S/LSH #28 review roundup

With just three issues left until the end of the story arc (and the end of the Waid/Kitson run), things are cranking into high gear. I wish we could find out how compressed the story is compared to what it would have been had Waid not decided to leave at issue 30 when Kitson does.

Was it my imagination or was this the issue where we were supposed to find out what the Dominators' connection to "52" was?

Let's get to the reader roundup:

• Tim Callahan at geniusfireboymelon:
  

  This issue provides a good build-up for the final showdown with the Dominators, and as I pointed out over at the Legion World board, there's more than a little political allegory happening here with the invasion force. So we'll see if things go as smoothly as planned for the Legion. The only thing keeping this from getting a solid A is the clear transparency of the "trap" laid for the Dominators. But, it's a great issue otherwise.

  
  
• Matthew at the Legion Abstract:
  

  Of course they're Boneheads! They can't let go of something that happened a millennium ago (whatever it was), they're worried about something that'll probably never happen, and they've just poked the Earth with a sharp stick, which, they ought to know, hasn't worked out well for anybody in the entire history of superhero comics. Those uncomfortable-looking egg-cities are gonna get knocked over big time over the course of the next issue, and they brought it on themselves.

  
  
• Dave van Domelen's Unspoilt Capsules and Awards:
  

  A touch on the deus ex machina side at times, mainly in terms of people shrugging off injuries and infirmities off-screen. It's nice that things are turning around, but after the way things have been dragging lately, the sudden change of pace is a tad abrupt. Mildly recommnded.

  
  
• Ludickid at the seebelow LJ community:
  

  It's getting towards the end of this series, with Waid leaving ... and Kitson bailing for Marvel. There's been plenty of times I thought I would welcome its demise, but then the inconsistent but talented Waid hits me with a swell issue like this, with some good character stuff (and a nice throwback to an old Shrinking Violet storyline) and a wow of a finish, with the Legion setting up to turn the tables on the Dominators. The Verdict: I wish this book was this good all the time.

  
  
• Graeme McMillan at the Savage Critic(s):
  

  Oddly enough, the most Buffy-esque book of the week for me might actually have SUPERGIRL AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #28. The first year of this book, and the last four or five months or so, have had a wonderfully episodic-television sense of pacing where each issue is complete in and of itself while still advancing the overall plot, with a blurb at the opening of each issue setting the scene for that continuing story as much as would be needed by any new readers. With the creative team heading towards the end of their run on the book, it's nice to see the clarity of focus that Mark Waid brought to his early issues come back, as well as the feeling that the book is about more than just superheroes in space - Both the first year arc, and this second major arc (although it went through a prolonged birth, thanks to fill-ins and what seemed to be Waid being exhausted by 52) have had an epic feel to them that's missing in most superhero books these days. Very Good again, thankfully.

  
  

More to come...

Trivia Quiz #10

Here we go, another round of trivia for April. As always, no wagering.


1. Why did the Legion move from its original HQ (that looked like an upside-down rocketship) to the next one (the big one with the "L")? What happened to the original, and what happened to the replacement?

2. Which Legion villains were related to each other?

3. Which members that joined the Legion during the Five Year Gap had never appeared before in regular continuity up to that point?

4. Pete Ross and Jimmy Olsen were Honorary Legionnaires, while Lana Lang was a member of of the Legion Reserve. What's the difference between the two, and why were each put in their respective categories?

5. Why did the Legion reject Young Darkseid for membership?

6. Who was the Green Lantern of sector 2814 following Vidar (later known as Universo)?

7. When the Legion was notified that they'd face "financial ruin" over tax penalties if they had more than 25 members (despite R. J. Brande's immense wealth, apparently), Superboy resigned from the Legion. Why did he resign rather than Supergirl, who rarely showed up for meetings?


I predict (using Naltorian super-precognition) that questions 6 and 7 will be the last two to get properly answered.

If you were waiting for Jim Shooter....

You can let your breath out. Supposedly, Jim Shooter was in line to work on "a" Legion book starting this summer, as Rich Johnston reported last fall in his "Lying in the Gutters". Back then, it got an "amber", which means "there's likely an interest involved or the likelihood isn't set". In hindsight, if he was going to be working on a book this summer, that would suggest that he was planned to be the next writer after Tony Bedard's 6-issue arc (following Mark Waid).

Well, in today's LitG, Rich says that whatever it was that Shooter was possibly planning to do, isn't going to happen.

With Mark Waid leaving "Legion," many thought this would be the moment Jim Shooter would take over the book.

That was certainly the belief at DC. Many of the people who had a problem with Jim Shooter elaborated upon here [in a 2004 interview], have left the corporation, or have found their influence reduced, and the appointment had Levitz and DiDio's direct blessing.

However, in a twist of fate, I understand Shooter has left the Legion project on his own. Before anyone even had the chance to announce it.

No fear, Shooter's got his own project to work on based around selling the Kaballah to children, called "Seven." Not "Ten." I don't know why.

Rich is the only one who had alleged information on this, so there's no public corroboration one way or the other that this was going to happen. He has been wrong before, but he's been right a lot too.

There's been some grumbling and mumbling about how great it would be to have Shooter back writing the Legion. They remember his Adventure stuff in the 60s and his Superboy stuff in the 70s. But that was 30 years ago. In the meantime he worked fairly successfully at Marvel until the late 80s, then essentially co-founded Valiant and helped build that company up in the early 90s (he was gone long before Valiant went out of business). It's been 15 years since he wrote comics, I have no idea what he'd be like today.

I poked around a little bit on the Valiant web site looking for info on Shooter's time there, and found a reminder that Tony Bedard worked there too at its height. I also found this 1998 interview with Shooter, in which he proposed a Legion book ten years ago but got shot down. You may have heard of this before, and it's something that Rich alludes to above, dealing with the end of Shooter's reign as Marvel Editor in Chief in the late 80s (which included, among other things, Shooter's role in the Marvel vs. Jack Kirby controversy).

I called Paul Levitz (DC VP) about 2 weeks ago and I said "you know Paul, I've been thinking about this for a long time- I think I’ve got one more Legion story left in me, so here's what I propose: I’ll do it sort of like the Watchmen – a long story that you can collect it into a book... 'Jim Shooter's last Legion story', set in the time period back when I used to write the Legion... I think I could do something good, I think it would be fun, so what do you think?", He said "I want to read it", so I said what's the next step? He said, more or less, “It's a done deal. I'll call you Friday when I get back to the office (he was in San Francisco) to finalize it". He said, “Think about what reference (old Legion books, etc...) you need, because I know you don't have files of your old stuff.”. We both talked about how great it would have been if Curt Swan, who’d drawn some of my old stuff, were still alive to do it. Anyway, we agreed that we were going to do this, and that we’d work out the details on Friday. I said okay... but I want you to know Paul, there are some people you have working on your staff who don't like me, and they might not be happy with this. He said oh, there's a couple who will sulk in a corner for a while over it, but don’t worry- I'll take care of it.

He didn't call me Friday, he called me the next Tuesday. He said "well, the scars are deeper than I thought. There was so much hatred and resistance and upset... I gotta keep peace in my house, I can't go through with this." I said "You know- like I said- I’ve thought about writing this story for years, and the reason I never called you before is because I knew this would happen. I don't even know why I called you now". This is what I'm up against; I can't get work. Am I such a bad writer that no one can use me?

That's all right, though. I've gotten work in other places...

Here's what he says in his 2004 interview that Rich mentioned:

TH: What about the "last Legion story" you were rumoured to do?

JS: I proposed writing one last Legion of Super-Heroes story, a ten or twelve parter that would make nice trade book, to Paul Levitz. Paul agreed to do it. Then we talked a few days later and he told me that there were people at DC who hated me, and were up in arms at the thought of my doing any work there. Paul said it would be "more grief than either of us needed," and that was the end of that.

LSH Season 2 episode list!

Through a friend of a friend of a friend, I was able to talk via email with Avril van de Dwaas, a PR type person at Warner Bros. Animation, who set me up with the full slate of Season 2 episodes. Here's the whole episode list for season 2:

1. Darkseid Down, Light Side Up
   Many and varied are the members of the Legion, the 31st Century's greatest champions of justice. But when they reject the latest super-teen to apply for membership, will their hasty decision doom the galaxy or produce hilarious results? Guest starring the Legion of Substitute Heroes!
   
   
2. The Bizarro Legion
   While investigating the ruins of Superman's hidden Fortress of Solitude, Brainiac 5 unearths some ancient technology which turns the whole Legion into Bizarros, who do the opposite of all earthly things. What bad timing: the Earth is being invaded by Imperiex and the Khunds!
   
   
3. OMG! Ponies!
   Imperiex arrives! In the midst of an invasion, the Legion finds some unlikely allies for help: a dog, a cat, a horse, and a monkey?
   
   
4. Black Dawn
   The Legion is in crisis! Legionnaires are missing as Earthgov falls apart in the wake of the Khund invasion! Everyone quits, people die, and nobody knows what's going on!
   
   
5. Challenge of the Super-Heroes
   When the evil wizard Mordru comes calling with his army to take over the galaxy, the Legion has to travel back in time to Superman's Smallville to evade him. While Mordru learns to ride a jet-ski, who will come back to the future with them?
   
   
6. D-List Heroes
   Bouncing Boy and Matter-Eater Lad join the Substitutes to take on the combined forces of the Light Speed Vanguard and the Fatal Five! Who are Tusker, Eyeful Ethel and The Mess?
   
   
7. Is There a Doctor in the House?
   He says he likes Ike. He says he's known them in past lives. Three Legionnaires go missing and an odd-looking Doctor is the suspect!
   
   
8. Computo the Conqueror
   Another one of Brainiac 5's inventions goes berserk! The Legion is trapped in their clubhouse as it puts them in lockdown and neutralizes them. Can a little girl save them, or will it be too late for one Legionnaire?
   
   
9. Eat It, Grandpa!
   EarthGov passes a new law that requires anyone on Earth with super-powers to register with the government. The Legion is thrown into a Civil War! Who are you with?
   
   
10. Lost
    Star Boy is missing - has he been blown to Kingdom Come? Who is this new, mysterious Starman and what connection does he have to the absent Legionnaire? And Dream Girl has a startling premonition - who is invading her dreams? Is this all connected?
    
    
11. The Battle for Freedonia (part 1 of 3)
    Who is Lirpa Sloof, friend or foe? She brings news of the Legion's newest crisis from her homeworld of Freedonia. Its invaders are surely known to the Legion, but is she working for them or against them?
    
    
12. Zero Hour (part 2 of 3)
    The Freedonians threaten to reboot the universe, which will wipe out the Legion. It's a no-holds-barred fight to the finish. At Zero Hour, everything changes! Is the Legion gone forever? Waid and see!
    
    
13. The Hat Trick (part 3 of 3)
    Season finale! The Legions of the multiverse join together to fight a time-travelling foe. Some Legionnaires will live, some will die. Who are the Omega Men? And at what point did you realize this whole thing is an April Fool's joke?
    

Dr. Mayavale update

You know, a part of me - a very small part - wanted to see J. M. DeMatteis adapt his story from Legion (v2) #268 for the animated series. I wanted to see if anything could be salvaged, given nearly 30 years of experience as a writer. Over at the Ditko Comics Blog, discussed here earlier, JMD himself chimed in to add some comments about none other than Dr. Mayavale.

Don't worry, guys—I wouldn't think of adapting this story for the Legion cartoon.

Oh, how the errors of our youth follow us down through the decades!

When asked how closely Ditko followed the original script:

As for changes in the script...well, considering this story was written in (I think) l979, I have no recollection whatsoever!

I hope to have more from DeMatteis soon.

(I'm really glad it's Dr. Destiny over in JSA and not Dr. Mayavale.)

Revisiting Starman

Apparently all I had to do was wait and someone would do my job for me. In this case, it's re-evaluate the Starman situation now that JSA #4 is out, which is what E2Brutus at the Comic Bloc forum did a few days ago.

Back in January I explained all of the different Starmen who are related to the Legion, and expounded on what the JSA's Starman was saying in issue 2.

It's now clear that he was referring to Dawnstar (from issue 1) and Dr. Destiny and Dream Girl (from issue 4), plus a gratuitous plug for the upcoming Great Disaster storyline in Countdown.

So on the last page of issue 4 is Dream Girl (the pre-Glorithverse version, apparently) with Dr. Destiny, who feeds on dreams, plus either real or imagined versions of Cosmic King, Lightning Lord, Tyr, and Darkseid. We have seen a lot of Cosmic King and Lightning Lord in the comics lately, haven't we?

Notice, interestingly, that Dawnstar calls him Starman while Dream Girl calls him Star Boy.

E2Brutus re-parses the rest of what he says, and reminds me of the bit about a Star on Thanagar (maybe a Dawn Star?). Perhaps Power Girl's "journey" will begin either in the Lightning Storm arc or Countdown.

Here's the review of Rokk at the Comic Book Revolution for JSA #4, along with a ComicBloc forum discussion.

A Critical Perspective

Here's an interesting idea that I hadn't seen before...

I'm working on this new book, scheduled for release next year, which would provide a scholarly approach to the never-quite-taken seriously, even at the height of its popularity (yet 49-years-old and counting) Legion of Super-Heroes saga.

I'll be writing bits of it, but I'm also drafting writers from every walk of life to contribute something smart to the book.

But what I'd like to know is (a) is anyone here familiar with the Legion (I haven't seen much mention of it on any thread) and (b) what would be some cool/interesting/unique/philosophical/fancy approaches to scholarship that you'd like to see?

Tim Callahan asks over at the Barbelith message board, "what else must we include in such a book? What would you want to read? What would you (dare I ask?) want to write?"

I know some people who have already written essays that would probably be a good fit. (I know there are more but I can't remember where I put the links.)

Update: On the LegionWorld thread mentioned in the comments below, Tim gives his email address as TCallah_at_hotmail.com.

Update 2: Tim has much more over at his own site, geniusboyfiremelon.

Emerald City Comic Con '07 this weekend

Among the guests at this year's Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle will be Mark Waid, Mike Grell, and Kurt Busiek. Saturday afternoon has the latest DC panel:

12:00pm - 1:00pm What's New In The DCU?
The DC Universe continues to build excitement every week with 52 - and it's going to explode when WORLD WAR III hits in April! Join DC Editor Joan Hilty with special guests Matthew Clark (Outsiders), Mark Waid (52, Brave and the Bold), Kurt Busiek (Superman, Aquaman, Astro City), Greg Rucka (52, Checkmate) and more to discuss what's new in the DCU!

Anyone planning to be there?

LSH HeroClix Starter Set - now with Spider Lad and Wolverine Boy!

HCRealms points out that the Legion HeroClix Starter Set coming in a couple months might be misidentified slightly in this Wizard Universe advance order:

Playable out of the box, the DC HeroClix: Legion of Super Heroes Starter Game contains seven exclusive new sculpts with character cards...

...Includes the Hulk, Spider-Man, Magneto, Captain America, Wolverine, Hobgoblin, Elektra, Sabretooth, and more of your favorites.

These figures, from the ad, must be Elektra Girl and Hulk Lad.

MidSouthCon '07: Perez to draw the Legion

Well damn, I had the info bookmarked and forgot to get it out this weekend. Mark Waid was one of the guests at the MidSouthCon in Memphis this past weekend. The one interesting bit of news is that George Perez might finally have a chance to draw the Legion. But which one?

Vaklam at the Noetic Concordance met up with Waid at the con, and among the things he reported was:

He also discussed the future of The Brave and the Bold which looks like it's going to keep having the stuff I want to read. Issue 5 has the Legion of Super-Heroes in it!

According to the latest solicitations, issue 4 has Lobo and Supergirl (and remember, issue 3 is Batman and Blue Beetle vs. some version of the Fatal Five!). Issue 5 hasn't been solicited yet, so we don't know if this is a cameo or a full-up team-up. It will be published the same month as LSH 32. But with the return (in some way) of the Multiverse in 52 in the next couple months, which Legion will be teaming up with someone?

Animated Stuff

Now that we've got 11 of the 13 episodes shown, I'm belatedly seeing a pattern in the directing. The three directors (Ben Jones, Lauren Montgomery, and Tim Maltby) simply rotate every three episodes, going by production number. So Ben did episodes 1, 4, 7, and 10 ("Man of Tomorrow", "Fear Factory", "Child's Play", and "The Substitutes"), Lauren did episodes 2, 5, 8, and 11 ("Timber Wolf", "Champions", "Lightning Storm", and "Chain of Command"), while Tim did episodes 3, 6, and 9 ("Legacy", "Phantoms", and "Brain Drain"). Thus, Tim and Ben should do the last two of the season, assuming this pattern holds up. It must have been because they were aired out of order that prevented me from seeing this.

Anyway, here are a number of items that might warrant some attention, related to the TV show:

• Among the Emmy nominees was Mark Keefer, who you may recall me bringing up here from last summer. He was one of the nominees for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Live Action and Animation. On his own site, he reacts to his nomination.
  
  
• Wil "Cosmic Boy" Wheaton was in the studio recording again on Friday and conjured up the spirit of Admiral Ackbar. Later, he recapped the session (as much as he could) with kudos to the rest of the guest cast and wishing he could reveal the episode title (which itself is a spoiler). This is at least his second episode.
  
  
• DCAUYojimbo reviews the series to date, episodes 1-11.
  
  
• Furdell thinks he/she may have underestimated the show, based on seeing the most recent episode "Chain of Command". On the other hand, Andy at the Beetle's Nest thinks that based on that episode, Lightning Lad was being a dick. Quote of the day: "I think this really would be a better show if it were called Brainiac 5 and the Legion of Idiots He Courageously Deals With".
  
  
• I went to Cartoon Palace, who produces the torrents for download, to ask why we never saw the hi-def version of the torrent for "Substitutes". One of the guys there said "oops, we had it here all the time and forgot to put it out for everyone." So now it's available, and you can complete your collection.
  
  
• It's been several days and still nobody has the torrents of the season finale online yet, from the UK airing. Come on, internet, what's your problem?
  

Tony Bedard's comments on CBR

Thanks to Matthew for the tip.

Tony Bedard, upcoming Legion writer (for at least six issues) after Mark Waid leaves, has his own message board on CBR. Here's what he has said in the last couple of days about what we might see:

I agree with the view that all the Legion incarnationss have their own merits. While "my" Legion probably remains the Levitz/Giffen version, and my faves include Mon-El, Timber Wolf (with the big sideburns and wolf logo) and Wildfire, I also have a thing for the original Silver Age version. I like the old costumes, and I like that the current incarnation harkens back to those costumes in many ways. I also like the Cosmic Boy/Saturn Girl/Lightning Lad triad at the heart of the group. And I like the Superboy inspiration.

Comics, especially ones as venerable as the Legion, undergo chamges and revamps all the time, but I think we can embrace all the best aspects of these various versions.

Anyhow, we'll see if I can't hit on a few of those old aspects in my run.

In another post, he says:

I'd also love to work on a L.E.G.I.O.N. series. That was one of my favorite books, and I think Vril Dox is among the very best characters in all the DC pantheon.

As for what I'll do in my LSH run, I want to pay off on the long-running election for Legion Leader, on Supergirl's future with the Legion, on how the Wanderers anbd Sun Boy's Terror Firma crew will coexist with the Legion...and yet all of this will be addressed through smaller sub-arcs forcusing on three or four Legionnaires at a time.

And some butts will be kicked, too.

Previously: interview with Newsarama earlier this month.

Last summer, when it was announced that he'd be co-writing a few issues with Mark Waid (busy with 52), he had some comments on what he wanted to accomplish and how much of a fan he was. Here are reviews from issues 20, 22, and 23.

The Great Disaster

No, I'm not talking about the Giffen/Bierbaum era, or any of the reboots. This is about the Great Disaster that we heard about in the DC books of the 1970s, and something that appears to be popping up in the upcoming Countdown (see below). So I dug into my archives and pulled out something I wrote for the LSH-L mailing list in Dec. 1996. It's about how the Legion is involved with the Great Disaster, or at least how they were pre-Crisis.

---

A number of DCU characters are tied in with the Great Disaster: the Atomic Knights, Hercules, OMAC, Kamandi, the New Gods, the Olympian Gods, perhaps Hex, and (indirectly) the LSH, Green Lantern Corps, Tommy Tomorrow, and a couple of Sandmen.




The Atomic War that was part of the Great Disaster took place in October 1986 (see "Hercules Unbound" or the Atomic Knights series in "Strange Adventures"). The Atomic Knights appeared with Hercules ("Hercules Unbound" 10), who was freed during the early days of the war. In that issue, Hercules and the Knights find the water stolen by Skuba in "OMAC" 7-8. But OMAC's world was in the technological near-future ruled by corporations, and Hercules and the Knights are post-war; the Hercules issue takes place right after the OMAC issues. Finally, the Atomic Knights and Hercules were retconned out of existence in 1983 in "DC Comics Presents" 57, where it's revealed that the whole future of the Knights was just a dream of Gardner Grayle. So that would imply that OMAC and Kamandi would be gone too, but both appeared with Superman later (OMAC in DCCP 61 and Kamandi in DCCP 64). Who knows. It was all erased in the Crisis, anyway...

...which took place in 1985-86. Hmmmm...

Post-Crisis, OMAC's grandson Kamandi gets found by Capt. Horatio Tomorrow, and Kamandi gets renamed Tommy, rather than going out into the world that's filled with mutated sentient animals.

Anyway, Hex appeared to take place in the same post-atomic war future that the Atomic Knights did, but I don't recall if there was any direct or indirect connection. And of course, the Legion met Hex in issue 10 while trying to get back home from the 20th century.

The Great Disaster, by the way, was started when Darkseid fought Zeus for the Anti-Life Equation. The presence of Ares causes World War III.



Then there was "Superman" 295 (Jan. 1976). Story entitled "Costume, Costume, Who's Got the Costume?" by Maggin/Swan/Oksner.

Basically, a guy dressed as Father Time steals Superman's costume and vanishes. Superman goes to the Fortress (in a non-indestructible costume) and uses the Time-Screen to find it (by focusing on the JLA signal)... 1000 years in the future, in the ruins of Metropolis.

So he breaks the time barrier and "through the worst of all possible worlds he tumbles... an age undreamed of in the wake of worldwide calamity [picture of humanoid animals]... a time a century hence when humankind is nearly left extinct and mutated intelligent animals fight each other for domination of the ruined planet.. till a race of super-developed men and women arises nine centuries later to overthrow their animal overlords... It is here, in the ruins of "ancient" Metropolis, that Superman touches ground..."

So he gets to 2975, but it's not the Legion's time. Jaxon is wearing Superman's costume, on the steps of the ruins of the Galaxy Building. They fight, and Superman remarks that "You're no ordinary Earthman! Your ancestors must have come from another planet like I did!" Jaxon replies "The Words of Knowledge fall from your mouth as if you were a priest.. but only a mad priest would fight the wearer of the Mighty One's clothes!"

Jaxon claimed to have liberated the costume from the man-gorillas, last seen holding it in "Kamandi" #29. In that story, the Mighty One was said to have perished during the Great Disaster, leaving only his costume. During the fight, 20th Century Metropolis keeps materializing, and when Superman says "Moons of Krypton!", Jaxon drops to his knees, since only the Mighty One knows that name (apart from the priests). Suddenly the costume appears on Superman, the future people disappear, and Father Time shows up.

Only it's really Xenofobe, the Green Lantern of sector 2814 in the 30th century. "The idea was to set right the course of Earth's future... which was upset during a battle the Green Lantern Corps of the future had -- er -- will have -- with a nasty character known as the Time Trapper! The Trapper arranged things so that the energy from our power rings entered the time-dimension, wiping out all earth's possible futures but one -- a future in which a natural disaster ended mankind's reign on earth.. so that the Trapper's foes -- the Legion of Super-Heroes -- never existed! To set things right, I arranged a battle between you and the mightiest of future beings, Jaxon, causing you both to generate power that countered the ring energy, thereby restoring all possible futures! Thus the Legion exists in one possible future, Jaxon in another..."

Or something like that.

In the unpublished Kamandi #61 (which finally appeared in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade), it was explicitly stated that the Legion is in an alternate future of Kamandi. Additionally, Kamandi is an alternate reality's version of Jed Walker, one of Kirby's Sandman's supporting cast (and brother of Rose Walker, of Gaiman's Sandman's supporting cast). I'm not quite sure how that works out, since Kamandi is 100 years in the future, but who am I to say...

---

Since that was written, a lot of DC history has come and gone (and come back again). But what's relevant recently is the Atomic Knights, the Battle for Bludhaven in the aftermath of Infinite Crisis, and the Command-D bunker buried somewhere below the city.

Diamondrock over at Title Undetermined thought of pretty much the same history connections there as I did ten years ago. Check out his thoughts too.

Steve Ditko's Legion

There are those that think that Steve Ditko is one of the great comic artists ever. They point to things like Marvel's Silver Age Spider-Man and Dr. Strange, and Charlton's 1970's The Question, among others. But I came of comic-reading age in the 1970's, long after Sturdy Steve had stopped working on those books. I was into more realistic artists like Curt Swan (Superman), Dick Dillin (JLA), Irv Novick (Flash), Jim Aparo (Batman), etc., and by the early 80s we had George Perez (Teen Titans), Mike Grell (Warlord), Mike Golden (Micronauts), Bill Sienkiewicz (Moon Knight), and many more. Ditko's work, when it showed up as a fill-in somewhere, was just too "off" for me to like. And while I can appreciate his contributions to the field, I tend to dislike (even today) a story with his artwork. It's just an acquired taste that I never acquired.

Why bring this up now? And why here?

Well, the Steve Ditko Comics Weblog is in the midst of reviewing his work on the Legion book from their perspective, so I figured I'd chime in from mine.

You would have thought that the early 1980s would have been a new golden age for the Legion. With issue #259 in January 1980, they finally forced Superboy out of the book that started out as his in 1949, and they had a book of their own for the first time. And what happened? With Jack C. Harris as editor and Gerry Conway as writer (assisted by J. M. DeMatteis), from 1980-81 we got the Space Circus of Death, the menace of Arma Getten Dagon the Avenger and the brief return of Tyroc, a space genie, Dr. Mayavale, one of the worst Mordru stories, and space pirates. True, there were some decent stories (the Dark Man and the Reflecto saga) but more often than not, they weren't. One thing that that in my mind didn't help was the rotating artwork. You'd get a couple Jimmy Janes issues and then you'd be blindsided by a Steve Ditko job. And the inkers didn't help ether: Frank Chiaramonte on Curt Swan = good, over Steve Ditko = bad, for example.

Bob at the Ditko blog says that one reason why Ditko got these fill-in jobs (seven issues in all) was because the Legion editor at the time, Jack C. Harris, was a frequent Ditko collaborator. And despite their admiration toward's Ditko's work, even the Ditko blog admits that "unfortunately for the most part Ditko's brief tenure as fill-in artist didn't intersect with the well-written eras." People often look at Gerry Conway as the sole blame for this under-enthusiastically received time, but some of the credit (or blame) must also be laid at the feet of the editor as well.

Within a year, though, the editor had changed (Mike W. Barr) and so did the writers (Roy Thomas at the end of the Reflecto arc, and then Paul Levitz) and artists (Pat Broderick and then Keith Giffen). Talk about what a change in creative teams can do to a book!

Of the seven issues Ditko did, they've reviewed six of them so far, leaving only Legion (vol. 2) issues 267 with Vibrex and the Legion flight ring flashback. and 268 with Dr. Mayavale unreviewed yet. Sadly, they don't have a copy of the Mayavale issue to review. (Update: Bob has now reviewed issue 268, and wishes hadn't.)

Some choice quotes:

Superboy and the LSH 257 (Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel on an ice planet): "This is one of those Ditko stories to pick up when you've exhausted all others."

Legion (v2) 268 (Dr. Mayavale): "All I can say is that I'm glad at age 10 I picked up the issue after this, or I might never have read an LSH story again. ... Except for the hands, this is all sorts of bad. I'd say the hands are worth about the 39 cents I paid, if you paid the full 50 cent cover price you might want your money back."

Legion (v2) 272 (origin of Blok): "I like Chiarmonte's work on some pencillers, but on Ditko it comes across as a bit bland and flattening... Sorry for going off at length on the story. I was having trouble believing it myself. ... Ditko's art wasn't too bad, but nothing really sticks out."

Legion (v2) 274 (space pirates): "Yeah, space pirates. It's sometimes amazing this book lasted through this period to get to the good stuff on the other side. Despite the story, there's actually some fun artwork by Ditko in this one, what with the goofy aliens and fight scenes."

Legion (v2) 276 (Mordru as Lord Romdur): "Anyway, suffice to say that like most LSH books of this era it makes very little sense if you're not familiar with the characters. If you are, then it makes no sense at all. ... But overall, seriously, if you don't already have Ditko's LSH stories I can't recommend seeking them out."

Legion (v2) 281 (Molecule Master): "The last of the seven LSH stories Ditko drew is, fortunately, the best by far of those I've read. That's hardly a compliment, given the others (and I'm in no hurry to track down the two I don't have, one of which has a reputation as one of the worst LSH stories ever)."

Well what do you know, it looks like we agree on some things after all.

Legion TV schedule March/April 2007

Season finale April 28th! Of course, the UK got it today, so they're only 5 weeks ahead. On the other hand, they saw all 13 episodes back to back over three weeks, and now it's 49 weeks of reruns for them.

Via "Suddenly Seymour" at LegionWorld, here are the airdates and episodes for the Legion show for the rest of March and all of April (plus an educated guess for the first week of May).

March 24 - episode 7 "Child's Play" (2nd airing)
March 31 - episode 10 "The Substitutes" (2nd airing)
April 7 - episode 8 "Lightning Storm" (3rd airing)
April 14 - episode 10 "The Substitutes" (3rd airing)
April 21 - episode 7 "Chain of Command" (2nd airing)
April 28 - episode 12 new "Sundown, part 1"
May 5 - episode 13 new "Sundown, part 2" (season finale)

Episode 12: "SUNDOWN, PT. 1"
The Legion is put to the ultimate test when an ancient weapon known as a Sun Eater comes to life. The Legion mounts a heroic defense, but the Sun Eater proves too powerful. Now at full strength, the unstoppable Sun Eater sets its sights on Earth...

Part one of a two-part episode

Episode 13: "SUNDOWN, PT. 2"
With the Sun Eater on a direct course for Earth's sun, the Legion has no choice but to ask bitter enemies for help to stop it. Superman meanwhile has his toughest battle yet when he discovers the stealthy alien controlling the sinister machine. In the end, the Legion triumphs... but at a terrible cost.

Part two of a two-part episode.

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Previously: schedules for Sept./Oct. 2006, Nov. 2006, early Dec. 2006, late Dec. 2006/Jan. 2007, Jan./Feb. 2007, March 2007

Episodes 1.12 and 1.13 (UK): Sundown, parts 1 and 2

Update 3/21: The ToonZone site now has recaps of both parts.

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I didn't realize that when Cartoon Network UK started airing the Legion series, it would be on a daily basis. So they just got the first episode on March 5, and the season finale is today and tomorrow.

Update: Scott at Legion Clubhouse tells us that the US appearance of the finale will be April 28 and May 5.

If you want to read a detailed account of both episodes, check out the recaps in the ToonZone forum. I haven't read it, so don't spoil it for me in the comments!

I expect the torrents to be out in the next few days.

Kevin Sharpe - new artist

The new artist, at least for the first post-Waid/Kitson issue, is Kevin Sharpe, according to the latest solicitations. Sharpe did the fill-in art for issue 8 (here are some sample pages). He's also worked on stuff like "Army of Darkness", "Highlander" and "Battlestar Galactica" for other publishers.

Coming in June 2007

Solicitations for DC's June releases are out. Here's what's coming in our corner of the DC Universe (or multiverse).... two Legion books, two reprint TPBs, and a Starman appearance.

SUPERGIRL AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #31
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Kevin Sharpe
Cover by Barry Kitson
The Dominators storyline comes to a surprising conclusion that will change the lives of the Legionnaires irrevocably!
On sale June 27 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US



THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES IN THE 31st CENTURY #3
Written by Scott Beatty
Art by Sanford Greene & Nathan Massengill
Cover by Steve Uy
Auditions can be scary, especially when the team you’re trying out for is the Legion of Super-Heroes! But a small-planet girl is about to make good when a big-time threat proves more than the Legion can handle. So say what you want about substitutes, we think they look pretty good together!
On sale June 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.25 US



THE AMAZING TRANSFORMATIONS OF JIMMY OLSEN TP
Written by various
Art by various Cover by Brian Bolland
Cub reporter Jimny Olsen stars in this light-hearted volume collecting his most memorable adventures from the late 1950s and 1960s, guest-starring Superman! Jimmy undergoes startling transformations into Elastic Lad, The Wolf-Man of Metropolis, The Human Porcupine and more in these stories from SUPERMAN’S PAL JIMMY OLSEN!
Advance-solicited; on sale July 5 • 192 pg, FC, $14.99 US



52 VOL. 2 TP
Written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid
Breakdowns by Keith GiffenArt by various
Cover by J.G. Jones
Continue to explore the DCU’s lost year in the second volume of a 4-book collection featuring death, danger, romance, terror and the never-ending search for heroism! This 304-page volume — sporting a new cover by J.G. Jones — contains the lead stories from 52 WEEKS 14-26, plus commentary on each issue by creators and editors, conceptual drawings, sketch material, thumbnails and more!
52: A year without Superman; a year without Batman; a year without Wonder Woman…but not a year without heroes.
Advance-solicited; on sale July 25 • 304 pg, FC, $19.99 US



JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #10
Written by Brad Meltzer
Art by Ed Benes & Sandra Hope
Cover by Michael Turner
Variant cover by Phil Jimenez & Andy Lanning
Best-selling author Brad Meltzer and superstar artist Ed Benes bring you the final chapter of "The Lightning Saga," as the villains are revealed!
Retailers: This issue will feature two covers that may be ordered separately. The Standard Edition cover is by Michael Turner; one copy of the Variant Edition, with a cover by Phil Jimenez & Andy Lanning, may be ordered for every 10 copies of the Standard Edition ordered. Please see the Previews Order Form for further details.
On sale June 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

(Last part of the JLA/JSA crossover)

Newsarama interview with Tony Bedard

Newsarama's got an interview with the upcoming Legion writer Tony Bedard. He's signed on for six issues to start with. His first issue was Superboy 210 with Soljer (which predates my entry into Legion fandom by two issues!).

Here are excerpts:

NRAMA: As you take over the series, is it in the process of changing? With Supergirl having shown up in Legion after Infinite Crisis, the reveal on why she's there taking place in Week 50 of 52, Issue #30 teasing a "turning point" for the Legion, and a possible Star Boy of Legion fame showing up in Justice Society, there seems to be some exciting Legion buzz happening here ...

TB: I'm not giving the series a make-over. It doesn't need one. I'm just doing some character-focused tales in the wake of some very big, earth-shaking conflicts. And if you see a resurgence of the Legion in other books, I attribute that to the great job Mark and Barry (and Wacker and Marts) have done on the Legion relaunch. It's a mainstay of the DCU once again.

NRAMA: So the book itself isn't changing focus when you take over?

TB: The only change is to shift from the global saga of the Dominator War to a few stories focusing on small groups of Legionnaires on specific missions.

NRAMA: Let's just talk about your story. What can Legion fans expect with issue #31 and beyond?

TB: Following the grand finale of the Dominator War (you won't believe how that one turns out), we will deal with the aftermath of the election of a new Legion Leader and the fact that we have competing super-groups with the Legion and the Wanderers (led by Lightning Lad's brother, Mekt Ranzz). Finally, there's the whole matter of Supergirl's place in the 31st Century and how can she be in the present and the future at the same time? But all of it will revolve around a major change in the Legion brought about by the explosive finale of the current Dominator storyline.

NRAMA: Ah ha! "Major change!" Now we're getting somewhere. OK, then, how about one more loaded question. As one of the writers on the new weekly series Countdown, can you tell us if Legion will tie in to Countdown at all?

TB: Countdown does have a Legion connection to it, but my Legion storyline won't tie into Countdown. How's that for cryptic?

NRAMA: [laughs] OK, Tony, your excitement is contagious. Is that what you're hoping to bring to the Legion? A little fun and excitement?

TB: If I bring a tenth of the wonder and excitement that Legion brought to me when I was nine years old, that'll be enough. Beyond that. I just want to give some attention to a few underexposed characters, and celebrate why we love the Legion. It's such a vast, fun universe, and a great, inexhaustible cast of characters.

The Wil Wheaton Effect

On Monday March 5, one of my search feeds caught a reference that Wil Wheaton had made on his blog, discussing his episode "Chain of Command". This was about 9 pm or so. He linked back to me for the torrent files, so I quickly put up a welcome page for the people I knew were going to check this out for the first time.

Although not one of the approximately 1300 or so new visitors left a comment, they tripped my blog stats. Here's how Google Analytics measured the Wil Wheaton effect here until things settled back to normal:



Tuesday's hit count was almost three times as high as my previous highest, but I'm not sure if anyone stayed. Well it was fun being a link in a celebrity's blog for a few days, anyway.