L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 Annual #1

L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 Annual #1 (September 1990)
title: "Childhood's End"
writer: Alan Grant
penciller: Jim Fern
inker: Jeff Albrecht
letterer: John Workman
colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
editor: Art Young
cover art: Jerry Bingham
review by: Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Recap: In Adventures of Superman Annual #2, Vril Dox and Lar Gand travelled to Earth to find his father, the evil Brainiac. Due to faulty controls, they lost control of their ship and clipped an airliner on the way down. Superman saved the plane, but Dox's ship crashed into the ocean, and eventually, into an underground tunnel of Project Cadmus. Lyrissa, Lady Quark, Strata, Telepath, Lobo, and Phase were following in a separate ship, and were met upon their arrival by Superman. He overheard one of them mention the name Dox and became suspicious they were allied with Brainiac. He offered to help and went ahead into the tunnel where he found Lar Gand fighting the hero Guardian, who also mistook Vril Dox for his father. While they fought, the telepathic director of Cadmus, Dubblix, was possessed by Brainiac and forced to sabotage the project's reactor. Superman and the L.E.G.I.O.N. realized that they should not be fighting just in time for the alarms to sound. Superman and Lar Gand get the reactor out of Cadmus just in time. Before letting Dubbilex go, Brainiac told his son that he is on their home planet of Colu and challenged him to a confrontation. Superman tried to convince Dox that killing his father is wrong, even if that father is Brainic, but Dox did not listen and set out once again to find his father.

This issue opens with a flashback to Dox's creation by his father, Brainiac, willing tool of the Computer Tyrants of Colu and traitor to his people. We are shown how he manipulated and abused his son, which explains a lot about what we have seen of Vril's personality throughout this series.

In the present, Vril is leading the L.E.G.I.O.N. on a mission to kill his father. While Lyrissa shares her concerns about his behavior to Strata, the rest of the team plays cards, which of courses goes south once Lobo suspects Telepath of cheating. The brawl is broken up when Dox calls for Lobo, and the team remains behind to debate the ethics of his plan. A few, including Stealth, see killing Brainiac as justice rather than revenge, but Lyrissa is more concerned that Dox has become a volcano, waiting to erupt. Still, she sees the futility of trying to stop Dox and says they can only hope that whatever happens, justice prevails instead of hatred.

On Colu, some of the population erupted in revolt. Brainiac has created a powerful, ape-like beast, which he controls, and it quickly comes to his defense. Between the ape and his mental abilities, he puts down the revolt.  The L.E.G.I.O.N. arrive in orbit and Dox sends Lady Quark and Lar Gand ahead to provide cover for their attack. Dox contacts his father and warns him to surrender, but Brainiac has other ideas.

Despite his threat, Brainiac knows that the L.E.G.I.O.N. will be landing shortly and orders his army to meet them. The Coluans are terrified but unable to refuse and gather around Brainiac's fortress. Once again dismissing Lyrissa's concerns, Dox lands directly in front of Brainiac's forces and orders the L.E.G.I.O.N. to attack.

The L.E.G.I.O.N. make short work of his army, but Brainiac arrives with his ape-beast, which is powerful enough to take down Lar Gand. Surprisingly, Strata is able to subdue the creature while Dox confronts his father. However, this Brainiac is just a hologram that disappears and the ape-beast reverts to a Coluan that had been mutated into the beast. Telepath attempts to locate Brainiac but is knocked out when their minds meet. The team goes to search for the villain and they encounter more ape-beasts. While they battle, Dox locates his father, who tries one final appeal to get his son to join him. He believes that the two of them together could conquer the universe but Dox tells his father that he disgusts him because of all the years he could have helped his people but instead worked with the tyrants. Brainiac is not happy when his offer is rejected.

Dox overcomes his father's control and strikes him, but before he can kill him, Dox is shot by a possessed Lyrissa. He awakens to find himself on trial, with Brainiac as the judge and his teammates as the jury. They also serve as witnesses too, and each is given the chance to share their supposed true feelings about Dox.

At the end of the trial, they vote to convict Dox and sentence him to death. Brainiac directs them to serve as executioners as well. Meanwhile, Superman has followed from Earth to prevent Dox's plan and arrives to find him about to be murdered by his own team. Lobo and Superman's fight takes them into space while Dox finds a weapon that he uses to stun his teammates and his father.

When the L.E.G.I.O.N. awake, they are in their right minds again and ask Dox what his intentions are with Brainiac. He proposes to leave his fate up to those he committed his worst crimes against, the Coluans. He sends an announcement to all of Colu asking them to vote on whether Brainiac should be imprisoned or executed. They vote overwhelmingly to execute him but Lyrissa steps in to stop Dox. She has discovered that after they had freed Colu on their first adventure, Dox programmed its people with an enhanced charisma perception of himself.

Superman has overheard everything and leaves his fight with Lobo to confront Dox. Their discussion is interrupted when Brainic frees himself and attacks. They soon realize that they are only fighting a mental projection and the real Brainiac has escaped on his ship. Superman tries to follow but is stopped by Lobo, who wants to continue their battle. At Dox's order, he stops but its too late to pursue Brainiac. Superman appears to make peace with Dox, and the team expresses their admiration for the Man of Steel, but it is clear from the final panel that nothing he said has changed Dox's mind.

I am going to take a different approach from my usual discussion about an issue and start out with the biggest negative. In this case, that negative for me is the complete lack of resolution between Dox and his father. It bothered me when I read this issue as a teenager and it bothered me again when I reread it for this post. That does not mean I hated the issue but I was frustrated that at the end of this two part crossover virtually nothing had changed between the two. Basically, I wanted Dox to kill Brainiac. As much as Superman voiced the immorality of that choice, it is consistent with Dox's character, who we have seen kill in cold blood before. And while Lyrissa and Strata would have objected, several of their teammates would have had no problem with it in this case. My belief is that it would have been a powerful moment for Dox and allowed him to move on from Brainiac while not changing the dynamics of the team too much.

The reason I am starting with that criticism is that I also realize how unrealistic my expectations were for a mainstream superhero comic. What I mean is that even if Dox had killed his father, Brainiac would undoubtedly return as he always does. Nevertheless, it is still the direction I wish it had gone. It would have given Dox a strong arc and given him closure, at least until Brainiac ultimately resurfaced.

Putting that aside, I did not think this was a bad issue but it also was not that good of one either. Other than a few moments with Lyrissa and one with Lady Quark, everyone in the L.E.G.I.O.N. almost served as extras. This was Dox's story, but this was also an annual, and there really should have been space to give more of the team moments in the spotlight. Also, Superman's appearance felt forced and this story could have easily been told without him. His conversations with Dox were well-written but they were essentially a repeat of what we saw in the first part of this crossover.

One significance question I also had was what the heck happened to Phase?? She was in the first part and I assume would have travelled with the team to confront Brainiac. Yet, I saw no sign of her. Did I miss her? Will this be addressed in the regular series and I just forgot?  Perhaps, but it just feels like a big oversight.

There were some moments here I enjoyed. The trial was well done and having everyone voice their opinion of Dox was in keeping with the tension among the team that was a hallmark of this series. I was also glad to see Lyrissa finally reveal that Dox had programmed the population of Colu despite the urgings of the Durlan at the end of their first story arc. The team was distracted by Brainiac's attack before their reaction to this news could be explored more, but will this be addressed in subsequent issues? I cannot recall but I hope so.

Overall, I have to say that this was the first issue of this series that left me disappointed. It is really a shame because I love the L.E.G.I.O.N. and the first half of this crossover left me really looking forward to the conclusion. Perhaps I am being too negative though, and if others had a more positive impression I would love to hear their thoughts!

To close, here is a pin-up by the issue's artist, Jim Fern, that was included as an extra!