Reboot: The Legion #23

The Legion #23 (October 2003)
title: "Dream Crime: Part Five"

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, Cosmic Boy, Ferro, Gates, Gear, Invisible Kid, Karate Kid, Kid Quantum II, M'Onel, Saturn Girl, Sensor, Shikari, Spark, Star Boy, Timber Wolf, Triad, Ultra Boy, Umbra, Violet, Wildfire, XS

Guests: 
Aven, Cub Nah, Dr. Gym'll, Dreamer, Kinetix,Pasgassi-Master; visions: R.J. Brande, Shvaughn Erin, Tenzil Kem

Opponents: 
Universo

Recap: 
The first to fall were Saturn Girl and Dreamer, caught in visions of Universo's making. Then the rest of the Legion. Shikari and Sensor, the latter fully immune, went to Steeple to get Karate Kid and Ferro to help them stop Universo, but their attempt has failed...

Synopsis: 
To Universo's dismay, Sensor's prone form is an illusion. He sends his possessed Legionnaires after her. She's not alone, however. She managed to free both Saturn Girl and Dreamer, and put illusion-nullifying torqs on them. They reach the TitaNet Tower, which Universo is using to project his telepathic power, and though Sensor means to destroy it, Dreamer is adamant that it will cause the death of everyone on Titan - her vision holds. But can it be trusted in these circumstances? Saturn Girl does and stops Sensor, but then Universo arrives with his Legion slaves and all may be lost.

Back on Legion World at that moment, Cub Nah's quantum bubble actually fails (the previous moment in sickbay a mere illusion) and he us put in contact with Universo's mind, with unexpected results. Suddenly, Universo has a baby's mind, and so does everyone under his thrall. That is long enough for the three Legionnaires to recover and take action, but Universo recovers his wits quickly too and takes over the whole universe with his mind!

Or perhaps, Saturn Girl put him under the same kind of telepathic spell he did her, and he's trapped a world of his own where he won the day. Everyone else is free. Dreamer is offered Legion membership and is considering it. Apparition and Ultra Boy run to see their son in sickbay and find that without Quantum Kid's bubble, he's grown to the size of a 10-year-old. Saturn Girl remains on Titan to undergo her treatment as planned. As for Universo, he's been sent to Steeple, which is cut off from the rest of the galaxy for 10 years, and is now living a different telepathic reality, the one he deployed against Saturn Girl, where he's an ex-con working at RJ's Clubhouse Diner, mopping floors.

Commentary: 
Shotgun
SENSOR STILL HAS HER ILLUSION POWERS!!!! It’s pretty much impossible at this point for me to love her more. She’s clever and brave and pissed… very pissed. This is loooooooove!!! She could be a bit more trusting though. I wasn’t a fan of the fight between her and Dreamer. I’m glad she was able to overcome that mistrust and recommend Nura as a new member of the Legion. I hope we’ll see Sensor becoming more comfortable in her new body and adapt. Good call to send that freak to the Halpashar. I don’t think we’ll hear back from him anymore.

This Cub really is something. He has quite the heritage! Tinya being a phaser and a triplicate, and Jo with his different set of powers. To think that a child, as superb as it can be, was the key element in defeating Unvierso. You go, kid! Actually, speaking of the kid. I realised that up until now I never even questioned its gender. I couldn’t remember if they ever addressed it, so I went back to check. Most of the time, they just call him “Cub” or “my baby”. I find it somewhat pleasant that they don’t seem to feel the need to always refer to the kid as a male (issue 19 gave me my answer when Quantum Kid calls him “little man”).

Poor Imra… I hope that she’ll be able to go through with her treatment without being interrupted again. I’m afraid Aven will have even more work to do after the way she was treated by Universo.
Siskoid
Yeah, this is a pretty great resolution all told, even if it hinges on the baby's mysterious powers, but after everything he'd done, it's pretty sweet to see Universo go gaga-goo-goo. I have to say the splash panel kind of scared me, with Sensor draped all over the villain as if he'd made her his love slave. Thankfully it's one of many fake-outs in the issue. Sensor then does it by making Universo believe he'd beat her (called it!), and then Saturn Girl uses his baby brain moment to lock him in a telepathic loop. I like it when my Legionnaires are a little bit devious (thus my interest in the Espionage Squad).

Using Steeple as a prison is clever, but going back to the 50s diner is what brought a smile to my lips. Not only do we see plenty of other Legionnaires in future 50s gear, but Vidar is trapped in a menial job, reading SF collections, and he gets a sweet final punchline. Lovely.

Science Police Notes:  

• Universo thinks the Legionnaires are both bold and brave, a reference to The Brave and the Bold.
• Dreamer is offered Legion membership; she's mulling it over.