Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #32 (Spoilers)

I am looking forward to reading this, maybe this weekend.

I actually like the idea of Winath as a stormy agricultural planet. It's like "what if an entire planet were like Kansas?" There's a nice resonance with Superman's childhood. There's the sense of unending boredom that kids want to escape from. There's also the lightning connection that suggests the Ranzz kids were not just randomly able to turn in to human energizers.

Also (and this is the COOLEST thing!) I've recently learned that lightning is nature's fertilizer! All living things need nitrogen (to build proteins, among other things), but nitrogen, which is 70% of the earth's atmosphere, is chemically not very reactive. It likes to hang out with itself in its N2 molecules.

Lightning's terrific energy cracks apart the N2 molecules, allowing nitrogen to combine with other stuff in the air (I'm guessing oxygen) and precipitate out with the rain. In the ground, it combines with other stuff to make the nitrogen compounds that fertilize plants. That's why it's no illusion that your lawn is a LOT greener after a thunderstorm! Cool, huh?

So, a very stormy planet would also be an incredibly fertile planet--the breadbasket of the galaxy.

Yes, but that's different from 'setting them up'. Brainy might not tell the field teams everything, but he's not going to betray them. (Except possibly Mekt.)

First, a well deserved "Boo" for the pun.

Second, we're not going to find out that Validus is Mekt's Dad who is Validus' father (or Uncle) are we because I'm not sure I can handle that. Heh!

How cool would it be to find a Superboy/man on Winath. I'm suprised Clark doesn't have a summer home there.

No betrayal implied in my use of "setting them up" but I don't think Brainy's actions are strictly benevolent, either. He's preparing them (and possibly us) for ... something. Change, I suppose -- inevitable and necessary but not always gentle. Certain characters may need to grow stronger to meet the unknown challenge (Star Boy), but some may have to accept a much harsher fate in order to fulfill the roles they're meant to play (Mekt, Brin?).

Validus is his father, his uncle, his nephew AND his long-lost twin brother.

Next day impressions:

Ayla's new pose on the roll call page may say a lot about the new art style.

"Unlax?" Has that been used in the threeboot before? If not, I don't mean to detract from its use (future-slang is always a hoot--cool up), but wouldn't it be the opposite of "relax?"

That Tenzil happens to be along with the team that is most likely to spend panel after panel bickering with each other (in typical threeboot fashion) makes me appreciate the plotting all the more.

ooh,

good add.

Wait till Validus gets a hold of some profem then gets cheated on! You think there's power in that lightinng now!

And..who is Star Boy?
I never know..if he's Thom Kallor or James Cullem....
I need soon his name!

What's with all the cross-eyed and painful expressions? There's a whole lotta need more Lotus Fruit BAD look going on. Then there's the case of Mekt's mysteriously disappearing-then-reappearing (and rather dark for a redhead) stubble. Not to mention the fact that M. looks like William H. Macy on page 7-ish. (Mr. Macy is already engaged for another role. )

On the plus side, Tenz looks good, and I appreciate that the clothing was drawn realistically (wrinkles!).

Unlax was used last issue by Unnamed Dude on Lallor.

Star Boy is Thom of Xanthu.

PS: Maybe now Sun Boy will appreciate his merely hippie, not homicidal parents a little more. An AfterSchool-A-Tron Special...of Space!

Ma and Pa Ranzz make Lon Norg look like Ward Cleaver.

I did NOT much like this issue. Calero's art, which fit X-Factor so well, didn't do it for me here. The story didn't quite ring my bell, either.

I'm a lonnnnnng way from being displeased with the series, though.

I really liked this issue. it made up for a lot of the bumpy transition last time.

One huge continuity problem though, is that this spins the current Legion even farther from the version in Brave and the Bold, since Validus (and the rest of the Fatal Five) are supposed to be in custody. Star Boy should at least have recognised the name.

Further reason to just throw B&B out the window.

Yesterday was spent recovering from a stag night and reading the last year and a halfs worth of comics at Numfs, I'll save my opinions of most of them for another time but as I'd picked up 32 on Friday here's my views -

Nice enough art, very moody.

Story was a filler. Took under five minutes to read and while it was nice to have a bit about Mekt overall IMHO it could have been done in six pages.

Not too impressed.

FABOO art! Mr. Calero, your free dinner is waiting.

lil rhino, i will take you up on it!

This issue was a very nice improvement to the "stuff" we have been getting lately! With all of the Legion appearences in JLA/JSA and the upcoming Action Comics in October, the "future" for the Legion (especially for us veteran fans) is looking bright!!!

I enjoyed this issue a lot! Especially the art work. This is what I have been requesting for a long time - a focused story featuring a handful of Legionnaires. This has been the best issue of the 32 issue run so far. I am looking forward to the next Legion issue for the first time in two years.

Flight Ring Count:
Lyle lost his.
Cosmic Boy gave up his.
Mekt acquired one.
Dream Girl's went to Supergirl.
Assuming all other active Legionnaires have one (including Dream Boy, and ignoring Brainy's loss in B&B #5), we're one short unless Brainy came up with a new one. Otherwise, someone did let Mekt borrow theirs and Cosmic Boy remains without his.

Just got it today and while the art and the story isn't as bad as the last issue I still thought it was pretty disposable rubbish. The story just doesn't interest me and has wierd plotting in points (all the stuff about Supergirl being busy but not even giving us a clue what was going on) and the rest of it was oddly unengaging.

As for the art... I dunno, it was art that was trying hard to be JG Jones or something and didn't quite manage it. There's some nice stuff in there like the pages of Tenzil being tricked and trapped but then there's some awful ugly stuff too like the fight between Star Boy, Mekt and Sun Boy. It's visually confusing and muddy and not very nice. The worst thing though is on page 10. Mekt looks OK. He's looking grim and upset, which is fine. Thom and Tenzil are alright, even if Thom looks a little constipated. But what on earth is going on with Sun Boy? He's cross eyed and he looks like he's either about to be violently sick or as if someone has unexpectedly stuck a stick up his bum. Even if there's a line that's been cut and he's meant to be shouting it still doesn't explain the wierd crossed eyes. It's just the most obvious sign that the art isn't as good as it would like to be.

It's overall a very disappointing issue. The Legion of late has been horribly underwhelming. I actually really liked what Waid was doing with the title. I was skepitcal that the DnA Legion needed to be replaced at all but grew to like the WaK Legion. Since they've been gone from the title it just feels like filler that doesn't have much of a point and art that is OK but nothing special because it's just biding time before DC work out what they're planning on doing with the characters. It's a shame because I really want to enjoy the title but I'm not at the moment. I don't care about the version of the Legion running around in JLA and JSA, I'm starting not to care about the WaK Legion and would be happier if we could have DnA back. Let's hope the next few issues draw me back in again.

Perhaps Sun Boy is leting out a mighty yawn because he senses Mekt is about to go on about his past.

He's thinking "If I have to hear the Ranzz lightning origin ONE MORE TIME I'm going to hurl!" which is pretty much how I feel.


That facial expression was by far the worst of the art this issue. Otherwise, I liked most of it. Mekt's expression in the same panel also seemed inappropriate to the conversation, but not as glarlingly as Dirk's.

in defense of the artist, i believe Sun Boy is making an exagerrated gross face because he is grossed out by mekt's description of processing the grain into gel-cubes.

" posted July 27, 2007 06:41 AM
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quote:
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Originally posted by Lightning Lad:


Did anyone else think that Tenzil looked like Val Kilmer in a couple of panels? Just an observation.
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Yes! -- and a little like Dennis Calero in a couple of panels "

Sorry guys, not guilty! While I have been known to use myself as the model for some characters (cheapest model I know) that, in fact, is a wonderful actor I met named Joey Duke. You can find him on MySpace. And what he really looks like is Matt Damon and often gets jobs based on that.

"It's just the most obvious sign that the art isn't as good as it would like to be."

Now, I have no problem with anyone not liking my work. I'm not saying I don't CARE or that I wouldn't want as many people as possible to be pleased, but its a reality. If anything, I would rather be one of those artists with a small but very loyal following. I want my work to be idiosyncratic and frankly, not for everyone because if I tried to make it for everyone, it would just end up being mediocre gruel which is what we have too much of these days in all areas of life.

That being said, I hardly think it's fair to hold up one failed expression as evidence of a work's complete failure. As I do say "failed" because while most people do seem to get what's going on, many don't.

What is happening is that Sun Boy is reacting to Mekt's general attiude and snottiness. Enough people don't get it for me to consider that moment a failure, but my attitude is that I'd rather experiment and try different things and occasionally fall flat on my face than to never try and do something different. Guys, most comic artists don't make all THAT much money and when you do a book in 4 weeks, not everything is going to be perfect. There, I said it.

Every artist I adore from Adams to Steranko tried things and some of them, as much as we revere them now, did not work,and others were simply not accepted at the time. Time will tell.

But again, all that being said, if you liked the work at all, one expression that was a little off probably wouldn't have bothered you.

It seems clear to me that you're just not into it, period. And that's fine. But you have to see also that if I were to walk away, saying to myself "well, gee, if I had nailed that face a bit more he probably would have liked the whole book" does me a disservice and wouldn't help me become a better artist.

I'm not trying to define what your experience is. Obviusly what Mark and Barry did, for a lot of people, is seminal work and clearly different than what we're doing.

I can say there was a deliberate decision to take these 5 issues and use them to try something different and without patting myself or us as a team on the back (not saying that we're succeeding!) I think that's a laudible goal in and of itself, especially when you consider than when all is said and done, its only five issues.

What does bug me, and I'm not saying anyone HERE is doing it (in fact, it is clear that Legion fans are open minded and good people), is that there does seem to be a segment of fandom, heck a segment of people, that just don't react well to any change, even if its temporary. It's the McDonald'sization of America, everything the same, all the time, anywhere. And it really sucks.

Many of us seem to go through life thinking that anything good has to be "gotten" immediately. Well, very few people liked coffee or wine the first time they tried it. Very few people probably like Opera the first time. Some things you have to stretch and grow to appreciate.

Now whether what we're doing falls under that category, obviously I have an opinion on that. I don't believe anyone here thinks I actually TRY to do bad comics. I do my very best.

But there's also this:

Not every issue (or arc) of every book has to be the ULTIMATE (no pun intended) version of that book. Does every Batman issue ever have to be dark and forboding? Shall we never see a FUNNY Batman story? That's silly, of course.

There is such a thing as saying "well, this isn't really for me, but let me really give it a shot and enjoy it for what it is."


So, critique, ask questions, by all means take nothing for granted. But if you find the crux of your argument is that it's "different", try and remember that for some of us, "different" is not an insult but a goal.