LSH (v8) #6

Legion of Super-Heroes #3 (March 2020)

title: (Untitled)

writer: Brian Michael Bendis

penciller: Ryan Sook

inker: Wade Von Grawbadger and Travis Moore

colorist: Jordie Bellaire

letterer: Dave Sharpe

associate editor: Brittany Holzherr

editor: Brian Cunningham

covers: Ryan Sook (main); Alex Garner (variant)

reviewers: Jason "Anachronistic Kid" Knol and Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Overall Summary: 

The Legion confronts the Horraz Pirates, who are attacking in order to destroy New Earth and kill the Legionnaires. Guess who wins. 

Mission Monitor Board: 

Here are the characters who were identified or had speaking parts, in (kind of) order of their appearance: Brainiac 5, Monster Boy, White Witch, Element Lad, Chameleon Boy, Ultra Boy, Wildire, Dawnstar, Superboy, Saturn Girl, Colossal Boy, Gold Lantern, Bouncing Boy, Cosmic Boy, Shadow Lass, Dr. Fate, Lightning Lad, Light Lass, and various others who appear in the last scenes

Supporting Characters:

Rose Forrest, UP President RJ Brande, Crav Nah

Opponents:

Horraz Pirates and their leader Tortor, bad writer, worse editor

Summary:
This month's one-page close-up is of Brainiac 5, who is using the Legion Social Network to send out a Legion Emergency Distress Call to evacuate New Earth. The Horraz Pirates have acquired Aquaman's ancient trident and are preparing to attack with it. As some Legionnaires help with the evacuation, other members are counter-attacking the Horraz.

As the Legionnaires manage to keep the Horraz at bay at/around Earth's atmosphere, Mon-El flies in and grabs the trident. This somehow repopulates New Earth with its oceans. 

The Legion releases General Crav Nah of Rimbor, who confronts the United Planets. He argues before the UP Council that the Legion attacked and imprisoned him, and that he wants retribution. UP President RJ Brande tells him that because New Earth has had their oceans restored, the Legion is now looked upon as beacons of Hope. 

General Nah is not impressed. He storms out, claiming "The future is War." 

Russell's Review: 

This is the Worst. Issue. Yet. 

If you look at this cover before reading the story, you MAY think that Dr. Fate, Gold Lantern, Superboy, and Monster Boy might be the lead characters this time around. You would be wrong. NONE of them do anything special in this story, and Dr. Fate barely even appears. 

The story should have been all-out action, but what Brian Michael Bendis gives us is a few scenes of battle and then some magical Maguffin giving New Earth its oceans back, and the UP happy about it. No explanation, no real illustration, no scenes shown of where or how the water....displaces?..... whatever was there when the water returned, no scenes of the Harruz pirates being rounded up. This is a story told in VERY bold strokes, and for more literal minded readers like me, it's very disappointing. 

At least in previous issues I was able to say that there was great art to be had. Here, Ryan Sook continues to do great things, but arguably the art does NOT do the story justice. For example, we get nine or so pages of "Legionnaires fighting Horraz." It doesn't feel that way, though, because the majority of these pages are huge close-ups of the Legionnaires....well, posing.  

Not much to this attack, battle-wise. I would say that maybe one page is actual fighting? I don't know if this is due to Bendis' direction or Sook's execution, but the battle is not well choreographed at all.  

Similarly, the grand entrance of Gold Lantern battling the trident's....water?..... is drawn this way: 

Gold Lantern is off the page here (my scanner isn't big enough) but he's on the other end of the yellow and orange paisley. Is this supposed to be impressive? Also, go up a few panels to where we reprinted the pages where Mon-El touches the trident. It looks basically the same as this two-page spread, aka the trident is exploding with water. FOUR pages for this? 

Speaking of Gold Lantern, shall we address the elephant in the room? Due to his "initial appearance" in this story this issue sold out. Evidently investors gobbled up all the issues. It can now be found selling on ebay for more than $20. Why?!? Has Gold Lantern appeared before in some previous DC Comic? Am I supposed to know who he is, or is he brand spanking new? Here is his one spotlight moment in the book. I'll let you tell me if it's worth $20. 

And as a final side note on him and his entrance....is that page layout above supposed to mean something? It resembles an ankh or the old Legion Club-house. Is that symbolic of something, or is Ryan Sook just getting too clever for me? 

I just don't know with this series. For some reason Bendis insists on anchoring his future to specific items or characters from the current timeline (Dr. Fate, Gold Lantern, Aquaman, Universal Monsters, Robin) rather than letting his imagination head outwards to the Galactic. 

While doing this, he creates new Legion codes that evidently allow Legionnaires without innate abilities (the power ring, the helmet of Nabu) and without well defined abilities (Monster Boy, who doesn't know what "monster" identity he is going to get at any given situation; sounds more like a Substitute Legionnaire to me). These are basic tenets of the Legion to me; I just don't like that they are revised or, worse, ignored. 

I'm now torn between letting this series go and supporting it but disparaging it. (sigh) Will it....CAN it...get better? 

When I came across this bit of monologue by the UP President (on ANOTHER two-page spread!) I felt like it encapsulates the Bendis-Sook Legion, but not necessarily in a good way. These first six issues are supposed to represent some "grand gesture toward what the Legion will represent." Could we maybe have a few good STORIES now? 

And lastly, here's your Dr. Fate and Monster Boy moments, for what they are worth. Do you feel as if you've "met" them now? (Note: Dr. Fate shows up on that Shadow Lass pose page reprinted above. Did you happen to notice her, or did you miss her?) 

Jason's Review: 

As far as this series goes I'm generally in agreement with Russell thus far. He laid out some of the main thoughts I had as I read this issue, and the main one is evident by the fact that he was able to summarize this entire issue in ten sentences. Again, as pointed out above, the action happens in broad strokes and extreme close-ups that left me confused as to what was happening in certain sequences, no matter how long I studied the art. It made me miss Curt Swan's Silver-Age Legion art so much...

I believe the fact that Aquaman's trident literally contained Earth's oceans was supposed to be some revelation or "OMG moment" as the kids say, but it was more baffling than anything. This underlying plot about the importance of this trident was painfully underplayed and its importance to the entire story arc of the first six issues was little more than a passive bit of confusion.

On reading Russell's review I initially balked at his referring to the trident as a Macguffin, feeling the term was misused, but as I thought about it more he's totally right. The importance of the trident was frequently stated early on, but we were never given any actual reason as to why it mattered. Now I'm torn between in retrospect, it's so obvious, New Earth needed water to bind it and this is so patently absurd because it completely ignores the fact that the planet's "core" is just the energy source that bound the disparate pieces of New Earth together, how does adding water around the core make it a planet?

All told, I sincerely think this six-issue arc could've been a single Silver Age Legion story. The Superboy angle was unnecessary and bringing Damien in was a complete waste of time. Here's what it could've been:

• Pages 1-8: Legion intro, Horraz pirates steal Aquaman's trident
• Pages 9-16: Legion strategizing how to get it back, their new origin story juxtaposed with UP/Crav Nah drama
• Pages 17-24: Fighting, trident fills New Earth with long-lost oceans, same RJ Brande / Crav Nah ending

Did I miss anything? I'll keep buying this because it's a Legion book but I recognize that it's absolutely not worth my hard-earned money.

Science Police Notes:  

• Although the evacuation order is given, there is no mention to where the people of New Earth are supposed to go. Flying away from Earth during an attack seems like you would  be giving the Horraz more ships to target....? 
• Ferro Lad is mentioned as a Legionnaire, but we have yet to see him in any group shot. 
• We learn that Monster Boy does not get to pick which monster form he transforms into in times of emergency.  

Status: 
This issue has not yet been reprinted. Now that we have reached six issues and a "conclusion" my guess is that the trade paperback will appear on a solicitation list next month.