New Years' Eve 2015

So here it is another year ending.....

Hard to believe another year has gone by. We've experienced some great highs in 2015, but we have had a few terrible lows, as well. 

Who's Who: Dragonmage

Dragonmage
by Siskoid

Real Name: Xao Jin

Super-Power(s): Magical spells accompanied by holographic dragons.
Planet of Origin: Earth.

Legion Seniority: Dragonmage was (alphabetically) the SW6 Legion's third new recruit.

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #47

The Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #47 (June, 1988)
title: "Conspiracy Theory"

writer: Paul Levitz

pencillers: Greg LaRocque & Pat Broderick
inker: Mike DeCarlo
lettering: John Costanza
colorist: Carl Gafford

editor: Karen Berger 

cover: Ken Steacy
reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Quislet, Timber Wolf, Lightning Lass, Magnetic Kid, Tellus, Phantom Girl, Ultra Boy, Dawnstar, Shadow Lass, Chameleon Boy, Shrinking Violet, Dream Girl, Brainiac 5, Invisible Kid, Sensor Girl, Polar Boy, Mon-El, Sun Boy, White Witch, and Wildfire

Guests: 
Bouncing Boy, Duo Damsel, Yera

Opponents: 
the threat of Starfinger, the threat of a Conspiracy in the Legion

The Numbers Game

click to enlarge to Colossal Boy size

In September 1998, a poster of the DC Comics line-up was given out on the summer convention circuit. It included most of the company’s characters at the time, with the Legion represented by the three founders and Brainiac 5. Although the figures were small in comparison to the size of others, they were featured smack dab in the center of the poster.

5YL: Legionnaires #1

Legionnaires #1 (April, 1993)
title: "Baptism by Fire!"

writers: Tom & Mary Bierbaum

penciller: Chris Sprouse
inker: Karl Story
lettering: Pat Brosseau
colorist: Tom McCraw
assistant editor: Eddie Berganza

editors: Michael Eury, KC Carlson

cover: Chris Sprouse & Karl Story
reviewer: Siskoid

Mission Monitor Board:  
Andromeda, Apparition, Alchemist, Brainiac 5 (SW6), Catspaw, Chameleon, Computo II, Cosmic Boy (SW6), Dragonmage, Ferro, Gossamer, Inferno, Invisible Kid (SW6), Leviathan, Live Wire, Matter-Eater Lad (SW6), Saturn Girl (SW6), Shrinking Violet (SW6), Triad, Ultra Boy (SW6)

Guests: 
Mega (1st appearance, dies), Tyroc

Opponents: 
The Hand, Mano

Merry Christmas!

Hoping that everyone has a great holiday season!

I'll be too busy drinking traditional kono juice (or as I call it - egg nog) to post anything dramatic today.

Merry Christmas!

Happy holidays!

Hope everyone gets something nifty!

Merry Christmas 2015

Here is our annual Christmas Tradition.....a reprint of "Star Light, Star Bright...Farthest Star I See Tonight!" from DC Special Series #21.
If you would like to read our review of this story from last year, check it out here.

Who's Who: Computo II

Computo II
by Siskoid

Real Name: Danielle Foccart

Super-Power(s): Machine telepathy and control.
Planet of Origin: Earth.

Legion Seniority: Computo II was (alphabetically) the SW6 Legion's second new recruit.

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #46

The Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #46 (May, 1988)
title: "On The Fourth Hand"

writer: Paul Levitz

pencillers: Greg LaRocque & Pat Broderick
inker: Mike DeCarlo
lettering: John Costanza
colorist: Carl Gafford

editor: Karen Berger 

cover: Ken Steacy
reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Mon-El, Brainiac 5, Polar Boy, Tellus, Chameleon Boy, Ultra Boy, Shadow Lass, Phantom Girl, Dawnstar, Sun Boy, Colossal Boy, Saturn Girl; cameos by Timber Wolf, Blok, Magnetic Kid, Element Lad, Shrinking Violet

Guests: 
Duo Damsel, Bouncing Boy, Atmos

Opponents: 
the threat of a Legion-based conspiracy, the threat of Starfinger

Happy Birthday, Magnetic Kid!

According to the 2995 LSH Sourcebook, today will be the birthday of Pol Krinn, better known throughout the galaxy as Magnetic Kid.
Magnetic Kid was one of the last new Legionnaires to join during the so-called "Original Age." He served for nearly two years before the Magic Wars began, and he sacrificed himself to help end the conflict.
Because Magnetic Kid is no longer with us, he doesn't have a horoscope. Instead, let's look at how each of the Legion artists illustrated this brave young man...

Alternate History: Power Girl and the Legion of Super-Heroes

Today we're hopping in our Legion Time Bubble and heading back to 1986 to fix the time stream! Come along as we speculate some alternative history!

Crisis on Infinite Earths really put a retcon-whammy on Legion continuity. We lost Supergirl and Superboy, which also removed the inspiration for the Legion. Our favorite 30th century heroes spent the next 20 years trying to make sense of their history. To be fair, the Legion weren't the only ones hit hard by the Crisis. Wonder Woman, Hawkman, the JSA, anyone connected to the Superman family, and many more. Most characters found their Post-Crisis footing fairly quickly. For whatever reason, the Legion continued to struggle. There was another character that never quite made the adjustment to the Post-Crisis universe -- Power Girl. Now, let's connect some dots...

What I'm proposing today is we travel back in time to 1986 just before Crisis began affecting DC continuity. Upon arrival our task is to convince the DC creative staff to retcon Power Girl into Legion continuity. This simple change would fix decades of headaches for numerous characters (and fans).

5YL: Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #3

The Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) Annual #3 (1992)
title: "Full Moon Fever"

writer: Al Gordon, Tom & Mary Bierbaum

pencillers: Rob Haynes, Ian Montgomery, Joe Phillips, Brandon Peterson
inkers: Al Gordon, John Dell, Scott Hanna
lettering: John Workman
colorist: Tom McCraw

editor: Mike Eury

cover: Keith Giffen and Al Gordon
reviewer: Siskoid

Mission Monitor Board:  
Blok (statue), Bouncing Boy, Brainiac 5 (also as cartoon Proty form), Celeste Rockfish, Chameleon Boy (flashback and cartoon), Colossal Boy (also as cartoon), Cosmic Boy, Dream Girl (also as cartoon), Duo Damsel, Ferro Lad (statue), Kent Shakespeare, Kid Quantum (statue, technically 1st appearance), Kono, Light(ning) Lass (flashback, also as cartoon), Lightning Lad, Projectra, Polar Boy (cartoon), Saturn Girl (flashback), Shadow Lass, Sun Boy (flashback and cartoon), Shrinking Violet (also as cartoon), Star Boy, Tellus, Timber Wolf, Ultra Boy, Valor, Wildfire (cartoon)

Guests: 
Aria/Gemini, Chameleon Girl, Dacey Ranzz, Doritt Ranzz, Garridan Ranzz, Holt, King John of the United Planets, Lauren Gand, Lightning Lord, Loomis, Night Girl, Proty I (flashback, also as cartoon), Proty II, Rond Vidar, Tab, Yvyya Kallor

Opponents: 
Emerald Empress (flashback), Jean-Claude, Thrust (1st appearance)

Tyroc: Hot or Not?

Our group of candid women with no real Legion knowledge give Tyroc a shout-out. Is he Hot, or is he Not?

Participants
Our honorary Legion members are...
Art-Girl - Warning. She's been known to play around with Paint.
DJ Nath - She knows her music. Does she know her sonic heroes? Co-star of Mind Linked, on You-Tube, with her sister Lip-Bomb.
Havana Nights - Named after Dirty Dancing's sequel.
Lip-Bomb - Always the singer when she plays Rock Band.
Science Girl - Her screams of dismay can be heard 'round the world sometimes.
Shotgun - Loud talker.
Moderator: Siskoid - Made a point of listening to ABBA while editing this post.

5YL Legion: Who's Who Legion Subs

First off, a wholehearted thank you to Siskoid who did me a solid and substituted for me last Friday. Work got the best of me and the 'LSH post' check box on my to-do list remained unfilled. Thankfully, Siskoid put up his review of the 5YL Annual #2. I owe him thanks for pinch hitting.

And in one of those strange cosmic karma things, it just so happens that what I was planning to post last Friday was the 'Who's Who' loose leaf addition page about the Legion Subs. Coincidence?

Superboy & The Legion #245

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #245 (Nov, 1978)
title: "Mordru Master of Earth!"

writer: Paul Levitz

penciller: Joe Staton

inker: Murphy Anderson
letterer: Ben Oda
colorist: Cory Adams

editor: Al Milgrom
cover: Al Milgrom & Joe Rubinstein (signed)

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
The entire membership except for Tyroc, with featured players Superboy, Karate Kid, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Mon-El, Wildfire, Element Lad, Brainiac 5, Cosmic Boy

Guests: 
Duo Damsel, Bouncing Boy

Opponents: 
Mordru! as the master of both the Khunds and the Dark Circle

Who's Who: Catspaw

 

Catspaw
by Siskoid

Real Name: April Dumaka

Super-Power(s): Enhanced agility, speed, and senses (including night vision); retractable claws; animal-like instincts.
Planet of Origin: Earth

Legion Seniority: Catspaw was (alphabetically) the SW6 Legion's first new recruit.

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #45

The Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #45 (April, 1988)
title: "Unlucky Streak"

writer: Paul Levitz

pencillers: Greg LaRocque, Kurt Schaffenberger, Curt Swan, Dave Cockrum, Mike Grell, Keith Giffen
inkers: Mike DeCarlo, Dick Giordano
ink assist: Arne Starr
lettering: John Costanza
colorist: Carl Gafford

editor: Karen Berger 

cover: Ken Steacy
reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
All of the Legionnaires appear, with sizable amount of stage time devoted to Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, Sun Boy, Mon-El, Superboy, Wildfire, Polar Boy, Dream Girl, Brainiac 5, Sensor Girl, and Shadow Lass

Guests: 
Labyrinth Warden Tsaquin, SP Officer Erin, Atmos, Graym and Validus Ranzz

Opponents: 
The Luck Lords, Lightning Lord

Art Institute of Zoon: Thomas Zahler

I met Thomas Zahler over the summer when we had a mini- Fire and Water Podcast Family meeting in Columbus, Ohio. That's Tom on the far left, The Irredeemable One next to him, and ye editor next. (For purists, the others are Nuclear Subs JC, Michael, Emily, Van-Zee, and Professor Quarterbin!)

5YL: Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #2

The Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) Annual #2 (1991)
title: "The Legend of Valor"

writer: Tom & Mary Bierbaum

penciller: Brandon Peterson
inker: Scott Hanna
lettering: Janice Chiang
colorist: Tom McCraw

editor: Dan Raspler

cover: Brandon Peterson
reviewer: Siskoid

Mission Monitor Board:  
Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Matter-Eater Lad, Phantom Girl, Saturn Girl, Sun Boy, Triplicate Girl, Ultra Boy, Valor

Guests: 
Diamond Caste (556), Sub-Dominans (362, Lustig, Mac, Shamarra), Vril Dox (cameo)

Opponents: 
Dark Circle, Dominators, Gennesaret, Glorith

Superboy & The Legion #244

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #244 (Oct, 1978)
title: "The Dark Circle That Crushed Earth"

writer: Paul Levitz

penciller: Joe Staton

inker: Joe Giellla
letterer: Ben Oda
colorist: Cory Adams

editor: Al Milgrom
cover: Jim Sherman & Joe Rubinstein (signed)

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Superboy, Ultra Boy, Mon-El, Wildfire, Dawnstar, Sun Boy, Colossal Boy, Element Lad, Karate Kid

Guests: 
retired Legionnaires Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Duo Damsel, Bouncing Boy; SP Officer Shvaughn Erin

Opponents: 
The Dark Circle, The Khunds, and the big reveal----

Who's Who: Devlin O'Ryan / Reflex

Devlin O'Ryan / Reflex
by Siskoid

Real Name: Devlin O'Ryan

Super-Power(s): Reflect objects and force directed at him.
Planet of Origin: Xanthu

Legion Seniority: Devlin was the third new recruit following the Legion's reformation after the Five-Year Gap.

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #44

The Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #44 (March, 1988)
title: "Quislet's Story"

writer: Paul Levitz

penciller: Greg LaRocque
inker: Mike DeCarlo
lettering: John Costanza
colorist: Carl Gafford

editor: Karen Berger 

cover: Steve Lightle
reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Quislet, Wildfire; Brainiac 5, Tellus, Invisible Kid, Polar Boy, Dream Girl

Guests: 
Atmos

Opponents: 
the "people" of Quislet's dimension, the Luck Lords

Legion of Super Heroes S01 E03: Legacy

"Legacy" was written by Scott Sonneborn and directed by Tim Maltby, original airdate: October 7. 2006.

Mission Monitor Board: Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5, Phantom Girl, young Superman

Opponents: Alexis Luthor, Wodehouse, the Scavengers

I suppose I should have guessed from the red hair, purple and green outfit, and battle suit, that Alexis was a descendant of Lex Luthor, but if I'm being honest, my head was in a whole different direction. Although, in hindsight, was anyone else freaked out by how much Alexis looked like a female Jimmy Olsen? Young Superman will be in therapy for years if he remembers this one.

5YL: Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #1

The Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) Annual 1# (1990)
title: "Charade"

writer: Tom & Mary Bierbaum

penciller: Dougie Braithwaite
inker: Doug Hazelwood and Larry Mahlstedt
lettering: Todd Klein
colorist: Tom McCraw

editor: Michael Eury

cover: Adam Hughes and Al Gordon
reviewer: Siskoid

Mission Monitor Board:  
Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Cosmic Boy, Duo Damsel, Invisible Kid, Laurel Gand, Light Lass, Lightning Lad, Matter-Eater Lad, Phantom Girl (dies), Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Shrinking Violet, Star Boy, Sun Boy, Ultra Boy, Valor, Wildfire

Guests: 
An Ryd, Crav Nahm, Marla Latham, Mytra Nah, Phase, R.J. Brande, Reflecto, Rond Vidar, Si

Opponents: 
Dominators, Glorith, Mordru, Omega, Sygyn

Wildfire: Hot or Not?

Do you need a body to be hot? Our group of candid women with no real Legion knowledge make a determination.

Participants
Our honorary Legion members are...
Art-Girl - Has worn Halloween costumes that were stronger containment suits than Wildfire's.
DJ Nath - Had Great Balls of Fire running in her head the whole time. Co-star of Mind Linked, on You-Tube, with her sister Lip-Bomb.
Havana Nights - Our sole divorcée; she understands true drama.
Lip-Bomb - Has both Irish and Native blood, coincidentally.
Science Girl - Not wild about anti-matter.
Shotgun - Doing the chat from a hotel room somewhere. It'll become relevant.
Moderator: Siskoid - Identifies strongly with Wildfire, so dreading this.

5YL Friday: Who's Who

It's hard to believe that my run on the 5YL era is over and I can only hope that I did it justice in my reviews. For me, it once again solidified the early issues of the run as one of the most ambitious and excellent runs I have read in my comic history.

While the Five Years Later run was something of a reboot, resetting the future as a darker place, it leaned heavily on Legion Lore. I have heard some people say that 5YL is and advanced Legion course, something Legion scholars would take in their senior year of the Academy.

Superboy & The Legion #243

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #243 (Sept, 1978)
title: "Earth's Last Stand"

writer: Paul Levitz

penciller: Joe Staton

inker: Jack Abel
letterer: Jean Simek
colorist: Cory Adams

editor: Al Milgrom
cover: Mike Grell & Joe Rubinstein (signed)

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Wildfire, Sun Boy, Superboy, Colossal Boy, Element Lad, Mon-El, Ultra Boy, Dawnstar, Chameleon Boy, Princess Projectra, Star Boy, Cosmic Boy, Timber Wolf, Phantom Girl, Light Lass, Shrinking Violet, Dream Girl, Brainiac 5

Guests: 
SP Officer Shvaughn; Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Duo Damsel, Bouncing Boy; the Legion of Substitute Heroes (Polar Boy, Night Girl, Stone Boy, Fire Lad, Chlorophyll Kid, Color Kid)

Opponents: 
the Khunds, the Dark Circle, unnamed terrorist

Who's Who: Celeste Rockfish / Neon

Celeste Rockfish / Neon
by Siskoid

Real Name: Celeste McCauley

Super-Power(s): Green Lantern emerald energy, mostly used for flight and force blasts.
Planet of Origin: Earth

Legion Seniority: Celeste was the second new recruit following the Legion's reformation after the Five-Year Gap.

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #43

The Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #43 (Feb, 1988)
title: "..And Wake to Find A Dream"

writer: Paul Levitz

penciller: Greg LaRocque
inker: Mike DeCarlo
ink assist: Arne Starr
lettering: John Costanza
colorist: Carl Gafford

editor: Karen Berger 

cover: Steve Lightle
reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Sun Boy, Tellus, Brainiac 5, Shadow Lass, Shrinking Violet, Element Lad, Polar Boy, Timber Wolf, Dream Girl, Invisible Kid, Chameleon Boy

Guests: 
SP Chief Zendak, SP Officer Shvaughn, Atmos

Opponents: 
The Manhunter known as Laurel Kent

Happy Birthday Keith Giffen!

Happy Birthday Keith Giffen!

Giffen has been a major creative force with the Legion for the last three decades and I have appreciated all he has done for the team throughout the years. One of the things that amazes me is that Giffen has been around long enough and I have been a fan long enough to see first hand his art change over the years.

5YL: Legion of Super-Heroes #61

Recap: DC Comics was in the midst of Zero Hour, another company wide crossover to clean up continuity gaffes. The Legion wasn't exempt from these sweeping changes. Their timeline was as effected as any. Within the book, the Legion and the Legionnaires were teamed up battling Mordru and Glorith as these two villains joined forced to gain control of the entire universe. But with timelines shifting, no one is safe from changing radically or simply disappearing.

Well True Believers ... this is it.

My last issue of the Five Years Later run.

My last review of this series.

Happy Thanksgiving 2015

Happy Thanksgiving 2015!

by Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage
This marks the second year for the Legion of Super-Bloggers. We started in September 2014, and now here we are still going strong in November 2015. As we barrel forward, it's always good to have a clear understanding of the past. So here is our 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Day LSB post!

For those of you who may not be from the United States, Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday of November. It is set aside to get together with family and friends to take stock of all of our blessings over the past year. It was originally created by our first immigrants, the Pilgrims, after they survived a horrific first year in their New World.

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. As an adult living abroad (I lived in Japan for 14 years) I always tried to take the Thanksgiving weekend and have "family time." Now that I am back in the United States, it is the one time of year that I take time off and visit my family. Last year I hit upon the idea of making up a Legion of Super-Heroes version of Norman Rockwell's famous "Freedom From Want" painting and posting it on Thanksgiving Day. To me, the Legion is all about Family. They may not all get along all the time, but they would literally die for each other. Doesn't that sound like Family?

"Freedom From Want" by Norman Rockwell

Click HERE to read last year's essay, which was mostly about who I chose to be in the picture, and why. I ended up calling it "Giving Thanks Day 2986."

This year has been a bittersweet one. On the good side we held an open call for new members in June and ended up adding Condo Arlik, Myk-El, and Continuity Kid. On the very bad side, we lost one of our brothers when David Sopko passed away on November 11. I actually got to meet David on one of my trips to Detroit. We met at a famous pizzeria named The Green Lantern (seriously!) He was a great conversationalist. He seemed like a very nice man who loved his children very much and looked forward to continue to pass on his love of comics to them. We will miss him.

So what am I thankful for? First of all, I must thank my fellow Bloggers! Thank you for making this blog so much fun. We are happily a part of The Fire and Water Nation, and I *literally* could not do this without you. I love working with all of you guys.

And almost as importantly, here's a big THANK YOU to our fans. I am humbled to think that there are so many other people looking at our page and enjoying (?) what we do. We would probably still do this without you, but knowing you are there makes it even more fun.

Have a safe and happy (Thanksgiving) weekend...

and Long Live the Legion!

Who's Who: Kono

Kono
by Siskoid

Real Name: Brita An'Nan

Super-Power(s): Shift mass between herself and other people and objects to increase her density or become immaterial.
Planet of Origin: Sklar

Legion Seniority: Kono was the first new recruit following the Legion's reformation after the Five-Year Gap.

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #42

The Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #42 (Jan, 1988)
title: "To Sleep A Thousand Years"

writer: Paul Levitz

penciller: Greg LaRocque
inker: Mike DeCarlo
ink assist: Arne Starr
lettering: John Costanza
colorist: Carl Gafford

editor: Karen Berger 

cover: Steve Lightle
reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Polar Boy, Tellus, Sun Boy, Shadow Lass, Invisible Kid, Chameleon Boy, Brainiac 5, Element Lad, Shrinking Violet, Timber Wolf, Dream Girl, Colossal Boy

Opponents: 
Laurel Kent, who reveals herself to be a member of the Manhunters

TOS: Adventure Comics #300 Group Review

featuring
The Legion of Super Bloggers Round-Table Discussion on
Adventure Comics #300 (September, 1962)
title: The Face Behind the Lead Mask!
writer: Jerry Siegel
penciller: John Forte w/Al Plastino
inker: John Forte w/Al Plastino
letterer: Milton Snapinn
editor: Mort Weisinger
cover: Curt Swan and George Klein

Mission Monitor Board: 
Superboy, Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Sun Boy, Mon-El (and statues of Bouncing Boy, Chameleon Boy, Invisible Kid I, and Shrinking Violet)

Guests:
Unnamed Science (actually World-Wide) Police officer


Opponents:
Urthlo, (young) Lex Luthor

Synopsis:
At a regular meeting of the Legion of Super-Heroes, the Legionnaires lose control of their powers. Urthlo arrives and announces that he now controls the Legionnaires' powers and there is nothing they can do about it. But Saturn Girl comes up with a serum to temporarily cure Mon-El and immunize him against lead, and Superboy releases him from the Phantom Zone to knock out Urthlo, who turns out to be an automaton created by Lex Luthor sent into the future to destroy the Legion.

Timber Wolf: Hot or Not?

Our group of candid women with no real Legion knowledge have been devouring each and every Legionnaire, telling is which are the most delectable...

Participants
Our honorary Legion members are...
Art-Girl - Swears she's never air-brushed a wolf on the side of a van or on black t-shirt.
DJ Nath - Hungry like the Wolf.
Havana Nights - Don't mind the wolfish grin.
Lip-Bomb - Deep down, knows werewolves aren't real. Deep down. Co-star of Mind Linked, on You-Tube, with her sister DJ Nath.
Science Girl - Has petted a leopard and buckets of eels. Not sure where she's at with the wolf situation.
Shotgun - Her irrational fear of wolves may come into it.
Moderator: Siskoid - Figured out what Bad Wolf meant on Doctor Who before everyone else. (No he didn't.)

5YL: Legion of Super-Heroes #60

Recap: It is the end of an era. Zero Hour is around the corner. The two Legions are trying to thwart the wrinkles in time, battling Glorith and Mordru. But things are unraveling around them. Things are changing ... sometimes noticed. Sometimes unnoticed.

Let's open up this review with an apology.

This arc, End of an Era, rewrote the Legion, rebooting it. As a result, it ran in all three Legion-related books that were out at the time, Legion of Super-Heroes, Legionnaires, and Valor. But my faith in the Legion as a property and in DC in general at this time was wavering a bit. I was only getting the main Legion book. And as a result, I cannot cover all the parts of this arc. You'll only get the 3rd and final 6th chapter of the story. So you'll only see 1/3 of this tale which changed things for years.

Superboy & The Legion #242

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #242 (Aug, 1978)
title: "Startarget: Earth"

writer: Paul Levitz

penciller: Jim Sherman

inker: Bob McLeod
letterer: Bob Oda
colorist: Cory Adams

editor: Al Milgrom
cover: Jim Sherman & Joe Rubinstein (signed)

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Wildfire, Mon-El, Ultra Boy, Dawnstar, Sun Boy, Superboy, Element Lad, Colossal Boy, Brainiac 5

Opponents: 
Khund Invasion force, the Dark Circle actually behind it, possibly the Dominators

Who's Who: Calamity King

Calamity King
by Siskoid

Real Name: E. Davis Ester

Super-Power(s): Create spontaneous stress fractures (physical and mental) in people and objects
Planet of Origin: Touston

Legion Seniority: Calamity King was the fifteenth and last recruit to join the Legion in the mostly-unchronicled era known as the Five-Year Gap.

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #41

The Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #41 (Dec, 1987)
title: ",,,Shall Ne'er Burn So Bright..."

writer: Paul Levitz

penciller: Greg LaRocque
inker: Mike DeCarlo
ink assist: Arne Starr
lettering: John Costanza
colorist: Carl Gafford

editor: Karen Berger 

cover: Steve Lightle
reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Colossal Boy, Element Lad, Sensor Girl, Mon-El, Polar Boy, White Witch, Sun Boy, Timber Wolf, Light Lass, Wildfire, Chameleon Boy, Shrinking Violet, Dawnstar, Dream Girl, Brainiac 5

Opponents: 
Starfinger and his lackeys Starlight, Starbright, and The Arranger

Keeping up to date with the Legion

    Full 12-month calendars in their own right issued by comic book companies are nothing new these days, even if some may appear to be only released at the publisher’s whim. But as recently as the dawn of the 70s, such items were non-existent, appearing only occasionally as novelty pieces within the pages of comic books.

   The first DC Comics calendar which has any sort of Legion connection appeared in DC COMICS’ LIMITED COLLECTOR’S EDITION C-34 (Christmas With The Super-Heroes), which featured a standard 12-month listing of dates for 1975, embellished on the periphery with images of various DC characters, including the Legion. This Murphy Anderson illustration was also used on the covers of the four-issue LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES series, which reprinted various stories from the ADVENTURE COMICS era.

5YL: Legion of Super-Heroes #59

Recap: The Legion is on the run from the UP having been labeled as allies as the Khunds and therefore traitors. However, the team is also rushing to Weber's World to stop the Khunds from destroying the planetoid headquarters of the UP. The team is also dealing with the ramifications of a battle with Glorith, their ages and bodies tampered with. And on top of all that, the time stream seems to be unraveling. 

Legion of Super-Heroes #59 continues to speed towards the continuity-bomb of Zero Hour. Things are about to change ... again. And writer Tom McCraw takes this issue to pause briefly, take stock of the characters, and check in on everyone.

Superboy & The Legion #241

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #241 (July, 1978)
title: "Prologue to Earthwar"

writer: Paul Levitz

penciller: Jim Sherman

inker: Bob McLeod
letterer: Ben Oda
colorist: Cory Adams

editor: Al Milgrom
cover: Jim Sherman & Joe Rubinstein (signed)

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Wildfire, Dawnstar, Ultra Boy, Mon-El, Sun Boy, Brainiac 5, Element Lad, Shrinking Violet, Phantom Girl, Colossal Boy, Superboy

Opponents: 
Resource Raiders, their leader The Brain, unknown terrorists

Who's Who: Storm Boy

Storm Boy
by Siskoid

Real Name: Myke Chypurz

Super-Power(s): Control weather systems
Planet of Origin: Earth

Legion Seniority: Storm Boy was the fourteenth recruit to join the Legion in the mostly-unchronicled era known as the Five-Year Gap.

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #40

The Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #40 (Nov, 1987)
title: "What Starfinger Touches..."

writer: Paul Levitz

pencillers: Greg LaRocque & Dan Jurgens
inker: Mike DeCarlo
ink assist: Arne Starr
lettering: John Costanza
colorist: Carl Gafford

editor: Karen Berger 

cover: Steve Lightle
reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Dream Girl, Element Lad, Timber Wolf, Dawnstar, Mon-El, Polar Boy, White Witch, Sun Boy, Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Invisible Kid, Tellus, Wildfire, Quislet, Sensor Girl, Shadow Lass, Lightning Lass

Guests: 
Star Boy, Laurel Kent

Opponents: 
Starfinger and his organization

The Lightning Saga (chapter 3): JLA (v2) # 9

Justice League of America (v2) # 9
Title: The Lightning Saga, Part Three: Suicide
Writer: Brad Meltzer
Artist: Ed Benes
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Assistant Editor: Adam Schlagman

Hi, this is Myk-El again, continuing to look at the return of the classic, Pre-Crisis Legion, often referred to as the Geoff Johns "Retro-boot."

In Part One of the Lighting Saga, the Justice League discovers that seven Legionnaires have come back from the future on a mission so secret even they don't know what it is. In Part Two, the Justice League teams up with the Justice Society in order to locate the missing Legionnaires, finding Dream Girl in Arkham Asylum, and Wildfire in the Fortress of Solitude.

Chemical King: Hot or Not?

A group of candid women with no real Legion knowledge tell us which Legionnaires they have chemistry with.

Participants
Our honorary Legion members are...
Art-Girl - Knows how to mix paints.
DJ Nath - Knows how to mix tunes.
Havana Nights - Knows how to mix a mean goulash.
Lip-Bomb - Knows how to mix and match cool clothes. Co-star of Mind Linked, on You-Tube, with her sister DJ Nath.
Science Girl - The only actual scientist in the gang, and quick to tell Siskoid the above examples aren't great examples of chemistry.
Shotgun - Not a biochemist, but studied maths. Counts for something. Probably.
Moderator: Siskoid - Disappointed his paternal unit by not going into the sciences.

5YL: Legion of Super-Heroes #58

Recap: The Legion has adopted new codenames and a new life as outlaws. Branded as traitors by the UP, they are being attacked from all sides. Despite being on the run, they have uncovered a plot where the Khunds are once again mobilizing a strike against the UP. Learning that the Khunds are planning to bomb the UP headquarters Weber's World, they streak to try to save the day.

Three weeks from now, I will be reviewing my last issue of the 5YL run on this blog.

And I am feel sluggish.

These last few issues have been crazy, action-packed brawls with the 'new' Legion punching in all directions. And in some ways that has been a lot of fun. It's been fun in the way that a Michael Bay movie can sometimes be fun. Who doesn't like over the top super-hero action?