LSH(v8) #12

Legion of Super-Heroes #12 (March 2021)
title: (Untitled)
writer: Brian Michael Bendis
penciller: Ryan Sook
inkers: Wade Von Grawbadger and Ryan Sook
colorist: Jordie Bellaire
letterer: Dave Sharpe
associate editor: Brittany Holzherr
editor: Brian Cunningham
covers: Ryan Sook (main); Matt Taylor (variant)

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

Overall Summary: 
Superboy and Saturn Girl arrive on New Krypton to join the other members to stop Rogol Zaar, Mordru, and the Horraz from destroying the planet. 

LSH (v8) #3

Legion of Super-Heroes #3 (March 2020)
title: (Untitled)
writer: Brian Michael Bendis
penciller: Ryan Sook and Travis Moore
inker: Wade Von Grawbadger and Travis Moore
colorist: Jordie Bellaire
letterer: Alw's Troy Peteri
associate editor: Brittany Holzherr
editor: Brian Cunningham
covers: Ryan Sook (main); Jim Cheung & Tomeu Morey (variant)

reviewed by Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Overall Summary: 
Superboy (Jonathon Kent) goes back to his time and "recruits" Robin (Damien Wayne) to come with him and "join" the Legion of Super-Heroes. It doesn't turn out the way he hopes it would.

LSH (v8) #1

Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (January 2020)
title: "The Legion of Super-Heroes!"
writer: Brian Michael Bendis
penciller: Ryan Sook
inker: Ryan Sook and Wade Von Grawbadger
colorist: Jordie Bellaire
letterer: Dave Sharpe
associate editor: Brittany Holzherr
editor: Brian Cunningham
covers: Ryan Sook (main); Ryan Sook and Jim Cheung & Romulo Fajardo, Jr (variants)

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

Mission Monitor Board: 
There is no "let's introduce ourselves" scene so we'll mention only the members who are clearly identifiable, or who identify themselves: Superboy, Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Brainiac 5; Karate Kid, Ultra Boy, Wildfire, Star Boy (who doesn't introduce himself, but who is called out by name by Karate Kid); in the last "group shot", I count 31 members.

Opponents:
Mordru, the Horraz, time-travel overwhelmingness, badly plotted stories

Legion of Superheroes S02 E10: Trials

"Trials"was directed by James Tucker and written by Steven Melching.

Original Airdate: March 15, 2008.
Review by Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Mission Monitor Board: Bouncing Boy, Phantom Girl, Starboy, Superman, Superman X, Timber Wolf, and White Witch.

Opponents: Mordru. And possibly Zyx? We will have to see.

Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds #5, Part 1

Well, it is the beginning of the end for me as I start the review for the final issue of Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds #5.

This has been something of a wild ride for me. When it was solicited, I could remember being quite excited about this. I was a bit awash in Legion continuity as the Threeboot book was happening, Geoff Johns had brought back the original group, and I was coming off my decade away from the team.

I was hoping for a deep Legion continuity dive. I was hoping for an untangling of continuity. I was hoping for fun.

Instead I got this.

This book has a lot of Titans stuff going on. The Legion occasionally seem like guest stars in a Superboy Prime book. And the plot careens along hoping the reader can keep up. I was hoping for a breath of fresh air. Instead I felt like I was trying to breathe through a straw filled with oatmeal.

All that said, the art is about as glittery as George Perez can be, flitting between massive double page splashes and intricate tiny inset panels.

So will it all be tied up neatly in a bow? Will we get the finale we deserve?

Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds #4 Part 2

Today I finish my review of the penultimate issue of Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds.

I am exhausted.

It has been hard for me to wrap my head around this series. And Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds #4 showcases my problems. There is an awful lot of casual death and violence. There is a boatload of Superboy Prime. There is a ton of exposition which should explain just what the hell is going on but doesn't really. Writer Geoff Johns continues to pile more and more plot and reveals into this series making it a cumbersome read.

Perhaps worst of all, so much time is spent filling in this insane plot that we barely have gotten the 3 Legions working together. We have a lot of Teen Titans! We have some Green Lanterns! We have a lot of Brainiac 5 interactions. But most of the Legion stuff seems to be happening as skirmishes in the backgrounds. Maybe we get a couple of panels now and then showing some Threeboots working with some Reboots working with some Retroboots. But not enough. The draw here, for me, was wanting to see these Legions mingling.

Of course, the art by George Perez continues to be exemplary. Perez just shines. It is lovely. And it is a mix of minute panels overstuffed with action and sprawling double page spreads.

But you need to remember this is issue 4 of 5. This book needs to be approaching a conclusion. Instead this book ends with a bombshell revelation. It also reminded me of one of my personal worst moments in Legion fandom. Johns is still adding story! How can he end this in one more issue?

And one more thing. I think it is somewhat damning that I had almost no recollection of this story as I reread for this review. Two major events happen in the back half of this issue, the portion I am reviewing today. I had completely forgotten them. I have to think that is a comment on how I feel about this book overall.

On to the review!

Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds #4, Part 1

There is more behind us than in front of us when it comes to Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds! Here we are at Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds #4! This issue is just as crazy as the prior ones. Lots of action! Lots of words! Some death! And finally the Time Trapper!

As has been the trend in this book, I feel more like I am riding the wave of this story. A lot is happening fast. I am on a shifting foundation, just trying to maintain my balance. And I am hoping not to fall. I am sure this all made perfect sense to writer Geoff Johns. But to me, it is like a series of quick interludes with not much solid story. Maybe it all comes together in the end.

The George Perez art has also been a constant on this book. His work here is as impressive as any book of his I have read. There is so much action. There are so many characters. The story is so bananas. I hope Perez got paid by the pen stroke. He'd be a millionaire! (Hmmm ... come to think of it, he is retiring!)

Still, this has been a bit too wild for me to say it is a great story. I wanted so much from this. But at times I feel lost. I suppose that makes perfect sense given it is linked to Final Crisis, the most inscrutable of the tent pole crossover events.

On to this half of the book.

Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds #3, Part 2

Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds #3 finally gives us readers what we were clamoring for ... three Legions fighting side by side against an army of super-villains. You think it would be a giddy romp, a visual smorgasbord for Legion fans. Well ... it partly succeeds.

One of the issues that I have had with this issue is that writer Geoff Johns is trying to stuff so much story and plot into these 5 issues that at times it becomes an ultra-dense mess of dialogue boxes and leaps of plot faith. In this half of this issue, there is a two page spread with a lot of information about a prior adventure that the Legions have already had together. I don't know about this story. Did it happen? Is this Johns filling in some prior mystery? Either way, I don't think I follow what he is trying to tell me. And remember that I am splitting these reviews up into 2 per issue. This is a big info dump in the back half of one issue. If this is key info, I wish it was explained more.

That said, Johns is probably meting out his exposition in big chunks like this to allow him the space to task artist George Perez with numerous splash pages and double splash pages. Perez goes from many inset small panels to large spreads of grand scale. I have heard rumors that this series was exhausting for Perez and I'm not surprised. I am also not surprised that it shipped on time ... a rarity these days when you get books like this. (That's right ... I'm looking at you Doomsday Clock! You too, Young Animal Doom Patrol!

And all of this is happening without the emergence of the Time Trapper as the puppet master in this miniseries. Will all this wrapped up in a pleasing way? Honestly, I don't remember. So I'm going in fresh.

On to the book.

Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #3, Part 1

Final Crisis Legion of  3 Worlds #3 is the halfway mark of the 5 issue series. And this review will cover the first half of this issue. That means when this review is over we are officially at the halfway mark of this story. And what a place to be at that fulcrum.

Like in the preceding two, writer Geoff Johns puts a lot into the issue. It is as dense as prior. But much of this piece is devoted to battle. Johns really does his best to showcase as many Legionnaires and as many villains as he can. As a result, artist George Perez is put through his paces, dealing with panels stuffed with characters as well as innumerable small inset panels focusing in on some one-on- one battles. If you thought Crisis on Infinite Earths was a heavy lift for Perez, imagine stuffing everything that happened in those 12 issues into 5. You catch my drift? Perez deserves a medal here.

Unfortunately, one thing that comes through in this review is that Johns is really playing as much in his own sandbox as he is in the Legion's. Certainly Superboy Prime, a Johns favorite, is playing a big role in this story. He isn't exactly part of classic Legion lore. But now we see that Sodam Yat, the Daxamite Green Lantern and another Johns fave, is also going to get serious screen time.

For me, I'd much rather have this be a series completely steeped in the Legion rather than looking outward to bring people in. Why not have three Mordrus combining their might? Or the Fatal Fifteen?

One last piece of intro is that this first half of the issue sort of reads like the back half of the last. There really isn't much plot progression here. I talk about the issues being stuffed. But much of that here is just sensory overload from the battles.

On to the book:

Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds #2, part 2

Welcome to the second part of  Final Crisis Legion of Three Worlds #2. 

This mini-series from writer Geoff Johns and artist George Perez has proven to be a bit of a challenge for me to review as Johns has stuffed the book with action, dialogue, and plot. It feels like a very heavy read, some pages filled with so much text that it feels more like a book than a comic book. And yet, there is a balancing act with unbelievable double page spreads. Perez must have had a migraine drawing it.

The back half of this issue shows just how dire the situation is for the main Legion, the team brought back by Johns in Action Comics. With death and destruction basically around the corner, Brainiac 5 has to finally give us the promise of the title. We get three Legions.

This series was one of the first I knew that had each issue come with two different covers. I saved this version of #2 for this review given the scene unfolds in this section of the issue. But I love how we see the two 'other' Legions in the swirling smoke of the crystal ball White Witch is using.

It has to be some homage to Justice League of America #21, the first JLA/JSA crossover. There is that crystal ball. And there is the 'other team'.

On to the story.

Reboot: Legionnaires #73

Legionnaires #73 (July 1999)
title: "The Final Gathering"

writers: Roger Stern and Tom McCraw

penciller: Jeffrey Moy
inker: W.C. Carani
lettering: Pat Brosseau
colorist: Tom McCraw

assistant editor: Frank Berrios
editor: Mike McAvennie
adult legionnaire: Carmela Merlo

cover: Jeffrey Moy and W.C. Carani

reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Apparition, Chameleon, Cosmic Boy, Element Lad, Gates, Kid Quantum II, Monstress, Saturn Girl, Star Boy, Ultra Boy, Umbra

Guests: 
Dragonmage, Mysa; Science Police

Opponents: 
Elements of Disaster (A'rie, Ebb, Phy'r, Rrox), Mordru

Final Crisis Legion of Three Worlds #2: Part One

Last week I began my review of Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds, a book I fear would break me. The first issue almost did. A dizzying array of inset panels, bulk text, uncertain continuity, and story bloat made it nearly impossible to cover in one review.

And then, like a wish from the Miracle Machine, an answer was provided to me by fellow Legion Blogger Siskoid. Why not take two posts to review one issue of this book? God knows, there is enough story stuffed into these pages to warrant at least that much.

So welcome to Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds # 2 review, part one. I'll finish this issue next Friday.

One of the interesting things for me to do, as I decipher this book, is to try and come to grips with the continuity speed bumps. I didn't read any of the Reboot Legion, the Abnett stuff. I had intimate knowledge of the Threeboot book, still fresh.

But it is the classic Legion, the one brought back by writer Geoff Johns that I struggle with the most. The assumption is that 5YL never happened. The Legion timeline progressed differently from the end of the Baxter Run and the Magic Wars.

Clearly 'stuff' happened between the end of the Magic Wars and the Action Comics storyline which just preceded this. So we are sort of dropped into a fresh, unknown, yet oddly classic timeline. Please get me some ibuprofen!

Johns again puts about three books worth of material into this issue. And that despite having not one but two double page splashes! Poor George Perez. If you thought Crisis On Infinite Earths was a great example of page layouts and panel variation, you ain't seen nothing yet. No surprise, Perez shines here. But I wonder how much wonderful art was covered by the massive dialogue balloons needed to convey the story?

I usually wail against decompression. But this is overstuffing. This would have been a great 9 part mini-series. I wonder if the time alloted was dictated by the main Final Crisis book. And yet, if I recall, the book was delayed badly meaning more actual time and issues could have been devoted here.

Ah well .. what might have been. Onto the half-review!

TOS: Adventure Comics #370

Adventure Comics #370 (July 1968)

title: "The Devil's Jury!"

writer and layouts: Jim Shooter

artist: Curt Swan

inker: Jack Abel

letterers: Joe Letterese (splash page only) and Ben Oda

editor: Mort Weisinger

cover: Curt Swan and George Roussos

letterer: Gaspar Saladino

reviewers: Jason "Anachronistic Kid" Knol

Mission Monitor Board: 

Duo Damsel, Mon-El, Shadow Lass, and Superboy

Cameos:

Dream Girl, Insect Queen, Invisible Kid, Princes Projectra, 

Ultra Boy, The White Witch

Opponent:

Mordru the Merciless!

TOS: Adventure Comics #369

Adventure Comics #369 (June 1968)

title: "Mordru the Merciless!"

writer and layouts: Jim Shooter

penciller: Curt Swan

inkers: Curt Swan (page 1) and Jack Abel

letterers: Gaspar Saldino (page 1) and Charlotte Jetter

cover: Neal Adams

reviewer: Jason "Anachronistic Kid" Knol

Mission Monitor Board: 

Duo Damsel, Mon-El, Shadow Lass and Superboy, plus a few flashback cameos.

Opponent:

Mordru the Merciless!

This Neal Adams cover kicks everything off with his trademark sense of action. The powerful hands of the mysterious, magical Mordru burst out through a massive vault door. How often do we see Superboy taken aback with such shock? Mon-El definitively cries "We're dead!" in response to the wizard's hands appearing so suddenly. This immediately feels like it's going to be an action-packed adventure of an issue!

LEGION TOYS: Mordru (DC Direct 2002)

Mordru the Merciless created by Jim Shooter and Curt Swan is a frightening supernatural force to be feared.  His escape from his steel-walled prison in Adventure Comics #369 reminds me of horror icon thrown into Outer Space, Jason X! Even when Mordru shows up in the famous Earth War story line, the  Legion, like horrified teens from a slasher film are like, "RUN AWAY!!!!!"  Luckily, if you want to scare teen kids and get them off your lawn, we've got this Mordru to do it for us in plastic action figure form!

Legion Cameos: Superman #213

Superman #213 (January 1969)
title: "The Most Dangerous Door in the World!"

writer: Cary Bates

penciller: Curt Swan
inker: Jack Abel

editor: Mort Weisinger

cover: Carmine Infantino & Neal Adams 

guest reviewer: Emsley "Ultra Fan" Wyatt

Guests: 
Supergirl, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, and.....??

Opponents: 
Lex Luthor and his generic henchmen, and....????

Editor's Note: Here is a second installment of what we call "Legion Cameos." These are stories where the Legion or certain Legionnaires play a small but usually significant role in the proceedings. This time out we have Legion of Substitute Blogger Ultra Fan telling us about a certain Superman vs. Lex Luthor story from 1968. Take it away, Emsley...!

First the cover (inks by Neal Adams).  A seemingly dead Superman lies in front of a vault to be opened only “in the event of my death.”  Shut up and take my twelve cents.  I thought that this was a great cover.

But I didn’t care for the title.  Maybe “The Mystery of Superman’s Vault” would have been better.  But unlike Al Capone’s vault, later made famous by Geraldo Rivera and containing only some old bottles, this vault promises a treasure of incalculable value.

Reboot: Legionnaires #51

Legionnaires #51 (August 1997)
title: "Picking Up the Pieces"

writers: Roger Stern and Tom McCraw

penciller: Jeffrey Moy
inker: W.C. Carani
lettering: Gaspar
colorist: Tom McCraw

assistant editor: Frank Berrios
editor: KC Carlson
adult legionnaire: Carmela Merlo

cover: Jeffrey Moy
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Chameleon, Element Lad, Invisible Kid, Kinetix, Live Wire, M'Onel, Magno, Sensor, Star Boy, Umbra, Violet, XS

Guests: 
Andromeda, Chuck Taine, Dragonmage, General Hol, Lamar Zandoz, Lori Morning (using H Dial), Mysa, R.J. Brande, Uncanny Amazers (Kid Quantum II, Monstress), Wimena Wazzo, Workforce (Karate Kid, Particon, Radion, Spider-Girl); a doctor, a newscaster, Science Police, U.P. Marines (Reyep and Rimmer named); in flashback: Atom'X, Blast-Off, Mordru's Anatacian grandson, mystics

Opponents: 
Leland McCauley, Mordru (inside bubble); Emerald Eye of Ekron (in flashback)

Reboot: Legionnaires #50

Legionnaires #50 (July 1997)
title: "The Bride of Mordru"

writers: Roger Stern and Tom McCraw

penciller: Jeffrey Moy
inkers: W.C. Carani and Philip Moy
lettering: Pat Brosseau
colorist: Tom McCraw

assistant editor: Frank Berrios
editor: KC Carlson
adult legionnaires: Joe Edkin and Carmela Merlo

cover: Adam Hughes
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Chameleon, Element Lad, Invisible Kid, Kinetix, Live Wire, M'Onel, Magno, Sensor, Star Boy, Umbra, Violet, XS; in flashback: Apparition, Cosmic Boy, Leviathan, Spark, Triad

Guests: 
Andromeda, Atom'X (in flashback), Dragonmage, Fleet Admiral Everett, General Hol, Mysa, R.J. Brande, Uncanny Amazers (Kid Quantum II, Monstress), Workforce (Blast-Off, Particon, Radion); medical staff, mystics (in flashback), ship crew

Opponents: 
Emerald Eye of Ekron, Mordru; in flashback: Micro Lad

Reboot: Legionnaires #49

Legionnaires #49 (June 1997)
title: "Let the Call Go Forth!"

writers: Roger Stern and Tom McCraw

penciller: Jeffrey Moy
inkers: W.C. Carani
lettering: Pat Brosseau
colorist: Tom McCraw

assistant editor: Frank Berrios
editor: KC Carlson
adult legionnaire: Carmela Merlo

cover: Jeffrey Moy & W.C. Carani
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Chameleon, Element Lad, Invisible Kid, Kinetix, Live Wire, M'Onel, Magno, Sensor, Star Boy, Umbra, XS

Guests: 
Andromeda, Dragonmage, Dreamer (in flashback), Fleet Admiral Everett, General Hol, Heroes of Lallor (Beast Boy, Gas Girl, Splitter), King Charlz of Orando, Lori Morning, Marla Latham, Mysa, Night Girl, Polar Boy, Prefect Lamar, Prince Wyllm of Orando, Proty, R.J. Brande, Uncanny Amazers (Atmos, Atom'X, Insect Queen, Kid Quantum II, Monstress), Workforce (Blast-Off, Evolvo, Karate Kid, Particon, Radion, Spider-Girl); Heroes of Lallor handler, medical staff, mystics (in flashback), the People of Orando, ship crew, Vyrgans

Opponents: 
Emerald Violet, Leland McCauley, Mordru

Reboot: Legionnaires #48

Legionnaires #48 (May 1997)
title: "Dawn of the Dark Lord"

writers: Roger Stern and Tom McCraw

penciller: Jeffrey Moy
inkers: W.C. Carani
lettering: Pat Brosseau
colorist: Tom McCraw

assistant editor: Frank Barrios
editor: KC Carlson
adult legionnaire: Carmela Merlo

cover: Jeffrey Moy & W.C. Carani
reviewers: Siskoid & Shotgun

Mission Monitor Board:  
Chameleon, Element Lad, Invisible Kid, Kinetix, Live Wire, M'Onel, Magno, Sensor, Star Boy, Umbra, XS

Guests: 
Doctor Gym'll, Dragonmage, R.J. Brande, Science Police, Sklarians, the People of Anatac, Outpost Delta personnel

Opponents: 
Emerald Violet, Mordru, Mysa