LSH v4 #13 annotations: "State of the Universe"

Annotations for Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #13

• On sale date: 10/2/90
• It's OK, I'm a Senator: Issue 13 Recollections (March 28, 2009). This is Tom Bierbaum discussing all of the stuff going on behind the scenes that culminated in this issue.
• Legion of Substitute Podcasters episode 567 (August 26, 2019)
• Timeline: December 10th (just a few seconds after last issue) to the 11th, 2994

• It's a cool looking cover, with each section representing one of the plot threads in this issue, but the section at bottom gives a little too much away about who's there (which was supposed to have been a surprise)
• Picks up just a few seconds before the end of last issue (which ends at panel 4)
• Page 2: we meet Ivy and Garridan in the nursery. Garridan was born in November 2985 (revised timeline), so he’s just shy of 9 years old here. Ivy was created by Giffen and she will be seen more going forward. 
• Page 3: Gim must be wearing a transsuit here since he's underwater without any gear.
• Page 4 panel 6: among Kent’s powers are NOT holding his breath forever.
• Page 6 panel 4: That’s a novel strategy for an invasion, hire a PR firm to shape opinion so the public will eventually go along.
• Page 6 panel 6: Roxxas is babbling like a madman – but he *IS* a madman! It’s clear that he’s insane, with the voices in his head coming from imagined Trommites that he killed, so he should be easy to discredit.
• Page 7 panel 1: Darzyl is the Planet Vorm claimed to be from when he joined the Legion under false pretenses as Dynamo Boy (ADV 330). 
• Page 7 panel 3: Mano, without his bubble helmet, was last seen in LSH v3 #25 trying to join Emerald Empress’ new Fatal Five. Note that he has his Mordruverse look here.
• Page 8 panel 2: Gigi Cusimano (named after Paul Levitz’s wife) first appeared in LSH v2 #301 and last appeared during the Magic Wars in LSH v3 #62. She’s now the Chief of the Science Police, having taken over from Chief Kimball Zendak (also last seen in LSH v3 #62, but we don’t know what happened to him that he’s no longer in that position).
• Page 12: probably the next day, Gim has gotten Kent as far as Toonar as promised. Toonar was mentioned in issue 3 as a place the Lightning Ring Plantation could sell some Quatro grain, and in the “Legion Groupie” letters page of issue 9. Toonar is where the Legion traveled after being abandoned in the vastness of infinity by a space-fatigued Sun Boy (ADV 318). 
• Page 13: Laurel wasn’t there for the fight against Roxxas because she was still on Zirr (on 12/3-5, issues 10-12) [I didn’t realize this at the time we covered this issue!]. She says “If only I’d just stayed on Winath in the first place, instead of running back to Zirr every two days”, but the timeline doesn’t allow that – Rokk and Rond got to Winath the day of the attack.
• Page 14 panel 1: Collingwood Inn on the planet Gnogg, which is an inhabited but radioactive world, whose money (Ergloks) is pure radium (ADV 377).
• Page 14 panel 4: Brek is still wearing his Braino headpiece that he put on during the trial six days ago (issue 11).
• Page 14 panel 6: Savignano mentioned (named for Lisa Savignano)
• Page 15 panel 1: Brande’s Planetoid is the home of R. J. Brande, located inside the orbit of Mercury and first seen in ADV 351.
• Page 15 panel 2: Weber’s World is an artificial planet built to help administer the United Planets Federation governmental operations. First appeared during Earthwar (SLSH 241).
• Page 15 panel 9: Furball is back. He wasn’t around for Roxxas’ attack on 12/3, but it sounds like he’s been going off for days at a time since then.
• Page 16 panel 2: Celeste says she’s got a “tendency” to glow green, suggesting it happens from time to time since she was healed on 12/5 (about six days ago).
• Page 16 panel 3: Angtu was Mano’s homeworld, which he blew up (as seen in ADV 352)
• Page 16 panel 5: Tombor is a dead world whose inhabitants transformed themselves into wraiths as their world died. They refused an offer by Phantom Girl to return them to normal, having come to prefer their new state of existence (ADV 340).
• Page 18: haven’t seen Lydda or Loomis since they were en route to Kathoon on October 25 back in issue 2. This scene takes place after Vi and Rokk have their talk, even though panel 5 says “now that we’ve finally nailed Roxxas” which took place six days ago.
• Credits: Dan Raspler is the new editor, their third so far (Waid 1-6, Eury 6-12 plus Ann1, Raspler 13-?)
• State of the Universe memo
• Volume 1 Mentions the following UP worlds having been conquered by the Khunds: Lallor, Sklar (home of the Sklarian Raiders, Kono’s people), Tsauran (home of Ontiir), and Rann
• Volume 3 mentions Leland McCauley III and IV. It’s been 13 years (revised timeline) since we saw the younger McCauley, who would be in his mid-20s by now. No mention of where Brande stands in the richness rankings.
• Volume 4 says that since Earthgov seceded in 2990 “resistance forces have opposed Earthgov since the introduction of repressive measures… but with little success to date.” This is very likely related to the “raid on anti-government terrorists” seen back in issue 1, in which ringleader Vidar (aka Universo) escaped.
• Page 21: Interlude on Baaldur, this is the first time we’ve seen Glorith’s homeworld and the first time we’ve seen her in present time (previously, only in the Mordruverse and in flashback in the Annual). 
• Page 22: in the Pocket Universe, the Time Trapper still lives, his form but not his essence was destroyed by Mon-El. 
• Page 22 panel 8: By altering the time stream, Glorith has become the Time Trapper, suggesting that this is why the Time Trapper is someone else after every reboot or time stream alteration. 
• Page 24: But is he really truly for sure dead this time? Glorith has turned Time Trapper to dust and gotten rid of him in a manner that calls back to how he killed her the first time around, by turning her into protoplasm (ADV 338). There’s a LOT in this week’s IOKIAS about why this section is in here (it has to do with the Superman office).
• Also includes a poster of all the main characters, but they were never all in the same place at the same time.
• Impromptu Fatal Five 3/5 reunion (Persuader, Mano, and Garridan that used to be Validus) in this issue, the first time we’ve seen more than two since they broke up. 
• Tharok was last seen disappearing at the end of the Dark Man story (LSH v2 271)
• Mano last appeared in the LSH v3 26, where he unsuccessfully tried to kill a Legionnaire so he could join Emerald Empress’ new Fatal Five
• Emerald Empress took over Weber’s World and tried to turn it into her own planet-sized weapon (LSH v2 301-303). She rebuilds her own new Fatal Five (LSH v3 21-26), but ultimately dies when Sensor Girl cuts off the Emerald Eye from her (LSH v3 57-58). The Emerald Eye made one further appearance in LSH v3 61 during the Magic Wars.
• Persuader has been a killer for hire (seen in the Lady Memory storyline in Tales 318-319) and a member of Emerald Empress’ new Fatal Five 
• Validus was eventually cured of the effects of Darkseid’s manipulation and turned back to a normal child Garridan Ranzz, but he was the carrier of the Validus Plague which affected people from Titan and Winath.

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Here's what we know of the timeline to date. From here on out, I'm color coding them based on whether the date appeared in the 2995 Sourcebook (yellow), it's a confirmed date that was given in the comic (green), or an estimated date based on keeping track of events and days (blue). Bold text is something new added this issue.

• 2/17/89 – Mekt admitted to Labyrinth Penal Institute (LSH v4 #10)
• 6/23/89 – Magic Wars end (LSH v3 #63 – date as given in the 2995 Sourcebook)
• October 2989 – the Great Collapse
• 4/13/90 – Communique from Earthgov President Wellington, trying to legally disband the Legion, with Imra, Rokk, and Cham “currently out of the picture” (LSH v4 #1) 
• April 2990 – Validus Plague ravages Winath; former Legionnaire Brainiac 5 helps (LSH v4 #3)
• TBD 2990 – Earthgov secedes from the United Planets, and the Science Police Earth splits from the Science Police Proper. (LSH v4 #2). Since then, “resistance forces have opposed Earthgov since the introduction of repressive measures… but with little success to date.” (LSH v4 #13)
• 4/12/91 – Tinya goes missing (LSH v4 #2)
• 5/8/91 – Search for Tinya called off; Sun Boy is leader (LSH v4 #2)
• 5/27/91 – Mekt released from Labyrinth, rehabilitated (LSH v4 #10)
• 6/9/91 – Planned date of wedding of Tinya and Jo (LSH v4 #2)
• TBD 2991 – Garth and Imra, having left the Legion, start the Lightning Ring Plantation (LSH v4 #3)
• 1/21/92 – Rebirth Summit (LSH v4 #1) 
• 7/6/92 – LSH leader Polar Boy disbands the Legion, mentions Black Dawn which “cost” the Legion (LSH v4 #1); Mordru coronated as the Supreme Teacher of Sorceror’s World (LSH v4 #6)
• TBD 2992 – Brek Bannin arrested for insurrection (LSH v4 #11)
• 10/22/94 – Raid on anti-government terrorists, but ringleader Vidar (aka Universo) is not captured; Cham tells Marla he’s leaving (LSH v4 #1) 
• 10/23/94 – Cham begins to recruit members for the new Legion, first approaching Rokk; Vi leaves the Imsk army for Winath; Dominator agents help Roxxas escape from Labyrinth (LSH v4 #1)
• 10/25/94 – Attack on Jo and Kono on Rimbor; Loomis and Lydda en route to Kathoon (LSH v4 #2)
• Fri 11/21/94 – Blok is killed by Roxxas the Butcher [Sourcebook] (LSH v4 #3)
• Thu 11/27/94 – Mordru crushes Rond Vidar’s ring; Rokk and Cham finally meet up with Jo and decide to go to Tharn to rescue Mysa; Dominators and Shvaughn Erin watch the tape of Roxxas and Blok, whose body is delivered to Winath; Mon-El resurrected (LSH v4 #3)
• Fri 11/28/94 – Mon-El goes to Talok VIII, then Shadow Lass and Mon-El visit Brainiac 5, then Mon-El destroys the Time Trapper (LSH v4 #4)
• Sat 11/29/94 – Mordruverse (LSH v4 #5)
• Sat 11/29/94 – Cham, Rokk, Jo, Kono, and Furball arrive on Tharn and are captured by Mordru; after being hired by Earthgov to find Blok’s killer, Celeste, Devlin, and Bounty leave for Trom (LSH v4 #6)
• Sun 11/30/94 – Celeste, Devlin, and Bounty meet Jan on Trom (LSH v4 #6); with the help of Laurel Gand, Rokk’s crew rescues Mysa and Rond from Mordru but are teleported to Grocz; Celeste, Devlin, Bounty, and Jan leave Trom for Winath (LSH v4 #7)
• Mon 12/1/94 – Rokk, Cham, Jo, Kono, Furball, Rond, Laurel, and Mysa travel from Grocz to Zirr (LSH v4 #8)
• Tues 12/2/94 – Rokk, Laurel, and Rond take some R&R time on Zirr with baby Lauren, while the others go to Winath; Marla reminisces (LSH v4 #8); on Cygnus IV, Roxxas watches a holo of Laurel Gand; Celeste, Devlin, Bounty, and Jan arrive on Winath (LSH v4 #9)
• Wed 12/3/94 – Rokk and Rond arrive in the morning, having left Laurel behind on Zirr; everyone (Rokk, Rond; Cham, Jo, Kono, Furball, Mysa; Celeste, Devlin, Bounty, Jan; Brainy, Garth, Ayla, Vi, Imra) is on Winath when Roxxas attacks; Bounty, Mekt, Cham, and Celeste are seriously injured, while Jo disappears and is presumed dead; Earthgov linked to Roxxas; Tenzil arrives on Earth (LSH v4 #10)
• Thu 12/4/94 – On Winath, Roxxas is on the loose, and kills a doctor and nurse in the Bloomfield Free Clinic. On Earth, Tenzil participates in the Batcave dig, meets with Shvaughn and Brek (who is released for the first time since incarceration 2 years prior), has dinner with Prosecutor Jakobi, then falls asleep. (LSH v4 #11)
• Fri 12/5/94 – Tenzil and Brek in court; Holo Scene news article on the trial (LSH v4 #11); Celeste is healed by a green glow; the former Legionnaires team up to capture Roxxas, who reveals Dominion control of Earthgov (LSH v4 #12)
• Wed 12/10/94 – All-points bulletin on Persuader, who meets Kent Shakespeare in on Quarantine trying to attack Char Burrane Jr. (LSH v4 #12) Persuader is defeated by Kent and SP Captain Gim Allon, who then takes Kent to Toonar. (LSH v4 #13)
• Thu 12/11/94 – Kent leaves Toonar for Winath; Laurel fights Khunds in deep space; Tenzil and Brek on Gnogg. (LSH v4 #13)
• April 2995 – Imra & Garth’s twins due (LSH v4 #3)

Unknown dates:

• Black Dawn: something big and bad happened. Polar Boy says “you know what that cost us”. Sun Boy was a previous leader. By the time it happened, Chameleon Boy had left the Legion and “watched everything fall to pieces” (LSH v4 #1). Timber Wolf was irradiated during Black Dawn, eventually turning him into Furball. Char Burrane (Starfinger II) was somehow involved. (LSH v4 #12)
• Rokk and Loomis are injured at Venado Bay on the Braal side, and Rokk lost his powers. Salu was somehow involved on the Imsk side. Imsk won, as the army is occupying Braal. (LSH v4 #1) She says that Braal attacked Imsk, and they were just defending themselves. She was head of security on the damper project and knew what it would do, but fought against it (not hard enough, in her admission). (LSH v4 #10)
• Kent Shakespeare and Gim Allon are both ex-Legionnaires, but it’s unknown when they left. (LSH v4 #12)