Reboot: The Legion #20

The Legion #20 (July 2003)
title: "Dream Crime: Part Two"

writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning

penciller: Chris Batista
inker: Mark Farmer
lettering: Comicraft
colorist: Jason Wright
seps: Digital Chameleon

editor: Stephen Wacker

cover: Tony Harris and Tom Feister

reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Saturn Girl; in visions: Apparition, Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Cosmic Boy, Invisible Kid, Kid Quantum II, Live Wire, M'Onel, Monstress, Shikari, Spark, Star Boy, Timber Wolf, Triad, Ultra Boy, Umbra, Violet, Wildfire, XS

Guests: 
In visions: Dreamer, R.J. Brande, Shvaughn Erin, Tenzil Kem

Opponents: 
Universo; in visions: Progenitor, Progeny (both unseen)

L.E.G.I.O.N. '91 #26

L.E.G.I.O.N. '91 #26 (April 1991)
title: "Bangs and Whimpers"
plot: Barry Kitson and Alan Grant
writer: Alan Grant
penciller: Barry Kitson
inker: Barry Kitson
letterer: Gaspar Saladino
colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
editor: Art Young
cover art: Dan Brereton
review by: Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Recap: After the death of Lyrissa Mallor, Dox turned his attention to the menace of the Khundian Empire. The L.E.G.I.O.N. freed the planet Ogen from being terrorized by the Khunds and Telepath discovered from a prisoner that they were using a captured scientist to build a Doomsday weapon. The team tried to use a captured Khund craft to gain admittance to where the device was being built but the plan failed. Most of the team fled the craft using escape pods but Lady Quark and Bek remained behind in hopes that the pods would confuse Khundian radar.

Back on Cairn, Captain Comet and Marij'n have grown disturbed by the experiments that Dox is conducting on Lydia Mallor to deprogram her. Particularly worried that Dox will use the enhanced charisma mode that he used on the Coluans, they have gone to confront him.

LSH (v8) #4

Legion of Super-Heroes #4 (April 2020)
title: (Untitled)
writer: Brian Michael Bendis
penciller: Ryan Sook and Mikel Janin
inker: Wade Von Grawbadger and Mikel Janin
colorist: Jordie Bellaire
letterer: Dave Sharpe
associate editor: Brittany Holzherr
editor: Brian Cunningham
covers: Travis Moore and Alex Sinclair (main); Alex Garner (variant)

reviewer: Jason "Anachronistic Lad" Knol

Overall Summary: 
Superboy (Jonathon Kent) finally begins orientation and learns how the Founders met, but his session is interrupted when Brainiac 5 tells them that Aquaman's trident has been stolen, and the Science Police all but arrest the Legionnaires.

Reboot: The Legion #19

The Legion #19 (June 2003)
title: "Dreamcrime: Part One"

writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning

penciller: Chris Batista
inker: Mark Farmer
lettering: Comicraft
colorist: Jason Wright
seps: Digital Chameleon

editor: Stephen Wacker

cover: Tony Harris and Tom Feister

reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Apparition, Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Ferro (image only), Karate Kid, Kid Quantum II, Saturn Girl, Sensor, Shikari, Star Boy, Violet

Guests: 
Aven, Cub Nah, Dr. Gym'll, Dreamer, Lena Erqol; a Kwai navigator, Titanians

Opponents: 
Darkseid (dream sequence), Universo (behind the scenes/voice)

L.E.G.I.O.N. '91 #25

L.E.G.I.O.N. '91 #25 (March 1991)
title: "Doomsday"
plot: Barry Kitson and Alan Grant
writer: Alan Grant
penciller: Barry Kitson
inker: Kim DeMulder
letterer: Gaspar Saladino
colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
editor: Art Young
cover art: Gary Leach
review by: Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Recap: After the death of Lyrissa Mallor, Dox used her memory to inspire the L.E.G.I.O.N. He also decided to direct their attention towards a new menace, the Khundian Empire, which is at war with the Dominion. He answered a call for help from the planet Ogen, which was being terrorized by the Khunds. They freed the planet but this was just a first step in confronting their empire. Meanwhile, Marij'n was horrified to discover the experiments that Dox was performing on Lydea Mallor to free her from the Computer Tyrant's brainwashing.

United Planets Superwatch: A Proto-Legion

Grant Morrison has been writing the sole Green Lantern title, specifically referred to as The Green Lantern. Morrison's take on the concept is full of his usual bizarre weirdness and continuity callbacks even most die-hard fans would be unfamiliar with. The title spends time focusing on the more alien Green Lanterns as well as the vastness of outer space in the DCU. So far, the book's been a significant change of pace after the last decade or so was built around everything Geoff Johns established.

The Green Lantern #9 , released in July 2019, was the first issue of the title I felt was interesting enough to buy. Why? Because it features a cavalcade of obscure, non-GL related Silver Age characters Morrison banded together as "The United Planets Superwatch."

On first glance, many of these characters are recognizable as heroes who appeared in the Silver Age Superman Family titles. The most prominent and recognizable are none other than Luma Lynai, the Superwoman of Staryl, and Halk Kar, Mon-El's precursor from the Golden Age!

Their appearance also causes a bit of a continuity problem. The Green Lantern #9 was released about a month before Superman #14 where we apparently saw the founding of the United Planets. If so, how did these guys already exist and does that simply mean the United Planets in Superman is a collective of planets who have no idea the name was already taken? That's gonna be awkward for the Legion and Jon Kent, isn't it?

Reboot: The Legion #18

The Legion #18 (May 2002)
title: "Revival of the Fittest, Part Two"

writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning

penciller: Alejandro Barrionuevo
inker: Andy Lanning & Simon Coleby
lettering: Comicraft
colorist: Jason Wright
seps: Digital Chameleon

editor: Stephen Wacker

cover: Kev Walker

reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

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

Guests: 
Atmos, Chuck Taine, Dr. Gym'll, Insect Queen, Kinetix, Shvaughn Erin; Legion World personnel, Science Police

Opponents: 
Ra's al Ghul

L.E.G.I.O.N. '91 #24

L.E.G.I.O.N. '91 #24 (February 1991)
title: "The Empire: Strikes Back!"
writer: Alan Grant
penciller: Jim Fern
inker: Jeff Albrecht
letterer: Gaspar Saladino
colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
editor: Art Young
cover art: Gary Leach 
review by: Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Recap: The fate of the Durlan was finally revealed and we learned that when he disappeared he was transported to the 30th century. He found a universe no more welcoming to his people than it was in his own time, so he took a human disguise. After pondering his history as Brainiac's prisoner, and the somewhat twisted relationship he developed with Vril Dox after he was "freed" by Dox, the Durlan decided that his friend's dream of forming the L.E.G.I.O.N. was a noble one. In his guise of R.J. Brande, he planned to continue that dream by creating a Legion of his own in the 30th century. 

Back in the 20th Century, while the team dealt with the death of Lyrissa Mallor, Vril Dox decided that the team needed to turn its attention to another menace facing the universe, the Khundian Empire. 

Karate Kid The Series Aftermath

commentary by Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage
dedicated affectionately to Glenn "Continuity Kid" Walker

What happened to Karate Kid after his solo-series was cancelled? Let's find out!

Reboot: The Legion #17

The Legion #17 (April 2002)
title: "Revival of the Fittest, Part One"

writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning

penciller: Alejandro Barrionuevo
inker: Andy Lanning
lettering: Comicraft
colorist: Jason Wright
seps: Digital Chameleon

editor: Stephen Wacker

cover: Kev Walker
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Apparition, Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Gear, Invisible Kid, Kid Quantum II, M'Onel, Saturn Girl, Sensor, Shikari, Spark, Star Boy, Timber Wolf, Triad, Ultra Boy, Wildfire, XS

Guests: 
Atmos, Cub Nah, Dr. Gym'll, Insect Queen, Kinetix, R.J. Brande, Shvaughn Erin, Terrorforms; Legion World personnel, Science Police

Opponents: 
Ra's al Ghul, Robotican drone

L.E.G.I.O.N. '91 #23

L.E.G.I.O.N. '91 #23 (January 1991)
title: "I, Durlan"
writer: Alan Grant
penciller: Jim Fern and Richard Piers Rayner
inker: Kim DeMulder
letterer: Gaspar Saladino
colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
editor: Art Young
cover art: Richard Piers Rayner and Lovern Kindzierski 
review by: Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Recap: After Lyrissa Mallor was murdered by her brainwashed daughter, Bek and Marij'n travelled to Talk VIII seeking revenge against the Computer Tyrants. The Tyrants, still in the powerful body they created after fleeing their earlier battle with the L.E.G.I.O.N., had been trying to become the planet's new champion, Mr. Starr. The battle was not going well until the rest of the team arrived, and the combined power of Lady Quark, Bek and Marij'n was able to turn the tide against Mr. Starr. But in the aftermath of the battle, Bek and Marij'n are horrified to discover that the Emerald Eye, the source of their power, has disappeared. During this same time, Stealth has fled Cairn and found a distant planet to await the birth of her child.

FW Team-Up: Legion of Super-Heroes and Bugs Bunny

Siskoid teams up with his Reboot writing partner in the Legion of Super-Bloggers, Shotgun, to cover the seminal - SEMINAL, WE SAY! - Legion of Super-Heroes/Bugs Bunny team-up from 2017. We're not kidding around, but maybe the comic is. What a way to start the year, eh?

Listen to the Legion/Bugs Bunny FW Team-Up by clicking HERE!

Or you can right-click “download”, choose “Save Target/Link As”, and select a location on your computer to save the file (26 MB).

Or subscribe to FW Team-Up on iTunes!

Shazam and Superboy-Prime

He's back.

God help us all, he's back.

Shazam #10 featured the surprising return of a DC villain who hasn't really been seen in over a decade, and that's how most of us preferred it! The solicits for the release of Shazam #13 even had Superboy Prime on the cover having decimated the main cast (as shown above). Surprisingly none of them are missing limbs, implying that he must've held back. Of course he'd be on the cover for unlucky #13.

Prime's appearance deserves a mention on Super-Bloggers since he's ostensibly a Legion villain, whether we like it or not. Below I'll be offering a refresher on Prime's history, why he's connected to the Legion, and how his appearance in Shazam #10 went down.