Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-Reading the Legion: Archive 36

Superboy #21
Making History - Future Tense, part 1 of 3

Issue Information

Summary:

As Superboy ironically races to history class, members of the Legion of Super-Heroes arrive in the 20th century. One is missing though - XS! Brainiac 5 insists they look for her later and find Superboy. They can always time travel again to save her, so he views it as a moot issue.

Superboy has returned from class and is distraught his artificial knowledge has now caught up to where they are in school. Now he'll have to *gasp* actually study. Just then, the Legion bursts in! The typical super-hero battle ensues, as the Legion can't get a telepathic earplug into Kon's ear to translate Interlac for him. Superboy realizes something is off and his telepathic roomie, Dubbilex, links them all together.

Learning the Legion has arrived to rescue Valor, Superboy takes them to S.T.A.R.labs and relates how he saved Lar. The blueprints from holding the projector together are still in Superboy's mind, so Saturn Girl links him and Brainy. Everyone is hopeful Brainy can use his smarts to rebuild the machine, but the materials are too obsolete. Brainy gets huffy and triggers a time jump back to the 30th century, taking Superboy with them!

Thoughts:

This may be the first time the Legion bursts into Superboy's home in the 20th century, but it certainly won't be the last time. In fact everything is feeling very deja vu about this. It probably doesn't help that Cos, Imra, Brainy, and Lu all return to Superboy's home at some point as those stranded in the Team 20 era.

I always hate when Saturn Girl's telepathy gets written as more incapable than it is. Here it's Dubbilex that gets to be the psi that links everyone together - Saturn Girl never seems to think to try it in the battle. I'd rather a line about her fear that she couldn't understand old English herself anyway or just have her knocked out for the sake of the plot.

Poor XS. While Brainy's argument is valid, they do give up on looking for her quick. Cosmic Boy is the most concerned by her missing status - something Jenni would be blushing about had she known.

Despite taking 22 pages to tell, the plot here is very straight-forward. If it wasn't for the subplots, arbitrary hero fight, and throwing in Superboy's roommates for fun ... the whole story could have been cut in half. Valor's origin is retold I suspect less for Superboy readers but more for Legion fans who are tuning in for the first time due to the team's guest appearance here.

Legion of Super-Heroes 74
Prisoner of the Super-Heroes, Future Tense part 2 of 3

Issue information

Summary:

The Legionnaires and Superboy return to the 30th century, much to Superboy's annoyance. Brainiac 5 realizes that the Phantom Zone Projector's parts are too primitive to replicate with the materials he has on-hand. A team of Legionnaires, plus Superboy and Ultra Boy, travel to planet Korr to search its technological archive only to find that the piece they need has been stolen... by the Scavenger! The issue ends with the Scavenger using the Philosopher's Stone to vanquish the entire team!

Plus, a careless Superboy inadvertently reveals the Valor rescue mission to the UP public, stirring up extreme reactions from believers of different worlds.


Thoughts:

This issue was a pretty good read. It ably handled the series of conflicts - Triad's internal disagreements; Superboy's conflict with Brainiac 5 and much of the Legion; and the debate on how to handle Valor's rescue mission.

Superboy has every right to be annoyed at Brainy; as Future's review told us, Brainy had already asked Saturn Girl to link him to Superboy's mind, and had already realized how obsolete they were:



Yet Brainy pulls the specs AGAIN this issue. Ah well, the writers had to make sure Superboy was "needed" in the future, or this wouldn't be much of a crossover. I actually think Superboy's reaction was justified, and though he used machinery to attack Brainy, it was mild compared to what, say, Wolverine would do. And Superboy's right - you need help, just ask!

Having Triad be the Legionnaire whose belief in Valor is strongest is a good move. Her three personalities allow us to see just how extreme these feelings can get. It's also a way to further develop her, as we see that their emotional and mental differences extend even to their faith. Ooh, blasphemy. Triad must be really mad at Purple now. (By the way, the panel of Imra frowning in the background as Superboy is distracted by Triad's lust, is priceless).

Speaking of, Superboy's inadvertent Valor slip is unfortunate but not unexpected. He picked up on Triad Purple's interest and tried too hard to impress her. He got careless. A lot of teenage boys do that.

We don't see much of the UP's reaction to the Valor rescue mission, but we don't need to. Triad's reaction and Chu's call with Cos are enough to drive the point home. The writers also took a good opportunity to look in on the Ranzzes; it seems Winath is also a world of believers. The reactions of Spark and Live Wire are not nearly so extreme as Triad's though. Spark even chooses to stay home on Winath, and nobody admonishes her for it. Even if she were just humoring Garth, I'm sure her dad at least would have told her to go. If this were really the "most important event of their lives", of course. No, Triad's beliefs are a lot stronger.

Imra also knew about Valor's religious significance, though it doesn't seem as though she believes in him as a religious figure. And none of the other Legionnaires we see show signs of it.

By the way, Leviathan's explanation to Superboy on page 10 - "Sure, we're all from other worlds, except me", is a bit misleading. To Superboy's, and the readers', perspective, it makes it sound like Gim is from Earth while Lyle is not. Superboy, for all intents and purposes, sees himself as an Earth native. Or Kryptonian. Either way, Gim is from Mars; even if he had come from Earth, Lyle is also from Earth. But eh, it's a minor quibble and Gim is hardly the best at seeing things from others' perspectives.

Finally, we see quite a bit of action at the end. Interesting that Scavenger is still alive after a thousand years. His collection is amazing - I see two versions of the Batmobile, a Preboot Legion clubhouse, a ball with coloring matching that of Plastic Man's, Ray's helmet, Blue Beetle's bug and costume, Luthor's battlesuit, Brainiac's ship, Batman's giant penny, McDonald's arches, Guardian's shield, Hawkman's helmet, Flash's ring... and this is besides Superboy's jacket, Steel's staff, New Genesis aero-disks, Blue Devil's trident, the Philosopher's stone... and is that Captain Cold's gun that he uses to freeze so many Legionnaires?

Oh, and on page 19, 2nd panel... is that the Emerald Eye that bounces away from the shattered display case? UH-OH. Boy, I hope this is just a replica, and not the REAL eye...

The battle itself is well-choreographed. Things happen really quickly, though most of the Legionnaires get something to do and we do see them engage in some teamwork. The storytelling also makes it just abut plausible that Scavenger can easily take down 7 super-powered youths all by himself. The artwork gives us a sense that he's moving really quickly, and he does have access to a huge arsenal of weapons (thankfully most of them non-lethal). The only element that didn't go well? That one panel where Superboy and Ultra Boy go "where did he go?" Um, he seems to be right there in the panels before and after; you can see him in the foreground with Leviathan in the background, and he's close enough to zap Ultra boy too. Also, Triad doesn't get any action.

All in all a good second part to the crossover. The ending definitely leaves me wanting more.

Legionnaires 31
One Thousand Years of Solitude, Future Tense part 3 of 3

Issue information

Summary:

The away team manages to beat Scavenger without any casualties. The Legionnaires make a big show of activating the Phantom Zone projector to release Valor, only for the projector to fall apart in front of the gathered crowd and the news cameras!

A while later, the Phantom Zone spits out Valor - Brainiac 5 had triggered a time delay so Valor could exit the Zone in secret! The lead serum is successful and Valor is finally free, though he is forced to lie low due to his status. An upset Valor turns on Triad, who is consoled by Superboy. Superboy is made honorary Legionnaire before being returned to the 20th century.

Thoughts:

This was another fun issue with effective storytelling. The layout of the panes in the battle with Scavenger us superb, as is the teamwork: Chameleon gets Scavenger to drop the Philosopher's Stone, Triad catches it, Leviathan coaches her to use it to save Violet, who follows and defeats a shrunken Scavenger. And Ultra Boy's penetra-vision finds the missing piece they need, with Superboy's guidance. The pacing was just right and the excitement was kept up all throughout.

The Legion's solution to the Valor mess is inspired, and the storytelling is very effective. We don't get a hint at all that the Phantom Zone projector is meant to fall apart; the only clue is the last panel on page 14 where Superboy and Brainiac 5 grin as they run away, and that's already after the projector fails. That is good writing.

I do feel a bit bad for Brainy. He probably doesn't care much, but Cos yells at him a lot this issue. He's pretty much the only one Cos yells at! I do share Cos' concern for XS though. "XS is lost in time, and you're making toys?" Yeah, it's not like Brainy's forcefield is urgent. But I guess Brainy is just that confident about being able to find XS.

Superboy really redeemed himself this issue! He shows a lot of the depth that Future stated was present in his own series. I wouldn't call him manipulative, but he certainly knows how to make amends. Telling Saturn Girl he's a screw-up, apologizing to and flattering Brainiac 5, and consoling Triad at the end. And, as I forgot to mention in last issue's review, his budding friendship with Chameleon - who actually cries when he leaves.

Valor's anger at Triad and his disappointment at being asked to lie low is very realistic. After being trapped for so long, he must be itching to explore again; in the 20th century, he had the same lust for exploration. As someone who eagerly trawls through the Internet to find cheap flights and to research on far-off lands, I can relate. It's worse for Valor, as he easily has the powers and means to explore; the only reason he can't go out is because of his believers! His outburst is right in that the believers do use him to add meaning to their lives, but of course we can't blame them. His legend has been built up for over a thousand years, after all; and his deeds were great. It's nice to see the world seeding still a part of continuity too.

More Easter Eggs in Scavenger's lair - Quislet's ship, a GL power battery (?), Data's (from Star Trek's) head, and Atom's belt.

Scavenger's cybernetic enhancements also help explain why a) he's so tough, and b) why he's so long-lived.

I'm also pleased by how the creators managed to show - in one panel on page 8 - the gravity of the Valor leak. The two beings from different worlds arguing about how Valor looks like? Comedic AND effective.

The issue also has some choice comedic bits, like:

1) The ongoing flirtation between Purple and Superboy. When Purple whispers something to Superboy, Triad Neutral's and Orange's are much less violent. "Valor's watching!" I wonder how they knew what she was whispering to Superboy? Does she have some sort of telepathic link, or is it just from experience? Also, when Superboy whispers (possibly the same thing) back to an integrated Triad, her "WHAT did you say?!" line is priceless.

2) Chu asking who Superboy is. When Cos says he's a friend of Brainy's, Chu goes, "Brainiac 5 has friends?!"

3) The initiation prank at the end, where the Legion pretends that the time machine failed. A nice homage to the Adventure Era.

All in all, this was a nice, fun issue and helped us forget for a while just how bad the political climate around the Legion has gotten. It was a welcome break from the doom and gloom immediately following the White Triangle saga's conclusion.

mega thanks for starting /re starting this, GL!

1) Agree with Future re Saturn Girl's telepathy. she's quite capable, so having her act as some rookie telepath really does not sit well
3) Agree that the plot structure of the first issue was meh. Obligatory misunderstanding and fight, and of course the star of the book (Superboy) gets to realize something is off!

2) classic Brainy, not worrying about XS. "We're time traveling anyway, so what does it matter if we find her later?"

5) very much AGREE with your points, GL, on the issue of Superboy leaving Valor in the Zone for 1000 years. Yes, we can't rescue him earlier cause he's still in the Zone now! and we get some good moments showing Superboy's guilt, and Valor's trauma (not even saying bye to Superboy, and lashing out at Triad when Cosmic Boy tells him he needs to keep hidden...) 1000 years like that, I don't know if I could handle it!

7) lol re Kinetix being absent, indeed how would she relate to Superboy's tactile telekinesis? also Vi's crack about not telling Kinetix that they would throw away the Philosopher's stone...

also, I thought it was a hoot that the writers used the Stone... they hadn't been able to use Jan Arrah's powers a lot yet, so is this their way of showing "hey, we can too write some good transmutation..>!"

re time travel, yeah! one can go any-when, so Brainy could wait a month and still time travel to the exact time they lost XS... though, she would be slowed down in aging, compared to everyone else. well, one month behind anyway

Legion of Super-Heroes 75
2-Timer
Underworld Unleashed Tie-In, Part 1

Issue Information

Summary:
We finally find the missing XS, who herself finds the 20th century villain Chronos! Like other villains at that time, Chronos has been powered up by the demon Neron as part of the Underworld Unleashed event. And like other villains, Chronos suffers a drawback. In exchange for being able to time travel at will, Chronos ages every time he uses his power. He has managed to temporarily stop the aging by transferring its effects to others; mostly young children like Lori Morning.

Lori, the daughter of Chronos’ henchman Ronald, befriends XS despite the language barrier. They discover that Chronos has kidnapped several children and aged them several decades. They manage to stop Chronos in the 20th century, only for another version of him to appear and bring Lori to the 30th century where he attacks the Legion in order to steal Brainiac 5’s time platform! And XS remains in the past, though it seems that events will lead her to the current Flash, Wally West.

Thoughts:

Tie-in issues to company-wide crossovers are hit or miss at best, but this one is a hit. The linkages to the Underworld Unleashed event are minimal, and no additional knowledge of the event is needed to understand or appreciate this story.

The action is fast-paced and few panels are wasted. XS, despite us not understanding her speech (unless you have the Interlac guide handy) shines. She manages to understand Lori’s coaching and she also figures out how to use Chronos’ glove. And like the hero she is, she risks remaining aged bin order to restore the five boys that Chronos kidnapped first. Of course, she restores herself next before Lori, but I don’t hold that against her; Lori’s been aged only a few years at most and Lori doesn’t mind the aging at all. I also like the scene where XS is still lost in the timestream, and she uses the memory of Cosmic Boy’s encouragement to calm herself. XS’ heroic journey is nearly complete; she comes across as a very mature young hero. It’s also a nice reminder of Cos’ excellent inspirational leadership, which has sadly been waning in recent issues.

On to XS’ new friend Lori. She enjoys being physically aged because she wants to be taken more seriously. But she doesn’t realize that the aging doesn’t come with mental or intellectual maturity. She does decently though, coaching both XS and the 30th century Legionnaires about Chronos’ glove. Her nicknames, Speedy and Barbie, were cute and descriptive. And to her credit, Lori doesn’t fall apart even though she sees her dad die. Nor does she have any misplaced loyalties towards Chronos.

Chronos’ aging shtick reminds me a bit of Glorith, though his is out of necessity. True to his villainous nature, he isn’t the least bit apologetic when Ronald catches him aging Lori. His villainy is characterized more by selfishness than sadism; besides his one-panel mention of destroying the Atom, all his actions are towards the goal of obtaining a time machine so he won’t age anymore.

We don’t get to know Ronald Morning enough to mourn him, though his belligerence towards Chronos – even before he realizes what has happened to Lori – puzzle me. Why exactly is he working for Chronos in the first place? He doesn’t seem to have any respect, much less actual loyalty, for Chronos. Ah well. Lori, of course, is distraught when Ronald dies but things happen so fast she doesn’t really get to mourn him.

On to the 30th century. Enter Rond Vidar! This Rond seems older and more “nerdy” than the Preboot version. His history with Brainiac 5 is a nice touch.

The Legionnaires in the 30th century do their best against Chronos. They do manage to stop him, but sadly not the effects of his glove. It’s great how five of the seven Legionnaires get to do something in 4 pages (2 pages, if you consider that only half of each page takes place in the 30th!).

The juxtaposition of 20th and 30th centuries is interesting, but confusing. I do like how the events mirror (but don’t completely copy) each other. Raises a lot of questions though. Chronos (unsurprisingly) and Lori (a little more surprisingly) have the same lines. I’m still confused as to where the second Chronos came from though. This one doesn’t seem to have any memory of fighting XS or of “dying” in the 20th century, yet remembers his mission to get the 30th century time machine. His dialogue also indicates that he just left for the 30th. What crazy time loop is this?

The art is good, though Lee Moder’s deaged kids seem a bit too old. Lori talks like she’s maybe 10, the boys seem to be in their preteens. Maybe they’re not in the same year. The action was very easy to follow though, and the layouts (especially for the pages with the battles against Chronos) were good.

All in all a solid issue, and a good setup for future development for XS. Sadly, I don’t have copies of her adventures in the 20th century, so if anybody else does, go for it!

Legionnaires 32
Here and Now
Underworld Unleashed Tie-In, Part 2

Issue Information

Summary:

The Legionnaires survive their battle with Chronos, though he doesn’t. Lori is now aged to early adulthood. The Legionnaires seek Rond Vidar’s assistance, but a slip by Cosmic Boy leads to Chu ordering the Science Police to shut them down! The Legionnaires barely manage to extract Brainiac 5 from the timestream, and the issue ends with him arrested for time travel.

We also revisit Kinetix after about 10 issues (5 months of real world time). She’s close to death, but a white glow surrounds her ship and apparently teleports her away. To safety? Time will tell.

Thoughts:

Much like the previous issue, this one manages to pack in a lot of fast-paced and easy to follow action. It also gives almost every character a chance to shine despite limited panel space and a cast of over a dozen.

The opening scenes are very well-done and heighten the tension and suspense. Does everyone make it? Having the scene be from Valor’s point of view keeps us guessing, and also gives some much-needed panel time to our new character. It’s really a testament to his power (and maturity) that he saves the Athramites and Shvaughn without them realizing it is him; he also keeps himself hidden despite wanting to burst free and explore his new world. I can empathize; I daydream about and make plans for travel a lot, and these restrictions can chafe. Valor’s inclusion also helps bridge the language gap with Lori.

The succeeding scenes are well-paced, and each furthers the plot along. Cos’ inadvertent slip leads Chu to send the Science Police down on everyone; Lyle’s tinkering brings Brainy back and Rond’s tinkering leads him to the Time Institute. And somehow, the chronal energy resurrects Chronos. What?I don’t get it myself, but at least Chronos gives a one-panel guess that it must be Neron’s work. Lori, once again, proves she is someone great to have in a crisis. She gives Brainy the key to escaping the timestream, and gives the Legion the key to defeating Chronos. Lobe her stamping his foot too. Well done!

There’s a teensy error on page 5 though. Valor is speaking in Interlac in the first two panels, but Lori somehow understands him. Why does he have to switch to English in the next few panels then?

Triad’s suspicion of Lori is a nice touch, and might hold some jealousy. I’m sure she must be glad that Valor helped her first though, and that he doesn’t seem to be mad at her anymore.

Lyle’s “friendship” with Brainy, though not really seen before this, is refreshing. It looks like Lyle respects Brainy after all, despite their early rivalry (in Planet Hell, when Lyle invented the flight ring, and to an extent during the Composite Durlan battle) it does seem a bit odd that Lyle would think of Brainy as his pal (“he hasn’t said two words to me since Andromeda died” – why? It’s not like they were particularly friendly before, despite being the two smart guys on the team!). And true to form, Lyle doesn’t follow orders and isn’t afraid to tinker with things by himself.

This Rond is definitely more “nerdy” and research-minded than the Preboot Rond. His history with Brainy is a nice touch. I’m VERY interested in why Chu seems to be so eager to clamp down on time travel, and share Cosmic Boy’s surprise that you can’t talk about time travel in the Time Institute! I’m also glad that Rond, though definitely not Brainy’s equal, is capable enough to enable Brainy to “bounce” to the Time Institute. Good job! And it looks like Lori likes Rond’s brains, too.

I’m also very annoyed at the gung-ho, by-the-books actions of the Science Police this issue. Except for Shvaughn (good girl, siding with the Legion like that! And a good continuation of events in LSH Annual 6), they don’t even seem to care that blasting the equipment could kill Brainy or innocent bystanders. Excuse me? Surely there are better ways to shut down equipment than by blasting them. I don’t mind them obeying orders to shut down experiments with time, but doing so in such a careless way is just moronic.

Lori is easily distracted, like many children her age. I barely understood her explanation myself, especially at the end. And this comes from me reading the previous issue! (Rond’s “you lost me” line is comedic and perfectly executed by the way).

Cos’ concern for XS is on-the-spot, and Jenni would surely have been happy to know that Cos was concerned. Sadly, he doesn’t seem to be at all concerned for Brainy. First time I read this issue I was perplexed; Cos is the leader! Didn’t he authorize Brainy’s invention? Of course, reading all the issues in order made me realize that Brainy invented the time machine himself; but it just seemed odd that Cos wouldn’t defend Brainy. President’s orders, huh? But how will they find XS now with Brainy in jail and time research outlawed? Surely he could have tried to explain that?

Imra’s a bit like a Mama Bear here. “Cos, give it a rest! Lori, SPEAK!” Heh. That is so Imra.

Gim is the quintessential soldier here. I don’t begrudge him his siding with the Science Police; surely he didn’t know they would shut down the machinery so violently, and potentially kill Brainy. I do agree with him though – don’t mess with things you don’t understand, especially when the Legion is already consulting an expert who could possibly properly extract Brainy.

Brainy is, as usual, smart and arrogant. He shines in his scenes here.

Finally, we devote one page to Kinetix. Poor Zoe, she looks in dire straits here. I’m surprised she survived so long myself; maybe the Stargate space warped time somehow and she exited some time in the future. I mean, we last saw her in LSH 71, before the White Triangle members attacked Earth. That has got to be at least a few weeks in Legion time (since then, they buried their dead, fought Dr. Regulus, Garth and Ayla defeated Mekt, and they freed Valor from the timestream). In any case, it’s good they haven’t forgotten totally about her.

Violet certainly hasn’t forgotten; her few panels show she’s still very much worried about Zoe. I think this is the first we’ve seen (of actual worry, I mean) since the White Triangle war. Good to know Vi’s continuing her search; looks like their friendship remains strong.

All in all, a good and enjoyable issue. The art is good, the action is easy to follow, the characters are developed further with the cast being juggled well. Of course, more and more questions arise – why does Chu hate time travel so much? Why is Cos acting the way he is? And how the heck is the Legion supposed to survive, with a wrecked HQ and a dwindling membership? Since LSH Annual 6, we’ve lost Kinetix, Apparition, Andromeda, XS and now Brainiac 5! The memberships of Live Wire, Element Lad and Ultra Boy have also been blocked, and Spark is on Winath – we’re down to only 7 Legionnaires from a peak of 13. Grim times, indeed…

I agree that this two-parter did a good job of showing the past/future action seamlessly. Those pages with things happening in parallel were gold. still confused as to how we had a "dead" Chronos and a new Chronos showing up later. but I try not to think about that too much lol

I, sadly, read the main Underworld Unleashed mini. The first issue was solid enough, but the rest were terrible.

re Lori's actual age, I think her age after Rond de-ages her in Legionnaires 44 is her true age. So basically, when we first meet her she's aged just enough that her dad would notice... so a few years. Basically, hitting puberty a tad early

XS got some good use in the 20th C from what I remember

a few issues later will make it clear Cos was playing along, but without that foreknowledge this seemed really bad!

For bonus points, the section of the collapse maps directly to the location of Brainy's lab as depicted in the map in the Year One annual.

That's part of what I'm a bit confused about - Is Rokk already playing her at this point?

At least Chronos got a costume upgrade - goodbye to those striped pants!

This was a pretty fast-paced story, especially part 2. We were kept up to date on Valor's situation and Kinetix's status (unclear, but she's still in the story - and I thought about how happy IB must have been when her page appeared). It's good to see Lyle demonstrate his scientific skill - and still at odds with Rokk's orders.

Cos does come off as a jerk (and I don't recall if he was on to Chu at this point and if Brainy was also in on it), but it's consistent with his play by the rules approach to leadership. Others might not like it, but they probably wouldn't be surprised that he let Brainy be carted off by the SPs.

Lori Morning was usually a character that elicited groans from me, but she seemed authentic here, except that she didn't appear to greatly bothered about her father's death, just excited that she had aged into a young woman.

He should be. In Legionnaires 29, we have a page where Cos is talking to Chu, and in the background we see an Omnicom "flying" around - Cos can see it as it is behind Chu. The flying around bit is likely an invisible Lyle's work.