title: "The Origin of the Legion!"
writer: E. Nelson Bridwell
artist: Pete Costanza
letterer: Ira Schnapp
editor: Mort Weisinger
cover: Curt Swan & Neal Adams
reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage
Mission Monitor Board:
Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Triplicate Girl, Phantom Girl; cameos by Invisible Kid, Superboy, and Supergirl
Guest Star(s):
R.J. Brande
Opponent:
unnamed assassins
As we see a new statue placed at the entrance of the new Legion of Super-Heroes, we have a telepathic narrative from Saturn Girl telling us how the Legion came to be.
The story begins on the planet Winath, as young Garth Ranzz says good-bye to his parents and sister as he heads off to Earth to find his older brother, Mekt.
On the rocket cruiser Garth sits next to 14-year old Rokk Krinn from Braal. He is heading to Earth to find a job. He asks, and Garth explains that his older brother went missing after he, Garth, and their sister Ayla were blasted by Lightning Beasts on the planet Korbal. Garth hopes to ask the Science Police to help find his older brother.
Around Saturn's orbit more passengers come aboard, including R.J. Brande, the richest man in the universe. Garth, however, only has eyes for a stunning blonde.
When the rocket ship touches down on Earth this blonde "hears" a plot to assassinate R.J. Brande; she cries out in alarm and Garth and Rokk stop the would-be assassins. Brande is impressed with the teen-agers, and asks them to stop by his office the next day.
Brande tells the trio that he has an idea to fund an organization to fight crime and injustice. When they demur because they're too young, he reminds them that Superboy and Supergirl started their crime-fighting careers as teen-agers.
Because each came to Earth looking for a job, they eventually agree to his terms. Brande buys them a club-house, uniforms, and state-of-the-art computers, which chooses Cosmic Boy as the Legion's first leader. They then begin to write the first Legion Constitution, including terms regarding members having real powers (not weapons), education requirements, a clause on no killing, and a clause on Legion Leader being decided every year.
"Not long after" its founding, the Legion is granted Honorary Citizenship on all United Planets' worlds, and are deputized as Science Police officers.
Triplicate Girl asks to join by displaying her power, as does Phantom Girl who calmly walks into the club-house warning the others of their lack of defense against "phantoms."
Russell: I like this story a lot. By the time I came around to the Legion this story was canonical; the details and artwork differed in the re-telling but the basic facts were set. And as for the story itself, I think it works. There's something special about three people being in the right place at the right time with the right hearts and minds to create something special.
As for some of my favorite bits....I like how Garth, Rokk, and Imra are all heading towards Earth for different reasons. I like how Bridwell throws in Ayla at the beginning of this story without any explanation; if you're a Legion fan you know who she is, and if you're not then she's just his sister saying good-bye. He does tell us later that she turned into Light Lass, but initially we are left in the dark. On the other hand, I never understood why she didn't go with him to search for Mekt.
I like how the Legionnaires are kind of "overwhelmed" by the riches of Brande, such as when he gives them new uniforms and a super-computer. And I like the bit how Triplicate Girl applied to the Legion three times; I think that's clever.
I never understood why the three new friends are shown wearing the same clothes as the day before when they meet Brande "the next day."
I do think it's funny that the Legion had been around for more than ten years before someone (in this case E. Nelson Bridwell) got around to writing their origin. Of course, the Justice Society didn't have an origin story until Paul Levitz wrote one for them in 1977.
As an early Christmas (or late Hanukkah) present, we proudly re-present this story in its entirety. If you've never read it, or just want to read it again, click here.
Science Police Notes:
- This issue is also known as 80-Page Giant G-47.
- This story establishes the three founders and also that Triplicate Girl and Phantom Girl were the first new members.
- The framing sequence around this story must come some time after Adventure Comics #367 (their new head-quarters) but before Adventure Comics #371 (Invisible Kid is no longer Legion Leader).
- Garth and Ayla's parents are killed in Superboy/Legion #207.
- The Lightning Beasts in this story are the "canonical" version of them. Whenever their origin was retold from this point on, the vaguely elephant-like creatures shown here are the versions that appear.
- As of this story, Mekt Ranzz had still not been found by his younger siblings. He will make his re-appearance in Adventure Comics #372, a few short months after this story was published.
- The sequence of events as to how the Legion earned their Science Police deputizations is told in DC Super-Stars #17.
- The rest of this issue are reprints of earlier Legion stories: Superboy #98 (the debut of Ultra Boy), Adventure Comics #293 (the Legion's second appearance), Action Comics #276 (Supergirl joins the Legion), Adventure Comics #290 (Sun Boy's first mission as a Legionnaire), and Superman #147 (the debut of the Adult Legion of Super-Villains, including Mekt Ranzz as Lightning Lord).
This issue has been reprinted in The Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol 8 and Showcase Presents: The Legion Vol. 4, among other places.
Milestone: This is the first reveal of the reason the Legion of Super-Heroes was founded.
Would love to see this done live action someday. Yeah, the Legion has so many characters, but the Marvel movies have proven that a huge cast is no real drawback. Do the origin and the first case as a single film. Then, at the end, you see would-be members lining up outside the clubhouse.
ReplyDeleteThe Legion wouldn't work as a feature film franchise; with up to 25 members all needing individual moments, it would fall flat quickly. The Avengers works that way only because some characters are obviously A-line (Iron Man, Captain America, Doctor Strange), others are clearly B-line (Hulk, Hawkeye), and the rest are mainly side characters (Scarlet Witch, Falcoln, Winter Soldier). This allows for an intermingling which allows everyone time to shine, but you still have clear foci. You can't have that with the Legion, where no one or two characters ground the others -- unless you plan to introduce Superboy. (Please -- doesn't the DCEU have enough problems.)
DeleteActually, I would love to see a Legion CW TV series, especially if 2019's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" allows for Earth-38's timeline to be folded into Earth-1's. The, we could have a spin-off Legion series if other shows like "Arrow" and "LOT" wrap up.
DeleteActually, this is the second time the Legion's origin saw print--the first time was in a text feature, "The Origin of Cosmic Boy" in Adventure #352 (the first half of the Sun-Eater story, wherein Ferro Lad dies); most of the elements of that story also appeared in this one, such as Rokk Krinn leaving home for Earth at 14, meeting Garth and Imra, and saving the life of R.J. Brandes (note the spelling); what's different is that the 3 of them shared an apartment before running into The Richest Man in the Universe.
ReplyDeleteActually, this is the second time the Legion's origin saw print--the first time was in a text feature, "The Origin of Cosmic Boy" in Adventure #352 (the first half of the Sun-Eater story, wherein Ferro Lad dies); most of the elements of that story also appeared in this one, such as Rokk Krinn leaving home for Earth at 14, meeting Garth and Imra, and saving the life of R.J. Brandes (note the spelling); what's different is that the 3 of them shared an apartment before running into The Richest Man in the Universe.
ReplyDeleteRussell, I think the future Legionnaires wearing the same clothes the next day is further indicative of their relative poverty, helping to underscore why they were so impressed by their new duds. Of course, I'm sure Mort wanted to make them more easily identifiable to his young audience.
ReplyDeleteI think my oldest brother brought this issue home in the early '70s, a few year years after it was published--I never even asked him where he got it, but I reread it until I needed to tape the cover on, just a great and fascinating collection of stories.