Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #277

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #277 (July, 1981)
title: "The Man Who Chained the Earth!"

writer: Roy Thomas

plotter:  Gerry Conway
penciller: Jimmy Janes
inker: Frank Chiaramonte

letterer: Ben Oda
colorist: Gene D'Angelo

editor: Mike W. Barr
cover: George Perez

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Cosmic Boy, Light Lass, Phantom Girl, Timber Wolf, Karate Kid, Brainiac 5, Wildfire, Colossal Boy, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Mon-El, Blok, Shadow Lass

Guests: 
Duo Damsel, Bouncing Boy, Reflecto

Opponents: 
Grimbor

Superman Family #207

Superman Family #207 (June, 1981)
title: "Look Homeward, Argonian!"

plot: Jack C. Harris
script: Roy Thomas

penciller: Win Mortimer 

inker: Vince Colletta
letterer: John Costanza
colorist: John Drake

editor: Julius Schwartz
cover: Ross Andru & Dick Giordano (signed)

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Supergirl; cameo guest-star appearances by Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Chameleon Boy, Blok, Brainiac 5, Sun Boy

Opponents: 
Universo

Threeboot: Legion of Super-Heroes #46

Recap: After squabbling with the UP for some time, the Legion has been given diplomatic immunity and the members who have issues with the law have been pardoned. After struggling with finances for some time, the team is now flush with cash since merchandising their symbol. But the team is still fighting a many front war. The threat of beamed in techno-constructs is in the background. A planet has been working its way through the solar system. And there has been plenty of internal squabbles. Projectra is leaning towards totalitarianism. And Saturn Girl succumbed to Ultra Boy's closet and had sex in the pantry. Hooray bright future!

Reboot: Legionnaires #34

Legionnaires #34 (February 1996)
title: "Fallen Star"

writers: Tom Peyer and Tom McCraw

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

assistant editor: Mike McAvennie
editor: KC Carlson
special thanks: Mark Waid & Karl Kesel

cover: Jeffrey Moy & W.C. Carani
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Chameleon, Cosmic Boy, Gates, Invisible Kid, Kinetix, Leviathan, Saturn Girl, Shrinking Violet, Spark, Star Boy, Triad

Guests:
Captain Tro Yesq, Chuck Taine, Lori Morning, Mysa, President Chu, Valor, Science Police, a shop owner, the president's bodyguards, U.P. ambassadors
Opponents:
Empress, Gatherers, Mano, Persuader, Starfinger (Alchemist), Sun-Eater, Tharok, Validus, Winema Wazzo

Who's Who: Time Trapper

Time Trapper
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: Varies

Super-Power(s): Mastery over time
Planet of Origin: Varies

Relationship to Legion: Villain; possibly the Legion's creator

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #276

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #276 (June, 1981)
title: "Lord Romdur's Castle!"

writer: Gerry Conway

penciller: Steve Ditko
inker: Frank Chiaramonte

letterer: Ben Oda
colorist: Gene D'Angelo

editor: Jack C. Harris
cover: Rick Buckler and Dick Giordano

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Princess Projectra, Star Boy, Phantom Girl, Chameleon Boy, Sun Boy, Shadow Lass

Opponents: 
Lord Romdur

The FWPodcast: Who's Who in the Legion (1)

The Fire and Water Podcast Presents…
Who's Who in the Legion of Super-Heroes episode 1

The Irredeemable Shag teams-up with the Legion of Super-Bloggers to cover the galactic seven-issue mini-series! A three-episode podcast starting TODAY at the Fire & Water Podcast Network!

Our first podcast episode features reviews of the first two issues. For Volume 1 Shag welcomes LSB Leader Russell Burbage to talk about Absorbency Boy, the Bacard Barley Circus, and Dev-Em, among many many others! For Volume 2 Shag talks with Dr. Anj and Kyle Benning about Dream Girl, the Dominators, the Fatal Five, and many many more! They then discuss a special missing entry provided by the multi-talented Xum Yukinori!

You can find the episode on http://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/ww-legion1

Hop in your Legion Cruiser and go there RIGHT NOW and listen. Then leave Listener Feedback on their page as well as here on our page.

Threeboot: Legion of Super-Heroes #45

Recap: The Legion has been in turmoil. Their funds are dry. They are infighting.Princess Projectra is in jail. They are battling weird, monstrous,exceedingly powerful technocreatures. The UP seems to be their enemy. And they recently just got into a significant brawl with intergalactic pirates. And just when things couldn't get worse or busier, a moving planet is flying through the solar system heading to Earth.

Legion of Super-Heroes #44 continues the Jim Shooter/Francis Manapul run of the Threeboot team. I have not enjoyed it much finding it a mix of too many subplots (both boring and action filled) , rampant sexism, and bitter teammates. The bottom line is that it has felt too much like a book trying desperately to be overly edgy and extreme and as a result it simply doesn't read like a Legion book.

And yet, I have to admit, this issue is an interesting one for me. And that is because I find that there are some bright spots in this book, some scenes that I think are really fantastic and reminded me of a Legion book I might like to read. But surrounded by that are more instances of things I find completely odious.

On the bright side, we see the team actually come up with some pretty ingenious solutions to some of the problems facing them. I like that aspect.

But as has become routine for this book, there is a fair amount of cheesecake and sexiness to the proceedings, much of which feels gratuitous and out of character for those involved. In particular, I just find the way Shooter writes Saturn Girl to be off-putting. At this point there were decades of characterization that Imra was built on that Shooter seemed to be ignoring.

And, as what is also routine for this run, the art is wonderful. Manapul does seem to love these characters and the future atmosphere.

Reboot: Legion of Super-Heroes #77

Legionnaires #77 (February 1996)
title: "Lock Up"

writers: Tom Peyer and Tom McCraw

penciller: Lee Moder

inker: Ron Boyd
lettering: Pat Brosseau
colorist: Tom McCraw

assistant editor: Mike McAvennie
editor: KC Carlson

cover: Alan Davis & Mark Farmer
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Brainiac 5; all others in flashback: Andromeda, Apparition, Chameleon, Cosmic Boy, Invisible Kid, Kid Quantum, Leviathan, Live Wire, Saturn Girl, Triad, XS

Guests: 
Takron-Galtos guards; in flashback: Brainiac 4, R.J. Brande, Rond Vidar, Vril Dox, Coluan care-bots

Opponents: 
Nara Minsork, Warden Kreyton; in flashback: Brainiac, Computer Tyrants, Lyrl Dox, Coluans

Who's Who: Tharok

Tharok
by Russell & Siskoid

Alter ego: The Dark Man

Super-Power(s): Super-strength, computer intelligence; as the Dark Man, had the power to absorb life force.
Planet of Origin: Zadron

Relationship to Legion: Villain; member of the original Fatal Five

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #275

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #275 (May, 1981)
title: "Of Pride, Passion, and Piracy!"

writer: Gerry Conway

penciller: Jimmy Janes
inker: Frank Chiaramonte

letterer: Ben Oda
colorist: Gene D'Angelo

editor: Jack C. Harris
cover: Dave Cockrum

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Ultra Boy, Lighting Lad, Saturn Girl, Wildfire, Dawnstar, Shrinking Violet, Element Lad, Colossal Boy, Mon-El, Shadow Lass, Light Lass, Timber Wolf; Brainiac 5 and Star Boy appear in the background but have no lines

Opponents: 
Captain Frakes and her Pirates of Penzance

Superman The Animated Series S03 E03: New Kids in Town

"New Kids in Town" was written by Stan Berkowitz and Rich Fogel, and directed by Butch Lukic.
Original airdate: October 31, 1998
Review by Glenn 'Continuity Kid' Walker.

Mission Monitor Board: Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Chameleon Boy, and Clark (Superman) Kent.

Opponents: Brainiac.

Threeboot: Legion of Super-Heroes #44

Recap: An unknown enemy is coordinating a galactic invasion of evolving technoconstructs, ripping into planets one at a time. The United Planets is basically at war against the Legion- withholding funds, forming a more compliant young group of heroes, and now invading the headquarters. Karate Kid and Triad have telported away with unknown allies. The team is fractured with a lot of internal griping. Now a group of Legionnaires is avoiding arrest on Rimbor. And another is has been defeated by space pirates.
Is anyone having fun yet?

Legion of Super-Heroes #44 was another interesting issue in this Jim Shooter run in that it continues to ignore several long building plots to focus on new ones. We are now 8 issues into this run.

Reboot: Legionnaires #33

Legionnaires #33 (January 1996)
title: "The Inhuman Touch"

writers: Tom Peyer and Tom McCraw

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

assistant editor: Mike McAvennie
editor: KC Carlson
special thanks: Mark Waid & Karl Kesel

cover: Jeffrey Moy & W.C. Carani
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

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

Guests: 
Chuck Taine, Dalya Ranzz, Lori Morning, Mysa, President Chu, Rond Vidar, Warden Kreyton, Science Police, a shop owner

Opponents: 
Emerald Eye of Ekron, Starfinger

Who's Who: Sun-Eater

Sun-Eater
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: Not applicable

Super-Power(s): FTL flight; absorbing energy and mass on incredible scale, i.e. eating stars; instinctively focusing the absorbed energy

Planet of Origin: Controllers' World

Relationship to Legion: Weapon of Mass Destruction

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #274

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #274 (April 1981)
title: "The Exaggerated Death of Ultra Boy!"

writer: Gerry Conway

penciller: Steve Ditko
inker: Frank Chiaramonte

letterer: John Costanza
colorist: Gene D'Angelo

editor: Jack C. Harris
cover: Rich Buckler & Bob Smith

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Ultra Boy, Phantom Girl, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy, Karate Kid, Princess Projectra; Wildfire, Brainiac 5, Star Boy, Sun Boy, Colossal Boy, Chameleon Boy, Mon-El, Shadow Lass, Dream Girl, Timber Wolf

Opponents: 
amnesia, Space Pirates of the Space Caribbean

COMICS BUYERS GUIDE: The Write Stuff part 3

Comics Buyer's Guide, published from 1971 to 2013, was the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry.

It was probably my favorite comics magazine, featuring well-written and researched articles that fell between the fanboy gushings of Wizard and the verbose, opinionated and sometimes pretentious offerings in Comics Journal.

The CBG ran several articles on the Legion through the years, and today's blog takes a look at those issues.

Threeboot: Legion of Super-Heroes #43

Recap: This series is a bit all over the place right now. The Legion (and in particular leader Lightning Lad) is under duress from the UP for both overspending and flaunting authority. The galaxy is under attack from evolving techno-beasts working for an unknown threat. Princess Projectra is turning evil. Applicant M'Rissey seems to have sold out flight ring technology. The UP has formed their own mini-Legion, the United Planets Young Heroes, a more controlled band of super-powered teens. And now pirates are raiding worlds. Worst of all, none of the Legionnaires seem to particularly like each other a lot. Tell me again why I am reading this?

When Jim Shooter came on this book, it felt like a little bit like a Hail Mary pass by DC, hoping to lure the older Legion readers back to a book that they never seemed to embrace. Shooter hadn't written the Legion in decades and even I was a bit intrigued about what the book would be like. Half a year into his run, I realized that it was something of a mess. There are too many plots moving along giving the book a jumbled feel. The characters seem to be irritated with each other. There are gratuitous scenes for female characters in either undress or submissive poses. It isn't fun.

Francis Manapul's art is dynamic and engaging. But it isn't enough to clear up the story issues I have been having with this section of this Threeboot run.

This issue continues the same sort of troubling pattern of this run. New plots are added to the already overstuffed list of story lines. There is some off characterization for a couple of the team members. And the art is gorgeous.

I don't think we knew what we had with the Waid run until it was gone.

Reboot: Legion of Super-Heroes #76

Legionnaires #76 (January 1996)
title: "Bouncing Back"

writers: Tom Peyer and Tom McCraw

penciller: Lee Moder

inker: Ron Boyd
lettering: Pat Brosseau
colorist: Tom McCraw

assistant editor: Mike McAvennie
editor: KC Carlson

cover: Alan Davis & Mark Farmer
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Chameleon, Cosmic Boy, Gates, Invisible Kid, Kinetix, Leviathan, Saturn Girl, Shrinking Violet, Spark, Star Boy, Triad

Guests: 
Chuck Taine, Lori Morning, Marla Latham, Mysa, President Chu, Rond Vidar, Tenzil Kem, Utra Boy, Valor, Winema Wazzo, Science Police

Opponents: 
Starfinger

Who's Who: Starfinger

Starfinger
by Russell & Siskoid
Two villains named Starfinger received an entry in Who's Who. More are included in this article.

Starfinger I

Real Name: Dr. Lars Hanscom

Super-Power(s): Five star tipped fingers, each of which can project different energy rays - a neutralizing ray, super-lightning, a super-thrust ray, any kind of super-radiation, a freezing ray
Planet of Origin: Earth

Relationship to Legion: Villain

Starfinger II

Real Name: Char Burrane

Super-Power(s): Ring that generates star-shaped energy blasts
Planet of Origin: Mars colony

Relationship to Legion: Villain

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #273

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #273 (March, 1981)
title: "A Murderer---Among Us?"

writer: Gerry Conway

penciller: Jimmy Janes
inker: Frank Chiaramonte

letterer: Ben Oda
colorist: Bob LeRose

editor: Jack C. Harris
cover: Rich Buckler & Steve Mitchell

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Ultra Boy, Phantom Girl, Star Boy; Lighting Lad, Saturn Girl, Colossal Boy, Timber Wolf, Light Lass, Karate Kid, Shrinking Violet, Wildfire

Guests: 
Bouncing Boy, UP President Marte Allon

Opponents: 
Pulsar Stargrave

Happy New Year 2017

Dreaming of 2017 by Russell "Don't Call Me Dream Girl" Burbage
As we board our Legion Cruiser and prepare to jettison the year 2016 into The Past, let's take a moment to note what we hope to see or do in The Future of 2017.....