A friend pointed these reviews out to me.

They appear on the Silver Bullet Comics' site.

Steve

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****
The Legion #24

Posted: Monday, September 29
By: Shawn Hill

"After Dark"

Writers: Abnett and Lanning
Artist: Steve Lightle

Publisher: DC

Plot:
Umbra returns to Talok VIII by instant threshold, only to find her world shrouded in the darkness that she no longer controls.

Comments:
Abnett and Lanning are actually channeling some of the original intrepid warrior energy that defined Shadow Lass from her debut in the Shooter sixties. That's quite a surprise, as the reboot Umbra has been little more than a tiresome termagant for most of her appearances.

Humbled (or perhaps modulated) by her experiences in Legion Lost, Tasmia was dealt a blow when her powers faded almost immediately upon her return to earth (22 issues ago to be exact). The young warrior and chosen champion finally makes it home to investigate. She finds a world literally shrouded, traumatized by the recent series of ravages suffered by the U.P. The Blight, Robotica, Ra's Al Ghul's destructive terraforming and forced evolution plan have all sent the formally sociable and interplanetary Talokians into deep Durlan retreat mode.

Lightle's return to this title is a welcome one, a gorgeous chance for the signature artist of the Baxter series (and some of the best covers during and since) to receive a long overdue spotlight. This solo on Tasmia and Talok is right up his ally. Even if his style has shifted somewhat from his formerly pristine precision, he's lost none of his expressive power over the years. There's more of a shorthand stylization going on nowadays, but perhaps that's a practical move.

DnA do it mostly in dialogue (but this is fitting for the verbose, imperial Tasmia), but they actually provide some character growth that goes some way towards recalling the ultimately regal and commanding Shadow Lass who was M'Onel's mate for so long. The ironic conflict in this issue is that Tasmia was sent out into the U.P. to become more tolerant and understanding of other species, which she has done. Meanwhile, her world has retreated into xenophobic paranoia, symbolized by their cloak in the dark force.

Lightle comes up with some intriguing ideas (like the infrared goggles and light-suits required to exist in a world of night), and the battle where she must reclaim the usurped darkness is dramatic and fittingly morbid. The coda, where Legion leader Jazmin welcomes back a powered-up Tasmia, shows just how far Umbra has come. Great job by all.

****
The Legion #24

Posted: Friday, September 26
By: Ray Tate

"After Dark"

Writer: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Artists: Steve Lightle, Jason Wright(c)
Publisher: DC

Legion did not surprise me. With no insult intended, I expected very little from Abnett's and Lanning's storytelling. I do not despise their efforts. Cosmos knows that neither of them reached the lower rungs of comic book writing occupied by Geoff Johns' dubious abilities on JSA or Hawkman. Indeed, I have applauded some of Abnett's and Lanning's past work on other books, but I never appreciated their darker take on the Legion of Super-Heroes. This issue does not make me feel any differently toward the writing.

I purchased this issue really for only one reason. Steve Lightle is a true artist. He draws proportionately, sensually and passionately. Umbra nee Shadow Lass has always been one of my favorite Legionnaires, and artistically the story did not disappoint.

While true this was not the Shady or even Umbra I remember, Mr. Lightle took some time to fix some problems he saw in the previous design of the character. Through the various encounters--which will feel very familiar to long time Legion readers and students of Joseph Campbell--he swathes Tasmia in a new, softer costume that recalls her pre-Crisis outfit while showing far more of her blue skin.

Despite showing a greater abundance of derma, Mr. Lightle actually gives this character more visual respect by discarding her weird armored breastplates--which look more like cupholders than protection. He opts for the black cloth of her traditional garb, including a longer cape to better identify her as a champion rather than just a warrior or some blue bad girl. This change removes the focus from her breasts and directs it toward her entire figure that he sculpts in sinew and strength of presence.

Because the story's star is the Shadow Champion of Mallor, you expect blackness, and Mr. Lightle treats each dark panel as having a different meaning. The first page's shades create mystery. The second and third pages with starling light effects offer contrast. The panels depicting the living darkness' attack on the Science Police and Tasmia exhibit suspense, and the next pages create warmer shadows in her former teacher's abode. Tasmia's shadowed nudity in these scenes emphasizes an encompassing feeling of home and security rather than embarrassment. In later scenes as Tasmia confronts the new Shadow Champion, Mr. Lightle envelops the panels with a subtle absorption of shadow into her and displays through her body language her familiarity in the dark environs.

While primarily the book functions in black, Jason Wright's colors become dazzling and help convey a meaning behind the fashion. The cloaks Tasmia's people wear for instance are at once alien as well as practical and as always Tasmia's blue skin tone bestows to her exotic beauty.