LSH v4 #2 annotations: "Five Years Later" (part 2)

Annotations for Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #2

• On sale date: October 7, 1989
• It's OK, I'm a Senator: Issue 2 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 551 (May 6, 2019)
• Timeline: this issue takes place about October 25, 2994

Names in bold in this section are possibly Interlac or LSH fandom related, leave a comment if you know who or what is being referenced!

• Page 1, story 1: Barretta West sounds like an homage to gossip columnist/TV host Rona Barrett. “Persistent reports that Jo and Tinya secretly tied the knot many years ago” is probably a reference to the fake weddings in ADV 337. 
• Page 1, story 2: Tinya’s stepfather is named Khard Wlessey. Jo and Tinya plan to marry on the planet Deltwan, which is a world in the Andromeda Galaxy, to which Karate Kid was transported using a new experimental Warp Transport. Deltwan has vine-trees and diamond cliffs. (ACT 387)
• Page 1, story 3: Tinya’s dress by Arn Strikl. “Arn” is for Arnie Starkey and “Strikl” is for Carol Strickland, who had an Interlac feature of designing costumes for the Legionnaires 
• Page 2 panel 1: Kono ducks down Whittram’s Alley (named for part of Michael Forrester's address)
• Page 3: The Khund’s name is Kakaqik.
• Page 5 panel 5: Kono’s real name is Brita An’nan (named for Britt Daniels), of Sklar. Sklarian Raiders were first seen in SLSH 233 and 235.
• Page 5 panel 8: Stig Ah Plaza, named for the the real name of the Rimborian who became Reflecto.
• Page 6: two officers are named Dell and Sargenan Arar.
• Page 7: Algronsk & Kaston are named for the ultra polite Alphonse and Gaston, comic strip characters from the early 1900s (“After you….” “No, after you!”) 
• Page 8 panel 3: Klordny was first (and only) seen being celebrated in SLSH 232.
• Page 8 panel 4: That’s Dartalon of the new and improved Wanderers (first seen in ADV 375, last seen in Wanderers 13)
• Page 12: Lydda and Loomis are traveling in the Hotel Woodmere (named for the street of the Stamford, Conn. home of several Interlac members, a house that was known as "Yohet Manor") on their trip to Kathoon. They pass by the planet VanVlack IV (named for Mercy Van Vlack), which is a barren world where Khund Field Marshal Lorca forced a Legion Cruiser down (SBOY 217), and its moon Miranda (named for the title character of a naughty strip Mercy has drawn for many years). 
• Page 12 panel 6: a Hrykanian (Tellus’ race) and a Protean (Proty’s race)
• Page 19: Shvaughn Erin was last seen in LSH v3 62 during the Magic Wars
• Page 20 panel 1: she’s from Duar, a world that rejected helping the Legion fight the Sun-Eater because they felt they couldn’t win. (ADV 352)
• Page 20 panel 5: among Shvaughn’s known acquaintances are Feliz Alana (WAPAn Joe Filice's daughter Alana Filice), Leemac Allen (WAPAn David McLallen), Hass An (Interlacker Hassan Yusuf), Cat Anestopoulo (the literal name of an Interlacker of that era), Suzi Apczynski (Joe Filice's wife), Brek Bannin (aka Polar Boy), D. Spengler Bonita  (misspelled as “Benita”; Dee Spengler, sister of WAPAn Grace Spengler), Ral Benem (aka Chlorophyll Kid), and Ard Bensam (Interlacker Richard Bensam). Brek and Ral's names were supposed to be highlighted.
• Page 20 panel 9: so Dirk has been hanging out with corrupt Science Police Earth chief Circe
• Page 21: Jo goes back to get his shaving kit, a gift from Rokk
• Page 22: based on the speech bubbles, there are at least 5 voices. This is the guy we saw at the end of last issue, just released from Labyrinth and talking to a Dominator. Here, all of the speech bubbles are coming from him, as if he has multiple personalities inside him.
• Page 22 panel 9: first appearance of the “L with comet” symbol, although here it’s still the old-school serif L. 
• Omnicom 1:
• May 8, 2991, the search for the missing Tinya has been called off. She disappeared in a breakup of interdimensional space on 4/12/91.
• Officer Roon Dvron handled the case, and Sun Boy was Legion leader at this time
• Mentions Bgztl Premier Gigleo Whyka, UP Council President Krevoy Zaxton, and her father Byzjn Wazzo
• Mentions that the Science Police Earth had splintered off of the SP Proper.
• Refers to her stowing away on a freighter and helping to break up the Meglaro/Landro spy ring (as seen in Secret Origins vol 2 42, published just a few months prior)
• We saw Tinya's arrival in the 20th century in L.E.G.I.O.N. 9 which came out just a couple weeks before this issue, but we don't know why yet. We (as readers) know that Tinya somehow disappeared from the 30th century in what appeared to be a dimensional rift and took the place of The Durlan in the 20th century (who we don't know what happened to yet), for reasons which will be made clear in the upcoming Annual. 

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Here's what we know of the timeline to date. 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.

• 6/23/89 – Magic Wars end (LSH v3 #63)
• 10/89 – 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).
• 2/20/91 – Tinya accused of having a “torrid affair” with Thom before announcing her upcoming wedding to Jo (LSH v4 #2)
• 3/23/91 – Tinya’s wedding dress announcement (LSH v4 #2)
• 3/30/91 – Tinya and Jo wedding set for June 9 (LSH v4 #2)
• 4/12/91 – Tinya goes missing (LSH v4 #2)
• 5/8/91 – Search for Tinya called off; Sun Boy is leader (LSH v4 #2)
• 6/9/91 – Planned date of wedding of Tinya and Jo (LSH v4 #2)
• 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).
• Wed. 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).
• Thu. 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 someone 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).

Unknown dates, presented in the order they were revealed in the comics:

• 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). 
• Rokk and Loomis are injured in the Braal/Imsk War at Venado Bay, and Rokk lost his powers. Salu was somehow involved on the Imsk side, which did some questionably legal things. Imsk won, as the army is occupying Braal. (LSH v4 #1)
• At some point, the Science Police Earth splintered off from the main Science Police (referred to as Science Police Proper) (LSH v4 #2)

LSH v4 #1 annotations: "Five Years Later" (part 1)

Annotations for Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #1

• On sale date: September 12, 1989
• It's OK, I'm a Senator: Issue 1 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 550 (April 29, 2019)
• Timeline: this issue takes place on October 22-23, 2994

I've bolded the names that are probably relevant to some Interlac/Legion fandom person, but I don't know who or what they are, leave a comment if you know!

• Cover: notice the flight ring, we won’t be seeing that particular version for very much longer
• Page 2: Legion history – Lightning Lad sacrificed his life to protect against Zaryan the Conqueror, who has been retconned in this series into being a Khund (from ADV 304); death of Ferro Lad and the Fatal Five (ADV 353); Omega (SLSH 251); Darkseid (LSH v2 294). This show will be on Saturday, and given the date on the next page, it will air on October 25, 2994
• Page 3 panel 4: Vidar aka Universo was last seen at the end of the Universo Project (LSH v3 35).
• Page 3 panel 5: Marella Tao was a TV journalist who dated Timber Wolf after his breakup with Light Lass (last seen in LSH v3 51). Notice the date on the screen: October 22, 2994 (which is a Wednesday).
• Page 3 panel 7: no known green-skinned women in the Legion’s time
• Page 3 panel 9: Dirk Morgna, our first ex-Legionnaire. President Wellington is new.
• Page 4 panel 7: don’t know who that is fighting Polar Boy
• Page 5: so something happened, and Chameleon Boy had left the Legion and “watched everything fall to pieces”.
• Page 5 panel 9: Marla Latham, Brande’s right-hand man, last seen in Secrets of the Legion 3 (although he was recently seen in flashback in Secret Origins vol 2 #42)
• Page 7: Rokk is having a flashback, except that it didn’t quite happen that way. Loomis is a new character, and we see that Rokk doesn’t like elvabird. This is the morning of October 23.
• Page 8: Rokk apparently has PTSD from his time in the war. Married (finally) to Lydda Jath, aka Night Girl.
• Page 9: Rokk hadn’t been in the Legion when “everything went to hell” either.
• Page 13: Field Commander Salu Digby arrives at occupational HQ above Braal. So Imsk and Braal must have been in the war. She lost an eye.
• Page 14: Salu will get an honorable discharge if she keeps quiet about Venado Bay (part of Glen Moss's address). Rokk’s flashback mentioned “The Bay”…
• Page 15: … but she declines, and heads off to “the plantation” to see Ayla and Garth.
• Page 18: So Cham is recruiting Rokk, who now has no powers.
• Page 20: a flashback to the origin of the Legion
• Page 22: at this point, we don’t know who this is, but there are two speakers, one of whom got the other off of Labyrinth to finish their “mission”.
• Omnicom 1:
• 1/21/2992 at the Rebirth Summit, Daily Planet article by Megan O’Ryan , Bureau Chief on Xanthu. It's later revealed (in Who's Who in the DC Universe 16) that she's the mother of Devlin O'Ryan, who we'll meet in a few issues.
• Mentions Havron Xid of Colu and Brin Tami
• Mentions Oll G.R.E. Rath of Alkoz, which was a planet whose money was kept in the Interplanetary Bank in the form of glass coins (ADV 350)
• Mentions planet Ferno, which was a world on which Ultra Boy used his penetra-vision to melt down a berserk lead monster (ADV 301)
• Omnicom 2:
• 4/13/2990 communique from President Tayla Wellington (who we heard of back on page 3).
• 75 Hamilton Plaza, named for writer Edmond Hamilton
• Trying to legally disband the Legion, with Imra, Rokk, and Cham “currently out of the picture”.
• Per the Sourcebook, the Magic Wars ended 6/23/89, so this is less than a year later.
• Omnicom 3:
• 7/6/2992 Brek Bannin disbands the Legion
• Mentions “especially in the instance of Black Dawn, and you know what that cost us”
• Page 26: ad for Flight Ring Village, which we saw in the promo preview

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Here's what we know of the timeline to date. 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.

• 6/23/89 – Magic Wars end (LSH v3 #63)
• 10/89 – 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).
• 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)
• Wed 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).
• Thu 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 someone escape from Labyrinth (LSH v4 #1).

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). 
• Rokk and Loomis are injured in the Braal/Imsk War at Venado Bay, and Rokk lost his powers. Salu was somehow involved on the Imsk side, which did some questionably legal things. Imsk won, as the army is occupying Braal. (LSH v4 #1)

LSH v4 annotations: Flight Ring Village promo & Amazing Heroes #172

Volume 3 of the Legion's book ended with issue 63, published July 20, 1989. On September 12, the first issue of Volume 4 came out, taking the series Five Years Later. In between, though, DC put out a promotional flyer in comic shops advertising the upcoming series. I estimate this came out on August 17, 1989.


Originally, the flyer was folded in half the wrong way. It was supposed to be a shot of the three founders on the front, then you open it up and there's the old Legion HQ repurposed as Flight Ring Village in a 2-page spread, and then on the back is a text piece for what's coming up. But instead, page 3 was the front cover, open it up and there's pages 4 and 1, then page 2 on the back cover. It's presented here as it was supposed to be.

Also around this time, a preview came out in Amazing Heroes #172, telling the readers what was going to happen in the first year or so of the new series. Some of it actually came true, as characters and plot points shifted and the editor left, among other things. Still, it was a new cover by Giffen and a high profile launch.

My Legion movie trilogy

I first posted this on September 25, 2015, and have tweaked it a bit since then. If I were in charge of a Legion movie trilogy, what would I do?


If they asked me to come up with a movie treatment for a Legion movie (or a trilogy, depending on how the first one does), this is what I'd start with. A movie series has to have someone in it that the audience can relate to and identify with. Really, the only Legionnaire who is like that is Karate Kid, the only one without super powers (you could theoretically train and develop his martial arts skills, but you can't train to shoot lightning from your fingers or train to read people's minds). In the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie, that person was Star-Lord, a guy from Earth who has some cool gadgets and meets some cool people, but he's not inherently strong/raccoon-like/tree-like. In "Star Wars", it's Luke. In "Alien", it's Ripley. Karate Kid is Batman, not Superman. And sadly, while you can call the team "Legion of Super-Heroes" in the movie itself, as a movie title it really is too old-fashioned, so I'll just call it "The Legion".

My trilogy largely but loosely adapts three great Legion stories, but there's enough room to expand the list of characters, concepts, and places based on all iterations of the Legion over the last 60+ years (Silver/Bronze/post-Crisis, Five Years Later, Reboot, Threeboot, Retroboot, cartoon, Bendis's version, "Supergirl" and "Smallville" TV shows, etc.).

THE LEGION, PART 1: THE KHUND WAR

My first movie adapts Jim Shooter's first Legion story from Adventure Comics #346-347, where Karate Kid joins the Legion with Princess Projectra, Nemesis Kid, and Ferro Lad.

Act 1: introduction of the Legion; tryouts; new members join

This allows you to have KK as your point-of-view character, his first view of the Legion is ours as well. Follow him as he and the others show up, meet other recruits or hopefuls American Idol style, then go through tryouts. In the arena (think of the tryouts circa Legionnaires #34) we also learn via hologram the history of the Legion and the United Planets, so no need for an origin movie, but explain to the movie and tryouts audience that the Legion was founded in honor of the 21st century heroes like Superman and the Justice League. The Legion is well-established in the 31st century, and explain that so many worlds have super-powers due to genetic manipulation. You can put in some joke characters like Arm-Fall-Off Boy and some villains who will be seen in the next movie (in particular, the Legion rejects Emerald Empress for using an external device and Tharok for not having good character, and Lightning Lord for duplication of powers), as the movie starts out light and turns dark with the impending invasion of Earth by the Khunds.

Act 2: Khunds are one step ahead of Earthgov and the Legion during the invasion

Somehow the Khunds are anticipating the UP's and the Legion's every move and either have countermeasures or alternate plans. Is there a traitor in the Legion's midst? The story has a built-in hook - who's the traitor, is it our POV character? - and a twist (no, it's Nemesis Kid, one of the new recruits!), along with Big Stakes (turning back the Khund invasion). Maybe there's a piece in a museum where the Khunds are looking for some object like Wonder Woman's lasso, Aquaman's trident, or a Mother Box, similar to how Darkseid went looking for things in the Great Darkness Saga. A hero turning villain/traitor is a comic book cliche, but not a movie cliche.

Act 3: Khunds continue the invasion; Legion traitor revealed; invasion thwarted

With those four new members, you can add whoever else you want as the supporting Legion characters in the movie (ranging from powerhouse Ultra Boy to Espionage Squad members Shrinking Violet and Chameleon Boy or Girl) and you can have minor or cameo appearances by others, because after all, it's a LEGION of super-heroes. However, you'll need to ensure that you have introduced some of the Legionnaires that will appear in the two future movies, even if it's a relatively small role here. Aside from the four newbies, in the original story there's no specific reason for any particular Legionnaire to be there, so you pick whoever has a good costume or visually good powers from whatever continuity - Dawnstar, Blok, XS, Gazelle, Gear, Kono, etc. - or who fits the plot. The good guys win in the end, of course, but you still have the threat of the Khunds (even though the Legion stopped the invasion, for now) and the treachery of Nemesis Kid still lurking out there. This is a standalone movie with hooks for a sequel.

THE LEGION, PART 2: THE FATAL FIVE

So what do you follow this up with? You want to keep your POV character front and center while at the same time featuring the main characters from the first movie (Karate Kid, Projectra, and Ferro Lad), and there's only one choice - you do the Sun-Eater story from Adventure Comics #352-353, because it's very rare that comic book good guys die in their movies.

Act 1: setting the stage

This one has a smaller hero cast, starring just five Legionnaires - you pick newbies Karate Kid, Princess Projectra, and Ferro Lad from the first movie, plus founder Lightning Lad (to help set up movie #3 as we'll see later) and another senior member (a female, maybe Dawnstar or Kid Quantum for powers and visual diversity). Because the rest of the Legion is off fighting the Khunds and can't get back to Earth in time, leaving just the newbies and a couple of vets minding the HQ - and set up a "side quest" in the movie to show what's going on and why they can't help the main cast - they're forced to recruit the individual members of the soon-to-be Fatal Five, some of whom tried out and were rejected in the first movie.

Act 2: recruiting the Fatal Five

You can largely adapt the two-part story from Adventure Comics #352-353, each hero finds one or more recruits (some of whom are killed off, Suicide Squad style), and the survivors join together as the Fatal Five, battling a Khundish weapon called a Sun-Eater alongside the Legionnaires.

Act 3: fighting the Sun-Eater; death of Ferro Lad

At the end of the movie, Ferro Lad sacrifices himself and the Fatal Five escape and realize that they're better off together as a group than they are as individuals. Remember the ending to Empire Strikes Back, how things look bleak for our heroes - similarly, the Legion has lost a member, and they are responsible for the creation of the Fatal Five. Now the Legion has blood on their hands from what the Fatal Five have done and do as a group collectively. We have a largely self-contained movie but which does have continuity from the first movie, a new story arc with new challenges, and we leave the audience with a post-credits tease for the next movie (the final one in the trilogy): Nemesis Kid and Lightning Lord recruit the Fatal Five to join their Legion of Super-Villains (though you'd have to come up with a better name for the group).

THE LEGION, PART 3: VILLAINS' REVENGE

As this trilogy follows the rise and fall of Karate Kid as the main character, the final movie in the trilogy more loosely adapts the LSV War from LSH v3 #1-5: there's a bunch of villains who try to destroy our heroes, and one pays the ultimate price.

 

Act 1: Recruiting the LSV

In the third movie, after we casually reveal that Jeckie and Val are an official couple (but not engaged or secretly married, because that would telegraph the ending) Nemesis Kid and the Fatal Five are brought together by Mekt Ranzz, who is the brother of one of our heroes and has a grudge for movie reasons (so you can have the family fight within the larger good guy/bad guy fight), along with a few others (maybe tryout rejects or former members) to form the LSV. You can pick and choose your villains based on personal history with a Legionnaire and/or bring back some that the Legion has fought in the comics (visually, I like Cosmic King, Sun Emperor, Zymyr, Chameleon Chief [change to Queen], Esper Lass, and Spider Girl) and refer to past Legion missions that we haven't seen. All have reasons for wanting to eradicate the Legion.

Act 2: Divide and conquer the Legionnaires

This is a divide-and-conquer plan that ends up capturing several less-powerful Legionnaires (Karate Kid and Princess Projectra among them) to be used as bait to capture the more powerful ones (whichever ones are used here we'll have to make sure we've seen them in the first two movies). Pick and choose elements from any or all of the Legion/villain team battles - maybe Emerald Empress backstabs Tharok because he's creepy and she wants to be the leader, and someone uses what's left of Tharok's robot brain to control Validus, for example.

Act 3: villains defeated; death of Karate Kid

Some of the uncaptured Legionnaires break the others out, and we see how the team fights as a team, not just a collection of individuals (like the Super-Rejects from Superboy 212). At the climax of the third act, Karate Kid dies at the hands of Nemesis Kid. Princess Projectra declares it's her royal privilege to kill Nemesis Kid in the heat of battle to avenge the death of Karate Kid, but after the Legion triumphs (teamwork over treachery) she's expelled by the group because Legionnaires don't kill except in self-defense, which this clearly was not. A battered Legion vows to regroup after the loss of another two Legionnaires - and now, all four of the newly-inducted Legionnaires from the first movie are no longer in the Legion. Time for another round of tryouts at the end of this one, which bookends with the beginning of the first movie; the Khunds are still out there, as is a shadowy group called the Dark Circle, and rumors of the resurrection of a mighty wizard who was thought to have disappeared a thousand years ago....

Epilogue

So that's my Legion trilogy. You have continuity in the movies, a core cast plus some other Legionnaires to fill out roster spots (with nearly 100 Legionnaires to choose from), point-of-view characters, character arcs, story arcs, and some major character deaths (including the series hero). Each movie has an arc itself, plus there's an overall trilogy arc. You've got story elements from the comics but hopefully not so much that it doesn't feel like a comic book.

Omnicom back from limbo

I put in a pretty good run on this blog over the years, starting with the rise of comics blogging in 2005 before trailing off and finally just tailing off to nothing in 2011-12. But I never stopped writing and linking, it was just all done at the Omnicom's Facebook page instead (and I hope anyone reading this follows me there too!).

So now what I plan to use this for is long-form writing that's not really appropriate for Facebook, which is much better for just making comments or posting links. One of my ongoing projects is as co-host on the Legion of Substitute Podcasters (Facebook, web, Apple podcast) which I've been doing for the last couple years. We are currently 11 issues into the Five Years Later (5YL) run, which I'm not sure I've read in the last 20 years. So in addition to covering the story, I spend some time each week doing annotations for each issue, pointing out where this person last appeared or when we first went to that planet. I've saved them all and I figured this is a good place to post each issue's annotations, aided in large part by Tom Bierbaum's "It's OK, I'm a Senator" blog in which he gave us the behind-the-scenes of each issue. I haven't really seen that done before; maybe I'll come away from this with a different appreciation for the series as a whole, which I was not fond of back in the day (to put it mildly).

Head over to the Omnicom Facebook page for my regular postings, and check back here periodically for longer stuff. I've got a couple of things I can post while I go back and grab all of the annotations and format it appropriately.

So a new Legion book, huh? It's about sprocking time.

Backstock for sale

At the beginning of the month, word was spreading that DC was doing a serious sale to retailers on a lot of its backstock, particularly Archives and Showcases. Seems to be true, and at least one retailer is now showing the results of that. Tales of Wonder (www.talesofwonder.com) has Legion Archives volumes 1-7 and 9-12 on sale for a mere $19.99 each, and volumes 1-3 of Showcase Presents The Legion for $6.79 each. While DC has not made an announcement, there is speculation that a lot of the books will be allowed to go out of print once the backstock is cleared out. If so, you really should think about picking up Legion Archives (and the other books covered by the sale) if you want them.

Paul Levitz NOT To Attend Comic-Con

Unfortunately, Paul posted to Facebook this morning that, due to his mother's illness, he'll be unable to attend this year. Best wishes to her for a speedy recovery.

No further 12-packs of Legion action figures

From the monthly "Ask Matty" with Mattel:

"Q1. At Toy Fair, it was said that there would not be another 12 pack of the Legion of Super-Heroes due to the amount of time and resources it would involve. However, I believe I read that there were other figures in the works. Can you speak to that? Any thoughts of 2 or 3 packs? I love the 12 pack, but there’s so many more that we need!

A1. Yes. That is a fair assessment. While this item was a hit, it threw such a wrench into our schedule that is wound up delaying a lot of other product that needed resources too!"

Alas, I don't find the response clear as to whether there'll be more Legion figures (other than the already announced Star Man for Club Infinite Earths), but I'd guess so given the "hit" status of the 12-pack, particularly that they did a second run of it.

Shooter signing in Denver on Saturday

If you're in the Denver area this weekend, Jim Shooter is too, signing at Mile High.

I’m going to be signing at Chuck Rozanski’s new Mile High Comics Mega-Store this Saturday. I don’t often do signings and conventions anymore, but Chuck has been a good friend for over 30 years. He asked me to help out with his Christmas Season event at his new store and I couldn’t let him down.  He’s helped me out many times and never let me down.

Check the link for the details on times and autographing schedules, you can get stuff in person or buy through the website.

RIP: Eduardo Barreto

Eduardo Barreto died today. He was an artist from Uruguay who I remember most from following George Perez on Teen Titans and doing a lot of Superman artwork in the 1990s. Barreto did two Legion covers and one interior story.

The cover to DC Comics Presents #80:

The interior art to LSH v3 #56 (Steve Lightle cover):

And the cover to Tales of the LSH #329:

Reminder: Mattel 12-pack on sale (again) on Thursday

If you missed out the first time (like I did) on getting the 12-pack of Legion figures from Mattel, don't forget that they go back on sale this Thursday, December 15th at 9 a.m. PT (12 noon ET).

Here's the link to the LSH page on mattycollector.com, where you'll find this:

This pack is a reissue, which means it was previously released. All reissued packs receive a graphic burst on the package stating “Long Live the Legion” to indicate it is a re-released product but identical to the first run. Mattel holds back a small amount of product from each sale for customer service needs. When a product is reissued, the held back stock is sold. A small percentage of customers will receive product from the first run and the package will not contain the burst. This is random and we cannot control which package will be received.

Available December 15, 2011, only on MattyCollector.com.

Also from mattycollector.com (their links):

As always, I’ll send email reminders (click here to register) and post reminders on Facebook, Twitter and in our Fan Forums.

Nicieza out, DeFalco on as "Legion Lost" writer

So I'm back in the US after a loooong vacation (since mid-September - I haven't read anything of the New 52 yet) and already they've got creative turnover on a Legion book.

Via The Beat:

What is it about the Legion of Super-Heroes that pulls in ex-Marvel editor-in-chiefs.  Roy Thomas wrote it.  Gerry Conway wrote it.  Jim Shooter came back for another run.  Now Tom DeFalco is taking over Legion Lost with issue #7.  Writing changes announced on Superman, Green Arrow and Legion Lost before the 4th issues hit the stands?  You can’t say DC is averse to change.

 Writes Brian Cunningham at DC's The Source blog:

His schedule just couldn’t keep up with a monthly series right now. It’s a bummer because Fabian and I had discussed some really cool ideas for the series, but I understood his reasons, and we parted on a positive note with hopes that someday we can reteam on something else down the road.

So I needed to hire a new writer, someone I felt could take the groundwork laid by Fabian and strive for even greater heights. No small task!

... So Tom came into my office with his infectious enthusiasm, and we just talked about LEGION LOST for over an hour. I really loved what I heard. And then we got on the phone with series artist Pete Woods, and the ideas kept flowing. Carrying over subplots that Fabian had been developing, Tom’s inclinations felt so completely fresh that we were sold instantly. Here’s a taste:

• A crossover with TEEN TITANS involving the organization known as N.O.W.H.E.R.E. — with a revelation that will change the entire course of LEGION LOST!
• A Timber Wolf romance that could rip the team apart!
• A power struggle for leadership!
• Tyroc has a deadly secret…and the team isn’t happy when they learn it!
• And a traitor lurks in their midst!

 I haven't kept up with Marvel in a while; I thought DeFalco was still in charge over there.

Another Shot At The Action Figure 12-Pack

Mattycollector.com has announced that its upcoming December 15th sale will include the Legion figure 12-pack. This one is supposed to be a "reissue with burst", but there's no explanation of what a "burst" is. Also, it's noted that some buyers will get previously held in reserve first run sans burst packs.

Walt Simonson Drawing January's LSH

Some early samples of it have been posted.

What Super-Power Do All Terrans Possess?

James Nicoll raises the question of, in a less Earth-based Legion of Super-Heroes (such as one that exists out there in the galaxy right now and comes to Earth to recruit), what power would all Terrans share that would justify one being a member. Similar to how all Braalians, Carggites, Durlans, etc. have a common power.

Interesting discussion in the responses. The leader, in my opinion, looks to be our ability to throw things at other things. Doing so with any degree of accuracy, let alone having Tom Brady become Quarterback Lad, is said to be unique for humans among Terran lifeforms.

LSH Action Figures On Sale 11/15...No, Not *Those* Figures

Mattycollector.com has announced its monthly sale on the 15th items, and among a lot of other items, they're having a mass sale on JLU style 4-packs. This includes the Legion 4-pack of Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, and a blue Brainiac 5.

Originally $30, if you buy 10 4-packs (same person doing the order, shipped to the same address), they'll be only $12 each. Buy 20 packs, $10 each. Buy 30 packs, $8 each. They don't have to all be the Legion 4-pack; you can mix and match the Shazam! Family, Gotham City Criminals, Justice Guild, and Doom Patrol 4-packs with the LSH one to reach 10, 20 or 30.

It is a bit unclear if they'll be sold in quantities less than 10 for the usual $30; it's vaguely implied, but not explicitly stated.

Full list of items on sale on MattyCollector's News Page.

As a side note, comments by MattyCollector reps on their forums indicate a decent chance there'll be a second run of 12-pack, but no guarantees.

Two Bits Of Legionnaire Business

1) OK, that's just adding insult to injury with respect to my not getting the action figure set. Tonight's Big Bang Theory has the Legion figure set appearing in the background in scenes taking place in the comics store the characters shop in. For those who recorded it, look behind Sheldon's left shoulder.

2) Still need some Legion Archives? www.talesofwonder.com is running a sale that includes most of the already printed Legion Archive volumes at half price. I've shopped with them before and been satisfied.

If you're in Chicago on Saturday....

In case you didn't see this on one of the mailing lists or elsewhere:



Hey Guys,

I normally don't promote anything going on at my shop on list but this
is HUGE (to me)

This Saturday (October 22)

Jeff and Phil Moy are at Third Coast Comics to sign copies of Star
Trek/Legion of Super Heroes #1 from 2PM to 7PM

They are also bringing Cory Corani! All of these guys are also pretty
plugged into the video game industry given their work on the X-Men
Legends and Ultimate Alliance franchises.

Now I don't know how many of you are in the Chicago area (I know
Anstey is a few hours south I think) but this could be a cool event
for us legion fans!

Third Coast Comics
6234 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL 60660
www.thirdcoastcomics.com

Let's Hope This Isn't The Final Scene In The Legion/Trek Crossover...

Today's Let's Be Friends Again posits an ending for the Legion/Trek crossover that's just wrong...

January Legion solicitations

Also, a reminder that the first issue of the Legion / Star Trek crossover comes out this week.

LEGION LOST #5
Written by FABIAN NICIEZA
Art and cover by PETE WOODS
On sale JANUARY 11
32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
RATED T
Our team of time-stranded Legionnaires must do battle with Alastor, the hulking bio-terrorist who has unleashed his lethal future virus in the present-day DCU! But before they arrive on the scene, Dawnstar must try to survive the behemoth alone!

LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #4
Written by PAUL LEVITZ
Art and cover by CHRIS BATISTA and MARC DEERING
On sale JANUARY 25
32 pg, FC, 4 of 6, $2.99 US
RATED T
As more worlds fall to the mysterious alien armada, the Legion continues its struggle to defend the United Planets. Will new members Ultra Boy and Star Boy be enough to turn the tide?

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #5
Written by PAUL LEVITZ
Art by WALTER SIMONSON and DAN GREEN
Cover by WALTER SIMONSON
On sale JANUARY 18
32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
RATED T
Legendary artist Walter Simonson comes on board for an ambitious single-issue story that walks you through a day in the life of the Legion, checking in with every single member along the way! It’s a race against time to find the meaning of Dream Girl’s predawn vision before its secret can catch the team by surprise!

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES: THE CHOICE TP
Written by PAUL LEVITZ
Art by YILDIRAY CINAR, FRANCIS PORTELA and WAYNE FAUCHER
Cover by YILDIRAY CINAR and WAYNE FAUCHER
On sale FEBRUARY 29
224 pg, FC, $17.99 US
This new LEGION title collects issues #1-6 from 2010, including the unwelcome debut of Earth-Man, the kidnapping of Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad’s twins, the revelation of a new Green Lantern and more!

How'd People Do On Getting The Action Figures?

Given that Mattycollector is now showing them as sold out, I'll abuse the power Michael gave me (: -)) and ask if anyone might have gotten an extra set they'd be willing to sell me. Over a 3+ hour period, I repeatedly got "payment not authorized" messages, despite trying several credit cards, different browsers, and clearing out cookies and caches. Anyone else have similar problems?

Action Figures On Sale Tomorrow

Final reminder that the Legion figure 12-pack goes on sale tomorrow (Monday) at 0900 EDT, 1200 PDT, at www.mattycollector.com. $180 plus postage and possibly tax (definitely in California). In addition to the Legion figures, they're also selling a fair number of Ghostbusters, Masters of the Universe, and Rainbow Lantern DCU figures, so don't be surprised if you're tossed into a wait loop at first. To save time, I recommend going to the site today and creating a shipping/billing profile. Mattycollector's page for the figures is here.

The Chameleon Boy - Spider-Man Feud

This week's Comic Book Legends Revealed looks at a brief "feud" between Marvel and DC. The DC contribution was Cham breaking the fourth wall after having changed into a spider to comment that he'd been "changing into all sorts of weird shapes long before [Spider-Man, or at least a description of him] walked up his first wall". Michael is given credit for providing needed info for the piece.

Why Does Brainiac 5 Stay In The Legion?

Christopher Bird provides his explanation, in a nice one page introduction to Brainy. It's done as part of a series where he writes an intro to a character, each of which is drawn by a different artist. In this case, the art style reminds me of Ty Templeton's.

Legion To Guest In Action Comics #5-6

Per the DC Source blog, the Legion will be guest-starring in Action #5 and 6, which'll be done by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert. Assuming the book will still be set five years in the past at the start of Superman's career, and given the implication in Legion #1 that the Legion has still previously met Kal-El in the DCnU continuity, I'd guess this would be "classic Legion" rather than being limited to the Legion Lost team.

Action Figure Two Week Warning

Just a heads-up that Mattel's Legion of Super-Heroes 12-pack (14 if you count Proty and the empty slot labelled Invisible Kid) of 6" scale action figures will be going on sale at noon EDT on Monday October 17th. Cost will be $180 + postage and possibly plus tax (certainly true if you're in California).

Ordering during one of the monthly sales can be frustrating, as frequently their servers are overloaded and you're tossed into a waiting loop. At least the loop does visibly refresh every 5 seconds, so you don't have to wonder if you're still in the queue. However, I'd still recommend going to www.mattycollector.com in advance and setting up a profile with your shipping and billing addresses to save time on the actual sales day.

Picture of the complete set can be seen here.

Shooter, Manapul On Their Legion Run

Over the last few days, Jim Shooter's blogged about his plot for Brainiac 5 and Dream Girl's wedding in his last Legion run. Way down in the comments, he goes into detail about problems he'd had with his run on both the production and artist fronts.

In response, artist Francis Manapul blogged about his side of things.

Admin note

Due to a number of factors at home (like getting laid off and planning for a long trip which I'm currently on), it's obvious that I can't devote time to updating this for the next few months. Plus, I never got a chance to read the last issue or two of Legion and Adventure, so not only do I not know how that storyline ended, I will miss out on all the commentary for the first 3 issues of the DCnU series. Rather than have this sit empty and forgotten, I've gotten a co-author for a while to keep this going.

To Freedom, Friendship, and Frunt, and Long Live the Legion!

More Heroclix coming too

Via Gamers Daily News comes word of a new Heroclix expansion set, coming in September:

The DC HeroClix: Superman expansion will feature more than 50 figures in standard five-figure boosters.  Celebrating over 70 years of history, Superman brings all of the action and amazing power that only the Last Son of Krypton can deliver, and where Superman treads his greatest villains and allies cannot be far behind!  Popular sub-themes in the set will include: All-Star Superman, the World of New Krypton, the Legion of Super Heroes, the exciting and pivotal Flashpoint mini-series and more!

Finally - flight rings!

Via Bleeding Cool:

For every 25 copies of Legion: Secret Origin #1 by Paul Levitz and Chris Batista, comic book retailers can order a bag of 50 Legion of Super-Heroes Promotional Flight Rings. 

Wonder if these will come with a warning label similar to the DC Direct one from years ago: "Warning: Does not enable wearer to fly".

SDCC 2011: The New 52

The first of DC's "New 52" panels at SDCC11 has a little bit about the new Legion title. Paul Levitz was on the panel.

Via Comics Alliance:

On the Legion of Super-Heroes: Levitz rather foul-mouthedly noted that while [Demon Knight author Paul] Cornell has the entire medieval world to "f*** around with," he has the entire future.

Via Newsarama:

Next is Legion of Super-Heroes #1
Levitz's "Legion #1 for the third time. They'll keep making me do it until I do it right."
"We'll be gently easing them in with a modest cast at first."
"Cornell may have the medieval dcu to f*ck around with, but I've got the FUTURE" said Levitz to laughs and claps.

Via CBR:

Levitz said that his vision of the Legion's future era changes every chance he has to start fresh

SDCC 2011: Star Trek/Legion crossover

[Note: On June 28, I received an email with a link to the Mike Grell cover of Legion/Star Trek #1 by IDW, which I posted here. Grell told me that it was premature and asked if I could pull it until it was official. That notice came Thursday at San Diego.]

Updated 7/22 with more links at the bottom.

 Via Bleeding Cool:

 “STAR TREK/LEGION OF SUPERHEROES is a galaxy-spanning adventure that draws both teams together to face a menace that includes Khunds, Klingons, Borg, and other threats that aren’t quite as they should be. The egalitarian United Planets in one universe and a United Federation of Planets in another is now the Imperial Planets of Terra, a dark empire focused on war and conquest, and that’s just the beginning for this special series.”

Six issue series, ships in October.

Via CBR:

IDW, which will publish the six-issue miniseries, announced the project during its Thursday panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego and revealed that Chris Roberson will write the series with Jeffrey and Philip Moy on art.

... Roberson will be working with the classic incarnations of each team, with the Legion entering into the story shortly after "The Great Darkness Saga" and the Enterprise crew picking up shortly after the Original Series, at "some point near the end of the original five-year mission," Roberson said. 

The crossover will feature six heroes from each team, Roberson told CBR, for a very logical reason. "The limitation was based on the number of transporter pads on a Constitution-class starship," he said. "There's only six. So unfortunately, Scotty had to remain on the Enterprise." The 12 characters will encounter a changed reality, one that merges aspects of the 31st-century DC Universe and the 23rd-century's Final Frontier to the disadvantage of both. "In the altered universe they find themselves in, what's happened is that both of their histories have been obliterated by a change that's happened somewhere in the past," Roberson explained. "So the bifurcations that would have given rise to both their universes didn't happen. Elements of both their universes exist in this blended one."

... "The cast [of creators] lined up for the covers is incredible." That cast include Phil Jimenez as the regular cover artist and Keith Giffen, Steve Lightle, Mike Grell and "Locke & Key" artist Gabriel Rodriguez providing variants.

Other reporting and commentary via Comics Alliance, Newsarama, Major Spoilers, The Outhousers, io9, the official Star Trek site, and ICV2, which calls it "the most startling and unexpected announcement of Comic-Con so far".

San Diego 2011: Preview

Some actual or potential panels you might be interested in at San Diego 2011. Lots of stuff on the New DCU (aka the DCnU), replacing the normal DC Universe and DC Nation panels, and three DC/Mattel panels in which we might find out more about the Legion figures.

THURSDAY

11:30-12:30 DC: Flashpoint— Everything you know will change in a Flash! Flashpoint, the blockbuster comics event of the summer, has turned the DC Universe inside out! Join DC Comics Executive Editor, Eddie Berganza, and some of the amazing talent behind Flashpoint for a panel that's sure to pose new questions about this explosive event even as it answers others! Room 6DE

11:30-12:30 Mattel and WWE: Past, Present, and Future— Hear from some of the top WWE Superstars of all time as they discuss the storied past, exciting present, and promising future of the company and how it's all celebrated in Mattel's action figure toy line! Get a sneak peek at upcoming products and be the first to hear exciting announcements for the 2012 line. Be on hand as WWE Superstars Triple H, Rey Mysterio a surprise WWE Legend, the WWE creative team, Mattel toy designers Bill Miekina and Derek Handy, and Mattel WWE brand manager Enrique Ruvalcaba present an action-packed Q&A! Room 24ABC 

1:00-2:00 DC Direct— DC Direct has long been known as one of the most creative companies that produce collectibles for the direct market, producing your favorite action figures, statues, and busts for over ten years now. DC Direct director of product development Jim Fletcher along with artist Adam Hughes, DC exclusive sculptors, and others discuss their line of current projects, as well as future plans revolving around the new DC Universe. Room 5AB

2:00-3:00 DC Comics - The New 52— DC Comics explodes in September with 52 new number one issues and one panel is not enough to cover it! With a "DC Comics - The New 52" panel each day, there's sure to be something for everyone! Join Dan DiDio, DC Entertainment Co-Publisher, Bob Harras, DC's Editor-in-Chief, and DC Comics Executive Editor, Eddie Berganza, for an up-close look at this unprecedented wave of new series, from the first-ever re-launches of Action Comics and Batman titles to the latest thrills from comics' cutting-edge! Room 6DE

5:30-6:30 Spotlight on Paul Levitz— Marv Wolfman (Teen Titans, Superman) and Mark Evanier (Kirby: King of Comics) interview fellow comics fan, writer, and editor -- and Comic-Con special guest -- Paul Levitz about his life, from The Comic Reader to DC Comics president & publisher, and now beyond as he returns to writing Legion of Super-Heroes and makes his debut as a historian with the Eisner-nominated 75 Years Of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Myth-Making. Room 8

 FRIDAY

11:15-12:15 DC Comics - The New 52— DC Comics explodes in September with 52 new number one issues and one panel is not enough to cover it! With a "DC Comics - The New 52" panel each day, there's sure to be something for everyone! Join Dan DiDio, DC Entertainment Co-Publisher, Bob Harras, DC's Editor-in-Chief, and DC Comics Executive Editor, Eddie Berganza, for an up-close look at this unprecedented wave of new series, from the first-ever re-launches of Action Comics and Batman titles to the latest thrills from comics' cutting-edge! Room 6DE

11:30-12:15 Direct Conversation— Join executives from DC Comics for a special chat and Q&A session on September's "The New 52" launch, spotlighting sales incentives, marketing and publicity push, and much more. Room 18

1:00-2:00 Mattel: Mattypalooza 2011: Masters of the Universe Classics, DC Universe, Ghostbusters, Voltron, and More!— Are you a Matty Mattel fan? Head over to this year's Mattypalooza to get all the latest info on your favorite Mattel collector lines and MattyCollector.com. Featuring a special Q&A with Mattel toy designers Bill Benecke and Brandon Sopinsky, Mattel brand managers Scott "Toy Guru" Neitlich, Danielle McLachlan, Rhobyn de Jesus, and Natalie So, and guest starring The Four Horsemen. As a bonus, Matty, the original Mattel collector, may even make a live appearance to reveal secrets for the upcoming Masters of the Universe 30th anniversary! New toys will be shown for the first time! Room 25ABC

3:00-4:00 Mattel and DC Comics: A Heroic Partnership— You've been a fan of Mattel's popular DC toy lines, now find out the latest news, sneak peaks, and behind-the-scenes scoop on your favorite Mattel/DC action figures, including DC Universe Classics, Young Justice, Action League, and more. Plus, get an exciting look at new 2012 products. Join Mattel toy designers Bill Benecke and Mike Guarniere, as well as brand managers Danielle McLachlan and Scott "Toy Guru" Neitlich, along with The Four Horsemen and surprise guests from DC Comics and Warner Brothers for an insightful Q&A. Room 4


3:00-4:00 DC: Superman— How does The Man of Tomorrow fit into the new DC Universe that rises in September? Find out as group editor Matt Idelson joins new Action Comics writer Grant Morrison (All Star Superman, Batman Incorporated) and author of the bestselling Superman: Earth One graphic novel J. Michael Straczynski (Superman, Wonder Woman) to take fans new and old up, up, and away to give them a sneak peak at what's in store for Superman. Room 6DE

SATURDAY

11:15-12:30 DC Comics - The New 52— DC Comics explodes in September with 52 new number one issues and one panel is not enough to cover it! With a "DC Comics - The New 52" panel each day, there's sure to be something for everyone! Join Dan DiDio, DC Entertainment Co-Publisher, Bob Harras, DC's Editor-in-Chief, and DC Comics Executive Editor, Eddie Berganza, for an up-close look at this unprecedented wave of new series, from the first-ever re-launches of Action Comics and Batman titles to the latest thrills from comics' cutting-edge! Room 6DE

SUNDAY

1:45-2:45 Designing the New 52— What does it take to remake a universe? There are new stories, new characters, and especially new designs! DC's Co-Publisher Jim Lee, VP - Art and Design Mark Chiarello, exclusive artist Cully Hamner, and others discuss their visual approach to reshaping the DC Universe! Room 6DE 


3:00-4:00 DC Comics - The New 52— DC Comics explodes in September with 52 new number one issues and one panel is not enough to cover it! With a "DC Comics - The New 52" panel each day, there's sure to be something for everyone! Join DC Comics Group Editors Matt Idelson and Mike Marts for an up-close look at this unprecedented wave of new series, from the first-ever re-launches of Action Comics and Batman titles to the latest thrills from comics' cutting-edge! Join Matt, Mike and some of the industry's top writers and artists as we make history together. Room 6DE

Bits of Legionnaire Business

OK, since I haven't been around here much lately, here's some important stuff that you have probably read elsewhere already:

• Former Legion writer Mindy Newell is back writing, this time for ComicMix.

• Paul Levitz will be writing a new DCnU miniseries (that makes THREE series at once, for 6 months!) on the secret origin of the Legion, with art by returning veteran Chris Batista and inker Rich Perotta.

...This large-scale sci-fi odyssey delves into the secrets behind the scenes, including explaining how the organization known as the United Planets originally formed.

• The DCU Source had an interview with Levitz and Francis Portela on the new Legion series.

• If you didn't see it, Jim Shooter last month had a story on "Super Lad", a new Superboy-like character intended to be introduced during his run.

• Surprisingly, Legion Archives vol 13 has been solicited for next March:

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ARCHIVES VOL. 13 HC
Written by JIM SHOOTER, PAUL LEVITZ and GERRY CONWAY
Art by MIKE GRELL, MICHAEL NETZER, JOE STATON, JIM SHERMAN and others • Cover by MIKE GRELL
ADVANCE SOLICITED • On sale MARCH 21 • 240 pg, FC, $59.99 US
In these stories, collected from SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #224-233, the 30th century teens battle Stargrave, The Fatal Five and the intergalactic conspiracy known as The Dark Circle.

• And as Tom just pointed out to me:

THE STEVE DITKO OMNIBUS VOL. 2 HC
On sale DECEMBER 14 • 384 pg, FC, $59.99 US
Collecting tales by artist Steve Ditko from SHOWCASE #75, THE HAWK AND THE DOVE #1-2, MAN-BAT #1, DETECTIVE COMICS #483-485 and 487, ADVENTURE COMICS #467-468, LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #267, 268, 274, 276 and 281, OUTSIDERS #13, LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE 80-PAGE GIANT #1 and the TALES OF THE NEW GODS TP.

Yep, that's right. The Dr. Mayavale story's getting reprinted in hardcover format.

Legion Trek? Say what?

[Note: On June 28, I posted this entry, then sent an email to Mike Grell asking for clarification. Mike told me that oops, Catskill wasn't supposed to post the cover until the official announcement was made, and asked if I could pull this post. At his request, I did. The miniseries was announced on July 21 at San Diego, so I'm reposting this as it was at the time I wrote it. See the July 21 entry for the full story.]

Got an email today from Catskill Comics, who represents writer/artist Mike Grell (among many others). One thing caught my eye - Grell's cover featuring Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad - and Capt. Kirk and Mr. Spock of "Star Trek"! Yes, it sounds like some weird fanfic mashup, but the page says it's a mini-series from IDW.

I couldn't find anything on this miniseries (though I did find a homemade video of the Legion's theme song mashed up with the recent Trek movie as if it were the new Trek TV series opening credits, and a whole page of weird Legion crossover fanfic featuring Star Trek, Pokemon, and Dr. Who).

I've got an email out to Iron Mike to see what he says - is this a real miniseries or just a commission?

More updates

Updates on io9 from an interview with Dan DiDio:

Paul Levitz is synonymous with the Legion of Superheroes, but DC's published many different iterations of the Legion. Can you give us some hints about what Paul has planned?

DD: The good news on this is that we've had a lot of positive reactions to what's going on with Paul on Legion of Superheroes, and he's got a very distinctive style that is really something that plays to long-time Legion fans. I'm happy to say we're going to be continuing with a lot of the direction and tone he's set currently on the run. That's probably one of the books you'll see the least amount of change taking place, other than the subtraction of the characters in Legion Lost.

Let's talk Legion Lost — is there connection to Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning's miniseries of the same name from a few years back?

DD: The [new book's] title is Legion Lost, but that's where the similarities end with the Legion Lost that came before. What you're going to find out is that this Legion is lost in present time with no way to get back to the future — this is a team of Legionnaires who are trapped on Earth with a very specific mission to accomplish. They're not sure how to do it given the parameters of how the world exists right now.

So, about that new DC reboot.....

In case you've been hiding under a rock lately, you've probably heard about the upcoming DC reboot coming in September. The TWO new Legion titles were announced today on io9:


Seven heroes from the 31st century have traveled back to the present day. Their mission: Save their future from total annihilation. When the future tech they brought with them fails, they find themselves trapped in a nightmarish world and an ultimate struggle to survive. LEGION LOST #1 will be written by Fabian Nicieza and illustrated by Pete Woods, fresh off an acclaimed run of Action Comics.

In the 31st century, the Legion of Superheroes is reeling from the loss of seven of their finest — and trying desperately to keep their youngest recruits alive against a series of terrible new threats. LEGION OF SUPERHEROES #1 will be written by fan-favorite Legion writer Paul Levitz and illustrated by Francis Portela.






Commentary from io9, iFanboy, Bleeding Cool, the DC Source blog, and the DC Universe message boards.

Meanwhile, Inside Pulse wonders if that's a miscolored Cosmic Boy on the Legion Lost cover at top, or if they're changing his ethnicity like the L3 Star Boy.

That Damned Reprint

Bleeding Cool is reporting that copies of the mis-printed and recalled Legion reprint of "Legion of the Damned" are being sold on eBay for $30.

Technically titled "DC Comics Presents: Legion Of Superheroes: Legion Of The Damned 100 Page Spectacular" #1, the new version will have a white logo instead of a yellow one.

Legion of the Damned Reprints

So we finally get a reprint trade paperback of "Legion of the Damned" - the four-part arc that closed out LSH v4/Legionnaires, by Abnett/Lanning/Coipiel - and it turns out that it's printed in the wrong order! Oops.

According to posters at the DC Message Boards and LegionWorld.net, the volume was recalled the day it came out.

The chapters were supposed to be printed as
1. Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #122
2. Legionnaires #79
3. Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #123
4. Legionnaires #80

But instead, they were printed as chapters 2, 4, 1, and 3 in that order. Way to go, reprint editor!

Things that make you go "huh?"

From the Home Office in Webster, Texas, here are the Top Ten Legion moments that make you go "Huh?"

10. Steve Ditko Archives: The Legion Years
9. The Omen & Prophet Saga
8. I Dream of Sneckie
7. Sure, Keith, go ahead and use those thick black markers, they're better than fine lined inking
6. A five-year gap? That could work...
5. Reboot? I guess so, that couldn't make things any more confusing
4. Reboot? Sure, why not, we've already had one, what's one more?
3. We don't need no stinking Superboy! We can write around that.
2. If we take Superboy & the Legion out of "Adventure Comics" and make them a backup strip in "Action Comics", they'll totally love Supergirl instead.
1. Despite having one of the universe's richest men as their benefactor, the Legion lets Superboy leave over a tax issue, because if Supergirl left then the Legion of Super-Pets would leave too.

Sorry, no good April Fools joke this year. But go back and read my earlier ones from when I was funny.

C2E2 10

This year's C2E2 in Chicago has ended. Here's what you missed from a Legion-centric perspective:

Via Newsarama:

DC Icons panel

Is Linda Danvers/Matrix Supergirl ever going to come back? DiDio: "Don't look at me, I just work here." DiDio says we will not be seeing her again.

The fan then asks about the multiple Legion of Superheroes, and why we can't have multiple Supergirls. DiDio says the current forward direction is Supergirl as Superman's cousin.

Is there a chance for an ongoing Lex Luthor or the Legion of Supervillains series? Berganza: "There's always possibilities." DiDio says the book where the villains are the lead are tough to sustain: They either fight villains and become kind of heroes, fight heroes and lose, or fight heroes and win and start killing off your stable.

DC Nation panel

DiDio says that Adventure Comics might be more of a showcase book, moving ahead, but he hopes Brightest Day will help other characters support their own series.

I don't think CBR covered the DC Icons panel, but here's what came out of their coverage of the DC Nation panel:

DiDio said "Adventure Comics" will likely become a "Showcase"-style book, responding to a question about the "Brightest Day" characters unlikely to support their own series at this point.

Flight rings on eBay

I am not associated with this ebay auction in any way, shape, or form. That said, someone is selling replica Legion flight rings on ebay if you're interested.

This isn't the original gold-plated DC Direct version but a homemade version that, from the ad, is available in all sizes from 4-15 (US). Cost is $55 ($40 for the ring, $15 for shipping from Israel).

If you do get one, let me know how it works out!

Emerald City Comic Con 2011

Seattle's Emerald City Comic Con was last weekend. Couldn't find much in the news, but here's what I did find:

DC Universe panel, via CBR:

A reader dissatisfied with the gaps left in Paul Levitz's "Legion of Superheroes" history was promised that "Paul has major plans for the book and will be filling those gaps" beginning in late summer/fall.

But seriously, unnamed fan, the book hasn't even been out a year, did you want the new book to pick up from the end of the Magic Wars right away?  


CBR's coverage of the DC Nation panel didn't say anything, and couldn't find anything from Newsarama.


Next weekend: C2E2 in Chicago.

Trivia Quiz #53

Trivia Quiz #53. Today's topic: random questions!

1. Which members of the Legion of Super-Pets debuted in a Legion story?

2. Speaking of the Super-Pets, several members of the LSP are also members of the Super-Pets team in DC's (non-canonical) kids line. Looking at both groups, which of the members are only in one group?

3. In one story, Cosmic Boy pressed a button, "activating the Selector Machine - round and round spin figures of our members, mounted on a wheel! Let's see who is chosen by sheer chance to.... " do what?

4. Glorith returned (sort of) at the Legion Academy. Back when she was the Time Trapper's assistant, what was the main reason that she was turned into a blob, yet the de-aged Legionnaires weren't, in ADVENTURE 338 (November 1965)?

5. In Dave Cockrum's original concept of the character we currently know as Wildfire, what was his code name?

6. Which two Legionnaires had this conversation:

Legionnaire 1: We're going to have to put on a "lovey-dovey" act to fool everyone, but don't overdo it, buster, or... POW!
Legionnaire 2: {chuckle} I promise... "Sweetheart!" Ha, Ha!

7. What does C.O.M.P.U.T.O. stand for?

Toyfair 2011 Update

The annual ToyFair in NYC was this past weekend, and among the highlights (for us, at least) were the release of some more of the Legion figures from the upcoming 12-pack. The new ones are Wildfire, Chameleon Boy, Timber Wolf, and Brainiac 5; in San Diego last year, we saw Superboy, Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, and Matter-Eater Lad. Unseen so far are Karate Kid, Ultra Boy, and Colossal Boy. At San Diego they said the pack was supposed to also include Proty II. In the bottom picture you can see the Legion flight ring replica (warning: does not enable the user to fly) that also comes with the set. The pack will retail for $180 from MattyCollector only.

(H/T to Tom for the IMWAN link)

Via MattyCollector.com:

We revealed four additional figures from the Legion of Super Heroes 12-pack! Fortifying the Legion are Timber Wolf, Wildfire, Brainiac 5, and Chameleon Boy. The rest of the figures will be revealed at conventions throughout the year.

Via IMWAN:

First up: there's been a rumour going around that DC Direct is not going to be making action figures anymore, and that Mattel will now be handling all toys, while DC Direct does statues, busts, etc. Higher end stuff, really. It co-incides with Georg Brewer's leaving, after 9? years in charge of DC Direct.

Photos of the figures via ToyNews and ToyArk, (both of which have lots of closeups).

Trivia Answers #52

Special (late) Legion election trivia edition, with late-breaking results!

1. Chronologically from the founding of the L1 Legion to the Magic Wars, three leaders were not elected leader by the rest of the members. Which ones, and what were the circumstances?

Cosmic Boy was chosen by computer to be the first leader; Saturn Girl became leader after winning Proty II's contest; and Element Lad (who was Deputy) became leader after the resignation of Lightning Lad

2. Who won the first Legion leader election that was based on a reader vote?

The announcement for the first reader vote appeared in the Legion Outpost letters page of Adventure 364.

Dear Editor:
In the Legion Constitution, it says a new leader must be elected every year. In ADVENTURE No. 323, Saturn Girl was elected. 14 months later, in No. 332 [sic], Brainiac 5 was put in command. Again, just 11 months after this, Invisible Kid took over the position of honor. The time is coming when a new leader should be elected. This time, before saying who the new top man (or girl) will be, why not hold an election in which the readers can vote, too? This wouldn't be like the popularity contest you held a couple of years back, for it would be based on ability, not mere popularity. Superboy and Supergirl should be excluded, because they live in the 20th century and couldn't devote their full time to the post. The former leaders (including Cosmic Boy, the first leader) should be left out of the running, too.

-Tredgar Waller, Rosemount, Minn.

(How about it, fans? Who would you like to see holding the Legion's reins? Phantom Girl? Ultra Boy? Lightning Lad? Duo Damsel? You tell us and we'll announce the results in this department. Make sure all votes are postmarked before Dec. 26 - the date the next issue of ADVENTURE hits the stands. -Ed.)

Here's the announcement from Adventure 368:

Dear Editor:
In a recent issue, a reader suggested having an election for a new leader of the Super-Heroes. So I am going to cast my vote for Ultra Boy, even though I'm not old enough to vote.

-James Garner, Jersey City, N.J.

(You're old enough to vote in this election, Jim - and you were one of 7,810 readers who did just that. We have the final tallies; but before we announce them, let's see who some of the other readers picked, and why . -Ed.)

"I vote for Mon-El because he is older. He was in the Phantom Zone from the 20th century to the 30th and has 1,000 years of knowledge behind him" -Jeffery Martin, Rock Creek, Ohio . . . "I would like to see Karate Kid as the Legion Leader because he has a unique ability. I SAID ABILITY - not power. K Kid didn't drink a potion or get changed by rays. He had to practice long hours to attain his famed skill." -Robert Gold, Jackson Heights, N.Y. . . . "I cast my vote for Element Lad. He could defeat the whole Legion - or almost - with his element-changing power. He could even turn rock to Kryptonite to beat Superboy." -Lonnie Herzog, Bronx, N.Y. . . . "I vote for Dream Girl because she is Dreamy, Remarkable, Eager, Amazing, Marvelous, Groovy, Irresistable, Reliable, Law-Abiding. She could also see into the future and see what crimes will be committed and who she should assign to them." -Dan Patnode, Menomonee Falls, Wis. . . . "I vote for Lightning Lad because he is the only one of the original three members who has not yet been Leader. Besides, he has the most 'battle scars' of any living Legionnaire." -Unsigned, Freehold, N.J.

(And now - the big announcement! The Legionnaire you readers have elected as the next Leader is . . . ULTRA BOY! He racked up 1,262 votes. Coming in a close second was Mon-El, with 1,160 votes - so he'll be the new Deputy Leader. Every Legionnaire got several votes (except Shadow Lass, who hadn't joined yet). Even former Leaders got some - and Timber Wolf, who hasn't joined yet, officially, racked up a few. Here's the way the other Super-Heroes did in the final tally: Element Lad - 893; Karate Kid - 879; Lightning Lad - 615; Phantom Girl - 525; Chameleon Boy - 420; Sun Boy - 388; Superboy - 316; Matter-Eater Lad - 300; Supergirl - 267; Duo Damsel - 144; Princess Projectra - 139; Colossal Boy - 111; Brainiac 5 - 96; Star Boy - 84; Bouncing Boy - 73; Dream Girl - 68; Light Lass, Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl - 32 each; Timber Wolf - 23; Shrinking Violet and Invisible Kid - who are obviously the hardest to see - 15 each. That's it! Watch for Ultra Boy and Mon-El to take over their new duties in an early issue of ADVENTURE. -Ed.)

Ultra Boy's term began in Adventure 371. Incidentally, this appeared the following year, in Adventure 378, which said that former leaders were NOT eligible:

Now to some serious business. Paul Williams, Cataula, Ga., points out that "The current Legion Leader, Ultra Boy, and the Deputy Leader, Mon-El, were elected by the readers. I believe you should have a similar election every year. That way, the Leader will be the one the readers want." We agree - so, since it's about that time, we'll give you all one month to send in your votes. All ballots much reach us by February 27, the date when our next issue hits the stands. Remember, Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5, Invisible Kid and Ultra Boy have already held the post. That leaves the following members eligible: Bouncing Boy, Chameleon Boy, Chemical King, Colossal Boy, Dream Girl, Duo Damsel, Element Lad, Karate Kid, Light Lass, Lightning Lad, Matter-Eater Lad, Mon-El, Phantom Girl, Princess Projectra, Shadow Lass, Shrinking Violet, Star Boy, Sun Boy, Superboy, Supergirl and Timber Wolf. Vote for your favorite. The winner will be the next leader; the runner-up will be the Deputy.

(Via the Silver Age Legion page)

3. Which Legion leader was disqualified after the readers voted, and why? Who became the leader instead?

Superboy won the 1976 election, but was disqualified at the inauguration (Superboy 225, 3/77) since he was not a regular inhabitant of the 30th century. Wildfire became leader. (You'd think that the Legion election rules would have been known to the Legionnaires...)

4. Considering what we know of the all of the various "regular" Legions - the L1 Legion (founding through Magic Wars), the v4-era Legion (post-Magic Wars til Zero Hour) and the SW6 Legion, the L2 Legion post-Zero Hour reboot, the L3 Legion Waid/Kitson reboot, the current retroboot, the DC Animated Universe (including Justice League Unlimited and Superman The Animated Series), and the Legion animated series - which Legionnaire has been the leader the most number of times? For this question, for counting purposes we'll consider different versions of the same character (Lightning Lad and Livewire, for example) to be the same.

For this question, consecutive terms only count as being leader one time.
L1: Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5, Invisible Kid, Ultra Boy, Mon-El, Wildfire, Lightning Lad, Dream Girl, Element Lad, Polar Boy, Sensor Girl
L1v4: Sun Boy, Polar Boy, unknown after Legion reformation
L2: Cosmic Boy, Leviathan, Cosmic Boy, Leviathan, Shrinking Violet, Livewire, Invisible Kid, Saturn Girl, Livewire, Cosmic Boy, Kid Quantum
L3: unknown
Current: Cosmic Boy, Mon-El
DCAU: unknown
LSHAn: Cosmic Boy, Bouncing Boy, Cosmic Boy
I'm pretty sure I'm missing a couple in here, bu it looks like Cosmic Boy has been leader the most times across the various continuities, at least six. Nobody else even comes close.

5. In his two previous writing stints on the Legion, how many elections has Paul Levitz overseen and which leaders were chosen?

Levitz 1:  Wildfire (Superboy 225), Lightning Lad (Superboy and the LSH 247)
Levitz 2: Dream Girl (LSH v2 291), Element Lad (LSH v2 306), Element Lad (LSH v3 12), Polar Boy x2, Sensor Girl (LSH v4 60)
Incidentally, there were no leader elections between Lightning Lad and Dream Girl. Levitz wrote all the elections from 1977 to 1989.

6. What happens if the Leader resigns, is expelled, dies, becomes incapacitated, or otherwise can't fulfill his/her duties as leader? What about the Deputy? What if they both are?

From the Legion Constitution:

6.3 In the event of the resignation, expulsion, leave, death or incapacity of:
(i) the Leader, the Deputy Leader shall become Leader and shall appoint a new Deputy Leader;
(ii) the Deputy Leader, the Leader shall appoint a new Deputy Leader; or
(iii) both the Leader and the Deputy Leader, the senior active member shall serve as temporary Leader, with a new Leader and Deputy Leader to be selected at the first opportunity in a manner conforming to the requirements of Sections 8.2, 8.3 and 8.4 hereunder.
(Note that section 8 of the Constitution deals with voting)

7. In this election, which eligible Legionnaires have NOT been leader before (that we know of)?

Of the 25 people on the ballot, the following had been leader at least once in the L1 continuity: Brainiac 5, Cosmic Boy, Dream Girl, Element Lad, Invisible Kid, Mon-El, Polar Boy, Sensor Girl, Ultra Boy, and Wildfire.

That leaves the following: Chameleon Boy, Chameleon Girl, Colossal Boy, Dawnstar, Earth Man, Gates, Lightning Lass, Phantom Girl, Quislet, Shadow Lass, Shrinking Violet, Sun Boy, Tellus, Timber Wolf, and Tyroc.

RIP Wizard Magazine

Updated 1/25 with link in last paragraph
-------------------------
So after nearly 20 years, Wizard Magazine (and sister magazine Toyfare) have ceased publication, basically falling victim to the internet. Though Wizard never - as far as I can remember - cover-featured the Legion, they have been featured from time to time. My Wizard collection is sadly lacking, so I don't even own any of the issues on my checklist (which is also incomplete - damn this procrastination!). I've got issues 19, 59, 67, and 208 on the list. What else am I missing?


In 1993, when the "Legionnaires" title was starting up, there was a trading card promotion with it for the new Cosmic Teams set. The #00 Catspaw was bagged with the March/April issue of Comics Buyers' Guide Price Guide, while the #000 card, Dragonmage, was bagged with Wizard #19. The Computo card, promo #0000, was bagged with "Legionnaires" #1. A fourth card, P1 with Apparition, was given out at conventions that year. No, there doesn't seem to have been a #0 card, go figure.

My old checklist shows that there was some sort of appearances in issue 59, but I have no idea what was in there (and I haven't been able to find a copy for download).

Issue 67 had a Reboot Legion casting call. Some of the young TV and movie actors from this 1993 casting call turned out to have pretty good careers, such as Leonardo di Caprio (their choice for Livewire), Claire Danes (Spark), and Natalie Portman (Shrinking Violet). Even Wil Wheaton got a nomination, as Chameleon.

A couple years ago, in preparation for the Legion episode of "Smallville", Wizard interviewed Geoff Johns (who wrote the episode).

 

A former Wizard writer recounted an interview (mentioned in the comments below) with Paul Levitz and the resulting 6-page article, but I'm not 100% sure which issue it appeared in:

Maybe you never noticed the change in tone, but others did – after not doing any form of interview with the magazine in 224 issues and countless specials, Paul Levitz sat down with me for almost an hour to talk about the Legion of Super-Heroes, and the magazine ended up running a six-page spread on the Levitz Era of Legion, something that would have never happened in the past, both in regards to the subjects the magazine covered as well as the subject interviewed.