LSH v4 #52 annotations: Wolf Tales

Annotations for LSH v4 #52:

• On sale 11/02/93
• Legion of Substitute Podcasters episode 676 (Sept 27, 2021)
• Timeline: Sept 16, 2995

Notes:

• Page 2: Timber Wolf is in his feral-looking state, so this probably takes place either between SBOY 197 (when TW got his new look) and 216 (after which KK went back in time) or SLSH 246 (KK’s return from the 20th century at the tail end of Earthwar) and 283 (issue before TW had surgery to restore his face). Light Lass has red hair here, I know she was a blonde for a time so that would help narrow it down.
• Page 3 panel 3: Do artists really notice that they’re drawing Karate Kid’s collar too high or him to have any peripheral vision at all?
• Pages 5-6: this is an adaptation of Lone Wolf’s intro story in ADV 327 (Hamilton/Forte, Dec 1964)
• Pages 9-10: adaptation of LSH v2 289
• Page 11 panel 4: is that Amethyst speaking to Mysa?
• Page 15 panel 3: Dr Regulus has gotten the pouches, armor, and shoulderpads upgrade too
• Pages 15-18: this is the post-Bierbaum version of Black Dawn - FINALLY!!!
• Page 19: adaptation of LSH v2 #295
• Page 20: back to ADV 327 again
• Page 22 panel 3: 
• Elia – Dominator homeworld – so now we FINALLY learn who attacked the Dominators at the end of the war, forcing them to retreat from Earth. We saw this in #32 but we never learned who invaded Elia.
• Grykk – World on which Colossal Boy battled a giant who terrorized a city of normal-sized beings (ADV 301).
• Zerox – aka Sorceror’s World, currently destroyed
• Page 24: “special thanks to Jerry Steinhelper” – I ran across Jerry’s name in one of the Legion FB groups and asked him about this. He replied:
• For the Charlotte Con, I brought my entire Legion collection with me (only missing Adv #307 and the 1975 calendar).  Waid, Carlson, etc. went through them  in the hotel room while we graded the trivia quiz.
  
  Months go by and then Tom, knowing I had very easy access to every book, called me up and told me what he was planning for the issue and asked me to write a quick summary of Timber Wolf from Adv #327 to the then present. 
  
  I reread every panel there was of T-Wolf and instead of giving him the expected paragraph or two, I sent him a fully detailed biography on the life and times of Brinn Londo.  If memory serves it might have been 10 pages long. 
  
  Tom never once even hinted at my name going in the credit box.  That was a complete surprise to me that Wednesday when it came out.
  
  Thanks again Tom McCraw .

OK, now we have to discuss Black Dawn a bit. 

In IOKIAS, Tom Bierbaum says “Black Dawn:  In a nutshell, Dr. Regulus went insane and was going to cause the sun to go off in a nova-like explosion.  Wildfire saves the day and sacrifices himself.  We don't want to give many more details because it was a heck of a story that maybe someday, somehow will get told.  See the 2995 Mayfair Sourcebook for a few more details.” What we knew coming into this issue from #12 and #28 was that during Black Dawn, Timber Wolf is seriously injured, Wildfire is lost, and Starfinger II (Char Burrane) and the Khunds are somehow involved, although in this issue's retelling, the Khunds are nowhere in sight (and Regulus has been 90s-ified with armor, shoulderpads, and pouches).

So let's go to the Sourcebook (and don't pay attention to the fact that the details of this tremendously important event weren't told in the comics themselves, only in an ancillary book that was developed for a game - but I digress). 

EXCERPT: Legion Incident Report: Black Dawn. 

Filed By: Unofficial Deputy Leader Brek Bannin, Aug. 13, 2991

LEGIONNAIRE ENGAGED: Timber Wolf.

INCIDENT: Failing to quickly obey Sun Boy's warnings to get back to shelter, Timber Wolf was caught partly exposed when the radiation swept past, apparently giving him severe radiation exposure. Decontamination procedures were started right away aboard the cruiser. and we took him as quickly as we could to Medicus One. We got there about 11:40 a.m., about 20 minutes after Timber Wolf was hurt. It looked like he suffered very bad radiation burns and maybe some mutation. We don't know his chances of making it yet. We also don't know of any next of kin. We've told all the ex-Legionnaires about Brin's condition and Marella Tao. Earthgov won't let us get the get-well messages people are sending, though we think there are hundreds of thousands of them.

EXCERPT: "Black Dawn Overview," Interstellar Press, page 1, Aug. 12, 2991.

… The exact fate of Legionnaire Drake Burroughs, Wildfire, remains clouded in the wake of the Black Dawn tragedy. In a prepared statement, Legion spokesman Brek Bannin referred to Burroughs as having paid "the ultimate price" to save the system but added that his death has not been confirmed nor has been his exact status …

---

Cutting down the timeline to just the last few entries since it was getting so long. I'm color coding them based on whether the date appeared in the 2995 Sourcebook (yellow; text in yellow is as written in the Sourcebook), it's a confirmed date that was given in the comic (green), or an estimated date based on keeping track of events and days (cyan). Bold text is something new added this issue. Italics are unknown dates.

• Wed 7/29/95: Jacques and Drura join the team; Mysa is possessed, and goes to Tharn to confront Mordru (LSH v4 #43), but she is defeated and is absorbed into Mordru. Using this power, he raises armies of the dead in a number of worlds in both UP and Khund space. The Legion agrees to help the Khunds, but they insist that the Legion take on four new Khundish members (LSH v4 #44).
• Sun 8/2/95: The Legion fights Mordru’s zombies on Sklar, Talus, Trom, and in space (LSH v4 #45). On Talus, the Legionnaires fight their own dead, and new Khund Legionnaire Bloodclaw is killed before the team halts Mordru’s magics on the planet. Jan fights the dead Trommites on Pasnic (LSH v4 #46). The Legionnaires bring the fight to Mordru on Tharn, losing the Khund Firefist in the process (LSH v4 #47). The dead on Talus are defeated, but during the fight Timber Wolf returns to the 30th century with Jamm (LSH v4 Ann #4). With the help of Devlin O’Ryan and the spirit of Amethyst, Mordru and Mysa are separated and Mordru is defeated (LSH v4 #48). 
• Mon 8/3/95: Jamm takes the Legionnaires on a prodigious trip before being returned to his own time (LSH v4 Ann #4).
• Tues 8/4/95: The Legion leaves Tharn for Khundish space, where Flederweb and Veilmist are forced to rejoin the Khundish forces. Jan recovers on Pasnic, while Amethyst and Mysa ponder the future (LSH v4 #48).
• Wed 8/5/95: Tenzil travels to Tartarus and with the help of Polar Boy and friends, they rescue Eve and defeat Evillo (LSH v4 #49). 
• Thu 8/6/95: Tenzil and Eve depart Tartarus for Titan (LSH v4 #49); the Legion rebury their dead on Shanghalla, and Wildfire is resurrected there (LSH v4 #50).
• Fri 8/7/95: the SW6 Legionnaires spend the weekend at the Atlantis Dome on New Earth (Legionnaires #7); Tenzil and Eve arrive on Titan; the rest of the group arrives on Talus from Shanghalla (LSH v4 #50).
• Sat 8/8/95: the SW6 Legionnaires encounter the race of Devil-Fish in the Atlantis Dome (Legionnaires #7); Tenzil and Eve get married; Jan almost dies; Kono leaves; Sean arrives on Talus (LSH v4 #50).
• Sun 8/9/95: the SW6 Legionnaires leave the Atlantis dome on New Earth (Legionnaires #7); Tenzil sends out holos of his wedding from the day before (LSH v4 #50).
• Mon 8/10/95: Several Legionnaires leave New Earth for Colu (Legionnaires #8).
• Tues 8/11/95: Brainiac 5 thinks of leaving the Legion and remaining on Colu (Legionnaires #8).
• Wed 8/12/95: Brainiac 5 returns to New Earth with the rest of his team (Legionnaires #8).
• Wed 9/13/95 (estimated): “Several weeks later” after Tenzil’s wedding, Dawnstar returns to Starhaven; three BIONs attack the Legion on Talus; Universo convinces Relnic and King Jonn that the Legion is helping the Khunds attack UP space (LSH v4 #50). 
• Thu 9/14/95: Cocheta Drisden fails to escape from Takron Galtos, and is moved to Quarantine; Grimbor attacks the team and Ivy’s Li’l Legion on Quarantine trying to grab her (LSH v4 #51).
• Sat 9/16/95: Kent and Celeste arrive on Talus from Quarantine, as Ayla and Brin reminisce and Vi monitors the Khund situation; Mysa tells the crew that since they just defeated Mordru, they have to take on Glorith to keep the balance (LSH v4 #52).
• Mon 9/19/95: 
• ME-Lad, Violet, Dragonmage, Catspaw shot down over Antares II by Khunds (Legionnaires #9). 
• Invisible Kid and Colossal Boy find a freighter that’s been attacked by Sklarians (Legionnaires #9). 
• Legion tryouts at Metropolis (Legionnaires #9). 
• Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Livewire go to Acapulco to quell food riots, and Cosmic Boy is injured by Livewire (Legionnaires #9).