TOS: Action Comics #382

Action Comics #382 (Nov 1969)
title: "Kill A Friend To Save A World!"
writer and layouts: Jim Shooter
penciller: Win Mortimer
inker: Jack Abel
letterer: Milt Snapinn
editor: Mort Weisinger
reviewer:  Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board: 
Ultra Boy, Karate Kid, Shrinking Violet, Light Lass, Timber Wolf; cameos by Superboy and Mon-El

Opponents:
Cosvarr and Zorla

The Write Stuff: Back to the Future Pt 2

BACK ISSUE! 22 (Jun 2007)

Following on from the article in BACK ISSUE! 15 which featured both Dave Cockrum and Mike Grell, this issue turns the spotlight on scribe Paul Levitz and artist/writer Keith Giffen.

    At the time of the joint interview, Paul was president and publisher at DC Comics, while Keith was handling Countdown for DC and Starlord for Marvel.

    Paul's love for the Legion is well-known, as is evidenced by his three separate tenures as the writer of a title which he acknowledges would be “a pain in the ass” unless you really loved it.

    “You'd literally have to write the Legion with a scorecard and notes. If you didn't know them and love them, it was a lot of hard work,” he said.

    Keith was more direct. “If you didn't care for these characters, it would be agony,” he said.

   

Keith Giffen Autographs

Keith Giffen was a guest at Terrificon a couple of years ago and I knew that I was going to have to meet him and thank him for his impact on my comic life. Given his work on multiple eras of the Legion, there is no doubt that he is one of the most impactful creators in my comic fandom. Toss in JLA, the Doom Patrol, the Heckler, etc, his work is all over my collection.

But one of the things I wanted these autograph posts to be about is the hard decision of what comics to get signed. And had Giffen been charging for signatures, which comics would make the cut. (Luckily, Giffen wasn't charging at all so I was able to double dip on the second day of the con.)

I brought a smattering of his early '80s Legion (see next week's post) given that run is still considered by many as the high water mark for the team.

But let's face it, I am a 5YL guy. And I wanted to thank him for 5YL. And I wanted to get his signature on key 5YL issues. So if that was the goal, what issues would you bring?

It is easy to pick Legion of Super-Heroes #1.

And I thanked him for the run as I put this issue in front of him. As I have said here, I feel my reviews of the early 5YL issues on this site are my own personal high water mark of blogging/social media.

On to the other books.

Reboot: Legionnaires #80

Legionnaires #80 (February 2000)
title: "Legion of the Damned Part Four: Damned for All Eternity!"

writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning

penciller: Olivier Coipel
inker: Andy Lanning
lettering: Comicraft
colorist: Tom McCraw

editor: Mike McAvennie

cover: Olivier Coipel & Andy Lanning
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Apparition, Brainiac 5.1, Chameleon, Cosmic Boy, Element Lad, Ferro, Gates, Invisible Kid, Kid Quantum II, Kinetix, Live Wire, M'Onel, Monstress, Saturn Girl, Sensor, Spark, Star Boy, Thunder, Triad, Ultra Boy, Umbra, Violet, XS

Guests: 
The Doda, Magno, Shvaughn Erin

Opponents: 
Atrophos, The Blight

Who's Who: Sadaharu

Sadaharu
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: Unon Sadaharu

Super-Power(s): Martial arts
Planet of Origin: Earth

Relationship to Legion: Villain

TOS: Action Comics #381

Action Comics #381 (Oct 1969)
title: "The Hapless Hero!"
writer and layouts: Jim Shooter
penciller: Win Mortimer
inker: Jack Abel
letterer: Milt Snappin
editor: Mort Weisinger
reviewers: Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Mission Monitor Board:
Matter-Eater Lad, Shrinking Violet; cameo appearances by Brainiac 5, Chemical King, Karate Kid, Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl, Princess Projectra, and Saturn Girl

Opponent:
Duplicate Boy

LEGION TOYS: Star Boy (DC Direct 2003)

Alone...
He wants to be alone so he can process this
To a point of understandingness
Starboy! That’s who he is that’s not who he ain’t
Starboy! He knows it now and now it's the truth...
The Captain of Outer Space that is his brother, Uh-huh!
The Captain of Outer Space he knows it’s true, Uh-huh!
Alone...
He wants to be Alone... 

Colleen Doran Autographs

After a week off, I am back with another post of my meeting great Legion creators. Today I talk about my brief interaction with Colleen Doran.

It was many years ago in Boston. And I was still in the mode of being a little nervous around creators and trying to be brief in my interactions. Nowadays, assuming no line of people behind me, I try to talk to creators a bit more.

I saw that Doran was a guest. I knew she loved the Legion and Element Lad. And I knew that I had books to get signed by her. I also knew I would love to talk Legion stuff with her.

But remember I wasn't in that mode back then. So instead I just thanked her for coming and put the books down. The cool thing is that Doran saw they were mostly Legion books and seemed happy to see them. She asked if I was a Legion fan and I said I was a lifelong fanatic.

She signed all my books 'To Andrew, Long Live the Legion, Colleen Doran'.

Here is Legion of Super-Heroes #27 .This book was one of those rest issues in the Baxter run. 4 short stories were in this issue drawn by Greg LaRocque and Mike DeCarlo, Gene Colan, Shawn McManus, and Colleen Doran. Doran's story was appropriately Element Lad bringing Schvaughn Erin to Trom.

(You may notice Mike DeCarlo's signature on the cover as well.)

Reboot: Legion of Super-Heroes #123

Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #123 (January 2000)
title: "Legion of the Damned, Part Three: Damned If We Don't!"

writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning

penciller: Olivier Coipel
inker: Andy Lanning
lettering: Comicraft
colorist: Tom McCraw

editor: Mike McAvennie

cover: Olivier Coipel & Andy Lanning
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Apparition, Brainiac 5.1, Chameleon, Cosmic Boy, M'Onel, Monstress, Saturn Girl, XS

Guests: 
The Doda (flashback)

Opponents: 
Atrophos, The Blight, Blighted heroes (Atmos, Elemental Lad, Ferro, Kid Quantum II, Kinetix, Particon, Radion, Spark, Star Boy, Thunder, Ultra Boy, Umbra), Entropy (flashback)

Who's Who: Rond Vidar

Rond Vidar
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: Rond Vidar

Super-Power(s): Possessor of Green Lantern power ring
Planet of Origin: Earth

Relationship to Legion: Ally