posted
Next review coming soon, the White Triangle tale and the first few Waid-less issues!
But I wanted to take a moment to note how much fun I am having re-reading the letters pages in these issues.
Lots of repeat letterhacks like Jim Kelly and especially David Taylor-- who really tickled me by asking for the return of Calorie Queen (as well as Gas Girl and a few others). Unfortunately, he showed no love for other fine characters like Lester Spiffany, Calamity King and Infectious Lass and did not include them in his suggestions, so his requests were flatly denied.
posted
The first year of the reboot was actually quite good! Artistically, I actually preferred Moy's art to Moder's, and overall they were a solid combination. I felt Waid's influence leave the book with the culmination of the White Triangle story, and it went downhill fast (let's be honest, it was a sheer cliff). I have long said that I am not a fan of Peyer's writing in general, but his Legion work was straight up not good at all!
-------------------- Craig C.
- Time travel stories are told in chronillogical order.
From: Santa Ana, CA | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
This legion just never clicked with me and in fact takes a lot of my scorn. Part of the issue is that most of the characters just seem to be unlikeable and make horrible personality choices.
They had some good moments but they were outweighed by the bad.
* Imra pupeteering Cosmic Boy's body (ruining possibly one of THE best ideas for a relationship since....everyone hates Garth)
* Phantom Girl and Ultraboy was the worst handled relationship ever. I even LIKED the reboot Ultraboy more than the original.
* Cosmic Boy was a jerk to Superboy, one of my favorite characters.
* They started the characters at 15 years old and frankly that is VERY creepy.
* Princess Snake.
* The Garth-Element Lad situation and everything that lead up to it.
* The Psycho-Goth cheesecake depiction of Shady
* Randomly changing names.
* The smack in the face to years of continuity with the time travel episode where they met Superboy.
* Trying to pass Mon'el off as Superboy...AGAIN. It never worked.
The list goes on and on. I dropped the title during the Great Darkness Rip Off when they had Superboy accidentally kill a dozen people.
I loved the White Triangle but in terms of characterization, it just failed for me.
posted
I enjoyed the early reboot through the conclusion of the Chu sting in issue #80. What came next was just abominable writing and cartoon caricature, but I think the editor KC Carlson must also share blame with Peyer & Stern. Imo, they all abandoned their mission after the first mega-arc was finished.
DnA instilled it with danger and excitment, and transformed it into real sci-fi/adventure. I hated some of their characterizations (Saturn Girl, Phantom Girl), and rue some of the choices they made (Element Lad), but it was great rollercoaster ride overall, imo. In retrospect, they probably should have left when Coipel did - which was their original intention - but they still get a thumbs up for giving me a reason to read the Legion again.
From: Reimagined Trom | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by MLLASH: Next review coming soon, the White Triangle tale and the first few Waid-less issues!
But I wanted to take a moment to note how much fun I am having re-reading the letters pages in these issues.
Lots of repeat letterhacks like Jim Kelly and especially David Taylor-- who really tickled me by asking for the return of Calorie Queen (as well as Gas Girl and a few others). Unfortunately, he showed no love for other fine characters like Lester Spiffany, Calamity King and Infectious Lass and did not include them in his suggestions, so his requests were flatly denied.
Hopefully he has since learned his lesson.
David Taylor didn't even ask for the inclusion of Cobalt Kid? Bah!! I expect better from Legion fans!
[ March 09, 2006, 06:21 AM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
Jeepers! How could this David Taylor guy have failed to ask for Calamity King? I seriously doubt his credentials as a Legion fan!
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
David Taylor once laughed at me after I had fallen into a well and needed to be rescued! Then he threw acid into the well!
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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quote:Originally posted by MLLASH: Next review coming soon, the White Triangle tale and the first few Waid-less issues!
But I wanted to take a moment to note how much fun I am having re-reading the letters pages in these issues.
Lots of repeat letterhacks like Jim Kelly...
Back up a sec! In addition to this David Taylor person (probably not even a real person), the former quarterback for the Buffalo Bills also wrote a letter to the Legion editors? Cool!
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
We very well may have to do a Thomas Fatsi-style stalking of this Taylor weirdo, but for now, another review....
LSH # 67:
And Tangleweb becomes the first repeatvillain of the reboot; I felt he was creepy enough for it. The scene with Gim mocking Imra was cute. Lots of nice character moments all around, really, as Cos has to pick a select crew of Legionnaires to tackle Tangleweb, alienating some of them in the process.
L* # 24:
The excellent "spotlight on Triad" issue. Granny Murlu was the character find of 1995, and I loved discovering how Lu came into Brande's employ. "Mr. Brande didn't laugh, he TRIPLED my pay." This issue was a bit of a spotlight on our estemmed Mr. Brande as well. Good stuff.
LSH # 68:
Andromeda finally starts to become a little more likeable; another nice Cos/Gim bit at the end.
L* # 25:
The Composite Man! Eh, he was alright, but what I liked most was the slickers-- of space (see page 16)! Plus a groovy scene involving Tenzil and a cactus.
LSH # 69:
It's put up or shut up time for Saturn Girl; it just seemed she was pretty weak to be considered powerful by Titanian standards. This is possibly the first time we have ever seen a Legionnaire drool (but NOT the last)! In general, I didn't care for this development.
LSH ANNUAL # 6
Shvaughn becomes LSH liason as she was destined to be; the Tornado Twins! Origins for XS, Leviathan and Kinetix-- who also LOSES her power for some never-explained reason.
L* # 26:
YAY, more Workforce! The Jo/Tinya romance begins to ignite, and a quite interesting scene where the President refuses to oust a now-powerless Kinetix from the team (for fear of offending Aleph) exposes the fallacy of the Legion Draft.
LSH # 70:
A powerful read still, as the 2 most arrogant, self-superior Legionnaires have it out; of course, Brainy gets the best of Laurel, as he is saving her life, and reader-hope for the return of the TMK-Laurel is advanced. But then sneaky Vi finds Laurel's white triangle medallion....
L* # 27:
Cos impresses me by facing down Laurel; Laurel unwittingly sets into motion events that will cost millions of lives; more of brain-damaged Imra (I prefer her as hussy man-thief) and... ROXXAS. Can a certain blonde Trommite be far behind?
LSH # 71:
Now THIS. THIS is how you destroy a planet. Compare this with the blah destruction of Orando in the 3boot. It's like comparing a Lexus convertible to a tricycle with 2 flat tires. The murderous Daxamites are genuinely scary, and the destruction of Trom is a tear-jerkingly powerful image still. Plus some good face time for Zoe and some Legionnaires begin to form a squad that would be good at espionage and stuff. Plus: a certain blonde Trommite!
LSH # 28:
The Espionage Squad in action! David Taylor's suspicion that Tinya and her mother are very similar people (from an earlier lettercolumn) is confirmed on page 11! Hopefully he got a $5 idea check. And-- Daxamites attack earth!
L* ANNUAL # 2:
WHEW! All-Out-Action Issue doesn't begin to do it justice. Mistake: killing Tinya, which was absolutely unnecessary and allowed crappiness to later take over her character. Done well: Andromeda's survival and subsequent self-jailing. At last you get the feeling that the Laurel you liked back in TMK is finally back, only in jail off-panel and stuff for the foreseeable future. More Workfrce! And the idiotic brain-damaged Imra nonsense is done away with!
So, so far-- still good.
But coming up: The Legion goes Waidless! How will it hold up?
I was and am very disappointed that Jan became a nonentity in his own origin. But at least another character didn't swipe it, like in the fourboot!
It's telling to compare RJ's treatment of Luornu (and even Brainy) with that of Jan. All three given to his care, one never received it. Even worse, it's the one whose *parents*, as opposed to his *world*, placed him in Brande's hands.
I sort of disagree about the Tinya-thing. I thought her death was moving and well-written. I basically wished she'd stayed a phantom that haunted the Legion, instead of having that awful half-Carggite origin tacked on. Maybe she could've had a supernatural adventure in which she gained the ability to sometimes manifest a physical body for short periods of time.
Zoe was never the same after that annual. She had such a strong debut, too.
I enjoyed those years of the reboot-- I found something to like right up to the god-awful SUMMER WORLD story. Admitedly, sometimes that something took some searching.
This, despite the fact that I didn't *want* to like the reboot at all- I much preferred the idea of the ongoing LSH alongside the proposed retelling of the ADVENTURE years with 'modern' storytelling we were promished at one time.
Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane!
From: Knoxville, TN | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Mystery Lad: These are fun memories to revisit, Lash!
Zoe was never the same after that annual. She had such a strong debut, too.
I enjoyed those years of the reboot-- I found something to like right up to the god-awful SUMMER WORLD story. Admitedly, sometimes that something took some searching.
Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane!
To add my two pennies-worth:
The Zoe-Emerald Eye subplot might have been good if Violet had not been possessed, but Kinetix had. Zoe's later cat-being persona and "personality breakdown" via the Space Anomaly were minuses on a major level. When she bounced back afterwards, it was the beginning of her downhill slump - regrettably
The Summer World story WAS tame compared to earlier Stern stories, but at least he managed to fit in all of the current membership before he bid farewell to the 30th century for good. My gripe is that we never fully got to see Thunder in a Moy-Carani setting (apart from an image on the Mission Monitor Board).
From: Adelaide, Australia | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Yeah the death of Apparition was the first major blunder. If they had left her dead it wouldn't have been a popular decision, but everything about her return and characterisation after that was in the toliet. It killed both characters (and eventually Brin when he appeared). It was like there was no good reason for Jo and Tinya to be together other than they *had* to be.
I did enjoy the reboot immensely at this point though. The first version of the Workforce was great, being rivals rather than necessarily villains. I think they let that concept go to quickly. I liked the new Andromeda (although ironically I hated the "cut from the same cloth" Umbra) and was interested to see her return after the annual, too bad it was as a nun and then as a ... a.... whatever she was after the anomally. I was anxious for Man-El to get back, but still wasn't a "Legend of Valor" fan. Really enjoyed this part of the reboot.
From: Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada | Registered: Sep 2004
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
I've always thought it would have been far more interesting if they'd given one of the Legion titles to the Workforce, and let them continue to exist as a rival orgraniation for much longer. Part of the appeal for me in those days was the feeling that things could be completely different in this version of the team. Characters who were Legionnaires before wouldn't end up as members of the team this time, while other supporting players from the past might very well join. There was some exiting about the whole thing.
Then all the Workforce members who were "supposed" to be Legionnaires switch teams, and it all got kind of blah. I thought they should either give us something far more different than the original team or just give us the original Legion back.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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Shvaughn becomes LSH liason as she was destined to be; the Tornado Twins! Origins for XS, Leviathan and Kinetix-- who also LOSES her power for some never-explained reason.
The Star she was looking for backfired on her and drained her power instead of giving her more.
Legionnaires #42 later says Mysa set her up for that to happen
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
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