Reboot: The Legion #6

The Legion #6 (May 2002)
title: "Terrorform"

writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning

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

editor: Mike McAvennie

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

Mission Monitor Board:  
Brainiac 5, Chameleon, Cosmic Boy, Gates, Kid Quantum II, M'Onel, Shikari, Star Boy, Triad, Ultra Boy, Violet, XS

Guests: 
Kinetix, Lizu, Trudy Trusoe, Vigo Toosalembi; Carggite, Winathian and Vyrgan prisoners; reporters

Opponents: 
Abyss, Brainstorm Leland McCauley/Ra's al Ghul, Repulse, Robotica, Twine; Science Police

Recap: 
President McCauley, revealed to be Ra's al Ghul, orders the destruction of the Legion on the eve of his terraforming the Moon for some nefarious purpose. M'Onel's been shot, and Legion World appears to have been destroyed by the U.P. fleet...

Synopsis: 
Chaos in the streets of Metropolis as an energy flare disrupts demonstrators who want McCauley to stop is terraforming operations. The former Kinetix, now in the Science Police, is on the scene to rescue both demonstrators and reporters, and no one knows what the strange substance found in the debris is supposed to be.

The Legion enters EarthGov HQ and heads for the roof to confront Ra's al Ghul, stopping along the way to stabilize M'Onel and allow him to regain his strength before he bleeds out. The Legionnaires defeat the Oversight Watch, but before they can capture Ra's, he unleashes more energy flares and mocks the Legion about the fact they now have more pressing concerns. It is only partie remise. As the skies clear, Ra's basks in the power of his new weapon, the Moon reconfigured into an engine of change, set to destroy the human race.

Meanwhile, on Xanthu, Star Boy and XS are surprised to see Robotica's ship leave the planet, after disconnecting from all its surface machines. Is it done consuming the planet, or has something changed..?

Commentary: 
Shotgun
I thought we would stay with the Kwai again this week but I guess it sells better when you keep some suspense for the readers. So why not bring all story lines closer to their climax before solving anything, eh? There's definitely a sense of impending doom once you're done reading these pages. Robotica leaving Xanthu, Ra's Al Ghul's plan working perfectly to ensure the Legion cannot stop him and the energy flares, coming from something – or someone – destroying all in its path... There's a lot going on and we're nowhere near getting the rest of the team back from the Kwai's galaxy at this rate. Of course I'm hooked and want to know what's going to happen. Something's telling me we're not done with losing members. Let's hope the number of casualties will remain low.

My favorite part was the fight between the Legion and the Oversight Watch. They finally got beaten down, which they truly deserved for agreeing to all commands without question. Quantum Kid and Shikari are by far the most badass in that fight. I just love how she kept her cool in the void, found her way back and gave Abyss a good dose of his own medicine. The Legion is officially back to defend all members of the U.P., now let's see how they'll save the day once again.

Siskoid
I was gonna say the same thing. DnA continue their streak of cool super-powered fights, and definitely make those two characters particularly badass. A well-used Kid Quantum is a great Kid Quantum, who can screw with your powers or help M'Onel survive a deadly gunshot. I'm thinking these guys could have done a character like Chemical King right (a character that was notoriously killed off because no one knew how to write his powers). And I love that Triad is the one most upset M'Onel is hurt, not only because she was his link to the Legion during the missing year, but because she was always the biggest Valor worshiper (and she calls him that here).

On a plot level, it's a little thin for me. I would have jettisoned Ra's looking a the sky for a page and a half, or Kinetix's weak splash page to get more information on her later opponent, or a check-in with Legion World or with Kwai-space. Heck, I'd have been happy with a clarification as to just what's going on with Metropolis and the Moon, if that's even the Moon, cuz it could be Warworld, right? They found that thing Pluto's way in Legion Worlds. I guess it's up to the next issue to confirm a few things, but when it comes to cliffhangers, I'd rather wonder what's next rather than what's happening now.

Science Police Notes:  

• Trudy Trusoe's news service is called Daily Planets, which appears to be the ultimate evolution of Metropolis' newspaper of record in the 20th-21st Centuries.
• Ra's al Ghul is known as one of the greatest villains of the second Millennium, in the Legion's time.