Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! Spoilers... Issue #35... For No Better Reason, Part One!

It's all about the drama.

Am I the only one who initially thought that was Umbra binding up Dreamer on the cover?

I think it was a bit of a non sequitor to show she's just a wacky gal. Wacky, unpredictable, screw loose, dangerous etc... it fits with the way she acts the rest of the issue. Personally, I found it endearing.

That, or saying she was a lap dancer before she decided to "spike" Metropolis

Incidentally, while we're on quirks of speech - any Legionnaires sound "off" to anyone else? Val saying "kicked your butt," Umbra saying "Gotta"... That sort of stuff doesn't sound right from those two.

Excellent issue! Everything I've wanted in the Legion for some time now.

Great scenes with Tinya, Jo and Brin, and especially Val. And there is a *lot* going on (Brainy, Val and the prison, the main plot) to really draw me in.

I agree. Val and Umbra sounded much too casual.

Val sounded more like his preboot self, which was okay.

But agreed about Umbra.

There is a lot going on and that's great. In fact, it could be weekly publication - I'm anxious to see what develops from here.

For once, I feel great sympathy with the bad guys. Or at least the Blue Devil, who's sick of a techno-dependent society. (Of course, I just gripe about it.) Do the others in her group share her views, or are they in it for other reasons? Maybe they have grudges against the Legion, or are looking for some looting opportunities when things fall apart. Did Devil specifically choose a wooden table and chairs for her hideout (?) because she harkens back to the old days? Other furniture we've seen in the Legionverse has tended to look plastic, float, etc. - not archaic wood.

Blue Devil is interesting; the other villains we don't know too much about. Canary seems very young, totally at Devil's bidding; Lantern & Arrow are pretty classic bad guys - tough talk, enjoy criminal activity.... Devil appears to be a good blend of strategic thinker and loopy cult leader. Wasn't the original Blue Devil a stuntman who became imprisoned in his advanced-technology suit? (I first thought she might be Talokian, but she hasn't used any powers.)

That Oasis-1 is floating over Earth, when there are better & safer places to put a max-security prison, makes sense to me. It's probably the result of some political pork job. (Who would have thought that Halliburton would still be going strong in the 31st century?) Maybe it's also there to serve as a threatening reminder to potential criminals.

Persuader's daughter - what is that on the side of her face? Did Dad take a swipe at her with the axe? She's taken pains to display it with that hairstyle as well. Maybe she has some power that will come in useful?

I like the idea that Brainy seems to be physically tied into the technology - when it fails, he fails. Don't really want another "B5-goes-mad" sub-plot, however. Maybe it will turn out some other way.

Some of the dialogue mentioned also struck me as unsuited to the particular legionnaires. Another quibble would be that, for such a disaster, the crowds certainly seem to be standing around - whether they know what's happening or not, you'd think there would be pandemonium.

Gail mentions that the wooden table has significance at the DCMB. My guess is she needed to be there to be safe of Canary's powers or some such. Anyway, I feel confident in Gail that she'll explain the details as the story progresses and not forget them and/or leave them for others to explain.

I think her jumping on the table line was meant to call attention to the wooden table, the only significance of which was that it was "antique" and not techno. Note her using a fairly ordinary marker to scratch off the names as well.

Anyway, I happen to agree that tabletops are nice places to think.

As for Takron-Galtos, I suspect that's the "Science Police Maximum Security Detention Centre" mentioned on page 1

A couple of thoughts:

Umbra's wearing more clothes than Vi. That can't be right.

I wonder if this will spark an anti-tech revolution? That seems to be Devil's plan. How would the Legion react if there was a technology witch hunt? Would some of them join in? I can't see Brainy going tech free, but what about Tinya? If they hadn't been relying on technology her mother might not have been shot.

If so, then clumsy dialogue IMO. Believing others that have read this writer's previous work, I have to imagine that she would have found another way to call attention to a table, like assume most of us can see well enough to notice it.


This is why I suspect the comment was meant as an inside joke on the character or on Blue Devil.

In some of my more self-flattering moments, I like to think of myself as one of the toughest critics here. After all, I've taken DnA to task on a regular basis for well over a year. Although I've tried to be fair in my appraisal of their work, I've also been straightforward in expressing my disappointment of their recent efforts.

Keith Champagne's one issue was an enjoyable read, but I didn't find it to be anything more than that.

So, it is with a great deal of relief and surprise that I am able to say Gail Simone has won me over with just one quarter of a four-part story.

Her take on the Legion is not perfect (as others have pointed out), but I found myself not being bothered by trifles such as Val's uncharacteristic "I'd have kicked your butt" or by the sudden introduction of Brainy's breakdown. Her story was so full of events and characters meshing well into a cohesive and surprising story, that I didn't mind much of anything at all.

The opening narration kept me in suspense as to who was talking. It was some time before the narrator was revealed as Trudy -- an odd choice, but one that fit perfectly. Trudy is a character we've seen for years but have no vested interest in, so she's ripe for some exploration as to who she is and what motivates her.

The Legionnaires themselves don't have a lot to do in this issue, but there was still something genuine about their portrayal. Tinya phasing at just the wrong moment was tragic but very human. Gail also reminded us of Tinya's estrangement from Jo and Jo's rivalry with Brin without hitting us over the head with either. She assumes we've read previous issues. DnA often seemed to forget they'd written them.

The villains are intriguing. They remind me of nothing so much as al-Qaida, with their fanatical reverence for things of the past and their hatred of technology (one could read "decadent West" into that). Devil's comment, "I'm sure the survivors will thank us," was chillingly authentic.

If Gail had stopped there, I would have been happy, but she packed in even more surprises: The Persuader's daughter, Winema's Durlan aide, Oasis One, the Organ Thief. Gail added so much to the Legion's world in this one issue, making it feel as if it's part of the same universe we've been reading about, just fleshed out a little.

I have nothing to say about the Jurgens/Smith art, save that it served the story well, and the designs for the Legionnaire's formal wear were eye-catching and appropriate for each character.

Whether all of this is retconned away or not is irrelevant to me. It's here. It's now. And it's a blast.

I'll write this before I read the other reviews so you get my oppinions 'un-tainted'. I quite enjoyed this issue tho thought that with the re-launch coming up soon that the failure of technology was a bit close to the Magic Wars just before the Five year gap stories.

Liked the introduction of Oasis One, Brainiac being severely debilitated by the lack of technology, Jo saving Brin and the gang out of uniform - where those their 'dress' uniforms? I didn't really enjoy seeing Vi's pants though.

I noticed also that all the women had unfeasably large breasts. Is this the trick to increase sales?

The villains were intriguing, I'm looking forward to getting to know them better - before they get their @rses kicked of course

The Persuader saying he didn't know his daughter was a bit odd - I'm sure there'll be a good story in that exchange, and what was with the daughter's facial tattoos/ scars?

The idea of a race of insects that have evolved telepathic napalm was good too - there should be more wacky aliens!

The art was okay but sometimes a bit stiff looking.

I'm really looking forward to the next issue.

Aside from a few very minor quibbles, which have been gone over by others already, I quite enjoyed this issue. A small group of outlaws doing outlaw stuff, I love it. I'd love to have had more stories like this lately, and less "end of the world" stuff. I'm looking forward to the next 3, so thanks to all involved.

I can accept the fact that Winema was too stunned to phase - but why didn't Umbra throw up a darkness field once the force field dropped as a form of protection until all could be safely helped from the stage?
Stuff like that always bugs me - since she never used her power - it should have been a different legionnaire there. Like TRIAD!!!!

I loved how Gail actually made me care about the crisis that was brewing. For the first time in a while I actually felt a sense of urgency as I was reading the story.

Oasis 1 is a really interesting idea, and Gail managed to justify its existence by pointing out that this is where criminals who resist rehab and can't fit elsewhere are kept.

Trudi's inclusion is great because Gail really made her interesting. And likable. Same for the villains. At least we're not up against a faceless horde anymore. Does anyone else think that Canary might switch sides at the end?

I wonder what role the Persuader's daughter will have. Maybe she has some hidden powers that'll come into play.

Loved the interactions between Tinya and her mom, Jo and Brin, Chuck taking charge (he IS supposed to be chief of logistics), the rest of the Legion going to Khardia, the description of the Khardians themselves, Brainy's implants, Vi not letting go of that ship, Cham saving the kid.

I wondered why Vi didn't fight back, but I guess she was worrying about the ship and Lantern's attack was too fast and brutal. Actually, I think she was taking a swing at him in the panel after he appeared, since her arm seems to be closer than it was, but it's not all that clear.

Some quibbles, though. Val and Tas did seem a bit unlike themselves, but not too much. Bothered me a bit too that Umbra didn't really do anything. Also wondered why Winema didn't phase, but I guess she was stunned. As for Tinya, I got the impression that she was phased the whole time, instead of just phasing as the bullet was shot, but maybe I'm wrong.

Agreed about Chuck taking charge and checking in with B5. Good touch!

Oh another thing I liked was Wildfire in his Olivier Costume - I 've never been convinced that a bag of energy could fit into a stretchy costume like his original and new Lightle designed one and fill it out with such muscle definition - if he's a swirling ball of energy then why isn't his costume a swirling mass? So anyway, I liked seeing the more armour/ robot like costume back.

Good point about Wildfire's suit, and, no offense to Steve, but I prefer Coipel's design. Just a matter of personal taste.

It's the future.

That the fabric costume could hold the "bag of energy" in a defined shape doesn't seem an impossible stretch and it is certainly more imaginative than robo-costume. I much prefer a writer that challenges my perceptions AND suceeds in making me believe in the possibility. However, I did prefer the colors of robo-costume.


Speaking of stretching, am I the only one that didn't buy into the floating prison meant to destroy all living on it in the event of escape? Some of the previous prisons/wardens depicted in Legion history have had less than a steller humanitarian depiction, but this is the first I remember in which it was depicted as politically mandated. It's a rather sick approach to prison IMO. So much for our "positive" and bright future.

Also, we've been given another "kiss," without reason. Pandering? Cheap Titilation? Disease? Perhaps Imra is getting hard up without Garth and is randomly projecting desires onto the others?

I said the same thing last month .

Thing is though - have we ever had anything along those lines? I far prefer the rigid suit he animates, myself.

One final thing - about this issue this time! - is Drake actually "tech dependent"? Clearly, non-electronics stuff (inc. Arrow's rifle) works after all.

Now, sending the Legionnaire made of pure energy into an energy-dampening field would be stupid, but that's not the reason presented here.

Anyone got a translation (and from which opera) for Arrow's Verdi number?

I'd imagine the inside of his suit contains some kind of force-field generator or something, to contain his energy output and help him give himself a consistent humanoid form...it can't be just a big bag, can it?

"Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves," from "Zabecco." Adopted by Italian revolutionaries opposing Austrian occupation, apparently.

Translation of the last bit, from http://ever-new.blogspot.com/2004/06/hebrew-slaves.html

O simile di Solima ai fati
traggi un suono di crudo lamento,
o t'ispiri il signore un concento
che ne infonda al patire virtù!

Remembering the fate of Jerusalem
play us a sad lament,
or else be inspired by the Lord
to fortify us to endure our suffering!

Another thing I did not follow. Trudy makes a statement about those with implanted organs going down. Pinter obviously did not, which implies his relevance to the plot. He's completely an implanted organ. Why didn't he go down also? Are we to conjecture that Trudy was implying non-organic "organs" or that "Trudy" did a poor writing job?

Didn't GS at some point on these boards imply an appearance by Infectious Lass? Wouldn't that be Persuader's daughter?

GS could have set the issue up for negative critique with this approach, certainly by discerning fans interested in Sci-Fi. But honestly I don't remember the villians making an anti-tech statement. I only recall this statement from Trudy and the message board by the author and others. It occurred to me that the villians real complaint seems to be more how the tech is used or about 30th century reliance on babysitting whether by tech or legion.

My guess is that the writer didn't/isn't capable to think the SF aspects through that far. Time and future issues will tell. Since Canary's powers have not been defined, any reasoning can still be created for their ability to distinguish between 21st century tech and "future" tech. It could be as simple as magic or inventing a "new" tech upon which future power distribution depends.