Who's Who: Worldsmith

Worldsmith
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: Unknown

Super-Power(s): Unspecified mental powers, which at least seemed to include the ability to change a planet's surface to stone, earth or water
Planet of Origin: Planet

Relationship to Legion: Enemy

Reboot: The Legion #7

The Legion #7 (June 2002)
title: "Terror Incognita 2: Fear of Change"

writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning

penciller: Olivier Coipel
inker: Andy Lanning
lettering: Comicraft
colorist: Tom McCraw
seps: Digital Chameleon

editor: Mike McAvennie

cover: Olivier Coipel and Andy Lanning
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Cosmic Boy, Gates, Kid Quantum II, Shikari, Triad, Ultra Boy, Violet

Guests: 
Chief Zoden, Dreamer, Kinetix, Orla Eidoor, Q'Bahl, Wimena Wazzo; Khunds, Metropolis citizens, Xanthuans

Opponents: 
Abyss, Brainstorm, Leland McCauley/Ra's al Ghul, Repulse, Robotica, Twine; Terrorforms

Who's Who: Westerner

Westerner
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: Timthy Santoza

Super-Power(s): Absorb and use others' strength and endurance
Planet of Origin: Earth

Relationship to Legion: Academy member

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 #17

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 #17 (July 1990)
title: "The Power of Positive Thinking"
co-plot: Alan Grant and Barry Kitson
script: Alan Grant
penciller: Barry Kitson
inker: Mark McKenna
letterer: Gasper Saladino
colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
editor: Art Young
cover art: Kevin Maguire and Al Gordon
review by: Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Recap: Dox introduced the newest L.E.G.I.O.N.aire, Lar Gand, a Daxamite with powers similar to that of a Kryptonian. Dox also almost killed Lar Gand when he demonstrated that lead is poisonous to his species. Fortunately, Dox administered an antidote he had developed, but his demonstration did not make his new recruit very pleased. Garryn Bek continued to grow even more full of himself since his bonding with the Emerald Eye and informed Dox he was taking over the team. Fortunately, Dox convinced Bek that he could do more by serving as an inspiration, or guiding light, for the team, rather than troubling himself with the mundane details. Lobo successfully infiltrated the criminal gang of Dragon-Ra, but found the leader to be far more powerful than he expected. He also discovered that Dragon-Ra is holding both Lady Quark and Captain Comet prisoner.

DC Super-Stars #17

DC Super-Stars #17 (December 1977)
title: "The Secret of the Quintile Crystal!"
writer: Jack C. Harris
penciller: Juan Ortiz
inker: Bob Smith
colorist: Liz Berube
editor: Baul Levitz
table of contents art: Jim Aparo
cover: Joe Staton

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board: Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl; Superboy

Guests:
RJ Brande, unnamed Science Police officer

Opponent:
Lord Lorval, Ambassador of Oianus; bureaucracy

The Two Two Clark Kents!

“Twice Told Tales” or “Haven’t I read this comic before?”
Another "double-header" review by Emsley Wyatt

“The Two Clark Kents”

Adventure Comics #191 (August 1953)

No writer named

Artists: Curt Swan & Sy Barry

Cover: Win Mortimer

“The Secret of the Seventh Super-Hero”

Adventure Comics #290 (November 1961)

Writer: Robert Bernstein

Artist: George Papp

Cover: Curt Swan & Stan Kaye

Presenting another “Twice told Tale”, an example of “recycled story lines” for which DC was notorious back in the day.  These stories were published eight years apart.  

Adventure 290 represents the second appearance of Sun Boy although, as regular visitors to this blog are aware, the “Sun Boy” in this story is, for the most part, an impostor.  His first appearance was as a Legion applicant in Action #276 (May, 1961).  

Imposture is definitely the theme of these stories as each features an impersonation of Clark Kent and one features an impersonation of Sun Boy as well.  But enough, let’s get to the stories.  

Following the pattern established in the last episode of this two-part series, the older story excerpts are presented first, then the newer, sometimes in two panel segments, sometimes with side-by-side panels from each story. 

Reboot: The Legion #6

The Legion #6 (May 2002)
title: "Terrorform"

writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning

penciller: Olivier Coipel
inker: Andy Lanning
lettering: Comicraft
colorist: Tom McCraw
seps: Digital Chameleon

editor: Mike McAvennie

cover: Olivier Coipel and Andy Lanning
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Cosmic Boy, Gates, Kid Quantum II, M'Onel, Shikari, Star Boy, Triad, Ultra Boy, Violet, XS

Guests: 
Kinetix, Lizu, Trudy Trusoe, Vigo Toosalembi; Carggite, Winathian and Vyrgan prisoners; reporters

Opponents: 
Abyss, Brainstorm Leland McCauley/Ra's al Ghul, Repulse, Robotica, Twine; Science Police

Who's Who: Weight Wizard

Weight Wizard
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: Nik Obershaw

Super-Power(s): Ability to increase and decrease his own mass
Planet of Origin: Earth

Relationship to Legion: Antagonist

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 #16

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 #16 (June 1990)
title: "Monster, Monster!"
co-plot: Alan Grant and Barry Kitson
script: Alan Grant
penciller: Barry Kitson
inker: Mark McKenna
letterer: Gasper Saladino
colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
editor: Art Young
cover art: Kevin Maguire and Al Gordon
review by: Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane


Recap: Garryn Beck was leading a mission into deep space when his crew encountered a strange emerald eye. The eye formed a telepathic link with Bek and began overreacting to every thought that he had. Bek was unable to gain control, and the eye soon murdered his entire crew. By the time he arrived back at L.E.G.I.O.N. headquaters, his mind had become unbalanced and he appeared intent on killing Dox. When Bek finally found him, he merely collapsed to his knees in tears and began begging Dox for help.

Meanwhile, Lobo was sent to infiltrate a criminal gang. Their leader, Dagon-Ra, welcomed Lobo but also warned that if he tried to betray them it would be fatal for him. On Talok VII, the Computer Tyrants of Colu artificially aged Lyrissa's daughter to adulthood and brainwashed her into a weapon to use against her mother.

Karate Kid #14

Karate Kid #14 
"Diamondeth Is Forever!"
script by Bob Rozakis
art by Juan Ortiz and Bruce Patterson
lettered by Milt Snapinn
colored by Mario Sen
edited by Al Milgrom
cover by Rich Buckler (penciller) and Frank Giacoia (inker)
cover date: May/June 1978
review by Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage
dedicated affectionately to Glenn "Continuity Kid" Walker

This comic-book cover screams ACTION. And although Robin's physiology looks a little bit wonky here, and the perspective is a bit weird to accommodate Karate Kid jumping down to Robin's defense, I like the overall "feel" and coloring of it. It made me buy it as a wee lad, so it must have done something right!

Superboy's Brothers Halk Kar and Mon-El

“Twice Told Tales” or “Haven’t I read this comic before?”
A "double-header" review by Emsley Wyatt

“Superman’s Big Brother”
Superman #80 (Jan/Feb 1953)
Writer: Edmond Hamilton
Artist: Al Plastino

"Superboy’s Big Brother” 

Superboy #89 (June 1961)

Writer: Robert Bernstein

Artist: George Papp

It was not uncommon back in the early days of comics for stories to be, err, recycled after a period of time.  The thinking was that folks only read comics for a period of a few years and that nobody would ever notice and so what if they did.
The idea that the ephemeral medium of comic books would ever be subjected to in-depth analysis would have been inconceivable to the publishers and editors of the Fifties and Sixties.  Usually the “in house plagiarism” was limited to plot points or story elements but you would get those instances where the entire story was retold with only minor changes.  A couple examples of this involved the initial featured appearances of two members of the Legion of Super Heroes, Mon-El and Sun Boy.  This review concerns the former; we’ll get to the latter on another occasion.

Reboot: The Legion #5

The Legion #5 (April 2002)
title: "Credo"

writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning

artist: Peter Snejbjerg
lettering: Comicraft
colorist: Tom McCraw
seps: Digital Chameleon

editor: Mike McAvennie

cover: Olivier Coipel and Andy Lanning
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Invisible Kid, Saturn Girl, Spark, Wildfire

Guests: 
Enkenet, The Kwai (named: Leos), the Progeny and other refugees

Opponents: 
The Credo (named: Brek, Herros, Kusp, Ngangan, Nox, Rayl), Singularity

Recap: 
A small Legion team has gone to Kwai-Space (where the Legion was Lost for a year) to get help from Shikari's people the Kwai...

Who's Who: Warden Tsaquin

Warden Tsaquin
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: J'ss Toor-Tsaquin

Super-Power(s): None, unless you count 360 vision
Planet of Origin: Kaffar

Relationship to Legion: Ally

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 #15

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 #15 (May 1990)
title: "Nightmares"
co-plot: Alan Grant and Barry Kitson
script: Alan Grant
penciller: Barry Kitson
inker: Mark McKenna
letterer: Gasper Saladino
colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
editor: Art Young
cover art: Kevin Maguire and Al Gordon
review by: Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Recap: Garryn Beck was leading a mission into deep space when his crew encountered a strange emerald eye. The eye formed some sort of telepathic link to Bek and he was unable to gain control over the eye or his own thoughts. By the time he arrived back at L.E.G.I.O.N. headquaters, his mind had become unbalanced. He demanded to see Dox, apparently intending to kill him. The team was unable to stop Bek or the eye, but when he finally found Dox, Bek merely collapsed to his knees in tears and began begging him for help.

LSH (v8) #1

Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (January 2020)
title: "The Legion of Super-Heroes!"
writer: Brian Michael Bendis
penciller: Ryan Sook
inker: Ryan Sook and Wade Von Grawbadger
colorist: Jordie Bellaire
letterer: Dave Sharpe
associate editor: Brittany Holzherr
editor: Brian Cunningham
covers: Ryan Sook (main); Ryan Sook and Jim Cheung & Romulo Fajardo, Jr (variants)

reviewers: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage, with Jason "Anachronistic Kid" Knol and Siskoid

Mission Monitor Board: 
There is no "let's introduce ourselves" scene so we'll mention only the members who are clearly identifiable, or who identify themselves: Superboy, Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Brainiac 5; Karate Kid, Ultra Boy, Wildfire, Star Boy (who doesn't introduce himself, but who is called out by name by Karate Kid); in the last "group shot", I count 31 members.

Opponents:
Mordru, the Horraz, time-travel overwhelmingness, badly plotted stories

Legion Cameos: Adventure Comics #205

Adventure Comics #205 (October 1954)
“The Journey of the Second Superboy”
Writer: Bill Finger
Penciller: Curt Swan
Inker: Sy Barry
Editor: Mort Weisinger
Cover: Curt Swan & Sy Barry
Reviewer: Emsley "Ultra Fan" Wyatt

Guests: Ma and Pa Kent, Kral from Titan

Opponent(s): Kral from Titan?

Editor's Note: Here is another installment of the series of reviews we call "Legion Cameos." These are stories were the Legion or certain Legionnaires play a small but usually significant role in the proceedings. This time out we're going waaay back to before the Legion was even created. Read on!

As everyone here knows (or at least should) the first Legion story “The Legion of Super Heroes” appeared in Adventure Comics #247 published in April 1958.  So why am I reviewing a story published almost four years earlier?  Well, I kind of think of this story as, to steal a word coined by Isaac Asimov, the “Zeroth” Legion story.  You’ll see why as the story develops.

First, the cover:
So the Kents find another space rocket with another boy inside.  Wow, what a coincidence!

The first page is a full page “splash panel” showing Superboy and the boy from the cover flying through the sky.  Also, there’s some dialog that echoes the “Look. Up in the sky” opening narration of the 50’s Superman television series.  There’s also a narrative box cleverly disguised as a billboard on the roof of a building.  “Is SUPERBOY the only youngster who can fly?  Is he the only one on Earth with super-powers?  The answer—NO.  For out of trackless space comes a rocket, bearing another youngster with amazing powers—a youngster who combines his powers with SUPERBOY’S and helps him battle crime!  How did this all come about?  Read…The JOURNEY of the SECOND SUPERBOY!”

Reboot: The Legion #4

The Legion #4 (March 2002)
title: "Moon Rise"

writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning

penciller: Olivier Coipel
inker: Andy Lanning
lettering: Comicraft
colorist: Tom McCraw
seps: Digital Chameleon

editor: Mike McAvennie

cover: Olivier Coipel and Andy Lanning
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Cosmic Boy, Gates, Gear, Kid Quantum II, Invisible Kid, M'Onel, Saturn Girl, Sensor, Shikari, Spark, Star Boy, Triad, Ultra Boy, Umbra, Violet, Wildfire, XS

Guests: 
Chuck Taine, Cill, Kinetix, the Kwai, R.J. Brande; Carggite, Winathian and Vyrgan prisoners

Opponents: 
Darren, Leland McCauley/Ra's al Ghul, Mr. Venge, Robotica; McCauley employees, Science Police

Who's Who: Vibrex

Vibrex
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: Dist Vetkoh

Super-Power(s): Vibration projection
Planet of Origin: Jupiter

Relationship to Legion: Villain

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 #14

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 #14 (April 1990)
title: "The Sound of Silence"
co-plot: Alan Grant and Barry Kitson
script: Alan Grant
penciller: Barry Kitson
inker: Mark McKenna
letterer: Gasper Saladino
colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
editor: Art Young
cover art: Kevin Maguire and Al Gordon
review by: Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Garryn Beck was leading a mission into deep space when his crew encountered a strange emerald eye. The eye formed some sort of telepathic link to Bek and began reacting instinctively to his tiniest thought, even when Bek was sleeping. The situation quickly grew serious after the eye killed several of the crew. Bek was unable to gain control over the eye or his own thoughts and things continued to spiral out of control until everyone on board except him was dead. By the time he arrived back at L.E.G.I.O.N. headquaters, his mind had become unbalanced. He demanded to see Dox, apparently intending to kill him. The team was unable to stop Bek or the eye, but when he finally found Dox, Bek merely collapsed to his knees in tears and began begging him for help.

LEGION TOYS: Saturn Girl (DC Direct 2001)

The final founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes! Hailing from the world of Titan, one of the most talented telepaths among a race of powerful mentalists, and ultimately the bride to be of fellow Legionnaire Lightning Lad, it's Imra Ardeen a.k.a. Saturn Girl!

Legion Cameos: Superman #165

SUPERMAN #165 

(Nov. 1963) “Beauty and the Super-Beast”

Writer: Robert Bernstein

Penciller: Curt Swan
Inker: George Klein

Editor: Mort Weisinger
Cover: Curt Swan & George Klein 

Reviewer: Emsley "Ultra Fan" Wyatt

Guests: Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, Krypto

Opponents:  "Circe," Superman Revenge Squad

Editor's Note: Here is another installment of the series of reviews we call "Legion Cameos." These are stories were the Legion or certain Legionnaires play a small but usually significant role in the proceedings. This time out we're looking at the infamous "Lion-Head Superman" story. Did you know the Legion was involved in this adventure? 

First, the cover: 

Superman magically changed into a lion.  Pretty cool, eh?  And then you get the “splash” page where Circe is making Superman juggle balls while flying upside-down. What's not to like?