Loved Legion of the Damned. I feel like an echo, but Coipel's initial raw style was still great. It had a kinetic quality to it while still showcasing a grim, bleak setting. The covers were very engaging and I loved that a lot of the Legion's cast of characters was utilized or shown, even if they were just Blight drones in the background, so we could see Coipel's take on them.
As an ongoing Legion reader at the time, this switch up couldn't have come fast enough. That past year of Legion stories, splitting the team between the Outpost and Earth HQ, was far too insular for my tastes. I never felt a sense of urgency and all the major new threats each title tried to sell fizzled without fanfare.
The characters read well to me in Damned and finding them in this outclassed setting was very exciting. Having my personal favorites at the time, Live Wire and XS, defeated and desperate was such an interesting first hook to me. This story is the first time I had really enjoyed Reep in years. DnA's good use of XS made me sad she received no attention during The Legion.
Loved that storyline. DNA "got" the Legion quite well.
The preview, L* 78, with the quartet of Legionnaires facing an Emissary of Robotica was well done. Monstress was sweet but not overly so; Tinya actually took time off from Jo; Brainy was intelligent without being snobbish, Cos was Cos. Only annoying part was that it took so long for Robotica to show up again - but given all that happened after, not a big deal. And this was all a one-parter!
Damned was wonderful. All the fear with not knowing what had happened to the rest of the Legionnaires... It was chilling waiting to see who else had been Blighted!
Wonder why Magno, Garth, Gates, Lyle and Sensor were the chokeweeded ones. Any reason in particular it was them? Always thought it interesting that among these 5, one (Gates) would end up MIA for a year, one (Garth) would die, and one (Sensor) would be transformed.
Wish we'd gotten to see a flashback to the original Blight invasion. It would have been a chilling addition to Legion Worlds. Only comment was that, they made so much about the trauma of being Blighted, that it wasn't touched on again after Legion Lost.
Props to DNA for exploring the rich history of the Legion by even adding in characters like the Workforce, Amazers, Particon, Radion...
All in all Damned seemed to rush by a little bit too fast, but there was enough meat to the story that I didn't really mind.
The "final" seven free Legionnaires made an interesting lineup:
XS Apparition Saturn Girl Monstress Cosmic Boy Chameleon Brainiac 5
I really liked LOTD as well. it was a great story that was big in action but focused so much on the characters. That's really what i loved about it and Legion Lost vol.1.
I think that's where it kind of went wrong with Legion. DNA started being more about the action and the grand scale and left the characterization to be desired.
I agree that i wish we saw more of the initial invasion, even in flash backs, and also dealt more with the ramifications of being blighted.
And keeping with the total lack of cohesion or chronological order I seem to have going with this thread, I bring you: EMERALD VIOLET. (LOSH #83, Legionnaires #40 and LOSH #84)
This, my friends, was my very first LOSH comic book EVER. I'm very nostalgic about it. Why did I buy it, you ask? What drew me to this issue? VIOLET'S OUTFIT, OF COURSE. Seriously though, I picked up this issue on a whim, was intrigued by this strange assortment of colorful characters, and have been hooked ever since.
As far as Legion stories go, I enjoyed this one. I genuinely felt bad for Violet, as I'd always lacked self-confidence myself. As a 16 year old girl, I could identify with this shy, reserved girl who wanted to be more than that.
Upon re-reading these issues, I will say that this particular storyline moved FAST. Almost too fast. One minute Gim is dying and within two issues everything has blown up and half the Legionnaires are a 1000 years in the past! Let me tell you, as a new reader back in those days, it was a lot to take in! It's not as though this storyline was a new concept or anything, but it must have held my interest enough in those days to make me come back to see what happened.
The art was fun! It was neat to see the "Emerald Legion" in all their weird costumes and borg-like group mind. From what I can see, Jeff Moy and Lee Moder were really hitting their stride at this point. Both of them had been on the books for quite some time and I thought both looked pretty good. Definitely better than what's going on now! XD
This storyline sets up the temporary splitting of the Legion, which was actually VERY advantageous for me as a new reader. I was able to get to know the characters in separate settings for a while before they got thrown back together.
I'd been kind of growing bored with it for awhile, but after the split into two teams, I dropped LSH pretty quickly because the Legion set in the 20th century with tons of crossovers had pretty much no appeal to me. Legionnaires I kept reading a bit longer. It may have been Sneckie that caused me to drop.
Yeeeeeah. I recall that I didn't even BUY the crossovers at the time. So when I'd buy the Legion comic I was even MORE confused than I would have been otherwise. I'm surprised I managed to get to LIKE this series considering when I jumped on!
I always liked Peyer better than Stern, and the Team 20 split solidified that for me. Both books ultimately suffered for it, but I found Team 20 more readable at the beginning. Granted I'm the opposite of most people here in that I hated Magno.
I'll agree this really was a trying time for the Legion. I hated Team 20 more and it felt much like a chore to buy it. But I couldn't not buy it because I knew it would eventually end.
But Legionnaires at this time was really strong and I loved the Legion try outs. I wish we had seen more applicants.
I know i'm in the minority when i say this. But I loved Sensor. It was really cool to see some more diversity with the team. I think that's one of the things that drew me to this Legion. It showcased more different types of aliens, even just as background characters.
I didn't know any better at the time, so I loved Sensor too! I can see how older fans took it badly, but she was cool! I hated when they made her half human and cranky.
Yeah i wasn't too fond of it at first... and but that look eventually grew on me. But i did hate the crankiness. She wasn't like that. and then they never did anything with her again.
that's where i think DnA's run on Legion went wrong. They needed to keep it close nit and character focused and less about earth shattering things. I mean yes they are the legion and they should face big threats but they should have some real team interaction and there wasn't enough of that i think.
I think i've decided to just throw chronological order out the window altogether!
NEXT UP: THE DARK CIRCLE! (LSH: 106,107,108 Legionnaires: 62,63,64,65)
Hmmmmmm. Not sure how I felt about this storyline. On the one hand, I could tell that the writers were trying really hard to give it a BIG feel. Unfortunately it actually managed to only feel a bit disjointed. All the pieces of the puzzle didn't really fit very well even when the plot was uncovered.
And the reveal of Brainiac 4 being the Big Baddie? Not so sure how I felt about that either. Upon original reading in my teens I think I liked it, but as an adult i'm not so sure. I wonder what the ORIGINAL plan for Brainiac 4 was...I mean, her departure from Brainy's life was revealed in LSH #77, and she didn't become a loony until #106. Nearly three years later!
In retrospect, I would have enjoyed her actually NOT be a loony like so many Brainiacs before her. But, since they made her crazy, I would have at least liked to see her redeem herself and perhaps heal the relationship with Brainiac 5. What were the reasons she was emotionless? Was it intentional? A byproduct of her upbringing? So many unanswered questions.
I rather liked Jason Armstrong's art back in the day, and I still do to a point. It's a little simplistic now that I look at it more closely, but not in a BAD way. It's definitely better than what's going on now! XD
This arc's redeeming factor? LOTS OF BRAINY AND LYLE. True, they weren't interacting, but they're my favorites and any excuse I have to fangirl over them is great.
And the reveal of Brainiac 4 being the Big Baddie? Not so sure how I felt about that either. Upon original reading in my teens I think I liked it, but as an adult i'm not so sure. I wonder what the ORIGINAL plan for Brainiac 4 was...I mean, her departure from Brainy's life was revealed in LSH #77, and she didn't become a loony until #106. Nearly three years later!
In retrospect, I would have enjoyed her actually NOT be a loony like so many Brainiacs before her. But, since they made her crazy, I would have at least liked to see her redeem herself and perhaps heal the relationship with Brainiac 5. What were the reasons she was emotionless? Was it intentional? A byproduct of her upbringing? So many unanswered questions.
The general assumption is that it relates to Vril Dox's deal with Neron, also written by Tom Peyer (which was flagged up when Vril met Brainiac 5 in Showcase '96 #12. And, for context, Dox's deal with Neron was during Underworld Unleashed - the same time as LSH #75/Lgs #32, BEFORE the B5 spotlight in LSH #77, although this reveal itself was published slightly later).
My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Ooooooohhhh! Well, I never saw that! Poor Brainiac 4! She never stood a chance! It would have been a pretty cool storyline for Brainiac 5 to go get her soul back, huh?
Brainiac 5 and the Legion in hell on a quest to save a soul? Sounds interesting, but even with the Legion's experience with magic it seems rather not Legion-y. It sure would be different...
Couldn't stand Jason Armstrong art.
Dark Circle was ambitious and tried to give everyone screen time, but it felt like there wasn't a good climax. The team was never challenged to a point where I went, "oh Nass how are hey gonna fix this???"
I'll agree this really was a trying time for the Legion. I hated Team 20 more and it felt much like a chore to buy it. But I couldn't not buy it because I knew it would eventually end.
But Legionnaires at this time was really strong and I loved the Legion try outs. I wish we had seen more applicants.
I know i'm in the minority when i say this. But I loved Sensor. It was really cool to see some more diversity with the team. I think that's one of the things that drew me to this Legion. It showcased more different types of aliens, even just as background characters.
I also greatly preferred team 30. Only things I truly liked about team 20 were the restoration of Apparition, and more screen time and development for Gates, Shvaughn Erin, and to an extent Spark and Brainiac 5. Inferno's inclusion seemed ultimately pointless.
Legionnaires was great and I only wish the Team 30 contingent had rejoined before the Mordru battle. Stupid Lori Morning.
Sensor was an OK character and I'm sure she'd have been much more accepted if she had been totally original. I do think she and Monstress suffered a bit from having similar personalities, which probably made a lot of readers feel they were redundant.
I dunno Peebz, but those covers rawked!!! LSH 80 was my wallpaper for a long long time! Having Alan Davis and Jeff Moy as the 2 cover arts was epic!! I love laying out my issues on the bed and just gawking at he pretty covers.
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