Superboy & The Legion #258

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #258 (December, 1979)
title: "The Mind Attack of the Psycho-Warrior!"

writer: Gerry Conway

penciller: Joe Staton

inker: Dave Hunt
letterer: Milt Snapinn
colorist: Gene D'Angelo

editor: Jack C. Harris
cover: Dick Giordano (signed)

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Shadow Lass, Wildfire, Chameleon Boy, Sun Boy, Superboy, Shrinking Violet, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Karate Kid

Guests: 
R.J. Brande, EarthGov President Kandru

Opponents: 
Psycho-Warrior, misguided philanthropy

Who's Who: Dream Boy

Dream Boy
by Siskoid

Real Name: Rol Purtha

Super-Power(s): Precognition.
Planet of Origin: Naltor

Legion Seniority: Dream Boy was the first completely new Legion recruit after the Threeboot.

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #59

The Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #59 (April, 1989)
title: "Ghosts In The Club-House"

writer: Paul Levitz

penciller/co-plotter: Keith Giffen
flash-back penciller: Mark Bright
inker: Mike DeCarlo
flash-back inker: Carlos Garzon
lettering: John Costanza
colorist: Carl Gafford
asst editor: Art Young 

editor: Karen Berger 

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

Mission Monitor Board:  
NOW: Invisible Kid (Jacques Foccart), Wildfire, Polar Boy;
THEN: Invisible Kid (Lyle Norg), Chemical King, Saturn Girl, Lighting Lad, Mon-El, Ultra Boy

Opponents: 
"ghost" in the Legion HQ, self-doubt

Lego Justice League: Cosmic Clash

The Lego DC Comics Super Heroes series of adventures have been a lot of fun, and for folks like me who grew up in the not-so-grim-and-gritty Silver and Bronze Ages of comics, they are much preferable to the darker and edgier animated DC movies out there. All that and we get semi-serious super-heroics mixed with fanboy inside jokes, good stories, and even the Bizarros and the Legion of Doom. And in this particular feature, we even get the Legion of Super-Heroes. Does it get any better than that?

Fire Lad: Hot or Not?

Our group of candid women with no real Legion knowledge asked to check out the Substitute-Heroes. What will they think of that team's version of their most hated Legionnaire?

Participants
Our honorary Legion members are...
Art-Girl - Warm hands, warm heart.
DJ Nath - Has the sniffles, could get dangerous.
Havana Nights - Has a sultry code name.
Lip-Bomb - Cold hands, warm hea--nah, cold heart. With her sister Nath, she co-hosts the YouTube channel Mind Linked.
Science Girl - Just got a new job. Something about eyes. Possibly studying why so many superheroes have white ones.
Shotgun - Fire detectors go off in her presence.
Moderator: Siskoid - Eating raw onions, trying to develop Fire Lad's power.
And note that now the girls are now doing a podcast with the same premise, only over in the Marvel Universe in oHOTmu or NOT? every three weeks.

Threeboot: Legion of Super-Heroes #10

Recap: The United Planets is under attack from Praetor Lemnos and his super-powered team Terror Firma. Lemnos has put the federation in a state of chaos, attacking key planets and nudging others to secede. He hopes to shake the foundation of the times, embracing a progressive society over the calm, secure doldrums that exist. That idea of progress is also espoused by the Legion but they use different means to achieve that end. But instead of preparing for battle, the Legion is beset with internal strife. That is, until the front line comes nearer.

In Legion of Super-Heroes #9, the team was the most fractured and splintered I have ever seen it. It was only thanks to a nudge by Invisible Kid at the end of that issue that led to Cosmic Boy staying with the team and leading an away team into combat against Terror Firma.

While that internal strife is hardly over, it is pushed to the back burner in Legion of Super-Heroes #10. It has become abundantly clear that the team needs to put their differences aside if they are going to save the galaxy. In fact, the only up-front issue is the distrust everyone seems to have for Invisible Kid. The team feels he has sown the seeds of discord by telling Brainy that Cosmic Boy went into his lab, a charge Invisible Kid vehemently denies.

With war on the horizon, the team goes on the offensive. I think this is the first time in this book that we have seen a true battle sequence, enemy team vs. Legion. And it reads great. The book continues to look beautiful with Barry Kitson returning on pencils and being inked by Drew Geraci.

But don't think that the unstable reunion of the team is going to lead immediately to sunnier times. This is a war book right now. And that means casualties.

Superboy & The Legion #257

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #257 (November, 1979)
title: "Who Stole The Legion?"

writer: Gerry Conway

penciller: Joe Staton

inker: Dave Hunt
letterer: Ben Oda
colorist: Gene D'Angelo

editor: Jack C. Harris
cover: Dick Giordano (signed)

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Chameleon Boy, Shrinking Violet, Mon-El, Shadow Lass, Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Superboy, Brainiac 5, Timber Wolf, Ultra Boy, Phantom Girl, Light Lass

Guests: 
R.J. Brande

Opponents: 
angry owner of Cosmic World, prejudices against crazy people, unnamed extortionist

Who's Who: Shikari

Shikari
by Siskoid

Real Name: Shikari Lonestar

Super-Power(s): Tracking, flight, surviving in the vacuum of space.
Planet of Origin: None; a member of the nomadic Kwai, in the Second Galaxy.

Legion Seniority: Shikari was the tenth completely new Legion recruit after the Reboot. She is essentially the Reboot's answer to Dawnstar.

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #58

The Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #58 (March, 1989)
title: "If Thine Eye Offend Thee"

writer: Paul Levitz

penciller/co-plotter: Keith Giffen
inker: Al Gordon
lettering: John Costanza
colorist: Carl Gafford
asst editor: Art Young 

editor: Karen Berger 

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

Mission Monitor Board:  
Tellus, Magnetic Kid, Blok, Quislet, Timber Wolf, Lightning Lass, Polar Boy, Colossal Boy, Wildfire, Dawnstar, Element Lad, Ultra Boy, Invisible Kid, Sensor Girl

Guests: 
Yera

Opponents: 
Emerald Empress

Action Comics # 858

ACTION COMICS # 858
Superman And The Legion of Super-Heroes Part One
Title: “Alien World”
Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciller: Gary Frank
Inker: John Sibal
Colorist: Dave McCaig and Hi-Fi
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Editor: Matt Idelson
Associate Editor: Nachie Castro
Reviewer: Myk-El

RECAP:
In “The Lightning Saga,” seven Legionnaires travel back to the present day (or at least, to 2007) on a mission so secret even they don’t know what it is. Not until the Justice League teams up with the Justice Society to bring them all together. As it turns out, the Legionnaires intended to sacrifice themselves in order to “bring him back.” As an added bonus, they end up bringing back Wally West and his family. Their mission completed, the Legionnaires have returned to the 31st century. And now, so have we.

5YL: Legionnaires Annual #1

Legionnaires Annual #1 (1994)
title: "Castles in the Air"

writers: Mark Waid, Ty Templeton

pencillers: Paul Pelletier, Jeff Moy
inkers: Mark Farmer, John Lowe, Wade von Grawbadger, Ron Boyd
lettering: Pat Brosseau
colorist: Tom McCraw

assistant editor: Mike McAvennie

editor: KC Carlson

cover: Paul Pelletier
reviewer: Siskoid

Mission Monitor Board:  
(Elseworlds) Alchemist, Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Cosmic Boy, Dragonmage, Ferro, Inferno, Invisible Kid, Karate Kid, Leviathan, Live Wire, Matter-Eater Lad, Polar Boy, Projectra, Saturn Girl, Shrinking Violet, Triad, Ultra Boy

Guests: 
(Elseworlds) Graym Ranzz (presumably), R.J. Brande

Opponents: 
(Elseworlds) Dark Circle, Lightning Lord, Mordru, Nemesis Kid

5YL: Legionnaires #16

Legionnaires #16 (July 1994)
title: "Saved by Zero"

writer: Mark Waid

penciller: Chris Gardner
inker: Dennis Cramer
lettering: Pat Brosseau
colorist: Tom McCraw
assistant editor: Mike McAvennie

editor: KC Carlson

cover: Adam Hughes and Karl Story
reviewer: Siskoid

Mission Monitor Board:  
Alchemist, Andromeda, Apparition, Brainiac 5 (SW6), Bouncing Boy (SW6, 1st appearance), Catspaw, Chameleon, Computo II, Cosmic Boy (SW6), Dragonmage, Dream Girl (SW6, 1st appearance), Ferro, Gossamer, Inferno, Invisible Kid (SW6), Kid Quantum, Leviathan, Live Wire, Matter-Eater Lad (SW6), Saturn Girl (SW6), Shrinking Violet (SW6), Star Boy (SW6, 1st appearance), Triad, Ultra Boy (SW6), Valor (SW6, as image)

Guests: 
Rond Vidar, Science Police (Commander Schafer), Tokyo Dome scientists

Opponents: 
Khunds (Warlord Khezal), Polestar (adult Cosmic Boy), Tokyo Dome looters

Threeboot: Legion of Super-Heroes #9

Recap: The United Planets is under assault. Orando, Colu, and the rim worlds have been razed by Praetor Lemnos and his Terror Firma. The Praetor has been pulling the strings behind the scenes, leading to chaos and war. Planets are seceding. The UP is in economic crisis. And only the Legion is aware of the Lemnos and his plans. But the Legion itself is splintered from within. How can a broken team defend a broken federation against a powerful force!

Where prior issues of Legion has looked at individual members and made the plot revolve around them, Legion of Super-Heroes #9 is clearly a team book. Or rather, it is an anti-team book. I commented about this last issue but this is the most fractured Legion team I have ever read. Cosmic Boy and Brainiac 5 are vying for leadership, have their factions behind them, and have cracked the foundation of the team. Last issue, Brainiac 5 grabbed the reins, shoving Cosmic Boy out of the group's trust. Members fought each other. And in the end, Rokk was going to have to head back to Braal. His planet is seceding.

This issue shows the fallout of all this turmoil. One thing that classic fans know, it is that Rokk is the rock of the team. Writer Mark Waid brings that piece of history into the book. We see exactly what will happen without them. The team can't function. For someone like me, driven away from the book because Rokk became the Time Trapper, I greatly appreciated this.

Barry Kitson is again not on art. But he is replaced by Georges Jeanty whose work is lush and wonderful. It has a nice organic feel to it which fits the tone nicely.

Superboy & The Legion #256

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #256 (October, 1979)
title: "This is Your Life---and Death, Brainiac 5!"

writer: Gerry Conway

penciller: Joe Staton

inker: Dave Hunt
letterer: Ben Oda
colorist: Gene D'Angelo

editor: Jack C. Harris
cover: Dick Giordano (signed)

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Superboy, Shrinking Violet, Chameleon Boy, Mon-El, Shadow Lass, Phantom Girl, Colossal Boy, Ultra Boy, Light Lass, Timber Wolf, Wildfire

Guests: 
Brainiac 5, RJ Brande, Matter-Eater Lad

Opponents: 
insanity

Who's Who: Gear

Gear
by Siskoid

Real Name: I.Z.O.R.

Super-Power(s): Bio-mechanical techno-morphing
Planet of Origin: Linsnar

Legion Seniority: Gear was the ninth completely new Legion recruit after the Reboot.

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #57

The Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #57 (Feb, 1989)
title: "Under A Watchful Eye"

writer: Paul Levitz

penciller/co-plotter: Keith Giffen
inker: Al Gordon
lettering: John Costanza
colorist: Carl Gafford
asst editor: Art Young 

editor: Karen Berger 

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

Mission Monitor Board:  
Wildfire, Dawnstar, Polar boy, Sensor Girl, Invisible Kid, Timber Wolf, Tellus, Magnetic Kid, Lightning Lass, Blok, Quislet

Guests: 
SP Chief Gigi Cusimano, SP Officer Shvaughn Erin, Sarvisa, Antonio Stefanacci

Opponents: 
The Emerald Empress

Legion of Super Heroes S01 E05: Champions

"Champions" was written by Matt Wayne and directed by Lauren Montgomery, original airdate: November 11, 2006.

Mission Monitor Board: Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl, young Superman, and future Legionnaires Jo Nah (Ultra Boy) and Tenzil Kem (Matter-Eater Lad).

Opponents: Mekt Ranzz (not yet Lightning Lord), and Tharok, Mano, Persuader, Validus, and the Emerald Empress, teamed as the Fatal Five.

Live from Olympus 12, welcome to the 343rd Intergalactic Games! It's just like the Olympics, only with space aliens and other folks from Legion mythos who haven't been introduced yet. As the games begin, I can see Garth Ranzz, also known as the Legionnaire Lightning Lad; there's Tenzil Kem of Bismoll and Jo Nah of Rimbor; and isn't that Lightning Lord?? Yep, this episode is full of surprises...

5YL: Legionnaires #15

Legionnaires #15 (June 1994)
title: "Worst Nightmares"

writers: Tom & Mary Bierbaum

penciller: Jeff Moy
inker: Dennis Cramer
lettering: Pat Brosseau
colorist: Tom McCraw

assistant editor: Mike McAvennie
editor: KC Carlson

cover: Jeff Moy and Karl Story
reviewer: Siskoid

Mission Monitor Board:  
Andromeda, Apparition, Brainiac 5 (SW6), Computo II, Cosmic Boy (SW6), Ferro, Gossamer, Inferno, Invisible Kid (SW6), Leviathan, Live Wire, Saturn Girl (SW6), Shrinking Violet (SW6), Ultra Boy (SW6)

Guests: 
Keiki, Sadi (behind the scenes), Science Police (officer Salazar), Mayf (the wounded boy), his mother (a mental creation)

Opponents: 
Dominators, Khunds, an Ultra-Beast (all mental creations)

Chlorophyll Kid: Hot or Not?

Our group of candid women with no real Legion knowledge asked to check out the Substitute-Heroes. We said yes. Did they notice us snickering?

Participants
Our honorary Legion members are...
Art-Girl - As long as the flowers are pink, she's happy.
DJ Nath - Lives in a basement apartment where nothing grows.
Havana Nights - Eats fresh.
Lip-Bomb - Has been known to wear a crown of flowers, like a delightful druidess. With her sister Nath, she co-hosts the YouTube channel Mind Linked.
Science Girl - Thinks experimental fertilizer is sexy.
Shotgun - A girl from the woods.
Moderator: Siskoid - A gray thumb if there ever was one.
And note that now the girls are now doing a podcast with the same premise, only over in the Marvel Universe in oHOTmu or NOT? every three weeks.

Threeboot: Legion of Super-Heroes #8

Recap: Praetor Lemnos, a being with the power to influence people and then be forgotten, is inciting a intergalactic war on the United Planets. His advance super-powered team, Terror Firma, has razed rim worlds and Orando, the economic core of the UP. And now he has attacked Colu, the data hold of the United Planets. But his machinations have been discovered by the Legion who vow to fight Lemnos and stop the war. If only the Legion could quite squabbling amongst themselves!

Legion of Super-Heroes #8, more than any of the preceding issues, shows just how different this Threeboot Legion is from prior incarnations. Yes, we are in a sterile future here. Yes, the team espouses a political agenda. And yes, there are new members or secret identities. All of that feels very new.

But this issue, unlike just about every version of the Legion I read before, shows just how internally splintered the team is. Every other Legion has seemed united in their purpose, even if there were cliques. This Legion? It is divided. There is anger.

Superboy & The Legion #255

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #255 (Sept, 1979)
title: "The Super Spectacles Swipe!"

writer: Gerry Conway

penciller: Joe Staton

inker: Vince Colletta
letterer: Ben Oda
colorist: Gene D'Angelo

editor: Jack C. Harris
cover: Dick Giordano (signed)

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Superboy, Cosmic Boy, Shrinking Violet, Shadow Lass, Wildfire

Guests: 
Pa Kent, Lana Lang; cameos by Jor-El, Lara, and baby Kal-El

Opponents: 
the Gorgli

Who's Who: Thunder

Thunder
by Siskoid

Real Name: CeCe Beck

Super-Power(s): Strength, invulnerability, enhanced courage and wisdom, flight, calling the lightning.
Planet of Origin: Binderaan.

Legion Seniority: Thunder was the eighth completely new Legion recruit after the Reboot.

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #56

The Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #56 (Jan, 1989)
title: "By Hope Ensnared"

writer: Paul Levitz

co-plotter: Keith Giffen
penciller: Eduado Barreto
inkers: Mike DeCarlo (1-18), Al Gordon (19-27)
lettering: John Costanza
colorist: Carl Gafford
asst editor: Art Young 

editor: Karen Berger 

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

Mission Monitor Board:  
Blok, Dawnstar, Ultra Boy, Wildfire, Element Lad, Lightning Lass, Magnetic Kid, Shrinking Violet, Shadow Lass, Mon-El; cameo by Polar Boy

Guests: 
SP Chief Zendak, Earth President Desai

Opponents: 
The Inquisitor, his unnamed slave, the threat of the Emerald Empress

McHappy Talk

McDonalds have produced numerous licensed toys since they launched their Happy Meals in 1979, and Legion fans were delighted when a set of figures commemorating the Legion animated TV show was released in 2007.
     In total, eight characters were featured: Superman, Brainiac 5, Timber Wolf, Bouncing Boy, Lightning Lad, Mano, Tharok and Validus. Each came within a book-shaped case that you could open to reveal the figure embedded within a small diorama blister on one side, and a trading card in the other. The figures are non-poseable and cannot stand on their own.

5YL: Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #5

Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #5 (1994)
title: "The Long Road Home"

writer: Tom McCraw

pencillers: Stuart Immonen, Curt Swan, Ron Boyd, Mark Farmer, Wade von Grawbadger, Craig Hamilton, Jeff Moy, Ted McKeever, Colleen Doran
inkers: José Marzan Jr., Ron Boyd, Mark Farmer, Wade von Grawbadger, John Lowe, Ted McKeever, Robert Campanella, Karl Story, Colleen Doran
lettering: Bob Pinaha
colorist: Tom McCraw
assistant editor: Mike McAvennie

editor: KC Carlson

cover: Stuart Immonen, Karl Story
reviewer: Siskoid

Mission Monitor Board:  
(Non-Elseworlds) Ayla Ranzz, Brainiac 5, Vi, White Witch, Wildfire
(Elseworlds) 5 (Brainiac 5), Ayla Ranzz, Blok, Dreamy (Dream Girl), ERG (Wildfire), Furball (Timber Wolf), Princess Laurel (Andromeda), Shrinking Violet, Tellus, Valor, White Witch

Guests: 

(Elseworlds) Gandians (Daxamites), Garth Ranzz, Imskians, Mekt Ranzz

Opponents: 

(Elseworlds) Blobs (Durlans? Proteans?), Polar King (Polar Boy), Shadowkin (Shadow Kid and Shadow Lass), Starfinger (brother and sister, the later based on Glorith), Sun Baron (Sun Boy), Wind Riders (people of Starhaven)

5YL: Legionnaires #14

Legionnaires #14 (May 1994)
title: "Grim Reality"

writers: Tom & Mary Bierbaum

penciller: Chris Gardner
inkers: Dennis Cramer
lettering: Pat Brosseau
colorist: Tom McCraw
assistant editor: Mike McAvennie

editor: KC Carlson

cover: Adam Hughes
reviewer: Siskoid

Mission Monitor Board:  
Alchemist, Andromeda, Chameleon, Computo II, Cosmic Boy (SW6), Dragonmage, Inferno, Invisible Kid (SW6), Kid Quantum, Leviathan, Live Wire, Matter Eater Lad (SW6), Saturn Girl (SW6), Shrinking Violet (SW6), Triad, Ultra Boy (SW6)

Guests: 
Kono, Science Police, Dominator victim, wounded boy

Opponents: 
Grimbor, Lothar St. Maixent, Parisian separatists, Sklarian Raiders, a monster

Threeboot: Legion of Super-Heroes #7

Recap: The United Planets is under attack. The Rim Worlds have been overrun. Orando has been brought to ruin. The advancing army is led by a group of super-powered terraformers aptly called Terror Firma. But the real power behind them is Praetor Lemnos, a man whose power is to influence and then be forgotten, never even able to be captured on sensors or film. The Legion is poised to intercede but the political landscape is standing in their way. Eat it Grandpa!

Legion of Super-Heroes #7 continues Mark Waid and Barry Kitson's attempt to both tell a compelling story while introducing us to the new versions of characters we know and love. It is the bane of the reboot. You need to start absolutely fresh but you also know that readers of prior incarnations are still bringing some baggage and knowledge.

Waid and Kitson have been pulling that off by focusing on one or two Legionnaires each issue and having the main plot of the UP War revolved around them. This issue stands out as one of my favorite as it showcases three of my favorite Legionnaires. The main focus is Brainiac 5 as we travel to Colu and learn about that planet's culture. But we also learn more about Light Lass and Chameleon Boy.

Barry Kitson and Art Thibert provide all the art on this issue after the last two had some guest penciled pages. I love Kitson's style and he really brings a feel to the title.

On to the issue!

Superboy & The Legion #254

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #254 (August, 1979)
title: "A Mad Man Shall Lead Them"

writer: Gerry Conway

penciller: Joe Staton

inker: Dave Hunt
letterer: Todd Klein
colorist: Gene D'Angelo

editor: Jack C. Harris
cover: Dick Giordano (signed)

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Superboy, Element Lad, Mon-El, Princess Projectra, Cosmic Boy, Dream Girl, Lightning Lad, Wildfire, Saturn Girl; cameos by Light Lass, Timber Wolf, Colossal Boy, Phantom Girl, Ultra Boy

Guests: 
Brainiac 5, RJ Brande, Legion of Substitute Heroes: Polar Boy, Night Girl, Fire Lad, Chlorophyll Kid, Color Kid

Opponents: 
The Legion of Super-Assassins (Lazon, Silver Slasher, Titania, Mist Master, Neutrax, Blok)

Who's Who: Kid Quantum II

Kid Quantum II
by Siskoid

Real Name: Jazmin Cullen

Super-Power(s): Control quantum fields of space and time.
Planet of Origin: Xanthu

Legion Seniority: Kid Quantum II was the sixth completely new Legion recruit after the Reboot.

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #55

The Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #55 (Holiday 1989)
title: "Different Paths"

writer: Paul Levitz

penciller/co-plotter: Keith Giffen
guest pencillers: Ernie Colon, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Erik Larsen
inker: Al Gordon
lettering: John Costanza
colorist: Carl Gafford
asst editor: Art Young 

editor: Karen Berger 

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

Mission Monitor Board:  
Polar Boy, White Witch, Brainiac 5, Dream Girl, Blok

Guests: 
Apprentice Harlak, Star Boy, Atmos

Opponents: 
lack of faith, ego, Atmos (?), the Inquisitor and his dwarf slave