L.E.G.I.O.N. '93 #54

L.E.G.I.O.N. '93 #54 (June 1993)

title: "Passages"
plot: Barry Kitson & Mark Waid
writer: Mark Waid
penciler: Barry Kitson
inker: John Stokes
colors: Steve Mattsson

letters: Gasper Saladino

editor: Dan Raspler

cover: Barry Kitson

reviewer: Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Recap: During the team's battle with Ig'nea, the body of the cyborg, Darrius, was destroyed. Fortunately, his head lived, and his fellow new recruits swore  to find his maker so he could be repaired. In examining the head, Vril Dox found evidence of technology more advanced than even that of his home planet of Colu. He believed that it might come from the planet Acheron, which was rumored to have incredibly advanced cybernetic technology. He granted the recruits permission to travel there in hopes of finding their friend's creator. The team was also forced to deal with an intruder that came to find Lydea. They presumed him to be a threat but once he was caught, he turned out to be the husband of their deceased teammate, Lyrissa Mallor, and Lydea's father. Her father told the tale of the Shadow cave from which her mother's family drew their power. A priest had arisen and demanded sacrifice and he had tried to appease it by turning his wife over to the Alliance, but he had rebelled.

The L.E.G.I.O.N. split into two teams, with Phase's team, including Lydia, heading to Talok VIII, while the recruits tracked down Acheron. 

Strata is resistant to the Priest's insistence that the Shadow Cave demanded sacrifices, but shadows erupt from the cave and attack the L.E.G.I.O.N. 

Meanwhile, on Acheron, the new recruits try to get the robots that were worshipping Darius' head to repair him. The process is slow but they eventually bring him back to sentience.

Darius does not recognize where he is and the robots that repaired him are confused. Upon questioning, they explain that Mardok, Lord of the Central Circle, created Darius. And that he created all. 

On Talok VIII, Strata and the others fight the creature from the cave. Lady Quark tries to use her power to incinerate the beast but her attempt only makes it angry.

Back on Cairn, a Legion officer investigates a murder while the body is taken away. The circumstances were reportedly bizarre, which is apparently consistent with five other murders of L.E.G.I.O.N. officers. One of the troops suggests contacting the Head Office, but the lead officer denies the request and insists on investigating alone.

Bek is teasing Dox about his son, calling him Brainiac 3 or Baby Green-Jeans, but Vril pushes back and insists that the baby is in his mother's charge and no concern of anyone else. Bek finds himself touched at the realization that Dox does care about the child.

At the same time, on Talk VIII, the madman who sacrificed children to the Shadow creature of the cave thinks that Lydea may be their sole salvation.

On Alcheron, the recruits interrogate the robots. They are all children of Mardok, prime creator, a cybergenetictist,. His first and greatest triumph was Darius, a cyborg crafted from the brain of a Sol-III lifeform.

As their civilization continually fell back and then progressed forward, Darius tried to lead them, but it was still headed to collapse once again. He confronted Mardok, who did not appreciate his candor. Mardok purged his files so he did not remember who he was. He was cast out, and but a spark of memory remained.

On Talok IIIV, the team was battling the cave beast but it seems to have withdrawn. While her father rages, Lydea goes deeper into the tunnels. She falls into one of the deep tunnels and the team wants to go after her, but her father resits. He says the tunnel must accept her and that a dark trial awaits her. In the tunnels, Lydea finds all of the previous champions of her planet awaiting her.

This story continues to fire on all cylinders as the core team learn more of the situation on Lydea's planet, while the new recruits try to help their friend Darius. As much as I love our original team, I found the storyline of the new recruits to be the more interesting one because of the revelations of Darius' origin. (That does not mean I am not enjoying them both though.)

Although I do miss seeing Lydea among the new recruits, because I really felt like she would become their leader, they are doing a great job without her. And I was very excited by the final page of this issue pitting her against the previous champions of her world. Her mother had been introduced as a legacy hero on her world, but any further insight into her history was sidetracked pretty early on due to her death. 

This issue did not take the time to give everyone specific character moments like last issue did. But that is understandable given that the Talok storyline was pretty much all action, and the other one was focused on Darius' history. Overall, everything moved at a very fast pace, even though they did manage to squeeze in a nice moment softening Dox's character a bit. I am excited to learn more about the previous champions of Talok VIII, so please check back with me next issue for the newest chapter for the L.E.G.I.O.N.