DC Cybernetic Summer 2020

DC Cybernetic Summer 2020 (Sept 2020)
title: Summer Lovin'
writer: Liz Erickson
artist: Nik Virella
colorist: Romulo Fajardo, Jr
letterer: Ferran Delgado
editor: Katie Kubert
cover: Dan Mora & Tamra Bonvillain
reviewer: Sarcasm Kid

It’s been a weird time for Legion fans. The release of the Bendisboot has gotten mixed reactions from veteran Legion fans, who have complained about yet another continuity reboot starting everything over. DC seems to have recognized this, which would explain why they featured a Bronze Age-styled Legion tale in the From Beyond The Unknown 100-Page Giant, and this Silver Age-styled Legion story in DC Cybernetic Summer.

“Summer Lovin’” is written by DC editor Liz Erickson, with pencils and inks supplied by mah gurl Nik Virella. The Legion roster consists of Superboy, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, and Brainiac 5. Liz and Nik have provided us a tale set during the Silver Age in both tone and appearance (beyond just the costumes).

Admittedly the story’s shorter and goes in a different direction than I expected, but it’s still charming and rather bittersweet in a way that is easy to swallow. I can’t say much more than that because I don’t want to spoil anything.



Summary
Our story begins with four Legionnaires battling a tentacled alien menace on the Kent Farm. Superboy gets swatted by the creature back to his house, crashing into his bedroom. Momentarily stunned, Superboy is almost snatched by the creature before he hoists the creature up by its appendages and throws it in the air.

 The Legionnaires are stunned amid a shower of purple goo as the creature seemingly disappears. Brainiac 5 explains that they are dealing with a Moravecan, a creature capable of moving faster than the speed of light when threatened, but only briefly. Meaning that there is still a chance it can be captured.

Because Superboy might be away for a while searching for the Moravecan, he heads back to his bedroom to activate one of his robot doubles to stand in for him as Clark Kent. Superboy chooses good ol’ R217, instructing Robo-boy he needs to act like Clark on summer vacation. Oh, and if he could clean up the room that’d be great.

For a brief moment we see things through R217’s point of view, with four possible responses.

1. Yes, master!
2. Of course, master!
3. Happy to be of service, master!
4. Regret to inform maintenance is required.

Before R217 can reply, Superboy is called back to the Legionnaires to continue the search for the  Moravecan.

Acting as Clark Kent, R217 heads to the local soda shop. He’s greeted by Lana Lang and several other kids before bumping into a blonde, bespectacled young woman named Mae. For a moment, R217 goes through four different options on how to respond to the flustered young woman.

1. Gee willikers! How clumsy of me!
2. I’m so sorry, my fault entirely!
3. May I help you up?
4. Regret to inform maintenance is required.

Gee, there’s that “maintenance” warning again. You think it might mean something?

Mae blushes, and R217’s begins to stammer over what to say (face equally red). Noticing Mae’s books, R217 asks if she’s studying robotics. Mae mentions it’s for a project she’s doing on her own time, but nervously thinks “Clark” would find it boring. R217 coaxes a conversation out of her about robots and mimicking human tasks. At that point Mae works up the nerve to blurt out an invitation for “Clark” to see a movie with her. R217 agrees to go.

The following evening, Mae continues her discussion on robotics with R217. Mae worries she’s only rambling, but R217 assures Mae that he loves hearing her thoughts. R217 tells her he is certain she can accomplish whatever she puts her mind to.

Mae admits “Clark” is quieter than she believed he’d be. R217 explains he’s trying to pay attention, because everything feels new and he wants to remember it all. Mae wasn’t sure he would accept her invitation. After all, he’s CLARK KENT, and she’s just… Mae. R217 replies that he couldn’t think of doing anything better than what he’s doing right now.

 Mae and R217 kiss, but unfortunately Superboy HAS to show up at the drive-in like the buzzkill he is. Superboy announces some “dangerous element” is loose in the vicinity and he needs everyone to clear out.

Brainy and Saturn Girl discuss who could have been exposed to the Moravecan’s spores. R217 tells Mae to follow the crowd to safety, but before she leaves he tells her that she’s an extraordinary person.

Superboy confronts R217, gently explaining how R217 hasn’t answered any of Superboy’s calls because of a bug in his programming. His pleas for understanding fall on deaf ears, so R217 fights back. He is quickly taken down by a bolt of electricity from Lightning Lad. Superboy opens R217's chest compartment to reveal that the Moravecan’s spores DID take root inside him.

As Superboy pulls the spores out of R217’s chest, Brainy says it’s lucky they prevented the native population of Earth from being infected. And thankfully no one got hurt!

After summer vacation is over and school begins again, Mae finds Clark (the REAL Clark) saying she hadn’t seen him since the drive-in. Mae tries to talk about her newest experiment, but Clark’s got no idea who she is and states he has to get to class. Quietly heartbroken and confused, Mae can only say goodbye.

Yeah, no one got hurt alright.

Review
What right did this story have to rip my heart out like this?

While the role of the Legionnaires was smaller than I was hoping for (I mean, Imra doesn’t even really do anything), I guess there’s only so much Liz Erickson could do with that amount of pages. That doesn’t mean the story wasn’t enjoyable.

The idea of a Superboy robot gaining sentience and falling in love feels very much like a Silver Age Legion story. However, if this actually came from the early 1960s, the larger implications of shutting R217 off would have been glossed over or ignored by the story itself. It would have been one of those uncomfortable elements the readers only consider by looking at the subtext. Here, R217’s emotions and eventual shutdown are treated as tragic because while WE, the readers, have seen things from his POV, the Legionnaires have not. Not to mention the role poor Mae had in this drama. She now has to wonder why Clark is supposedly ignoring her after they shared such a tender moment.

Nik Virella’s artwork is absolutely gorgeous, which is of course no surprise to me. I loved her work on Marvel’s “Hyperion” and the fact I got to see her on a classic Legion story is amazing. She is able to perfectly capture the Silver Age aesthetic within her own style and her use of facial expressions was perfect, too. There is not much else I can say except that I would definitely be willing to give Bendis’ Legion another try if Nik was brought on to do the art.