Legion of Superheroes: week eight

THE GREAT EST FAKE

About twenty-five years ago, DC Comics did (in my mind, at least) the unthinkable: they killed Superman. There was a lot of mainstream media commentary over the deal. At the local comic shop, people lined up around the block just to get their black polybagged copy of Superman #75. It was advertised as an end of an era. The king of superheroes is dead! Except, he really wasn’t. A few months after this landmark event, “big blue” was back, and everyone who bought into the memorial just shrugged and carried on with their lives as usual. There’s been a lot of superhero “deaths” over the years since. None have captured the attention of the general population quite like the Death of Superman. He may not have been the one to do it first. But he did it best. I guess when you are the prototypical superhero, you also get to experience the apex of death itself.

I can tell you that I was not one of the enraptured crowd who stood for hours in hopes of capturing some slice of pop culture history. I knew you can’t kill Superman. It’s absurd. But, I guess DC Comics tried the stunt just to get a boost of attention from the event. I get that a big splash can be necessary sometimes; especially when you’re feeling a bit ignored. There’s a big old pool of entertainment out there for people to choose from. When your marquee character’s sales are slumping, you need to create a fantastic storyline to get him back in the limelight. But, was killing the guy really that necessary? As a comic reader, I knew there was a dozen different ways you could potentially bring the big guy back. He could have been transported to another dimension at the last second and replaced by a doppelganger. He could have been a clone all along. He could have been a robot. It could have all been a dream. The list goes on and on. It didn’t really matter how they brought Superman back, it was always just a matter of time. Because Superman can’t die.

I know that doesn’t work in real life. Legendary heroes and fictional characters may live on in our hearts and imaginations forever, but when a real person dies, they’re gone for good. There’s no hyperbaric chamber that can magically revive you. There’s no special sauce to slather over your wounds if you’re shot. No transplant of consciousness into a cyber-engine. We are mortal. But, we like the idea of eternity. We create stories to test our emotions regarding the finite nature of life. We create stories that will hopefully transcend our person and live on beyond our time on earth. As I write this, Superman is getting close to the century mark: the issue #1000 of Action Comics will come out later this year. Pretty good for a dead guy. Love him or hate him, it looks like the king of the superheroes is here to stay. Maybe that’s his greatest superpower of all.

People can come and go in your life, and the quality of different comic books can wax and wane as time goes by. I’ve discovered that it’s not the big attention-begging drama queens (or drama kings) or major earth-shattering events that stick in your mind over time. It is usually the quiet moments that you trust and care about that matter most. Sitting around reading comics with your best bud. Enjoying a leisurely car ride. Staring into your lover’s eyes at first morning light. These little shards of memory keep you smiling through the dark days. If you can hold onto the good times, they can help you persevere through any darkest hour. The big splashy effect may get your attention in the moment, but if there’s not a promise of something deeper beyond that initial splash, it’s just a lot of worthless noise.

Superman is a character that will probably endure in the collective human culture forever. He has stood the test of time. Been dead. Done that. It used to be that people would admire him for his enduring charm and personality while performing unnatural feats. He used to be considered great for his unwavering morals. These days, it seems like all those traits are trumped by his seeming immortality. I guess that can happen when you rise from the grave and live to tell the tale.

Legion of Superheroes: week eight

Legion Roll Call: 

Cosmic Boy-magnetism, Chameleon Boy-shape change, Timberwolf-fighting and enhanced agility, Colossal Boy-increase size, , Element Lad-transmute elements, Phantom Girl-phase ability, Ultraboy-multiple powers but can only use one at a time, Mon El-super strength, Shadow Lass-darkness projection, Invisible Kid-invisibility, White Witch-magic spell casting, Blok-rock creature, Brainiac 5-super smart, Sun Boy-heat and light projection, Dream Girl-premonitions, Star Boy-mass manipulation, Wildfire-energy being, Shrinking Violet-size reduction.

Legion in Absence:

Lightning Lad-electricity manipulation & Saturn Girl-telepathy: on leave due to birth of their child.

Dawnstar-super-tracker & Brainiac 5-super smart: stranded on a primitive world.

Reserves:

Bouncing Boy-blows up like a rubber ball & Duo Damsel-self duplication: hangs out at Legion headquarters when nobody’s looking.

Resigned:

Light Lass-mass reduction, Karate Kid-master of martial arts, Princess Projectra-illusion casting.

The story so far…

Saturn Girl finally gave birth to her child, Graym. The original Invisible Kid was revealed to be nothing more than a nightmare demon from another dimension. Sunboy got his comeuppance. Magpie botched a job from the Monitor. Dawnstar and Brainiac 5 crashed on a planet full of idiots who want to kill them.

And now…

Issue #323 (1985)-touch and go.

Written by Mindy Newell

Drawn by Dan Jergens & Karl Kesel

After the first two terrific issues of Newell’s ”Exile” story, the final installment is a let-down. Stranded on a strange, backward world, Brainiac 5 and Dawnstar have been hunted like monsters by the indigenous peoples. The two Legionnaires spend most of the time trying to escape their deaths, only to find out that they have unwittingly caused a viral epidemic on the planet. So, maybe they truly are the monsters? They finally get caught by some high priestess and are strapped on a wheel of doom, designed to finally end them. But, then they are let go and allowed to leave the planet unharmed, instead. It makes no sense. After two and a half issues of build-up, the quick pointless ending seems quite jarring. I hate when a story shows one character have a single motivation the whole way through, only to suddenly flip in an off-panel conversation. But that’s what happens in issue #323. Sorry, Mindy: you blew it!

Grade D.

Issue #324-325 (1985)-the clone bores.

Written by Paul Levitz & Mindy Newell

Drawn by Dan Jergens & Karl Kesel

Moving right along…we find Ultraboy, White Witch and Mon El on the planet Amadus, investigating the rubble from a recent destructive event. Science Police officer Gigi claims that it was the hot-shot Kryptonian, Dev-Em who did the deed. The Legionnaires are unconvinced and head off to Dark Circle territory to find out for sure. There, they are indeed confronted by Dev-Em who seems to have gone killer-crazy. The heroes manage to hold their own until another Dev-Em shows up. And then another. Yes, the Dark Circle managed to capture the Kryptonian and create evil clones of him to do their bidding. Mon-El and Ultraboy rescue the original Dev-Em from the Dark Circle’s clutches and escape back to GiGi’s United Planets outpost. After a quick recovery, the gang return to Dark Circle base to kick : eventually defeating the bad guys. The White Witch uses a spell to help Dev-Em absorb all the clones into his body. Ontirr, last seen in issue #316 with a bullet in his head, is found to be alive and well due to some cloney-clone business. I hate clones. There’s a terrible side-story about Invisible Kid that is just about the worst thing I’ve read so far. The art, however, is quite nice.

Grade C-.

Legionnaires Three #1-4 (1986)-see you on the other side.

Written by Keith Giffen & Mindy Newell

Drawn by Ernie Colon

The series starts off with the fiendish Time Trapper arriving at his gleaming silvery stronghold in a timeless place called the “Other Side”. He plays some chess, barks orders at his subordinates, and kills indiscriminately with his old-timey touch. Time Trapper is a very scary dude. He is fixated with the Legion and thinks of ways he can mess with them in his spare time. Recognizing the recent birth of Graym, he decides to play a sick game with Saturn Girl and her two closest partners. Meanwhile, unaware of the coming peril; Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad hang out with baby Graym at chez Ranzz. The boys watch some Moopsball on television while Saturn Girl waters the plants and stuff. Suddenly, they are attacked by some unknown military force and, in the fray, Graym is replaced by a baby-doll with a note reading “Only four players in this game. Any Legion interference and the child dies.” OMG! The Time Trapper has just abducted Saturn Girl’s baby! It’s a chilling scene.

The three Legionnaires spend the rest of the story planning a way to get to the “Other Side”, confront the Time Trapper and save the baby. They first sneak around Metropolis with an image-distortion device to make sure they remain incognito. Then, they infiltrate the Time Institute building and steal a Time Cube to get to Time Trapper’s realm. Once in the “Other Side”, they are immediately attacked by Time Trapper’s forces and are ultimately captured. Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl escape their prison and head out to hunt for baby Graym. Lightning Lad is psychologically tortured by Time Trapper for some unknown reason. Near the end, Garth is nearly broken when he is forced to witness the scene of his parent’s death. Apparently, the Time trapper had a hand in that event. Eventually, time runs out on the Trapper (if that’s possible?) and the trio are returned to earth with their baby: no real harm done.

The beginning set-up to this story is awesome. The Time Trapper appears to be a heartless villain to be reckoned with. His sadistic plan causes some real distress for our heroes. The sneaky way the Legionnaires steal the Time Cube is entertaining. Everything works very well up until the half-way point when they arrive in this “Other Side” place. Then, it gets a little silly. Characterization seems to be a little off-putting at times. They hardly ever use their powers. The Time trapper’s scheme is never truly revealed. Is he just messing with the Legion for fun, or is there a longer game afoot? Who knows. It’s clear that Mindy Newell and Keith Giffen are excellent writers: the story kept my attention through to the end. I am however, disappointed with the conclusion of this tale. Just like Mindy’s “Exile” story, the ending fell flat and made the rest of the story seem rather pointless. Ernie Colan’s art, however, is excellent throughout; which makes up for the underwhelming conclusion.

Grade B.

Overall, a rather bland set of comics this week. No big revelations occurred; no splashy event or tragic moment to hang your hat on. Just some regular mixed bag of LoSH comics. It’s fine. There’s still so much more left to cover. Individual issues may be good or bad: the fun part is seeing how it all slowly unfolds over the many years that follow.

Coming up next: A new era of the Legion of Superheroes begins.

Long Live the Legion!