posted
L.E.G.I.O.N. '93 # 51 - "Desert Island Blues"
Main Cast: Telepath, Lobo
Credits: Alan Grant, writer - Enrique Alcatena, penciler and inker - Gaspar (Saladino,) letterer - "Digital Chameleon," colorist
Plot: On a barren asteroid, Telepath, Lobo, and their bulky, tusky prisoner are waiting for a mechanic because Lobo's space motorbike broke down.
Bored, Lobo intimidates the other two into telling him their life stories.
The prisoner was once a highly respected philosophy teacher on his home planet, until one day he snapped and tried to eat one of his students. When the other students caught them, he machine gunned them all. Then he hung a sign on his classroom door saying "Do Not Disturb - 3 Month Sensory Deprivation Experiment" and spent the whole time eating his dead students. He was caught and arrested. Lobo being Lobo, he finds this story a little tame.
Telepath is very reluctant to tell his life story, but Lobo gives him no choice.
Telepath's full name is 47 syllables long, Qi'qi for short. His telepathic, insect-like species cohabited peacefully with the only other form of life on their planet, giant mushrooms. But though they were a gentle people, they were also sexually repressed isolationists dominated by the queen of their hive.
Qi'qi was considered a radical, pushing for contact with other planets and even carrying on an affair with a female of his species, L'ol'a. When L'ol'a won the ritual tournament to see which female would be chosen as the queen's successor, they decided to escape from their planet, but had no means of transportation. Qi'qi began sending telepathic beacon signals to every spacecraft that passed by their planet. One day, a ship finally answered.
Unfortunately, the ship was that of Dagon-Ra and his band of pirates. They killed the entire hive, including L'ol'a, and forced Qi'qi to work for them. It wasn't until he betrayed Dagon-Ra to L.E.G.I.O.N. that he finally became free, but he still carries a burden of guilt for having unwillingly caused the death of his species.
Lobo being Lobo, he finds this hilarious. The prisoner starts laughing, too, which gets Lobo mad ("Nobody laughs at my buddy 'cept me, see?") and he beats the prisoner unconscious.
The repairmen finally arrive, but Lobo beats the head mechanic for not doing a good enough job last time, and beats his assistant for asking stupid questions. Now Lobo and Qi'qi have to wait until the mechanics wake up.
Thoughts: Alan Grant certainly has a darkly funny way of looking at life, though he also sees the tragedy and the rare bright moments. This helped him become one of the people who revitalized British comics (first as an editor on 2000 AD, and then as the same anthology's head writer.) When he did a lot of work for American publishers in the late 80s and early 90s, his sensibilities didn't always translate well - he did hundreds of Batman stories for DC, but only a handful were memorable, and he did little more than a few fill-in stories for Marvel. It was on L.E.G.I.O.N. that Grant really shined. No other American comic has ever carried that particular wild spirit that originated in 2000 AD across the oceans the way Grant's best work on L.E.G.I.O.N. did. Comics have evolved in the years since (whether it's been for better or worse is a whole other discussion) but L.E.G.I.O.N. is evergreen thanks largely to Grant. Without him, it would have been no more than a quickly forgotten LSH spinoff. So I think it's fitting that the last issue in my collection was written by Alan Grant on a one-issue stand-alone return visit to the book he made great. That it's drawn by the great Alcatena is the icing on the cake.
Not to take away from Barry Kitson, for giving the book a beautiful visual identity and helping Grant with the plots and keeping the book afloat after Grant's reluctant depature, or from Keith Giffen, without whose initial concept the book would have never existed. All three of them are to be thanked for giving comics readers something that was very special while it lasted.
quote:Originally posted by KidChaos: Thanks for all the great reviews, Stealth!
Like Harbinger I'll miss reading these every morning, but issues 50 & 51 were a good place to stop as the series kind of stagnated after this.
*eagerly looking forward to your next review thread at the Dr Gym'll board*
Thank you, KC. I'm still trying to decide on which book to review on the Dr. Gym'll board, although I'm leaning towards the Alan Davis issues of Excalibur.
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I've been asking myself the same question. I think the ones where he was both the writer and artist are the best ones by far. What I'll probably do is start by reviewing the Excalibur graphic novel, where the team is formed, and then jump to Davis's first writer/artist issue, # 42. His first story arc referenced just about every relevant plot thread that came before, so it should work out.
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I'm looking forward to reading them Stealth, I don't know all that much about Excalibur so it'll be a real treat to learn.
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
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Whatta ya know? JIM FERN did this month's issue of JSA. Haven't seen any of his work in ages, and after reading all these reviews, he turns up again. Much better than his old stuff-- I think-- but still, not nearly as impressive as what one comes to expect of the current JSA series.
Registered: Aug 2003
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I'll have a look when I go to the comic shop this weekend (IF the new JSA has actually arrived there on time.)
I still think Fern's work on Batman Annual # 15 is surprisingly good. I read that before I bought the L-20 back issues he drew. I couldn't believe those childish scrawls were by the same artist.
Then again, Steve Leailoha inked Batman Annual # 15. He probably added a lot that was lacking in Fern's pencils.
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Stealth, thanks for two months of immensely enjoyable reviews
I'm going to miss reading them each morning, but I look forward to your next review thread in Gym'll's!
Your reviews really captured the essence of the comic, taking into account the stories, the characters, the history of the DCU & comics, and the creators themselves--a rare look at a series and all of its components.
Cheers
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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Bumped because all the other big L.E.G.I.O.N. threads have been, and because someone has to stand up for Alan Grant!
You are right: he was an integral part of the team and he worked extremely well with Keith Giffen, not only here, but also in Lobo.
From: Brasil | Registered: May 2008
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Boy, I wish I'd seen this thread much earlier! There's so many comments I wouldn't have made that seem so redundent now!
This thread is just wonderful! Thank-you for all of your time and thoughts, Stealth! I read half of your reviews yesterday and will try to finish them this afternoon. This is a great way to get ready for the new series!
I totally agree with your take on Grant, by the way. I never remember having access to your kind of background information on the creative teams. My comic shop owner just wasn't interested. I remember after I got my first computer and went on-line to DC. What a wonderful shock it was to meet other's with insight and information and enthusiasm! Actually 'talking' with artists and writers was incredible!
Anyway, thanks again for all of your insight! I'm going to find that promised Excalibur thread!~
Hyperpath: Email this page to someone!
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