Threeboot: Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #26

Recap: Supergirl has rejoined the team and is aware that this is reality. The team has saved Mon-El from the Phantom Zone. But suddenly the Legion Headquarters is attacked magically. Mon-El, as well as Karate Kid, Ultra Boy, Star Boy, and Light Lass, are whisked away by the super-team which has been thwarting the team recently. It turns out that they are The Wanderers. They are an army preparing to fight the upcoming threats to Earth. They are soldiers. And they don't think they could easily work with a looser run team like the Legion. But the biggest bombshell? They are led by Mekt Ranzz.

For the better part of a year, writer Mark Waid has been weaving a tapestry of plot lines throughout the Legion book. From the mystery of Supergirl to Sun Boy's team to the initial robot rebellion to the enigmatic appearances of the Dominators to the Wanderers, there has been a lot happening in this book.

But in the last couple of issues there has been a sense that things were coming together, that sense that the woven plotlines are getting tighter, that everything is coming to a head. And, no big surprise, it is in this issue that everything suddenly seems connected. The robots, the Dominators, the Wanderers ... it all explodes into one big story by issue's end.

Despite the need to connect these things, Waid still paused to give us a retelling of the Ranzz's origin, giving us the backstory of Mekt we need in this new continuity. Mekt doesn't seem evil here. He isn't the Lightning Lord yet. But he seems a bit unhinged. For long time fans, we need to know the differences. For new fans, they need to know who he is.

Barry Kitson is on art and I have gushed about him in the past. His art is just sweet.

On to the book.

Legion of Super-Heroes (V2) Annual #1

Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #1

“Monster in a Little Girl’s Mind”

1982

The Great Darkness Saga Part Seven

Written by Paul Levitz

Pencilled by Keith Giffen

Inked by Bruce Patterson

Lettered by John Constanza

Colored by Carl Gafford

Roll Call:

Blok, Bouncing Boy, Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Chlorophyll Kid, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Dawnstar, Dream Girl, Duo Damsel, Element Lad, Fire Lad, Invisible Kid, Lightning Lad, Lightning Lass, Mon-El, Night Girl, Phantom Girl, Polar Boy, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Star Boy, Superboy, Timber Wolf, Ultra Boy, Wildfire, and Yera.

The Great Darkness Saga continues in this 41 page story from the first Legion of Super-Heroes Annual as one of the Legion's most lethal foes return to wreak havoc on Legion Headquarters! 

Who's Who: Elastic Lad

Elastic Lad
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: Jimmy Olsen

Super-Power(s): Stretching
Planet of Origin: Earth

Relationship to Legion: Honorary member

Reboot: Legionnaires #23

Legionnaires #23 (March, 1995)
title: "Flight"

writers: Tom Peyer

penciller: Jeffrey Moy
inker: W.C. Carani
lettering: Pat Brosseau
colorist: Tom McCraw

assistant editor: Mike McAvennie
editor: KC Carlson

cover: Jeffrey Moy
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Andromeda, Apparition, Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Cosmic Boy, Invisible Kid, Kinetix, Leviathan, Saturn Girl, Shrinking Violet, Spark, Triad, XS

Guests: 
Live Wire, Obin Der, Winema Wazzo, alien victim, android majordomo, Club Stargate bouncer

Opponents: 
Ambassador Roxxas, Leland McCauley, Lightning Beasts (flashback), Mekt Ranzz (flashback), White Triangle members

Pretty as a Poster

It wasn’t until the '70s that comic book posters began to be mass-produced for the public. Before that, fans had to be satisfied with pin-ups inserted within the comics themselves, and many a comic book would have been ruined by young readers tearing the pages out to stick to their walls. 

Today we're going to talk about those posters that featured The Legion of Super-Heroes. 

Threeboot: Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes 25

Recap: Supergirl has realized she is awake and alive. Krypton is gone. And Earth and the Legion are her new home and family. But there is little time to celebrate. The team has discovered the Phantom Zone and Mon-El. An army of young powered individuals, a team which has been attacking the Legion in guerilla style, has now amassed around the headquarters and is ready to engage. And I haven't even touched on the Dominator plot, the robot rebellion, and the imprisoned Sun Boy and his team.

The Legion was two years into its threeboot. Creators Mark Waid and Barry Kitson were firing on all cylinders at this point. We were getting multiple storylines, reintroductions to classic characters, and deep DC Universe cuts. And this issue didn't derail that momentum.

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #25 drops several major plot bombs into the mix. There is so much happening in this issue that, as a long time Legion leader I was gobsmacked. As a new Legion reader, there was still a lot to digest here. But there might not be as many 'oh my God' moments as registered with me.

There is a ton of stuff happening in this issue. There is a lot of progress, several subplots moving forward. There are a lot of new faces in this issue, "new" being definitely in quotes. It is a continuity bomb for old time readers!

Plus there is big time action too.

And it all starts with the crazy cover which shows Supergirl choking Mon-El! Incredible.

Get ready  ...

Legion of Super-Heroes (V2) #289

Legion of Super-Heroes #289

“A Cold and Lonely Corner of Hell”

JULY 1982

The Great Darkness Saga Part Six

Written by Paul Levitz

Pencilled by Keith Giffen

Inked by Bruce Patterson

Lettered by John Constanza

Colored by Carl Gafford

Laurie Sutton Editor

Roll Call:

Blok, Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy, Dawnstar, Dream Girl, Lightning Lad, Lightning Lass, Mon-El, Phantom Girl, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Star Boy, Sun Boy, Timber Wolf, Ultra Boy, and Yera.

Once again this issue returns to the two story format, a lead-story by the Levitz & Giffen super-team that follows our heroes stranded on an icy asteroid when fleeing the Khund homeworld, and a back-up feature by Levitz and Carmine Infantino.

Who's Who: Duplicate Boy

Duplicate Boy
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: Ord Quelu or Quelu Ord

Super-Power(s): Has the ability to copy any other super-power; however, this was never shown to be investigated, so his limits were never verified.
Planet of Origin: Lallor

Relationship to Legion: Ally; sometime boyfriend of Shrinking Violet; member of the Heroes of Lallor

Reboot: Legion of Super-Heroes #66

Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #66 (March 1995)
title: "Membership Drive"

writers: Mark Waid and Tom McCraw

penciller: Lee Moder
inker: Ron Boyd
lettering: Bob Pinaha
colorist: Tom McCraw

assistant editor: Mike McAvennie
editor: KC Carlson

cover: Lee Moder and Ron Boyd
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Andromeda, Apparition, Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Cosmic Boy, Invisible Kid, Kinetix, Leviathan, Saturn Girl, Shrinking Violet, Spark, Triad, XS

Guests: 
Athramites, Gates, Ion, Lume, Marla Latham, President Chu, Thanot Saugin, Science Police, representatives of various worlds' governments

Opponents: 
Micro

Legion of Super Heroes S01 E09: The Substitutes

"The Substitutes" was written by Scott Sonneborn and directed by Ben Jones. Original airdate: February 17, 2007.

Mission Monitor Board: Brianiac 5, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Bouncing Boy, Matter-Eater Lad, Star Boy, Timber Wolf, Phantom Girl, Element Lad, Sun Boy, Tyroc, Blok, Shrinking Violet, and young Superman.

Opponents: Starfinger, the fuzzies/ionosphere eaters.

Guest-stars and cameos: Chlorophyll Kid, Color Kid, Stone Boy, Porcupine Pete, and Infectious Lass, featured as the Legion of Substitute Heroes, also Antennae Boy, Night Girl, Double Header, Fire Lad, Invisible Kid II, Polar Boy, Quake Kid, The Mess, quite a few others I didn't quite catch, and Porcupine Pete's mom.

In my recap and review of the last episode of the animated "Legion of Super Heroes," I talked a little about the Legion tryouts. While we did see the applicants in waiting, we really only got to see one audition (Breath Boy). Well, this time, we're all about the tryouts, as well as the formation of the Legion of Substitute Heroes. All this, and Starfinger too.

Antennae Boy and Double-Header: Hot or Not?

Our group of candid women with no real Legion knowledge asked to check out the Substitute-Heroes. And now we ARE down to the wire. Or the bottom of the barrel.

Participants
Our honorary Legion members are...
Art-Girl - More about visuals than sounds.
DJ Nath - A historian who listens to a lot of music.
Havana Nights - Knows her Roman numerals.
Lip-Bomb - We could probably use two of her. With her sister Nath, she co-hosts the YouTube channel Mind Linked.
Science Girl - Has studied cell division.
Shotgun - Swinging between two extremes.
Moderator: Siskoid - He's the loser who is only a member of Hot or Not's Auxiliary.
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 few weeks.

Two last, minor, Substitute Heroes for your consideration...

Threeboot: Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #24

Recap: The robots are rebelling. The Dominators are active. A super-villain team is working in the shadows, fighting the Legion. The Legion has had an intervention with Supergirl, convincing her that she is not in a dream state. She is alive; Krypton is gone. On Rokyn, she is powerless and coming to grips with what she now knows is reality. But Rokyn isn't immune to attack. The super-villain team is there as well.

For me, Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #24 is something of a turning point in the book. If Supergirl was going to be a fixture in the book, her idea this life was a fantasy dream needed to be dealt with. This issue deals with that in a wonderful way. The multiple subplots that were percolating needed to reach a higher simmer. I needed to learn more about what was going on, who was attacking the team. While we don't get a great progression, we at least see the members of the villain team, including an interesting member. But most importantly, the book introduces Mon-El.

Mark Waid clearly has a deep understanding of the DC universe. So introducing Mon-El grabbed me. What will his origin be? Will he be Valor? Will he be Mon? What is his origin and does it lean more towards the pre-Crisis origin? Or the post? And, it is clear (and known to be true) that Waid loves Supergirl. And Kara is really spectacular in this issue.

Barry Kitson is back on art and just sparkles here. There is a lot to love here, from the big splash pages to the page layouts with Mon-El, to the Rokyn landscapes. I am so happy that Kitson was on this issue and not any of the other fill-ins we have seen.

On to the book!

Legion of Super-Heroes (V2) #288

Legion of Super-Heroes #288

“The Legionnaire’s Made for Burning”

JUNE 1982

The Great Darkness Saga Part Five

Written by Paul Levitz

Pencilled by Keith Giffen

Inked by Bruce Patterson

Colored by Carl Gafford

Laurie Sutton, Editor

Cover by Keith Giffen & Romeo Tanghal

Roll Call:

Blok, Brainiac 5, Chameleon  Boy, Colossal Boy, Dawnstar, Dream Girl, Element Lad, Karate Kid, Lightning Lad, Lightning Lass, Mon-El, Phantom Girl, Princess Projectra, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Star Boy, Timber Wolf, Ultra Boy, and Yera.

This time out, in the fifth installment of the Great Darkness Saga, we drop the two stories per issue format that we've had in the last 3 installments and get a full length 25 page epic from Levitz, Giffen, and Co.!

Who's Who: Dr. Regulus

Doctor Regulus
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: Dr. Zaxton Regulus

Super-Power(s): Heat and light generation
Planet of Origin: Earth

Relationship to Legion: Villain

Reboot: Legionnaires #22

Legionnaires #22 (February, 1995)
title: "Hard Time!"

writers: Tom Peyer

penciller: Jeffrey Moy
inker: Tom Simmons
lettering: Pat Brosseau
colorist: Tom McCraw

assistant editor: Mike McAvennie
editor: KC Carlson (credited as Warden)

cover: Jeffrey Moy and John Dell
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Apparition, Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Cosmic Boy, Invisible Kid, Leviathan, Live Wire, Saturn Girl, Spark, Triad, XS

Guests: 
Evolvo, Inferno, Karate Kid, Spider Girl, Ultra Boy

Opponents: 
Brain Globes of Rambat, Bur Rac, Planet Hell convicts and their would-be rescuers

Tempo Books Legion of Super-Heroes

In 1978 DC Comics partnered with Tempo Books, a subsidiary of Grosset & Dunlop, to produce six reprint paper-backs and six "activity" books. Of these twelve paperbacks, one was dedicated to Superboy and The Legion of Super-Heroes. 

Threeboot: Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #23

Recap: The Earth has had a robot rebellion on its hands, the result of a techno-bomb sent by the Dominators. Sun Boy has put together his own team of super-powered teens made up of Terror Firma and some recruits to investigate. But they have been captured. Brainiac Five's attempts to resurrect Dream Girl seemed to fail, although unknown to everyone else he sees her. But all of that has been pushed into the background as the team deals with the elephant in the headquarters ... a Supergirl who believes that she is dreaming the reality.

My recent reviews of the Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes have praised Mark Waid and Barry Kitson's approach to the second year of the book. We have had multiple plot lines all percolating along. We have had character moments. We have had mysteries. And we had Supergirl.

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #23 is a perfect example of this approach. The bulk of the issue deals with Supergirl's current mental state of believing she is in a deep dream state. The Legion have all been tip-toeing around Kara, worried about her Pollyanna views and her lack of concerns thinking that 'all will be well' because nothing bad can happen in a dream. The time has come for an intevention.

But we have the rest of the plots as well. Legionnaires are investigating the robot uprising. The unknown super-team lurking continues to entwine our heroes. A possible Legion romance might be brewing. And on top of all that, Waid throws in another subplot/character moment when we see Shadow Lass on her home world.

For me, the best thing in the book is the inclusion of Rokyn, the enlarged city of Kandor first seen in Superman #338 reviewed here. It is a perfect callback to old school DC continuity. That is the magic of Waid.

It is great to see Barry Kitson on art again as he brings this perfect polished look to the future. Everyone looks gorgeous. And the page layouts are slick.

On to the book ...

Legion of Super-Heroes #287

Legion of Super-Heroes #287

“Save the Suicide Squad”

MAY 1982

The Great Darkness Saga Part Four

Written by Paul Levitz

Pencilled by Keith Giffen

Inked by Bruce D. Patterson

Lettered by John Constanza

Colored by Gene D’Angelo

Cover by Keith Giffen and Romeo Tanghal

Roll Call:

Blok, Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Element Lad, Lightning Lad, Lightning Lass, Saturn Girl, Star Boy, Sun Boy, Timber Wolf, and Yera (her first appearance).

This time out we dive into part four of our coverage of the Great Darkness Saga story arc, which is collected in the Great Darkness Saga HC & TPB. Once again we have two stories, a lead feature running 18 pages with Keith Giffen taking over as the artist, and an 8 page back-up story following Shadow Lass and Mon-El drawn by Pat Broderick.

Who's Who: Darkseid

Darkseid
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: Darkseid

Super-Power(s): Super-strength, invulnerability, Omega beams; in the 30th Century, force blasts, force fields, levitation, teleportation, and mind control.
Planet of Origin: Apokolips

Relationship to Legion: Villain

Reboot: Legion of Super-Heroes #65

Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #65 (February 1995)
title: "Breakout"

writers: Mark Waid and Tom McCraw

penciller: Lee Moder
inker: Ron Boyd
lettering: Bob Pinaha
colorist: Tom McCraw

assistant editor: Mike McAvennie
editor: KC Carlson

cover: Lee Moder
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Apparition, Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Cosmic Boy, Invisible Kid, Leviathan, Live Wire, Saturn Girl, Spark, Triad, XS

Guests: 
Evolvo, Inferno, Karate Kid, Spider Girl, Ultra Boy

Opponents: 
Banderkat, Brain Globes of Rambat, Bur Rac, Caress, Leland McCauley, Titanor, Planet Hell convicts and their would-be rescuers

DC Salutes the Bicentennial!

Today marks the 240^th birthday of the United States of America, and thus the 40^th Anniversary of America’s 200^th Birthday, the Bicentennial, which was celebrated with great enthusiasm in 1976. In fact, DC Comics even got in on the celebration of the good ol’ US of A’s 200^th Birthday, with unifying “DC Comics Salutes the Bicentennial” trade dress on all issues cover dated July 1976, which included Superboy  (starring the Legion of Super-Heroes) #218. (for a full recap of this issue check out here: Superboy #218)

All told, DC released a total of 34 different comics with a July 1976 cover date, with 33 of them sporting the “DC Comics Salutes the Bicentennial” trade dress. The only holdout was DC Super Giant #27 (a 48 page reprint book and the last of the Super Giant series) which reprinted “flying saucers adventures” from Silver Age issues of Strange Adventures. 

Threeboot: Supergirl and the Legion #23 Variant Cover

I'm taking a week off from reviews as I enjoy a brief family vacation.

Had I not be on vacation, this would be the week I would review Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #23.

That issue had a superb variant cover by Adam Hughes showing Supergirl riding a meteor.

It is just a gorgeous cover, one of my favorite Supergirl covers of this time period. I am not a fan of the belly shirt costume but this is beautiful. But there is more to the story.