothal to Mon-El panned out; they seem to be still together..
Levitz always hated Tyroc, I wonder how he's gonna use him? I wonder how this new team dynamic is gonna work with two Durlans, Luournu's expanded powers, Chuck, Tenzil and Quislet back on the roster....interesting times to be a Legion fan I think! Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
He needs to lose his powers.
Posted by superboymddjr on :
quote:Originally posted by MLLASH:
quote:Originally posted by superboymddjr: where are Matter Eater Lad, Bouncing Boy, and Duplicat Damsel?
Oh, gawd, NOOOOOOO!!!! Levitz, don't start this merde again!!!!
Meanwhile, the new artist is TITS.
PS/
Don't forget Drura!
oh....sorry....maybe I should have said "where's Sun Boy and Polar Boy?" instead. Posted by Dev Em on :
Had to go there...
Posted by Doctor One on :
Here's a prediction: the destroyed planet will be Durla.
I'm extatic about the good news, too. Can't wait.
[ January 16, 2010, 01:11 PM: Message edited by: Doctor One ]
Posted by cleome on :
[snip]
quote:Originally posted by Doctor One: Here's a prediction: the destroyed planet will be Durla.
[slaps forehead]
I hope not. Posted by lil'rhino on :
JAMES SHERMAN!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
You're welcome.
Posted by Blockade Boy on :
quote:Originally posted by Doctor One: Here's a prediction: the destroyed planet will be Durla.
reasoning?
quote:Originally posted by cleome: [waves at AFOB]
I honestly don't understand why SG's hair needs to be "explained." I see plenty of women IRL who wear their hair super-short. (It has nothing to do with, er, "prison camp." Women like it because it's low-maintenance and doesn't feel heavy and unwieldy, usually.)
Then why'd you go ahead an explain it?
Geez, one more mystery uncovered.
Posted by cleome on :
[snip]
quote:Then why'd you go ahead an explain it?...
BB, that's my explanation. I don't expect that the pros are trailing me around and hanging on my every word. If they are, I want cash, and a trendy title like "Half-Baked Itinerant Consultant At Large" or whatever.
Oh, and I have long hair IRL. I'd look just like your standard issue hot super-chick if not for... uh, everything else. Posted by MLLASH on :
Durla, huh?
COULD be a way to begin the slow process of lightening up the xenephobia in the new continuity. Y'know, everyone joins together to show support after the planet they all secretly were afraid of was destroyed by drunken space-rednecks?
Posted by cleome on :
Great. Just great. Now not only have I got Midnight Oil's "Redneck Wonderland" stuck in my head, I keep picturing Durlans as all carrying surfboards and speaking with thick Aussie accents.
[shakes fist]
Curse you, Super-Lash Tot! Currrrse yooooou!!11 Posted by lil'rhino on :
Durla's the planet. Rokk & Lydda are the couple he's referring too.
Posted by lil'rhino on :
JAMES SHERMAN!!!!
Posted by Dev Em on :
quote:Originally posted by cleome: Great. Just great. Now not only have I got Midnight Oil's "Redneck Wonderland" stuck in my head, I keep picturing Durlans as all carrying surfboards and speaking with thick Aussie accents.
[shakes fist]
Curse you, Super-Lash Tot! Currrrse yooooou!!11
Posted by Owl Lad on :
I felt like I've been in a comics coma and I've finally come to!
May is too long away.
Everything sounds too good to be true.
I like the idea of Tyroc's homeworld going buh-bye, giving him a reason to return to Legion permanently. More legionnaires from racial minorities seems to make logical sense for a group that's supposed to represent different worlds. It's the U.N. of space.
The idea of Durla biting the dust is an intriguing one, since any survivors could now hide anywhere as anyone; they could be the most targeted race to be hated due to the xenophobia that Levitz wants to focus on.
Posted by Silver Age Lad on :
quote:Originally posted by Owl Lad: More legionnaires from racial minorities seems to make logical sense for a group that's supposed to represent different worlds. It's the U.N. of space.
The whole problem I have is that Africans aren't a racial minority there are over a billion now -caucasions only account for about 700 million, while the Indian sub-continent and China both have a billion.
OK other planets may have different breakdowns but the Earth representatives should reflect the population now or as it is likely to be in 1000 years - possibly 'coffee colored people by the score'.
Posted by Blockade Boy on :
Eh, I think there's something not right with that accounting. We're missing some people.
Anyhow
I've been seeing more and more purple people. Can't imagine how many of those there will be in 1000 years, but I'm pretty sure they'll dominate.
A 1000 years isn't all that long for a darwin type genetic revolution to take place so current trends being what they are...
Of course now if planets had been populated by people who were alien kidnapped before the sail sped up color mixing, then we could reasonably still see distinct present day earth type racial characteristics.
Posted by Owl Lad on :
[/qb][/QUOTE]The whole problem I have is that Africans aren't a racial minority there are over a billion now -caucasions only account for about 700 million, while the Indian sub-continent and China both have a billion.
OK other planets may have different breakdowns but the Earth representatives should reflect the population now or as it is likely to be in 1000 years - possibly 'coffee colored people by the score'. [/QB][/QUOTE]
Even by this estimation, then, all the more to see more black, Indian and Chinese characters(at least one so as not to alienate the entire reading demographic).
Posted by cleome on :
[snip]
quote:Originally posted by Owl Lad:
Even by this estimation, then, all the more to see more black, Indian and Chinese characters(at least one so as not to alienate the entire reading demographic).
We Caucazoids really need to be better about sharing our toys with others.
Writers and artists lament about the difficulty of portraying a character like Tyroc, and fans complain that characters of color are "too angry," "too bland," "too good and infallible," etc. An obvious way to alleviate this problem is to have more than just a single token person of color in an ongoing story. Have two, have twenty, but not just one.
Nobody refers to a character like Guy Gardner as "the angry White man," do they? If he were the only White character in the Green Lanterns, though...
Posted by Silver Age Lad on :
quote:Originally posted by Blockade Boy: Eh, I think there's something not right with that accounting. We're missing some people.
the point was really about people of African skin/features not being a minority. The UN recently 'celebrated' Africa passing the 1 billion population point following on from India doing so a few years back
quote:Originally posted by Owl Lad:
Even by this estimation, then, all the more to see more black, Indian and Chinese characters(
My point exactly
Posted by Blockade Boy on :
Don't forget Melanesians. Can't have too many Melanesians.
Posted by Candle on :
Now that we're back to the retroboot, the writers and artists can pay more attention to the little details that separate different ethnic groups and employ some of them for more diversity (plus add new Legionnaires that are 'different'.)
Tinya - Mexican or Puerto Rican Luornu - Slavic Val, if alive - Asian Jo - Russian Rokk - Hebrew Dawnstar - Indian, oh, she's already Plains Indian, sorry Salu - Mediterranian, Greek or Egyptian or French Ayla/Garth - Scottish/Dutch redheads with freckles, very rare Imra/Nura/Mysa/Jecka - Scandinavian Jacques/Daniel - French/African Jennie - American/Mulato (her father always looked Creole, to me) Gim - middle American/Canadian
Anyway, that's the idea, play up regional differences for more diversity.
Posted by Blacula on :
^^^ I always thought Jenni's Dad's origins stretched back to the Indian sub-contintent. She always looked more Indian than African to me anyway.
Posted by Candle on :
I don't know. I thought he looked Spanish but I've been told he was at least partically, black. But India is a perfect place for him to come from, too.
I'm just pretty much fantisizing in that post about ethnicity. The principle issue is focus on cultural diversity more than racial differences but that those differences can be shown somewhat in physical ways.
Where's Sketch when we need him?!
Posted by Set on :
quote:Originally posted by Candle: Tinya - Mexican or Puerto Rican
In Superboy's Legion, she had a hint of (East) Indian, which was a nice look for her. Then again, trying to fill ethnic slots with aliens, like Bgtzlns or Carggites or Braalians, somewhat defeats the purpose, IMO.
"Oh sure, we're gonna totally neglect your millenia old culture, that represents like 20% of the Earth's population, but Tinya looks kinda Indian, is that good enough? Oh, and we had that dude who became Earth president, Gupta something, and sure, he was a dupe of a supervillain, but at least we didn't say that the entire population of India left Earth to go to a magical disappearing island..."
Anasazi, actually, so more Arizona-based Native American. Comic book native americans are always plains dwellers (Marvel's Black Crow) or desert dwellers (Marvel's mythical Kewazi tribe). It would be neat to see a Seminole, or a South American native, but given that the Legion doesn't even have token members of groups that outnumber caucasians (such as Asians or East Indians), I don't think I'll hold my breath for an Iroquois showing up.
quote: Salu - Mediterranian, Greek or Egyptian or French
Her name becomes a pun, if she's French, so go for it!
Imsk is one of those worlds that hurts my head. Shrinking is such a mind-boggling power. Imsk must exist on the periphery of a black hole or something... I must stop thinking about this, before another Legion Worlds fanfic results!
quote: Gim - middle American/Canadian
He's already Jewish, and grew up on Mars, so, for an Earth-human, he's less bland than, say, Dirk or Invisible Lyle.
[ January 19, 2010, 01:48 AM: Message edited by: Set ]
Posted by Silver Age Lad on :
quote:Originally posted by Set: "Oh sure, we're gonna totally neglect your millenia old culture, that represents like 20% of the Earth's population, but Tinya looks kinda Indian, is that good enough? Oh, and we had that dude who became Earth president, Gupta something, and sure, he was a dupe of a supervillain, but at least we didn't say that the entire population of India left Earth to go to a magical disappearing island..."
The Earth in the 21st century is becoming much more ethnicly mixed and in a lot of places were there is diversification (France, the UK, Brazil for exampla), there is a high percentage of mixed marriages. Here in the UK it is estimated that very soon 45% of all Afro-Caribbeans will marry outside their population.
Extrapolate this for 1000 years/200 generations and there aren't going to be any caucasions, Indians or Africans just a whole lot of Beyonce Knowles
Posted by Superboy-Supergirl on :
i realize that the Tornado Twins (Dawn Allen is her mom) are still alive in this Earth and same age as the legionnaires. i hope he touches on this.
They're one and the same. Dawn (from this Era/Earth) is Her mom. They relocated to Earth 247 (it was referred too in the Final Crisis: Legion of 3 worlds)
Posted by Set on :
quote:Originally posted by Silver Age Lad: Extrapolate this for 1000 years/200 generations and there aren't going to be any caucasions, Indians or Africans just a whole lot of Beyonce Knowles
True, to a point. Blue eyes, for instance, are recessive, and something like 80% of the population doesn't even have the genes for them today. 1000 years from now, blue eyes are going to be a cosmetic choice, not something you are born with. Blonde hair (and redheads) are similarly on the way out, but that doesn't stop a truly staggering number of people from bleaching their hair blonde, or tinting it red (as a trip to pretty much any public venue outside of Scandinavia will highlight).
It's already happening pretty quickly in melting pot America. Perhaps in another 250 years or so we'll be pretty much the same color, and have one less reason to clutch our pearls in fear and walk over to the other side of the street when we see a cluster of 'scary' people.
Posted by KryptonKid on :
quote:Originally posted by Blacula: ^^^ I always thought Jenni's Dad's origins stretched back to the Indian sub-contintent. She always looked more Indian than African to me anyway.
Me, too.
Posted by brigort on :
Yildiray Cinar did some work on Jay Faerbers' Dynamo5 that was published by Image. While he didn't do a lot of work, what he did do was quite nice. I think he might be a nice fit for Legion.
Posted by Candle on :
Being recessive doesn't mean that it disappears from the gene pool, it just means it doesn't show up until someone else with the recessive gene shows up. Coloring is extremely complicated anyway.
In my family, my Mom had blue eyes and my Dad had brown. Both of my brothers have blue eyes and mine are hazel green.
A friend of mine in high school came from parents with dark brown hair and brown eyes. All three of their daughters are carrot tops with blue eyes. Only the one boy in the family has brown hair and eyes.
And many cultures on Earth are NOT melting pots. Many of the scandinavians remain mostly scandinavian. Many of the Asian countries remain mostly Asian and etc..
A thousand years isn't going to erase ethnicity except maybe, in those countries that have high emigration.
And I had no idea that Gim was supposed to be Jewish! He certainly doesn't act or look Jewish. Anyway.
When I cast Tinya in my photo posters, I've usually used Jaslene, who's Hispanic. She just feels right to me, but maybe I'll explore a more Indian (India) look.
Posted by cleome on :
What would a character do to "act Jewish"?
Jews can also be of European (East or West), Middle Eastern, Hispanic or African extraction (for starters)-- so there's probably no one way to "look Jewish," either.
[ January 21, 2010, 09:25 PM: Message edited by: cleome ]
Posted by Candle on :
I knew someone would say that when I wrote it. sigh
I meant 'classic' Jewish. Which is what we're talking about here, classic ethnic looks.
All of the different groups, red and yellow black and white (brown isn't in the song, but brown), have huge variations within them, so if the discussion is on Legionnaires representing different ethnic backgrounds, I think that we have to be addressing the stereo types for whichever group we're talking about.
For 'acting Jewish' I was thinking of someone who would identify themself as Jewish. That tends to mean strong family and religious connections. Gim has the family but not the religious background. I know Jewish people don't HAVE to have strong religious beliefs but again, we're talking about the Legion representing ethnic groups.
Make sense? I never know if I'm making sense to anyone else but myself.
[ January 22, 2010, 12:46 AM: Message edited by: Candle ]
Posted by Dev Em on :
Outside of a few "phrases" and mentioning it once every great while, there was no way to know that Gim was Jewish. Only way I really found out was when Marte said something about he and Yera raising their kids Jewish.
Posted by cleome on :
Eh. Gim Allon's Jewishness was a retcon, though. Levitz noted that "Allon" was the name of a famous Israeli general and a light went on in his head, so to speak. I presume that a wholesale change in the character's appearance just because of that wouldn't have made sense. Partially because it would disorient readers and partially because there are plenty of Jews who don't look like Mel Brooks or Richard Lewis. I have a slew of pale-skinned, freckled, red-headed cousins on Mom's side, for instance.
In a sense, Levitz sent a mixed signal, because I think the writers and editors in the 1980s didn't want to blatantly pour a whole lot of religious elements into the stories. At the time, I was a little disappointed at this, but nowadays I think they had the right idea. For those of us who aren't religious, it can feel very tiresome after a while when religion seems to intrude into everything.
Posted by Nightcrawler on :
SECRETS OF THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1 (Jan 1981) -
quote:Originally posted by Set: . . . Then again, trying to fill ethnic slots with aliens, like Bgtzlns or Carggites or Braalians, somewhat defeats the purpose, IMO.
Originally, and during the pre and post Zero hour Valor seeding times, all of those aliens mentioned started out as Earth humans. I could see one genetic predispostion or another being in a specific geographical region or another. The Dominators would take most or all natives from that area and they would create the same powers in each group. Before Crisis, I could see that colonists for a planet would originally come from the same Earth areas due to compatability with the planet environment and for group dynamics.
In the Pern stories, the settlers came from 3 geographic regions on Earth and all of the 'founders' had a similar political ideology, which was the belief and desire for a low tech society based on guilds. Those groups were sent to Pern because the planet was low in metals and fossil fuels which would make a hightech society difficult if not impossible.
In all of the realities mentioned, ethnicity would survive, especially in isolated colony situations, I think.
quote: Dawnstar - Anasazi, actually, so more Arizona-based Native American. Comic book native americans are always plains dwellers It would be neat to see a Seminole, or a South American native,. . . but I don't think I'll hold my breath for an Iroquois showing up.
Dawnstar wasn't originally Anastazi. Her tribe wasn't named, if I remember correctly and her original 'look' was stereotypically plains indian. (Preboot Starhaven was a 700 year old colony made up of multiple 'Amerind' tribes.) In the retroboot, I assume TPTB will go with the Bedard version from .REBELS. I think that the showing there was also very 'Yellow Hand' rather than Puebloish, but that's just me, probably.
quote:Originally posted by cleome: Eh. Gim Allon's Jewishness was a retcon, though. Levitz noted that "Allon" was the name of a famous Israeli general and a light went on in his head, so to speak. I presume that a wholesale change in the character's appearance just because of that wouldn't have made sense. Partially because it would disorient readers and partially because there are plenty of Jews who don't look like Mel Brooks or Richard Lewis. I have a slew of pale-skinned, freckled, red-headed cousins on Mom's side, for instance.
In a sense, Levitz sent a mixed signal, because I think the writers and editors in the 1980s didn't want to blatantly pour a whole lot of religious elements into the stories. At the time, I was a little disappointed at this, but nowadays I think they had the right idea. For those of us who aren't religious, it can feel very tiresome after a while when religion seems to intrude into everything.
That's an interesting insight into Gim and Levitz and how things develope in a serial story. But I think that 'they' wouldn't have had to change Gim's looks from middle American/Canadian to Jewish nearly as much as they had to change Val's looks from Caucasian to Japanese. And they did it. (All Gim would have needed would have been a small beard and the idea would have gotten across, with a Star of David somewhere, of course! Ahhhh, stereotypes!
But seriously, in the long run, I agree that it shouldn't have been done. (Rokk makes much more sense as Jewish, .)
I prefer not to have too much Earth religion in comics, either. At least, living religions. But not because they intrude.
For me it's either too easy to offend people or that the writers usually don't get it correct, anyway, especially Christianity, imo.
I always liked how Star Trek dealt with God. They'd have a comment or an occasional glimpse or once, a story, but mostly it was about space and aliens. I particularly liked glimpses of Vulcan and Klingon beliefs.
I think though that having a whole group of people with NO beliefs in or versions of God would be just as unrealistic and intrusive as having EVERYONE with them. And that's my opinion.
[ January 22, 2010, 01:52 AM: Message edited by: Candle ]
Posted by Candle on :
Legion Secret Origins: Well, there you go, it's cannon that Gim's from (once named)Israel and Jerusalem. But's it's his working on a kibbutz that seals the Jewish background. No question there!
Posted by Set on :
quote:Originally posted by cleome: In a sense, Levitz sent a mixed signal, because I think the writers and editors in the 1980s didn't want to blatantly pour a whole lot of religious elements into the stories.
The pendulum, she swings. DC pretty much got off the ground thanks to a pair of Jewish men making a Christ-metaphor named Kal-El (Mighty Warrior of the Lord), something played upon heavy-handedly in the last Superman movie (with all the 'sent you, my only son, to be their savior' references).
Then they avoided religion for awhile. Now they are back to throwing around religious terminology willy-nilly (calling Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman a 'Trinity,' for instance).
Gim has never worn his identity on his sleeve, but the same could be said about a lot his beliefs (in the threeboot, the only evidence at all is that his brother has a star of David on his nightstand). He's generally been portrayed more physical than philosophical. We've heard more about Jan and Tasmias spiritual beliefs than any of the Earth-folk.
Posted by Superboy-Supergirl on :
Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl and Invisible Kid II were Christians (note the Christening of Grayam) and Jacques said during the LSH 59 (baxter) i believe.
Posted by Set on :
quote:Originally posted by Superboy-Supergirl: Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl and Invisible Kid II were Christians (note the Christening of Grayam) and Jacques said during the LSH 59 (baxter) i believe.
Ooh, I'd forgotten that Jacques used to say 'Sacre Mere' every now and then, a reference to the Virgin Mary.
Posted by Candle on :
Yah know. I remember suggesting on the DC boards, oh ten or more years ago, that DC should add a book teaming the big 3, rather than just having Batman and Superman together.
I suggested that they call the book, Trinity!
I'm rather proud of that, and Umbra, whom I also suggested right down to her name. I know it's just coincidence, but still.
And I wasn't thinking of the Godhead at the time of the Trinity suggestion, either.
Posted by cleome on :
[snip]
quote:Originally posted by Candle: But seriously, in the long run, I agree that it shouldn't have been done. (Rokk makes much more sense as Jewish, .)
Whoa. I wasn't saying that it shouldn't have been done. I remember seeing the page that Nightcrawler posted (before I was reading any superhero comics at all, so it must have been at a friend's house) and thinking it was pretty cool. I already knew that a lot of famous comic book creators were Jewish, and it bugged me that there never seemed to be any characters that were. Young as I was, I still knew that there was something "off" about that.
No reason why they couldn't both be under the same umbrella, so to speak. Judaism has plenty of divisions and sects already. Who knows how many more there'd be once the faithful were all living several planets away from one another.
If you wanted to upend negative stereotypes, a surefire way to do it would be to make the poorest planet in the U.P. heavily populated by Jewish people.
[snip]
quote:I think though that having a whole group of people with NO beliefs in or versions of God would be just as unrealistic and intrusive as having EVERYONE with them. And that's my opinion.
The closest thing I remember to a Legionnaire with an open "no belief" policy would be Brainiac Five, when he argued with Dawnstar and she told him that he was "incapable of seeing beyond anything but your wretched machines!" That's a strong implication of Atheism, even if it wasn't openly stated as such.
Though to be honest, I don't think of Atheism as "lack of belief." It's only a different set of beliefs.
[ January 23, 2010, 04:06 PM: Message edited by: cleome ]
Posted by cleome on :
[snip]
quote:Originally posted by Set: The pendulum, she swings. DC pretty much got off the ground thanks to a pair of Jewish men making a Christ-metaphor named Kal-El (Mighty Warrior of the Lord), something played upon heavy-handedly in the last Superman movie (with all the 'sent you, my only son, to be their savior' references).
I always thought of Kal-El as being more a metaphor for the immigrant experience: Nobody has to know who I am. Nobody must know who I am. How can I do good in this place where nobody is like me, without risking a revelation of who I am? What will everyone say when they know? What will they do?
[snip]
quote:Gim has never worn his identity on his sleeve, but the same could be said about a lot his beliefs (in the threeboot, the only evidence at all is that his brother has a star of David on his nightstand). He's generally been portrayed more physical than philosophical. We've heard more about Jan and Tasmia's spiritual beliefs than any of the Earth-folk.
I haven't read all of threeboot, so the cynic in me had naturally assumed that the retcon had been unretconned. Thanks for letting me know that I was mistaken.
Posted by cleome on :
quote:Originally posted by Pizza Delivery Girl: Ha!
I'd seen this before but flaked out on bookmarking it and then promptly forgot where it was!
Posted by Set on :
quote:Originally posted by cleome: I always thought of Kal-El as being more a metaphor for the immigrant experience: Nobody has to know who I am. Nobody must know who I am. How can I do good in this place where nobody is like me, without risking a revelation of who I am? What will everyone say when they know? What will they do?
Super-heroes in general (particularly those with secret identities) are often also considered metaphors for the closeted gay experience.
Humdrum 'normal' life, oh so carefully keeping the secret (and often having sub-plots involving keeping their 'other life' secret from friends and family) and looking just like everybody else, followed by a flamboyantly-dressed and extroverted secret life at night where the hero gets to come out and show off and 'be themself.' Spider-man is a classic example. Nebbish normal life, somewhat geeky and self-conscious, with a totally over-the-top and 'flamboyant' masked persona.
None of the superheroes need to actually be gay (or immigrants, or Jewish) to often serve as metaphors (or even inspirations) for members of those communities.
Posted by SharkLad on :
I've reread the Levitz interview a couple of times now, and each time I'm a little taken back when he drops the f-bomb ... anyone else having the same "omigod, Mr. Rogers cursed" kinda feeling?
Posted by cleome on :
[snip]
quote:Originally posted by Set: ...Super-heroes in general (particularly those with secret identities) are often also considered metaphors for the closeted gay experience.
Yeah, but Superman was the first one to wear a leotard, I think. Okay, The Scarlet Pimpernel wore stockings and Zorro wore a mask, but...
quote:...None of the superheroes need to actually be gay (or immigrants, or Jewish) to often serve as metaphors (or even inspirations) for members of those communities.
Yes, but this shouldn't be a one-way street. Let's see all fans, including those in dominant groups (that is, those most likely to be "the norm" or "the default") try out their skills at identifying with somebody who is openly (as opposed to just metaphorically or by subtle implication) Not Like Them. Otherwise it smacks of power-over relationships and a double standard, to me.
Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
Not... really. Not since I heard what a drunken Rogers would sound like.
Posted by PolarBoy on :
so is this new book the legion kids from day one or is it a team made up of all the reboots somehow?
Posted by knowjack on :
I haven't bought comics in almost a year now..but with the announcement that Gail Simone will be back with a new run of Birds of Paradise AND Levitz will be writing "my" Legion--guess I'll be giving DC some cash again.
The art looks GREAT, even if I'm still not crazy about some of the costumes. I'll be happy with pretty much anything though. I just want lots of Nura and Dirk, and Jeckie to go back to being PROJECTRA and ditch the whole Sensor Girl thing.
Posted by Legionnaire888 on :
I can't wait for this, I've read some old issue of Paul's run because I haven't been able to get some of the trades of it and I am confident that it will be good. So I can't wait and the art looks awesome and can't wait for two Legion books! I hope they give out promotional Legion Rings like the Green Lantern and Flash ones they are.
Posted by knowjack on :
I would like to see a back-up feature of 'lost' stories set back in the Legion's past with a rotation of favorite former Legion artists.
Posted by cleome on :
Bah. All those "favorites" are probably retired and living it up in Florida now. They haven't got time for us anymore!
[slips DC knowjack's portfolio while nobody's looking]
Posted by Arachne on :
There's a new interview at Newsarama.
Posted by cleome on :
I'm amused that Levitz says he can write quickly, because he remembers when it didn't pay well.
But I really have to learn to stop reading comment threads for these things. YouTube and the local newspaper should've taught me that long ago, but I keep forgetting...
Posted by Blacula on :
I want these books in my hands now!
Posted by Doctor One on :
I would love to see Paul set one of his stories in 31st century Istanbul, just to see how Cinar would draw his home city.
[ February 04, 2010, 05:33 AM: Message edited by: Doctor One ]
Posted by Ultra Jorge on :
I agree Doctor One. I hope Cinar brings some new and exotic to the Legion...seeing Instabul would rock. He's a great artist.
Excited about new members.
Posted by Ultra Jorge on :
I agree Doctor One. I hope Cinar brings some new and exotic to the Legion...seeing Instabul would rock. He's a great artist.
Excited about new members.
Posted by doublechinner on :
It would be great if someone in the know could tell us how to pronounce his name. Is it fairly phonetic?
Amusing in this article that someone (I hope not Levitz) confuses "Lightning Boy" and "Cosmic Lad."
Some interesting tidbits suggesting 1) there's some new dynamics between the 3 founders, 2) Colossal Boy still has a connection to Mars, 3) we can expect to see Officer Erin and/or Officer Cusimano.
I'm not surprised, but it's good to know that Levitz wouldn't have "come back" to the reboot or 3boot Legion, even though he liked aspects of them. What's clear is that Levitz is completely comfortable playing with all of the past stuff, both the recent stuff by Johns, his own prior work, and the ancient history of the Legion. For Levitz, that's a huge resource, not a burden, and he views his responsiblity as a writer to make a Legion with all that history interesting to new readers. I don't know if he will succeed or not, but I think that's the attitude a Legion writer OUGHT to have.
Posted by Blacula on :
^^^ Judging by the Gim-connection Levitz mentions I'd say it's more likely that it's SP Officer Gigi Cusimano who's making her long-awaited return.
If so, I wonder if that figures into the Legion marriage break-up that I think he hinted at in another interview? That would be unfortunate. This is the first time I've ever liked Yera and Johns really had me rooting for her reunion with Gim in his Action arc.
The "Lightning Boy" and "Cosmic Lad" moments in that interview were jarring. Those couldn't have been Levitz's errors could they?
Posted by cleome on :
GiGi was with Dirk for a while, too, wasn't she?
Gah. I know almost nothing about the Action stuff. I've got holes in my personal timeline the size of craters here. [sulk]
Posted by Candle on :
Who's being tortured?
And I have gaps too. Is there a Legion/Action tradepaperback out or something? Posted by Ultra Jorge on :
Re: the Lightning Boy Cosmic Lad thing. Hey Levitz is getting old...too many darn characters to remember. No biggie.
Gim Allon on Mars? While I love Gigi I am expecting a red head...Char Burrane...the 2nd Starfinger.
Posted by Colossal Boy on :
quote:Originally posted by Candle: Who's being tortured?
And I have gaps too. Is there a Legion/Action tradepaperback out or something?
I think that's Earth Man
Posted by Sir Tim Drake on :
I would guess that Yildiray Cinar is pronounced something like Yildirai Chinar.
Posted by Matt Kramer on :
If anyone's interested in an audio interview with Mr. Levitz, we talked to him on the most recent episode (#70) of Legion of Substitute Podcasters! You can find the show at http://www.legionofsubstitutepodcasters.com. Posted by Fat Cramer on :
Thanks for the interview, Matt (& other Subs).
A few nuggets from the one word questions (not verbatim):
Tyroc? I've gotta figure that out.
Rainbow Girl? I don' really know her well. She seems like fun.
Karate Kid? He's pretty dead.
Proty? I liked Proty. I don't have any immediate plans for him, but I liked Proty.
The Miracle Machine? I think once was enough.
Computo? Been there, done that.
Chemical King? I like Chemical King. I probably shouldn't have killed him. I was enough of a chemistry buff that I actually understood what his power was.
Posted by superboymddjr on :
what about Dream Girl? I know Paul used to hate her when we "forced" him to write her as a Legion Leader when we voted her.
Kind of disappointed to hear that Karate Kid is still hated/disliked by Paul.
Chemical King still can be brought back alive...if write smart.
Posted by Chameleon Boy on :
This made me scream **OMG** at the monitor:
quote:Completely fanboy nerdy question: Is Keith Giffen going to be drawing anything at some point?
I have one storyline listed that I gave [Editor] Brian [Cunningham] that Keith circled with "I WANNA DO THAT!" Keith is interested in doing something, I had a couple of delightful lunches with [classic Legion artist] James Sherman and he wants to come back and do something... There're so many guys, either old friends or new friends who've come into the business since I was active as a writer, that it'd be great to work with.
I'm a HUGE James Sherman fan. OMG. I am so totally stoked about this. I hope he inks his own and they get one of his old inkers to do him justice. Joe Rubinstein is my first pick and Bob McLeod is my second .... actually either or would work just fine!!
Posted by Chameleon Boy on :
quote:Originally posted by Blacula:
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Put me down as a fan of the Bierbaum/Sprouse picture/powers roll calls on the splash page.
I did like them too. Especially the way Moy made them a fun, unique feature on each opening page.
But too often they seemed like an arbitrary collection of characters that was too limited by how many head-shots they could fit on one page.
Like, characters who might've had a fairly sizeable role in some issues wouldn't get a head-shot at the beginning because too many other members had already taken the spots, while in other issues a character who might've just been sitting around in the background with no lines would get one. It was a bit too random for me.
This was used a while back in the JLA adventures way back when. I really love those too. You see that used off and on, here and there but I think it's cool to let the readers see who's featured in that issue. I didn't care for the way it was done in the last series where they would use 2 whole pages at times to show full body shots with others grayed out in the background. It was a waste of precious story telling pages. Just head shots are all that's needed. Posted by Lone Wolf Legionnaire on :
quote:Originally posted by superboymddjr: what about Dream Girl? I know Paul used to hate her when we "forced" him to write her as a Legion Leader when we voted her.
Kind of disappointed to hear that Karate Kid is still hated/disliked by Paul.
Chemical King still can be brought back alive...if write smart.
Paul said he was quite fond of the character also,when one of the podcasters said he liked Karate Kid.
They also asked what Keith's problem was with Karate Kid,and Paul said... Oh I don't know maybe he had a bad experience with a karate instructer as a child.
Posted by Chameleon Boy on :
quote:Originally posted by superboymddjr: what about Dream Girl? I know Paul used to hate her when we "forced" him to write her as a Legion Leader when we voted her.
Kind of disappointed to hear that Karate Kid is still hated/disliked by Paul.
Chemical King still can be brought back alive...if write smart.
Chemical King, Element Lad and White Witch, my favs besides Chameleon Boy. Oh well, I guess we wait and see what happens with everyone and how Paul drives this series..... should be fun!
Posted by doublechinner on :
The LSP interview was great! I stayed up after midnight listening to it. It's just amazing what a smart, funny, insightful and wide-ranging fellow Paul Levitz is. As much as I like Mark Waid and Geoff Johns, I betcha neither of them based a comic book on something like the Ottoman Empire succession process. I particularly like Levitz's insight on the whole "future perfect" question -- namely, that humanity will have to have achieved a golden age status to still be around 1,000 years from now. It's a great point, although I think the Waid/Kitson Legion posits a good alternative -- humanity turns into a species of sheeple, and survives 1,000 into the future by not doing anything interesting. But anyway, Levitz's thoughts make me hopeful that he does have a good story hook for the Earth Man/xenophobia thing.
Posted by Set on :
Neat interview, I finally got around to listening to it. I kinda loathe podcasts, especially with four interviews laughing at various in-jokes among each other, but this had a lot of neat stuff!
Posted by lil'rhino on :
quote:Originally posted by lil'rhino: JAMES SHERMAN!!!!
Posted by jimgallagher on :
James Sherman WOULD be awesome. Would love to have him as permanent Legion artist. Too bad his stint was so brief and so long ago.
Posted by Korbal on :
quote:Originally posted by Lone Wolf Legionnaire:
quote:Originally posted by superboymddjr: what about Dream Girl? I know Paul used to hate her when we "forced" him to write her as a Legion Leader when we voted her.
Kind of disappointed to hear that Karate Kid is still hated/disliked by Paul.
Chemical King still can be brought back alive...if write smart.
Paul said he was quite fond of the character also,when one of the podcasters said he liked Karate Kid.
They also asked what Keith's problem was with Karate Kid,and Paul said... Oh I don't know maybe he had a bad experience with a karate instructer as a child.
Now Keith Giffen's primary reason for taking over BOOSTER GOLD has been revealed--he couldn't resist a title which offered the inherent opportunity of killing Karate Kid an infinite number of times...
Posted by KryptonKid on :
quote:Originally posted by superboymddjr:
Chemical King still can be brought back alive...if write smart.
The history of this new/old Legion is unclear. Chem could have retired with James Cullen, Laurel Gand, and Reflecto to open a Nine Planets Ice Cream franchise. Levitz could bring him back if he gets the notion.
[ March 05, 2010, 11:31 AM: Message edited by: KryptonKid ]
Posted by Dev Em on :
Levitz is on FB now. Just lettin ya all know.
Posted by lil'rhino on :
quote:Originally posted by jimgallagher: James Sherman WOULD be awesome. Would love to have him as permanent Legion artist.
That doesn't seem likely, but perhaps illustrating a special issue, such as an Annual or something. That way he could take his sweet time and really knock it out of the park!!
Posted by cleome on :
quote:Originally posted by Dev Em: Levitz is on FB now. Just lettin ya all know.
Those crazy youths and their futuristic communication forums! What'll they dream up next, I wonder?
Posted by Dev Em on :
I wonder if Levitz will reintroduce the Leader elections?
Like we have going on soon here at Legion World. Don't forget to vote for Dev Em!
Posted by cleome on :
If Levitz was crazy enough to read this board, I'm thinking that our standard election, er, conduct would cure him of any nostalgia on that front pretty quickly.
Posted by Dev Em on :
I'm sure...or we may think that Giffen has taken over again.
Posted by cleome on :
I finally got to hear the entire Substitute Podcasters interview today. There was some rambling (I tend to have a short attention span for spoken word on the net) from the regulars, but basically it was pretty interesting.
Posted by Matt Kramer on :
Hey all,
Paul came and sat down with us a second time on Legion of Substitute Podcasters Episode #86. He gave us some great teases for upcoming issues of Adventure & Legion, as well as some fascinating talk about digital distribution from someone who has had a hat in both the business and creative sides of the industry.
Thanks for all of the kind words about the first interview. Paul's definitely a gentleman and we definitely appreciate his taking the time to come back and talk to us again!
Paul came and sat down with us a second time on Legion of Substitute Podcasters Episode #86. He gave us some great teases for upcoming issues of Adventure & Legion, as well as some fascinating talk about digital distribution from someone who has had a hat in both the business and creative sides of the industry.
Thanks for all of the kind words about the first interview. Paul's definitely a gentleman and we definitely appreciate his taking the time to come back and talk to us again!
curious..is there a transcript where I can read for sure since I cannot hear the audio (I am deaf) because I would love to know what Paul has been teasing you and others?
Posted by Blacula on :
I've only got a horrible old dial-up connection which is too slow for podcast/video things so I'd like to echo superboymddjr's request for a transcript or summary of this interview please.
Posted by stuorstew on :
I am sure somebody else will be able to do a more accurate/detailed recap but this is what I can remember:
They talk about the response to the new book and Paul says that at signings he is seeing a lot of familiar faces but also quite a few people saying that this is the first Legion book they have picked up.
They also talk about how some people read quite a lot into a story and try and interpret what they see in ways that were far from what the writer was intending. He uses the Imra has TK discussion here as an example of this and seems to say this was not his intention but also leaves enough room for him to carry it on if he wanted.
He reveals that the variant cover for #2 is Superboy and Krypto
There is a big discussion on how technology has changed for creators since he stopped writing previously. He mentions that for him it has not changed too much as there are only so many ways you can write a script but on the artistic side is where the changes have come with the digitalisation of things speeding up the process vastly. He states that whereas before they would be working two or three months in advance on a book it is not uncommon for them to be working on a book the month it is due to be released.
Related to this there is a discussion regarding digital distribution and piracy. Paul says he is against piracy and is glad that working out a viable digital business model is now somebody else's problem.
It was an interesting interview and I have probably missed something important out but this should tide you over until something better comes along.
Posted by future king on :
Thank you stuorstew for your synaps of the interview. Just like cleome I too have a short attention span to stuff like that, so your sum-up was great!
Posted by Blacula on :
Thanks stuorstew.
Posted by doublechinner on :
It was another great interview. Thanks for posting a notice about it. You guys have a fun podcast and I am going to try and listen more often.
Posted by Mattropolis on :
I loved listening to it! It's obvious that you care very much about the Legion. It was great that Legion World was mentioned too!
Posted by Matt Kramer on :
Thanks, all!
And thanks for that summary, Stu. Unfortunately we don't have a transcript, mainly because it's something we haven't really thought about. Stu's summary reminded me of something that Mr. Levitz said at Wizard Chicago in 2008 I believe. Someone asked him about audio comics and he told a story about how when he was young he'd record himself reading comics on audio tapes for a blind friend. It's awesome how the fan community helps each other!
In case anyone's curious about the show, we've got a general DC talk episode up today, and then next Monday, June 14th, we begin a series of episodes on the Great Darkness Saga!
Posted by future king on :
The Great Darkness Saga series should be cool episodes. I'm interested to get some behind-the-scenes info from Paul Levitz as to some of his thought processes writing the story at that time.
Posted by Fat Cramer on :
Two other things of note from the interview: the baseball game in Adventure #12 was a riff on an old Superboy story, The One Man Baseball Team, which appeared in the Adventure issue that featured the Beast Boy story.
Re: R.J. Brande, Paul says "I ripped off his speech pattern years ago from a great Pol Anderson character, Nicholas van Rijn, wonderful science fiction character... a futuristic Scandinavian rich baron of space, who alternated between being surrounded by serving girls and outsmarting aliens, outsmarting other civilizations and making gazillions of dollars. Brande doesn't do the serving girls because it's the wrong species for him."
I haven't read Anderson's books with the van Rijn character, but here's some of what Wikipedia has on him:
Nicholas van Rijn (2376 to c. 2500 A.D.) is a fictional character who plays the central role in the first half of Poul Anderson's Technic History. He is a flamboyant capitalist adventurer, and is Dutch, apparently a resident of Djakarta. His speech is bombastic and heavily laced with unconventional constructs, puns, oaths, and words from various Northern European languages, in particular Dutch, German, and possibly Danish. Although he frequently employs malapropisms such as "Angular-Saxon" or "hunky-dinghy," they are often so devious or apropos that it is difficult to believe they are unintentional. Anderson seems to have enjoyed writing this sort of dialog, and some of his more minor characters have used a similar patois.
Posted by Mediocre Boy on :
Quite honestly I though that it was speculated somewhere that he is trying to depict a French- Canadian accent (after all, his name is a French one).
Posted by Nightcrawler on :
Coming soon to a store near you - Adventure Comics featuring the Green Lantern Corps in the 31st century
Posted by Haggard Lad on :
I like that he's giving Matter-Eater Lad a page in #6 after seeing our reaction to the one line write-off.
And I'm excited to get to vote for Legion leader. I wasn't a Legion reader when the previous reader elections were held, so I'm glad I get to be a part of the new ones. Posted by MLLASH on :
As much as I don't appreciate his one-line writeoff of Tenzil, I **LOVE** that he listened to fans who were upset by that (I wasn't the only one!!) and is making it right.
I think it pays to sometimes follow the oldschool-fanboy-pleasing-isms of Geoff Johns. (At one time, back in the day, Geoff seemed to be writing comics just for ME...)
Posted by lil'rhino on :
Levitz always gives a good interview!
Posted by future king on :
You notice how Paul avoids, as much as he can, any subject related to Green Lantern? It make me wonder if this is something he supports or was just given orders to oversee.
The idea of a 31st century group of Lanterns is not a new one ... the recently cancelled cartoon/comic beat them to the punch with that one.
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Planet-destruction - probably the one story-telling device that I am most sick of in the Legion universe!![[Bouncing Boy]](graemlins/BouncingBoy.gif)
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