Legion of Superheroes: Week Seventeen

 

WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT?

I think that I’m a normal kind of guy. I wake up each morning: shower, brush my teeth and go to work. I do my best to keep up with family and friends. I try to do a good job. Enjoy good food where I can find it. Get frustrated with bullshit. Ventilate a lot. Some find me annoying, as I’m sure; I do others. The sun rises and sets. It’s a normal life. But, I’m not satisfied with that. I want more. I know a few people who have it a lot worse than me, though. I can’t really complain. Its humbling to know that a few twists of bad luck could have put me in a worse spot than I am today. Doesn’t matter. I still want more. I want an extraordinary life. But, after nearly 48 years on planet Earth, I’ve almost come to accept that it’s not going to happen. There will be no flying cars or moon-base alpha to visit in my life-time. The best I can hope for is getting to see a great superhero movie based on my favorite childhood comics or celebrating some minor life milestone before I die. Just like everyone else. Normal. I know that it’s possible for some amazing thing to occur, just around the corner. I’m just not counting on it anymore.

While I’m sure nothing truly amazing will happen to me in final years of my life, that doesn’t mean that I can’t make the most of what I have. I can try to make a difference in someone’s life every day. Even if it means smiling at the gas station attendant or giving my co-workers a chuckle: these little things can add up to a quality of life, otherwise unattained. I can read. I can write. I can navigate the internet. I have skills. I can hammer on the keyboard for hours and churn out amateurish nonsense with the best of them. I can aspire for greatness and fail like a two-foot tall munchkin, reaching for apples on the low hanging branches of life. I can fall on my . And I do so. Every day. Failure becomes normal. What else are you going to do? I was always told that you can never succeed unless you first try. But, I also know that you can come to grow accustom to failure when you continue to attempt the impossible. At some point, you must realize that trial and error may be all there is to life. That there may not be any dreams that come true. 

But that doesn’t mean you have to give up those dreams. It’s your life. You own the dream. Do as you will and let the fates decide. Just look at those who have found the top of their personal mountains: Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and even Donald Trump. Oh wait…all those guys are kind of , aren’t they? Do I really want to have a reputation of being trash or stepping on anyone as I make my way up the hill to greatness? Or can my definition of success be just giving a little sunshine and hope to someone experiencing a rough time? Volunteering at a soup kitchen or visiting the cancer ward at the Children’s Hospital. Helping to clean up a natural disaster. Giving your neighbor a hand when they falter. That’s what I think extraordinary should be. Finding an amazing moment in the normal. And even if it amounts to nothing, at least you had your shot. Someone else used to say to me: reach for the stars and one day, you may just pull down the moon. I like to think that sometimes, if you just become the best normal person you can be: the moon might fall down to you, all on its own. Now wouldn’t that be amazing?

 LEGION OF SUPERHEROES: WEEK SEVENTEEN

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ROLL CALL:

Polar Boy-chiller, Element Lad-transmutes elements, Saturn Girl-telepathy, Chameleon Boy-shape changer, Phantom Girl-phase ability, Ultraboy-multiple powers but can only use one at a time, Tellus-telekinetic, Magnetic Kid-magnetism, Wildfire-energy being, Dream Girl-premonitions, Timberwolf-fighting and enhanced agility, Invisible Kid-invisibility, Blok-rock creature, Sun Boy-heat and light projection, Lightning Lass-electricity manipulation, Dawnstar-super tracker, Quislet-animates objects, Sensor Girl/Projectra-illusion sensing and casting, Shrinking Violet-gets small.

Reserves:

Lightning Lad-electricity manipulation, Cosmic Boy-magnetism, Bouncing Boy-rubbery, (Duo) Damsel-(former self duplication), Brainiac 5-super smart, Mon El (injured)-super strength, Shadow Lass-darkness projection, Colossal Boy (injured)-gets big, Night Girl-strength in the dark, Cosmic Queen-super gassy, Myg-karate, Star Boy-mass manipulation, White Witch-magic spell casting, Atmos-super freak.

The story so far…

Under Polar Boy’s leadership: The Legion membership began to fracture. Chameleon Boy went on a solo mission to infiltrate a growing criminal empire. Colossal Boy, despite his recent injuries, followed his friend into the underworld. They discovered Starfinger still alive and plotting to kill the entire Legion from a distance. They were first captured by Starfinger, but eventually determined a way to defeat their foe. Brainiac 5, Duo Damsel, Mon-El and Saturn Girl formed a secret pact to work toward confronting the Time Trapper. After their clandestine doings were uncovered by the rest of the team, and rebuked for their actions, the fantastic four ran off to the end of time to attack the Trapper anyway. Mon-El got badly injured and one of Duo Damsel’s selves was murdered. Brainiac 5 ultimately defeated the Trapper by unleashing the Infinity Man to cancel him out. In the aftermath of events: Brainiac 5 and the White Witch quit the team.

And now…

Volume 2, Issue #52 (1988)-Dandy Shandy.

Written by Paul Levitz.

Drawn by Keith Giffen.

Polar Boy laments the recent loss of Brainiac 5, while contending with Computo’s new design. Magnetic Kid, Tellus and Lightning Lass investigates some suspicious seismic activity while visiting Brall. They run into a hostile Gil’Dishpan and get blown around by its elemental powers. Lightning Lass flirts with Magnetic Kid in the ensuing rubble. Otherwise, Shadow Lass commits herself to Mon-El while searching for a remedy to his recent injuries. Blok meets a plucky dwarf in Trans-Cultural Museum, who claims to know some secrets to his heritage. Blok goes on to follow the stranger through a dark portal. 

This is another one of those “character development” issues. Nothing much important happens, but there are a few clues sprinkled around, that point to the next big storyline. The three Legionnaires on Brall is so reminiscent to the original Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy joining forces, that it makes the whole issue feel like a torch passing exercise. I have got to admit: Magnetic Kid looks so much like his brother, I often get the two mixed up. I even got his name wrong for the past few months. Is it Magnetic “kid” or “lad” or “boy”? Oh, does it even really matter? It’s Cosmic Boy’s kid brother. I guess Lightning Lass thinks he’s hot though. Polar Boy is still an incompetent . I do like his new spikey hair and fuzzy jacket though. Giffen makes the dude look a lot cooler than he used to be.

Grade B.

Volume 2, Issue #53 (1988)-Awesome Possum.

Written by Paul Levitz.

Drawn by Keith Giffen.

Magnetic Kid, Tellus and Lightning Lass continue their hunt for the rogue Gil’Dishpan on Brall. They get ambushed again by the pesky little worm but Tellus eventually captures him with his telekinesis. Shadow Lass transports Mon-El to Daxam to see if his own people can undo the harm done to her man. None of their treatments work, so she decides to take him back into space to search for some other answer. On their way, the lovers get attacked by a Khundian battle cruiser. Mon-El uses his eye blasts to severely damage the offending craft so they can escape. On Labyrinth: Garak of the Glow gets transferred to a holding cell. High above the prison structure, the emerald eye of Ekron hovers, watchful of the newly incarcerated.

Here we have yet another issue full of slowly developing plot lines. The three Legionnaires on Brall finally solve the mystery of the planet-wide quakes and take the perpetrator prisoner. This is a typical by-the-numbers adventure for the trio Legionnaires. Not all that exciting. My favorite scenes in the story, however, involve Shadow Lass and Mon-El. You get the feeling that Mon-El is edging closer to his demise, yet he remains heroic in the face of a Khundian attack. Shadow Lass is completely distraught while watching over him, and yet remains dedicated to finding a source of his rejuvenation. Their love affair is truly inspiring. Keith Giffen continues to provide consistently excellent artwork on every page of this title. 

Grade B.

Volume 2, Issue #54 (1988)-Red Rover.

Written by Paul Levitz.

Drawn by Keith Giffen.

Polar Boy is worried. All the Legionnaires seem to be either quitting the team, getting injured or running off on their own accord. Computo, left at the headquarters by Brainy to help keep things running smoothly, seems to be making unauthorized modifications every other day. Duo-less-Damsel considers re-joining the Legion, but ultimately decides otherwise. What else could go wrong? How about a prison break on Labyrinth? Garak of the Glow, last seen getting booked in issue #53, is already loose and causing havoc in the prison complex. Wildfire, Ultra Boy and Dawnstar meet the mirthless marauder in the complex and attempts to apprehend him while also containing the rest of the escaped criminals. Wildfire blinds a group of the escapees into submission while Ultra Boy punches Garak’s lights out. But, just as things seem to calm down, the emerald eye of Ekron attacks. Sensor Girl discovers the Emerald Empress is back, and there will surely be a re-match between the two women, in near future.

The cover to this issue sports Wildfire, Ultra Boy and Dawnstar looking mighty tough in their new duds. Ultra Boy appears especially bad- in his snazzy jacket and shoulder-pads. Say what you will about the 90’s “pouch’n’pad” costume fad; I think the designs were cool on the Legionnaires. Keith Giffen was instrumental in making those types of accessories fashionable in comic heroes during this run on the LoSH. It was a clever way of getting past the out dated skin-tight spandex look, I’m sure. But, only after every artist was decking characters out in this manner, did it become terribly cliché. The story in this issue is action-packed and full of fights galore from start to finish. Garak is very much full of bluster and isn’t very effective at holding the Legion off him for long. But, we all know the big threat is just around the corner when the emerald eye stars to blast everyone away. Tons of fun.

Grade B+.

Volume 2, Issue #55 (1989)-Four Square.

Written by Paul Levitz.

Drawn by Keith Giffen, Ernie Colon, Erik Larson & Jose Louis Garcia-Lopez.

A short break from the action in this issue, as the focus briefly shifts to four absent members of the team. First, there’s the White Witch on the Sorcerers World: conflicted by her recent decision to return home. She helps a young Kundian initiate and is requested my Servisa to deliver a special message to Earth. The White Witch declines his request and Servisa decides travel there himself. Second, Brainiac 5 attempts to resume his time-travel experiments on Colu. When the authorities on his home planet learn of Brainy’s plans, they forbid his continued involvement with the chronal studies. Third, Dream Girl and Atmos arrive on Xanthu as celebrities, much to Star Boy’s chagrin. Dream Girl seems under a spell when she’s with Atmos: incapable of leaving his arm. Fourth, Blok follows the strange dwarf into another dimension to seek answers to the nature of his being. He finds himself captured by an insectoid named the Inquisitor instead.

The current plot momentum stalls out again, so we can have a quick peek at some lesser-utilized characters. Nothing of consequence happens in this issue, but it is nice to know what these characters have been doing since leaving Earth. Each of the four vignettes are drawn by a different artist. Colon drew the White Witch segment, Giffen drew Brainy, Garcia-Lopez drew Dream Girl and Larson drew Blok. Ernie Colon is not usually a favorite of mine, but sometimes he can provide some real standout work. I did enjoy the imaginative location designs he used in the Legionnaires Three series, for example, and here he does some very nice, clean, visuals for the Sorcerer’s World segment. Giffen and Brainiac go together like PBJ. For some reason, Keith gets the quirky-yet-stuffy nature of the character and usually brings a lot of style to his scenes. This segment, he does not disappoint. What can you say about Garcia-Lopez? He’s an old-school master craftsman. As much as I could care less about Dream Girl’s drama queen antics, Jose sure makes it all feel very “dreamy”. Larson does a great job with Blok. His exaggerated angular style works perfectly for the character’s mood and transformation in this story. A great job from one and all!

Grade B+.

Volume 2, Issue #56 (1989)-Jenga.

Written by Paul Levitz.

Drawn by Eduardo Barretto.

Blok is trapped in some dark dimension with no escape in sight. In fact, it’s so dark, you can’t see a thing except his monstrous, bulky figure pounding away at nothingness. Plus, he appears to be mutating. Large jagged pustules erupt along his shoulders, back and forearms as he rages in the darkness. Beyond this pitiful scene, the Inquisitor watches on: bemused by Blok’s futile plight. He seeks the answer to immortality and observes the silicone creature in hopes of discovering a key to eternity somewhere in his sentient rock structure. But Blok still rages on as though he will soon break through. Meanwhile, on the planet Verzwei, Shadow Lass continues to seek a solution to Mon-El’s malady. A native doctor speaks to Shady about the possibility of some experimental treatment, distracting her while Mon-El is secretly abducted through one of the Inquisitor’s dark portals. Noticing his capture, she races to Mon-El’s aid and enters the darkness along-side him. It turns out that the Inquisitor also has eyes for Mon-El in his quest for immortality. Blok eventually busts them out of the darkness and convinces the sneaky dwarf creature to take them all back to Earth. Also, the rest of the Legion begin the search for the Emerald Empress and Chief Zendak is demoted from Earth duty, to lead the charge in some off-world conflict.

Here we finally get a sort-of spotlight on the Legion’s forever loveable rock-creature, Blok. He has been expressing some loneliness and his physical structure has been showing signs of radical changes lately. Blok has always been presented as the powerful, yet gentle giant of the group. A lumbering hard-nose in battle, yet a sweet ol’ softie among friends. Here, he’s just all muscle and rage while in captivity. It’s a shame you don’t get to see much depth or growth of character, while there’s time to explore. It’s just a lot of rage into the night for Blok. How convenient for Shadow Lass and Mon-El’s story to intersect with Blok as well. It seems unnecessary, though, as Blok can clearly hold his own. I would have much rather read more of Blok’s internal conflicts and get a closer look at the nuances of his character, than shoe-horn a couple of inconsequential friends into the story. Barreto is a fine fill-in artist but I missed Giffen’s distinct sensibilities when reading this. That said, Keith seems to have had a difficult time getting Blok’s features to look right for some reason. Maybe that’s why Barreto came in to depict the physical transformation parts.

Grade C+.

Volume 2, Issue #57 (1989)-I Spy.

Written by Paul Levitz.

Drawn by Keith Giffen.

So, the Emerald Empress is back. Last seen getting her kicked by Projectra in issue #26, she has somehow returned with a brand-new look and the same bad attitude. I guess she and her floating magical eye has been behind most of the Legion’s recent struggles, but now it’s time to show her face for the final tussle. Anyway, she starts off this issue by breaking the inquisitor’s head open and licking his insectoid blood off her hands. Yuk. If she is so intent on finding immortality for herself, I’m guessing that ingesting some bug juice is probably not that helpful. Then, she heads to Earth to see what can be found at the Pan-African University. Invisible Kid, who just happened to be visiting the area, confronts her but gets his face blown off for his trouble. The rest of the Legion shows up and fares no better against her. She goes to Rome and blows up a few Science Police ships. She gets her magic eye to blast more Legionnaires and generally just floats around gloating on about her supremacy. Once she arrives at Metropolis, though: Polar Boy incases her in ice and its game over for greenie. Um, no. Actually; she manages to break free from the ice cube and takes Polar Boy hostage in the end. Also, GiGi takes over Zendak’s position as Earth’s Science police Chief, and Wildfire gets a kiss. Dawnstar finally getting smoochy with Wildfire?! It’s about freaking time!

You like shoulder-pads? Omg. Emerald Empress has the best shoulder-pads. And, capes? She’s got an enormous cape now that hangs down like curtains over her body. Let’s just say: she could be her own changing booth at JC Penny. It’s cool. What is up with that hair, though? Oh yeah: it’s mullet time. I don’t care how they change the look on Emerald Empress. I will always have eyes for that girl. I mean: she obviously doesn’t need any more eyes but…she’s a very strong adversary for the Legion, so you gotta give her a break on the wardrobe. Oh, Invisible Kid really got messed up this issue. Of course, Polar Boy is ineffectual. In fact: since everyone on the team is so incapable of laying even a scratch on the Empress, you start to wonder why she was even hiding behind the Inquisitor for so long. Why do these massively powerful villains always keep inept lackies around before eventually showing off their superior abilities? Are they just all cowards or something? I think, in this instance, the Empress is just desperate now. She’s flying all over creation to find some miracle life-extending potion. It’s almost like she’s about to expire or something…

Grade B+.

Volume 2, Issue #58 (1989)-Kerplunk!

Written by Paul Levitz.

Drawn by Keith Giffen.

Emerald Empress has got the Legion over a barrel. She holds Polar Boy in a death-grip while threatening to blow up all of Metropolis unless they let her go free. The Legionnaires back off and allow her to escape into space without doing any further damage. She next appears on Trom, where she begins to destroy some of the old graveyards on the planet. The Legionnaires follow her there but get easily defeated once again. Quislet’s ship gets destroyed and his essence returns to his home dimension. The Empress escapes into space once more where she is confronted by Projectra. The two women argue for a while, then the Emerald Empress finally reveals that she is dying from prolonged exposure to her powerful Eye of Ekron. Although she once saw this orb as a source of power for her own exploitation, it has eventually become her own undoing. Projectra puts the Emerald Empress out of her misery by shielding the eye’s gaze away from her, thus removing its watchful protection from her. The Empress disintegrates into dust in Projectra’s arms.

This issue is bitter-sweet for me. It serves as an apt conclusion to many former long-standing plotlines, but also features the ending of some of the more enjoyable aspects of the title. The Emerald Empress gets her grand dramatic sendoff. She was, perhaps, the Legion’s last major powerhouse villain to contend with. Quislet, that beautiful little cheeky , is gone. Wildfire gets the moment he has always dreamed of with Dawnstar, but it doesn’t turn out as expected. Colossal Boy also breaks up with his wife. There is only the matter of Mon-El’s survival left to play through. Giffen’s art is as wonderfully dynamic and expressive as usual. He provides such great imaginative landscapes, quirky costume and character details. Everything from issue #50 on is gold.

Grade B+.

Volume 2, Issue #59 (1989)-Ghost in the Graveyard.

Written by Paul Levitz.

Drawn by Keith Giffen & Mark Bright

While recovering from his recent face-off (pun intended) with the Emerald Empress, Invisible Kid hangs out in the Hall of Heroes, to ruminate over Legionnaires past and gone. From here, a tale of the previous Invisible Kid, Lyle Norg, unfolds. In years past, before his untimely death, Lyle was an indispensable member of the Legion. Regardless of his relatively weak power-set, the talent, courage and dedication he brought each day was more than enough to prove his worth. In this flash-back story: Lyle is investigating an apparent ghost in the Legion headquarters. In the dead of night, he searches through the halls for a clue to explain some unexplained occurrences. In-between expeditions, he helps the young Chemical King learn to control his power. One night, Lyle hears an alarm in the Legion headquarters, and rushes off to investigate. Rather than a ghost or a villain, he finds Chemical King lurking around. The guy says he just wants to help Lyle solve the mystery, but Lyle tells him to go home. Then, another alarm sounds off. This time it is a villain trying to steal the Legion’s Miracle Machine. The two kids defeat the villain in the end, but not without the help of some apparent supernatural power, working in their benefit. Perhaps there really are some ghosts of Legions past…

This is a nice little flash-back story similar to Projectra’s tale in issue #31. Mark Bright brings a very retro-feel to Lyle Norg’s story. I’m not sure what the point of it was, though. Other than taking a nostalgia trip and satisfying anyone pining for the old days, this story didn’t seem to bring anything new to the ongoing story. Invisible Kid’s eternal trepidation about staying with the Legion compels his constant return to visiting the ghost of his predecessor for guidance. Why doesn’t he just call himself “Spectral Lad” or something, so his misgivings aren’t so hampered by the past? Or just quit already, kid! Aw, I guess that I just don’t have that much interest in what happened in the early Legion days after all. I prefer to look forward. Isn’t that what the future is supposed to be about?

Also, Projectra wins the next Legion leadership vote. Like it matters. There’s only four more issues to go!

Grade C.

So, we are near the end of the Paul Levitz era of the LoSH: with only one story-line left to complete. It was an incredible run. Although I did not always enjoy the artwork presented, and some of the stories were a mite silly, I found the whole saga to be greatly enjoyable. As I have said in past entries: the strength of the Legion is in their ability to work together in concert to further justice where ever they are needed. The interactions and relationships between each character is the glue that keeps it all together. I will miss how Levitz tied the ongoing plotlines so tightly in place and made the reader feel like a part of the family.

But, it need not end here. The Legion comic books carried on for years after this series and some amazing interpretations are yet to be explored. But, if you still want to hang around this era of the Legion, you can linger for as long as you want, just by using your imagination. With the help of Mayfair games, you can invent unlimited scenarios and play in an expansive sandbox of 30 th century heroes with just the roll of a die. I recently picked up a copy of the old basic DC Heroes rules and a few sourcebooks to help spark my own initiation into the game. Once I get up to speed with how it all works, I might just hunt down a module or two, just for the fun of it. After reading through eight straight years of Legion lore, I should be sufficiently primed for a nice long gaming adventure.

Next time: Volume two finale and a new beginning with the L.E.G.I.O.N.

Long Live the Legion!