L.E.G.I.O.N. '92 #41

L.E.G.I.O.N. '92 #41 (July 1992)
title: "Caring"
writer: Barry Kitson
penciller: Barry Kitson 
embellisher: Robin Smith
letterer: Gasper Saladino
colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
editor: Dan Raspler
cover art: Dan Bremerton
review by: Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Recap: The gangster G'odd placed his daughter, Ig'nea, among the L.E.G.I.O.N.'s new recruits, and she used her power of control to make Dox fall in love with her. Under her influence, Dox disbanded the entire organization. Dox travelled with his new love Ig'nea to her father, G'odd's planet, and Dox began to suspect that he had been manipulated. The remains of the disbanded L.E.G.I.O.N. arrived on the planet and occupied G'odd's troops while Dox hunted him down. Instead of killing him, Dox left G'odd tied up so he would become food for his own pet bird. Dox also found Ig'nea but by the time Comet arrived on the scene, she was gone. Despite breaking her influence, Dox still harbored feelings for her and apparently let her escape. Once everyone was reunited, Dox declared the L.E.G.I.O.N. reborn. The team subsequently began to rebuild on Cairn but Lady Quark and Garv mysteriously disappeared.

Gark and Lady Quark are on a secret mission and approaching a strange structure. Garv is more hesitant to approach but Lady Quark does not share his concern.

On Cairn, the rest of the team confronts Dox about their missing teammates and realizes that he has sent them on a special mission. He explains that he noticed a spacecraft heading towards their star system that was blocking his attempts to analyze it. He felt that Lady Quark, their most powerful member, and Garv, who was silicon-based, would be best built for the rigors of their mission. Stealth quietly retreats from their meeting because she suspects she knows what is going on.

Garv and Lady Quark investigate the structure, and she barely rescues him from being absorbed inside, while Stealth confronts her teammates and tells them she knows whats going on.

After they leave, Dox suspects something is up and asks Marij'n where their teammates have gone. Phase tries to distract Dox by saying she asked them to leave because she thought it would help him concentrate and it appears to satisfy him for now.

Lady Quark and Garv continue their mission, although she is the one to continually drive ahead despite his concerns for their safety.

Just as all hope seems lost for Garv and Lady Quark, their teammates arrive and rescue them. Strata informs them that the ship they are on is actually a sentient female and Stealth tries to assure them there is no danger.

Stealth leads them deep into the structure to an area she calls the nursery and invites them to meet her son.

So while I could kinda see this ending coming given Stealth's behavior, I could not help but still feel a sense of surprise. Despite a vague memory as to what would happen from when I read this as a teenager, the revelation of seeing her and Dox's son was still welcome.

Having Garv and Lady Quark as the centerpiece was very welcome given that neither character had been present from the beginning but had made themselves feel like central characters very quickly. Lady Quark will always have an important place in DC Comics history thanks to her part in Crisis On Infinite Earths, but she does not have very many stories outside of that series. And Garv very quickly made himself an endearing character in this series even though we really do not know much about him. So this issue was refreshing in that it focused on both of them, two of the most intriguing but unexplored members of the group.

Regarding Stealth, I have always had very mixed feelings on her. What happened between her and Dox was basically rape, but it was established that it was beyond her control. That alleviates her culpability but does not take away from the brutality of the act. But it also reminds us of the complexities of this series that involves almost entirely alien characters. Despite those complexities, she does seem to be a mother at heart as we would expect, and her enthusiasm at welcoming the baby is consistent with that. To that extent, I felt happy when I saw her reunion. 

But I also could not help but be reminded of all of her history with Dox and wondering how he will react. Please check back next week and we will see if we get a glimpse of Dox's reaction!