Reboot: Legion of Super-Heroes #118

Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #118 (August, 1999)
title: "Shadow of the Sun"

writers: Tom McCraw and Tom Peyer

penciller: Scott Kolins

inker: Ray Kryssing
lettering: Pat Brosseau
colorist: Tom McCraw

assistant editor: Frank Berrios
editor: Mike McAvennie

cover: Alan Davis and Mark Farmer

reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Brainiac 5.1, Ferro, Invisible Kid, Karate Kid, Kinetix, Live Wire, M'Onel, Spark, Thunder, Triad, Violet

Guests: 
Koko, Superintendent Javert and his wife

Opponents: 
Doctor Deacon, Doctor Savant, Lord Pernisius

Who's Who: Professor Vultan

Professor Vultan
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: Bothar Vultan

Super-Power(s): None
Planet of Origin: Earth

Relationship to Legion: Wildfire's mentor

TOS: Adventure Comics #374

Adventure Comics #374 (November 1968)
title: "Mission: Diabolical!"
writer and layouts: Jim Shooter
artist: Win Mortimer
letterer: Milt Snapinn
editor: Mort Weisinger
cover: Curt Swan & Mike Esposito
reviewers: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage and Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Mission Monitor Board: 
Dream Girl, Element Lad, Matter-Eater Lad, Supergirl, Ultra Boy; cameos by the majority of the other Legionnaires

Guest Stars: 
The Legion of Substitute Heroes (Polar Boy, Night Girl, Chlorophyll Kid, Fire Lad, Stone Boy, Color Kid)

Opponent:
Scorpius, Taurus, the Taurus Gang (Black Mace, Mystelor, Quanto, Rogarth, Shagrek)

Action Comics #861

Action Comics #861
Title: Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes Part 4 of 6 - Chameleons

Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciller: Gary Frank
Inker: Jon Sibal
Colorist: Dave McCaig
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Editors: Nachie Castro and Matt Idelson
Executive Editor: Dan Didio
Reviewer: Jude Deluca aka Sarcasm Kid

PREVIOUSLY: The Legionnaires rescued Polar Boy and discovered Brainiac 5 is on his home planet of Colu. Superman meets up with several Legionnaires underneath Metropolis, then are ambushed by the Justice League of Earth. Forced to retreat, Superman, Dawnstar, Wildfire, Colossal Boy, and Polar Boy crash-land on Colu, where they discover Brainiac 5 is now in total control and plans to have them terminated!

There isn’t a lot of action in this issue (despite the title), as we mainly learn about what Brainy has been going through on his home planet. Secrets and motivations of the individual Justice Leaguers are brought to light. We also learn there’s another Silver Age Legion Reject within the League’s ranks, and the status of two more Legionnaires gets revealed in the process.

The issue does have a number of references to "The Lightning Saga," the story that ran in Justice League of America and Justice Society of America establishing this Legion's return. For those who don't recall, a group of seven Legionnaires (Star Boy, Karate Kid, Dream Girl, Wildfire, Timber Wolf, Dawnstar, and Sensor Girl) were sent to 21st Century Earth to invoke an experiment involving lightning rods similar to the ones used to revive Lightning Lad. We never found out what the Legionnaires were specifically trying to do, but as a side effect they inadvertently brought Wally West and his family back to the main DCU. At the end of the story, Star Boy and Karate Kid did not return to the future. 

Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds #3, Part 2

Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds #3 finally gives us readers what we were clamoring for ... three Legions fighting side by side against an army of super-villains. You think it would be a giddy romp, a visual smorgasbord for Legion fans. Well ... it partly succeeds.

One of the issues that I have had with this issue is that writer Geoff Johns is trying to stuff so much story and plot into these 5 issues that at times it becomes an ultra-dense mess of dialogue boxes and leaps of plot faith. In this half of this issue, there is a two page spread with a lot of information about a prior adventure that the Legions have already had together. I don't know about this story. Did it happen? Is this Johns filling in some prior mystery? Either way, I don't think I follow what he is trying to tell me. And remember that I am splitting these reviews up into 2 per issue. This is a big info dump in the back half of one issue. If this is key info, I wish it was explained more.

That said, Johns is probably meting out his exposition in big chunks like this to allow him the space to task artist George Perez with numerous splash pages and double splash pages. Perez goes from many inset small panels to large spreads of grand scale. I have heard rumors that this series was exhausting for Perez and I'm not surprised. I am also not surprised that it shipped on time ... a rarity these days when you get books like this. (That's right ... I'm looking at you Doomsday Clock! You too, Young Animal Doom Patrol!

And all of this is happening without the emergence of the Time Trapper as the puppet master in this miniseries. Will all this wrapped up in a pleasing way? Honestly, I don't remember. So I'm going in fresh.

On to the book.

Reboot: Legionnaires #74

Legionnaires #74 (August 1999)
title: "Aftershocks"

writers: Roger Stern and Tom McCraw

penciller: Jeffrey Moy
inker: W.C. Carani
lettering: Jack Morelli
colorist: Tom McCraw

assistant editor: Frank Berrios
editor: Mike McAvennie
adult legionnaire: Carmela Merlo

cover: Jeffrey Moy and W.C. Carani

reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Apparition, Chameleon, Cosmic Boy, Element Lad, Gates, Kid Quantum II, Live Wire, Monstress, Saturn Girl, Star Boy, Ultra Boy, Umbra

Guests: 
Brika, Chuck Taine, Derek Morgna, Dirk Morgna, Dragonmage, Dreamer, Dr. Gym'll, ERG-1, Flutter, General Hol, Mysa, Shvaughn Erin, Tenzil Kem, Warden Sur, Winema Wazzo, Zyzan guardian (flashback); Science Police

Opponents: 
Alux Cuspin, Ebb, Mordru (sleeping and unseen), Phy'r (flashback)

Who's Who: Professor Vndaar

Professor Vndaar
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: Loar Vndaar

Super-Power(s): Telepathy
Planet of Origin: Titan

Relationship to Legion: Saturn Girl's mentor

TOS: Adventure Comics #373

Adventure Comics #374 (October 1968)
title: "The Tornado Twins!"
writer and layouts: Jim Shooter
artist: Win Mortimer
letterer: Ben Oda
editor: Mort Weisinger
cover: Neal Adams
reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board: 
Brainiac 5, Element Lad, Karate Kid, Phantom Girl, Princess Projectra, Sun Boy, Superboy

Opponent:
The Tornado Twins

LEGION TOYS: Invisible Kid (DC Direct 2004)

 

I suppose you could say that the Matty Collector Set acknowledged this character by having an empty packing tray as a gag. While I think we'd have been happier with a translucent action figure instead, this turned my attention to the figure from the DC Direct Legion of Super-Heroes line. Although it's not easy to come by on the aftermarket, Lyle Norg a.k.a. Invisible Kid was in the set of figures sent to me by Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage. Thanks again, Bilingual Boy!

Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #3, Part 1

Final Crisis Legion of  3 Worlds #3 is the halfway mark of the 5 issue series. And this review will cover the first half of this issue. That means when this review is over we are officially at the halfway mark of this story. And what a place to be at that fulcrum.

Like in the preceding two, writer Geoff Johns puts a lot into the issue. It is as dense as prior. But much of this piece is devoted to battle. Johns really does his best to showcase as many Legionnaires and as many villains as he can. As a result, artist George Perez is put through his paces, dealing with panels stuffed with characters as well as innumerable small inset panels focusing in on some one-on- one battles. If you thought Crisis on Infinite Earths was a heavy lift for Perez, imagine stuffing everything that happened in those 12 issues into 5. You catch my drift? Perez deserves a medal here.

Unfortunately, one thing that comes through in this review is that Johns is really playing as much in his own sandbox as he is in the Legion's. Certainly Superboy Prime, a Johns favorite, is playing a big role in this story. He isn't exactly part of classic Legion lore. But now we see that Sodam Yat, the Daxamite Green Lantern and another Johns fave, is also going to get serious screen time.

For me, I'd much rather have this be a series completely steeped in the Legion rather than looking outward to bring people in. Why not have three Mordrus combining their might? Or the Fatal Fifteen?

One last piece of intro is that this first half of the issue sort of reads like the back half of the last. There really isn't much plot progression here. I talk about the issues being stuffed. But much of that here is just sensory overload from the battles.

On to the book: