Live (streaming) from San Diego, it's Friday afternoon! Comic-Con@Home - DC@Home Day 1

With the San Diego Comic-Con cancelled for 2020, they have put together a virtual convention. Replacing the usual DC panel, for Friday July 24 they live-streamed a panel in which all of the guests appeared via Zoom (or something similar).

Per the Comic-Con website, here's the panel description:

Whether its Batman's final showdown with The Joker, Wonder Woman taking on new adventures, or the Man of Steel taking facing threats from Metropolis and across the cosmos, DC is the place to be for the best storytellers lending their talents to the World's Greatest Super Heroes! Don't miss your chance to hear first-hand from these comic book legends in the making as they give you the inside scoop on what's in store for Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and other DC heroes and villains!DC talent to appear: Vita Ayala, Morgan Beem, Brian Michael Bendis, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Grace Ellis, Mitch Gerads, Clayton Henry, Mikel Janin, Tom King, Jim Lee, Ryan Sook, Maggie Stiefvater, Mariko Tamaki, Tom Taylor, Ram V, and Brittney Williams.

Editor Jamie Rich was the moderator. In the second segment (Legion, Swamp Thing, Wonder Woman, and Superman) were Mariko Tamaki, Mikel Janin, Brian Michael Bendis, Ryan Sook, and Vita Ayala (as "Vita A"), starting around 14:45. You can watch the entire panel on YouTube.

Below is a verbatim transcript and not edited, so it sounds more conversational than it would if it were in print.

Spoiler alert: there were no spoilers for the Legion, just talk among Bendis, Sook,and Janin about how there are lots of characters and it's a fun book to work on. There is an interesting bit about Gold Lantern near the end of the segment.



Bendis and Sook were up first in this segment, talking about the Legion.

Rich: Brian, I’ll start with you, you actually have some experience working with a giant cast, tell us what’s going on with Legion of Super-Heroes these days and how you balance all these characters.

Bendis: Well, there’s giant casts, and then there’s Legion of Super-Heroes, it’s a completely different ball park, I mean a big cast like we are in X-Men, it’s still around 6 lead X-Men and there’s a lot of people running around in the background, but with Legion of Super-Heroes there’s like 3 dozen lead characters and each one of them could lead the book, lead the team, has enough story to like anchor a whole book, so for us it’s almost like this giant ensemble, we have to put focus on every character as often as possible, and we keep adding new characters as well. Ryan is a perfect partner for this, anything we come up with he adds, it’s all additive, he always comes up with new stuff. It’s just a matter of for us, making sure every character gets its due. We have this awesome two-part 44-artist Legion jam coming up with issues 8 and 9, that is about focusing on each character going around the whole room, making sure everyone knows who everybody is and what they’re capable of. It’s the craziest thing.

Rich: Ryan, how do you keep them all straight when you’re having to go through the script and trying to figure out who goes where and who belongs in the background?

Sook: I don’t... I have to redraw so much, so much stuff. (Laughs) No, Brian’s a great writer, he writes exactly who needs to be there and I just try to do my best and sort of draw them, though I do have a sort of cheat sheet, it’s four pages long of every single character and their designs so that I can refer back to it. I would have thought that by issue 6 I would know them all, but I still refer back (laughs) and look at them again and again. Yeah, but like Brian said, to keep a huge cast and each character is their own lead, it’s, this legion of artists that’s coming up to draw the Legion of Heroes, it’s super exciting. The characters have come more to life more than they ever have before. I got the benefit of having Mikel [Janin, also in the video chat] draw some of them in issue 4 and they never looked better. And now Kevin Nowlan and Art Adams and Michael Oeming and, God, countless... Yannick Paquette, the characters have come to life like they never have before, and making them real to me. So it’s really fun.

Rich: Speaking of Mikel, you’ve done a lot of characters before, you’ve done Justice League Dark, you’ve done Batman, you’ve just taken over Wonder Woman, how do you adjust to all these characters and keeping them straight?

Janin: Well, every project is very different, so I think it starts really with the writer. Because now that Ryan and Brian are talking about Legion of Super-Heroes, when you start working in that project, you feel so... the passion that those two men are putting in the project, you can feel that they love every little bit of that story, so you feel like you just entered that story. It’s easier to get in the mood of that particular character…. [talks about other stuff]

[skipping everyone talking about their other stuff]

Rich: We have a few minutes left, I want to actually touch base with both Mikel and Ryan, similar questions, but how do you design characters? I want to ask Mikel how you went about designing Liar Liar and Ryan, we’ve got this new character called Gold Lantern coming up in Legion of Super-Heroes, I’d like to know what went into the designs behind that. 

Janin: [discusses his work]

Rich: So Ryan, what can you tell us about Gold Lantern?

Sook: Gold Lantern is... he’s kinda become... he’s such a great character, he’s the epitome of all the Lanterns. I mean, when Geoff Johns was bringing out all the spectrum from years ago, the amazing sort of scope that the Lanterns bring, it’s broad, but Gold Lantern refines it all down to this one character, it’s not a Corps, it’s a guy, you know, it’s this one character, and he brings legitimacy to all these emotions being encapsulated in one thing. It’s part of the Legion universe in a way that I think is totally inseparable from it. But designing him was a lot like designing a lot of the other Legion characters, we can take elements… this is a thousand years in the future, there’s nothing withheld, right? So we have all those elements of the Lanterns and all the history that’s there, but to push it a thousand years into the future, make it recognizable, but really pull it as far as we can into the future and let him be a character that’s not bound by the history, but brings that history into an expression that’s totally new in the future. That was kind of the idea of designing him and making him gold – at least, from Brian’s point of perspective, it was just “Is that a Gold Lantern in there somewhere?” It starts like that, this germ of an idea, but all of a sudden it’s like “yeah, that is a Gold Lantern – wait, we’ve gotta know the Gold Lantern.” And when you have characters that evolve and grow as the story and the characters are growing, boy, it really is exciting to design a character like that, because you start with such a blank slate and then you can just refine it as we go forward in the story, it’s really fun.”

Bendis: And we’re really excited about that taking off, you know.

LSH v4 #32 Annotations: The First (and Second, and Third) to Fall

Annotations for Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #32

• On sale 6/23/92
• It's OK, I'm a Senator: https://itsokimasenator.livejournal.com/15361.html
• Legion of Substitute Podcasters episode 613 (July 13, 2020)
• Timeline: May 6 (ish), 2995, but the Sourcebook says 5/15

Notes:

• Page 1: Kono and Cham are back on Talus. The last time we saw them was in the Annual, which was Saturday May 2 on Winath for Dacey and Doritt’s christening. Figure they left on Sunday, so this is Monday May 4 at the earliest.
• Page 2 panel 2: Element Lad is talking, opening up after his encounter with Sean Erin last issue.
• Page 4 panel 1: “Zyzan” is not the creature’s name, it’s his homeworld. He’s one of a race of yellow-skinned, cold adverse, lizard-like humanoids, who tried to raid the Earth of its ores by first luring the Legion offworld, then disguising themselves as Legion members when the Subs showed up instead (ADV 311).
• Page 4 panel 3: We finally meet Boston Foxworth (no relation to Annie Foxmoor, who was found in the SW6 chambers), who you’ll recall was a Star Trek’s Harry Mudd type rogue that Tom Bierbaum mentioned. He last appeared in the text pages in issue 27.
• Page 5 panel 9: the Dominion homeworld of Elia is not responding. Pay attention, this will be important later.
• Page 6 panel 1: The gamma bomb will likely not make you turn green, instead it’s probably related to the gamma weapons used in World War VI in the 28th century that we recently saw Glorith and the Khunds use back in issue 16.
• Page 12: judging from the state of the UP and Dominion fleets, and the two Valors, I’d say that at most only a few days have passed. So maybe it’s May 6 or 7?
• Page 14: on the other hand, it looks like no time at all has passed since Circe and Bounty went into SP HQ. We saw Sussa Paka’s shadow on the wall back in issue 30, when it was April 30th. We missed their meeting off-panel. Sussa still has her stolen container of unobtainium.
• Page 17 panel 2: name tags Shirow and Otomo are references to Masamune Shirow and Katsuhiro Otomo, the creators of “Ghost in the Shell” and “Akira”, respectively.
• Page 24: Keith Giffen got to kill Karate Kid a second time (with young Reep and Projectra as collateral damage). But somehow the Sourcebook says this is May 15th, which is just impossible given that Pol was born on May 2nd, this is not 13 days later. 
• Among those that we should assume are dead are those who were listed as being in the Chambers back in issue 27: Holdur, Polecat, Absorbancy Boy, Caress, Flynt Brojj, Squire Burroughs, Karate Kid II, Black Mace, Quake Kid, Crystal Kid, Radiation Roy, Visi Lad, and Dirk Morgna (as we saw back on page 9). But given that this is a comic and we haven't seen all the bodies, are we SURE they're all really dead? 
• Some of them come back later, but I'm not going to tell you which ones.
• Omnicom: the planet Yal was mentioned in ADV 325 as a planet protected by the Robot Law Corps.
• Late 2985 – LSV war
• Feb 2986 – Quislet, Tellus, Polar Boy, and Magnetic Kid joined
• July 2988 – late 50s issues of v3, right before the Emerald Empress story
• Jan 2993 – in the 5 year gap, between Dirk Morgna becoming the Earthgov spokesman in 9/92 and the wedding of Shadow Kid and Lady Memory in 8/93
• Whatever happened to RJ Brande? He hasn’t been seen in quite a while, since late 2985 or early 2986. 
• Back in LSH v3 #9 he was seen meeting with a couple of Proteans under mysterious circumstances, one of whom later turned out to be the former pet of Leland McCauley IV (it’s implied that Brande was trying to get info on McCauley from the Protean). McCauley tried to have Brande killed, but the Legion stopped him, though his estate was destroyed. 
• His parting words to the Legionnaires in LSH v3 #17 (Dec 1985): “McCauley ruined this nice little world, your founders are off being grown-ups, and to tell the verdammt truth, I’m bored as a starman planetside. There’s not a squishy thing except money to keep an old man here anymore – so I’m off to a new world, a new name, and a new face – and damn this old pudgy body too! Send my regards, tell my boy Reep I’ve gone, and by damn, I’m gonna find a world where I can have fun!” 
• His next (and most recent, to date) appearance was in Secret Origins 25 (April 1988), where he was in a starport waiting lounge (looking like Santa Claus), telling a group of kids the story of the founding of the Legion. 

---

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), 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.

• 6/11/1992 - Aria tries to take the dying Brin Londo back in time to prevent his father from administering the first Zuunium injection, but accidentally dumps them both in the 20th century (LSH v4 Ann 3 part 1).
• 2/12/75 –  The inhabitants of the planet Trom are exterminated by the pirate Kivun Roxxas. The sole survivor is 12 year-old Jan Arrah (LSH v4 #31).
• 3/26/2978 Dark Circle obtained updated cell samples from when Dr. Zan Orbal restored bodies and powers to Matter-Eater Lad, Lightning Lad, and Bouncing Boy on Tartarus, to complete their collection (LSH v4 #22).
• 10/78 Doppelganger substitution during Dark Circle invasion (LSH v4 #22).
• 2/17/89 – Mekt admitted to Labyrinth Penal Institute (LSH v4 #10).
• 6/23/89 – Magic Wars end (LSH v3 #63)
• 9/89 – Polymer shield around Earth removed, Earthgov debt soars (LSH v4 #30)
• 10/89 – the Great Collapse
• 11/2/89 – Tayla Wellington elected President (LSH v4 #30)
• 1/19/90 – Mutual assistance pact signed with the Dominion; Earthgov officially secedes from the United Planets (LSH v4 #30)
• 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).
• 4/90 – Validus Plague ravages Winath; former Legionnaire Brainiac 5 helps (LSH v4 #3).
• 6/7/90 – Legion Academy closes (LSH v4 #16).
• 7/6/90 – Former Legion Academy heads Chuck and Luornu Durgo Taine open the United Planets Militia Academy (LSH v4 #16).
• TBD 2990 – Earthgov secedes from the United Planets, and the Science Police Earth splits from the Science Police Proper (LSH v4 #2). Since then, “resistance forces have opposed Earthgov since the introduction of repressive measures… but with little success to date.” (LSH v4 #13)
• 4/12/91 – Tinya goes missing; she was secretly sent back in time by Glorith (LSH v4 #2).
• 5/8/91 – Search for Tinya called off; Jo resigns; Sun Boy is leader (LSH v4 #2).
• 5/27/91 – Mekt released from Labyrinth, rehabilitated (LSH v4 #10).
• 6/9/91 – Planned date of wedding of Tinya and Jo (LSH v4 #2).
• 7/91 – Reported threats regarding Earthgov failure to pay debts (LSH v4 #30).
• 8/12/91 – Black Dawn; Timber Wolf is seriously injured, Wildfire is lost; Starfinger II (Char Burrane) and the Khunds are somehow involved (LSH v4 #12, #28).
• 8/14/91 – It is now postulated that full Domination of Earthgov began at this time (LSH v4 #30).
• 8/15/91 – Blok, Dawnstar, and Dream Girl resign (LSH v4 #28).
• 8/17/91 – Crystal Kid resigns (LSH v4 #28).
• 8/23/91 – Element Lad resigns (LSH v4 #28).
• 9/1/91 – Impulse resigns (LSH v4 #28).
• 9/4/91 – Echo and Tellus resign (LSH v4 #28).
• 9/14/91 – Sun Boy resigns and appoints Polar Boy as unofficial temporary leader (LSH v4 #28).
10/8/91 – Imsk sets off the Damper weapon on Venado Bay on Braal-13 during the Imsk/Braal War. Rokk lost his powers, Loomis lost an arm. Salu was head of security on the damper project and knew what it would do, but fought against it (not hard enough, in her admission). Imsk won, as the army is occupying Braal (LSH v4 #1). She says that Braal attacked Imsk, and they were just defending themselves (LSH v4 #10).
• TBD 2991 – Garth and Imra, having left the Legion, start the Lightning Ring Plantation (LSH v4 #3).
• 1/21/92 – Rebirth Summit (LSH v4 #1).
• 7/6/92 – LSH leader Polar Boy disbands the Legion, mentions Black Dawn which “cost” the Legion (LSH v4 #1); Mordru coronated as the Supreme Teacher of Sorceror’s World (LSH v4 #6).
• TBD 1992 – Down and out, Dirk is rescued by Shvaughn Erin, who warns him not to trust Earthgov, but he doesn’t trust her. Dirk is later recruited by Circe (LSH v4 #28)
• 8/22/92 – Brek Bannin arrested for insurrection (LSH v4 #11).
• 9/9/92 – Dirk joins Earthgov as a spokesman and liaison (LSH v4 #28)
• 4/11/93 – Announcement of upcoming wedding of Grev Mallor (of the City People) to Kahnya Nahtahnie (Lady Memory of the Hill People) on Talok VIII.
• 8/14/93 – wedding of Grev Mallor and Kahnya Nahtahnie.
• 1/17/94 – Marzal reappears over Africa and the corrupt Earthgov destroys it, but not before Tyroc escapes (LSH v4 #16).
• 10/22/94 – Raid on anti-government terrorists, but ringleader Vidar (aka Universo) is not captured; Cham tells Marla he’s leaving (LSH v4 #1).
• 10/23/94 – Cham begins to recruit members for the new Legion, first approaching Rokk; Vi leaves the Imsk army for Winath; Dominator agents help Roxxas escape from Labyrinth (LSH v4 #1).
• 10/25/94 – Attack on Jo and Kono on Rimbor; Loomis and Lydda en route to Kathoon (LSH v4 #2).
• Fri 11/21/94 – Blok is killed by Roxxas the Butcher (LSH v4 #3).
• Thu 11/27/94 – Mordru crushes Rond Vidar’s ring; Rokk and Cham finally meet up with Jo and decide to go to Tharn to rescue Mysa; Dominators and Shvaughn Erin watch the tape of Roxxas and Blok, whose body is delivered to Winath; Mon-El resurrected (LSH v4 #3).
• Fri 11/28/94 – Mon-El goes to Talok VIII, then Shadow Lass and Mon-El visit Brainiac 5, then Mon-El destroys the Time Trapper (LSH v4 #4).
• Sat 11/29/94 – Mordruverse (LSH v4 #5).
• Sat 11/29/94 – Cham, Rokk, Jo, Kono, and Furball arrive on Tharn and are captured by Mordru; after being hired by Earthgov to find Blok’s killer, Celeste, Devlin, and Bounty leave for Trom (LSH v4 #6).
• Sun 11/30/94 – Celeste, Devlin, and Bounty meet Jan on Trom (LSH v4 #6); with the help of Laurel Gand, Rokk’s crew rescues Mysa and Rond from Mordru but are teleported to Grocz; Celeste, Devlin, Bounty, and Jan leave Trom for Winath (LSH v4 #7); Earthgov links to Roxxas reported, riots ensue (LSH 4 #30).
• Mon 12/1/94 – Rokk, Cham, Jo, Kono, Furball, Rond, Laurel, and Mysa travel from Grocz to Zirr (LSH v4 #8).
• Tues 12/2/94 – Rokk, Laurel, and Rond take some R&R time on Zirr with baby Lauren, while the others go to Winath; Marla reminisces (LSH v4 #8); on Cygnus IV, Roxxas watches a holo of Laurel Gand; Celeste, Devlin, Bounty, and Jan arrive on Winath (LSH v4 #9).
• Wed 12/3/94 – Rokk and Rond arrive in the morning, having left Laurel behind on Zirr; everyone (Rokk, Rond; Cham, Jo, Kono, Furball, Mysa; Celeste, Devlin, Bounty, Jan; Brainy, Garth, Ayla, Vi, Imra) is on Winath when Roxxas attacks; Bounty, Mekt, Cham, and Celeste are seriously injured, while Jo disappears and is presumed dead; Earthgov linked to Roxxas; Tenzil arrives on Earth (LSH v4 #10).
• Thu 12/4/94 – On Winath, Roxxas is on the loose, and kills a doctor and nurse in the Bloomfield Free Clinic. On Earth, Tenzil participates in the Batcave dig, meets with Shvaughn and Brek (who is released for the first time since incarceration 2 years prior), has dinner with Prosecutor Jakobi, then falls asleep. (LSH v4 #11).
• Fri 12/5/94 – Tenzil and Brek in court; Holo Scene news article on the trial (LSH v4 #11); Celeste is healed by a green glow; the former Legionnaires team up to capture Roxxas, who reveals Dominion control of Earthgov (LSH v4 #12).
• Wed 12/10/94 – All-points bulletin on Persuader, who meets Kent Shakespeare in on Quarantine trying to attack Char Burrane Jr. (LSH v4 #12). Persuader is defeated by Kent and SP Captain Gim Allon, who then takes Kent to Toonar (LSH v4 #13).
• Thu 12/11/94 – Kent leaves Toonar for Winath; Laurel fights Khunds in deep space; Tenzil and Brek on Gnogg. (LSH v4 #13).
• Sun 12/14/94 – The Legion is formally reinstated.
• Mon 12/16/94 – Tenzil, Brek, and Calorie Queen are taken to Tartarus by Prince Evillo; Tenzil banished to the Realm of Darkness (LSH v4 #14).
• Thu 12/25/94 – Garth, Cham, and Rokk remotely survey Talus (LSH v4 #14).
• Fri 12/26/94 – Tenzil and Sugyn return from the Realm of Darkness, only to hear that Tenzil has been declared dead and his Senate seat vacated (LSH v4 #14).
• Sat 12/27/94 – Loomis writes his report on Talus’ suitability for being the new HQ; Tenzil leaves Brek behind on Tartarus and heads for Winath (LSH v4 #14).
• Sun 12/28/94 – The reformed Legion establishes headquarters on the asteroid world of Talus.
• Sat 1/3/95 – Tenzil Kem rejoins the Legion.
• Sun 1/11/95 – Orando falls to the Khunds (LSH v4 #15).
• Mon 1/12/95 – The Legion agrees to team with the United Planets Militia to beat back a Khundish invasion that threatens the heart of the United Planets (LSH v4 #15).
• Exact date unknown – Cham meets with a Khundish double agent; Venegar falls to the Khunds, who then make a deal with the Hill People of Talok VIII; the UP Militia tries to decide if Xolnar or Talok VIII will be attacked next; Valor and Shadow Lass appear on Talok VIII; Khunds attack Xolnar; Circe wants Dirk to give a pro-Dominator speech (LSH v4 #15).
• Exact date unknown – Last stand on Xolnar; introduction of the Resistance on Earth (LSH v4 #16).
• Fri 3/13/95 – SP Officer Roon Dvron’s police report on Sussa Paka (LSH v4 #22, 23, 27).
• Sat 3/14/95 - Sussa Paka escape SP custody, steals Starfinger's helmet for Molock Hanscom on the way out (LSH v4 #27).
• Sun 3/22/95 – Khund decoy fleet arrives at Talok VIII, while the main fleet attacks Xolnar, leading to the death of Jed “Power Boy” Rikane; after destroying the Talok fleet, the Legion and the UP Militia arrive at Xolnar to finish the Khundish fleet; Glorith sent to the end of time; the Khunds are driven back to pre-2995 borders, and the Legion concludes its participation in the war against Khundish encroachment (LSH v4 #17).
• Wed 3/25/95 – Don and Dawn Allen are arrested by Earthgov (LSH v4 #17).
• Thurs 3/26/95 – Don and Dawn Allen are put on trial (LSH v4 #17); Sussa Paka steals Earthgov Artifact J-1-WRTZ for Molock Hanscom (LSH v4 #27).
• Fri 3/27/95 – Tensions increase on Earth with the execution of Legion friends Don and Dawn Allen. (Note that 3/27/95 is a Friday, while the comic says it happened on a Monday) (LSH v4 #17); additional riots, and martial law is instituted (LSH v4 #30).
• Sat 3/28/95 – Daily Planet article on the Allen executions (LSH v4 #17).
• Exact date unknown – Valor and Shadow Lass help counter a Dark Circle attempt on Queen Projectra’s life on Orando, then remove the Dark Circle cultists from Carggg; Universo and Jacques meet; holo studio bombing allegedly by one of the Resistance groups (LSH v4 #18).
• Thu 4/9/95 – Valor and Shadow Lass leave Carggg on their way to some R&R in deep space (LSH v4 #22).
• Sat 4/11/95 – Luna is destroyed, ravaging Earth (LSH v4 #19) and causing powerspheres to detonate across the globe, with a death toll in the billions and widespread environmental devastation (LSH v4 #30). The mysterious “SW6" Legionnaires awaken in an underground Dominion chamber on Earth. (LSH v4 #20, 25) Earthgov authorizes executions. (LSH v4 #25).
• Sun 4/12/95 – Jo Nah returns from an extended journey through time (LSH v4 #19) and is added to the reformed adult Legion team; the SW6 Legion encounters Devlin O’Ryan (LSH v4 #20); all outside aid to Earth is rejected (LSH v4 #30).
• Mon 4/13/95 – Dacey and Doritt Ranzz are born to ex-Legionnaires Garth and Imra Ardeen Ranzz. Rokk recalls the events of Venado Bay as the Dominators start executing Science Police Earth officers who are revolting against the Dominators. Mysa Nal is contacted by the spirit of Amethyst (LSH v4 #20). After being exposed to the null radiation from the detonation of Metropolis' powersphere on the 11th, Devlin is getting worse. (LSH v4 #25).
• Wed 4/15/95 – Furball meets Aria on Zuun, unaware that she’s being hunted by Darkseid; Atmos revealed to have been killed by Project Champion; the Dominators begin harsher punishment of insurrectionists on Earth (LSH v4 #21).
• Fri 4/17/95 – Jo, Celeste, and Kent on the way to Zuun to get Brainy and Furball; on Talus, Kono reads Nura’s unanswered messages to Mysa; on Altair, Valor finds troubling news from a Dark Circle computer (LSH v4 #22).
• Sat 4/18/95 – Disease and rebellion reported widespread on Earth; Dominators performing mass executions (LSH v4 #30).
• Exact date unknown: members of the Dark Circle recount the history of Valor.
• Mon 4/20/95 – Devlin is healing and appears to have powers just like Reflecto of Rimbor (LSH v4 #29).
• Tues 4/21/95 – Jo, Celeste, and Kent arrive at Zuun (LSH v4 #22).They are briefly detained but they escape to the surface and meet up with Brainy and Furball, but Lobo captures and leaves with Aria; during the escape, Celeste generates a burst of intense green energy. On Earth, Resistance leader Jacques has Laurel and Bounty meet up with Circe, who has turned against the Dominators and Earthgov. Valor leaves Shady to go to Earth to check into what he found (LSH v4 #23).
• Wed 4/22/95 – Lobo brings Aria to Darkseid, followed by Jo, Kent, Celeste, Brainy, and Furball. Lobo is revealed to be merely a probe and Darkseid vanishes him, and then turns Furball back into Brin. The Gemini Matrix activates and Aria turns into an adult Gemini and blasts Darkseid, per his secret wish, who then disappears. Back on Earth, BION discovers the adult Laurel Gand while looking for the SW6 version, and the SW6 Legionnaires reveal themselves to Devlin (LSH v4 #24). The SW6 Legionnaires and Devlin escape the tunnels and link up with Universo and the Earth Resistance (LSH v4 #25), and then quickly go to the Resistance HQ in New Mexico. The Subs and Universo’s Resistance team capture the Weisigner Chambers from the Dominators, while BION follows Laurel to Talus (LSH v4 #26).
• Thu 4/23/95 – Garth and Imra decide to hold the christening of their new twins next week, on Saturday May 2 (LSH v4 Ann 3 part 2).
• Sat 4/25/95 - Legionnaires in Africa with the Resistance and the SW6 Batch become aware of each other; the Subs and Grin’s resistance team discover others in the Weisinger Chambers; Rokk, Kono, and Loomis manage to subdue BION on Talus (LSH v4 #27). Dirk Morgna’s pod is discovered (LSH v4 #28).
• Sun 4/26/95 – On Talus, Brainiac 5 studies BION, and Valor suggests that the adult Legionnaires may be clones. Monica Sade is released from the Weisinger chambers, and then Dominator troops temporarily gain control of the Chambers. Circe and Bounty plan to take out Pinnacle Command, while the Dominators prepare mind-wiped agents to attack the Subs (LSH v4 #29).
• Thu 4/30/95 – Tensions on Earth reach the breaking point when President Tayla Wellington is assassinated by the Dominion during a live broadcast (LSH v4 #29, 30). Aria tries to take the dying Brin Londo back in time to prevent his father from administering the first Zuunium injection, but accidentally dumps them both in the 20th century (LSH v4 Ann 3 part 1). Legionnaires begin to arrive on Winath for a reunion to attend the christening of Dacey and Doritt Ranzz (LSH v4 Ann 3 part 2).
• Fri 5/1/95 - On Earth, the Subs battle mind-wiped Dominator agents; the Dominators and UP fleets meet up in orbit around Earth (LSH v4 #30). More Legionnaires arrive on Winath for the christening; the Naltor Dreamers defeat the Winath Jaybirds 6-1, clinching their first pennant since 2980 (LSH v4 Ann 3 part 2).
• Sat 5/2/95: Dacey and Doritt's christening; Pol Jath Krinn is born to Rokk Krinn and his wife Lydda; Ayla Ranzz learns that Garth is really Proty I, inhabiting her brother's re-animated body (LSH v4 Ann 3 part 2).On Earth, Jan helps Shvaughn Erin and sees his SW6 self, while in space the adult Valor meets his SW6 counterpart (LSH v4 #31).
• Wed 5/6/95: Cham begins a search for R.J. Brande. On Earth, Circe and Bounty capture Spider Girl. The Subs escape from the Weisinger chambers with the help of the SW6 Legion, but Grinn sets off a self-destruct mechanism that destroys all the chambers. The SW6 Chameleon Boy, Karate Kid, and Princess Projectra are killed fighting Dominion troops (Note: the Sourcebook says 5/15, but that's too much time since the christening) (LSH v4 #32).

Happy anniversary! (Plus: The long and winding road of page 8A of Superboy #212)

On Wednesday, July 15, 1975, "Superboy" #212 was just appearing on the newsstands across America. Sometime around then, I picked it up from my regular shop (a 7-11 near the local mall). It was just a month shy of my 9th birthday. I think it was a little while before I became a regular reader, eventually getting the back issues that I had missed, but I consider this to be my anniversary of being a Legion fan.

So in honor of that, here's a story in 3 parts behind the story in that issue; in particular, about a single page of art in that book that never even appeared in the first place. Surprisingly, I don't think I've told this story to a wide audience before.

Part 1: How a Comic is (Un)Created

If you have read ""Last Fight for a Legionnaire!", the story from "Superboy" #212 about the Legion of Super-Rejects and Matter-Eater Lad getting drafted, in Legion Archive #11 and compare it to the printed issue, you'll notice that there's an extra page in the reprint, the page where Karate Kid gives Tenzil a pep talk. That page was cut from the original issue. Why? Well, here's Jack C. Harris (aka Production Assistant Lad), to tell us why, from the pages of "Amazing World of DC Comics #9" (cover dated December 1975), the special all-Legion issue, in an article entitled "How a Comic is (un)Created".

In prior installments of this feature, various writers revealed how comics spring from the scripter's or editor's mind, are translated into penciled pages, inked and finally become finished artwork.

Boy, did they ever make it sound easy! To hear them tell this wonderful story, you'd think there were never any problems! Oh, if it were only so!

Every snag or delay that could possibly happen -- has! Even those problems that couldn't ever occur -- do! Thankfully, most of those difficulties are little ones that can be corrected in the early stages. But some require more drastic action.

For instance, here's a problem that confronted us in March of this year. Murray Boltinoff and I had just turned SUPERBOY starring THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #212 in to the production department for final corrections before it headed to the printer. Originally, these stories were scheduled for the lead pages of a 50¢ Giant. Since we'd recently discontinued that format, we kept the 12-page cover feature ("Last Fight For A Legionnaire"), the 8-page back-up ("A Death Stroke At Dawn") and my Super-Talk letters page (my first one for that book!) as our regular 25¢ Issue.

The day after we turned it in, production manager Jack Adler rushed in (Adler constantly rushes nowhere) to tell us the page count of the 25¢ books had been reduced. We had to cut two pages....

The first thing we sliced was my letters page! It was a good one, so I could easily add some new comments and have it ready for #213. But how about that second page? Somewhere, somehow, we had to cut some story! After careful re-reading, Murray and I found that the 8th page of the first story could be omitted without losing the even flow of action, even though we had to sacrifice a good bit of Jim Shooter's dramatics concerning the resignation of Matter-Eater Lad. It was an editorial decision -- lose some characterization or some action -- and characterization lost out! The page was removed, the remainder was re-numbered and the book left for the printers.

Now the question arose as to what to do with this un-used, paid for, Mike Grell page of Legion art. Murray suggested that we use it for a "springboard" and write a new story around it -- which we still might do someday. In the meantime, instead of letting it collect dust on our shelves, we've decided to present it here within our special Legion issue of AWODCC!

If the purists among you wish, you can color the opposite page, clip it out and insert it between pages 7 and 8 of SUPERBOY #212's lead story, thus maintaining the tale in its original form.

However, since those two pages are back to back, this might prove a bit difficult. Because we've just told you how we solved one of our problems, we figured, to be fair, we'd offer suggestions as to how to overcome this page manipulation problem:

1. Buy an extra copy of SUPERBOY #212.
2. Find yourself an incredibly sharp razor blade to split pages 7 and 8 apart.
3. Make your own Editor's Note at the bottom of page 7 referring to this page of AWODCC.

If you can think of any others, please keep them to yourself -- we've got problems of our own!

Click on each image to embiggen.

 

Part 2: How an Archive is Created

I'm sure this will come as a shock to some readers, but I've been tracking Legion reprints for over 20 years. In the 1990s, I was Archives Lad, and once a year I'd post to Usenet's rec.arts.comics.dc.lsh newsgroup my best guess for what would be coming in the Legion Archives, which were at the time being published annually. Here was my guess for Archives 11 as posted in July 2000. As you can see by scrolling down a bit, Paul Levitz lurked in the newsgroup (as "DCOLevitz", the DCO standing for "DC Online" which was part of DC's AOL presence at the time) and posted from time to time.

I predicted the volume would cover issues 203-214 (it ended up being 203-212), and then said this (emphasis added in bold):

That's 233 pages (not including covers). None of these have already been reprinted. The stories are by either Bates or Shooter, and the art is all Grell (except for Cockrum pencils in 205 and inks by Bill Draut in the backup of 214). I'm hoping for a new cover by Grell, too.

This volume will cover the death of Invisible Kid, Brainiac building a Supergirl robot, the intro of the clone bank, Dvron, Flynt Brojj, Roxxass, Matter-Eater Lad resigning, and the appearance after 26 years of the page that was cut out of issue 212 when they had to cut out a page of story for budget constraints.

And for what it's worth, this volume catches up to the first LSH issue I bought off the newsstand (the aforementioned issue 212).

At some point years later, Paul Levitz was interviewed by Comic Shop News for their site csnsider.com (unfortunately, the content has long since been removed and I don't have the original URL to check the Internet Archive), came this quote that I copied into a post on the LSH-L email list:

An Internet board that I poke my head into occasionally was having a discussion of the Legion Archives; they remembered a page that had been cut out of a Grell Legion issue and published in an Amazing World of DC issue later, and they wanted to know if we were going to put the page back in the Archives. I was one of the editors of the book it was reprinted in, and I didn't remember it; I was thrilled to find that page there, and I ran down to Dale Crain and said, "Look what I found!" That will make the Archives a vastly better book.

So that's how that deleted page ended up being put into LSH Archive #11. It's page 8A in the book, as seen colored below. (It has since been reprinted again, in 2008's "LSH: 1050 Years of the Future" TPB.)

Part 3: How an Art Collection is Created

OK, not "created" so much as "added to", but that would have wrecked the flow of the three headings.

In 2008 I attended the San Diego Comic Con. Among the many pieces of Legion art I would have loved to have bought but didn't have the budget for, was this page for sale for $1500. Taking and owning this photo is as close as I would be able to get to owning the page itself:

I did not buy it, but not too long afterwards Tom Fleming did. He bought it and posted it to his ComicArtFans page in 2009, where it presumably sits in his collection today (and is likely worth a lot more than $1500). Notice the little stamp in the upper left corner, it says "N.P.P. INVT'Y", meaning that National Periodical Publications wrote that off as inventory.

So there you have it. The long and winding road of page 8A of Superboy #212.

Second Printings in Legion History

The Field Guide to Legion Cover Variants, Appendix B: Second Printings 1994-2020

1958-2005, 2006-2007, 2008-2009, 2010-2011, 2012-2014, 2015-2018, 2019, 2020, 2021-2022, 2023-2026

Unused covers, Second printings 

Someone asked on one of the Facebook groups, discussing the v8 #6 Gold Lantern sell-through, when else that had happened in Legion history. I found that this appears to be the 11th time that a Legion book has gone back to print. From my Field Guide to Legion Variants:

Legionnaires #18 - September 1994
Legionnaires #18 was part 4 of "End of an Era". The second printing came out about 4 weeks after the original printing, and can be distinguished primarily by the different color Zero Hour logos (red with white letters on the first, yellow with red letters on the second). Additionally, there's a small "II" in the price box in the upper left corner, and the color palette is slightly different between the two - the blacks are darker on the reprint and the reds are more muted.

First printing Art by Stuart Immonen & Wade von Grawbadger	Second printing Art by Stuart Immonen & Wade von Grawbadger

Valor #23 - September 1994
Valor #23 was part 5 of "End of an Era". The second printing came out about 4 weeks after the original printing, and can be distinguished primarily by the different color Zero Hour logos (red with white letters on the first, yellow with red letters on the second). Additionally, there's a small "II" in the price box in the upper left corner, and the color palette is slightly different between the two - the blacks are darker on the reprint and the reds are more muted, just like above.

First printing Art by Stuart Immonen & Jose Marzan Jr.	Second printing Art by Stuart Immonen & Jose Marzan Jr.

JSA Classified #2 - October 2005
The first four issues of this new series had Power Girl as the lead feature, but the Legion was only on the cover of issue 2. Issue 1 was an unexpected success (with two covers, one by Amanda Conner and one by Adam Hughes) that it soon got a 2nd and 3rd printing. The Threeboot Legion had a cameo at the end of issue 1. They joined Power Girl on the cover of issue 2, but only the first printing and not the 2nd or 3rd. Their part of the story ended in issue 3, which had a second printing. This version of the Legion was just a hoax by the Psycho Pirate though. See the original 2005 post for more.

First printing Art by Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti	Second printing Art by Adam Hughes
Third printing Art by Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #16 - May 2006

The second printing got a sketch cover, which came out about a month later. The typical "One Year Later" logo for line-wide event has been altered to "1001 Years Later" to match the setting of the issue. (See my original post from 2006 for a look at the covers without the logos; the second printing was much lighter blue.)

First printing cover Art by Barry Kitson & Mick Gray	Second printing cover Art by Barry Kitson

Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #1 - October 2008

Spinning out of "Final Crisis", this series had the Reboot, the Threeboot, and the Retroboot Legions all meet up for the second time (the first was in an untold tale). 

Main cover (first printing) Art by George Pérez	Second printing Art by George Pérez

Legion of Super-Heroes v6 #1 - July 2010

This one has a 1/10 variant cover by Lee/Williams, with a second printing that was just the pencils by Jim Lee. Despite being issue #1, this was actually part 3 of the 6-part cover poster, representing the 1970s.

Variant cover (1st printing) Art by Jim Lee & Scott Williams	Second printing Art by Jim Lee

Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #1 - October 2011 

This series had a total of seven covers: the "A" and "B" covers, by Phil Jimenez and Keith Giffen, respectively, with the "B" cover at 1/4 of the "A" cover; two Retailer Incentive covers RI-A-1 and RI-A-2, each by Gabriel Rodriguez, and the wraparound cover version combining both, as cover RI-B; the Hastings Retailer Exclusive cover, which was a black and white version of the Jimenez "A" cover; and the second printing, which was a black and white version of the Giffen "B" cover.

"B" cover Art by Keith Giffen	Second printing Art by Keith Giffen

Legion Lost v2 #1 - November 2011
Like many first issues of the New 52 era, this one went to a second printing, differentiated by a red background color.

First printing Art by Pete Woods	Second printing Art by Pete Woods

Legion of Super-Heroes v7 #1 - November 2011
Like many first issues of the New 52 era, this one went to a second printing, differentiated by a red background color.

First printing Art by Karl Kerschl	Second printing Art by Karl Kerschl

Superman v4 #14 - August 28, 2019
This issue and Supergirl #33 were originally to go on sale on 08/14/19, but less than a week prior to that date, DC asked retailers to destroy all copies of these issues and told them that replacement copies would be sent to go on sale later. This issue was delayed to 08/28/19, Supergirl #33 was delayed to 09/04/19. DC's stated reason was that the original issues had covers that featured a "Year of the Villain" logo, but these issues had no ties to that event so they would be re-issued with new covers. This reasoning was questioned, as there was another issue on sale the same week, Catwoman #14, that also had a "Year of the Villain" cover logo and a story that had no ties to the event, and that issue was not recalled. Subsequent speculation centered around the introduction of the new Legion of Super-Heroes in the Superman and Supergirl issues, and the depiction of Lightning Lad's ethnicity. In the published issue, Lightning Lad is portrayed as dark-skinned, in leaked images of the original printing, Lightning Lad was light-skinned. The second printing featured the standard cover by Reis and Prado with an orange background instead of blue, and went on sale 10/2/19.

Superman #14 Replacement standard cover Art by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado	Superman #14 Second Printing Art by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado

Legion of Super-Heroes (volume 8) #6 - August 2020
Issue 6 had two variants on 6/9/20. This was the first issue back after the industry shut down in March due to the coronavirus. Interestingly, speculators decided that this issue has the potential to be the next hot book due to the character of Gold Lantern, who is spotlighted on the cover (pay no attention to the fact that he actually debuted in LSH: Millennium #2). Interest in this book was so high that it sold out within 3 days of going on sale, prompting DC to go back to print on this one (released July 7) as well as add a new variant cover to issue 7.

LSH volume 8 #6 Standard cover Art by Ryan Sook and Travis Moore	LSH volume 8 #6 Second printing Art by Ryan Sook and Travis Moore

Superman (vol 6) #28 - September 2025
Issue 28 was the first part of the 6-part "Legion of Darkseid" storyline, part of "All-In". The issue had a second printing, which was the same as the first "A" cover but with "Prelude to DC KO" as the top banner rather than "Summer of Superman".

Standard A coverArt by Dan Mora	Standard G cover (2nd printing)Art by Dan Mora

Superman (vol 6) #29 - October 2025
Issue 29 was part 2 of "Legion of Darkseid". The issue also had a second printing, with the same trade dress change as issue #28 above.

Standard A coverArt by Dan Mora	Standard H cover (2nd printing)Art by Dan Mora

LSH v8 #6 Gold Lantern cover field guide

Because of the speculator hype for LSH v8 #6 (they think that Gold Lantern might be the Next Big Thing), the issue sold out everywhere, driving a second printing of #6 as well as a special Gold Lantern cover for issue #7.

Here's what the first and second printings look like for issue 6 - the logo is greenish on the first printing and gold (like the Lantern) on the second.

 

And here's the LSH v8 #7 1:25 variant cover.

Before the Darkness

DC has pre-solicited a new reprint collection due out next February for $50, called "Before the Darkness (volume 1)" - obviously not the final cover art! - which logically implies a future volume 2. This one fits right after the 2018 "Superboy & The Legion (vol 2)" hardcover, which was really just an extension of the Archives, and covers the beginning of the Conway era (LSH v2 260 to 271 plus the Secrets of the Legion miniseries). Volume 2 would then logically cover issues 272-283 and a few straggler issues. Issue 284 was the first Levitz/Broderick issue, and is reprinted in the "Great Darkness Saga Deluxe Edition" collection. If the Archives would have continued their numbering, this would be Volume 16.

Pivotal early-1980s Legion of Super-Heroes stories, set just before the epic "Great Darkness Saga," are now available in the first volume of an all-new collection!

The greatest heroes of the 30th century star in these classic stories that set the stage for "The Great Darkness Saga," one of the most beloved tales in Legion history!

First, the Legion--including Mon-El, Brainiac 5, and Phantom Girl--takes on a Circus of Death! Then, the villainous Dagon strikes, kidnapping several Legionnaires' parents for ransom! And the Fatal Five return--now working for the Dark Man!

Plus, in Secrets of the Legion of Super-Heroes, find out startling new information from the past of the Legion and their ally R.J. Brande!

This volume collects Legion of Super-Heroes #260-271 and Secrets of the Legion of Super-Heroes #1-3.

Interestingly, DC tried to release a different "Prologue to Darkness" back in 2010, but it was cancelled before solicitation. Given that the Great Darkness Deluxe Edition was released the next year, it's a good bet that this would have been the Levitz/Giffen/Broderick stuff that was not included in the original GDS trade paperback.

This first of two volumes will complete the entire series reprint project from Adventure Comics #247 in 1958 to LSH v3 #13 in 1985. Here's a summary of the main series (not counting the off-series appearances in the various Super-titles (Superman, Action, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, etc) and a link to where you can buy it on Amazon - but obviously the ones not in print can be pricey.

(For a full look at what each volume has, plus all of the other continuities' reprint collections, see my page here. Click on the tab at the bottom for one of the continuities.)

Legion of Super-Heroes Archives volume 1	1991	ADV 247-305
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives volume 2	1992	ADV 306-317
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives volume 3	1993	ADV 318-328
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives volume 4	1993	ADV 329-339
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives volume 5	1994	ADV 340-349
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives volume 6	1996	ADV 350-358
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives volume 7	1997	ADV 359-367
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives volume 8	1998	ADV 368-376
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives volume 9	1999	ADV 377-380, ACT 378-392
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives volume 10	2000	SBOY 172-202
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives volume 11	2001	SBOY 203-212
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives volume 12	2003	SBOY 213-223
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives volume 13	2012	SBOY 224-230, SLSH 231-233
Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes volume 1	2017	SLSH 234-240
Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes volume 2	2018	SLSH 241-259
Legion of Super-Heroes: Before the Darkness volume 1	2021	LSHv2 260-271
Legion of Super-Heroes: Before the Darkness volume 2	future	LSHv2 272-283
Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga Deluxe Edition	2011	LSHv2 284-296
Legion of Super-Heroes: The Curse Deluxe Edition	2011	LSHv2 297-313
Legion of Super-Heroes: An Eye for an Eye	2007	LSHv3 1-6
Legion of Super-Heroes: The More Things Change	2009	LSHv3 7-13

Additionally, the "Showcase" volumes 1-5 reprinted these issues in black and white, containing Archives 1-11 and part of 12:

Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes volume 1	2007	ADV 247-321
Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes volume 2	2008	ADV 322-348
Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes volume 3	2009	ADV 349-368
Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes volume 4	2010	ADV 369-380, ACT 378-392, SBOY 172-191
Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes volume 5	2015	SBOY 193-220

And the Omnibus series (Omnibuses? Omnibi?) 1-3 reprinted them in giant volumes in color, containing Archives 1-9:

Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age Omnibus	2017	ADV 247-328
Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age Omnibus volume 2	2018	ADV 329-360
Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age Omnibus volume 3	2020	ADV 361-380, ACT 378-392

Finally, the start of yet another series, "The Silver Age" (not an Omnibus):

Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age Vol. 1

2018

ADV 247-310