Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! Little Legion Tidbit

This may (or may not!) interest some Legion readers here.

I was offered Legion right before doing a very very very small con in upstate New York. The main reason I wanted to go was to meet some friends I'd only really known online, like Heidi MacDonald, Buddy Scalera, and especially Tom Peyer.

Now, Tom is someone I adore. I loved his writing before I 'met' him online, through mutual pal Mark Waid. His stuff always seemed incredibly smart to me, yet still had lots of action and character stuff--in short, he's world class in his work.

But more than that, he's one of the kindest, funniest people I've ever met, on the net or otherwise. He's always doing the right thing, always concerned about people, and he never fails to make me bust a gut laughing, yet because he lived on one side of the country, and I the other, we'd never really met.

Anyway, I got to the hotel (which was kind of a nightmare, nobody's fault, these things happen) the night before the con and finally got to meet him and just gave him the hugest hug. It's really exciting to meet friends you've known forever for the first time.

We had some fun, went out for crazy pizza in this bizarre town, and the next day, the con was really, really slow so we got to leave our posts for a while to have lunch in the cafeteria. Former Marvel editor now freelance writer Stuart Moore was there. Stuart filled me in on some of the stuff behind the cancellation of Night Nurse that made things a little clearer to me...again, no one's fault, just good to know.

And eventually I mentioned to Tom that I'd been offered Legion but was really hesitant. There were lots of reasons, but I couldn't get past the idea that Legion really is a very special book.

And Tom said something that decided it for me, but not til I was flying home a couple days later did I really get it. Tom said, "Well, you know, the characters are really loveable."

I thought he was kidding...cranky Brainy, sly Cham, etc...loveable? That didn't sound right, particularly when Tom's Legion stuff could be downright brutal. But he said it several times...'loveable.'

But flying back, I realized he was completely right...that what sets Legion (and Legion readers) apart is that it really does get in your blood. I remember Legion stories well and it was nearly impossible for me to find the book when I was little. And the creators who work on the book end up really loving it.

That happens to me with nearly all the books I've worked on, but there's something different about the Legion. Something else else about it makes reading it feel like being part of a club. Which is why I get that it's fun to sorta really go over issues with a microscope...that's not obnoxiousness, it's a kind of protective dedication. Most books will never have that.

Anyway, now I get it;

Loveable!



Gail

Thanks for posting this tidbit, Gail.

I confess I never -- in 31 years of Legion fandom -- thought of the Legion as "loveable," but Tom Peyer is right. There is a sense of love in what the Legion is about. Love permeates our hopes for the future and in being part of a group such as the Legion -- dedicated to doing good for humanity and being accepted for who we are: being all we can be, as the Marines put it, but without unnecessary competition.

The Legion shares this loveable quality with Star Trek and a few other pop culture phenomena. It has survived all these years because it shouldn't make sense (at least not the way the world measures "sense"), yet it does on a level that trancends the concerns of everyday life.

Loveable. It may be uncool to suggest that, but loveability is a real quality and the Legion has it in spades.

I was complaining once about the postboot Legion to another online Legion fan. He told me to check out Peyer's run b/c it was pretty good. He then went on to tell me Tom Peyer is a big Legion fan and a great guy.

I have to go back and check out his issues now. Still dont think i would dig them much (hated the art back then). But if Tom loves the Legion he's all good in my book.

Gail thank you for using "sly Cham". He was always a favorite of mine (along with Gim). Postboot I haven't seen him do anything interesting besides shapechange in the background mostly as a visual. Your Legion reminded me of the good old days and I really miss it.

Jorge

Thanks for sharing this bit, Gail. And I have to agree, I think Tom put his finger on a major part of what makes the Legion so special.

Thanks for sharing Gail!

I definately agree, the charactes are immensely lovable. It's that feeling of being part of a club that is the Legion's greatest strength, and is what drew me right in.

Hi Gail,

You have the best stories about your pre adventures to doing this short run on the Legion of Super Heroes and I really enjoy reading them. Thanks for the tid bit girl!!

Don't tint anyones hair green now!