Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! Gates Love-In

He got a small profile in the 2003 Secret Files...he appeared in the background throughout Dream Crime...he got some quick (albeit shirtless) scenes where he gets beaten by Ra's in Legion #18..and other than that our poor, resident politican Gates has been on the sidelines for the past two years since his rescue! He doesn't need to be the star of the series, but this guy has to be feeling left out by now!

So, let's give Gates some lovin'! He may not be everyone's favorite non-biped, but he's not all bad, right?

Oh, I absolutely adore him.

GATES space-rocks!

His scenes in THE LEGION # 4 are still a highlight of the series for me!

Right on, Lash! The scenes of Brainy carrying Gates on his back and their banter about 'the system' in issue #4 is probably some of the most touching stuff, to me at least, in the current series' run.

Yeah, I want my Gates!!! Stupid DnA, underusing one of my favorites!!! At least he might get to be in the background again when we return to the Lost Universe.

Really, when you consider Gates had no presence in either Legion Lost or Legion Worlds, he's had less appearances than most Legionnaires lately. DnA never quite seemed to have a grasp on how to juggle the large cast, or maybe they just didn't care.

Yeah, I miss the little rascal! He's much more entertaining than KQ (not that THAT'S saying much!)

Gates used have at least one hilarious line every episode. Nowdays, I don't think he's said anything much in the least two years.

More Gates! The book is at least 15% less funny without him around.

Gates is the cornerstone of the Legion. Who else is willing to call them a teenaged death squad?

Brainy and Gates were one of the best comedy duos in comics for a good long time.

Only his political philosophy is "all bad." Socialism will be dead 1000 years hence -- we won't be alive if it isn't.

I'd forgive even that, though, if the creative team used him more.

We need to e-mail this thread to Wacker (after getting more show of support for the li'l bug)!

It's a shame Giffen couldn't use Gates for his recent humour issue...

That's a lovely picture there Leapy.

Yes! More Gates please!

A bold new look for Gates!

Every appearance of him should simply be a copy of that picture, with visible scotch tape holding it to the panel.

Ain't nothing new, I drew Gates in the same ol' costume as ever.

Hmmm- who created Gates, anyway? Was it Waid? Peyer?

If the new writer is going to adopt the 'core' cast philosophy of DNA, I hope Gates gets to be that core for awhile.

TN

Gates was a Waid creation I think, back from LSH (v4) #66.

I'm positive Peyer had a hand in co-plotting and thus co-creating the character at that point too, if not possibly more influence than Waid.

Gates was created for the issue that Vi, Laurel and Zoe joined to give Gim and Cham some funny moments with a crazy new recruit (who refused to join). The fans loved him so much that they flooded DC with fan mail, so that when Thom showed up a few issues down the road to join, the included Gates with him as the newest Legionnaire!

He's one of the few Legionnaires that have been demanded by the fans! True story!

He's also one of my favorite Legionnaires too--and is IMO the 'Single Greatest Thing to Come in the Reboot'. Seriously, he's fun, has great scenes with other Legionnaires and often has important things to say.

Fave sentimental Gates scene: his outrage at seeing homeless people back in the 20th century, and then he and Ultra Boy go to help them! Even a bug can cry!

And hopefully not all things about socialism will be dead in the 30th century. A lot of Marx's ideas are good and can help society, just not the idea of a communist society itself. Like a good socialist, Gates is looking out for the common man and the worker!

A little bump to get this bandwagon of Gates fans going again!

Does anyone else besides Cobalt Kid and Lash have favorite Gates moments or lines they'd like to share?

I still get a laugh from LSH #85 every time I read it, where Gates repeatedly convinces the Legionnaires that the brick wall they run into at Metropolis is actually the Great Wall of China. When later the Legionnaires are trying to figure out what language the authorities are speaking, Gates blatantly states "Chinese" to whom he must consider confused comrades.

There was a scene in which Gates explained to Brainy that, on his planet, "children" weren't raised in families but in communal broods (however he described it), as he was reading a copy of Das Kapital. That was a welcome insight into an alien culture, which explained his attraction to communist philosophy.

It made sense that there would be cultural variation in the galaxy; usually we just get repeats of the traditional western family - even the snakes were Mom-Dad-kids.

Ah, Gates love. Warms my heart to see it.

Don't have my books handy right now, or I'd share some fave lines, but suffice it to say I think he adds a lot to the Legion dynamic.

As do you to LW OM! Good to see you again. I missed you!

Awwww. Thanks, Vee.

Some life madness has kept me off the boards for awhile, but I hope to be around a little more often.

(Life madness - probably more interesting than virtual madness...)

Coming from the Scandals of 2004 thread, I think we need a Gatesgate. I wonder what scandals he could be involved in. He's probably considered to be quite the risqué character back home on Vyrga for breaking with tradition. But on Legion World? An affair with Dreamer? A secret funds transfer to an anti-Legion group? Wearing a wig in private?

He'll probably just write a tell-all book and start making the talk-holo rounds. And he'll start dating Cher.

May I just add that four months later, especially without any Gates in the last five issues, my Gates withdrawls have gotten positively horrible!

I like the way Cramer thinks. We need a Gatesgate scandal in the Re-Imagining!

This is STILL true today.

MORE GATES in the re-imagining! He's totally indie rock!