Secrets of the Legion of Super-Heroes - 09/30/07 07:37 AM
Three issue mini-series published January through March, 1981.
Plot: E. Nelson Bridwell
Script: Paul Kupperburg
Art: Jim Janes and Frank Chiaramonte
Covers: Dick Giordano
Secrets of the Legion of Super-Heroes was DC's third mini-series following World of Krypton and The Legends of the Batman . The Legion's editor at the time was Jack C. Harris. Mr. Harris seemed to be the editor of about a third of the books being put out by DC in the early eighties, and the Legion was going through editors as quickly as it was artists. Harris promised that the series would answer all of the questions readers had about the origins of the Legionnaires, their home planets, and civilian identities in one easy to access reference. He admitted this was needed as much by the creative teams as the readers. On top of that, we would get an exciting new story.
That story turned out to be the revelation, in the final issue, that R.J. Brande was the father of Chameleon Boy. Mr. Brande was in a coma and dying of Yorrgian Fever. Because of a rare blood type, only a transfusion from relative could save his life. In a state of delerium, he says that he is the father of a Legionnaire. Marla Latham and a pretty young blond girl named Arlayn break into the Legion headquarters to review their files in hopes of finding the identity of Brande's offspring. I don't recall Arlayn ever appearing before or after, and she doesn't get much dialouge. The origins are presented briefly, usually in less than a page, and at times, only in two or three panels. We do at least get everyone's real name, home planet, and whether their powers are natural for natives of their planet, or the result of some freakish accident or mutation. We have to put up with an awful lot of overly antagonistic dialouge between Marla and Wildfire to get to this information, though.
"Serviceable" is the word that comes to mind to describe Jim Janes artwork, both in the mini and the regular title. When introduced, Harris proclaimed that Janes would hopefully become as associated with the Legion as Cockrum, Grell, and Sherman. Didn't turn out that way, but for my money he was a huge improvement over Joe Staton, who he replaced. I wonder whatever became him?
There are a few entertaining goofs. Tyroc is shown in a group shot on the first page of the first issue. By the time his origin is told in issue #3, the writers remembered that he was trapped in another dimension with the island of Marzal. Karate Kid has to quickly explain that he can be contacted by Dawnstar on rare occasions, and since he just transported back he can't return for weeks. The text page in the first issue makes an attempt to list the Legionnaires in the order they were inducted. Ultra Boy is listed as 12th, right after Superboy. However, the story shows him as 15th, after Star Boy, Shrinking Violet, and Sun Boy. The text page in the first issue promises that the second issue will list the issue where each Legionniare's origin first appeared. Instead, the second issue text page contains information on villians and an apology from Harris because most Legionnires were introduced without origin stories. So much for an easy to use reference!
In spite of the bumps, this is a fun series to read, and it serves as a spring board for years of interesting tales that result from the relationship between Chameleon Boy and his newly found father.
Plot: E. Nelson Bridwell
Script: Paul Kupperburg
Art: Jim Janes and Frank Chiaramonte
Covers: Dick Giordano
Secrets of the Legion of Super-Heroes was DC's third mini-series following World of Krypton and The Legends of the Batman . The Legion's editor at the time was Jack C. Harris. Mr. Harris seemed to be the editor of about a third of the books being put out by DC in the early eighties, and the Legion was going through editors as quickly as it was artists. Harris promised that the series would answer all of the questions readers had about the origins of the Legionnaires, their home planets, and civilian identities in one easy to access reference. He admitted this was needed as much by the creative teams as the readers. On top of that, we would get an exciting new story.
That story turned out to be the revelation, in the final issue, that R.J. Brande was the father of Chameleon Boy. Mr. Brande was in a coma and dying of Yorrgian Fever. Because of a rare blood type, only a transfusion from relative could save his life. In a state of delerium, he says that he is the father of a Legionnaire. Marla Latham and a pretty young blond girl named Arlayn break into the Legion headquarters to review their files in hopes of finding the identity of Brande's offspring. I don't recall Arlayn ever appearing before or after, and she doesn't get much dialouge. The origins are presented briefly, usually in less than a page, and at times, only in two or three panels. We do at least get everyone's real name, home planet, and whether their powers are natural for natives of their planet, or the result of some freakish accident or mutation. We have to put up with an awful lot of overly antagonistic dialouge between Marla and Wildfire to get to this information, though.
"Serviceable" is the word that comes to mind to describe Jim Janes artwork, both in the mini and the regular title. When introduced, Harris proclaimed that Janes would hopefully become as associated with the Legion as Cockrum, Grell, and Sherman. Didn't turn out that way, but for my money he was a huge improvement over Joe Staton, who he replaced. I wonder whatever became him?
There are a few entertaining goofs. Tyroc is shown in a group shot on the first page of the first issue. By the time his origin is told in issue #3, the writers remembered that he was trapped in another dimension with the island of Marzal. Karate Kid has to quickly explain that he can be contacted by Dawnstar on rare occasions, and since he just transported back he can't return for weeks. The text page in the first issue makes an attempt to list the Legionnaires in the order they were inducted. Ultra Boy is listed as 12th, right after Superboy. However, the story shows him as 15th, after Star Boy, Shrinking Violet, and Sun Boy. The text page in the first issue promises that the second issue will list the issue where each Legionniare's origin first appeared. Instead, the second issue text page contains information on villians and an apology from Harris because most Legionnires were introduced without origin stories. So much for an easy to use reference!
In spite of the bumps, this is a fun series to read, and it serves as a spring board for years of interesting tales that result from the relationship between Chameleon Boy and his newly found father.