Sunday, March 8, 2015

Legion Archive 8: Jurgens & Kesel


Continuing the spotlight on the art of The Legion of Super-Heroes Archives, we  get a wonderful piece by admitted Legion fans and artists Dan Jurgens and Karl Kesel.
This time out we get a straight-forward "rushing towards the camera" pose that works so well with super-hero groups. This is the first time cover appearances for new members Shadow Lass and Timber Wolf; it's a shame we didn't also get Chemical King, who joined at the same time as Timber Wolf but was never as popular. This illustration is also nice because it is grounded by the brand-new Legion headquarters in the background.



It would have been clever if the triangular point of the Archive format had been colored green to represent Colossal Boy's shirt.

Stories:
Adventure Comics #368
Superboy #147
Adventure Comics #369-376 

Events:
This edition we start in Year Six, with Invisible Kid called out as the Leader in Superboy #147, the heretofore untold "Origin of the Legion." By the time we get to Adventure #374, however, Ultra Boy is the Leader. This adventure, by the way, is one of the rare stories that feature Supergirl instead of Superboy. Other highlights are the "return" of Mordru, the inclusion of new members Chemical King and Timber Wolf, and the introduction of the Legion Academy. Artistically, we start this collection with Curt Swan, take a detour with Pete Costanza, and then end with Win Mortimer.

1 comment:

  1. The LSV two parter that introduces Brin and Condo was my first Legion story. Impossible to forget.
    The images of the "glass Superboy" on the cover and Violet shrinking into Marte Allon´s jewell have stayed with me ever since.

    Oh, and I LOVE Kessel inks over Jurgens! Just look at Gim´s face!

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