Remembering Derrick J. Wyatt
by Sarcasm Kid
Imagine how delighted I was to learn my friend Rich Bernatovech was not only writing for DC's holiday anthology - he was submitting a Legion story!
AND IT'S GOOD, YOU GUYS. LIKE SO GOOD. THE BEST THE LEGION'S BEEN IN AGES.
After interviewing Rich in my previous post, I'm now submitting a review of the story in question featuring the return of Polar Boy, Comet Queen, and the debut of a new Legion villain.
Title: Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #47 - "The Super-Life of Lois Lane!"
Creators: Kurt Schaffenberger and Mort Weisinger
Imaginary stories were a frequent idea for DC during the Silver Age. Predating Elseworlds and the overall Multiverse theme, they were stories characters thought up in-universe about what might've been or could've been. Largely, the concept was used to tell tales about who Superman or Batman might marry.
Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #47 gave us a typical Imaginary Story operating on the role reversal concept. It also gave us a short appearance of the Legion of Super-Heroes. This particular Imaginary Story is one of my favorites, and served as the basis for an alternate Earth concept I've worked on for several years.
This gave us an idea of how things might go if Lois Lane was the hero, but also gave us a sneak peek at Lois Lane as a Legionnaire. It's minor, but manages to stand out due to Lois not having much interaction with the Legionnaires despite them being good friends of Clark.
OR, “You're the next contestant on 'Who Wants to be a Legionnaire?'”
by Emsley Wyatt
Having recently done a two-part article on the joining order of Legionnaires, I was casting about for an idea for my next article. Then I remembered that old writer's maxim: “Look at the flip side of the story.” Well, the flip side of who joined is who didn't join. It seemed a natural, especially given that the Legion's first appearance was, in essence, a tryout story….!
So today we'll take a look at the rejected applicants, in publication order. If I left anyone out, please let me know.
by Siskoid
It happened in the Legion of Super-Heroes' third volume, #32 to be exact. Heroes from the 30th Century had been kidnapped, depowered and kept prisoner on a planet. Heroes like Saturn Girl, Dream Girl, Atmos, and... Jon Arbuckle from Garfield?
Or possibly his descendant. But that would mean he procreated. Which doesn't seem likely from the strips, does it?
I wonder what his powers are. And if he'd have any chance at all in a Legion try-out.
Would they drum him out as soon as he started having conversations with his imaginary cat?
Or NOT so imaginary, as the Legion books would have it.
One theory is that the glacial pace at which the comic strips advance the story kept Jon AND Garfield young and alive for a thousand years. Garfield himself put in an appearance earlier in Legion of Super-Heroes vol.2 #300!
Looks like he's one of the Heroes of Lallor there! As is... Spider-Man!?
Well, that one I can't explain.
Continuing the series where we spotlight the features that appeared at the beginning of each issue of the mini-series Who's Who in the Legion of Super-Heroes (1988). This time out the series features a guided tour of the Legion head-quarters by the one and only Phantom Girl.
Valor #20 (June 1994)
by Siskoid
I won't deny it was fun to see Sun Boy and Star Boy (are they paired because they essentially have the same name?) playing Dungeons & Dragons whenever they had some downtime in the '80s Legion books. However, I just can't get into the way the role-playing game hobby morphed between then and the 29th Century. You might think it's cool that there's an impressive holographic display, but it's got more in common with the chess set aboard the Millennium Falcon than it does table top role-playing.
Click Read More (below) to read my specific complaints.
Valor #19 (May 1994)
Wow. So. It's been two years since my last comic con and... a lot's happened.
Like a LOT.
It hasn't been a good two years.
I was only able to go to New York Comic Con on Thursday and Sunday due to my boss going on vacation. Because this was my first convention since 2019 and with everything that's gone on since then, I decided to really splurge. I've dealt with being threatened working the Census, my grandpa dying, getting COVID, my mom being diagnosed with cancer, and that hurricane flooding my boiler room.
I EARNED THIS.
That said, here are the Legion-themed sketches I picked up at the convention. As usual, my sketches range from actual Legionnaires to supporting characters to Legion homages, as well heavyset-related stuff in my special sketchbook. I've met some new artists while also commissioning a few familiar faces.
" I think Articulated Lad is the best of us all... And no matter where he goes, and whatever he becomes, I think in his heart and ours, he will always be... A Super-Blogger! "
Continuing the series where we spotlight the features that appeared at the beginning of each issue of the mini-series Who's Who in the Legion of Super-Heroes (1988). This time out the series featured planets in the Legion Universe.
Who Joined When? (Part Two)
By Emsley Wyatt
Continuing our review of the original Legion of Super-Heroes and the order of the induction of their members. Previously I profiled the sixteen members who joined before the Legion got their own series in Adventure Comics. Now they had an ongoing series of their own. So from here on out, it's all pretty straightforward. No more guessing games, no more interpreting panels, or reading tea leaves. You see a new Legionnaire and you know it.