Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Visionaries of Tomorrow Tell us about Tellus

Since Steve mentioned his original ideas about Tellus, let's take a look at his designs:

Wow, that really fills in some of the blanks for the curious.

I should point out that the original color code sheet was provided to my Legion collaborators in a full color version. Not black and white, as you see it here.

Steve

Wow -- whoever called Tellus a "lump of..." should take a look at the above. It really shows how visually dynamic he can be.

Say NC, where did the above drawing come from anyway? It appears to be in the same series as the Sensor Girl and Quislet pics you posted in the other threads.

I believe I snagged all of these from the LegionPics and/or Artpost Yahoo! Groups over the years.

I have a whole CD of Legion-related images from those sources and a few others.

I'm in total agreement, Drake. Actually, now that I've seen a picture of Tellus sans helmet...I hope that if he ever does come back, he doesn't need the helmet. I loved Tellus before, but he just looks so much badder without it.

If Tellus were re-introduced, he could have some nose plugs instead of the helmet, or some other techy solution. That's a great sketch, it really communicates the emotion.

A shame about the abandonment of the colour-communication. Very interesting concept for Tellus! I was reading that humans (that's us!) can distinguish shades of grey better than colours, partly because colours become so emotion-laden. With Tellus and his race, they would probably have been able to display many gradations of each colour to express finer points of emotion.

Steve, I never knew there was so much depth to Tellus...I am impressed! I would like to see a re-boot Tellus now (along with all the other characters I liked too).

I'm really impressed with the colour coding...don't know if you know this but the octopus changes the colour of its skin to reflect its mood too!

Tellus and the emotion nodules is something that would benefit greatly from being rebooted what with all the computer coloring going on nowadays.

LOVE the MOOD NODULES!!!!
The color/emotion pairings are very human! I wonder if he studied that, or if it's one of those universal things?

I thought it odd that a race that swims in the ocean would have such clunky forearms, which makes me wonder if Tellus wasn't always intended to be from an ocean world? Or is he a bottom dweller?

Grr....hate that words "DEAF and MUTE"!!!! Because it is equivalent to "ni___rs" or "f___ot"! Never never combined those words together because it labels each other. "MUTE" is an old word meaning "DUMB and Speechless" and it's offended many deaf population. Just "DEAF" will do...it's sufficient. That's it. It does not mean that Deaf is not always dumb and mute. During early 1900s, many deaf schools have dropped either "Dumb" and "Mute" and changed it to simple name such as "Model Secondary School for the Deaf", "Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf", "California School for the Deaf", etc. So please don't use "mute" from now on, okay?

I was pissed off at some people who told others that I am "deaf and mute" because I cannot speak very well and people saying "oh sorry did not know that you were dumb". Huh? excuse me, I had to talk back by saying "I have a MA degree, does that mean I am dumber?"

Sorry for my venting off the point. Just feel like I want to let you know that it is very sensitive.

Looking at the bright side, wow, your description on Tellus' rocks on his back....very unique and I don't understand why the editor or assistant editor or someone higher than that decided to nix that. I find it very strangely since in 1990 or something close to that year, the annual DC crossover called "Bloodlines", they created a character called "Loose Cannon"...his powers is pretty much similar to Tellus, sans telepathic and telekinetics. Maybe you can bribe or lobby DnA to bring him back?

First, I should hope that you understand that it was never my intention to cause anyone to take offense.

I do believe that I understand your frustration at having the word "mute" erroneously applied to a deaf person. That is simply wrong. In some cases it may be wrong in a moral sense, as when someone intentionally mislabels another out of a disregard for their feelings, or out of carelessness, but it is also wrong because it is inaccurate to assume that a deaf person lacks the physical power of speech. You will notice the same kind of frustrating inaccuracies in the official Indian roles recorded just a few generations back by the United States government. In many cases, the majority of Native American peoples were described as deaf, mute, or even as imbeciles, largely because they did not speak the English language or because they refused to speak to the census takers. This is another example of how an inaccurate description can have negative and long lasting consequences.

In the case of Tellus, I defend the clinical use of the word mute, on the grounds that it is an accurate description of an individual lacking the power of verbal speech. Describing Tellus as "speechless" might be acceptable as an alternative, but that word is open to other interpretations. To my knowledge of the English language (such as it is) mute is the most appropriate of descriptions for Tellus' physical ability. This is certainly not intended as a derogatory comment in any way, simply a statement of his situation. You will note that this physical reality is not a detriment amongst his own race, who possesses an alternate mode of speech. The Hykranians employ a language that utilizes other bodily senses. Their language is a combination of sensitivity to vibration and vision. My suspicion is that Tellus would consider races, limited to a purely auditory language, to be disabled. Of course, he is far too polite to say so.

My intention, in creating a character like Tellus, was to show that differences needn't be an insurmountable barrier. Tellus was never meant, as some seem to have concluded, to be a "token monster." Tellus, and for that matter; Quislet, were portrayed as respected Legionnaires, the equals of their humanoid companions. Their differences were of no true importance because they were judged only by their spirits. They were Legionnaires because they shared the heart of the Legion. Many peoples with more humanoid physiognomies and familiar language skills failed to meet that particular criteria.

I chose my words for their literal and clinical definitions. I certainly did not intend for anyone to interpret them in a derogatory sense. Your letter helps me to understand your sensitivity to the words "deaf" and "mute." I am sorry to see that my use of these words seems to have caused you some distress.

Sincerely,
Steve Lightle

Dean, you are right about Tellus being designed with the ability to make his way both on the land and in the sea. I imagined his world to be predominantly water, broken up by marginal stretches of land.

Thanks for your comments on the colors of the sensor nodules. I must admit to having leaned rather close to cliche in matching some of the colors and their corresponding meanings. I hoped that by keeping it simple, a larger number of readers might catch on to the patterns. I don't think that our interpretations of the "moods" of different colors is universal. In China, a virtuous bride might wear red on her wedding day. She certainly wouldn't wear white, as that color represents mourning in the Chinese culture.

Steve

I hope that by reminding everyone of this particular thread, some pertinent questions regarding Tellus, might find easy answers.

Steve

PS: Don't forget to pick up LEGION issue #34!

Can you please post the info on Sensor Girl and Quislet?

Characterwise, I believe it was my namesake that indeed called Tellus a lump.

You might be right about that, Dev ... but there was a colorist who told me that he thought Tellus looked like "a big lump of sh*t." Speaking of colorists, I think that Ronda Pattison did a wonderful job on issue #34. She even tried to capture the changing colors of those sensor nodules ... something that hasn't been properly done since Legion of Super-Heroes #14.

No two artists will agree on everything, and there probably are a few things I'd have done differently, but Ronda's work on the issue is truly impressive. She approached the coloring as a true artist. What more could I possibly ask? Check her work out. I'm sure you'll be as impressed as I am.

Steve

Ronda rocks!

Though I bet she tried to make Tellus blue!

Steve, you flatterer you! Well I can honestly say that your issue was one of the most fun I've done so far, and certainly the most challenging. I hope everyone likes it. I'm sure when I see it in print ( I have to buy it on the 30th like everyone else) I'll see things that I should have done differently, and maybe someday we can compare notes. How else is a girl to learn?

Trying to make Tellus' nodes change, but still be purple at the edges, was more difficult than I imagined, and not quite as successful as I'd hoped, but I'm glad we stayed true to your original vision. Editorial actually wanted me to make them all purple, but once I said it was your idea they let it go!

Thanks for your kind words Steve; it was terrific working with you!

Ronda

Yeah, I'll make you blue mister...(imagine menacing tone here)

TPTB have been trying to shut Tellus up since day one. Tellus' pacifist ways threatened to disrupt profits controlled by the superhero segment of the comic medium and TPTB muted him and fitted him with cement overflippers. However, idiots that they are, they forgot Tellus can actually breath underwater.

Nice to know that Tellus will finally get to have his say.

Bumped! In honor of #34's release today. All hail Steve!

All hail Rhonda, too! Phenomenal job!