Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! Dev revisits the 5YL era

My reaction to Annual #3--as well as responses from several other posters--can be found here .

Good point. An arguable failing of 5YL is that TMK spend so much time on the "Big Story" that they lose sight of the Legionnaires' relationships. Having re-read through # 30 now, I can't think of a meaningful exchange that has occurred between the old teammates since Vi and Rokk came clean about Venado Bay.

There have been some funny scenes and some near misses (Brainy brushing Rond off over Laurel--but that doesn't really count since Laurel is a retcon). But there's little sense that these people have known each other, fought alongside each other, and cared about one another for 20 years.

Issue #32, Aug 92 - The first to fall.

This is a good issue that wraps up the Subs taking over the chamber story, and sets up a major event that will happen soon.

Things that happen within:

Reep gets info on his father, adn decides to go find him. Rokk give Reep a hard time about leaving until he realizes who he is going after.

Elia is being invaded by the Khunds, and the Dominators have a choise to make...go protect their homeworld, or stay and fight for Earth.

The Legionnaires prove that teamwork is a good thing as they devise a plan to rescue those in the chamber. Their plan works to perfection...except nobody counted on Grinn activating the self destruct mechanism. This kills Karate Kid, Princess Projectra and Chameleon Boy of the SW6 group. It also destroys the rest of the chambers, as they were all linked together.


Some thoughts/rants from me.

-There are events that are happening in the book that lead to the destruction of the Earth, and the previous destruction of the moon. The Dominators had these things in place, but in both cases, the events were triggered by others, Dev Em and Grinn to be precise. Just an observation. Were the Dominators ever going to use the things they had in place? We'll never know.

-The other thing is the obsessive hatred the Giffen has for Val (Karate Kid). There have been several interviews over the years where Giffen has publically stated his desire to kill the character...at least three times at this point. The Death of Val is his favorite Legion moment here.

He says this: "Whenever Karate Kid dies, I kind of rejoice a little. I'm nostalgic over the first time with Nemesis Kid. That was his best death. But anytime he dies is OK with me."

If you really hate a character that much, you seriously have a problem. There are characters that all of us do not like, but this is kinda odd.

Time for a mini side trip of sorts.

Timber Wolf Issues #1 - 5, Nov 92 - Mar 93

Written by Al Gordan and drawn by Joe Phillips.

Reread this for probably the first time since buying it way back when. It's not terrible, and at the same time it's not great. It's pretty average for an early 90's comic. The art is pretty good.

Brin and Aria end up back in the modern day DCU. They meet Thrust, a shape changing bad boy. It's implies that his father is Lobo...and his mother was a Durlan, I think.

They are taken in by a government agency, and Aria is promptly kidnapped due to a double agent working for the Dominators. That's right, the Dominators kidnap Aria to leech her powers into a typical 90's character.

The good guys get Aria back and she and Brin go off to have more adventure...that we never see.

He'll be back in the LSH soon enough.

Pretty average mini overall, but I liked it enough at the time, because Timber Wolf was always a fave.

Re: # 32

This is an amazingly well constructed issue that delivers an important victory to the heroes—but at great cost.

The Subs and crew are rescued from the underground chambers thanks to some sleight of hand pulled off by the SW6 Legionnaries, who finally get a chance to do something besides stand around and argue with Devlin O’Ryan. Giffen, the Bierbaums, and Pearson execute this maneuver with expert precision, keeping the reader in the dark until it's over. They make effective use of the characters and their powers.

Of course, what people remember most about this issue are the deaths of three SW6 Legionnaires—Chameleon Boy, Karate Kid, and Princess Projectra. It’s a horrific moment made worse as it comes right after their impressive victory. (Well, Cham and Jeckie participated in the rescue of the Subs; it’s not clear what Val did. His apparently useless death may be another sign of Giffen’s dislike of the character.)

Very few comic book deaths have any significance beyond shock value. The demise of three Legionnaires is certainly shocking; however, much more also happens here. The three Legionnaires die as heroes, and their deaths are portrayed as realistic consequences of war. Furthermore, they are murdered because of the thoughtless actions of Grinn, who is so focused on making sure that the Dominators do not get their hands on the weapons in the chamber that he sets off the chamber’s self-destruct mechanism without considering the widspread consequences. (Not only do three Legionnaires die, but so do thousands if not millions across the world, as the Dominators’ chambers were all interconnected.)

Giffen and crew play emotional hardball with us by having so much tragedy come right after the victorious rescue of the Subs. This is good writing. Painful, but good.

There are, however, a few things in this story I don’t understand. I did not re-read # 31, as I had already reviewed it elsewhere, so I’m not sure I follow what Circe and Bounty are doing, or how they hooked up with Sussa (or why). I’m not sure what is happening on page 16: Are the giant hands Colossal Boy’s, and what is the giant globe they are holding? Is the building of Pinnacle Command shaped like a globe? (Later on, Colossal Boy says he could “deflate,” suggesting he was the globe.) These things, though mildly distracting, did not interfere with the main story.

Other nice touches: Invisible Kid questions whether or not Jacques Foccart is working with the Dark Circle—Kid, who has never met Foccart, apparently does not know that Foccart became his own successor as Invisible Kid II. Phantom Girl compliments the Subs on having “blossomed.” And, of course, there’s the hilarious opening scene with Kono, a sleeping adult Cham, and ice cream.

(Though this scene does remind me that it’s been a long time since Kono or any of the adult Legionnaires have done anything of substance in this book. Even Valor stands by alongside his younger counterpart and watches as large areas of earth are destroyed.)

The flawless execution of this issue makes it one of the highlights of 5YL for me.

Issue #33, Sep 92 - Kid Quantum

We finally learn about the statue that is in Garth's dargen. The issue is alright overall. Never minded the addition of Kid Quantum to the mythos of the Legion. There are a few things that bother me though, as well as some good stuff....

Reep is following the trail of his farther. He finds him on the Planet Yal where he is writing something...not sure what else he is doing...or has been doing since he was "killed."

The Dominators hire the Hunter to track him down. Hunter is seen hunting a probe here...not sure how that is very challenging for him, but who knows.

Reep is taken out really easy here. It would have been one thing if he had just come across his dad, but they came to this planet together. He also recovers amazingly fast. Both seem to be there to serve the plot and not much else.

Garth is also shown lamenting over what happened to the Kid.

The Proteans are given some back story here, which is nice to see. It's also suggested that James is a Protean stripped of it's shape changing and telepathy. Not sure about that though, since it's the 'legend" that is related to the reader. Wish they had been a little more clear on that end of what James was. It is clear that he is able to restore the Proteans to full sentience.

We round out the issue with them getting "hijacked" by the Emerald Eye.

We also get to see the Legionnaires run into some more chamber survivors...including Dannielle Foccart, Xao Jin Catspaw and the Crystal Kid.

There is a text piece that covers the Protean legend again. Plus a bit of history about James Cullen, Kid Quantum.

Re: # 33

This issue amounts to a mildly pleasant diversion from the Dominion war. The main purpose of this story is to introduce Kid Quantum and his retconned history as an early Legionnaire. I have my doubts about inserting another character into the Legion’s past; most of the retcons so far have been intended to cover the gaping holes left by Superboy and Supergirl's removal from continuity. But what purpose does the Kid Quantum retcon serve? All it really does is distance the 5YL Legion even further from the original timeline.

The story itself is fair: a wild west adventure set on an outpost planet with Kid Q as a “wanted man,” a robot sheriff and deputy that can be bribed, an old Legion villain (Adam Orion) as a bounty hunter, and Proteans who save the day. Oh, yes, Cham finds Brande and they figure into the story, too.

As Dev noted, Cham and Brande are here mainly to serve the plot; the story could just as easily take place without them or with other characters occupying their roles. What particularly grates on me is Cham’s impulsive attack on Orion on page 13. Cham is too late to save the robot sheriff, so all he accomplishes is getting himself shot by Orion and getting Brande taken hostage. Yawn.

The Soul of Antares plotline seems like an unncessary distraction; it’s unclear why the Dominators want to possess it, or why Brande was looking for it in the first place. The revelation that the Soul is really Kid Quantum reminds me of the film “The Jewel of the Nile,” wherein the sought after “jewel” turns out to be a holy man. Again, this revelation is distracting and simply inserts another plotline into an already convoluted series.

As Dev noted, other stuff happens as well—but the introductions of Catspaw, Danielle, Xao Jin, and Crystal Kid merely set up their roles in the forthcoming Legionnaires comic.

This issue is one of the least inspired efforts of 5YL, although it is partially redeemed by David A. Williams’ expressive and moody artwork.

# 34-35.

The Dominion War finally comes to an end in these issues, which explicitly show the cost of war with panels that depict the bodies of civilians and massive destruction. The horror of these scenes is only one of many emotions that Giffen and crew deftly pull as through. The heroes rejoice in their victory. Even the surrender of the Dominators’ leader is oddly moving.

Again, so many things happen on so many different fronts that it’s hard to keep track of everything. Basically, the Dominators lose for three reasons: abandonment by their homeworld, which is under attack by the Dark Circle; subterfuge by Bounty, Sussa, and Circe, who implant a virus in their computer network; and last-minute action from the youthful LSH, particularly Valor and Laurel Gand, which turns the tide of the battle.

The end of the war is well presented for the most part, although there are still some problems. The Legionnaires have spent most of the last several issues standing around, waiting for the call to action. When the call finally arrives, they deliver decisive blows against the Dominators, leading me to wonder why they didn’t act sooner. For that matter, the adult LSH never does get involved (except for brief action by Jan and pointless wisecracks by Tenz), giving the impression that the entire storyline existed for no other reason than to showcase the younger Legionnaires and prepare them for their own book.

In actuality, the Dominion War is much more complex than that. It presents a truly vivid account of what war on earth would be like from several perspectives. Resistance troops carry on the fight in different corners, battling against hopless odds. Each makes crucial contributions to victory. In this respect, the storyline succeeds admirably.

Other aspects, however, are less satisfying. A recurring theme seems to be that earth must fight its own battles. This is the reason given for the Legionnaires’ delay. (In fact, Valor pointedly tells Sade that he’s there to save souls, not the planet.) But this clichéd rationale falls flat, particularly in light of modern events. Can you imagine, for example, relief organizations standing by and claiming that Haitians must solve their own problems? It wouldn’t look very heroic, would it?

In the end, earth does not win this war. Much of the victory is due to the United Planets, other aliens, and, of course, the young Legionnaires themselves. I’m not sure what point is being made here. In interviews, Giffen has said that he had hoped to end 5YL with earth coming to realize that it needs the Legion. This is borne out by the scene of an earth man watching the Legionnaires fly by and proclaiming, “God, we’re gonna win this thing!” (# 35, page 6). All well and good, but since the Legionnaires haven’t done much, their victory is more symbolic than literal.

Perhaps that’s Giffen’s point—that the symbolism of heroes is important. If so, it still falls flat. Giffen has spent much of this book tearing down the Legion in earth’s eyes. Now, all of a sudden, they’re heroes again—and not heroes who have gone through the dark days of disbandment and discreditation and who have bounced back from their darkest days, but heroes who have spent the last 17 years sleeping.

Another, equally disturbing point seems to be that it was not the older heroes who won but the younger heroes. This message plays into the usual stereotypes about super-heroes being eternally youthful which runs counter to what 5YL has been about. What was the point in aging the Legionnaires at all if they were only going to fade into the background?

Yet perhaps I’m reading too much into it. Giffen wanted to tell an exciting story, and he did. The accomplishments of the Dominion War storyline and 5YL as a whole are considerable. Giffen and crew broke the boundaries of what could be done in a super-hero comic. They forced us to reconsider what was truly meaningful about the Legion: not the costumes, code names or even powers, but the spirit of the Legion itself.

Since this is a DC Comic, of course, no plotline can truly end without a new one beginning. We finally learn what Universo has been up to, as he launches a nefarious new scheme with Leland McCauley. Also, Dirk emerges from the debris of the Dominators’ chamber ravaged in both body and mind. In a poignant twist, he encounters his youthful counterpart who impulsively thinks he is a monster to be fought. The things older Dirk should tell younger Dirk . . . if his mind isn’t too far gone.

In one of my favorite scenes, we learn the fate of Grinn. The faceless murderer of young Val, Jeckie, and Cham gets shoved out the hatch of a ship by Sade—off-panel, no less.

The Dominion War ends as a sprawling epic—a very convoluted narrative that requires several re-readings to fully understand. For all its faults, it was both emotionally satisfying and intellectually challenging: truly a remarkable accomplishment.

We never finished these reviews. Stickler that I am for completing things, I’ll offer my assessments of # 36-38 as time allows. These issues wrap up Giffen’s run. For comments on TM without K, see [URL= http://www.legionworld.net/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=004759;p=1][/URL].

Right. On to # 36.

The cover blurb describes this issue as the “the conclusion of the Terra Mosaic epic”—but it’s really an epilogue of sorts. The Legionnaires spend a lot of time wandering around, commenting on the destruction of the war and loss of life. A few plotlines are advanced. A major revelation occurs in a ridiculously off-handed way. And Dirk Morgna’s fate comes to a tragic end.

The issue opens with Jacques complaining to Drura about being president—a responsibility he never wanted. Then we move to a scene of the SW6 Invisible Kid coming to terms with the deaths of three of his teammates. A nice theme is established here, as neither Invisible Kid wanted the responsibility of command and the moral burden of sending people to die. Death, as we shall see, plays a major part in this story.

Next, Circe and Bounty argue over what to do with Dirk, and—after Cosmic Boy interrupts their feud—Bounty stalks off with what appears to be another voice in her head. Jason Pearson drew this issue over Giffen’s breakdowns and, at times, the return of the latter’s obscure imagery proves distracting. The shot of Bounty with her eyes shadowed (page 5, panel 3) made me think she was being stalked by Vrykos, the faceless energy vampire from the Mordru arc. On the other hand, the image of Circe crying at the bottom of the same page—with her shadow forming a tombstone behind her—makes effective and haunting use of foreshadowing.

So goes the art throughout this story. Some panels are dreadful (manga-eyed Triplicate Girl on page 3); others are masterful (the contrast between young Dirk and his older, disfigured counterpart on page 6).

Young Sun Boy experiences a heartbreaking moment with his older self. Young Brainiac 5 and older Brainiac 5 ponder the intellectual possibilities of either team being clones. Young Light Lass pays the older Valor a compliment. (And, later, the older Ayla tells Kent it doesn’t matter to her if she’s a clone or not.) Such character moments are a welcome relief from the heavy action of the past several issues.

However, obligatory action is provided courtesy of Bounty, who recognizes Sade as a fugitive with a billion-credit bounty on her head. Their fight scene is well paced, if bloody, and ends with the Bounty entity leaving its badly wounded host body—which turns out to belong to (ta da!) Dawnstar.

I’ve said all along that I don’t have a problem with most of the drastic revelations of 5YL—Dirk, Proty-Garth, Shvaughn/Sean, et al.—so long as they resulted in good stories. For the most part, I also don’t have a problem with Dawnstar being de-winged and turned into a host for some mysterious entity. What I do have a problem with is how matter-of-factly this revelation was dropped into the story and how little thought seems to have been put into it. There was no setup—or if there was, I completely missed it while re-reading the previous issues. So little attention was paid to Bounty since her introduction that she seemed to be just another supporting character, like Circe, Celeste, etc. She helped round out the 5YL milieu but showed little importance as a character herself. Thus, the sudden revelation that she has been a longtime fan favorite Legionnaire all along comes out of nowhere and adds nothing to the story except shock value.

What makes this scene truly unforgivable is the admission of older Brainiac 5 that he knew Bounty’s identity all along yet he lacked the “sense to intervene.” Shouldn’t Brainy have been the least little bit curious as to what happened to his former teammates’ wings and personality? Didn’t it occur to him that she might not be acting of her own free will?

And even Rokk excuses Brainy’s inaction by saying that they had all picked up on the similarity. Excuse me? Even if Rokk had no previous reason to believe that the similarities between Dawny and Bounty were anything other than coincidence, how can he now dismiss Brainy’s depraved indifference?

The cavalier attitudes of these two Legionnaires remind me of the deservedly maligned Avengers # 200, in which Ms. Marvel was forced to give birth to her own rapist and then returned to live with him in limbo. None of the Avengers considered the possibility that she was still being manipulated by said rapist. The issue—and its asinine assumptions about women—has always stood out as a black mark on Marvel. The handling of Bounty does the same thing for DC.

Wanna make it even worse? Now that they know the truth, Rokk and Brainy don’t seem the least bit concerned about how Dawny ended up this way. Their scene is interrupted by Rokk playing with his child, then Brainy suggests only that Dawny be “debriefed” once she’s out of danger—to which Rokk responds, “What do you think we could learn from her that’s so urgent?” Yes, never mind the fact that she’s an old teammate who will need support from her friends. All that matters is what WE can get from her. Good going, Rokk and Brainy. Good going, TMK.

That scene ruins the issue for me—which is a shame as the issue also contains the most powerful sequence in the entire run of TMK. It begins as young Sun Boy stares at his graffiti-covered statue. Cosmic Boy consoles him by telling him that he can avoid the mistakes made by his older counterpart. Then there is a closeup of the statue’s face, followed in the next panel by a closeup of the skeletal older Dirk—with a bullet hole between his eyes. On the next page, Circe—who loved Dirk so much that she put him out of his misery—puts a bullet into her own head, as well.

Paradoxically, # 36 combines both the best and the worst of TMK. Even this late in Giffen’s run, they were still finding ways to move us and get us talking.

I'll be back on this shortly.

# 37

This issue falls into the realm of “Why not?” Why not make Thom (Star Boy) Kallor the manager of a baseball team? Why not make former sexpot Nura (Dream Girl) Nal an overweight high seer of Naltor? Why not have a villain (Starfinger III) conspire to fix the game?

This issue harkens back to the ‘60s and ‘70s, when comic books could be fun just for the sake of it. Remember the all-baseball issue of one of those DC anthologies? Remember the gorillas that seemed to be everywhere in the DCU? Remember when Superman took on football players who threw footballs that created an energy barrier? For all the brouhaha about comic books “growing up” (which some misinterpreted to mean becoming all doom and gloom), this fun aspect was always part of what made comics so appealing to kids of all ages.

That isn’t to say that there are no stakes involved here—there are. Thom learns too late that one of his star hitters—a gorilla-like being who must wear a “handicapper belt”—has been given a tampered belt that goes off at a key moment, allowing him to literally slam one out of the park and win the championship. Does Thom allow his team to accept a victory they didn’t earn? He’s a former Legionnaire—what do you think?

Although the story isn’t significant, it is well told. The Bierbaums ably set Thom up as a “bear scout”—Nura found him boring, as does his own wife (the owner of Thom’s team, the Dreamers). Thom is a good sod who cares about his players but can’t say no to them. He even allows one pitcher to play with an injured arm. Yet he also believes that “batball” players are role models. (Ironic, isn’t it, that Thom has gone from being a super-hero to nurturing sports figures as role models? Doubly ironic in the era of tainted sports stars such as Tiger Woods.)

In short, Thom is a milquetoast who has to make a very difficult decision once he learns the game is fixed. But he makes the right choice and risks everything—the championship, perhaps even his job—to make his team earn their victory. To his credit and theirs, they do.

If only real life worked this way.

But then comics have never been about portraying real life. They have been about many things; at their best (and the Legion typifies this), they show us possibilities.

The portrayal of Nura is less convincing, but she’s mainly a bit player here. She comes off as a madam with a ridiculous hairstyle, gigolo aides, and uncharacteristically crude dialogue (“. . . pretty damned thrilled to see you again, Thom”). Nothing remains of the smart and sexy Dream Girl who embodied the paradox of leading the Legion while worrying over a broken fingernail.

The Bierbaums are superbly assisted by penciller June Brigman and inker John Dell, who mostly abandon the nine-panel grid for more conventional (e.g., varied) panel layouts.

A few other plotlines are also introduced. Imra gets “zapped” by an intruder while putting her new twins to bed. The SW6 Valor takes off in a time bubble for 2278 to see if it’s feasible for the other young Legionnaires to return to their own time. (I believe I’m correct in assuming he never returns; this scene sets up both his own Valor comic and the Valor-less Legionnaires title.). The adult Brainiac 5 goes to earth on a mysterious mission.

Keith Giffen, in one of his periodic snits with DC, is nowhere to be found among the credits of this issue. He will return next issue to say goodbye for good with one of the most controversial finales ever.

I was going to post a review of # 38, but interest in this topic seems to have declined. Here, instead, is a link to page nine of this thread , in which the destruction of earth and related 5YL matters are discussed.

nah i'm sure people still love going back and reviewing the 5 year gap..hell we need some resolution keep going.

Don't stop. I've been a bit busy for lengthy comments but I'm definitely reading each post. #38 is a unique comic. I want a full length He Who Wanders review and Dev Em insights !!

I had a few weeks of big studying for a test and some sick kids, so not as much time to read.

I'll be picking up again this coming week hopefully. There's still a lot of cool stuff to come, and some real bleh stuff.

I knew everyone was probably busy with other things, but lack of feedback does make me wonder if anybody still cares. (What can I say? I'm a spoiled writer! )

Thanks for letting me know that people are still reading.

# 38.

How does one separate the legend of Giffen’s swan song from the reality? How does one give it a fair review after all this time?

Few issues in Legion history have polarized fans as much as # 38: fans either love the poignant depiction of earth’s destruction or they deride it as an ill-conceived move that drove the final nail the coffin of the pre-boot LSH. While reviewing the comments on the above thread to which I linked, I discovered that fans who already liked 5YL tend to fall in the former camp while those who disliked it fall in the latter. Probably no review is going to sway either side or provide fresh insights, but here goes a try.

My initial reaction upon re-reading this issue reminded me of my first reaction back when: I dislike the method of telling stories with only one large panel per page. This method, which I believe was popularized by “The Death of Superman” story back in 1992 (the same year that # 38 was published), is sometimes used for stories of great magnitude (or at least stories meant to capture media attention)—as if the very large panels and prose text on the side somehow legitimize the story. The creators seem to be telling us that this story transcends ordinary super-hero fare and approaches Literature (with a capital L). This story is Important. You need to pay attention.

However, I always feel as if I’m being cheated by the absence of artistic story telling in such comics. I read comics for slightly different reasons than I read prose novels. The synergy between art and writing creates a unique form of story telling that no other medium —not even films—can match. Much of the story in comics happens in the reader’s mind, which is guided along by sequential images; that is, the reader has to work to understand the story more than films typically allow while enjoying the benefits of a visual medium not available in prose. Stripping a story down to one panel per page destroys the uniqueness of comics story telling by subordinating the art to the text instead of relying on their collaborative qualities. Such comics look to me like little more than sophisticated picture books for children.

This is true even of # 38, although the images are beautifully rendered and the text is well paced and moving (particularly Devlin’s commentary on page 1 about life being fair until our actions make it unfair). Once again, the biggest flaw of this story—which was also the biggest flaw of “Terra Mosaic”—is that the stars of this comic, the Legion of Super-Heroes, are virtually absent, dwarfed by events beyond the scope of their abilities to influence. Sure, both Brainiac 5s are present to announce earth’s imminent destruction and explain the causes (though their explanation comes in the form of Devlin’s summary rather than in their own words), but, otherwise, we’re treated to a single panel each of a few SW6 Legionnaires and a few members of the older team mourning earth’s destruction. (To be complete, we also get a panel of Jacques weighing a heavy decision while Troy looks on, and two panels of Devlin writing the text and then mourning.) Most of the images depict the destruction of earth cities, the preparations for evacation, the survival of domed cities blasting off from earth and linking up in space, and the transportation of those cities into the Buffer Region. When people appear in the story at all, they are in the form of huddled masses watching the events on viewscreens or doomed masses left behind to accept their fate.

Again, such images are beautifully rendered, and most are filled with emotion. However, I can’t help feeling distanced from the story—as if I’m watching it from afar instead of experiencing it. Giffen and crew strive to overcome this distance by using Devlin as our viewpoint character—everything happens through his eyes as he writes an account of earth’s destruction. But therein lies another flaw: We are being told this story instead of being shown it. (Rule No. 1 of story telling: Show, don’t tell.) By depriving us of other characters’ reactions—the denial, the fear, the false hope, the panic, the final acceptance—Giffen and crew have also deprived us from partaking of this journey ourselves. Instead, we have someone interpret it for us, and that’s not the same experience.

(One sterling example of a missed opportunity: We are told that “thousands of onlookers” refused to evacuate their homes when the ancient domes were activated to cover the cities. Those onlookers were “crushed.” We could have gotten to know one such person and come to understand why he or she had chosen to die in this manner.)

As with most of 5YL, I don’t have a problem with the destruction of the earth itself. It was a bold move that (all things considered) was well handled. For example, Giffen and crew wisely chose to tell the story in one issue rather than having it play out for months. The sudden destruction of earth reminds us of our own mortality and how our lives can change irrevocably in one instant. It also reminds us that such changes can occur because of decades and even centuries of irresponsible choices. The decisions we make today—as individuals and as a society—affect not only us but everyone around us, even our descendents far into the future.

In The Legion Companion, Giffen admits that he destroyed earth as a “temper tantrum”—a parting shot at DC, whose editorial interference and lack of support undermined the story he wished to tell. While this comment sounds childish and appears not to take into consideration the burden the destruction of earth might place upon his successors (the Bierbaums), it is to Giffen’s credit that the story is well thought out, purposeful, and significant. In spite of the drawbacks of telling the story with only one panel per page, these qualities still shine.

Issue # 34, Oct 92 -

While a lot happens this issue, it feels kind of flat to me. There are so many balls in the air here that need to be wrapped up and/or advanced. While they touch on a lot of them...the whole of the story is kind of disappointing.

McCauley is a slime, and will help the Earth for a price.

Vidar ends his Dark Circle alliance.

Bounty, Circe and Sussa spend use up three pages to plant a computer virus.

Laurel and Rokk are recovering.

Sean is helping the SP's and the resistance fight the Dominators. I find it a bit odd that nobody seems the slightest bit interested that Shvaugn.Sean just changed genders. Ah well.

Sade killed Grinn...and gives Lar a verbal smackdown with one sentence. Even though he is right in his thoughts. Jan makes the same comments later about not saving the planet himself and allowing Earth to stand again on it's own...while helping as needed.

Pinnacle Command is captured.

The most disturbing thing in the issue is Dirk breaking out of his pod...clearly deluded.

Text pieces give us a letter from King John to the Legion.

Issue #35, Early Nov 92 - Sun Boy meets Sun Boy (Plus the Legion is now Bi-weekly)

A good issue that essentially wraps up the Terra Mosiac, even though next issue proclaims it is the conclusion to the story. There are good things about this issue, as well as some "it's about time" moments.

The thrust of the issue is the battle for Earth, which in one of those "it's about time" moments, the Legionnaires and Legion actually help out. Why they were not put in play previously is beyond me, but ah well. There ae some great moments here, as well as some gut wrenching ones.Watching Colossal Boy and Ultra Boy take out Dominators was great. Watching humans get mowed down like grass in a field...not so much. It does illustrate the horrors of was and what an oppressive regime will do to try to retain it's power.

Jacques is named President of Earth...he's come a long way since his intro as a scared big brother trying to help save his sister.

Dirk is found, and attacked, by his younger counterpart and friends.

This issue wraps up a lot of story lines that have been plodding along, and next issue takes care of several more.

Issue #36, Late Nov 92 - Bounty vs. Sade

An overall great issue that really can get to you. Wraps up a lot in one issue.

Main thrust of the issue is two fold. Resolutions to Dirk's situation, as well as who Bounty really is and why she's been acting this way.

The whole dirk/Circe arc comes to a close here in a way that I did not see coming back when I first read this issue. I think that overall, this was handled very well...as you could finally see that Circe really loved Dirk and knew that they were both beyond the help of those around them. Very touching and sad scene of their final fates.

The cover says that the battle you've been waiting for is happening in this issue. Bounty vs. Sade (never liked that name for a comic character. I always picture an atttractive singer). I was never waiting to see these two fight, and I thought the fight was a bit overdone with violence. It did bring the Bounty character to an end and brought Dawnstar back to the fold.

I, like HWW really had no issue with what was done to Dawny ove the course of this series. The wings, different attitude. There were hints dropped in previous issues though: Issue 10 had Jo questioning Jan if he didn't remind her of someone. He is cut off before he finishes and is promptly sent back in time by Roxxass. In issue 11, Brainy wonders what her game is, what she is up to. There is also mention of unexplained scar tissue.

There was setup for the reveal...but there should have been more done with it. Obviously Brainy knew but was apparently under the inpression she knew what she was doing. Jo knew, or at least had some idea before being sent on his way...and maybe he forgot about it once he got back, since I do not really remember them interacting after that point.

There does seem to be a bit of "well, so what" from Rokk and Brainy once the entity leaves her. Quite odd, but things are winding down for the TMK team at this point, so I think the characters suffered a bit while trying to wrap up as much as possible.

One other thing that bothered me was that nobody else seemed to have any clue as to who she was. I wonder back to the fact that outside of Drake, I really do not remember Dawny hanging around with anyone else very much.

While reading through # 38, I noticed how incidental the Legionnaires seem to be to the "larger story." It's almost as if Giffen wasn't interested in them so much as he was in other things. The Dominators' leader, for example, exhibits much more personality than most of the heroes do.

Tellingly, it's after the Bierbaums take over that the focus of the book returns to the Legionnaires.

Issue 37, Early Dec 92 - Thom is back...back again.

Relatively boring issue...to me at least. After the events of the last few issues, I suppose it's a nice diversion, and I thinnk I enjoyed it much more when read initially. Not knowing what was coming in the next issue makes this one more enjoyable.

HWW sums the Thom story up aptly above a few posts.

One part I will comment on is the portrayal of Nura. I have never been a fan of Nura. But even I thought that her turning into this was a bit excessive.

Imra is taken in this issue by some unknown assailant.

Valor is sent back in time to see what happened in 2978, and if the rest of the Legionnaires should venture back there.

Issue #38, Late Dec 92 - The End

I actually liked the story as presented here. One of the things that I agree with HWW on totally is the lack of Legion involvement in the story itself. Although we do see things next issue in flashback form, there could have been more in this issue. Again, there seems to be too much story to fit in these pages...which is an interesting counter point to todays comic, where they will focus on one scene for pages at a time. Visually stunning at times, but makes for little story in some cases.

The entire Terra Mosiac, and to a certian point the entire run up to this point, seems to suffer from too many ideas and not enough space. A story of this magnitude could have easily gone on for many more issues. The Legion, Legionnaires and even the SUBS and resistance could have filled a year or two worth of stories themselves simply during the Terra Mosiac story line alone.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda. We have what we have in these comics, and the end result is actually a very stirring account of Earth fighting for itself and gaining their victory but at the ultimate cost.

Earth is gone...where do we go now.

I do some detailed reviews and there's lots of other great comments from Legion WOrlders about the Tom and Mary issues that followed Keith's departure:


Let\'s talk Tom & Mary