Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Re-Reading the Legion: Archives #6

I have very mixed feelings about the Adult Legionnaires story. On one hand, the first part's got a decent mystery about who the enemy is, and the identity of the duo that helps turn the tables in the battle against the LSV is clever and hopeful.

But seeing that most of the Legionnaires end up settling into suburban domesticity seems depressingly parochial to me, the true product of a comic guided by a middle-aged man of that particular generation.

Now, having said that, I am well aware that it was the Silver Age and comics were aimed at kids, and there was little or no chance of alternative lifestyles showing up, even thinly veiled like in other Silver Age comics (the implications of the panel pointed out by Reboot aside.)

So, on it's own terms, it's a decent story. As a portrayal of life in the 30th Century, it's disillusioning to me. And I'm glad that Levitz chose to show in LSH #300 that the future was not set in stone.

'Boot, the "real panel" is brilliant!

I think a rewrite would be interesting but could we expect it to be any less dated, 50 years from now?

We got this from a 15 year old boy of that era and I think we would have gotten about the same thing from a middle-aged women of that era. I'd presume that the story probably doesn't reflect the values of either nor of the 50 year old man running the whole show but of the audience they believe they are writing to.

It's nice to speculate what story we'd have gotten if the powers that be had let Shooter write to the audience he thinks will be in 50 years. We probably would have had an Asian KK, a Black Ferro Lad and a snake Projectra.


Didn't they references in this (and a previous) story that the future wasn't set in stone? I might be mixing that up with other books I'm reading but I think it was the predominant fan base that ran with this story as canon? The upcoming letters column should be interesting. Maybe they will tell us.

I think it has to be said in Mort's defense that the mainstream attitudes of the time were still rooted firmly in the "conform or else" mentality of the previous decade. Having just lived through a decade where one could easily lose one's livelihood over something as trivial as attending a meeting 20 years before, it's easy to see why a man in Mort Weisenger's position would be reluctant to rock the social boat, even if he had been so inclined.

Re the futures of the Legionnaires, at least Mon-El went off to be an explorer. Something else else different, at least.



I'd always envisioned that Brin and Ord, after drowning their sorrows in drink, both realized how much they preferred kissing a man to kissing a woman!

Drat that thought bubble! Who is the person beside the KQ2 lookalike? A pre-booted Atom'x?

(hey, when are you gonna comment on the Postboot reread huh? :p)

I was thinking it looked a bit like Magno, once you allow for the primitive colouring 60s DC used. And we all know Jazmin's attractions are magnetic.

You're going too fast! As you know, last week I had stuff going on, and haven't had a chance to review all the issues posted to date. And catching up becomes harder still when you post two issues in a day!

That's a valid point. Maybe I was a little rough on ol' Mort. He was probably more ambivalent about conformity than I give him credit for, if the Silver Age Superman books are anything to go by.

After this, we should probably stick to discussing the Archives, 'Boot

I gotta say I always wondered why Cosmic King had transmutation powers, and not magnetism like Cosmic Boy/Man did. Why was Cosmic King the only one of the original 3 LSVers whose powers didn't match his Legionnaire counterpart?

Loved how each of the Legionnaires beat their evil counterparts one on one too, and good to see Polar Man with such control over his powers! I always felt it was a shame he didn't get his flight ring earlier.



Magno and KQII? Sounds like a mighty nice couple. She's intense, he's started to become intense.

I did two because it was a two-parter and I missed a day. But just for you, I'll take a week-long hiatus enough time to catch up?

Adv. 354

In the words of Monty Python, “And now for something completely different . . .”

Well, not completely, but this Adult Legion excursion does provide a nice break from the ongoing adventures of the teen Legion. It also provides us with a rare and very satisfying glimpse into what our heroes would be like when they grew up. This is the sort of story that, unfortunately, just wouldn’t happen today. It reflects what the Hermit has described as the cultural optimism of a bygone era. Everyone believed they would grow up, get married, and have a good life. This belief is reflected in the fates of the retired ex-Legionnaires. One is even president of his home world.

And the Legion itself is alive and well. It’s shrunk in terms of membership, which has resulted in two signficant changes: married members are allowed to remain and the former Subs, whose powers once weren’t good enough for the Legion, have been allowed to join (though only Polar Man is seen in this story.)

In other words, this is the sort of story that is meant to reassure us that everything will be all right, that we will survive the uncertainty of adolescence, and that things will get better. For the most part, “The Adult Legion” succeeds in achieving these aims but is derailed somewhat when an actual villain enters the picture.

The story begins simply enough, with Superman being summoned into the future many years after he last participated in a Legion mission. He is astonished to see the Legion’s headquarters, once a simple clubhouse, now covers a city block. A pipe-smoking Brainiac 5 greets Superman and takes him on a guided tour of what several ex-Legionnaires are up to. All of this happens before there’s even a hint of danger in the story, but, as a reader, I don’t mind. My curiosity about a lot of things is satisfied, and I’m enjoying the visits with old friends. I was probably 12 when I first read this story—too young to feel nostalgic about anything. Yet Shooter has me thoroughly enthralled. That he was only three years older than I was when he wrote this exhibits a maturity I wouldn’t have expected in such a young writer.

I almost don’t want the visits to end, but, sooner or later we’ve got have a plot and so we learn the reason why Superman was summoned: Someone has been breaking into Legion HQ and vandalizing equipment, files, and ships.

If Superman were going to be summoned after so many years, one would think it would be to deal with an emergency of Sun-Eater proportions. But no, the Legion is at its wits end due to a simple series of break ins. While Cosmic Man tells us why this matters to the Legion, the effect is to make the team look bumbling and inept. After dealing with threats such as Evillo, Universo, and Dr, Regulus in their teen years, the Legionnaires have grown up to be bamboozled by a burglar!

Of course, it’s no ordinary burglar, but one with a deep hatred of the Legion. More, he can easily bypass their security devices because he is or has been a Legionnaire. Again, this revelation simply makes the Legionnaires look inept. When I recently left a job, I had to return my access key. That the Legionnaires didn’t take similar security precautions with so many ex-members running around makes them incredibly careless. (And yes, some former members such as Ultra Man are still reservists; still, one would think they’d have more restricted access that would enable the Legion to track who was coming and going in their HQ. Of course, this story was published less than four years after America came to realize it’s not smart for the president to ride in an open-air limousine in the middle of a crowded plaza with high buildings. So, in an odd way, this story does reflect lax security standards of the time.)

Biding his time, the villain waits two weeks to strike. After an attempt to lure Superman away fails, he cuts power to Legion HQ, leaving the members stranded in the dark. (Again, one would think the Legion would have anticipated such an attack.) Possessing super-strength and invulnerability, he puts Timber Wolf out of commission and takes Saturn Girl hostage, causing her to break her arm when she tries to elbow his ribs. He then escapes by extracting from Superman a promise that the latter will not pursue him. Not only do heroes not kill; they keep their word even to villains.

Superman, however, figures out the identity of the masked intruder and switches identities with Cosmic Man to trick the villain when next he strikes. This scene plays out very well, with the action keeping the story moving and the villain demonstrating resourcefulness and cunning. (Although the intruder did seem to have a lot of time to place that mental mask doohicky on Saturn Girl before yanking off Brainy’s force field belt.) Then we learn his true identity: he’s really Ferro Lad’s twin brother.

I knew Ferro Lad had a twin brother before I read this story, and I’m glad I did, for it made the revelation seem a bit more plausible. Otherwise, the twin brother angle just seems so convenient. More, Douglas Nolan tells us he shared a psychic connection with his slain twin, which explains how he knew so much about the Legion. More convenience.

Shooter asks the reader to overlook a lot things in order to make this story work. But whereas Bridwell asked for similar leaps of faith back in 350-351, Shooter’s story lacks as much charm or reader involvement. (As a reader, I felt less involved in the action sequences of 354 than I did in the earlier story.) Where 354 succeeds is with the nostalgia factor of Superman visiting his old friends and the implied promise that growing up would be something to look forward to. The intruder plot is less successful, though it ties in nicely with the death of Ferro Lad in the previous issue and ends with a cliffhanger involving the long unseen LSV.

Grade: 88.4 (B+)

Interesting analysis, Cobie.



According to Jan Jor's rap sheet, he was apparently 32 years old when he performed his villainy, a little too old to be False Pretenses Lad one might think (unless, of course, his false pretenses extended to his age).

He could've been a repeat offender. er, pretender.

True. I also realized the rap sheet might have reflected his current age, not the age he was at the time of the crime.

Here's my own alternative theory, though:

On Trom, family names come first. Jan Jor is really Element Man's lost brother, and his parents sold him into slavery as ransom to keep the space pirates away (for awhile, as it turned out). Embittered, Jor adopted the pirates' ways as he grew up. He only pretended to reform and join the Legion after the rule prohibiting one power was abilished.

This means, of course, that the Legionnaire we've been addressing informally as Jan all these years should be addressed as Arrah.

What the heck are we talking about? Who is Jam Jor?

Check out 354, page 15, panel 2, BB.

So much for Jan's angst about being the last Tromian!

Who's missing from the Adult Legion story?

Sun Boy
Projectra
Karate Kid
Invisible Kid
Chameleon Boy

Supergirl (not 30th century), Chlorophyll Lad, Fire Lad, Stone Boy (Subs)

Maybe this was the seed of the idea for Lyle's death.

Adventure #355: The War of the Legions

It occurred to me that Beauty Blaze could be the daughter of Sun Boy (from a romantic adventure early in his career, if you don't mind pushing her age down to the teens). Her father was killed in some fiasco of a mission and she swore vengeance on the Legion. Or something.

The second part of the adult story wasn't as appealing as the first. That the Legionnaires were unknowingly fighting images of the LSV strikes me as implausible. When they went to rescue Brainiac 5, why didn't Saturn Girl read his mind instead of trying to hear what he was saying? Another two metal-clad, mysterious beings and I'm just not a fan of good Lex and Mr. Mxy.

Regardless, it was interesting to see time travel lanes and have Imra defeat Saturn Queen by hand.

Adv #355: War of the Legions!

With #354 being so great, they had to follow it up with just a little more of Superman and the Adult Legion, plus they had whet our appetites for a war between the LSH and the LOSV. However, either because something got messed up in the production of the issue or because its simply not a great story, this follow up is a bit of a letdown.

Most of the big "oh wow!" revelations had been done in the prior issue so the lack of them now means I don't mind that they finished up the story halfway through the issue rather than dragging it out. But the break-up of the two stories is curious. I wonder what was up? The answer is probably the art, which definitely looks funky in this issue. The Grand DC Database lists it as a Swan / Klein collaboration but perhaps Shooter was doing layouts here? Or Swan just breakdowns with Klein doing heavy finishes?

As mentioned before, this second part is loaded with Superman-driven elements like the LOSV, such as the Luthor and Mxy revelation. I mentioned in my last review that this helped put a coda on the pre-Shooter LSH. Though, curiously, Superman doesn't play much of a role in this story, which only enhanced how off of a choice this was. Ultimately, this is one of my least favorite bits of not only this story but all of Legion lore.

Beauty Blaze and Echo are introduced but we learn only the barest details. Too bad!

#355 is nowhere near as good as #354. It's basically a repetitive action story of five one on one stories, then a revelation that the Legion was tricked and then the Legionnaires being bailed out.

And after the revelation of their saviors, the story just ends. Definitely something wonky is the arrangement of this issue and the supposed follow up to #354. Yet #354 was so magnificent, that this story never feels too awful, at least when I look back on it.

One thing it clearly does is reaffirm that the Adult LOSV is applicable to the Adult LSH. Therefore, if we're to see the LOSV again, it must be a younger, applicable version for the current Legion. And *that* concept, I can't wait to get to!

Bonus Lettercol Review: James Allison of Wheeling, VA, writes in to say he's amused one of his son's favorite comics is a Legion, since he was once in the French Foreign Legion . He wishes the LSH last for a long, long time--longer than his own, which had now disbanded. Nelson thus declares that he's an Honorary Member of the Adult LSH, so he can still tell his son he's a Legionnaire!

I've read ahead and here's an excerpt from my review of #358:

Bonus Lettercol Review: when questioned about the slim membership of the Adult Legion, Nelson confirms that Chameleon Man, Sun Man and Color King are members, as well as a Teen Auxiliary! He mentions the latter will be revealed in a future story (though we know we never see that).

Plus, in the last appearance of the Adult Legion in an issueof Superman (right at the transition to the Bronze Age) we learn that the White Witch is also a member.

Also, FC, I've also always wondered if Beauty Blaze could be Sun Boy's daughter. Or even Sun Woman from the early Subs story. If its Dirk, and he's still alive, that could be even more tension filled.

Maybe Dirk got that trans-gender disease and he's not happy about it so decided to throw in with the LSV to get his revenge on Tenz and Color Kid who he contracted it from.

I much preferred the Six-Legged Legionnaire to the lame LSV wrap up in Adv. 355. Why hasn't anybody commented on it yet?

Arrah did not know about Jor's existence until later.

Here's 355's letter column.

The Six Legged Legionnaire is to be reviewed on Wed! We're going by story, not issue.

OOOHHHHHHHH!!!! I didn't even see that.

tanks

Adventure #354 & 355 were the first two Legion issues I ever read, and considering the mostly inept, amateur behavior of the Adult Legion (rescued "just in time" by Lex Luthor and Mr. Mxyzptlk?!?!), I'm kind of surprised that I bothered to look at any more Legion stories. If not for the first half of #354, I may not have been interested. I just wanted to see what the adult super-heroes were like as teenagers. Good thing I got a bit of that in the second story of #355, "The Six-Legged Legionnaire."

(hmmm...how many legs does Gates have?)

The one-to-one battles were good for showing some imaginative ways each Legionnaire's powers could be used. That was interesting to a new reader.

I liked the new LSVers Beauty Blaze and Echo better than the veteran villains.

Yes, I know. But it would be interesting to see how he'd deal with said angst when he suddenly finds out he has a brother who is very much alive AND is villainous.



Gates has far more than six

I agree with LT. In a team book as large as the Legion, the one-on-one battles can be very refreshing. I love seeing heroes use their powers imaginatively. I would have liked it better if the 3 Founders had been replaced by other Legionnaires who hadn't been in the spotlight as often, though.