Calling the Roll is a character-by-character look at the latest issue of the LSH...
spoiler space
spoiler space
spoiler space
Let the roll be called!
BRAINIAC 5: "Why do earthlings even have fingers? What did you do, you gathering of carbon?" So just what is Brainy's bod primarily composed of-- nettles?
I like how the opening page culminating in the 'Colu is Next' message Brainy sent to himself directly follows from last issue's back-up. Nice flow.
I'll hazard the guess that the economic woes caused by Orando's destruction (guess it's real- drat it) makes the instant transportation we've seen up to now cost-prohibitive. Or else the tech was seriously damaged in #6. Which means that we see the mission to Colu aboard a good ol' spacecraft. No sweat off my brow-- I'd prefer this mode of transport for the Legion, because it can result in scenes like the one we had here. Maybe the quicker trans can be reserved for really, really dire situations. Like the destruction of a plan- oh, uh, never mind.
"Level twelve", huh? New jargon for a new boot. All Earth's a nine... Brainiac hyperbole, perhaps?
Given later events, it looks like Brainy owes Dream Girl a thank you for her choice of mission-mates, at the least.
What do you think of the visual of Colu as one gigantic circuit-board? I liked it. "Force fields and miniaturization... we have gradually and uniformly compacted our bodies... BOTTLE PLANET OF COLU."
(I knew Brainy was compacted one way or another--)
WELL-- an ambitious bit of worldbuilding. Always appreciated, by me, at least. And it raises several questions.
1). Will the Brainiacs appearing in SUPERMAN/TEEN TITANS/OUTSIDERS, etc honor this vision of Colu?
2). Does this mean Coluans are born tiny? Does Brainy share the abilities of Micro Lad/Colossol Boy (and, presumably, Atom Girl)? Artificially or with tech-assist?
3). Where does this leave Imsk? A miniaturized also-ran?
At any rate, Colu made for some nice visuals... though I was disappointed by yet another world of drab gray buildings. Is paint a precious commodity in the 31st century?
Cortex... central router... clever.
Hah! Brainy's entrance into the Cortex after boasting of Coluan superiority to Saturn Girl only to see the brain-damaged crowd was blackly funny... though probably not to the poor drooling Coluans sprawled about.
Does the slash through the 'o' in 'God' Brainy utters while flying above the 'societal degenerates' enjoying their 'external combustions' have any significance?
I think Brainy's got the hots for Light Lass... Is it a case of Brainy Boy getting more and more unpleasant the more he's insecure and upset? He's pretty harsh in his assessment of Light Lass (sort of a 'so there' to LL detractors in Legion fandom, perhaps...)
Aarrgh! Is that Brainy's mother or not? Why bring it up if you're not going to tell us?!!
I wish the panel of Brainy fleeing from the crowd had gotten more emphasis. It took a little backpaneling to determine that the 'will' Imra is thinking of when answering Cham is that of Brainy's. Also, the angle of his departure might have been more communicative if it were reversed-- following Brainy's line of sight in the preceding panel.
A snippy as he's presented here, I'm finally enjoying 'this' Brainy. I want to see him 'bend' to his teammates-- befriend them. I suspect that's a long-range journey for this character... assuming he still *is* a teammate after the next couple of issues.
INVISIBLE KID: Lyle seems to be Brainy's apprentice... yet he breaks into Brainy's lab with Cosmic Boy, Phantom Girl, etc.? Is he watching out for his mentor's interests? Or is he trying to regain Cos's respect? Or is the new kid being pulled in whatever direction his elders point?
LIGHT LASS: From Winath... hmmm. What does mean for Garth-from-Trom?
"If you do say." Shakerish.
"Konapple" Was this invented by the current Superboy?
I don't quite get why Cham is considered the 'secret weapon' rather than Light Lass. They're both great here, but I'd say that LL gets the 'gold star'. Unless-- Nura figured Brainy would discount Light Lass even more than he does throughout this issue...
"That is the worst compliment I have ever heard!" Brilliant! I love this response. In fact, I love that panel... with three great lines by three different characters.
I sort of wondered about how she'd respond to Brainy seriously... but that one line reveals so much more than a page of melodramatic confrontation.
I cringed a bit when that stone hit Ayla's temple. But, she recovered quickly... even comforting her detractor before out-deducing him by grasping the consequence of Cham's overactive antennae... then calling out just the right form for the Durlan to use to aid in 'gravitacally' 'shaking out' Lemnos.
It's a major demonstration of power... similar to Lightning Lad's a couple of issues ago. Fitting.
SATURN GIRL: "Is that really the size of my forehead?" Hahahaha! "No alibi." Zingers for Saturn Girl-- who knew?
"I wasn't Karate Kid's best pupil." Further evidence of a great grasp of the otherwise-absent K-Kid.
Though the Brainy/Lemnos face-off is fairly satisfying, a confrontation between a telepath (who seems more empathic...) and a memory-manipulator would be quite compelling... though perhaps not so exciting visually. Unless the artist really got into facial expressions.
CHAMELEON/ LIGHTNING CHAM/ SATURN CHAM/ PROTY(?)/ BIG BRAINY CHAM/ ELASTIC CHAM/ TURTLE CHAM/ GIANT FISH MAN CHAM/ RALTUSAN BROBDIPOD/ SECRET WEAPON: Loved the 'show and tell' page with Saturn Girl. This is why cruiser's are way more fun than transmatters. Cham's just a fun part of the Legion.
The overstimulated antennae make sense for Durlan biology, though they could get annoying if overplayed, here they make for some great scenes... ultimately helping to save Colu's day. Maybe that's what Nura foresaw, after all.
"You outlawed fire." "Why can't we just kill him?" Hee-hee!
COSMIC BOY: Black hair! Not brown! C'mon! "sick and tired of everyone keeping secrets from me." Irony. Is Cos Brainy's "biggest adversary" as Lemnos hinted? And just what will that mean for the LSH? Next issue looks like a biggie...
SUN BOY: I thought it was Shadow Lass to whom Sun Boy spoke of leaving? I suppose we've just seen the Legion info-chain at work... Triplicate Girl to Cosmic Boy to Shadow Lass (through one or the other of them...) Too bad-- I sort of liked the idea that Shady intuitively arrived at that conclusion on her own. Ah, well-- we weren't shown the Sun Boy/Triplicate Girl date in its entiretly, after all.
Love the "I did tell him when I told you" bit. Smart. "If Cosmic Boy believes that we don't know he's playing us sometimes, then he's fooling." Maybe there aren't *two* sides, at all... perhaps there are three... or four...
SUMMING UP: Did anyone else's copy have a couple of faded pages? They were still readable, but wouldn't have been in low lighting. The colors seem to be stepped up a notch... especially as the issue progresses. Which I appreciate. The 'shrinkdown to Colu' page was very pretty... as was the Brobdipod/Lemnos scene.
I think this is my favorite issue so far (though #2 might still be a better issue...) with great moments for Brainy, Ayla, Dirk and Cham (and even an absent Dreamy...), and a good bit of world-building with a decided nudge to the overarching plot thrown in, as well.
It's difficult for me to read a Cosmic Boy who's this unlikeable (the boy needs his Night Girl to relieve some stress... or maybe he should break out the Rokky Horror corset...).
I thought this issue was supposed to mark the end of 'nonspecific' covers? Why wouldn't Cham and Triplicate Girl or Phantom Girl be featured rather than Dream Girl and Star Boy? At last the non-appearing pair are mentioned in the story, with Dreamy even contributing to the plot.
The cover-match to #1 is intriguing...
The only other nit I have to pick is the raising of the spectre of Brainy's mother-- why mention it at all, here? I wonder if Colu will be presented as a 'bottle planet' throughout the DCU...
Really, though-- this issue was a joy.
From: Knoxville, TN | Registered: Jul 2003
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CTR is a character-by-character look at the newest issue of THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES
spoiler space
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Let the roll be called!
IN ORDER OF APPEARENCE
Heroes
Brainiac 5- Querl Dox gets the biggest update to his personality here and its very good for those whom want to like this version. Querl isn't dismissive of his fellow Legionaires by habit but because he expects the best of them. There's some implications about his personality and background too. The most startling is that Querl isn't a genius actually. He's an idiot in fact. Given that Colu has 16 trillion inhabitants, it seems very rarely do Colu leave their home planet and Brainiac is an exception. Specifically, he seems to be an exception because...
"Without intellect. You have nothing! Yo are nothing! If you are percieved as intellectually inferior. You are told you are stupid and you are considered worthless and you are an outcast."
If this is true, I find it more compelling (if slightly dissapointing) as an origin. We also meet potentially Brainiac 5's mother who isn't a villain but their supreme researcher. Given Brainiac obviously was trying to check on his family under the cover of "business" to see if they were allright and his upbringing if his mother was world famous and he wasn't up to snuff...it explains a lot about his personality.
Invisible Kid- Only a brief appearence as he finds Brainiac five's message to himself from Lemnos' appearence but obviously he hangs out in Brainiac 5's lab A LOT. Invisible Kid is also a great deal more smart than we gave him credit for. If his brain really is Colu level in apptitude then he's as much a metahuman in intellect as he is in invisibility.
The Coluans of this era have Level 12 apptitude on AVERAGE while we finally get a measure on Earth as a whole (nine).
Light Lass- Light lass remains consistent as a flirtaeous, irresponsible, and generally "fun" character. Her relationship with Brainiac 5 develops in the fact that she apparently is looked down upon him because he sees a great deal more potential in her powers than she does (which doesn't really endear me to Brainiac truly). She also likes origins.
Chameleon- This is an issue for those who wanted to see Chameleon use his attenae. We get some more fun from Cham as he apparently loves finding new organic material to look upon. His odd sense of humor also manifests with his showing of what he thinks of Brainy (he has a swelled head). Cham gets to be the big hero here and pretty much outs our archenemy of the galaxy.
Saturn Girl- Saturn Girl is oddly the most approachable of the founders here. Cosmic Boy seems on an insane power trip while Garth is following him on some really stupid crusade. Saturn Girl is just interestedin helping people. She also, unlike Brainiac or Cos, is able to just sit back and play.
It's a nice change from Superhussy.
Sun Boy- Dirk once more shows himself to be a great deal more intelligent than people give him credit for. He recognized that Triplicate Girl was only dating him for information and that Cos is playing him. He does appear to be seriously considering leaving the Legion but instead of the childish 'get back at my parents' reason, we see its because he's already gut sick of the fact that Cosmic Boy and Brainy are trying to manipulate them both. For an idealist this must rankle his cage and convince him the Legion is no different than the U.P.
Cosmic Boy- Once more Cosmic boy spends most of the issue talking to the Big Giant heads. This Cos has clearly put a lot of effort to the Legion but he's lost touch with the fact that few (if any) of these people below him are his friends. The fact he breaks into Brainiac's office to find out his secrets is probably unintentional but is pretty much exactly what Richard Nixon did to guarantee his re-election. "Brainylab gate" probably won't have the same result but he needs to lose his position or be recalled at this point in my opinion. Especially if he's dispatching Trippy to being his spy.
We also find out who Cosmic Boy's faction is. Lightning Lad, Triplicate Girl, Wazoo, and what I THINk is Invisible kid....making the betrayal all the worse (it could be Karate Kid though but the brown jacket throws me).
Triplicate Girl- Poor Triplicate Girl is coming to realize that she's being used against her friends by Cos, its a sad scene where Sun Boy more or less points out he always knew she was a spy.
Villains
United Planets- The United Planet's problems are starting to mount up and Barry is revealing that the reasons for a movement being needed are growing. One of the big problems they have is Chamberlain itis, and I don't mean Wilt.
They actually think they can negotiate with a group that attacked them without cause and committed genoicide.
Lemnos- Apparently Lemnos is outed to the galaxy as a whole. He screwed up talking to Brainy and the circumstances here prevented him from erasing brainy's memory again. Lemnos doesn't seem to care much and he actually seems rather amused at the whole thing.
It's also clear Lemnos is interested not in destroying planets at Random but attacking the pillars of civilization, starting with money. He's literally an anarchist.
He still needs a code name though.
Planets
Colu- Here we see Colu as the center of science and knowledge in the galaxy. It's also one with some fun silver age referenecs and the first reference to miniaturization. I bet Colu and Imsk get along very well.
posted
I also think that they wanted to show Brainiac is evasive about his past. He doesn't want to reveal he's the idiot child of the galaxy's greatest scientist and is only a genius in comparison. Also, it shows that he's severely not used to dealing with emotional angles. Look how he wants to "consult with Colu's greatest scientist" when its fairly obvious he just wanted to see if his mom was alright.
It's shocking the denial of a basic concern of humanity.
[ June 22, 2005, 06:28 PM: Message edited by: Charles Phipps ]
posted
GRIFE!!!!!!! I just lost my post due to a stupid character!!!!
Anyway, I LOVE THE RUNDOWN, AS ALWAYS!!!!
I am really wondering if Lemnos has some major ties to the Legion - current member, silent founder, rejected, something. He just seems to have some sort of ties to the Legion. Who knows? Maybe he's the founder of the Espionage Squad.
Brainy's reactions in this issue make me wonder if part of the reason he was booted from Colu was due to his inability to control his emotions [a'la Vulcans]. Maybe he was a disgrace because he was just considered "too unstable."
The blurb for this issue talks about a "key Legionnaire" being removed fromt he playing field. Maybe it's Lyle. He seems to be playing all sides. Or he's just doing what those with seniority tell him. But with his dad being a politician, maybe Lyle's just doing what comes naturally. And possibly he's reporting back to the UP. [I know, I know ... I should just shut up now and take my medication again.]
Also, there was a nice throwback to the old JLA. Cham's antennae reminds me of Ralph's nose.
I'm not real sure I like this Triplicate Girl quite as clueless as has been portrayed in this issue. I guess I just expect her to be ... more aware of what's going on around her. It's nice to see somebody calling her out on her relationship with Cos, though.
>snicker-snicker< "No alibi."
Okay, I'm rambling now. Time for me to take my meds.
Thanks again for the rundown!!!!!!!!
-------------------- You can never quit believiing in your dreams ... or yourself. ----- You GOTTA listen to Levi Kreis.
From: Aggieland | Registered: Jul 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
Except the key player is supposed to be removed because of some secret about the U.P. Sun Boy's being unhappy with the team dynamics hardly qualifies.
Plus the quitting is supposed to antagonize relations between Brainy and Cos. And I don't see how Sun Boy's leaving leads to that.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Regarding the Quitter I agree with E.D.E. sunboy doesn't seem like a catalyst for all-out civil war. I see that it could be:
Saturn Girl Understands Brainy and let his insults slide off. He seems to tolerate her more than his other team-mates, crediting her with the report on Terror Firma in #6 though clearly Garth gave the report at the end of issue 5. As a founder she could be the buffer between Cos/Brainy.
Invisible Kid If Lyle's confronted by Brainy over the break-in or maybe a Cos demand to pledge allegiance. I could see Brainy losing it if Cos causes the loss of the services of Lyle's mind, which Brainy seems to respect.
From: Canada | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Mystery Lad: spoiler space
spoiler space
spoiler space
spoiler space
Calling the Roll is a character-by-character look at the latest issue of the LSH...
spoiler space
spoiler space
spoiler space
Let the roll be called!
BRAINIAC 5: "Why do earthlings even have fingers? What did you do, you gathering of carbon?" So just what is Brainy's bod primarily composed of-- nettles?
I figured this comment was to say that a "gathering of carbon" equated humans with something like a blade of grass. Coluans could as easily be carbon but are a *superior* form of carbon.
quote:2). Does this mean Coluans are born tiny? Does Brainy share the abilities of Micro Lad/Colossol Boy (and, presumably, Atom Girl)? Artificially or with tech-assist?
3). Where does this leave Imsk? A miniaturized also-ran?
I wondered if Atom Girl might not be a Coluan herself. Remember Brainy's comment about Coluans without the ultra-intellect being outcasts? Maybe that's what she is.
quote: LIGHT LASS: From Winath... hmmm. What does mean for Garth-from-Trom?
I wondered the same. It would seem to rule them out as twins, though they could still be siblings.
quote:I don't quite get why Cham is considered the 'secret weapon' rather than Light Lass. They're both great here, but I'd say that LL gets the 'gold star'. Unless-- Nura figured Brainy would discount Light Lass even more than he does throughout this issue...
I just want to know of Cham was simply configuring his body into an imitation of lightning or if he was really using it. If he had lightning, he jumps to "most powerful Legionnaire" status.
-------------------- Dan
From: Newburgh, NY | Registered: May 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Mystery Lad: I don't quite get why Cham is considered the 'secret weapon' rather than Light Lass. They're both great here, but I'd say that LL gets the 'gold star'. Unless-- Nura figured Brainy would discount Light Lass even more than he does throughout this issue...
Cham is the secret weapon because without him they would not have discovered Lemnos. Lemnos did not take into account all of Cham's abilities and was therefore became vulnerable.
-------------------- Five billion years from now the Sun will go nova and obliterate the Earth. Don't sweat the small stuff!
From: Boston | Registered: Aug 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Beagz: The blurb for this issue talks about a "key Legionnaire" being removed fromt he playing field. Maybe it's Lyle. He seems to be playing all sides. Or he's just doing what those with seniority tell him. But with his dad being a politician, maybe Lyle's just doing what comes naturally. And possibly he's reporting back to the UP.
I don't put a lot of stock in what those blurbs say in Previews. Waid doesn't write them. Maybe whomever wrote it got something wrong.
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Except the key player is supposed to be removed because of some secret about the U.P. Sun Boy's being unhappy with the team dynamics hardly qualifies.
Plus the quitting is supposed to antagonize relations between Brainy and Cos. And I don't see how Sun Boy's leaving leads to that.
I think you're being too narrow, when thinking about the Legion.
"The war that will transform the galaxy begins — inside Legion headquarters! When one Legionnaire quits the team, it strips away the last bit of civility between Cosmic Boy and Brainiac 5, violently splitting the team in two!"
Think back about Sun Boy's appearances to date. His key role seems to be as a link from the core of the Legion to their devotees. See also #1 and #3, especially. If he quits, it could cause many or most of them to question their faith and whether or not the Legion represents exactly what they thought that they did.
That in turn may be the catalyst for change within the core's ranks as much as anything else.
From: San Diego, CA | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Mystery Lad: BRAINIAC 5: ...aboard a good ol' spacecraft. No sweat off my brow-- I'd prefer this mode of transport for the Legion, because it can result in scenes like the one we had here.
Me too. I suppose a mix is good to keep everyone happy.
quote:What do you think of the visual of Colu as one gigantic circuit-board? I liked it. "Force fields and miniaturization... we have gradually and uniformly compacted our bodies... BOTTLE PLANET OF COLU."
What would really be revolutionary is a depiction of Colu as a planet of super-smart hippies, but this variation on the standard theme seems well-considered.
quote:Does the slash through the 'o' in 'God' Brainy utters while flying above the 'societal degenerates' enjoying their 'external combustions' have any significance?
Maybe it signifies that the future will have different versions of worship, but that's crazy because there's only one universal truth, after all.
quote: Aarrgh! Is that Brainy's mother or not? Why bring it up if you're not going to tell us?!!
Hee hee. It's like each issue should be an encyclopedia.
quote:A snippy as he's presented here, I'm finally enjoying 'this' Brainy. I want to see him 'bend' to his teammates-- befriend them. I suspect that's a long-range journey for this character... assuming he still *is* a teammate after the next couple of issues.
Me too. It's weird how my sympathies go back and forth between him and Cos with almost each issue. I'm pretty sure I'd be on Brainy's team, though.
quote:INVISIBLE KID: Lyle seems to be Brainy's apprentice... yet he breaks into Brainy's lab with Cosmic Boy, Phantom Girl, etc.?
Yeah, what's with that?!
quote:LIGHT LASS: "That is the worst compliment I have ever heard!" Brilliant! I love this response.
It was indeed the perfect response to Brainy's diatribe. I am still thrilled that Ayla is not feeling in any way sorry for herself this time around.
quote:SATURN GIRL:
Can't be completely sure what side she falls on in the coming split. It would be nice to see her not on the same side as Cosmic Boy & Lightning Lad.
quote:CHAMELEON: Loved the 'show and tell' page with Saturn Girl. This is why cruiser's are way more fun than transmatters. Cham's just a fun part of the Legion.
Completely agree. I also love how coversations do double-duty and we got to hear the rest of B5 & Ayla while also seeing what Cham and Saturn Girl are doing their own thing.
quote:COSMIC BOY:
The only way I can convince myself that he is not a complete jerk (and a stupid jerk too) for breaking in to Brainy's lab is to imaginehe's all torn-up about Projectra's planet. Even that doesn't explain why the other folks are going along with it. What is wrong with them?
quote:SUN BOY: Love the "I did tell him when I told you" bit. Smart.
That was a good surprise. When would I have ever imagined myself saying, "More Sun Boy!"
From: Portland, Oregon | Registered: Jul 2003
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![[Brainiac 5 - Re-Imagined]](graemlins/Brainiac53.gif)
BRAINIAC 5: "Why do earthlings even have fingers? What did you do, you gathering of carbon?" So just what is Brainy's bod primarily composed of-- nettles?![[Light Lass - Re-Imagined]](graemlins/LightLass3.gif)
LIGHT LASS: From Winath... hmmm. What does mean for Garth-from-Trom? ![[Saturn Girl - Re-Imagined]](graemlins/SaturnGirl3.gif)
SATURN GIRL: "Is that really the size of my forehead?" Hahahaha! "No alibi." Zingers for Saturn Girl-- who knew?![[Chameleon - Re-Imagined]](graemlins/Chameleon3.gif)
CHAMELEON/ LIGHTNING CHAM/ SATURN CHAM/ PROTY(?)/ BIG BRAINY CHAM/ ELASTIC CHAM/ TURTLE CHAM/ GIANT FISH MAN CHAM/ RALTUSAN BROBDIPOD/ SECRET WEAPON: Loved the 'show and tell' page with Saturn Girl. This is why cruiser's are way more fun than transmatters. Cham's just a fun part of the Legion.![[Cosmic Boy - Re-Imagined]](graemlins/CosmicBoy3.gif)
COSMIC BOY: Black hair! Not brown! C'mon! "sick and tired of everyone keeping secrets from me." Irony. Is Cos Brainy's "biggest adversary" as Lemnos hinted? And just what will that mean for the LSH? Next issue looks like a biggie...![[Sun Boy - Re-Imagined]](graemlins/SunBoy3.gif)
SUN BOY: I thought it was Shadow Lass to whom Sun Boy spoke of leaving? I suppose we've just seen the Legion info-chain at work... Triplicate Girl to Cosmic Boy to Shadow Lass (through one or the other of them...) Too bad-- I sort of liked the idea that Shady intuitively arrived at that conclusion on her own. Ah, well-- we weren't shown the Sun Boy/Triplicate Girl date in its entiretly, after all.
![[Hmmm?]](graemlins/hmmm.gif)
I think you're being too narrow, when thinking about the Legion.
