Legion World
Posted By: Future Re-Reading the Legion: Archives Volume 16 - 11/24/16 04:29 PM
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With Fat Cramer's blessing, it's time to kick off a new thread for our new archive! Here we'll be continuing our historical reading of the Legion with this fictional sixteenth archive volume, containing:

Legion of Super-Heroes, v2 #260-#272
Superstar Holiday Special

And perhaps, if the chronology checklist I'm referencing is right, Secrets of the Legion #1-#3? Let's find out!
#260 Come to the Circus – And Die! By Gerry Conway, art by Joe Staton & John Calnan, colours Gene D'Angelo, letters Milt Snapinn

[Linked Image]

A third circus performer dies before his fellow performers, disintegrated when he opened a package. They conclude that there must be a murderer among them.

On Earth, Legionnaires watch some of their teammates leave with R.J. Brande to help recreate his fortune. Wildfire is morose that no one will help the Legion rebuild, but Brainiac 5 gives a peptalk and Wildfire's spirit - and that of the others – revives.

A government rep, Pheng of the Department of Culture, approaches them with a mission to help Ringmaster Goodman Gissark of the Barley Carnival to find a murderer. The meeting is interrupted by a robot shuttle gone awry, which is dealt with by the Legionnaires.

Pheng explains that the circus is a visiting cultural delegation from the Cygnus System. Brainy gives a history lesson on cultural exchanges as a prelude to negotiations.

Leader Lightning Lad comes up with a plan and we next see the Legionnaires as disguised members of the circus troupe, participating in the freak show, the strong man performance, fortune telling, magic tricks and acrobatics.

Suddenly a Jovian Attack Squid breaks loose and attacks its trainer. Tinya deals with it; as the beast collapses, she observes a dart in the creature which had delivered chemical agents to drive the Squid mad.

Brainy reviews three murder suspects with some of the team members. The discussion is interrupted by a cry from the main tent, where Timber Wolf is performing acrobatics. The equipment has malfunctioned, but Brin manages to land safely amid great applause. One of the suspects is seen fleeing, so the Legionnaires conclude that he's the murderer and capture him. Brainy, however, has doubts that this is the culprit.

Comments:

Really, this wasn't as bad as I'd remembered, but it was pretty bad. Nothing much happens. People are murdered, but we have no investment in these characters. The final reveal that the real murderer is still at large isn't a big surprise, since arresting the wrong guy is such a common device. Why did Inik run? We don't really care. The computer selected three suspects based on intelligence and the fact that they couldn't be accounted for at the time of the killings: no consideration of possible motive is given. It would only have taken a few extra sentences to mention a grudge, a debt, blackmail, mental instability, something to point to a motive.

The robot shuttle incident takes up several pages and doesn't add to the story. The Legionnaires do get to show off their powers; it could have been targeting Ringmaster Gissark, but this isn't clear. A crashing robot shuttle would have taken out a lot more than one person.

The idea of a freak show in a galaxy full of alien sentients is absurd, if not embarrassing. Fortune telling, sawing women in half, wild Squid tamer – circuses have fallen out of favour today, largely due to their treatment of animals, but it's hard to imagine this sort of show entertaining the population of the future.

Mon-el is quick to judge the fleeing Imik as guilty, even calling him a murdering monster. This may be to set up the fact that the real killer is loose and the Legionnaires have let their guard down, but it grates to read that sort of comment from a “hero”.

Brainy seems off, personality-wise. Too cheerful. Maybe he's on some post-insanity medication.

There were some redeeming points:

* The splash page featuring Timber Wolf landing on his feet, falling from a great height
* The Jovian Attack Squid
* Lightning Lad asserting his authority as leader (with help from Brainy or Mon-el)
* A reminder of the various cultural exchanges between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. in the 1960s and '70s, which sometimes produced thrilling defections and even got a reference in Flanders & Swan's “Glorious Mud”
* Mention of the Cygnus System, which IIRC we never heard of again
* Tinya's performance, from her teasing Brainiac 5 to capturing the Jovian Attack Squid
* Confirmation that the Legionnaires were true to their word as a team left with R.J. Brande to help rebuild his fortune, in a cool looking ship called "Star Maker"
* Secretary Pheng is a monk-like Oriental; a stereotype, but it reminds us that Earth has a global government.

Further comments on this issue may be found in the Gerry Conway thread. It also merited a thread, I STILL haven't read “Space Circus”, in which people post that they have or haven't read the story, a must for scholars of the Space Circus issues.
Thanks for the covers Future. I love that front cover with them racing out of the circle and Dr. Mayavale is a must to be featured on the back!
#261 Space Circus of Death! By Gerry Conway, art by Ric Estrada & John Calnan, colours Gene D'Angelo, letters Todd Klein

[Linked Image]

Imik, the murder suspect, is electrocuted by a brain scanner administered to prove his guilt. The Legionnaires turn their attention to the other two suspects, but the murderer strikes again. He describes himself as a patriot and his victim – one of the suspects – recognizes him. The victim's death cry alerts the Legionnaires and Timber Wolf pursues the masked murderer. Brin is distracted by a dangerous Venusian Night Shark. Star Boy and Projectra fail to bring down the beast but Phantom Girl shocks it by passing through its brain and solidifying slightly.

Ringmaster Gissark informs the Legionnaires that his circus must leave Earth's solar system due to the danger, even if it means war from this failure of cultural exchange. He, as one of human descent as opposed to native Cygnian, wishes he could help find the murderer. The Legionnaires decide to accompany the circus as it leaves the solar system.

Although one of the original suspects remains, Brainiac 5 thinks someone else may be guilty. Mon-el and Star Boy follow the last original suspect, only to have him murdered by a bomb and they themselves knocked out. Brainy claims that he expected the murderer to attack the Legionnaires and thereby start a war between the U.P. and the Cygnus Confederation, but not this soon. The Circus caravan begins to prepare a hyperspace jump and the Legionnaires just barely grab onto the hyperspace field to follow. They are only protected from this exceedingly disorienting journey by Projectra's illusion of familiar reality.

On Cygnus IV, Gissark attacks them and is subdued by Phantom Girl. He confesses that he wanted to start a war so that Earth would destroy the native race on Cygnus and leave it to the human settlers. He tries to escape and runs, only to find that this is simply an illusion and he is hurled into the madness of hyperspace.

The Legionnaires decide to go home.


Comments:

First off, I am struck by how much more dynamic the Legionnaires look on the Archive cover that Future prepared, without all the extraneous background of this cover.

Phantom Girl rocks! She defeats another gigantic wild beast AND the murdering villain. She's a one-girl Legion!

It's inconceivable that Mon-el would be knocked unconscious by an explosion which didn't destroy everything around him.

Brainy plays his cards close to his chest: because he likes to keep information to himself or he's not entirely confident with his deductions? It doesn't help his fellow Legionnaires to be kept in the dark.

The travel through hyperspace without a ship is hard to swallow. Is hyperspace like the time stream? I can't quite get my head around Projectra's illusion that instead of being in hyperspace, everyone is on Cygnus IV. She does say that she's having trouble maintaining it - and it does fool the reader for a couple of panels - but it's challenging to imagine an illusion as strong and all-encompassing as this one.

The Legionnaires may not have foreseen Gissark's leap into hyperspace, but they're rather cavalier about his fate. The story ends so abruptly, I was looking for an Epilogue page.

The reason for the murders – to involve Earth in a war of genocide – is interesting. It's a big and deadly motive, Earth history isn't exactly a stranger to genocide and the Legionnaires accept it as a valid motive. Valid, in the sense that it's reprehensible, but nobody is calling Gissark insane.

Could it have worked? Is there something in the untold history of the millenium between our age and the 30th century? It's speculation like this that saves the story. That, and Tinya's kickass performance....
Legion of Superheroes #260-261

So it's with great embarrassment that I admit that after being delayed for a long while due to travel, when I finally got around to reading the space circus two parter, I learned some surprising news: I don't own part 2, LSH #261! I didn't realize it was a hole in the collection, and what that really means is that I've almost certainly never read it before! I'll rectify that soon when my never ending work travel stops, but alas, I'm on the road again this week in Delray Beach, Florida. (I wish I had higher expectations for this lost treasure; some readers have never read Earth War before...I'm stuck with part 2 of the Space Circus story).

In regards to my reaction to part 1, I think FC summed it up pretty good: it's pretty run of the mill, but it is no where near as bad as I remembered or thought it would be. Conway gets such a bad rap, that it's clearly become the norm to refer to his run with immense exaggeration and hyperbole. All in all, this story was pretty decent, with a coherent plot. Additionally, many Legionnaires get a chance to shine and do something, and Conway always seems to have a strong handle on where things are going with various subplots and other characters.

That being said, it's hard not to admit that the story itself is pretty dull. There isn't much tension or drama all issue long. And the concept of a circus 1,000 years in the future falls flat; it probably could have been interesting but it fell so far short, and made so many obvious mistakes, that I don't even want to think of the dozens of ways the concept could be utilized.

It's also noteworthy that this is a classic "Gerry Conway plot". Conway's work at Marvel is peppered with 2-part mysteries, that always leave the hero mislead at the end of part 1, as the reader tried to piece together clues. He wrote many of these very effectively for Spider-Man, usually between the tentpole, bigger stories. (Examples: the Vulture story in 127-128, Mysterio in 140-141, etc). From a purely plot structure viewpoint, Conway was usually very good.

So, a mixed bag at best, but between Tinya's scene, Garth being a leader, etc, it's easy to enjoy the issue. I really want to read the Tinya scenes in part 2!

In reading FC's comments on part 2, I have to say that Gissark's motive is really interesting! It's very similar to historical scenarios in Roman history and even American Colonists / Native American history.

Special thanks for FC for posting the links to the older threads. When I read the comment on the "I still haven't..." I actually laughed out loud. Then ironically, I learned that I actually also now fall into the category of still not reading the whole thing!

Lastly, as usual, Future has outdone himself on the awesome fictional covers to the Archives! Just perfection.
Legion 260

Right. I’ll just sneak quietly in, while no one is looking. Not making a noise, it’ll be like I never left…OH SOD! IT’S THE NASSIN’ SPACE CIRCUS ISSUES! I fear my cover has been blown…

“There is a murderer among us” says the Ringmaster, after the surviving troupe members kindly introduce themselves on the opening panels. That’s quite a deduction, this early on. My credits were on the post man who delivered the disintegrating microwave oven. I guess he’s had time to read more mystery novels than I have.

This is the issue that introduces the Bacaro Bailey sideshow satellite. Could our own Legion World be a combination of the fun here and the dedicated heroism of the Postboot Legion World? (With the inbuilt hotness of Brande’s World obviously)

Will Bacaro Bailey show up to reclaim it from Bacaro Barley, which is the way his name is spelled for the rest of the book?

Conway gives us a quick recap on recent events, and a well done big split of the team, while Staton shows that lots of artists can do Wildfire visor effects. They get quite carried away with themselves, with a group hug. But that’s because they have to stand around until the plot arrives.

It arrives along with another murder attempt. There’s a leadership squabble that the last run of Levitz would be proud of. Conway familiarises new readers with the Legion’s powers by giving them all some debris to contend with. That’s fine, but that’s eight Legionnaires across a whole two and a half pages. It comes across as a bit padded and gets in the way of the story.

The Legion is called in to investigate the murder attempts. Does Conway feel he has to explain to us that the circus is a cultural delegation, in case we don’t believe it? Or is it a nod to the newspaper that the story comes from? Right above the ad for the Circus coming to town.

Jeckie, who should have been one of the last to object, tells Brainy “Surely you’re not serious? The idea’s absurd.” Knowing that Jeckie has seen him dress up as Supergirl, but with his recent madness still in recent memory, he has to play it cool. But how did she know he called himself Shirley?

“She founded our carnival, old Grandmother Barley… and it’s kept her name for the past two centuries…” Someone should tell him about the spelling mistake.

It’s a bit odd to see a sideshow in what I take to be a future of embraced diversity. On the plus side, the story starts to get going. With a few alterations, this could have followed on from the introductory threat. Staton makes the beings in the sideshow stand out well visually. But the whole thing seems like an anachronism.


The Legion are posing as carnival employees. I hope that the money they make goes to the real employees whose places they are taking. Gates would have a fit.

I really, really think it’s a bad idea to let your resident madman wear a cloak and give him a Saw.

The Jovian attack Squid is a real highlight, and it’s no wonder it makes the cover. Having Tinya be the one to subdue it makes a nice change. It’s not all about punching things into submission. Tinya now believes that there’s mischief afoot.

Which leads nicely into the next scene where the legion try and do some investigating. Like so many Batman comics, there’s not actual detective work in sight. Their Plott Computer narrows it all down to three likely offenders. Which, anyone whose watched enough detective shows means that there’s enough red herrings in there to open a fishmongers with.

Timberwolf gets a lovely page to show off what makes him a unique Legionnaire. “It is less a sentence of death than a challenge to live.” Very nice. He also has a flight ring, mind you. Brin escapes an attempt on his life, and the Legion think they’ve captured the killer.

Oddly, it’s Brainy whose intuition is telling him that it’s all a little too easy. This is Brainy, whose firm grasp on politics gives us “Political radicals are notoriously illogical.” Earlier in the issue.


Legion 261

Crumbs! Even the Orwellian mind control equipment can’t be relied on! The Legion lose a suspect as their device malfunctions and electrocutes the poor chap. They have to feel a bit guilty about that, surely? Yes, he ran away from the scene of a murder attempt. But he was in the same panel as super powered people shouting “And there’s the would be killer…”

Something else else must have fired Tinya’s head too, as Jeckie has to explain the plot to her again. Brainy thinks the real murderer has technical knowledge. They also have knowledge of how to dress up like Black Panther. Unlike the Panther, they carry one of the un-sneakiest gins in comic history. The scream of the person who runs into the murderer is a lot shorter than the huge noise of firing the gun.

So that’s two of our three suspects killed. How did the Ringmaster know to sabotage the mind scanner? Has he sabotaged every other device in the circus too?

More Timberwolf love this issue. We’re seeing some of his good attributes here, and some of his flaws in a sympathetic light. He catches the gunman, but only by entering the cage of the Venusian Night Shark.

Also more Tinya love. She expands her powers, disrupting a creature by altering her phase through it. I wonder if she’s been keeping in touch with Cockrum creation Nightcrawler over on the X-Men.

Timberwolf is stunned by his encounter with the creature. I was thinking that he might have pulled away the killer’s mask, making his unconsciousness tie in with the plot. Poor Star Boy. He got thumped by the creature too. But no one noticed and he just has to get back up and try and shoehorn in another plot summary.

Our killer reveals himself fully, when the Ringmaster (also known as Bacard Barley this issue giving him enough IDs to be a Carggian) gives the game away about programming the Plott computer from last issue. That ties in with Brainy’s suspicions about the killer having technical knowledge. In a nice bit of dialogue, the Ringmaster misunderstands Brainy’s question about the computer.

The thing is, that Brainy knows what’s going on. But rather than stop it there, he allows the Ringmaster to kill the last of the three suspects. There’s no additional knowledge gained by this murder. Nothing further is revealed by the death, and the Ringmaster doesn’t reveal himself. It’s one thing to portray a character as super intelligent. But if he’s just a device to move the mystery along, he can come across as super aloof and super inhuman.

Star Boy is injured in the explosion that kills the third suspect. But there’s no time for anyone to notice (poor Star Boy) as the team are swept up towards hyperspace as the Circus departs. If it gets home, and gets to tell what a nasty time it had visiting Earth, there will be war. It is a different info dump than Jeckie’s earlier in the tale, highlighting different problems should their mission fail.

For something like going into hyperspace without a spacecraft, you’re really looking at a Superboy or Mon-El class of character. Mon El is even there. But Conway gives Timberwolf another spotlight. In fairness, Conway has highlighted Brin’s super reflexes earlier in the tale. There may also have been scope to show the strain on a body that [i]isn’t[i] as resilient as other Legionnaires. But that’s only hinted at visually. This one could have been shared with someone else in the team.

Rather than get home safely the Ringmaster reveals himself by attempting to kill the Legion in hyperspace. Could he have waited until he got home to blame the Legion? Could he have found another way of getting rid of them, like blowing away the ship they were attached to?

If he had, we wouldn’t have seen Princess Projectra getting a very interesting use of her power. We see her face concentrate and there’s a great close up of the strain before reality warps around, not just the Legion, but everyone in the vicinity, including the Ringmaster. It’s so effective, that it dooms the villain when he believes he’s no longer travelling through hyperspace outside his ship. It’s Tinya who subdues him so we can hear the reasons behind his scheme. If Tinya hadn’t got him, Brin was right there.

So, it’s clear that Conway has some favourites in this story. It will be interesting to see if this continues (or has been in recent issues) or if he just rotates through the cast, giving everyone lots of panel time in turn.

In summary:-

With the sideshows and the better mind control through science, the Legion’s future is a warped funhouse mirror reflection of the changing face of what we consider an acceptable utopian dream to be.

The germ of the plot is decent. An unorthodox diplomatic mission is a cover for murder to set up a war. The irony of a diplomat looking to start a war because the people he’s representing were so undiplomatic to his family is also a good twist. We’ve also seen that a lot of huge wars are set up on the flimsiest of pretences.

Tinya, Brin and Jeckie get a lot of attention in the story. A few of the others get to use their powers but not a great deal more. Estrada and Staton both bring some nice panels to the book. Estrada seemed keener on cheesecake in the second part.

On the downside, the actual mystery stumbled through a few standard mystery hurdles. In the end, the villain might have got away had he stayed on his ship. Brainy’s characterisation reminds me of him during his insanity a lot more than it does when he’s a part of the team.

One suspects brought attention on himself, and all were bumped off without really having a part to play in the story.

Leaving on a positive, Jovian Attack Squids continue to be great and I’m sure with a bit more exercise out of a cage (Bad Future People!) the Venusian Night Shark would also have looked great too.
Welcome back, thoth. I've missed your reviews. smile
#262 The Planet that Captured the Legion by Gerry Conway, art by Jim Sherman, colours Gene D'Angelo, letters Ben Oda

[Linked Image]

Legionnaires Light Lass, Ultra Boy, Shadow Lass, Wildfire, Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl rebuild their headquarters, with some problems and a few laughs. Shady counsels Wildfire to think happy thoughts, Garth worries about the teams away on missions.

Aboard R.J. Brande's ship, Dream Girl, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Violet, Karate Kid and Chameleon Boy celebrate the creation of a new star for a dying world. R.J. reflects that this ship of his Great Great Grandfather's is a wonderful craft and they proceed to their next project, shepherding a star to a new location. However, when they arrive, the planetary system has been demolished. They find one survivor and Cham, changing form to match this being, asks him what happened. The survivor mumbles that it was pirates, now heading galactic south. R.J. and the Legionnaires leave the star and head after the pirates.

As they leave the Milky Way, they encounter pirate ships, firing cannonballs, and are boarded by men dressed as 18th century pirates who have no need of space suits. Dream Girl foresees an explosion, moments before it happens. The Legionnaires awake in their underwear, are decontaminated and permitted to dress as robots announce they are to meet The Engineer.

The Engineer, however, turns out to be a corpse, dead for 253 years. Cham checks a computer and discovers records indicating that the Engineer designed this planetoid and its robot servants three centuries earlier in order to live alone, entertained by androids acting out Earth history and fantasy. Programmed for escalate the entertainment, the planetoid destroyed planets and had now captured the Legionnaires as the latest amusement.

Colossal Boy “breaks out” and is immediately felled by the planetoid's defense system. Chameleon Boy takes a wiser approach, impersonating The Engineer and ordering the planetoid to end. As the Legionnaires and Brande depart into space, the planetoid explodes. R.J. closes the story with a philosophical moment.

Comments:

Legionnaires attacked by robots/androids is pretty standard fare, but this story has quite a few outstanding elements.

We get a quick update on the three Legion teams' activities via leader Garth's voiced concerns. It's a rational and tidy method to recap previous issues and keep the reader in the loop. Garth is a real worrier, but he stays balanced as long as Imra is around to calm him.

No Miracle Machine anymore, but that doesn't stop the Legion from rebuilding its own HQ, wall by wall. The light-hearted scene between Ayla and Jo as they share a teasing kiss is charming and it looks like Shady is trying to patch things up with Wildfire.

The Brande star-making enterprise brings some harder sci fi to the book than we've previously seen, with explanations of how to express direction in space, star and planet formation, gravity wells.

R.J. Brande is further developed as a character, given a family history (which was later discarded) and is presented as the big picture man, with a very long term view of the cycle of life and death. Despite their history of adventures, the Legionnaires are evidently thrilled to participate in this star creation enterprise.

Chameleon Boy is yet again the hero who saves the mission with his logical thinking.

Colossal Boy and Violet are drawn next to one another in several scenes. There's no overt expression of Gim's love for Salu, but the way they're drawn suggests a physical closeness.

This may be the first issue in Legion history to show nearly-unclothed Legionnaires as a group together. That may have pushed the limits of the Comics Code at the time (1980). It suggests a future in which men and women are comfortable with nudity and I can't help but think it might have been a bit of a big deal back then.




Good to see you here, Thoth. Who can resist a space circus?
LSH #262

LSH #262 was a surprise to me, and that is because I actually ended up liking it a lot! A done-in-one issue, I thought it had a fantastic sci-fi plot that was interesting and complex. And while the individual 6 Legionnaires didn't get a lot of characterization, I felt the issue allowed the setting of the LSH itself to shine: the 31st century, the United Planets and the hard science fiction trimmings that have made the series endure.

All of this is greatly helped by an artist I've come to really love, Jim Sherman. Reaching back into my memory, I'm almost sure I read this story first, long before I ever read the earlier Sherman issues, and that meant I probably disliked it, as I'd yet to warm to his art. But overtime I've done to really appreciate his artwork: the layouts, the cartoony faces, the heavy shadowing in places, and seeing his art here was a welcome surprise which I liked more and more each page. Sherman's art on top of a Conway plot felt like a good combination for each to bring out the good qualities in the other. I'd love to have seen them do more together.

One thing I have to mention is that I cannot believe--am stunned actually--that we on Legion World don't have 20 threads devoted to speculation about a Jo / Tinya and Ayla / Brin swingers topic! The opening sequence was certainly *interesting* for lack of a better word. On the one hand, it was meant to be sweet and a show of heartwarming friendship, albeit with some flirty playfulness. But it felt like it went a bit over the top especially with Jo and Ayla full on kissing, as on the reflection of Wildfire's helmet, while other Legionnaires look on and laugh it off (even commenting about Tinya and Brin not minding). Sherman's style made it feel sexy but innocent, yet perhaps verging on being sexy and deliciously wrong.

(To gear up for the swingers thread: did this inspire the three boot off panel hook up between Ayla and Jo? Following this issue, did they do a little swapping later and loner Brin couldn't emotionally accept it, then under performed or ran out, prompting Tinya to call him icky on the later Levitz run? Did Jo and Tinya swing again? With Shady and Mon? Surely Ayla was as free loving as it got, with her always naked Winnath upbringing? Okay, I'll stop. For now.)

Was this the greatest LSH story? Certainly not. But this kind of offbeat, well done stories are ones that I enjoy, and I don't mind when titles veer off like this, and specially when it's a reflection of the larger tone of the series. Batman should have offbeat detective mystery, Hawkman should have pulpy historical adventures and the LSH should have some high concept sci-fi. With continued low expectations of this era, I've been hoping for a few forgotten gems and I think 262 qualifies.
Originally Posted by He Who Wanders
Welcome back, thoth. I've missed your reviews. smile


And one day you may get one, instead of my as-I-read ramblings HWW smile

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Good to see you here, Thoth. Who can resist a space circus?


Not me Cramer. I can just eat this candy floss* all...another issue up? Jillikers!

...and thanks!

*thoth would like to point out that he eats candy floss like a normal person and not like sociopath Jan Arrah does.
Legion 262

In the last story there was an early scene where the Legion reviewed their recent misfortunes, but resolved to build anew. They then ruined it by having an embarrassing group hug. The first scene in this issue, continues that subplot. The team are rebuilding their HQ.

They have no benefactor, and Brainy hasn’t learned to assemble one from scratch yet. So they have to build it themselves. And they benefit from having to go through each painful step. They reaffirm their bond to each other and the team.

Conway continues with his interesting take on individuals. Here he show how Ultra Boy powers work when the task he’s undertaking requires two of them. He has the strength to hold up the wall, but not the invulnerability to avoid feeling the effects. It’s a very good touch that would get used in the later Levitz run.

As Sherman continues with the visual theme of having reflections in Wildfire’s visor, we see two Legionnaires laugh and have fun. It is odd looking. There’s no romance. There’s no tension. No super villain interrupts and neither of them is an impostor. Just having fun in a funny book. As weird as it looks, good on Conway for showing us another side to their lives.

“People get what they want out of life. If you want pain, you’ll get pain. And if you want happy… you’ll get happy.” It’s a nice sentiment to show the change in the Legion’s outlook. They might never get what they want, but it’s still worth aspiring towards.

I’ll leave whether this has any basis in reality to one side and go to the next panel smile

Lightning Lad smiles too… for a moment. Then we get some foreshadowing on the leadership and personal issues he’ll face later on. We get a nice reminder of what the rest of the team are up to, in the days before holographic mission monitor boards.

We then get a glimpse of what made RJ Brande his fortune. Star Birthing. He not only creates the stars, but is able to transport them across the galaxy to the systems where they’re needed. This is sci-fi on a huge scale.

There’s an interesting reveal that he’s using his great, great grandfather’s ship to create the stars. That’s a subplot I’m not sure got much further. Brande has changed in appearance and method in previous appearances, as his character became more rounded. This is before secrets of the Legion(?), where more would be shown.

We get into the action/adventure part of the book as Brande’s customers for his new star are annihilated. Again, it’s on a massive scale, but that doesn’t stop Brande taking it on an all too personal level. He gets the team to cut loose his star, so they can find the perpetrators. Rumour has it that the suddenly adrift star came as a bit of a surprise to nearby inhabited systems. Not to mention that everyone’s star charts were immediately out of date.

Violet is a bit creeped out at Cham’s change to talk to a survivor. Her powers allow her to physically change size, and she’s seen him do it often. But there’s still something that bothers her. That’s sentients for you.

Last issue we had a space circus. When I was typing away about how out of place it was, I was thinking that it was right up there with sailing ships in space. I’ve seen them in some sci fi stories and I’ve never taken to them. Lo and behold, in the very next issue, we have pirate ships.

We get a bit of action, as the team fight off the pirates. It starts with the obligatory leadership scuffle, and ends in an explosion. One foreseen by Dreamy, but annoyingly not in enough time for anyone to do anything about it.

The Legion wake up naked on an examination table. They’re so naked that a bit of artistic colouring is needed to pretend otherwise. An example of Sherman's mature art style having outgrown the comics code.

Freeing themselves, they find that they are in the Disneyland… of Space. Sherman even goes to the trouble of giving an attendant a certain mouse like appearance. The Engineer lies dead at the heart of his complex, the computers running entertainments regardless. I wonder if this was written around the time Alien was in the cinemas. The Engineer’s entertainments send android pirates and others out to interact, and destroy, inhabited systems.

There’s a quick solution to the android hordes. Cham impersonates the Engineer. With the machines shut down, the team arrange for the whole miniature world to self-destruct. Which is a shame as I’m sure the place and its androids could have been put to a better use. Brande takes the long view regarding the atomised mini world, tying up the story with a nod to the star birthing that started it.

Summary:-
With the team split, Conway can move between substantial sub plots. That can be used to alter the pacing of the story. It’s fairly late in this issue before we get to the incident that starts the real plot, for example. If the solution to the real plot is fairly straightforward, as it was here, it allows Conway to adjust the number of panels he can use on one of the other teams. It gives him a bit of space to work with.

And I liked that straightforward ending. Conway sets it up by having Cham impersonate one of the survivors of the androids’ devastation. He adjusts his voice accordingly. It’s essentially the same skill that he uses in the end, including the voice switch.

The writer roots his stories in the everyday. Last time out it was a circus, here’s it’s a theme park. Somewhere there’s an issue with a subway. Personally, I don’t think the everyday is masked well enough by the sci fi to make it work. But the sci fi he uses here is excellent, with a lot more than we normally see of RJ’s business.

Conway also gives us another take on someone’s powers. These stand up very well. Here it’s Ultra Boy and Chameleon Boy. Even better, they don’t hog the limelight quite as much as Timberwolf did last time out. By moving across teams, it does prevent any pet favourites being forced on the readers every issue.

l liked the downbeat ending. There has been slaughter, but it’s preprogramed. There’s no person to bring to account. Destroying the android world is as close as they get, but there’s no satisfaction in it. The only beneficiary is possibly a civilisation born from a new star aeons in the future. That reminds me that the other character focus this issue is definitely RJ Brande. We not only get his sense of purpose, but his vision and his morals too. It’s never preachy or overdone.

Finally, another huge plus is Sherman’s art. It’s just all so well drawn and in a depth that brings out the Legionverse in every scene. The technology, the aliens and the Legionnaires look great.
Your comments on the downbeat ending being are well said. I also like that choice, which for the LSH so far is somewhat unusual.

Your commentary on the team split too is right on. Conway clearly has a real handle here on how he wants to split the team and how it will allow him to tell certain kinds of stories.

(And welcome back! Lots of good commentary, as usual!)
Catchign up on COmments

From 260/261:-
Originally Posted by Cramer
no consideration of possible motive is given. It would only have taken a few extra sentences to mention a grudge, a debt, blackmail, mental instability, something to point to a motive

That would have made a big difference to the plot. It could also have, without taking up extra space, provided a reason why one ran away and the other was out snooping when they ran into the real murderer.

Glad to see I wasn't alone in thinking that the side show was a bit off, as was Brainy and that the Legion seemed a bit reckless with other people's lives.

From 262
Originally Posted by Cramer
Colossal Boy and Violet are drawn next to one another in several scenes. There's no overt expression of Gim's love for Salu, but the way they're drawn suggests a physical closeness.

Good catch. As was the Wildfire Shady patch up.


Originally Posted by Cobie
One thing I have to mention is that I cannot believe--am stunned actually--that we on Legion World don't have 20 threads devoted to speculation about a Jo / Tinya and Ayla / Brin swingers topic!


Don't look at me. I'm still shocked at Jim Shooter's character appraisals. That and being chairman on the Victorian Purity Society (formerly Movement and Drive but changed as those are dirty words) is keeping me busy.

I took it as being a little much partly because it's such an offbeat moment, so as a reader it seemed a little odd. Also as it's supposed to be them playing a game, showing us their youth, which in all the destruction doesn't get much attention.

But Jo and Ayla? Hmmmm... if only I had a thread or twenty to speculate on...

and thanks for the kind words Cobie!
and super work on the cover Future!

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer

This may be the first issue in Legion history to show nearly-unclothed Legionnaires as a group together. That may have pushed the limits of the Comics Code at the time (1980). It suggests a future in which men and women are comfortable with nudity and I can't help but think it might have been a bit of a big deal back then.



Let's just say that, as I was 16 when this issue came out, that's what I remembered most about it. Styx

Originally Posted by thoth


The Engineer lies dead at the heart of his complex, the computers running entertainments regardless. I wonder if this was written around the time Alien was in the cinemas.


Alien came out in '79, so it fits the timeline. However, I remember thinking that this plot development reminded me of a similar one from the TV series Logan's Run. Of course, the idea of human creations continuing to operate without them is an old one. Star Trek used it a time or two, and Ray Bradbury built a memorable short story, "There Will Come Soft Rains" (1950), around it.
The "downbeat ending", as Thoth observes, is a good one; sometimes there's no bad guy to arrest. It does have more weight with R.J.'s closing speech and admonishing Rokk that anger serves no purpose. R.J. the elder statesman, the one with more life experience - it's a good portrayal of this character, who pages earlier, put philosophy aside for sound business sense (nobody kills my clients and gets away with it).

I haven't gone over the previous issues, but have the impression that a lot of them end with this sort of summing-up life lesson.

Re: Cobie's swinger thread (fantasy? :)) - surely there must be a thread somewhere on this... at least, we can keep our eyes open in future issues to hints of off-panel swings.
Originally Posted by He Who Wanders
Alien came out in '79, so it fits the timeline. However, I remember thinking that this plot development reminded me of a similar one from the TV series Logan's Run. Of course, the idea of human creations continuing to operate without them is an old one. Star Trek used it a time or two, and Ray Bradbury built a memorable short story, "There Will Come Soft Rains" (1950), around it.


When I was doing the review I was also thinking of the Extremists and Wacky World.

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
I haven't gone over the previous issues, but have the impression that a lot of them end with this sort of summing-up life lesson.


I'll take a look when I get round to review them, and it gives us something else to watch for in the issues to come. When we're not looking out for swingers that is.
#263 Day of Judgment by Gerry Conway, art by Jimmy Janes &Dave Hunt, colours Gene D'Angelo, letters Ben Oda

[Linked Image]

Five people stand before the new Legion HQ. We learn, in the next few panels that they are Chameleon Boy's mother (Ji), Ultra Boy's parents (Crav and Mytra) Shadow Lass's mother (Tarnia Tolarn) and Violet's father (Arn). As they enter the HQ, they are attacked by a costumed man announcing himself as Dagon the Avenger, who fires anaesthetic darts at the Nahs. Ji turns into a large fanged cat and attacks but fails; Arn shrinks down and fires a weapon provided by the Legion, which also fails to fell the villain. Powerless Tarnia hides, attempts to call for help and activate a defensive shield, but these also fail to stop Dagon. She physically attacks him, meriting a nod of admiration from Dagon that it's not just fathers who teach children to fight, and leaves her belt on her daughter's statue. Then she, too, is brought down by Dagon.

Legionnaires Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Light Lass, Wildfire and Tyroc arrive back at HQ after responding to a fake emergency call.

Garth sees that the alarm system is dead, Imra scans but finds no intruders. Tyroc notices that Shady's statue is damaged and Shady finds her mother's belt. The Legionnaires verify that her mother did leave Talok for Earth, but Shady has no idea why. Tyroc comforts her as Ayla discovers that other Legion parents travelled to Earth and others are missing. Someone is kidnapping the Legionnaires' parents. Ayla signals somebody for help.

That somebody is Dawnstar, who is in the Asteroid Belt rescuing some crash victims. One of them calls her “a cold fish”. She returns them to their base, then answers the Legion's call.

Tyroc teleports himself and Ayla to Brande Enterprises and encounter a surly employee, who blames the Legion for the loss of scientists' jobs following Brande's bankruptcy. Ayla causes him to float in the air and he agrees to answer their questions about defective security devices.

Dawnstar arrives at HQ, is greeted by a critical Wildfire. As they join the meeting inside, Ayla and Tyroc also appear – but Tyroc claims he has received an urgent summons from Marzal and must leave. This angers Wildfire, but Shady defends him. As Ayla explains that the three Brande scientists who supplied the Legion's security systems were laid off and blamed the Legion, an image of Dagon appears.

He demands one billion solar credits within 24 hours or their parents will die.


Comments:

The main point of interest in this story is the introduction of Legion parents. Otherwise, it's a repeat of the many hostage-taking villain with a grudge against the Legion stories.

The Legion HQ is now completed and even offering tours to tourists. Since the Legionnaires were still building it in the previous issue, this feels like a distortion of the timeline – but these construction projects seem to wrap up quickly in comic books.

However, the Legion is still caught in the aftermath of the Brande bankruptcy, since it appears that a resentful ex-employee has sabotaged their security devices. I guess Brainy didn't run any tests during the installation.

Unlike previous stories in which the villain's intended victims perfectly match the Legionnaires available, only Shadow Lass is in this story to deal directly with a parent's abduction.

The five parents are named and some (Ji and Arn) have the same powers as their children. The Nahs, powerless, are the first to fall but Tarnia surprises us with remarkable fighting skills – and presence of mind to leave a clue for her daughter. It's a shame that these parents were dropped from continuity and, in some cases, the family history rewritten.

Tasmia and Tyroc are shown to be pretty good friends. A Legion fan (not a member of this forum) reminded me recently that there are several instances of Tasmia defending Tyroc in the series, so perhaps this could be a hint of a simmering relationship which never developed.

It was a bit of a surprise to see Tyroc after his long absence but he disappeared just as quickly, leaving a mystery to be unravelled in a future issue.

Wildfire has gone full hot-head again, even rebuffing Dawnstar. We're reminded that she tends to be unemotional (“a cold fish”) by what strikes me as an ungrateful woman whom she rescues. Her companion makes a derogatory comment about Durlans. What a pair! Dawnstar isn't on a Legion job, though: she's collecting these two for money, a finder's fee from the Spaceman's Union. Note of inconsequence: the male space-companion looks just like Denny O'Neil's Green Arrow – perhaps he's Oli-3 Queen, who will turn up as a tour guide in the Baxter series. He better get over his Durlan prejudice if he's going into the galactic tourist business!
Legion of Superheroes #263

For as long as I can remember, this story has often been included along the "weak Conway stories of the era". I have to say though, that is not a fair assessment at all! This was actually a very solid issue that had a lot to offer and was an excellent first partner. Whether the second half holds up remains to be seen, but I have little to complain about here.

The Dagon plot is another "classic Conway mystery 2 parter" which I referenced earlier about the Space Circus story, very much in the vain of his Spider-Man (and many other) runs. In this issue, Dagon is mostly a mystery. But the plot itself, involving the Legionnaire's parents, is a novelty, and offers a glimpse into a part of the Legion that we almost never ever see. It's cool to get a sense of the parents perspective of the Legion, especially at this point in their careers where they've both saved the world countless times and yet have also seen several of their members die. Such mixed emotions could be mined for dozens of stories with the Legion parents.

I also have to make mention of the Super Sexy Adventures of the LSH parents, one of the long running concepts and threads on LW. EDE really needs to read and review this story and Space Circus stat!

The "super sexiness" surely comes from artist Jimmy Janes who provides art here with Dave Hunt. Janes' characters are all *really* attractive and I don't mind it at all. Not only are the parents sexy, but so is everyone else. Ayla may have never looked better!

What really makes this issue though is the extensive characterization that returns to the series. There's a lot here: Ayla very capable and intelligent; Dawny cold and aloof; Drake's fiery temper; Drake & Dawny's burgeoning romance; Shady giving Tyroc the benefit of the doubt. It's a lot to like and feels like the robust Legion we were starting to real see under Levitz. Between this, the good art and Conway's mastery at plot structure, it's a nice issue.

Turning back to Tyro, this is essentially his last hurrah. For a few decades at least. In the letters pages we are told the creators have really tried to figure him out and Conway is starting something here. You almost think Conway is on the cusp of making him more usable...but alas, he's ultimately on the verge of being pushed aside.

We also at long last see the new Legion HQ here, bringing that long running subplot to its conclusion. It's inclusion as the setting of act 1 make the entire scene more interesting. Seeing the Hall of Heroes and the statues of dead members gives a sense comfort.

All in all, a lot to like here! Now, can they stick the landing?
FC, perhaps this was how Oli-3 came to appreciate the LSH!

Nice call on the Tyroc / Shady interaction(s). There are so many 'might have beens' with Tyroc and it's hard not to dwell on them. Yet, this is comics and there is always still time...perhaps he'll be the most prolific Legionnaire in the 2020's.
Legion 263

The Legion had no funds when they were rebuilding their HQ. They did a marvellous job, but needed something bold to stand in front. With no money, they looked around and that’s why there’s a planetary chance machine outside. Or it’s a captured Brian Globe of Rambat as explained here. .


Anyway, five folks have just sauntered past it, into the building. Someone forgot to set up security when thye finished their building work.

I sigh quietly. Not because of the narcissistic statues of the living heroes in their own lobby, or that the letterer gives dialogue to the wrong person on page 3. But because this is the issue that gives us more of the Legionnaire’s parents. I first saw them in Who’s Who in the Legion and I thought they were a dull looking bunch even then.

They have been used usefully in plots before. For example, when providing a look at family life when the Legionnaires have only hours to live, or when doing the bidding of Universo. But they don’t add much in the way in the way of story potential from their own lives. They’re just cardboard characters to be moved around the story.

These guys are part tourist, part walking target as they get a self guided tour around the HQ. I note that they don’t seem to know that Omega was created by one of their kids pals. I know it was common knowledge by v4, but I’ll need to look back to see if it everyone knew it then. I thought that they did.

They are all knocked out by Dagon, the Avenger and kidnapped. Or parentnapped as the case may be. They are all fairly young looking, and have the superpowers inherent form their home planets.

I’m reminded of the old Legion story where we’re told that the team encountering Supergirl are the children of the Legion that Superboy met.

Shadow Lass’ mom even makes sure to get shot at behind her daughter’s statue, where she leaves a clue. That's planning.

A Swan plus one of Legionnaires returns to the HQ. We see Wildfire’s anger at being sent on a wild goose chase. But someone has to dig up that palm tree you’ve just destroyed Drake! There’s a nice panel of the others coming into land on the plaza behind him. Very Alex Ross of Kingdom Come.

More startling than that, is Tyroc getting a role in a story!

Conway continues to highlight the use of individual powers. Drake gets to light up the clubhouse. It’s a small trick, but shows the control he has over his power, and that it’s not all about blasting things. Imra gets to scan the clubhouse for life. Again, it shows the versatility of her powers. It also means that she will spoil any future plots containing sneaky villains, unless boringly surprised all the time.

The team discover that it’s not just the parents we’ve seen that have been taken prisoner. Parents of Earth based heroes are also missing. Tyroc seems particularly startled by the news. His parents aren’t on the list, but his response makes you wonder if there’s a subplot around them.

Drake seems to become withdrawn and angry when told his are missing (Years later, his brother would be taken too) and it’s Garth and Ayla who push the team into action. It says a lot about how much Drake can be relied upon if it's a crisis that affects him personally.

Who do you shout for when you need something tracked? The UP Postal Service Dawnstar! Conway does a very good job in showing us a lot more about her character as she’s called. We learn that she’s still taking commission from side jobs, beyond her Legion duties. We see that she’s all business while doing it, even if that puts out Ollie and Dinah, two astronauts who have crashed their ship.

Another interlude takes Tyroc and Lightning Lass to RJ Brande’s home to check into why their HQ security devices failed. They meet a Henry Gyrich look-a-like. He blames the Legion for Brande’s ruin, and the resulting job losses. He isn’t interested in hearing the Legion’s side of events. Obviously, this makes him villainous so Ayla uses her powers on him. Way to win hearts and minds Legion! Still, it’s a nice pairing of Legionnaires, due mainly to Tyroc’s infrequent appearances.

Having just shown us Dawnstar’s business face, we see her friendliness being rebuffed by Wildfire. Conway’s dialogue tells us that he’s aware of Wildfire’s immediate pestering of Dawny from the moment they met. So, Drake’s emotionally stunted actions here are due to his missing parents.

Drake is even less pleased when Tyroc is summoned home, and out of the rest of the mission. It was too good to be true to think he’d have a speaking a part through a whole adventure. From his words, this looks to be leading up to his departure from the team. That explains why there’s a plus one to the traditional five man mission team. HWW mentioned Logan’s Run last issue, and I’m reminded by that when I see Tyroc’s glowing belt, telling him his time is up.

Drake is determined to see Tyroc’s time as a Legionnaire ended. Again, his attitude revolves around what’s important to him, i.e. his missing parents.

It’s interesting to see both Dawnstar and Tyroc having lives outside of the Legion. It adds some depth to their characters, could provide lots of subplots and shows the broader working of the team too. Shady’s support of Tyroc’s actions perhaps comes from her own role as planetary protector.

“Gyrich’s” reaction to the Legion, is used as a reason for the kidnapping of the parents. Of course that must be what is behind it. Like the Space Circus, we have three suspects. Will the possible culprits be given more characterisation this time round? Perhaps not, as Dagon reappears to demand a ransom for the return of the missing parents. We don’t see his Dr. Evil gesture, but I’m sure it’s there as he demands one billion credits!

With the Legion, Brande and the UP all broke, I’m not sure where he thinks that’s coming from. Perhaps they can call up Element Lad.

I’m keen to learn more about Shadow Lass’s mom having the name Tarnia Tolarn. She was the one who taught Tasmia her fighting skills, reinforcing that female lineage of Talokian champions. If Ji Daggle is Reep’s mom, then how well does she know RJ?
I love it when others pick up on things I don't/never did. A Shady/Tyroc friendship would have been so cool to see develop.

Another poster on these boards once suggested that Shady and Superboy had a close friendship. The evidence was slight, but it would have been great to see more of these sort of unexpected relationships.
Clearly, DC missed the boat by not introducing the Super Sexy Swinger Parents of the Legion. Cobie and I would have been devoted readers!

That Henry Gyrich spotting is a good one. Not only does he look like this issue's floating scientist, they're both involved with security issues and dislike superhumans.

Where's the money coming from is a relevant question, as is where did the funds come from to rebuild the HQ. Maybe that's why the parents are there - the kids hit them up for a few million credits in the time-honoured tradition of teenagers sponging off Mom & Dad.

I missed that we had three suspects again. Three suspects, five team members - recurring elements. Could be why Tyroc had to disappear.

Re: Shady and Superboy - I recall she was very supportive of him in the leadership dispute with Wildfire. There were probably other instances illustrating their friendship. It makes a lot of sense, since Superboy and Mon-el would have been close and one of Shady's earliest Legion adventures was in Smallville when they escaped from Mordru.
Originally Posted by Cramer
The Legion HQ is now completed and even offering tours to tourists. Since the Legionnaires were still building it in the previous issue, this feels like a distortion of the timeline – but these construction projects seem to wrap up quickly in comic books.


A later issue will have Brainy/Computo rebuild it in moments. That resulted in the great Metropolis Construction Strike of 2982.


Originally Posted by Cramer
Unlike previous stories in which the villain's intended victims perfectly match the Legionnaires available, only Shadow Lass is in this story to deal directly with a parent's abduction.


That's interesting. I wonder what the next issue will hold, to see if there's any reason for that. In case it's avoiding the easy option in one issue only to have each of those parent's powers be important to get out of plot traps the next (although Jo's don't have any anyway).

Originally Posted by Cramer
Tasmia and Tyroc are shown to be pretty good friends. A Legion fan (not a member of this forum) reminded me recently that there are several instances of Tasmia defending Tyroc in the series, so perhaps this could be a hint of a simmering relationship which never developed.


I had taken it as an understanding from having some similar responsibilities. But why not? That could just be something that draws them together. It could have added some tension in the Shady/Lar relationship.

Originally Posted by Cramer
Dawnstar isn't on a Legion job, though: she's collecting these two for money, a finder's fee from the Spaceman's Union


I was a little surprised by this. It might not have been a Legion job, but it's a slippery slope. Dawny's reputation for such work would be greatly enhanced by being a Legionnaire. Before you know it there's paid advertorials in Fringe World Monthly showcasing her abilities. I thought that Brande was paying her, so that she didn't go on such missions for pay. She could still have rescued Ollie and Dinah, but just not taken anything for it.

In a later version Chemical Kid points out that he can't break the Legion rules and accept reward money, But his dad could, and would then share it.

It looks as though we all took one look at that panel and went "Ollie Queen!" smile

Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid
What really makes this issue though is the extensive characterization that returns to the series. ... It's a lot to like and feels like the robust Legion we were starting to real see under Levitz. Between this, the good art and Conway's mastery at plot structure, it's a nice issue.


I'd add in the innovative look at the Legionnaire's powers and the occasional highlight scene for some of them (Brin, Tinya etc) as other examples of the good work Conway is doing here. He's adding a lot on top of the plots, to the benefit of the book.

Originally Posted by Cramer
That Henry Gyrich spotting is a good one. Not only does he look like this issue's floating scientist, they're both involved with security issues and dislike superhumans.


I think his face appeared as one of the suspects, so we'll find out more next issue.

"You can't arrest me! Because you have no legal power after I had your UP Security Clearance revoked! Now here is your new membership..." - Gyrich takes over the Legion next issue.

Originally Posted by Cramer
Clearly, DC missed the boat by not introducing the Super Sexy Swinger Parents of the Legion. Cobie and I would have been devoted readers!


Jo: I'm so glad that we joined the Adventure Legion.
Rokk: Yes, it's a relief to be deadly serious and earnest.
Gim: I think we're all better away from our hip, crazy swinging parents for a while.
Jan: Yeah, they were just too cool.
Jo: Uh... not really a problem for you Jan...
Jan: Waaaaaah! I'll get you Roxxas! See if I don't! Waaaaaah!

Originally Posted by Cramer
Shady and Superboy - I recall she was very supportive of him in the leadership dispute with Wildfire. There were probably other instances illustrating their friendship. It makes a lot of sense, since Superboy and Mon-el would have been close and one of Shady's earliest Legion adventures was in Smallville when they escaped from Mordru.


I like that a lot as one of those background friendships.
DC Holiday Special 1980
Star Light, Star Bright... Farthest Star I See Tonight! By Paul Levitz, art by Jose Luis Garcia Popez & Dick Giordano, Adrienne Roy colors, Ben Oda Letters


[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

Superboy approaches the nearly-finished Legion HQ on Christmas Eve. He greets Mon-el on roof top guard duty and is by some mistletoe, Phantom Girl and a kiss. Saturn Girl, on monitor duty, shows him some other Legionnaires – Karate Kid, Projectra and Sun Boy celebrating in Japan, the Allons celebrating Chanuka, fireworks trees on Snerl and Cham patrolling Durla since there's no Christmas for Durlans. Superboy longs for an old-fashioned Christmas with a real tree and tinsel, not futuristic technology. He comes up with an idea to go search for the Star of Bethlehem. The others see this as a wild goose chase but humour him.

Master navigator Garth plots the course but finds no star where it should be, only a small planet. Saturn Girl stays on the cruiser while Superboy, Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl and Wildfire go investigate.

They find a planet with sea, land and air-based sentients, all of whom are suffering from the beginning of an ice age. Wildfire helps the sea beings, Lightning Lad and Phantom Girl rescue some land-dwellers and Superboy saves the nest of some bird people. As the moon rises, the four Legionnaires come together and ponder what else they could do to help what seems to be a hopeless situation.

Superboy has an idea. He gathers the telepathic plugs, adjusts them so that the three races can communicate with each other and gives some directions before flying off.

Lightning Lad and Wildfire carve out a cave according to specifications given by Superboy. He arrives with members of the three races in tow and explains how they can inhabit the cave and survive, if they cooperate and share resources, until the U.P. can evacuate them.

Superboy muses that although 30th century science shows that the Star of Bethlehem doesn't exist, something brought them to this planet that needed their help. Wildfire is skeptical. The Legionnaires fly home aboard their cruiser, which Superboy has decorated with a Christmas tree.

Comments:

Superboy is back for this short tale, which gives us some glimpses of Christmas in the 30th century. As usual, he's the central figure and the one who solves the problem, and he brings both his 20th century outlook and his good old Superboy enthusiasm to Christmas Eve 2979.

It's nice to see the others sort of rolling their eyes at his plan to seek the star, but going along with it. They may think it's goofy, or antiquated, or just unlikely to succeed, but they enjoy spending time with Kal.

Once again, Phantom Girl features prominently. She must be a favourite of both Conway and Levitz.

A minor point, but it was a good realistic touch to show the HQ still under construction.

The story itself, a lesson in cooperation for the greater good, is sadly relevant for our present day, as our planet faces climate and environmental challenges which need cooperation among nations. We don't have a U.P. evacuation team to take us to another planet.

There are a number of explanations for the Star of Bethlehem which present it as a temporary astronomical phenomenon. Weren't some of these speculations known in 1979? Perhaps Superboy – and the Legionnaires – were aware of these and everyone was just playing along with the mission to find the star as a way to celebrate a holiday of importance to Superboy.

Oh foops... I'll have this one in the "special binders" if I have it. The others might be chasing the star on the cover, but I bet Superman goes to lift that bar bell of a DC logo.
DC has had some terrific holiday specials over the years. I remember this Legion special fondly.
DC Holiday Special 1980

First off, love that cover. Ah the days when superheroes were the main part of, instead of almost the entire, part of DC’s line-up of protagonists! I’m still waiting for the long lost Joe Kubert drawn Legion meets SGT Rock story.

Well, if the cover isn’t enough, the art inside makes it even better. I’ve long been a fan of Jose Luis Garcia Lopez and the art in this story is beautiful. (Side note: Lardy and I once started the Garcia Lopez fan club on the DCMB’s in 2001 or so. We scared off all other potential members). With Levitz on script, this creative combination is a special treat, and the artwork never once lets us down. Dynamic and gorgeous throughout, I can’t help but wonder “what if…?” where Garcia-Lopez had a run on the LSH as well.

All in all, it’s a quaint little tale that reinforces the belief in not only a higher power but that Christmas is all about kindness and doing things for one another, and how if there is enough of that happening, it makes the world a better place. It's a wonderful notion that I don’t mind hearing sentimentally around Christmas time. (Good thing we didn’t review this story around tax time or something ;)).

Though there isn’t a lot of substance here, there is a lot to like. The monitor board showing multiple Legionnaires like in the old Adventure days; Imra being her all-business, iron-butt self; the revelation that Gim is Jewish; etc. Tinya, Wildfire, Garth and Superboy all really get a chance to shine and feel like real people.

I had never read this one before and didn’t expect much. It really wasn’t much either, but I am glad I got to read and enjoy it!
Originally Posted by Blockade Boy
DC has had some terrific holiday specials over the years. I remember this Legion special fondly.
That's so true. There were a number of great little holiday stories in the 80's and 90's, and usually every special had at least one little gem that was terrific.
Holiday Special 1980

Bah! Superboy could easily finish off the HQ reconstruction in seconds. But being Christmas, this will probably be a story about being nice to others. Humbug!

Superboy visits the work in progress Legion HQ. No security systems yet. You’d have to be nuts to tackle the Legion at their HQ, yet it seems to happen so often.

As Supes takes a look around, Tinya indulges in a bit of stealth kissing. Note how she still stays partially intangible while doing it! I’m sure this was just another exercise in testing out those powers. That's what she'll tell Jo anyway. There was a cringe worthy scene in a much later Legion when Superboy couldn’t keep his heat vision from erupting, when he got a kiss.

They may not have a lot of systems finished, but they’ve made sure that their Perv-O-Vision monitor is working perfectly as they snoop in on what their fellow members are up to.

Karate Kid’s tea ceremony adds a different take on festivities. But eagle eyed readers will notice that Devlin O’Ryan has visited the past, and left a memento at the top of the tree!

As we watch the Snerls make a fatal mistake in having their fireworks trees indoors, we learn that the Legion can snoop in on hundreds of planets. But not one of them has tacky 20th century decorations! This seems to mentally unbalance Superboy, who insists that they go on a quest to find the star of Bethlehem.

I’m sharing Saturn Girl’s reaction to Supes’ manic plans. But off we go, leaving Mon El and Credibility Kid behind to guard the Club House.

The story makes a wise choice to take a gentle approach to what the heroes find. Not a star, but a planet requiring aid against an approaching ice age. The heroes each save one of the species on the planet. Then, in an excellent use of the telepathic earplugs, Superboy allows those races to communicate and work together for the survival of all through the difficult times ahead.

The plot delivers a simple, yet important message. The dialogue is particularly well done, allowing each character to express opinions as they would between friends. While the different species on the world pull together to make something better, the Legionnaires from different planets pull together to do exactly the same.

I was especially pleased to see that the Legion’s actions didn’t make them forget to arrange for a more permanent evacuation for the locals. It’s an easy thing for some writers to forget. While Superboy can move planets, and Brande can birth stars (through technology, not like it was his super power >icky<) it’s better that the aliens work together and that they are supported by the wider UP around them. It’s a genuinely happy ending, and we don’t see enough of those.

Note that Imra sees through the 4th wall at the end, beginning a possible slide into becoming the Time Trapper later on.
Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid


First off, love that cover. Ah the days when superheroes were the main part of, instead of almost the entire, part of DC’s line-up of protagonists! I’m still waiting for the long lost Joe Kubert drawn Legion meets SGT Rock story.


I am too, now. Never thought of it before!

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Well, if the cover isn’t enough, the art inside makes it even better. I’ve long been a fan of Jose Luis Garcia Lopez and the art in this story is beautiful. (Side note: Lardy and I once started the Garcia Lopez fan club on the DCMB’s in 2001 or so. We scared off all other potential members).


Geez, what did you do? Maybe you scared off Garcia Lopez himself!


Originally Posted by thoth lad


Bah! Superboy could easily finish off the HQ reconstruction in seconds. But being Christmas, this will probably be a story about being nice to others. Humbug!


Well, the Legionnaires themselves appear to be taking the time off, just standing around or drinking tea.

Quote
They may not have a lot of systems finished, but they’ve made sure that their Perv-O-Vision monitor is working perfectly as they snoop in on what their fellow members are up to.


It always gets me that this is the standard depiction of the bright and shiny future, written at a time before we had widespread invasive surveillance. Watch what you wish for!

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Karate Kid’s tea ceremony adds a different take on festivities. But eagle eyed readers will notice that Devlin O’Ryan has visited the past, and left a memento at the top of the tree!


Or his parents were neighbours of Val - another untold tale of the Legion. Devlin would have been a young tyke then.

Quote
As we watch the Snerls make a fatal mistake in having their fireworks trees indoors, we learn that the Legion can snoop in on hundreds of planets.


Sadly, we never again see the Snerls. You'd think they must have had fireproof walls, but maybe not.

Quote
Note that Imra sees through the 4th wall at the end, beginning a possible slide into becoming the Time Trapper later on.


Aaagghh!
Originally Posted by Cobie
...I&#146;m still waiting for the long lost Joe Kubert drawn Legion meets SGT Rock story.


Superboy: Forward Garth, Imra, Jan & Gim! Conquer... for the glory of my homeworld, Krypton!

Chameleon Boy: Superboy got those other Legionnaires to join him in this war against us! Tinya, Querl, Ayla & Thom! Prepare to open fire! Our new weapons will surprise them!

Lu: Only you can decide the battle Cosmic Boy! But which side will you choose?

Rokk: I'm enlisting, overseas aid / Need assisting, help with a maid / Get the expert, on mademoiselles / He could diffuse, any bombshell / If I could only be tough like him / Then I could win / My own, small, battle of the sexes

And Sgt. Rock is going to help me / Make the girl mine /Keep her stood in line /And Sgt. Rock is going to help me


Originally Posted by Cobie
Tinya, Wildfire, Garth and Superboy all really get a chance to shine and feel like real people.


It seems simple enough, but the ease they all have in each other's company and the support they give each other stands out like a little star itself here. Applause for Levitz and Garcia Lopez.


Originally Posted by Cobie
Or his parents were neighbours of Val - another untold tale of the Legion. Devlin would have been a young tyke then.


I reckon that Devlin's reflecting power is a bit of a red herring. I think all the energy blasts ricochet off his baubles decorations. His green jumper is actually part of his true body as ...Tree Lad!

Originally Posted by Cramer
Sadly, we never again see the Snerls. You'd think they must have had fireproof walls, but maybe not.


They went out with a bang, though.
#264 Dagons Cavern of Doom! by Gerry Conway, art by Jimmy Janes & Dave Hunt, colours Gene D'Angelo, letters Milt Snapinn

[Linked Image]

As the Legionnaires fly off to search for the missing parents with Dawnstar's guidance, distracted Wildfire almost causes an aircar to crash. Disaster is averted by Light Lass, who also delivers a mild lecture on paying attention. They come to an island; Dawnstar says she feels ill and can track no further. The Legionnaires are attacked by guns and mutant bats.

They gain entry into the power plant, but Saturn Girl confirms that nobody is there. Wildfire throws a major temper tantrum and blasts some machinery.

Dagon watches the Legionnaires' futile efforts and taunts the parents, who are imprisoned in a greenish transparent pyramid. When the parents say that the ransom would never be paid, even if the Legion had the money, Dagon replies that the point is for the Legion to feel financial ruin and complete helplessness.

At Legion HQ, Wildfire grills Dawnstar about her tracking failure. Shadow Lass defends her, recalling that the illness she felt could have been Dagon disrupting her tracking sense and leading her on a false trail. Light Lass reminds them that there are three suspects from Brande Industries who could disrupt their security devices and their super-powers and they should be found and questioned. Saturn Girl suggests retrieving Tyroc, who might be able to find the suspects as he once found a hidden bomb. Dawnstar volunteers to go to Marzal and Shadow Lass offers to accompany her, since she's pals with Tyroc.

At Brande Industries, the Legionnaires narrow the suspects down to two, who had access to the security storage chambers and could have made duplicates of the Legion's security system for Dagon. However, the chambers' access code has been changed, so Lightning Lad blasts the lock and Wildfire attempts to open the vault, only to have his suit blown off by a rocket launcher. He can still communicate by vibrating the air. The empty shelves give Lightning Lad a clue as to where Dagon is hiding.

Dagon realizes that the Legionnaires may be on to him, so he launches cyanide capsules at the parents' enclosure. Wildfire arrives, sans suit, just in time to destroy the capsules. Before he can attack Dagon, he's captured in a net of negative ions and neutralized. Suddenly, the other Legionnaires arrive, capture Dagon and free the parents. Lightning Lad explains that he saw that Dagon had also taken plans for a Legion security bunker directly under their HQ.

On Marzal, Shadow Lass and Dawnstar implore Tyroc to leave with them, but he refuses, claiming that this is a crucial time for Marzal and they must leave immediately. His advice is too late however, as “The Brigadoon Syndrome”, occurring every two centuries, begins and the island fades from existence.

Comments:
The parents don't do much in this issue, and they aren't even visually distinguishable – just a group of men and women. That's disappointing. I would have liked to see more action on the part of the parents; some of them had super powers and people can be very resourceful, powered or not.

The big mysteries of this story – who is Dagon, and what did Garth see that gave him a clue to Dagon's location – are not evident to the reader. We never even see Dagon's face revealed; a panel focuses on one of two suspects, without explaining why the other was eliminated, beyond the fact that Wezil Yondor had the most recent access to the vault. Somehow, it would have been more interesting if Dr. Ula Rand had been the villain, not the mad-looking, wild-haired Wezil. They could even have been working together.

We do get some good character moments. Wildfire seems particularly unstable, getting angry, not paying attention, voicing resentment of Tyroc and blaming Dawnstar. His outbursts are blamed, to some degree, on his concern over his parents, but Tasmia remains under control. Different personalities, maturities – or is Tasmia not that fussed about her mother being kidnapped? Perhaps she has full confidence in Mom's ability to take care of herself. In any event, Miss Cool Under Pressure devotes her effort to where she can help the most, appealing to Tyroc to return and help. She also defends Dawnstar against Wildfire's griping. A Shadow Lass-Dawnstar friendship would seem a natural at this point, but it never developed.

Ayla shines here as well. She's focused, logical, not afraid to criticize when appropriate, yet sympathetic. Den mother.

That Wildfire has learned to vibrate the air to speak seems a tad silly, but I can't help but wonder if it would really be possible.

We have another scene, as in the previous issue, of a random couple interacting with a Legionnaire. Last issue, it was a marooned couple, this time it's a man and woman out for a space car ride. I hadn't noticed if Conway has used this before as a story device to develop Legionnaires' personalities through encounters with "average" folk.

The ending is pretty good for the surprise and suspense, but I can't help but picture Tyroc in tartan. Of course, we figure the girls will escape Marzal in the next issue, but how will remain a mystery for now.

Dagon just doesn't come across as a menace. I don't get a sense that the parents are frightened, or that the Legionnaires are particularly worried. The whole security device mystery seemed confusing and convoluted. Copies of copies? Why would you store a security system in a vault? If he'd started killing, or hurting, the parents one by one, there would have been a greater sense of peril.

This isn't the first villain who's been driven by a false perception of the Legionnaires' role in his suffering. It's a credible motive, but a hollow one, leaving the captured Dagon with no vengeance achieved. Of such disappointments is the Legion of Super-Villains built, but Dagon simply fades into bitter obscurity.

The Legionnaires race across Metropolis, beginning their search for Dagon. We get what’s supposed to be a comedy moment as Wildfire’s recklessness endangers the lives of passing aircar motorists.

Fortunately, Ayla knows that at least some of the building are modular and hollow. smile She handily lifts one to allow the air car to pass unscathed.

Last issue, Wildfire tells off Dawnstar for being delayed. Yet here, he has to stop what he’s doing to put the modular tower back together. He also threatened to end Tyroc’s Legion career for leaving the mission. Yet here, his actions nearly kill two motorists. Drake gets off lightly for being such a jerk.

Ayla does take him to task though. It’s a well worked page where he’s faced with his temper and what it results in. His silence, while looking across at Ayla speaks volumes. Part of the page gives us a reprise of some of the events of the previous issue.

That subtlety doesn’t last as we get a full infodump on the next page. We’re shown that 10 parents have been kidnapped. Reep Daggle’s father seems to be one of them, even though he wasn’t visiting the HQ along with Reep’s mother. Of course, if we have a picture of him here, then who’s RJ Brande? It’s another example that a lot of the parent details here, were later changed.

Dawnstar leads the team to a tidal energy plant. They are attacked by lasers and bats only to find that the plant is empty. Drake doesn’t take it at all well. He’s really going down on my list of people to ever vote in for Legion leadership. Tasmia’s mother is also missing, but you don’t see her having a tantrum and destroying any evidence that might be at the plant. Dagon gets to watch all this through one of those Omni Viewer things that no aspiring super villain should be without (see also Stargrave among many others). Dagon gives the game away regarding his location too.

Back at the HQ, Dawnstar tells the team that it’s the first time her powers have failed her. Poor Dawnstar. It’s the first of many, many such occasions.

Conway combines storytelling, plotting and characterisation nicely. He has set up a few overlapping, options in the story. When you need to find something, call Dawnstar. If that doesn’t work, then she can travel to Marzal to get the help of Tyroc.

That leads us into Tyroc’s disappearance subplot of last issue. Not only that, Conway keeps it relevant because Tyroc’s powers had previously been used to find a bomb in a city. Accompanying Dawny is Shadow Lass. Her parents are missing, linking her to the main plot. But she’s also got a strong friendship with Tyroc, as built up well last issue. Shady’s attitude to Dawny’s failure couldn’t be more different to Drake’s. Which is why she’s a planetary champion and he’s a bag of hot energy.

Finally, the team can use some detective work. As they return to the Pacific North West Brande facility, we learn what Ayla and Tyroc were searching through the records for last issue. Conway has gone to some length to set up the teams across recent issues with each getting panel time, and the missions the others are on is casually mentioned here. I did note that Vi and Sun Boy were on the over, but don't appear in the story.

The pacific north west team look at the likely suspects. They look a bit different each time we see them, and there’s no sign of the “Gyrich” figure from last issue. My solar credits would be on the guy who’s raving like a mad man on his employee pic, as being the villain.

Wildfire’s resignation to losing another containment suit is well done. We see that he can use his power to vibrate the air, allowing him to communicate in his energy form. Conway’s often looking for ways to showcase the Legionnaire’s powers in the middle of a story (see Drake using his power as a torch and Imra checking a building using her telepathy last issue)

Lightning Lad discovers that the Brande project Dagon has been stealing his devices form was also the one that supplied the Legion. Also to be supplied to the Legion is a self-building emergency bunker. It’s handily sign posted for our heroes, allowing us to move rather swiftly to the finale.

Fearing discovery, Dagon moves to kill the parents. They get none of the panel time form last issue, as first a swiftly travelling Wildfire and then Lightning Lad saves them. Dagon is defeated by a lightning bolt, and the gropu return through the emergency bunker, to their own headquarters.

Elsewhere, Dawny and Shady arrive in Marzal only for Tyroc to tell them that they’re going to be trapped there for the next 200 years. Marzal fades from view.

The pacing was a bit off across this story. Partly, this is due to an adjustment to a smaller page count than Conway may have liked.

For example, we get lots of pages of the parents fending off Dagon in the first part. But they are firmly statuesque hostages in the second. That indicates that the mid point cliff hanger had been decided and there was a bit of padding needed in the first half. We get a couple of interesting snippets form the parents. Jo not being much of a talker to his folks; Tasmia learning from her mother; Durla being very out of the way news wise and Dirk only having a father mentioned (which would build very much into his v4 storyline.) But all of them come as add-ons to the Legionnaires, rather than story generators in their own right. I’ve already mentioned the changing details of the parents in later stories. When they could generate their own stories, this one was ignored.

Having spent two issues defeating Dagon’s hostage taking scheme, we don’t get to find out for sure, who is under the armour. Despite three suspects being reduced to two, we still don’t get to see. There’s no confrontation, where the Legion show the villain that, not only are they also financially ruined, but that they are trying to keep going as best they can.

The last page, gives us a quick conclusion of the main plot and takes us to Marzal for a quick cliffhanger. I’ve seen Leigon relationships build from less than Shady’s “get along” comment concerning her and Tyroc. Others pointed it out last time, and I think it’s a relationship that would have been good for Shady, regardless of what level it was at. Fast forwarding to the days that Jo, Tinya, Lar and Tasmia were an inseparable quartet, it would have given Shady another strong bond in the team. I’ll be looking to see how her relationship with Dawny develops too. Dawny has had to learn to interact with others. With Drake being an emotional adolescent, Shady seems to be a much more dependable confidante.


Dagon stole all of his equipment from Brande Enterprises. So what was Brande doing with cyanide darts, devices to render Dawnstar’s powers useless, battle armour and weird bat generators? It puts Brande firmly into the arms manufacturer category we’ve seen before, rather than the benevolent star builder.
Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
The parents don't do much in this issue, and they aren't even visually distinguishable just a group of men and women.


Despite the opening pages featuring them in part one, they were more like the statues in the hall than characters in the second part.


Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Somehow, it would have been more interesting if Dr. Ula Rand had been the villain, not the mad-looking, wild-haired Wezil. They could even have been working together.


Yeah, that would have been better. Making them part of the story.

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Different personalities, maturities &#150; or is Tasmia not that fussed about her mother being kidnapped? Perhaps she has full confidence in Mom's ability to take care of herself.


Tasmia's mom being involved in thumping Dagon, was the one I was expecting most. We're shown that she's very capable in part one, but she's just one of the crowd when the final confrontation arrives. Still, we did get part one to build into that champion lineage.


Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
A Shadow Lass-Dawnstar friendship would seem a natural at this point, but it never developed.


Bah! Still, it puts Shady in a good light.

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Ayla shines here as well. She's focused, logical, not afraid to criticize when appropriate, yet sympathetic. Den mother.


Yup, both she and Shady do well here, so credit to Conway. Imra takes a back seat, but it's space used well to highlight others. This sort of approach does Conway a lot of credit in these issues. We've Shady and Dawny to look forward to next issue too.

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer

That Wildfire has learned to vibrate the air to speak seems a tad silly, but I can't help but wonder if it would really be possible.


Years later, Drake stays out of his suit in a huff. I think he may not have been able to speak in that form in that story. But, if is *was* able too, it would make it even more of a huff. Drake doesn't change much smile

I quite liked that he could use some energy powers in his blob form. It means that the containment suit is there to direct, and expand his powers. That gets around the Legion's mechanical device issue regarding his suit.

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
The ending is pretty good for the surprise and suspense, but I can't help but picture Tyroc in tartan.


Lord McTyroc, Master of the Marzal Glens!

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Dagon just doesn't come across as a menace. I don't get a sense that the parents are frightened, or that the Legionnaires are particularly worried. The whole security device mystery seemed confusing and convoluted. Copies of copies? Why would you store a security system in a vault? If he'd started killing, or hurting, the parents one by one, there would have been a greater sense of peril.

This isn't the first villain who's been driven by a false perception of the Legionnaires' role in his suffering. It's a credible motive, but a hollow one, leaving the captured Dagon with no vengeance achieved. Of such disappointments is the Legion of Super-Villains built, but Dagon simply fades into bitter obscurity.


Yeah, he doesn't amount to much in the end. Yet, we can see from other stories that he had potential. JLA villain Prometheus (whether you like him or not smile ) was designed around taking down the team. Dagon's anti Dawnstar device is a hint to that.

A lot of Iron Man's villains run around with powered suits, offsetting the large ships on their shoulders.

Having Dagon provide the basis for the LSV anti-Legion/ Security weapons would make him more of an appropriate member than a lot of the others they've had in their roster over the years.

We never got to find out where the Legion were supposed to leave the solar credits. They didn't make any attempt to fake interest in getting them to stall Dagon either. A hostage movie that gives up on being one in the first act.
Originally Posted by thoth lad

Ayla does take him to task though. It’s a well worked page where he’s faced with his temper and what it results in. His silence, while looking across at Ayla speaks volumes. Part of the page gives us a reprise of some of the events of the previous issue.


Wasn't that a great scene? She should light into him more often (maybe she will, in future issues, but I don't recall any such interaction).

Quote
That subtlety doesn’t last as we get a full infodump on the next page. We’re shown that 10 parents have been kidnapped. Reep Daggle’s father seems to be one of them, even though he wasn’t visiting the HQ along with Reep’s mother. Of course, if we have a picture of him here, then who’s RJ Brande? It’s another example that a lot of the parent details here, were later changed.


Untold story: those weren't Reep's parents, they were imposters - and later discovered and their devious evil plot foiled.


Quote
Back at the HQ, Dawnstar tells the team that it’s the first time her powers have failed her. Poor Dawnstar. It’s the first of many, many such occasions.


I guess it becomes a catch-all excuse when the writer needs an extended or convoluted search. Dawnstar's version of kryptonite, or magic, or lead... how many other Legionnaires have a sure-to-fail power block when needed?



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Shady’s attitude to Dawny’s failure couldn’t be more different to Drake’s. Which is why she’s a planetary champion and he’s a bag of hot energy.


laugh

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Dagon stole all of his equipment from Brande Enterprises. So what was Brande doing with cyanide darts, devices to render Dawnstar’s powers useless, battle armour and weird bat generators? It puts Brande firmly into the arms manufacturer category we’ve seen before, rather than the benevolent star builder.


Makes sense to me. Star building and weapons manufacture can co-exist very profitably. (Not that I know from personal experience, of course.)
Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Untold story: those weren't Reep's parents, they were imposters - and later discovered and their devious evil plot foiled.


I heard that the imposters were also impostors who themselves had been impersonated by lookalikes!

I believe the writer was taken away frothing at the mouth shouting "They're Here, they're everywhere...they're ...me!" at that point.

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
I guess it becomes a catch-all excuse when the writer needs an extended or convoluted search. Dawnstar's version of kryptonite, or magic, or lead... how many other Legionnaires have a sure-to-fail power block when needed?.


I get the feeling they were looking to rein in having to disable Dawny's powers, by introducing the more limited Mwindaji. That was all part of a general powering down of the team.

Of course, Dawny could use her solar credits to take over the company that makes such devices, and place unique energy signatures in them. She might not be able to detect the person using the jamming device, but she can totally trace the jamming devices.

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Shady's attitude to Dawny's failure couldn't be more different to Drake's. Which is why she's a planetary champion and he's a bag of hot energy.



Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Makes sense to me. Star building and weapons manufacture can co-exist very profitably. (Not that I know from personal experience, of course.)


They sure can. Marla was just telling me the other day... ahem... you could say that birthing stars allows for planetary systems. Systems that powers need to control. Cue handy weapons catalogue from the guy who just gave you the star. If only I could do something on Bits with the Legion... oh wait... Behind Brande's Durlan form is one of a Space Weasel smile
#265 Brigadoon Syndrome! by Gerry Conway(plot), J.M. DeMatteis (script) art by Jim Janes & Dave Hunt, colours Gene D'Angelo, letters Milt Snapinn

[Linked Image]

Shadow Lass, Dawnstar and Tyroc are on Marzal, which has disappeared from Earth. People are amazed but not frightened; Tyroc announced that it's all his fault.

The three Legionnaires fly into a psychedelic sky and see a chunk of land which is Marzal floating in space. Dawnstar concludes they are in another dimension then is stunned by a sunburst. Shadow Lass flies after her as she falls through the air, but, in breaking her fall, is also knocked out. Tyroc shouts and both women land on a solidified cloud. The three return to Tyroc's home on Marzal, where he informs them that they are stranded there for the rest of their lives.

He recounts the history of his people, Africans who broke free of their slavers and were washed ashore on an island which they named Marzal. The island at that point slipped into another dimension; the people only knew that they were safe from the white devils who had enslaved them. They settled and prospered, eventually discovering that every two hundred years, Marzal returned to Earth for three decades – like the Scottish legend of Brigadoon.

Tyroc was born in that other dimension. He discovered his powers one day when a demon-like creature threatened his schoolmates. He mastered his sonic power and became the island's super-hero. When Marzal returned to Earth, Tyroc came into contact with the Legion. He suspects that using his powers on Earth has affected Marzal and caused the land to enter the other dimension prematurely. He suspects that if he were to return to Earth now, he would consign Marzal to this other dimension forever.

Shadow Lass suggests that he use his power to open a portal so that everyone may escape. Tyroc tells her that his people would not want to leave their home, but he might be able to create a doorway for his fellow Legionnaires. They go to the dimensional barrier where Tyroc summons all his strength to open a portal briefly; Shady tells him there is always hope, just as the portal closes. Dawnstar tracks the way back to Legion HQ, earning high praise from Shady, and telling Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl and Wildfire that Tyroc may be lost forever, although she thinks they may see him again.

Comments:

This was an unusual way to get rid of a character. Rather than killing off Tyroc, the writers (and editor?) exile him in another dimension, along with friends, family and a viable civilization. It's the future, and there's Brainiac 5 and the Phantom Zone and the Bgtzl Dimension and all sorts of cool stuff, so it's conceivable that Tyroc could return at any time.

The story is part Roots, part Brigadoon. Marzalians could have seen the play or the movie on one of their earlier returns to Earth. What seems strange, however, is that nobody noticed an island that kept popping in and out of existence. So much for Aids to Navigation. Even in 1980, it must have been a stretch to imagine that an island, large enough to sustain a civilization, could be missed on the charts.

It's obvious that Marzal made the most of its occasional return to Earth space, since their technology appears to have kept up with Earth's to some degree. When we see the tall towers of Marzal, are we seeing the architecture of Earth from 200 years earlier?

It's a bit presumptuous of Shady to think Tyroc would rather be with the Legion than with his fellow Marzalians, or that the entire population of Marzal would prefer to live full-time on Earth – but she has demonstrated a rather lacklustre devotion to Talok VIII, so maybe it's something she just doesn't understand. I note that she doesn't ask what happened to Mummy and the other parents, but that's likely due to page constraints. Still, a sentence or two could have made the link to the previous issue for better continuity.

There has been some criticism of this story as an advocate for segregation. I don't read it that way. The people who settled on Marzal weren't sent there, nor did they choose to remove themselves from the rest of the world. They demonstrated that, as a group, they could survive, build lives for themselves and progress as a society. That they chose to remain there, rather than integrate with the rest of the terran population, speaks more to their satisfaction with all that they and their ancestors built, rather than rejection of the outside world.

Nevertheless, the Marzal story could have been strengthened by having some Marzalians "stranded" on Earth, as has been suggested, and working to find a way to contact their families. Of course, that would imply that DC wanted to keep Tyroc in the picture, which doesn't seem likely at this point, given the rather vague open ending of this tale.


Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
This was an unusual way to get rid of a character. Rather than killing off Tyroc, the writers (and editor?) exile him in another dimension, along with friends, family and a viable civilization.


Same thing happened with Queen Projectra and Orando, and with Black Witch and Sorcerer's World. As you mentioned, very convenient if you want to leave the possibility open that the character will someday return, but you don't want to deal with them right now.
LSH #264

I’m back from a holiday break that didn’t leave much time for comic book reading (in a good way) but before I comment on the latest, I wanted to give my comments on the issue, I missed #264. There isn’t much to say that hasn’t already been covered other than this is yet another issue that throws out my preconceived notions of this Conway run being “weak” or “unsatisfying”; instead, I found it was another issue that I enjoyed immensely that very nicely balanced the main plot with some really nice characterizations. Dagon, while not much of a threat, is a natural extension of the prior financial stories. Meanwhile, we see more glimpses into the LSHers: Garth being a strong leader, Wildfire showing some good emotion, Shady’s friendship with Tyroc, Shady & Dawnstar having a really nice scene, Ayla being very clear-headed and taking a leadership role, etc. All of it was quite enjoyable!

Plus, the art by Jimmy Janes & Dave Hunt is really terrific. We also appear to be reaching a point in the early 80’s where the coloring and / or paper appear to be getting better as the issues just feel more modern.
Legion of Super-Heroes #265

LSH #265 is the first issue in awhile that I outright just didn’t like at all. And so much of that is an extension of why I haven’t liked a lot of previous Tyroc stories, in that I’m constantly left wondering “what if?” rather than finding anything to enjoy about them. This one in particular was tough to swallow and I think that’s largely because of some editorial changes going on (I’ll explain in a moment). What we get is almost an entire issue devoted to explaining Tyroc’s origins, including his powers and Marzal, and then in the final pages, we simply get Dawnstar & Shadow Lass returning home, while Tyroc is then written out of the series for good! So we get all this build-up and then there goes Tyroc—not to be seen other than a few cameos here and there for 30 years until Levitz “mark 3” finally decides to try to make something of him. It’s disheartening to see a Legionnaire so easily discarded as Tyroc was, and over the years I’ve come up with my own ways to use him, refine his powers, change his look, etc., like so many other Legion fans have. Because ultimately, what we ended up with kind of sucks.

It’s made all the more odd that a few issues prior, Gerry Conway promised readers he had big plans for Tyroc and wanted to make him a strong member of the ongoing Legion cast. We ended up with some of those “big plans” but then Tyroc was written out, so I can’t help but wonder if Gerry was overruled and someone decided Tyroc had to go—either because of his powers being too hard to define or because he was deemed too offensive or too much resembling the angry black man stereotype of several years earlier. And then Gerry tried to plug in all his “good ideas” in Tyroc’s send-off story so he didn’t waste them? Or maybe it was Gerry himself, who knows. But clearly plans were changed mid-stream. The end result is an okay historical drama focused on an uncomfortable topic that ultimately writes out the only African-American Legionnaire. In a few years, Levitz would introduce us to Jacques Focquart, who is a character I really like, but one always can’t help but wonder if his French accent, legacy basis and soft-spoken ways didn’t make him more palatable to DC editorial (and fans in general).

Alas, this is comics, and I fully expect and hope the LSH will outlive us all. So who knows—maybe Tyroc’s moment in the sun is only a few years away and he’ll be the star Legionnaire of the 2020’s?

Anyway, the rest of the issue is kind of overshadowed by all of this but I have to again say how great the art has been. I also like the idea of Shady and Dawny becoming close, which we don’t really ever see in the future. One can speculate that the Dawny / Tinya friction which we eventually see under Levitz perhaps hindered Dawnstar from becoming a better friend of Shady over time?
In catching up on comments, I have to agree with FC and Thoth that the ultimate reveal of Dagon would have worked better if it was the female former Brande employee, Ula Rand, or even better, if it was both her and the crazy looking dude it turned out to be. A slight difference but it would have worked better and been less on the nose.
Superboy 265

Right, I’ll just put my issue down here on a chair, and get a cup of tea….

…Oh Noes! The chair was linked to Marzal…and it’ll “never be able to return!”

Never being able to return was the warning cry given, by Lightning Lad, to Dawny and Shady on the cover. Unfortunately, there wasn’t space for their respective replies of “At least I’ll be free of the Wildfire romance subplot” and “I’m finally away from moody Coma Kid!”

Globes of light surround Dawny, Tyroc and Shady on the splash page. Yes, it’s disco night on Marzal! Actually, every night is 70’s disco night on Marzal. So, it must be something else that’s upsetting Tyroc.

Ah yes, this is the issue where DC try to hide their racial faux pas by teleporting it all away. Leaving us once again with a universe of white people. Ummmmm…

The island nation of Marzal is teleported to another dimension. It’s something that happens every two hundred years, but Tyroc’s powers have shortened that time frame. Tyroc opts to stay with his island, and leaves the Legion.

Note that, despite the rather sudden departure, and being told that the Marzialians love the Earth, there’s no one other than the locals trapped on the way back. Is Marzal’s tourist board that bad?

Conway writes a lot of captions to describe the transition of Marzal from our dimension. “Like a great ghost riding a wave,” being a bit of a low point. “A sky unlike any other human eyes have ever beheld!” says the caption, except that the people of Marzal make the trip every couple of centuries.

Despite all the captions, we then have to be shown that Marzal is in a different dimension, so we get a side trip above the island, where Shady and Dawny are knocked out so that Tyroc can save them. It all feels like it should be condensed.

The explanation is another area that could have been shortened. It’s a seven page info dump on the history of Marzal. Slaves overcome their captors and escape to an island that magically disappears five minutes later.

Plus points from moving away from the idea that all black people had ended up on Marzal. Minus points as every page delivers its own problems. From the terms used and the historical reference to the dubious parallel culture the residents adopt. DC should have realised that the longer they drag this out, the worse it looks.

Based on pretty much nothing, Tyroc reasons that his powers are causing his home island to return to the other dimension more quickly.

Next month: Superboy retires after coming to the conclusion that his solar based powers are draining the sun!

Special Back Up: Lightning Lad realises that the lightning he summons is creating storm fronts that are causing environmental disaster and quits! Right after Cosmic Boy fears that he might be destabilising Earth’s magnetic core… and quits!

Right.

Tyroc uses just enough of his power to send the two Legionnaires back home. They had to be with him, in Marzal, to hear DC’s excuses. Oddly, Brainy doesn’t show up with any device that he’s been using to analyse the space/time vibrations and can counter them. He must have been busy on other Handwavium solutions that month.

The final panel hints that “somehow—I think we will be seeing him again…”

And we do. Years later when the Dominators kill pretty much everyone on the island nation. They did that by using their technology to bring the island back into our dimension. Hey Brainy! The Dominators managed to bring it back easily enough!

A plus point is the Shady/ Tyroc relationship. Shady really supports him in the issue. I hadn’t realised how strong their connection was before the reread. Without their partners, the adventure might have been good for a Dawny/ Shady friendship too.

Another plus point is that Marzal gets extra dimensional visitors! So, even when it’s not in our Dimension, it’s not disconnected form everything. Bits potential there.

The art is good, but this is not an issue I’m going to remember fondly.
Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid

It’s made all the more odd that a few issues prior, Gerry Conway promised readers he had big plans for Tyroc and wanted to make him a strong member of the ongoing Legion cast. We ended up with some of those “big plans” but then Tyroc was written out, so I can’t help but wonder if Gerry was overruled and someone decided Tyroc had to go—either because of his powers being too hard to define or because he was deemed too offensive or too much resembling the angry black man stereotype of several years earlier. And then Gerry tried to plug in all his “good ideas” in Tyroc’s send-off story so he didn’t waste them? Or maybe it was Gerry himself, who knows. But clearly plans were changed mid-stream.


I'd really like to have been the fly on the wall at DC offices when this story was discussed. Tyroc just never got a chance to develop. The trio of Shady-Dawnstar-Tyroc could have been a really good clique for Legion stories.

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I also like the idea of Shady and Dawny becoming close, which we don’t really ever see in the future. One can speculate that the Dawny / Tinya friction which we eventually see under Levitz perhaps hindered Dawnstar from becoming a better friend of Shady over time?


That's interesting. Maybe Tinya was actually jealous of Tasmia's friendship with Dawnstar and undermined it.

Originally Posted by thoth lad

Right, I’ll just put my issue down here on a chair, and get a cup of tea….

…Oh Noes! The chair was linked to Marzal…and it’ll “never be able to return!”


Were you insured for that kind of property loss?


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Conway writes a lot of captions to describe the transition of Marzal from our dimension. “Like a great ghost riding a wave,” being a bit of a low point. “A sky unlike any other human eyes have ever beheld!” says the caption, except that the people of Marzal make the trip every couple of centuries.


His prose did get a bit flowery here.

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Despite all the captions, we then have to be shown that Marzal is in a different dimension, so we get a side trip above the island, where Shady and Dawny are knocked out so that Tyroc can save them. It all feels like it should be condensed.


The same thing happened in the Space Circus issue. Once you're lost in the psychedelic skies of another dimension, you're lost forever.

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Plus points from moving away from the idea that all black people had ended up on Marzal. Minus points as every page delivers its own problems. From the terms used and the historical reference to the dubious parallel culture the residents adopt. DC should have realised that the longer they drag this out, the worse it looks.


Probably beyond the scope of 1980s comics, but it would have been more intriguing if Marzal had developed a very different society than that of the rest of Earth.

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Special Back Up: Lightning Lad realises that the lightning he summons is creating storm fronts that are causing environmental disaster and quits! Right after Cosmic Boy fears that he might be destabilising Earth’s magnetic core… and quits!


So Earthgov was right to ban the Legion after all.

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Years later when the Dominators kill pretty much everyone on the island nation. They did that by using their technology to bring the island back into our dimension. Hey Brainy! The Dominators managed to bring it back easily enough!


I don't remember why the Dominators destroyed Marzal, but since Keith Giffen was writing the tale, maybe Karate Kid was there at the time.

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
I don't remember why the Dominators destroyed Marzal, but since Keith Giffen was writing the tale, maybe Karate Kid was there at the time.


The Dominators analysed Tyroc's cry, and caused the return of Marzal. This was in order to declare the residents of Marzal Khund sympathisers/ terrorists and destroy them to show the Earthlings that they needed their strong Dominion allies.

I think most of that was in the 2995 Sourcebook.
#266 The Thing in the Jar/Kantuu by Gerry Conway, J.M. DeMatteis (script) art by Jim Janes & Frank Chiaramonte, colours Gene D'Angelo, letters Costanza

[Linked Image]

Back on Wondil IX, the “delightfully self-duplicating Duo Damsel” and husband Chuck are mining crystallak ore. Chuck enjoys the lack of pressure compared to being in the Legion, but admits he is bored. Lu thinks to herself that they haven't had a real challenge since settling on this planet. Suddenly, the digger-beam malfunctions and everything explodes. Chuck is able to bounce away from the explosion and is carried away by the two Lus. A kiss brings him back to consciousness and he explains that he hit a magnetic hotspot which somehow triggered the explosion. Exploring the cave, they discover a container embedded in the ice. Lu advises waiting for the other colonists but Chuck says, as ex-Legionnaires, they're expected to be the heroes – so he starts chipping away. Steam arises, followed by an explosion and the appearance of a gigantic being, who announces himself as Kantuu, free for the first time in millenia. Unaware of the puny humans, Kantuu flies into the air, knocking aside the approaching ice-sleds of other colonists.

Chuck pulls out some old Legion equipment and determines that Kantuu is headed for Earth, a conclusion which is bolstered by his Arabic tongue.

At Legion HQ, Element Lad and Colossal Boy engage in a bit of competition with extremely heavy weights when the emergency alarm sounds, interrupting the wager. It's a message from Lu and Chuck, returning to Earth and warning the Legion that the demonic force of Kantuu is en route to Earth as well and defying all laws of physics.

Jan and Gim take a cruiser to investigate, although Gim believes it's all mythical nonsense and the Taines might have made up the story out of boredom. The question is resolved by the appearance of Kantuu, who speaks of a duty to fulfill. The two Legionnaires attempt to fight him, without success. Chuck and Lu arrive on the scene; Chuck commands the djinn to go back to his bottle, also without success. Kantuu leaves the four unconscious and flies off amid fading “telepathic laughter”.

Comments:

Giant demons in space...ugh. So it's a demonic force in the shape of a demon, but still doesn't work for me. The story is drawn out. It's a slow build until we see Kantuu released and not that enticing a mystery. We know there's going to be a demon-like antagonist from the cover.

I did enjoy seeing the Taines again, with hints that their time on Wondil IX may be drawing to a close.

We also had a nice scene of friendly competition between Jan and Gim, although for Gim, it maybe wasn't so friendly. His slight resentment of Jan is credible. Despite years in the Legion and having experienced many fantastic things, he immediately discounts the Taines' story of a demon. He suspects they are making up stories because their life is boring. These two scenes paint Gim in a somewhat negative light, a bit grouchy, a bit of “poor me”, a naysayer.

There's also an Earth-centric idea that the two native Terrans, Chuck and Gim, are the ones who recognize Arabic.

There are no heavy-hitters to fight Kantuu, yet even if there were, the demon might have the upper hand. He's described as a force, which defies the laws of physics. As the story ends, Kantuu is unstoppable and there are no other Legionnaires in sight – so there's some anticipation for how the story may resolve in the next issue.





LSH #266 is yet another one of those Conway issues I have always dismissed as being subpar but have honestly never really given it a proper chance. In doing so now, I find it a bit of a mixed bag. The limited amount of Legionnaires and some convenient plotting / pacing are negatives in the writing; yet at the end of the day I still found it relatively entertaining and it was certainly a lot better than I remember. The art, by Jimmy Janes, continues to be very good, and presents some classic Bronze Age superhero action.

The big draw is the return of Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel who are still trying to be colonists at this point, with the big question in the letter’s page being whether they’ll rejoin the main roster. While I personally wasn’t begging for their return, I can see how fans who only know them as obscure members at this point might be, and it adds a little novelty to the story. We’ve discussed both Chuck and Luornu many times over the course of these reviews and without repeating any of that, I’ll just add that I continue to really like the way they’re written. The idea of a married couple still having adventures appeals to me (especially now that I’m married), and the idea of someone who is retired yearning for a challenge—and maybe not even realizing it—is one I’ve seen many times over among people I know, including my own father. So it resonates and instantly makes me want to route for them.

Kaantu is a bit one-note and kind of a cliché villain du jour. That being said, he’s got a good look and there is a lot of potential for him that is never followed up on. I’m not sure if its explained next issue how he ended up in deep space (and since it’s Conway it probably will be), but it would be really cool to tie that somehow to Mordru’s history. He’s certainly a powerful foe and could be utilized to show a large amount of Legionnaires working together which we don’t get in this issue.

We also get some good scenes with Element Lad, who comes off well here and Colossal Boy, who does not. Not only does Gim call Jan a “lucky” Legionnaire, forgetting the fact that he’s the sole survivor of genocide, he even proposes that Luornu and Chuck made Kaantu up to get some attention. It’s not a good look though surely that isn’t Conway’s intent, after all he needs to find ways to make the dialogue interesting and the back and forth between Jan and Gim a little sharper. In 1980, lots and lots of superheroes said things like that so I’m used to it, but still, it does stick out in a kind of a funny way. (If say, Hawkman, said that today about the Birds of Prey or Cyborg, there would be a catastrophic online / tumblr backlash against the creators which would be both hilarious and tragic).

The pacing, as mentioned, is a bit convenient, but at least it doesn’t waste time in keeping the issue moving along. A few subplots or interludes would be appreciated but the series just isn’t there yet—only year and a half to Levitz when that really starts to be noticeable.

Of special note is the awesome series of house ads that litter the title from start to finish. DC was really promoting itself heavily at this point and with good reason, as the company was starting to really kick into high gear for a seriously great era. The New Teen Titans ad is great, the ad about the various new back-ups is awesome, and even GI Combat and Mystery in Space have great ads.

Also of special note is a fan takes the LSH to task in the letter’s page for not following up on the fact that if Brainy really was responsible for framing Jo then he killed Ann Rynd and that’s a bit of a no-no. The editors admit he’s right and promise to follow-up on this…and thus, the wheels are in motion for the next Pulsar Stargrave story to be created in just as big an editorial mess as the first one! smile
Originally Posted by Fat Cramer

Giant demons in space...ugh. So it's a demonic force in the shape of a demon, but still doesn't work for me. The story is drawn out. It's a slow build until we see Kantuu released and not that enticing a mystery. We know there's going to be a demon-like antagonist from the cover.



That's a good way to put it. I think if most of us were editors, especially for the LSH and the writer proposed "giant demon in space..." it would be a quick "--Pass. Next?"

But I guess, it was the 70's?
Legion 266

Lu & Chuck have moved to an ice world colony, where Chuck releases a genie from its containment.

For me, the opening captions were very much of their time, and of his writing style. Conway is trying to take the reader into a story. But we don’t really need to be told it’s a story, so it just gets in the way for me. He does get points for connecting the captions to the visuals through the number of Luornus though.

The nine page first scene with Lu (also called Lourna this issue) and Chuck is steadily plotted, revealing details of their relationship and plans while introducing the story threat. This probably could have been a single parter,. Instead, we get an unrushed introduction, the discovery of an anomaly, and then the further reveal of what caused it before it gets loose. It’s a more cinematic approach to the plotting.

Unfortunately, Lu tells us all about Chuck’s feelings rather than her own in this scene. It’s Chuck who wanted to go to the colonies and it’s he who is getting a little bored by the lack of a challenge. He’ll certainly be getting one. Once the genie he releases is dispatched (Aladdin playing somewhere near Conway that month?) , he’ll have to face hordes of Xeno-Archeologists and Colonial Health & Safety Boards. Space…where no one can hear your screams for help under the paperwork.

Chuck gets to showcase both his powers and his light heartedness. It’s just a shame that the latter was in trying to pretend he was seriously injured to his wife.

It’s a decent concept for a story: Excavators on a distant ice world, discover an anomaly and release an ancient evil into the galaxy.

Those captions could have been better used setting up the atmosphere, to make the most of the space devoted to the scene. The released evil could have been a little less like all the other genies released from bottles. I am wondering if the pointy slippers would suit Mordru’s outfit.

The former Legionnaires get one more chance to show their powers to save an air sled (although Chuck would have been quicker just flying directly up to the sled). Chuck has his “challenge” subplot resolved, and we get a nice link between the ice world and Earth, the destination of the vengeful genie.

In the Legion HQ, Gim and Jan are having a friendly bet. Conway is giving us a little bit of characterisation on them, as the alarm sounds. It’s odd to think of Jan as lucky, considering his origin. But then, his survival could all be part of that luck too. He also pinched the costume meant for Gim.

Conway provides the earth based side of the story with a traditional genie and adds trapping such as “class 8 mega bomb”, “plasma energy” and “hyperspace relay stations” to give it a sci-fi gloss. Despite having such huge power, Kantuu is content simply to knock the Legionnaires unconscious. Perhaps he’s just not that blood thirsty, despite his boast that “My fury shall shake the stars!”

Despite his doubts, Gim is quick to try and contact Lu & Chuck on the chance that the old Genie myths really are true. We’ve just been told by Chuck that there’s no way to contact Earth (presumably the Legion) but then Jan is able to send off a message to them.
There’s a well-paced, tense end of page panel as we wait to see if it worked. But it doesn’t and Kantuu is free to resume his path to Earth… next issue.

In summary, it’s a solid Conway issue. We have a good concept, with a well-paced story. Conway has used the cast really well, allowing for rotation across sub groups to highlight a number of characters. Here it’s Chuck, Lu, Jan and Gim. While Lu is characterised through Chuck, we see more of her through her actions, as we do with Gim. Colossal Boy’s quick thinking, yet direct approach and visual; power use rounds out a very good issue for him. He does lose points for suggesting that Lu and Chuck made up the threat though.

While the villain is a bit silly, it’s not that different from so many others across the years of comics. There’s quite a bit more in the credit column to outweigh it.
Originally Posted by thoth lad

Unfortunately, Lu tells us all about Chuck’s feelings rather than her own in this scene. It’s Chuck who wanted to go to the colonies and it’s he who is getting a little bored by the lack of a challenge. He’ll certainly be getting one. Once the genie he releases is dispatched (Aladdin playing somewhere near Conway that month?) , he’ll have to face hordes of Xeno-Archeologists and Colonial Health & Safety Boards. Space…where no one can hear your screams for help under the paperwork.


It would have been good to have both points of view, like "he's bored and I'm going ice-mad with boredom". Perhaps we can chalk it up to life experience, but Lu seems to have taken a more dominant role in the recent Academy stories.

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It’s a decent concept for a story: Excavators on a distant ice world, discover an anomaly and release an ancient evil into the galaxy.


It is a decent concept, but I must be genie-phobic.

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Those captions could have been better used setting up the atmosphere, to make the most of the space devoted to the scene. The released evil could have been a little less like all the other genies released from bottles. I am wondering if the pointy slippers would suit Mordru’s outfit.


Less cliché genie would have helped a great deal, IMO. Same basic concept, different look. You've touched on another untold tale: Mordru attacks Kantuu for the slippers, accusing him of theft.

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In the Legion HQ, Gim and Jan are having a friendly bet. Conway is giving us a little bit of characterisation on them, as the alarm sounds. It’s odd to think of Jan as lucky, considering his origin. But then, his survival could all be part of that luck too. He also pinched the costume meant for Gim.


It is an odd label for Jan but one could attribute it to being the lone survivor. Gim should reflect on the good fortune of his own life compared to Jan's loss and learn a little gratitude.

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Conway provides the earth based side of the story with a traditional genie and adds trapping such as “class 8 mega bomb”, “plasma energy” and “hyperspace relay stations” to give it a sci-fi gloss. Despite having such huge power, Kantuu is content simply to knock the Legionnaires unconscious. Perhaps he’s just not that blood thirsty, despite his boast that “My fury shall shake the stars!”


"And you shall live to witness my magnificence" or something like that. The sci fi trappings are a good contrast with this ancient force - although it might have been cooler if Kantuu had disrupted them with magic instead of brute force.

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We’ve just been told by Chuck that there’s no way to contact Earth (presumably the Legion) but then Jan is able to send off a message to them.


More of Jan's good luck!

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In summary, it’s a solid Conway issue. We have a good concept, with a well-paced story. Conway has used the cast really well, allowing for rotation across sub groups to highlight a number of characters. Here it’s Chuck, Lu, Jan and Gim. While Lu is characterised through Chuck, we see more of her through her actions, as we do with Gim. Colossal Boy’s quick thinking, yet direct approach and visual; power use rounds out a very good issue for him. He does lose points for suggesting that Lu and Chuck made up the threat though.


All right, you've convinced me. The story does have its merits, particularly for the sub-group of Legion characters, and Colossal Boy is somewhat redeemed in my eyes.

Yeah, I'm more convinced too on Gim Plus, the Mordru's slippers commentary has made this issue even more enjoyable for me! smile

I think what we've found overall thus far is that while Conway doesn't have the most flash, most of his stories are pretty nicely and evenly plotted and most of his characterization is focused and well done. Thus far, almost all of his issues have actually been quiet enjoyable! If it was a quick impulse boy off the racks for less than a buck in 1980, there isn't much to complain about!
#267 To Bottle a Genie! by Gerry Conway, J.M. DeMatteis (script) art by Jim Janes & Dave Hunt, colours Gene D'Angelo, letters Milton Snapinn

[Linked Image]

After Kantuu's attack, the four Legionnaires are unconscious in space. As Lu awakes, she sees that Jan's helmet is cracked and that he's suffocating. She splits in two and one of her selves takes Jan to an asteroid, where she activates his suit heater and pulls out a Wondil IX window repair kit to fix his helmet. Jan revives and they return to the cruiser.

On a volcano planet, a worker in the mobile mining city of Vulcan has a premonition of danger, just before Kantuu attacks. His lady companion Tage and the other women take to the skies in fighter jets (since females have faster reflexes than men) while the men operate the command base. Tage mangaes to score a hit on the genie, which causes him to stumble and send the city crashing to the ground.

The Legionnaires, in pursuit of Kantuu, discuss the genie aboard their cruiser. Chuck realizes that his command for Kantuu to return to his bottle failed because the original bottle was destroyed on Wondil IX. They see Tage's ship drifting in space, bring her aboard and inform her that there were no other survivors. Tage recounts the story which Kantuu telepathically told her about his origin. His was a race of giant warriors known as the Djinn who discovered space travel 2500 years earlier. Kantuu led an unsuccessful raid on Oa. Rather than kill them, the Guardians imprisoned them in green power bottles, miniaturized them and said they would only be free after performing three services for whoever rescued them. The bottles were dispersed; Kantuu landed on Earth and was freed by Saladin, whose third wish was that Kantuu leave Earth.

The Legionnaires realize that Kantuu means to free the other genies of Earth. They track him to Syria, where he has found only one bottle. They engage him in battle, Gim makes him think he's the fellow giant genie and hits him, Jan turns part of the Mediterranean to rock for a hard landing, Chuck manages to command him to create a bottle like the one in which he was imprisoned, then Lu splits into two and tells him it's death or the bottle. Even if he strikes one of her, the other can still command him. He chooses the bottle, which the team decides to deposit on the moon.

Element Lad suggests that Chuck and Lu rejoin the Legion, and Lu responds that she and Chuck will talk about it after she puts the garbage on the moon.

Comments:It's all about teamwork and once a Legionnaire, always a Legionnaire. Everything else is fill in the blanks.

There's a rare appearance, for this era, of the Guardians of Oa. Their role in Kantuu's backstory is a creative variation of genie legend and shows them to be well-meaning but not too good on long-term consequences.

This is the third time we've seen a couple of ordinary sentients playing a role in a Conway Legion story. The woman Tage is used in a rather far-fetched manner to deliver Kantuu's backstory to the reader. She just lost her entire city. It could have been a moment for Jan to offer some sympathy or a "call me if you need to talk" suggestion.

BTW, I did check the all-knowing internet and it looks like men, not women, have the faster reaction time, at least for us Earthlings. Maybe Tage is from a different race. Still, it was very 2980 to see women fighter pilots - although the men were still in the CONTROL centre.

More mining! But I guess the search for resources is what galactic expansion is/will be all about.

Fans of the Taines may be disappointed that they didn't jump at the suggestion to rejoin the Legion. Fans of the environment may deplore Lu for dumping bottles on the moon. Wouldn't they be safer in a Legion subterranean vault, provided Shadow Lass is warned to leave it alone? I'm surprised that the bottled genies didn't figure in the 5YL explosion of the moon.



Back-up story: The Grounded Legionnaires by Paul Kupperberg, art by Steve Ditko and Dave Hunt, colors by Jerry Serpe, letters by Todd Klein

Some children are on a guided tour of the newly-rebuilt Legion HQ and encounter Shadow Lass flying through a hall of statues. She explains the flight ring to them and lets the computer log tell the story of their origin.

Back in the early days, when Mon-el had just rejoined the Legion, Brainiac 5, Cosmic Boy, Mon-el and Saturn Girl are asked to investigate a stuck space elevator. Mon-el is first to investigate and discovers a costumed man who announces that he is Vibrex and is stealing the cargo of rare ore. His power to control the vibration rates of matter bring down Mon-el as Vibrex neutralizes his anti-lead serum. Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy are also defeated as Vibrex cancels their anti-gavity flight belts. They fall through space, but recover once they get some distance away from Vibrex. The team coordinates their efforts and defeat Vibrex by combining Brainy's forcefield with Cos's magnetic powers, after confusing him with the new experimental flight rings. Brainy recounts that the rings were made with Element 152, which was created by Mon-el when he re-joined the Legion, disguised as Legionnaire Lemon, and can be mentally controlled. Their will-power, with a boost from Saturn Girl, was able to keep the flight rings stable, causing Vibrex to think that his powers had failed.

Comments: Vibrex: Worst Costume Ever! His power's not bad, although we recently had someone else changing the vibration frequency of something.

Another story emphasizing the importance of teamwork. The team attacking Vibrex manage some nimble coordination of powers and deception. It's a complicated way to explain the will-power driven flight rings.

A ring controlled by will-power is verging on the magical. Perhaps that's not a problem for Brainiac 5, because he gets to demonstrate his superior will-power? Would Saturn Girl have better control over the ring because of her superior mental discipline? What if a Legionnaire just ate an entire chocolate cake and has sapped their will-power reserves? It's one of the Legion artifacts that doesn't bear over-thinking.

I've never been clear on Brainy's forcefield belt. Here he lets Rokk use it. If it's not something that's unique to his physiology, why hasn't he made forcefield belts for all the Legionnaires?

Shadow Lass gets a bit of panel time turning on the computer log, but disappears from the story after that. No time for kid tourists – let the computer babysit them!




Legion 267

I don’t know where Lu keeps her emergency kit, but it’s good to see her wake first, use her powers and save the others. Conway gets points both for linking what she uses with her time on the ice world form last issue and for showing that the most common items can have lots of uses.

Duo Damsel worries that Jan might have suffered brain damage, but his sociopathic tendencies are just fine. I note that he thinks about revenge before his colleagues smile

A well placed scene shows the devastation Kantuu can cause. The defenders of the Vulkan mining city try to fight him, but they are outmatched. Conway gives us just enough between two of the residents to feel for their passing; just enough on their roles to show some playful gender dynamics, and just enough science to show how Vulkan topples. The tiny fighter beside Kantuu’s face before he crushes it is a particularly nice panel from the Janes/ Hunt team.

As the Legion fly to Earth, they too pass the volcanic planet. There’s a plot developing couple of flashback panels as they realise why Kantuu wouldn’t obey their command last issue. They rescue a survivor from Vulkan, who has been left for them to find by the big genie, the better to develop the back story.

In a big flashback, we learn that genies are beings who have been imprisoned by the Guardians for their war like ways, into bottles. If released, to learn humility, they must act on three commands for the person who freed them. Her plot job done, the supporting character disappears from the Legion. No tearful appearance for her at the end. Thankfully, this person’s account isn’t pivotal to the Legion’s solution, which would have been too convenient.

The Legion manage to arrive on Earth before Kantuu, and trap him. Both are travelling on the same path, but there’s no overtaking. The Legion have to get their first, for their plan to work. Not only first, but with time to conduct a complete scan of the Earth, excavate umpteen archaeological digs, retrieve genie bottles and transfer them all to the moon for safe keeping.

There’s a green bottle on the stall shown. Kantuu picks up a green bottle, so I’m thinking it’s that one. But Gim grows from it, which would mean that he would have had to shrink into it first. That doesn’t match his powers. It’s not explained how the team disguised Gim’s bottle as one containing a genie either. Kantuu had to be able to detect it somehow among all the other bottles. Could this be another power of the mighty Legion Cosmos-Scope that allowed them to find all the other Genie bottles on Earth and move them to the moon.

Having shown us that the wording is important when dealing with a genie, the ending seems fairly standard. He’s defeated through teamwork, with Duo Damsel giving Kantuu the choice of destruction or life back in the bottle. It’s a good issue for Luornu, and she and Chuck may discuss a return to the Legion.

It’s a weaker second half of the story. Nothing goes right for Kantuu as he travels to Earth. The Legion have plenty of time to enact a plan. They easily distract Kantuu long enough for Chuck and Lu to give more commands.

The story may have come from an idea to connect genies to the Green Lantern lamps, and the wish like powers they grant their owners. It would have been interesting to find out that the genies had been powering the Green Lantern Corps for all this time, rather than just being punished by the misguided Guardians. I’m often indifferent form attempt to tie everything into the DCU. However, the number and power of the genies, makes the intercession of the Guardians seem worthwhile.

As noted, Lu does well, and the interlude on Vulcan was nice. But Kantuu didn’t deliver on his potential and wouldn’t be coming out of his bottle again.
Legion of Super-Heroes #267

The first half of #267 wraps up the story started from last issue, and my reaction is very similar to part 1: by no means the most memorable story in LSH history, it still does a lot of things right, and comes accomplishes what it sets out to do.

Kaantu, who is set up to be a mega-villain in the same vein as Mordru or Omega, ends up being outsmarted by having a very simple, yet clever, weakness. One might feel this makes him forgettable, but I’m okay with that since he very easily could have simply become “Mordru-lite”. Instead, because of his defeat here, it allows for a nice story in which each of the Legionnaires featured get a chance to shine.

And that’s where the issue really works for me. Duo Damsel, Bouncing Boy, Element Lad and Colossal Boy all have their moments. I especially like Conway writing in a really great Luornu scene in the beginning and then giving her another one at the end, which showcases her courage and also how her powers can be very valuable. Meanwhile artist Jimmy Janes gives a really fantastic Colossal Boy panel that made his moment in the sun worthwhile.

I also found the interlude with the destroyed planet fascinating. It’s basically a huge walk-on moment that introduces some interesting characters in Rin and Tage, and then destroys their world and kills Rin. I find myself instantly wanting to know more about Tage! What an interesting character! Why aren’t there 20 Tage threads on LW? How has she not ever shown back up? A premiere fighter-pilot on a planet where the gender roles are basically reversed, whose empath / prophetic boyfriend is killed? There must be more!

All in all, this is yet another Conway story that isn’t going to make any one’s top 20 list any time soon, but is still very entertaining and worth the read.
FC, great comment about the rare appearance of the Guardians and OA. Up until this point, we almost never saw reference to GL characters in the LSH.

Thoth, good catch on Jan thinking of revenge first. After all, he’s had revenge issues before with Roxxas. Now that this pattern is showing itself, I can’t ‘unsee’ it. If only he had a race of Progeny to help him.
Lastly, my thoughts on the back-up:

- I’m a huge Steve Ditko fan and always have been. He’s my Dad’s absolute favorite artist in comics history, and his runs on Spider-Man and the Charlton series in the mid to late 60’s especially hold a high place in our hearts.

- That being said, this back-up was pretty week. Ditko’s art by 1980 looks dated, and one wonders if writer Paul Kupperberg saw Ditko’s art and / or felt he didn’t have much room in the back-up and ended up producing a pretty dated plot and story himself. It feels like it could be pulled right from one of the earliest Adventure stories, but it doesn’t have the charm that those old issues do.

Being a Ditko fan, I’ve hunted down many of his obscure monster / suspense / horror back-ups at Marvel and Charlton over the years, particularly from the late 50’s and early 60’s when he was super prolific. Many of these stories are pure genius, full of weird beings, far-out landscapes and ingenius, ironic twists. They lead me to believe that Ditko in his prime could have produced some really weird and fun science fiction stories, and if this was applied to the LSH, it could have made for a handful of memorable sequences. But alas, we never get any of that, so I’m most left wondering “what if…?” rather than loving what we actually end up getting.
Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid
... it still does a lot of things right, and comes accomplishes what it sets out to do.

Kaantu, who is set up to be a mega-villain in the same vein as Mordru or Omega, ends up being outsmarted by having a very simple, yet clever, weakness. One might feel this makes him forgettable, but I&#146;m okay with that since he very easily could have simply become &#147;Mordru-lite&#148;. Instead, because of his defeat here, it allows for a nice story in which each of the Legionnaires featured get a chance to shine.


That's a good point. It's a two part story, and you're right that it does what it sets out to achieve. If Kantuu had been played up to his potential, you'd have a different story. One that would have stretched beyond that structure. While that could have been made to be different to Mordru, early indications were that Kantuu was another power hungry mega villain from a similar mold. smile

Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid
I also found the interlude with the destroyed planet fascinating. It&#146;s basically a huge walk-on moment that introduces some interesting characters in Rin and Tage, and then destroys their world and kills Rin. I find myself instantly wanting to know more about Tage! What an interesting character!


Too good not to have her turn up in Bits. smile

Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid
All in all, this is yet another Conway story that isn&#146;t going to make any one&#146;s top 20 list any time soon, but is still very entertaining and worth the read.


He's been steady, and has brought quite a few nice touches so far.
Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid

Being a Ditko fan, I’ve hunted down many of his obscure monster / suspense / horror back-ups at Marvel and Charlton over the years, particularly from the late 50’s and early 60’s when he was super prolific. Many of these stories are pure genius, full of weird beings, far-out landscapes and ingenius, ironic twists.


Which sets us up for the devastation of next week's infamous issue... DR. MAYAVALE!

Originally Posted by thoth lad

Duo Damsel worries that Jan might have suffered brain damage, but his sociopathic tendencies are just fine. I note that he thinks about revenge before his colleagues.


Good point. Maybe not sociopathic (maybe yes?) but the desire for revenge is an aspect of Jan which disappeared in the later years as Levitz took him in a more spiritual direction.

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A well placed scene shows the devastation Kantuu can cause. The defenders of the Vulkan mining city try to fight him, but they are outmatched. Conway gives us just enough between two of the residents to feel for their passing; just enough on their roles to show some playful gender dynamics, and just enough science to show how Vulkan topples. The tiny fighter beside Kantuu’s face before he crushes it is a particularly nice panel from the Janes/ Hunt team.


It was quite a good sub-story and strangely forgotten by fans. Perhaps someone will revive Tage in a Bits story...?



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Not only first, but with time to conduct a complete scan of the Earth, excavate umpteen archaeological digs, retrieve genie bottles and transfer them all to the moon for safe keeping.


Yes, that was really a job for Superboy.

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There’s a green bottle on the stall shown. Kantuu picks up a green bottle, so I’m thinking it’s that one. But Gim grows from it, which would mean that he would have had to shrink into it first. That doesn’t match his powers.


Oops! Um, was Gim hiding under a table or something?



Originally Posted by Cramer
Good point. Maybe not sociopathic (maybe yes?) but the desire for revenge is an aspect of Jan which disappeared in the later years as Levitz took him in a more spiritual direction.


Considering the religions out there that involve some sort of reckoning/ cosmic justice/retribution there may darker things beneath the surface of the seemingly placid Tromian religion. People see many things in their religion, and there may be elements (tee hee) he considers to be there, that dovetail nicely with Jan's personality. - Speculation Lad


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It was quite a good sub-story and strangely forgotten by fans. Perhaps someone will revive Tage in a Bits story...?


Already noted smile Too good not to reuse.
#268 Life after Life After Life by J.M. DeMatteis, art by Steve Ditko & Bob Wiacek, colours Gene D'Angelo, letters Costanza

[Linked Image]

Jerry very kindly summarized this issue several years ago, so I'm repeating his text:

Roll Call: Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Dream Girl, Chameleon Boy, Karate Kid, Cosmic Boy, Colossal Boy, Shrinking Violet, R. J. Brande

The story opens with Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl admiring the recently rebuilt Legion headquarters and pondering how proud they are of the progress the Legion has made in the months since the Earth War. An image of Cosmic Boy appears on a special monitor board. It is his log entry of the bizarre adventure some of the Legionnaires had while accompanying R. J. Brande on a mission to deliver one of his newly created stars to a customer. Inside the craft, Chameleon Boy and Karate Kid are relaxing on floating chairs while drinking Vxxniarade from floating cups. They are startled by a scream coming from Dream Girl's room. She reveals that she had a dream that she is going to be killed by a multi armed monster while Chameleon Boy and Karate Kid are caught in the grip of a strange force. Other Legionnaires gather in the hallway, and are interrupted by an urgent call to meet Mr. Brande on the bridge. Mr. Brande explains that he is befuddled by what he has picked up on the ship's sensor scans. He points out a strange object floating in space on the monitor. Karate Kid identifies the object as a subway car from late twentieth century New York (to be precise). The six Legionnaires quickly don their space suits and go out to investigate. As they enter the subway car it is surrounded by a force field which separates the Legionnaires. Dream Girl, Karate Kid, and Chameleon Boy are trapped inside. Cosmic Boy, Colossal Boy, and Shrinking Violet cannot enter. The subway door slams shut, and the car rumbles and moves away through space.

The subway car is filled with strange artifacts from different cultures throughout time. Nura, Val, and Reep eventually encounter a strange man who greets them as old freinds, and introduces himself as DOCTOR MAYAVALE. He sits in a yellow chair, has a white hair and a handle bar mustache. He is wearing a cowboy hat, a blue jacket, an "I Like Ike" button", a pink belt, a white skirt, and purple boots. He has six extra arms coming out his sides. They are all elongated and green, and one is playing with a yo-yo.

Mayavale creates a Yeti beast and a creature called P'O'Likk, from the planet Khund, to attack the three. Karate Kid fights back. Chameleon Boy convinces him tha violence is not the answer, and that they should talk to their host.

Mayavale explains that he from the planet Avatanda. The Avatandans devote themselves to "lucubration and meditation". After 150 years, Mayavale's meditations brought him to a point of despair and mystic blocking. He journeyed to the "Chamber of Lives" where he inhaled the "Wheeling Mists", and his past fifty thousand lifetimes were revealed to him. It was also revealed that he had devoted his last 60 lifetimes to total good, and must devote his current life to total evil in order to achieve a balance in his karma before proceeding to the ultimate reality.

Mayavale reveals that he has shared many past lives with Chameleon Boy, Karate Kid and Dream Girl, and that each of them betrayed him in one of these lives. He creates a Native American reality where Chameleon Boy was a Cherokee warrior and Mayavale was his chief. Chameleon Boy had sold their location to the "white eyes". This time around, Mayavale binds Cham to the ground and leaves him to be killed by the white eyes.

Reality shifts to ancient Rome. Mayavale is Julius Ceaser. Karate Kid is Brutus. Mayavale rearranges things so that his armies are approaching Val with blades drawn...

Reality shifts again. Mayavale is a New York detective in 1969, and Nura is his sweetheart who betrays him to gangsters. This time, however, he throws her in front of the gangsters' bullets. She falls to the ground as reality shifts again.

Dream Girl awakens to find herself tied to a bed in a sexy purple outfit with Mayavale standing over her with a knife. This is the image from her earlier dream. Chameleon Boy and Karate Kid appear in the doorway in an attempt to save her, explaining how they used their powers to overcome their fates in the previous realities. Before they can act, though, Mayavale traps them in "inexpressable pain" in "cellular disrupter beams". Nura searches her soul and finds the strength to break her binds. She kicks Mayavale in the face, jumps off the bed, and punches him in the face. The action is accompanied by captions explaining how many see Dream Girl as a weak link in the Legion's armor, how she beleives this herself, and that this is a point of awakening for her. She frees Val and Reep. Mayavale escapes. His image appears saying that he is going to retire for study, but to rest assure that he will return. The world they are on vanishes leaving them stranded in airless space. Chameleon Boy wraps himself around the other two. Cosmic Boy emerges from a shuttle craft and rescues them. The final scene shifts to Cosmic Boy summing up the adventure in his transmission. He signs off with "Log Entry #2312.11 ended..." Garth and Imra stare at each other with mouths open and eyes wide. Garth exclaims, "Ended"? Imra replies, "I don't think so".

Comments:

The late comedian Mitch Hedberg told a story about going to an interview at a radio station. As the interview began, the DJ asked him, “Who are you?” and he thought, Is this really deep or did I drive to the wrong station?

That's sort of what I wonder about this story. We've had a lot of fun over the years laughing at it, but maybe it was considered really deep when it was published. Two letters (in #274) gave it high praise, particularly for the presence of Dream Girl.

It strikes me as a jumble of silliness (despite Nura's good performance), and a shame at that, since the idea of a reincarnating man seeking to balance good with evil is open to many possibilities. Was it meant to be a spoof of eastern mysticism? Those 8 extra pages could have been put to better use as a back-up story.

Some good points:

It's a dynamic cover by Gerry Conway. They should have kept the human arms - and had Gerry do the whole issue.

I did enjoy seeing the Brande star-making team, and the ever-practical R.J.'s comment to Rokk's “We're here!”: “You're stating the obvious”.

I also liked the floaty coffee cups and chairs and the Durlan writing.

Dream Girl performs admirably, showing she's a lot more than a sexy seer.

However, it was disappointing to see such sedate, bland sleepwear, especially on Nura. She does keep a picture of Thom by her bed wherever she goes, I guess.

The story is left open by Saturn Girl's comment that she doesn't think this is the end. However, the Dr. does not make a repeat performance, not even in the ultra-crammed Legion of Three Worlds. Or was Imra's comment more subtle, suggesting lingering effects that the experience would have on Nura, Reep and Val?

The threads on this Forum regarding the Mayavale story and Mayavale in general are many. A few of them here:

Mayavale and Lois Lane

Dr. Mayavale!

The Return of Dr. Mayavale

The Dr. Mayavale Blooper Reel!




Ah. Dr. Mayavale.

There are few more infamous Legion stories than this one. I think back to when I first discovered the joys of the internet and message boards, and became immersed in the online community at the DCMB’s in mid to late 1999. It was the LSH message board (and message board in general) I ever experienced and I was enthralled by it right away. Back then, the big argument was how the reboot had shit the bed and needed to be swept away so the “real Legion” could restart. Then DnA was announced (and we, on that board, gave them the name “DnA”), and the topic shifted. But as always, there were a multitude of discussions about old Legion stories and many of them I had not yet ever read. Among these discussions there was one recurring issue that was referred to again and again: “the Dr. Mayavale story”. And when it was referenced, it was almost always used as the measurement against which all the worst Legion stories could be measured. Quite simply, the story was considered one of the worst and Dr. Mayavale himself was considered one of the worst characters in Legion lore. Immediately, I knew I had to read it.

Flash forward a few years and Doc had become a bit of a thread legend because of Lash, Teeds, Eryk, FC and others. A little further in the future and Doc was one of the very first Alt ID’s on Legion World, and he was always hands down my absolute favorite one. He still is, BTW. Whenever I start plotting my own 300 issue fantasy Legion run, I can’t help but always make Doc a supporting character (good, of course), since he’s one of those few beloved LSH characters that were adopted by Legion World and made so much more in fandom, like Thora or Nardo.

Which brings me back to the actual, original story, which is here. And man, is it weird and bad. Enough to make it kind of fun and enjoyable? Weeeeell…not quite. Kinda. But its still pretty bad.

I laid out my thoughts on Steve Ditko a few posts ago in this thread and here is the natural extension of it. I love Ditko and always will, but this story feels firmly set in the art style of 1960 but Ditko being more unfiltered in his weirdness. Conway’s plot is relatively amateur, though in the hands of someone like George Perez, with a redesigned Mayavale, it perhaps would be a thing of beauty. But here, with Ditko’s style so jarring, it makes all of Conway’s flaws more apparent in addition to Ditko’s own. Characters acting a little out of character, the plot conveniently moving forward through coincidence, a kind of pointless set-up with Nura…all of these things read badly, and now worse than ever.

Still…I can’t help but hear the “voice” of the Legion Worlder Doc Mayavale, which is a pastiche of original. And even then, it’s really just what I think the real life voice sounds like of the poster who I’m pretty sure actually is Mayavale, even though I won’t confirm 100% if it is, and have never met the poster. It’s like inception but in the form of loving a character you don’t really know. But that voice made the issue more enjoyable.

For instance, when the page hits where Mayavale is in a full-on Native American headdress, I literally was laughing out loud. I’m laughing now as I type this! How in the world was this printed? Bwahahaha!

I also can’t help but feel this entire issue could be read in a different way: as a humorous criticism of psychology, mysticism, self-analysis and other kinds of pseudo-science or type stuff. Will humans in a thousand years think back on the era of therapists and psychologists and chuckle to themselves, wondering if we were all acting like Mayavale? The thought is amusing!

In the end, Dream Girl gets a chance to shine, though her dialogue is horrible; those scenes would be better served with Ditko just showing her kicking ass without calling him a brute or another outdated term.

*wipes forehead* Okay. It’s over. smile

PS – I wonder if the P’O’LIKK, the extinct Khundian monster, is somewhat an inspiration for Flederweb?

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer

Was it meant to be a spoof of eastern mysticism? Those 8 extra pages could have been put to better use as a back-up story.



I’m glad to see we had the same idea! Could it indeed be a spoof? Or was the story so bad that we’re left grasping at why it exists in the first place? I think its probably the latter.
Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid

Still…I can’t help but hear the “voice” of the Legion Worlder Doc Mayavale, which is a pastiche of original. And even then, it’s really just what I think the real life voice sounds like of the poster who I’m pretty sure actually is Mayavale, even though I won’t confirm 100% if it is, and have never met the poster. It’s like inception but in the form of loving a character you don’t really know. But that voice made the issue more enjoyable.


True, and I like our Dr. Mayavale, so I feel a little bad trashing his story.

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For instance, when the page hits where Mayavale is in a full-on Native American headdress, I literally was laughing out loud. I’m laughing now as I type this! How in the world was this printed? Bwahahaha!


It's panels like that which make me wonder if it was all a joke. Like Conway and Ditko saying, we're sick of this shit, we hate the Legion and we're mad at editorial, so let's just let it fly.

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I also can’t help but feel this entire issue could be read in a different way: as a humorous criticism of psychology, mysticism, self-analysis and other kinds of pseudo-science or type stuff. Will humans in a thousand years think back on the era of therapists and psychologists and chuckle to themselves, wondering if we were all acting like Mayavale? The thought is amusing!


Or embarrassing!

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PS – I wonder if the P’O’LIKK, the extinct Khundian monster, is somewhat an inspiration for Flederweb?


Wow! Great thought! That never occurred to me. Maybe the beastie makes the sound p'o'likk p'o'likk, like a bobolink, and that's how it got its name.
Legion 268

A Perez cover is sure to draw in a number of casual readers. There’s Val from his own series, Dream Girl, and Cham to show us how futuristic the Legion is. Austin gives Perez a certain Byrne-like makeover too in the roll call pics, particularly Dream Girl’s.

De Matteis gets the writing chores on this tale, although it’s a tale I associate with the Conway era. De Matteis took over from Conway years later, and on short notice, on the Justice League title. There was a certain change in story focus and tone there, and I’ll be interested to see the changes here.

It seems fitting that it’s the three founders who are in the opening scene in the new HQ, with Imra showing pride that their dream has endured.

If you were looking for an indication that Rokk was the Time Trapper, seeing planets in his eyes would surely be enough. Steve Ditko giving us a teaser there.

With the team split handily by Conway into mission sized field teams, we get to focus on different groups without too much set up. This issue looks in on the group that’s with Brande to kickstart his Starbirthing business.

Nura has a dream that ups the tension with the reader, It’s feels like it’s been a while since we saw one of her prophecies that “always come true”, so no one adds the “but they never quite have the meaning that you thought they did” line. Gim tells Vi that “Nura’s just had one of her dreams.” It doesn’t look as though he’s rolling his eyes. Regardless of their overall meaning, Nura’s premonition undoubtedly means there’s trouble ahead, which should put the team on guard.

Which is nice timing, as usual, as Brande summons them to the bridge. Having changed out of their conservative sleepwear, they discover that their vessel has encountered a subway car in space. As I mentioned, I associated this story with Conway, as there was a certain every day aspect to it. But he clearly wasn’t the only one doing this, and it’s something I associate with the Bronze Age. A space Subway car strikes me as the writer Space Phoning it in, so we’ll see.

Only a few of the team get trapped on the carriage, and it would have been better, but not vital, to show the gap between them and the others when they were approaching it. There’s no mention of Nura’s prophesy as she, Cham and Val are transported to a world full of anachronisms.

Their host is Doctor Mayavale, who claims to be their oldest friend. DeMatteis gives us a caption to show that there’s clearly supposed to be two sides to the way Mayavale comes across. It’s presumably this that makes Val go on the offensive against their old pal. But it’s just as likely that writer and editor spotted that there hadn’t been much fighting in the issue, and put in a couple of panels here.

When I meet old friends, the first thing I always do is provide them with a huge info dump on things that they should already know. So, it’s great to see Mayavale do that here smile
Like his world, Mayavale is a combination of elements: Medieval garb but with a suit jacket, moustache and an “I Like Ike” pendant. Past and present combined, but with six odd additional green arms to embrace the future technology that has also brought us his technology and power.

Mayavale’s current look is vastly at odds with that of his history. As his story unfolds you begin to learn where both his bizarre attire comes from as well as his unbalanced mind. As zany as it looks, it’s that complete switch that drives home what he’s experienced and what he’s capable of.

Past lives, regression therapy relating to it, and the burden they have on the present self-have been part of religious writings and beliefs for many centuries. They have ebbed and flowed in more recent times from Theosophical beliefs to more recent new age practices. If that’s not enough, there’s always the Hawks as a comics example.

So, there’s a lot of material for De Matteis to use for the origin and I think the Avatanda scene works very well. There’s a certain classical tragic fate awaiting Mayavale as he is instructed on how to overcome a previously insurmountable barrier…with a warning. Enlightenment becomes horror.

A Legion analogy would be The Infinite Man. Where Mayavale lives through many incarnations along the same timeline, Rugarth has the same incarnation but through multiple universes.

The knowledge that Mayavale has gained through his experience; the memories of fifty thousand lifetimes has also changed his perspective. He sees that he has not achieved fulfilment despite endless lives spent pursuing good, and believes that a balance has to be struck. So, he has become evil. He’s not evil for the sake of it. He is doing it to achieve a greater goal. Mayavale’s experiences and changes are reminiscent of Jan Arrah becoming the Progenitor many years later. Human lives become blinks, shaped by larger, timeless forces.

Paul Levitz touched on various belief systems and cultures during his run too. So the premise of this story is definitely fair game, has plenty of source material to draw from, and provides both material and spiritual as well as personal and cosmic scope into the bargain.

But despite Mayavale’s overall ambition to become “saviour of the cosmos” he’s still human enough to want to right some of the wrongs from specific previous lives. What are the chances that the three Legionnaires tied into those past lives, just happen to be in the vicinity as Mayavale is about to unleash a wider terror. Perhaps the other residents of contemplative Avatanda are not as removed as it appeared?

Mayavale looks to balance the scales in a Legion variation of Westworld, where various dioramas are acted out with robot minions. This provides some more action into the book, with Cham, Val and Nura all facing death (except Val, who you really think will pull through). It seems odd that a Durlan would have had a past life on Earth. But I’ve seen hard sci fi authors playing with what is essentially reincarnation.

Mayavale still has his additional green arms, despite the dress change for each scenario, suggestion that they may be grafted to him. It’s a treat to see him, as Caesar, fend off his would be assassins with them. Less of a treat is knowing that, with them unable to act, Mayavale must have dressed them all up for each scene. Watch those hands creep! All of them!

Mayavale intends to use Nura as a sacrifice to symbolise his spiritual rebirth and her death to achieve ascension. In the finale he’s interrupted by Val and Cham. The would be surgeon of evil traps them in a time tunnel and turns back to the ritual. Seeing her comrades in such pain enrages Nura to the point where she breaks her bonds. Mayavale learns that there’s harmony to be struck in both contemplation and more physical pursuits… like self-defence classes for example. Nura kicks his butt.

Where Conway has been adding to the effective of several Legionnaires fairly subtly, De Matteis is a bit more direct, with Nura becoming more like She Hulk to get free. He does link her martial skills to Val’s training; a regular link throughout the Legion’s history to such improvements and a touch I’m fond of, particularly with Nura due to the pair’s earlier story.

Nura’s actions in her current incarnation surprise Mayavale enough that he departs to Choose His Approach (see Teeds thread) as Nura frees her colleagues. There’s clearly scope for a sequel and Mayavale’s sheer power clearly worries Imra and Garth upon hearing the story. We get another look as Cosmic Boy with the worlds swimming in his eyes. It’s even creepier this time, and as the Time Trapper, he may be a bit less worried about Mayavale. After all, it doesn’t matter how many incarnations the guy has. He’s dust like everyone else at the end of time.

It’s an odd issue. There are lots of elements that in isolation wouldn’t seem to work, but are usually underpinned by something in the plot. Mayavale’s visuals: Silly looking but worn by a man who has accumulated fashions across history. The world of mixed up technology, and the subway spaceship: Inspired by what he’s seen across history. Nura’s pointless shooting, when she’s going to be used as a sacrifice: Mayavale becoming undone by his petty revenge in the guise of righting karmic wrongs.

I had a problem with the sheer power Mayavale has. He may have lived across multiple lifetimes, but, from the ones we see, they’ve all been basic human ones. The plot requires that we believe that his insight also unlocked cosmic abilities.

If that’s the case, then it undermines why he has a world of robots; a ship when he can and is shown to just teleport who he likes and why he exists as a physical entity at all. I’m looking at all the technology we see around Mayavale. I’m looking at the future tech of those extra arm grafts. And I wonder if Mayavale is using technological tricks to fool the legion. His time tunnel, used to trap Cham and Val, is clearly a device as are all his minions.


An alternative, is that there’s a lost scene in the Great Darkness Saga where Darkseid seeks out Mayavale’s powers. Mayavale looks to previous lives for an advantage, but Darkseid has been a git through all that time, and reduces Mayavale to a sidewalk loon, ranting about how he was Earth’s saviour in another life. We’ll additional effects of this encounter in a future legion story, where Darkseid unleashes the Omega Mitts! Six hand like appendages that track down and apprehend (if they’re lucky) his opponents.

De Matteis’ dialogue and captions are often not the best. There’s the various cultural terms used to indicate that we’re in the future, but none of them work. Ditko’s art is distinctively rough. I’m not a huge fan of this era of his work, but I’ve frequently come to realise my opinions change on artists over time, so I may really like this too at some point. I much prefer his version of Mayavale than the Perez one on the cover though. By a mile. It’s not often I say that about Perez.

Nura’s actions are a bit of a leap too, but there’s the underpinning of Val’s training and the writer not being the regular one.

So, is the subway car as an indication of the story being spaced phoned in? Nope. Behind the odd look and the clunky captions there’s a solid idea being played with at the heart of the story. It’s wrapped in the Legion setting and uses standard plot devices of the time to push the pace along.But it provides a level of depth that readers should bear in mind the next time the see heroes in an endless slugfest with a cosmic being…just because.

But one important question remains. Can I get some Vxxniarade in Shakes?
Wow, what an issue to join in on! Of course I've heard all kinds of Dr. Mayavale jokes over the years, but I honestly don't remember reading this story even though I must've read it. Whatever you might say about this issue, you wouldn't expect it to be not memorable.

What really strikes me reading it now is how clearly DeMatteis it is. These themes of karma and Hindu theology will continue to run through later works like Moonshadow, Dr. fate, and X factor. This theme of a good man turning evil to balance his karma is really just the same story as the opening arc of the doctor fate series, with the Lords of order trying to bring about the Mahapralaya, but written by a much less seasoned writer who couldn't really make it work.

Steve Ditko's art is appropriately weird and old school. It's strikingly memorable, but doesn't quite work. Could there be art more perfectly matched to this story?

All in all, it's a memorable and entertaining piece of… Something else else. I've always viewed this inter-Levitz period with the same kind of indulgent condescension I have for the earliest Silver Age works filled with middle-age men showing us their horrifyingly off views of what being a child is like.
Originally Posted by Brain-Fall-Out Boy
What really strikes me reading it now is how clearly DeMatteis it is. These themes of karma and Hindu theology will continue to run through later works like Moonshadow, Dr. fate, and X factor. This theme of a good man turning evil to balance his karma is really just the same story as the opening arc of the doctor fate series..."


I had mentioned in my review that De Matteis took over the JLA at short notice. It was a story focusing on Zatanna and her departure from the team. It also touched on similar themes to all of the above.
Was that the story that was basically a repeat of the super-creepy Ms. Marvel story from Avengers 200?
Yup. And let's not forget either that De Matteis subjected Patsy Walker and Valkyrie to horrible things back when he was the writer on Defenders (though I suspect a lot of the worst stuff may have been Jim Shooter by proxy, as De Matteis took over the Defenders right around the time Shooter was shifting his methods from hands-on to micro-management, which gradually increased until it got so out of control later in the 80s that it was the main reason he was fired by the Marvel execs of that time.)
#269, Who Shall Name the Dark Man? By Gerry Conway, art by Jimmy Janes & Frank Chiaramonte, colours Gene D'Angelo, letters Ben Oda

[Linked Image]

It's Campaign and Election Day on Earth, a one day political exercise turned into a festival. The computer picks candidates, then people vote after listening to campaign speeches. The Legionnaires have joined the crowds, but Jeckie finds the rabble disturbing, as does Timber Wolf. Shady and Mon escape to the beach for some alone time. Gim explains the system to Violet, then suddenly sees his mother is one of the candidates.

In space, a UP Patrol boards The Dragonbane, a massive ship that appears deserted except for some Sirian Sea-Apes. One officer mentions collecting a reward, then is confronted by a dark male form in a bubble. He is brought to his knees, after stating that the man had bribed them, then hands over a device to allow evasion of Earth's security perimeter, thinking that he will get revenge on this Dark Man. The thought is picked up by the Dark Man's telepathic power; when the officer tries to collect his reward, he plunges into the tank with the Sirian beasts. The Dragonbane sets a course for Earth.

Shady and Mon-el embrace in the moonlight, but are distracted by a fiery object plunging into the water. They investigate and are surprised by Validus, who seizes Shadow Lass. Mon-el is dazed by Validus and a blow from the Persauder's axe. Shady escapes Validus' clutches by hitting his hand's pressure points and grabs Mon-el, just as both are enclosed in a sphere by the Emerald Empress.

Timber Wolf is on monitor duty and sees that a Legionnaire sent an alarm an hour previously, only received now due to equipment malfunction. He sets off on his own to respond.

Newly-elected President Marte Allon is at home celebrating with family and Legionnaire friends. Jeckie comments on the merits of monarchy, Wildfire comments on the merits of Jeckie, Violet praises Marte and Gim talks to Dad about political conflicts with the Legion. Suddenly, Mano attacks, is neutralized by Jeckie's illusion then Tharok appears. He overcomes Violet and Jeckie, but is in turn overcome by some painful voice in his head, commanding him. He leaves with Violet. Mano recovers and defeats Gim, Jeckie and Wildfire by destroying the floor. The Dragonbane arrives, and Mano declares that Tharok is his leader, despite the Dark Man's partnership with Tharok.

Comments:
This is a significant improvement over previous stories. There's good characterization, personalizing the Legionnaires. The Five always ramp up the threat level and don't disappoint here. Conway's description of the election process adds depth to our vision of 30th century Earth.

Conway adds some political commentary through a variety of POVs. He reminds us that the Legion remains at odds with Earthgov and suggests continuing conflict in the future. Candidate Radley's campaign call for identification cards could be heard in a political speech today.

The Dark Man, mentioned by the Assassins several issues prior, is a real mystery. Anyone who can control Tharok is a true menace and his Sirian Sea-Ape treatment confirms his viscious nature. The name of his ship, Dragonmane, could be a clue, but not one I would have picked up on first reading.

Shady in the grip of Validus recalls Invisible Kid's death. Perhaps Legionnaires learned from that fatal experience and studied Validus' pressure points to avoid a repeat.

Colossal Boy seems a bit high strung. Imra says he's in shock, which seems a bit extreme for a Legionnaire who faces danger daily, but he is emotional. He has been behaving like the least mature of the Legionnaires in the Conway run.

Timber Wolf is a bit too much of a loner, can't stand crowds, won't ask for help. That he stops to watch Ayla sleeping is a little creepy, but maybe it's meant to show tenderness.

For once, Jeckie makes effective use of her power to stop Mano and is well-developed as character. She's regal, but more interesting than she has been lately.

Is this the real Vi, or Yera? She seems awfully relaxed and friendly with Gim, as well as with Marte Allon.

Wildfire seems like an odd one to join in the election celebration at the Allons, but perhaps it's because he and Gim are the only two who could vote in the Earthgov election. Am I wrong here? I can't think of other Earth-born Legionnaires from this time.
LOSH 269

It’s election time in the 30th century, where no one who wants to be a politician is allowed to be a politician. Instead, 3 candidates are selected by computer based on skill, competency and decency. Campaigning lasts a whole day, and people vote on their favourite.

It all seems so harmless in that festival atmosphere. Yet the screen behind Colossal Boy shows one of the candidates trying to introduce ID cards under the guise of a compassionate, egalitarian government. Then there’s the problems of just what criteria determines the attributes of the candidates.

It’s a long opening scene, but we do get a variety of subplots thrown in, with two main ones involving Colossal Boy. Gim looks to finally be getting somewhere with Vi, but this may be due to circumstances that won’t become clear for some time. He seems genuinely shocked (to the point of hysteria) as his mother is selected as one of the three presidential candidates.

There’s some over reaction from the Legion’s loner, Timberwolf, who looks as though he can’t be trusted near crowds. Lar and Tasmia hint at just how mature their relationship is, as Projectra considers the idea of elections to be rabble rousing, which suits her background.

Agenda driven candidates are not the only source of corruption, as two crooked UP border patrol guards meet the Dark Man to sell him a device that will allow him cloaked access to Earth. One is killed when his thoughts are detected telepathically by the villain. I don’t think we see Me’n, his partner, again meaning that the corruption could be still in the organisation.

The Dark Man is humanoid, has a huge ship with mechanical arms, floating globes and Sirian Sea Apes. In addition to the telepathy, he has psychokinetic and possibly illusion casting gifts too. With the device in place, he travels to Earth and we return to Mon-El and Shadow Lass having a romantic moonlight walk by the lake.

They see a meteor land, but it’s not the Dark Man who menaces them. It’s the Fatal Five. It’s quite a shift in tone from the closeness of Lar & Tasmia to the ominous rising of Validus from the lake waters. Validus in in talkative mood, while the Persuader can still only hit people with the not cutting parts of his axe, to prevent every appearance being a blood bath.

On the cover a doll like Mon El in the grasp of Validus. He has more of a chance of surviving that grip than Lyle Norg did. But in the book it’s Tasmia who is caught. She hits the pressure points in Validus’ hand, freeing herself. Perhaps Lyle should have spent a bit more time training with Karate Kid. Tasmia would be known as one of the Legion’s foremost fighters, so if someone could get free, it’s fitting that it’s her. It’s to no avail, as both are captured by the Emerald Empress.

Tasmia does manage to send a distress call. But due to the untested security systems in the HQ, it’s not picked until sometime later. The rebuilding of the HQ has been going on in the background for some time, so it’s hard to begrudge it being used to help a plot along. Demiertis for Brainy though.

Huge demerits for Timberwolf, who chooses not to raise the alarm and go after the captors of Lar and Tasmia himself. It’s the sort of action that should get him some academy training in teamwork. On the other hand, he does take the time to check in on some of the others. Looking back to his reaction to the electioneering crowd, it would seem that it’s intimacy that he rejects. He can’t bring himself to alert the others who are with partners or for whom he has strong feelings.

The five continue their attack, targeting the Allon residence. But it’s not Marte Allon they are after, it’s Shrinking Violet which makes for a nice bait and switch. Mano is upgrades with Mister Miracle style flying discs and a hand that can project energy blasts. Tharok has stun globes, but is plagued by terrible headaches, suggesting that he is in the thrall of the Dark Man. The Fatal Five have always been portrayed as very capable villains. It’s hoped that their leader losing his free will won’t diminish this.

The Legionnaires are defeated, crashing through the floors of the Allon’s apartment building. We don’t learn much more about the Dark Man or his intentions, but there’s the definite feeling that Timberwolf will be doing some hunting (hopefully not as a Wolverine clone a la Hellfire Club) next issue.

It’s another strong issue for Gim, putting him at the centre of a number of upcoming subplots as well as giving him the chance to thump Mano and dominate the opening panels. The Fatal Five, although possibly pawns, are still deadly. The Emerald Empress is still clearly above Mano and the Persuader in the group’s pecking order, which would continue to be built on later.

There are other little character moments: Lar’s overriding curiosity about the meteorite; Jeckie’s Royal lineage and the relationships of four Legionnaire couples.

The pacing is a little slower in this issue, focusing more on solid set ups for things to come. That suggests it’s going to be a multi-parter and it doesn’t have the impact that we’ve seen in previous Conway two parters.

This issue was one the earlier Legion back issues I can remember owning, and I still have the feeling that the next part was going to be the one with all the pay offs.
Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
[b]
Wildfire seems like an odd one to join in the election celebration at the Allons, but perhaps it's because he and Gim are the only two who could vote in the Earthgov election. Am I wrong here? I can't think of other Earth-born Legionnaires from this time.


Dirk was born on Earth. We will later learn that Rokk was, too, though presumably he was always a citizen of Braal. Perhaps he was a dual citizen.
LSH #269

There was a lot to like about this issue. In a lot of ways, it is an essential early 1980’s superhero comic book, and it left me feeling upbeat and enthusiastic for the rest of the story, which is precisely the feeling DC would want me having.

We get the Fatal Five, the Legion’s best recurring foe at this point in their history, back again and beyond that a much larger story / mystery involving the Dark Man. This issue is not only an introduction into that larger storyline, which will dominate the next several issues, but it also paces itself very nicely so that it isn’t all just boring build-up. Instead, we get a great balance of action, suspense and character moments that weave together very well. The art by Jimmy Janes remains very good, and while the inks are a bit too blocky, the color really pops.

I really like the characterization of the Legionnaires, and the high level of romance in this issue. The Mon / Shady sequence was a really nice mix of romance and sexiness, while the Gim crush on Vi gets its best moment so far. More easily glanced over is Brin glances at Imra & Garth in the throes of passion (and is Garth wearing his old Silver Age cape as part of some roleplaying??) but poor Ayla is sleeping all alone while Brin holds a lone wolf pity party. Beyond all this, there’s just a lot of fun interplay between the Legionnaires from start to finish, and we get the really welcome sequence of the new Earth President being chosen. I love that Conway brought back Gim’s parents and expand on them in a big way: Marte Allon, a woman, will be chosen as President which is big for the time, and Gim’s dad also had a nice sequence where he saves his son. This is all great stuff, and what has been so desperately needed in the LSH since the series started. I always think of Levitz for inserting these types of things, but I’ve been consistently delighted to see Conway make good use of it.

The Fatal Five are well used here. At this point in their history, they’ve appeared so often that its easy for them to lose a bit of their luster. The Dark Man twist in this appearance gives them a new way to shine.
Originally Posted by Fat Cramer


Shady in the grip of Validus recalls Invisible Kid's death. Perhaps Legionnaires learned from that fatal experience and studied Validus' pressure points to avoid a repeat.


Nice catch! These seems so rational that I have to accept this as canon!

Originally Posted by thoth lad


Huge demerits for Timberwolf, who chooses not to raise the alarm and go after the captors of Lar and Tasmia himself. It’s the sort of action that should get him some academy training in teamwork. On the other hand, he does take the time to check in on some of the others. Looking back to his reaction to the electioneering crowd, it would seem that it’s intimacy that he rejects. He can’t bring himself to alert the others who are with partners or for whom he has strong feelings.


Good point--a really bad decision by Brin. This is kind of the start of a brief moment in time where both Conway and then Roy Thomas during his brief run really take the "Lone Wolf" concept to more extreme version before Levitz returns and takes Brin back in a totally different direction.
Originally Posted by thoth lad

Agenda driven candidates are not the only source of corruption, as two crooked UP border patrol guards meet the Dark Man to sell him a device that will allow him cloaked access to Earth. One is killed when his thoughts are detected telepathically by the villain. I don’t think we see Me’n, his partner, again meaning that the corruption could be still in the organisation.


Good point! - not that it was developed, at least not on any big scale. However, the support of the SP for Dominator-controlled Earthgov could have had roots in this corruption.


Quote
On the cover a doll like Mon El in the grasp of Validus. He has more of a chance of surviving that grip than Lyle Norg did. But in the book it’s Tasmia who is caught. She hits the pressure points in Validus’ hand, freeing herself. Perhaps Lyle should have spent a bit more time training with Karate Kid.


Now I'm wondering how many other Legionnaires found themselves in the grip of Validus. And when Validus was restored to Ranzz child, did his casual grip of Mummy's arm send shivers up her spine?

Quote
Tasmia does manage to send a distress call. But due to the untested security systems in the HQ, it’s not picked until sometime later. The rebuilding of the HQ has been going on in the background for some time, so it’s hard to begrudge it being used to help a plot along. Demiertis for Brainy though.


Time out for a security overhaul! The Dagon story was a result of security failure as well. Could it be a theme in Conway's work?

Quote
It’s another strong issue for Gim, putting him at the centre of a number of upcoming subplots as well as giving him the chance to thump Mano and dominate the opening panels.


My general dislike of the Colossal Boy character had me taking the opposite view once again, but I acknowledge that he did play a pivotal role in the story.


Originally Posted by He Who Wanders

Dirk was born on Earth. We will later learn that Rokk was, too, though presumably he was always a citizen of Braal. Perhaps he was a dual citizen.


Thanks HWW! I suspected there was somebody else (except for Chuck Taine). We haven't seen much of Sun Boy in the Conway run.

Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid

This is all great stuff, and what has been so desperately needed in the LSH since the series started. I always think of Levitz for inserting these types of things, but I’ve been consistently delighted to see Conway make good use of it.


This is my biggest surprise of the Cnway period reread. I'd forgotten how much groundwork was laid for characterization.

Quote
The Fatal Five are well used here. At this point in their history, they’ve appeared so often that its easy for them to lose a bit of their luster. The Dark Man twist in this appearance gives them a new way to shine.


True, the Dark Man does add mystery and depth to their appearance. Possibly a good template for overused villains in general.
Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Conway's description of the election process adds depth to our vision of 30th century Earth... Conway adds some political commentary through a variety of POVs. He reminds us that the Legion remains at odds with Earthgov and suggests continuing conflict in the future. Candidate Radley's campaign call for identification cards could be heard in a political speech today.


Conway's managed to bring quite a bit to the Legionverse in his run, from depth to characterisation to subplots. In this instance, I quite like that it builds on the mechanical societal controls of the Adventure stories, but portrays them through the eyes of the population at election.

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
The Dark Man, mentioned by the Assassins several issues prior, is a real mystery. Anyone who can control Tharok is a true menace...


Bu adding story depth to the Five and not top their detriment (so far), as well as being behind new villains (even if they'd be underused later by other writers) makes him a real presence behind the scenes.

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Shady in the grip of Validus recalls Invisible Kid's death. Perhaps Legionnaires learned from that fatal experience and studied Validus' pressure points to avoid a repeat.


That would make lots of sense. It lessens Validus a bit. He's grabby because if he punched anyone they'd be paste. But if every Legionnaire can get out of his grip, then... oh yeah, there's the mental lighting I suppose...


Originally Posted by Fat Cramer

Colossal Boy seems a bit high strung. Imra says he's in shock, which seems a bit extreme for a Legionnaire who faces danger daily, but he is emotional. He has been behaving like the least mature of the Legionnaires in the Conway run.


Stunned at having some subplots smile

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer

Timber Wolf is a bit too much of a loner, can't stand crowds, won't ask for help. That he stops to watch Ayla sleeping is a little creepy, but maybe it's meant to show tenderness.


Since he's all "I am better alone" when he's with Ayla, he comes across as an emotionally stunted adolescent. So, pretty much as Shooter had him really. smile

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
For once, Jeckie makes effective use of her power to stop Mano and is well-developed as character. She's regal, but more interesting than she has been lately.


I thought her power to create a totally immersive reality in the Space Circus story was pretty good. She also loses points here for not executing Wildfire for blatant lechery. smile

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Is this the real Vi, or Yera? She seems awfully relaxed and friendly with Gim, as well as with Marte Allon.
Impostor! (oh sure, it might have been a Levitz plot... but these things have seeds.)

Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid
The Mon / Shady sequence was a really nice mix of romance and sexiness,


It was one of those scenes that showed you just how the Legionnaires had matured. I think there had been a Jeckie/Val scene at one point too, that emphasised this.

Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid
I always think of Levitz for inserting these types of things, but I&#146;ve been consistently delighted to see Conway make good use of it.


I think Conway has come out of the re reads well at this point. Considering the number of books and genres he'd been doing for DC by this point, he could have been a bit jaded. But he's brought a number of fresh things to the title.

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Good point! - not that it was developed, at least not on any big scale. However, the support of the SP for Dominator-controlled Earthgov could have had roots in this corruption.


Good thought about the Dominator/ Earthgov connection. It just shows you that any organisation, even one with idealistic goals, will still have it's fair share of crooks.


Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
... And when Validus was restored to Ranzz child, did his casual grip of Mummy's arm send shivers up her spine?


I always think that Validus is going to shake Mon-El like a rattle on the cover.

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Time out for a security overhaul! The Dagon story was a result of security failure as well. Could it be a theme in Conway's work?


Brainy might be out of the sanatorium, but he's trying to get his colleagues killed through other means. smile
#270, Who is the Dark Man? By Gerry Conway, art by Jimmy Janes & Frank Chiaramonte, colours Gene D'Angelo, letters Milt Snapinn

[Linked Image]

Mon-el, Shady, Wildfire, Jeckie, Vi and Colossal Boy are imprisoned in a sphere of neutron energy. Shady is able to see that they are in a crevice, surrounded by unknown creatures of darkness. Mon tries to punch his way out, as does Wildfire, but both fail.

On Earth, Timber Wolf investigates the beach from which the alarm came and calls into HQ for help. Lightning Lad berates him for acting alone, hears his report, then sends him to find the Legionnaires at the Allons apartment. Light Lass appears, in negligée, and is ordered by an angry Lightning Lad to join Timber Wolf. Garth and Imra fly off to the beach, but are netted by Mano and the Empress. Saturn Girl reads the villains minds and learns that Mon and Shady were captured and Tharok is working with someone called The Dark Man. She warns Ayla telepathically, just as Ayla is confronted by Persuader and Validus. She manages to escape, and also evades a blast from Tharok.

Brin reaches the Allons, hears about the attack and The Dark Man, just as Ayla arrives.

On the Dragonbane, the Five meet with The Dark Man. Tharok asks when they will be paid for capturing Legionnaires, but receives a painful mental blast and a warning to obey.

Ayla and Brin fly to a prison on Mount Everest to ask the Super-Assassins for information. They refuse, except for Blok.

Projectra comes up with an idea to free the imprisoned Legionnaires, by creating an illusory copy of one of the beasts outside the sphere. As the beast attacks his image, the sphere is shattered and the Legionnaires escape.

Above Earth, Brin, Ayla and Blok seek the Dark Man's homing signal, which Blok had known when as one of the Assassins.

On the Dragonbane, the Five are squabbling, when they suddenly lose gravity. Persuader deduces it's Light Lass. Light Lass makes mental contact with Saturn Girl, locates Garth and Imra, then she, Brin and Blok board the ship. Brin runs ahead, finds the control chamber and sees The Dark Man – who he recognizes as Tharok, restored to wholeness.

Comments:
There's a lot of action in this issue and a sense of urgency develops as the story jumps between different locations.

The cover suggests that even Tharok doesn't know who the Dark Man is, despite being controlled by him. The others of the Five mentioned The Dark Man as Tharok's partner, not his master. Did Tharok try to present that he was more in control than was the case? Later, Mano will openly question whether they are partners or slaves.

The Silhouetted Dark Man made me think of the Servants of Darkness. I wonder if Levitz took inspiration for the GDS from this story?

Projectra is gaining depth! She comes up with the idea that frees the Legionnaires from the sphere all by herself. She isn't used much in the Conway run, but when she does play an active role, her powers have considerable impact.

Those Super-Assassins sure are snotty villains! Of course, we know how the Blok story turns out, and there were indications in the Super-Assassins story that he had a different way of thinking. At this point, though, one might have wondered if Blok was leading them into a trap.

Although all the Legionnaires get to admirably display their powers, there aren't too many revealing character moments. Garth moans about being leader, is angered by Brin's lone wolf actions and bickers with his sister; Brin is defiant.

The ending is quite a surprise. Is this really Tharok? What's going on? I can't wait to see the reaction of the rest of the Fatal Five, let alone the other Legionnaires.
Legion of Super-Heroes #270

Part 2 of the Dark Man Saga is another winner, and once again I’m surprised by just how much I enjoyed this issue. Enough is enough: I’ll just admit that this is a damn good story, and “Conway Era” is actually pretty darn good! This issue exemplifies that, as from start to finish, there is just a lot to like here.

Being a part 2, this story has an expected and welcome amount of action and forward momentum. This is nicely balanced out by some really fantastic characterization throughout the issue with several diverse characters showcasing their abilities and smarts. Paramount among them are Timberwolf and Light Lass. Brin’s dichotomy of being a loner and a Legionnaire is on full display here; but what I like best about it is that in my opinion, he is never really a loner at all in this issue. Instead, he calls for help when its needed and he works best when he’s with Ayla. Yet he’s also allowed to show his aggressive, independent side. Meanwhile, Ayla come across wonderfully here as she brilliantly outsmarts the Persuader and Validus, co-leads the charge to find the Dark Man alongside Brin and then kicks off the battle at the end of the issue by really flexing her “making things lighter” abilities.

Besides them, many others also get a chance to shine. Princess Projectra has a fantastic scene as she gets them free, showing her as a capable and clever Legionnaire who never loses her cool. Mon-El steps up as a leader early on in the issue. Colossal Boy adds the finishing touch to Jeckie’s escape plan by turning around and knocking back the sea monster. Saturn Girl very smartly does an “info dump” into Ayla’s mind (a download before that term was used, essentially). Mano acts out in rage at being pawns of the Dark Man. Validus shows his juvenile rage against the Persuader, and the Emerald Empress very smartly captures Garth & Imra. All of these characters had a great moment. To a lesser degree, so did Violet, Shady and Wildfire too!

The only one characterization I didn’t love was Lightning Lad, as he is a bit too over the top towards Imra and Ayla, and he makes a comment about Imra not running twice for leader. That being said, he has good reason to be mad at Brin, and that is always a good motif to use for a leader. I feel that between Gerry, Roy and early Paul, they take it a bit too far with Garth, however at this point in Legion history and end up making him look like a very weak leader. But at this point, that hasn’t quite shown itself yet. Instead, we empathize with his stresses though perhaps find him a bit annoying.

Overall, the story itself paces very nicely. The action is crisp and the mystery of the Dark Man lingers. It’s revelation at the end is interesting. It’s not all that amazing and almost instantly acknowledges that it won’t have too many major ramifications since its very nature, as an “other Tharok” really can’t exist beyond one issue. But that isn’t a bad thing. Not every story needs to be Mordru / Darkseid / Time Trapper level, and this is more of a “higher consequences than usual but the fate of the universe isn’t at stake”. It’s a good middle ground stakes-wise. And the story is crafted nicely enough where I enjoyed the build-up and revelation.

The other big part of this story is the reintroduction of Blok as he decides to help Ayla and Brin. He isn’t utilized much even here, and is more of a mystery than anything—and that works well too. His unique look make him appealing in an aesthetic sense, which is seen when he backs up Ayla and Brin in those final pages. He appears tough and menacing, and the mystery adds to the appeal. I’m curious to see how well they pull it off to make Blok a member. I know I’ve always found it kind of an odd addition to the Legion roster, though somewhere along the way, I gained a soft spot for Blok. For this issue alone, the idea of a villain being recruited by Ayla and Brin to help them rescue the Legionnaires just flat out works and adds an additional wrinkle to the story that makes it more unique.

Lastly, the art by Jimmy Janes is superb here. I really like the way he draws Brin in those final pages, and the scenes underwater are fantastic. He is truly an underrated artist in Legion lore. The great inks by Frank Chiaramonte give a strong, steady line and by now the paper quality and coloring techniques have greatly improved. The issue just looks really great!

All in all, another solid issue!
FC, I also noticed the similar look to the Dark Man and the Servants of Darkness. I think you may be right. Or at least, Keith Giffen may have been influenced when he designed them, as he likely went back and took a look at recent issues before he began his run.
LoSH 270

The six Legionnaires captured by the Fatal Five last issue, find themselves at the bottom of the Atlantic in a bubble formed of Neutronic energy that Mon El can’t break through and Wildfire can’t disrupt. Super conveniently Neutronic energy disrupts the Legion Flight Rings communication technology. That Fatal Five thinks of everything. Well, everything except just killing the Legionnaires back on the surface.

The plot recap is kept to a merciful single page, and the scene shifts to something else that has problems communicating, whether there’s Neutronic energy or not.

Timberwolf checks out the scene of Shady & Lar’s capture. It’s basically an excuse to show him as a Wolverine clone. But then he surprisingly does contact HQ. Just to cement how moody, sulky and infantile edgy, cool and dark he is, he has a barbed comment about Garth and Imra spending some quality time together. Were they on Monitor Duty? Garth rightly rebukes Brin, but ends up falling out with Ayla, who defends Timberwolf, and tells Imra to basically mind her own business.

Imra seems to forgive him, safe in the knowledge that she’s a much better leader. She even tells him he has a lot to learn, which Garth is happy to accept. It’s a nice touch that he doesn’t go into a tantrum. He’s genuinely trying to be a good leader, even if it doesn’t always work out. He’s right to criticise Brin. But it’s his sibling relationship that gets in the way with Ayla and Imra.

Brainy! Will you fix the nassing security, already? How many villains are just walking around in HQ? This issue Mano and Empress have time to put up nets to catch flying Legionnaires. Garth has time to electrocute himself, while Imra has time to get important plot points from the minds of the Five and implant the info to a still dressing Ayla.

Perv Persuader breaks in, along with Validus and Light Lass is forced to fight. Her powers seem to have the effect of forcing The Persuader to begin a long narrative concerning the events around him. Validus presumably punches him to shut him up as much as for the glancing blow (the only strike The Persuader ever makes) received from the Atomic Axe.

Ayla embracing Brin in the wreckage of the Allon’s apartment is a touching moment. As the Five confront the Dark Man about his plans, we’re left in no doubt that Tharok is not in command. We’re also reminded that the cast of Legionnaires has been reduced to two. This is a nice touch by Conway, allowing for some spotlight time for Brin and Ayla.

With both aware, through different sources, of the Dark Man they travel to the Everest Penitentiary (by the 30th century, they’ve somehow managed to get rid of the tourist climbers.) to interview the League of Super wannabe Assassins (Legionnaire death count = 0).

The League don’t take kindly to being asked to help, and try to attack. The prison’s defences rebuff them in a way that should make the Takron Galtos warden hang his head in shame. Mind you, Titania ripped up the floor, but chose not to tunnel any further. Escape only comes from helping, which Blok chooses to do. He’s a brooding character and trust is clearly an issue (captured very nicely in an alternate world scene later in #300). He doesn’t make a bid for freedom, however, and there’s the thought that he could be drawing the two Legionnaires to be trapped by the Dark Man.

The villain is not popular with the rest of the Fatal Five, as they bemoan being ordered around by him andTharok. Their complaints are cut short by an attack from Light Lass. She leads Brin and Blok in an attack on the Fatal Five. It’s a strong moment for a character, who has rarely had a chance to shine. She telepathically contacts Imra. This would useually be through telepathic earplugs, but there seems to be a stronger rapport here.

We don’t get to see Blok use his strength, which is a shame, as it would have cemented (tee hee) his power to the readers. Brin, true to character and in a nice payoff to his earlier appearance this issue, goes on alone. We get to see those acrobatic skills that really make him a Legionnaire and he discovers that the Dark Man is a wholly human Tharok! This subplot would be pinched years later for the Infinite Crisis with Luthor subbing for Tharok.

Backing up a few pages, and the Legionnaires trapped in the Atlantic escape through Comic Cliché. From the people who make containment traps keyed to only a single power set, we present containment bubbles that only contain from one side! Everyone in the sphere has been shown to use their powers, which is good character control from Conway. Well, Vi offered moral support… Jeckie comes up with the idea to get them free. With another grouping, it would have been Cham to get them free. The Legion escape, and remarkably don’t go >squish< from the pressure. It’s indicated that they can just swim to the surface without any issue. Obviously this is all taking place just off the beach.

It’s a well-constructed issue, with the separate plots from last issue leading, with plenty of action, towards the reveal at the end. The cast is whittled down to a desperate duo who need help from their foes to proceed. We get a prospective ally in Blok who could well be a foe. There are good moments for Brin and Ayla. But the others aren’t neglected. The exchange between Imra and Garth is a good one and, as mentioned, nearly everyone else gets to at least show their powers off. There are plenty of Legionnaires available at the end to begin to turn the tables next issue. Let’s hope we get more on Ayla, Blok and Brin before that happens.

We also have the very good subplot where we see the genuine discord in the villains’ group. The Five never took kindly to Tharok’s orders. They liked it even less when the Empress seemed to become his second in command. But having someone else in charge is really hacking them off.
Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid
FC, I also noticed the similar look to the Dark Man and the Servants of Darkness. I think you may be right. Or at least, Keith Giffen may have been influenced when he designed them, as he likely went back and took a look at recent issues before he began his run.


I didn't notice that at all! smile Good spot!
#271 What is the Dark Man? By Gerry Conway, art by Jimmy Janes & John Calnan, colours Gene D'Angelo, letters John Costanza

[Linked Image]

Timber Wolf is confused by a fully-human Tharok in a sphere, having only recently seen the half-robot version. The Tharok look-alike, in turn, claims that he is not Tharok, and departs in his sphere. As Timber Wolf falls acrobatically to the floor, he is ensnared by leg shackles. Ayla flies in the direction of his scream, but is interrupted by the Empress. Ayla sends some rubble flying to blind the Eye and escapes.

Imra and Garth are still bound and use the opportunity to recap the previous issue for the reader. Imra manages to locate the true Tharok's mind, in a state of disarray, and take control of it, compelling him to shut off the ship's power.

The five Legionnaires who escaped their submerged sphere gather aboard a Legion cruiser, which they have summoned, and begin a search for the Fatal Five. They receive a message from the Science Police that their ship is violating commercial airspace by landing in the North Atlantic, but the message had been sent before they escaped. Jeckie concludes that other Legionnaires had used this cruiser and that they could be found in the North Atlantic.

Ayla searches for Brin within the massive Dragonbane, finds the computer room and lucks out by hitting the right button for a memory program, which recounts Tharok's backstory. As a shadowy figure lurks in foliage and watches her, Ayla continues with the recording, which shows the scientist who built Tharok's robot half in his lab, with a clone of Tharok's brain. The brain takes over the scientist's mind and commands him to create a new body. The result is The Dark Man, who proceeds to liquify the scientist; Ayla calls him a life-force vampire. Suddenly, the Dark Man grabs her shoulder.

Blok finds Brin and frees him, then leads him to the master computer room. At the same time, the Fatal Five find and free Garth and Imra, saying they need Imra's help to heal Tharok's headaches. As she succeeds, the Five agree to be temporary allies with the Legionnaires against the common foe.

The team aboard the Legion Cruiser discover the powerless Dragonbane. Blok and Brin find The Dark Man, holding Ayla captive in a tree. As Brin scales the tree, attacked by vines, the team from the Cruiser break into the ship. The Dark Man takes control of Ayla, who makes the Legionnaires weightless. Brin attacks, Blok uproots the tree, Brin saves Ayla as she falls. The Dark Man lands in a soil vat, is attacked by Tharok and both disappear from existence. The Legionnaires declare that the remaining Four will be going to jail.

The story ends with Marte Allon celebrating her election with the Legionnaires.

Comments:

A few surprises in this issue, particularly the Legion-Fatal Five temporary alliance. It's not the first time they've worked together, but now it's the Five appealing for help. Their dismay over Tharok's incapacity to lead them is unexpected, since they all operated individually at one point.

As in the previous issue, there's a lot of action and rapid scene changes which keep the story moving at a brisk pace - and which enable the Legionnaires to show off their powers.

The Dark Man's origin is a bit of a stretch, but anything in comic books can be explained by a good dose of radiation. There are a few highly convenient events to move the story along: Saturn Girl remains able to mentally communicate, despite being bound, Ayla just happens to find the right button to active a stored account of the Dark Man's origin, an empty Legion cruiser just happens to be within range to call (what if the Legionnaires who had originally been on it needed it as well?).

Brin and Ayla seem to spend more time saving each other as fighting the Dark Man and the Fatal Five.

The Dragonbane must be bigger on the inside, since that was an awfully large oak tree.

A few TV references: the Star Trek symbol (sideways) on the unnamed scientist's shirt and the closing “So say we all” from Battlestar Galactica.

The whole affair must have destabilized the Fatal Five/Four, since their normal M.O. is to escape at the end; this time, they are going to jail. Legion fans can bet, however, that they'll escape in short order and Tharok will have miraculously survived his obliteration.

The final scene with President Marte Allon suggests a happier relationship between Earthgov and the Legion from now on. Or does it? Gim's concern over what this means for him sets the stage for future conflict.

It’s quite a cover with the Ranzz twins taking opposing sides. Has Garth flipped his leadership lid early, by siding with Tharok? There’s a nice parallel with the Legion needing the Five going back to their first battle together against the Sun Eater.

Two Legionnaires and the Super Assáassin Blok enter the lair of the Fatal Five, where a further two of their number are held captive. Timberwolf has discovered that the Dark Man is a wholly human version of Tharok controlling the cyborg version.

It’s a good set up and Jimmy Janes art has made it visually strong too. But there are a few things that jar along the way. The Timberwolf/ Darkman encounter has a lot of captions and internal monologue (which does show the Legion that this Tharok is telepathic). A lot of it is needless, as it falls into the trap of telling us what the very good Janes is already showing us.

For plot reasons the Dark Man retreats. For a similar outcome every floor panel in the HQ must have traps underneath it, if we are to believe that the super acrobatic Timberwolf just happened to land on one. That’s about as believable as photon bursts knocking out the Legion flight ring’s communications ability.

Light Lass encounters the Emerald Empress. She cleverly uses the debris established in one panel to strike against the eye in the next, causing it to lash out wildly. At first it seems odd that the eye would be so easily distracted, but I quite like the idea that Sarya isn’t as in control of it as it sometimes appears. Ayla or “blonde vixen” Ayla manages to escape.

But then the Plot Demon intervenes again as Ayla, a seasoned Legionnaire, is too overcome with thoughts about Brin to receive telepathic communications from the captive Imra.

Last issue, Blok had an opportunity to impress when the trio reached the ship. Following Brin, then Ayla’s scene in this issue, the stage is set for Blok to shine. Instead, he wanders a corridor, more a golem than something truly sentient.

First impressions count. This story was one of the early back issues I managed to get my hands on. Blok left me less than impressed.

Considering the other slightly jarring plot devices above, Blok’s cluelessness becomes a way of getting Imra to contact the cyborg Tharok. It’s not exactly the best way of showcasing a new prospective member. Blok has been a bit short changed, but perhaps they were still uncertain over his membership credentials at that point.

Someone who isn’t short changed is Imra, who expands her telepathic powers to take over (the admittedly weakened) mind of Cyborg Tharok.

Elsewhere, the other Legionnaires hit on the solid idea of checking for trouble to try and locate the Five. No forced tracking Validus’ energy or Mano’s energy hand. They just check the news.

It works, although the shuttle they get the clue from is the one that Timberwolf and pals used to get to the Five’s HQ. What’s odd here is that there was no indication that Brin and Ayla ordered the ship anywhere else. In fact, you’d think they’d want it nearby in case they have to rescue hostages quickly.

In order to tell the readers more about the Dark Man/ Tharok connection Ayla stumbles onto a series of videos on the main computer. Tharok is saved by Zadronian (take that Retroboot!) scientists after the nuclear device he’s carrying detonates atomises his left side. Since everyone around him survived, it was presumably a charge in the device that damaged him or one of the Legion’s greatest foes would be Radioactive Sludge Lad.

But that radiation has had an unexpected effect. One of the scientists had taken a sample of Tharok’s brain, and cloned it! Like a good 1950s monster movie, the cloned brain grew and took control of those around it, resulting in a wholly human Dark Man version of Tharok. Sensing the existence of the cyborg Tharok, he wasn’t about to share the universe with it. He’s a life force vampire and, in a chilling scene, appears behind Ayla as she’s viewing the tapes.

Elsewhere, Blok (doing a good job of auditioning for The Wanderers) stumbles onto Brin while Garth and Imra are freed by the rest of the Five, concerned over Tharok’s worsening condition.

All of these characters, and the rest of the captured Legionnaires converge on the Dark Man. The villain fails to use Ayla to fend off some of them, and Blok uproots a tree to get him to fall from the branches. On the ground, he’s close enough to Tharok that they attack each other. Both disappear in a burst of energy. This is an ending usually reserved for a character with a time displaced version showing up in the same location. The Dark Man and Tharok are distinct beings, so it’s not a satisfying ending.

It’s not really a satisfying conclusion. After all the build-up, a battalion of super characters gang up on the villain as he emerges from a mud pit.

Wildfire’s team could have been off on one of those distracted-by-the-villain side missions for the story’s duration, without there being too many required changes. The only character who was really needed was Colossal Boy, due to the Marte Allon subplot. That could have been combined easily with Imra & Garth capture.

That would have left a lot more pages to develop the Blok subplot. As it stood, it could have been removed without too much interference. His link comes from the Dark Man setting up the Assassins, and this closes off that arc. But he does so little in the story despite the set up opportunities. Additional space could have been spent on the Fatal Five and their decision to free the Legion and the subsequent uneasy alliance. Not to mention a more satisfying encounter between Tharok and his nemesis.

We end with Marte Allon as president of Earth. Colossal Boy wonders how it will affect him, in a bout of selfishness, passing for foreshadowing.
Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
... since that was an awfully large oak tree.


That was Chlorophyll Kid. Everyone else turned up to beat up the Dark Man after all...

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Legion fans can bet, however, that they'll escape in short order and Tharok will have miraculously survived his obliteration.


After this story, I remember The Emerald Empress turning up and then the Persuader (and prisoner Validus) as strong, solo villains. But was this the last appearance of the classic Fatal Five Line Up?

Legion of Superheroes #271

So after two very good installments, I was all geared up to soak in the finale...and I have to say, I was kind of disappointed. There was some good parts, but a lot of storytelling missteps just made the final part fall flat.

From the get-go, one of the problems in this issue is the artwork is very sloppy in places--as if there was some kind of rush job and either a second penciler or inker had to come in to finish panels. Weirdly, a lot of this sloppiness is in the first half of the issue.

Artwork aside, the biggest complaint is the final battle really should have been its own issue. The LSH and Fatal 5 teaming up is kind of monumental and we don't get to see it at all. The battle with the Dark Man, and the resolution with a double villain death happens in the blink of an eye. We barely see Blok do or say anything, and the Legionnaires who made a daring escape last issue actually contribute zero to the story. There were all these fantastic moving parts and all of them are wasted (save Brin and Ayla getting a lot of spotlight). In the very near future, DC and Marvel both would start allowing for better paced stories with enough room for some phenomenal payoffs. I guess we're just not there yet. (And in the more current era, things went too far to a more padded, drawn out standard).

There are still some good moments, but the jumbled pacing and rough art pulled me out of the issue. Maybe most importantly, this issue paved the way for some better stories to come: by removing Tharok, future writers would see the various other members of the Fatal 5 as more than just part of the larger team, and we would get some excellent Emerald Empress and Validus, and then later Mano, stories. Blok would miraculously join the LSH (seriously, how could anyone ever expect that after this story???) and emerge as a totally unique new character. And the Marte Allen subplot will provide some of the more interesting Legionnaire-parent moments in LSH lore.
Originally Posted by thoth lad


Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Legion fans can bet, however, that they'll escape in short order and Tharok will have miraculously survived his obliteration.


After this story, I remember The Emerald Empress turning up and then the Persuader (and prisoner Validus) as strong, solo villains. But was this the last appearance of the classic Fatal Five Line Up?



It is indeed! For a few decades at least. They don't all reappear together until the reboot (which isn't technically them), and then the retroboot where Validus, Tharok and the Emerald Empress are all basically reverted back to normal without explanation.
There was the story in the early Legionnaires title, that had four out of the five (no Validus). That was close. They might have popped up in Crisis too I suppose.
I'd pretty much forgotten that Tharok wasn't seen again until the Legionnaires story with the new Empress(es). No explanation given for his survival, IIRC.

The final battle could have been its own issue - or cut down on all the running around in this issue. To see the Legion and the Five working together, with mutual animosity on full boil, would have been tasty.

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
I'd pretty much forgotten that Tharok wasn't seen again until the Legionnaires story with the new Empress(es). No explanation given for his survival, IIRC.


The reason was that not all genius, sly super villain plans work out.

In this instance, Tharok wanted to rebuild himself under the noses of the United Planets. Unfortunately he chose a weekly galactic periodical called Build-Your-Own-Cyborg. In only 900 issues and costing the annual GDP of a post Magic Wars planet, he returned! Only there had been a few changes since he'd been away... Earth was gone for a start...
#272 The Secret Origin of Blok By Gerry Conway, art by Steve Ditko & Frank Chiaramonte, colours Bob LeRose, letters Todd Klein

[Linked Image]

Wildfire tests Blok's invulnerability, calls him a “baddie” and meets with three other applicants for Legion membership: Lamprey, Nightwind and Crystal Kid.

Dawnstar demonstrates her evasive flying skills through an obstacle course of moving pistons; Blok just smashes through it and considers that he fulfilled the objective of not being smashed by the pistons. It's time for a break, so Blok tells the others his life story.

Humans landed on his planet one day and named it Dryad, thinking there were no “human” life forms, only trees and plants. They only later discover that the rock-like sentients had been silently waiting to see if the settlers intended harm. Thereafter, the two species worked together peacefully.

Meanwhile, the Starburst Raiders (last seen in #252) break out of their Himalayan prison. Just as the Warden's staff discover that their guns were fake and that the Raiders' starburst power was in their physical bodies.

Wildfire is distrustful of Blok and complains about him to Lightning Lad, who tells Wildfire to give Blok a test to determine his skill and courage.

Sun Boy encourages Blok to continue his story, who relates how Dryad's sun was about to go nova. The residents were evacuated by Legionnaires. Young Blok and five of his human friends believed it was the Legion who ordered them off their planet and blew up their sun. These human children were later given super-powers by The Dark Man, and Blok remained with them as the League of Assassins, hating the Legion.

Lightning Lad rushes in with flight rings for the applicants so that they may help fight the escaped Starburst Bandits. The Bandits are after their horses, held at the Metropolis Zoo. Wildfire and Sun Boy are knocked out; Blok, for whom the flight ring is inadequate, is dropped to the ground by Dawnstar.
The other three applicants think this is just a test and are stopped by the reality of the starbursts.

Blok approaches the Bandits, whose starbursts bounce off him and flatten them. As a result, he wins Legion membership.

Comments:

Oh my! This is a mish-mash of a story, but we get a few glimmers.

At least the mystery of what Blok was doing with humans and calling them brother and sister is solved.

Also, his character as a gentle, thoughtful giant is put into the context of his race: a very patient, accepting group with advanced cognitive skills. If the human settlers had been more destructive, would the Bloks have risen up and crushed them? Unfortunately, we never learn what they called their own planet, how they lived, what they ate, how their society was organized. They just fit into the Thanksgiving feasts and human games. It's a wonder some of them weren't smashed to make buildings and roadways.

It's a stretch that Blok and his friends were the only children who misunderstood that the Legion was there to help them. Where were the parents in all this? They'd have to be quite young to not understand what was going on, yet we see them as equal to the Legionnaires in age when they become super-assassins. Maybe the Dark Man aged them artificially?

The Starburst Raiders' written language is pretty interesting. This predates the Interlac alphabet (1984, according to Wikipedia; the concept of Interlac dated back to 1969). However, this is not a fully-constructed alphabet as opposed to a bunch of random symbols. The Dr. Mayavale story included some Durlan language, but were there other alien languages in comics before this? It's a logical addition to a sci fi comic but it would take Levitz and Giffen to properly codify a new language and use it consistently.

You've got to have some sympathy for a bunch of criminals who try to rescue their horses above all else. The horse thing did surprise me – when they said they had business to attend to on the other side of Earth, I figured they were going after the Legion, ho-hum. Save Our Horses was a better plot development. Sadly, the magnificent beasts, or their offspring, must still be lingering in the Metropolis Zoo.

I read at the Legion of Super-Bloggers that the three Legion applicants were designed by fans, which is pretty cool – but they totally wash out, which isn't cool at all. We never even get to see them use their powers.

The Legionnaires were very accepting of Blok. It's not like they haven't had traitors in the ranks before; they should have been more suspicious. Even Wildfire, when he realized he'd hurt Blok's feelings, felt bad and apologized.
Legion #272

“Who will be the newest member of the Legion of Super-Heroes” proclaims the title, while sowing us that it’s going to be Blok. On his previous showings I’ve not found him terribly interesting. Janes draws Nightwind well, and she’s the most interesting character on the cover for me. Funnily enough the bottom right of the cover advertises Dial H For Haberdashery Hero and the newest member of the Legion was nearly Lori Morning at one point.

Wildfire, as one of the Legionnaires associated most with training rookies, is taking Blok through some tests. Conway does well in continuing the roles some of the Legionnaires become most closely associated with. Wildfire is called the Trainee Leader at one point to reinforce this. Dawnstar (for where Wildfire is…) congratulates Dirk for being able to remember the names of three others, which seemed a bit blunt (but oddly within her personality, as shown in a later confrontation with Tinya). There’s no way Dirk would forget the names of anyone female. smile

The other three recruits are Nightwind, Lamprey and Crystal Kid. All were fan suggestions and received entries in the Amazing World of DC Comics, with nice John Workman art. It’s a reminder (as is the Dial H ad) of a time when readers could see their creations see print, and it wouldn’t necessarily be seen as a cynical attempt to mine ideas or gimmicks.

Conway gets Dawnstar to run the tricky obstacle course first. It’s a nice touch to give panel time to another of the most recent recruits, showing us that she’s now very much part of the Legion.

Blok can be seen as ponderous and slow of thought, but he’s actually quite incisive. Both here where he disables the obstacle course and in a later issue where he works out the identity of a Green Lantern. Timberwolf is another example where the Legionnaires don’t fall into a stereotype. He is sometimes considered to a bit slow witted by Levitz, but it’s countered by an instinctive grasp of a situation, such as Sensor Girl’s identity.

Nightwind & Lamprey’s main goal in their most prominent Legion appearances is to sit and listen to infodumps.

The story could have just gone on to be Blok’s story, with a training scene at the end to show his suitability for the Legion. But Conway breaks it up to provide a bit more action. He does this firstly by interspacing the tale with events relating to the training session. A natural break for a story is created when Wildfire goes off to get a cleaning crew for the ruined obstacle course. But he goes further, by bringing in a subplot involving the Starburst Bandits. Both the Bandits and Blok were introduced by Conway back in the early #250. Their plot then combines with the training session, and origin story, allowing Blok to shine against proper villains.

The Bandits launch an escape attempt just as the authorities come to the conclusion that the weapons they used in their previous appearance were conduits of energy they held naturally. While they do use that energy as part of their escape, they use an ancient clichéd ruse to get out of their cells in the first place. It’s one of a number of down notes in the story. Conway’s introduction of futuristic jargon doesn’t really pay off and the aliens in the prison the Bandits escape from are odd for the sake of it. The dialogue in some of the scenes is a little overly worthy with examples such as “so mine is by far the greater sin” and “to salve my wounded ego” But behind these there’s an arc for Wildfire. An off the cuff comment from Lightning Lad not only reminds us of Drake’s predicament in the suit, but also of Garth’s leadership skills (which he does seem to have at least some of).

As Blok completes his story, the subplots merge and the group go to confront the Bandits who have released their steeds from a zoo, and aim to raid the Earth. It’s a comic cliché that in order to make your new hero look good, the older hero has to take a fall. Here, Wildfire and Sun Boy are incapacitated in moments when the group confront the bandits. If Wildfire were the applicant, and so seemingly dependant on his technological containment suit, you’d wonder why he wasn’t rejected for membership.

Nightwind, Lamprey and Crystal Kid fare no better. Thinking that the attack is an exercise, they rush into battle and are easily beaten. We see nothing of what they’re capable of, to compare them against Blok. Conway sets up Blok’s finale very nicely, by providing us with aspects of his powers. He’s too massive to fly on his own, so he needs Sun Boy and Dawnstar’s assistance. That leads into Dawnstar having to drop him, when Sun Boy is incapacitated. This is another set up, to delay Blok’s confrontation with the Bandits to the moment when all bar Dawnstar (“I’m afraid I’m a tracker, not a stomper”) have been defeated. He’s simply impervious to the Bandit’s powers.

Earlier in the story, Blok says that he absorbs mass. That, along with his ability to reflect energy back onto the Bandits are aspects of his abilities we don’t see again. Whatever Conway had in mind wasn’t really picked up on during the later Levitz run. His reduction into a tough, strong man of stone didn’t distinguish him, power wise, too much from any passing Kryptonian, Daxamite or Ultra Boy.

It interesting to note in connection to Blok’s reflective powers, that there’s a Reflecto storyline on the way.

But the change in emphasis of Blok’s powers is easily matched by the change in the details of his origins. In #253 he is called “cousin” by Silver Slasher. In this issue, it can only be a name used to show the bond between settlers and the indigenous population.

But the Silver Slasher calls him Blok in place of the name he once had. We also learn from Slasher that Blok has been tuned into a “hideous monster” indicating that the form we see wasn’t his original one. Certainly Slasher has been transformed as part of the Dark Man’s process. So, there’s no reason to think that Blok wasn’t once human too. These details are quietly dropped, focussing on Blok becoming something a bit different.

The Legion are considered to have blown up the home world (Korlon then and Dryad now) of the assassins. In this issue it’s simply that the children at the time didn’t understand the devastation that was about to hit their world, and that the Legion saved them. We’re told in #253 that this happened only a half dozen years ago. The assassins have aged extremely quickly as they look to be not far off the age of the Legionnaires. There’s a point about how easily radicalisation can set in, and how old pains can be exploited. It’s a good point. You’d like to think that any number of survivors of the planet would have been able to tell the children the truth. But a look at our own world shows that this is often not enough. Who knows what hardships the survivors faced elsewhere in the UP. Fuel enough for a generation of youngsters to grow… and hate.

Finally, we see that the settlers have a great relationship with Blok’s race (although there’s a bit of early stonecutting that makes me wonder). But later storylines would make a lot of Blok being the last of his race. He seems to age at the same rate as the other sentients on Korlon/Dryad. It’s very unlikely that the humans would leave the others behind, or for the Legion to allow such a thing to happen.

In summary, there are a number of pros and cons to take away from this issue. There’s some poignancy in Blok’s origin (which I probably appreciate more with this reading than I did previously) and with Drake’s condition. We see 3 new applicants. Two of these would end up as Legionnaires (albeit off panel) later on. Blok adds something different visually to the team, and does have some distinct personality traits. He embodies the old cliché of villain turned good guy. As he was shown not to be as ruthless as the other assassins from his first appearance, this has been foreshadowed and doesn’t seem gimmicky. The cons have been outlined above, and probably outweigh the pluses overall, making it a slightly below par issue, with highlights.
Originally Posted by thoth lad
Funnily enough the bottom right of the cover advertises Dial H For Haberdashery Hero and the newest member of the Legion was nearly Lori Morning at one point.

Further proof that it's best to not know the future.

Quote
Dawnstar (for where Wildfire is…) congratulates Dirk for being able to remember the names of three others, which seemed a bit blunt (but oddly within her personality, as shown in a later confrontation with Tinya). There’s no way Dirk would forget the names of anyone female.


Hah! I missed that little jab at Mr. Sunshine. I wonder why the writers didn't make Dawnstar the outside voice, generally reserved for the more alien Legionnaires - Blok, Tellus, Quislet - to comment on character and social mores. Dawnstar certainly had the blunt honesty required.

Quote
A natural break for a story is created when Wildfire goes off to get a cleaning crew for the ruined obstacle course.

Which could have been accomplished with a call on some communication device... his real goal must have been to go kvetch to Garth about Blok.

Quote
But behind these there’s an arc for Wildfire. An off the cuff comment from Lightning Lad not only reminds us of Drake’s predicament in the suit, but also of Garth’s leadership skills (which he does seem to have at least some of).


Garth pretty much caved under the pressures of leadership, but he does show a good understanding of people and motivation, as illustrated there.

Quote
Earlier in the story, Blok says that he absorbs mass. That, along with his ability to reflect energy back onto the Bandits are aspects of his abilities we don’t see again. Whatever Conway had in mind wasn’t really picked up on during the later Levitz run. His reduction into a tough, strong man of stone didn’t distinguish him, power wise, too much from any passing Kryptonian, Daxamite or Ultra Boy.


Curious as to why these powers were discarded. They would have distinguished him and increased his versatility.


Quote
Finally, we see that the settlers have a great relationship with Blok’s race (although there’s a bit of early stonecutting that makes me wonder). But later storylines would make a lot of Blok being the last of his race. He seems to age at the same rate as the other sentients on Korlon/Dryad. It’s very unlikely that the humans would leave the others behind, or for the Legion to allow such a thing to happen.


Maybe in leaving the planet, Blok's people lost some vital force and perished? That could have led to a few resentments....Blok might have survived due to the Dark Man's tampering. It's certainly an untold story, whatever happened.

I really wonder why writers couldn't maintain consistency with these backstories.
Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Further proof that it's best to not know the future.


It's not a period of the Legion I'm super familiar with. I know her mainly from around the start of the DnA stuff.

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
I wonder why the writers didn't make Dawnstar the outside voice, generally reserved for the more alien Legionnaires - Blok, Tellus, Quislet - to comment on character and social mores. Dawnstar certainly had the blunt honesty required.


That later issue with Tinya quickly established a mini generation gap within the Legionnaires. I’m sort of glad she’s not a voice character. They can end up as being a little one track, and Dawny is better than that. She’s someone I like more as time goes on.

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Which could have been accomplished with a call on some communication device... his real goal must have been to go kvetch to Garth about Blok.


Just think of all those spoiled character arcs, and nicely plotted issues when Brainy got the Computo majordomo to clear up everything instantly. No need to excuse yourself for kvetching at all.

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Garth pretty much caved under the pressures of leadership,


I’m blaming having a dreadful haircut for most of his breakdown. Future rereads will tell me what issue it’s from. smile

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
Curious as to why these powers were discarded. They would have distinguished him and increased his versatility.


I remember this era as being a bit muddled on the writer front. It was a little surprise that it was Conway on both the introduction to Blok and this story. I think later writers, just took the character at face value and went with that. He does get to talk to rocks at some point though. SO, if the Earth is invaded by Pet Rocks, he’s your guy.

Maybe in leaving the planet, Blok's people lost some vital force and perished? That could have led to a few resentments....Blok might have survived due to the Dark Man's tampering. It's certainly an untold story, whatever happened.

Originally Posted by Fat Cramer
I really wonder why writers couldn't maintain consistency with these backstories.


I think that the later Blok origin is a bit better than just having an altered human. So, it’s one that I don’t try to pick apart too much. Perhaps it’s a simple as a better idea occurring to the writer once he got further into the book. There’s often a lot of set ups put in without knowing exactly what the pay-off is going to be.
The comments about Blok's and the League of Super-Assassins' ages relative to the Legionnaires' got me to thinking about when the evacuation of Korlon/Dryad might have occurred. The timeline in the LSH Sourcebook puts the events of this year (Lightning Lad's leadership) in Year 11 of the Legion's history. There's no indication as to when the evacuation occurred, but "a half-dozen years ago" would place it in Year 5, during Brainiac 5's leadership.

There are some problems with this. The Legionnaires involved in the evacuation included Shady and Brin, who did not join until Years 6 and 7, respectively. They and the other Legionnaires are shown wearing their Cockrum-designed costumes, which they did not adopt until Year 9. However, if we allow for artistic license, we can put the evacuation of Dryad in Year 7 or Year 8, which allows for three or four years before the survivors reappeared as the LSA. (This also squares with Jo's "half-dozen years ago" comment, assuming he was being imprecise.)

It's difficult to tell how old Blok and his friends might have been at the time of the evacuation (more artistic license), but, if they were 10-11, that would make them 14-15 when they appeared as the LSA--roughly the same age the Legionnaires were when they started.

Of course, the LSH Sourcebook was written by Levitz, and there's no indication that Conway had a similar timeline in mind. However, it was generally acknowledged that some time had passed since the Legion's founding and that the heroes were well into their 20s at this point, even though they were still depicted as being in their teens (yet more artistic license). So the accounts could match without any age manipulation from the Dark Man.

Now, if we can just ignore the fact that Superboy must have been an eternal teenager . . .

You did the math - and made it work well enough!

Part of the problem is Blok and the others are depicted visually as youngsters, but they could have been teens and just as oblivious to the truth of the situation as little kids.
And thanks to the story involving longevity, the Legion will be considered lads and boys and girls at an age beyond what we'd use in this time.

So there are alot of years in what the Legipnverse would call youth, and a lot of varying levels of maturity.
LSH #272

Sorry to be late again (as I appear to be every 3 or 4 issues) but better late than never, I suppose. To sum up my comments briefly: on the one hand, I like that we at last get a new member in Blok who I’ve warmed to over the decades, and I also like the dubious introduction of Nightwind, Lamprey and Crystal Kid. On the other hand, and really it outweighs the good quite a bit, this was a bit of a hum drum issue with Steve Ditko’s pencils looking even more dated than usual, use of Star Bandits bringing with it annoying translation narrative boxes that took me out of the story, and no real explanation about what makes Blok Legion material. So all in all, kind of a bad issue, though I do like that the Legion is continuing to evolve.

It’s hard to say if the way I’m reading Blok is Conway’s intent, or if I’m just placing my later knowledge of his character from Levitz’s run into his ‘voice’, but I really like the stoic personality of Blok who is slow to temper and calmly self-depreciating. He has enough personality here to make his Legion membership worthwhile on personality & look alone, even if his powers bring nothing really special to the team.

As I’ve mentioned before, I like Nightwind, Lamprey and Crystal Kid a lot, but I’ve forgotten how “throwaway” they are in their first appearance—probably because they’re so forgetful. Their next appearance with Wildfire is the issue I usually recall, and then of course their later appearances under Levitz’s tenure.

Originally Posted by thoth lad
The story could have just gone on to be Blok’s story, with a training scene at the end to show his suitability for the Legion. But Conway breaks it up to provide a bit more action. He does this firstly by interspacing the tale with events relating to the training session. A natural break for a story is created when Wildfire goes off to get a cleaning crew for the ruined obstacle course. But he goes further, by bringing in a subplot involving the Starburst Bandits. Both the Bandits and Blok were introduced by Conway back in the early #250. Their plot then combines with the training session, and origin story, allowing Blok to shine against proper villains.


This is a great observation Thoth, and I agree. The story is plotted out really well by Conway and allows for different sequences to let characters shine and keep readers interested. I think the problem lies in the art making some of these sequences seem boring. If Dave Cockrum or Mike Grell were drawing this story, it probably would have been much more memorable.
Originally Posted by Cobalt Kid
If Dave Cockrum or Mike Grell were drawing this story, it probably would have been much more memorable.


In an alternate world, Dave gets his Legion art returned (albeit unofficially) and sticks with the book. Wondering how to get his unused characters on the team, he combines Trio and Typhoon...but instead of Storm, Nightwind joins the team.
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