Memorial Day 2021

In the United States, the last Monday in May is marked as Memorial Day. This is the day we Americans set aside to honor those who died while on active military duty. It started after the US Civil War, which ended in April 1865. Memorial Day became a federal holiday in 1971. 

The Legion of Super-Heroes has had more than their share of members fall in battle. Although they are a group of fictional characters, we believe that when they are done well they represent character traits we as real (?) people can aspire to. 

With that in mind, we honor Those Who Gave All...

R.E.B.E.L.S. '95 #12

R.E.B.E.L.S. '95 #12 (October 1995)

writer: Tom Peyer

penciller: Michael Dutkiewicz

inker: Michael Dutkiewicz

colors: Stuart Chaifetz 

letters: Gaspar Saladino
editor: Dan Raspler
cover: Derec Aucoin & Mark Probst

Reviewer: Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Recap: Having been presumed dead, Vril Dox reunited with his fellow fugitives from L.E.G.I.O.N.'s tyranny in the haven of the lawless world of Raxull.

Dox's old ally, Captain Comet, returned to the L.E.G.I.O.N. homeworld and freed his love, Ig'nea, from Lyrl Dox's control. At the same time, the representatives of each L.E.G.I.O.N. world, still victim's of Lyrl's brainwashing, hired the powerful Iceman to hunt down Vril Dox.

Dark Nights: Death Metal: The Super-Pets!

Title: The Super Pets in The Super-Threats!

Writers: Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti

Penciller/Inker: Chad Hardin

Colorist: Enrica Eren Angiolini

Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual

Editor: Katie Kubert

Associate Editor: Liz Erickson

Cover Artist: Chris Burnham

Featuring: The Legion of Super-Pets (Krypto the Super-Dog, Streaky the Super-Cat, Comet the Super-Horse, Beppo the Super-Monkey, Ace the Bat-Hound, Nathan the Dachshund, Bat-Cow. No, Proty doesn't appear despite being on the cover)

I'm doing this apparently for the sake of no one else having to do it.

If anyone had any semblance of interest in DC's main books, they could not help but notice the main titles were recently dominated by Dark Nights Death Metal. Being the sequel to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Dark Nights Metal, Death Metal is... basically more of the same but ratcheted up to like 5 million.

No, that's not a good thing.

After being built up in Snyder's Justice League run and the overall Year Of The Villain banner that infested the DCU for 2018 and 2019, Death Metal featured the combined threats of The Batman Who Laughs and Perpetua ravaging the 52 Multiverse. While Perpetua is steadily destroying and subjecting the 52 Earths, BWL has led a cockroach-like swarm of Dark Multiverse Batmen in taking over the main DC Earth.

The Multiverse Who Laughs is an anthology (if you can call it that) narrated by the utterly obnoxious Robin King, about the Earths in the Last 52 Multiverse. Robin King is yet another evil Bruce Wayne, a sociopath from birth who killed his parents in Crime Alley and is a redux of the Batman Who Laughs as well as Damian Wayne at his absolute worst. I still don't understand the logic behind creating a Last 52 Multiverse, since they are worlds where evil triumphed, even though that's what the Dark Multiverse is.

The stories in this collection are barely worth commenting on, and none of them do a very good job at highlighting how "exciting" and "evil" this evil Multiverse is supposed to be. Body horror in Arkham Asylum, fascism with the Green Lantern Corps, some thing about Steel and Azrael, and this story about the Legion of Super-Pets. There's not even an epilogue by the Robin King to cap it off, the stories all... end.  

R.E.B.E.L.S. '95 #11

R.E.B.E.L.S. '95 #11 (September 1995)
writer: Tom Peyer

penciller: Derec Aucoin

inker: Mark Propst

colors: Stuart Chaifetz 

letters: Gaspar Saladino
editor: Dan Raspler
cover: Derec Aucoin & John Dell

Reviewer: Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Recap: Having been presumed dead, Vril Dox reunites with his fellow fugitives from L.E.G.I.O.N.'s tyranny in the haven of the lawless world of Raxull.

Meanwhile, Dox's old ally, Captain Comet, returns to the L.E.G.I.O.N. homeworld of Cairn, unaware of the terrible changes that have occurred in his months long absence.

A Valorous Letter, Read but Unheeded

by Siskoid

My thanks to the Grand Poomba of the Legion of Super-Bloggers, Little Russell Burbage, for spotting a fan letter I'd completely forgotten about in Valor #14 (reacting to #10). 

R.E.B.E.L.S. '95 #10

R.E.B.E.L.S. '95 #10 (August 1995)

writer: Tom Peyer

penciller: Derec Aucoin

inker: Mark Propst

colors: Stuart Chaifetz 

letters: Gaspar Saladino
editor: Dan Raspler
cover: Derec Aucoin & Mark Propst

Reviewer: Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Recap: The fugitive R.E.B.E.L.S. return to the outlaw world of Raxull, seeking a way to detach their old ally Garv from their ship's mysterious mind-siphon.

Meanwhile, their leader, Vril Dox, is presumed dead - and is secretly working for the Blood Circle, a thieve's guild. His mission, to destroy the powerful Worldbank, leads him into the clutches of a hated enemy.

Valor #14

Valor #14 (Dec 1993)

title: "DOA Part Three: Yesterday's Hero"

writer: Mark Waid

penciller: Colleen Doran

inker: Mischa McDowell

letterer: Bob Pinaha

colorist: Dave Grafe

associate editor: Mike McAvennie

editor: KC Carlson

cover: Stuart Immonen & Karl Story (signed)

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

Guest-Star(s):

Lori (Valor's companion/girl friend); Triad, Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5, and Cosmic Boy from the Legion of Super-Heroes; The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, Maxima, and Superman from the Justice League

Opponent(s):
lead poisoning, time-displaced army, bad writing

R.E.B.E.L.S. ‘95 #9

R.E.B.E.L.S. '95 #9 (July 1995)

writer: Tom Peyer

penciller: Derec Aucoin

inker: Mark Propst

colors: Stuart Chaifetz 

letters: Gaspar Saladino
editor: Dan Raspler
cover: Derec Aucoin & Mark Propst

Reviewer: Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Recap: Presumed dead, fugitive Vril Dox throws in his lot with the Blood Circle, a secret guild populated by the sort of thieves and cutthroats he opposed in his days as top cop of L.E.G.I.O.N. A mission on Circle's behalf - an assault on the powerful Worldbank - results in his capture.

Meanwhile, the R.E.B.E.L.S. seeking to avenge Dox's "murder" escape a fleet of L.E.G.I.O.N. gunships only to face the wrath of an old friend and ally.

LEGION TOYS: Batman (DC Universe Classics)

When the cold wind howls and the wild wolf growls the light of day grows dim; From the Earth's dark bowel in a cape and cowl stalks a figure solemn and grim. His visage is awesome. It's sheer terror to cross him, the evilest men blanch with fear. But the innocent praise him, no villain can faze him, 'tis justice and law he reveres. The Batman. Classic Detective Batman that is.