James Marsters, on being Brainiac (5)

IGN has an interview with James Marsten (Spike on "Buffy", Brainiac on "Smallville") in which he discusses his role as Brainiac and the possible evolution of the character into Brainiac 5 of the Legion. Note that he doesn't say that he's going to portray Brainy, just that it'd be a different take on the character for him.

IGN: It's been funny on Smallville this season, because Brainiac has been a presence, but you haven't been a presence unfortunately.

Marsters: [Laughs] They're sick of paying me so much money. They were very generous about offering me some money up front and something told me, "Yes, we're going to work with you James for a good amount of time..." But if you notice, it's been like that a lot. They talk about the character, but... It's a good group of people, but I think that may be over.

IGN: Ah, so you don't think there's much of a possibility of returning?

Marsters: You know what, who knows? That series just seems to be immortal. It's done so well. So if the future is long, I'm certainly open to it. If they need me, I'd love to come say hi to everybody. But at the same time, they may not need me. They're very imaginative about how they do things.

IGN: The last time they had your character, in some form, they sent him off to the future to become Brianiac 5 – the good character from the Legion of the Superheroes.

Marsters: Oh, cool!

IGN: Yeah, it seemed like there was a door there for you to come back in a very different way.

Marsters: That's cool! [Laughs]

IGN: [Laughs] I might be throwing you a curve ball here, but would that be something that would be fun for you, to play such a different take on Brainiac?

Marsters: Oh yeah. I think that would be wonderful. I would also like to go back and be evil for them too. It's fun to be evil! It's fun to play a robot who doesn't really care and who's only pretending to. But it would be fun to play a robot who actually did care at the same time...

A Couple Other Things

Newsarama has a preview of "Superman" #686 (out this week), starring Mon-El.

Following the startling events of "New Krypton" and the shocking occurrence in the Phantom Zone, Earth finds itself without its greatest protector! Luckily, Metropolis still has a few heroes, like Mon-El and the Guardian. But after years of knowing nothing but the solitude of the Phantom Zone, how will Mon-El acclimate himself to society? And the recently returned Guardian has his hands full with his new position in the Science Police. How can they fill Superman's shoes? They'd better figure it out fast, because dangerous mysteries abound which will carry all the way into 2010! The highly acclaimed writer-artist team of James Robinson and Renato Guedes continue their run on SUPERMAN with or without The Man of Steel!

Also, Murray sent me something last week which I forgot about in my inbox. This item from a Geoff Johns interview on Blackest Night:

NRAMA: In Adventure Comics #0, Scar says something about Superboy. Are we going to see that in Blackest Night?

GJ: If you want to follow that, you should read Legion of 3 Worlds #4. And then Adventure Comics #1.

NRAMA: Does Lex Luthor play into that? Because Lex Luthor was going to play a part in Legion of 3 Worlds, right?

GJ: No, you saw a scene where the Legionaires went back in time in the last issue and got a strand of his hair. But that's it.

Well, Luthor did appear in this ad from last summer (to the right of the Time Trapper):

Coming Distractions: June 2009

A few days late, but here's what's coming up in June (via Newsarama):

R.E.B.E.L.S. #5
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Claude St. Aubin & Scott Hanna
Cover by Ed Benes & Rob Hunter
As the abductor of the intergalactic L.E.G.I.O.N. police force stands revealed, the entire sector mobilizes its forces. Vril Dox’s renegade team of freedom fighters joins up with the Omega Men, Durlans, Khunds and Dominators, but it all amounts to devastating consequences...
On sale June 10 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

SUPERMAN #689
Written by James Robinson
Art by Renato Guedes & José Wilson Magalhães
Cover by Andrew Robinson
What’s a young man to do when he’s told he’s going to die? See the world while he can, of course! Experience a whistle-stop tour of Earth with Mon-El as he tastes life and fights crime with some of DC’s international cast of Super Heroes.
Meanwhile, back in Metropolis, a media mogul takes to the airwaves. His goal: the banning of all alien life on Earth. His name: Morgan Edge. And just what is the Prankster planning?
On sale June 24 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US



SUPERMAN AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES TP
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Gary Frank & Jon Sibal
Superstar artist Gary Frank joins writer Geoff Johns for an epic story teaming Superman with an adult version of the Legion of Super-Heroes, originally presented in Action Comics #858-863 and now in trade paperback!
When he was a boy, Clark Kent was isolated and alone until he met this teen team from the 31st century. Today, it's been years since Superman saw his childhood friends. Why haven't they returned to visit him? What's become of the symbol of Superman in the future? And just why is the future so dangerous for Superman? They warned him away, but now he's determined to help his friends — even if it means his life!
Advance-solicited; on sale July 15 • 168 pg, FC, $14.99 US



ABSOLUTE JUSTICE HC
Written by Alex Ross & Jim Krueger
Art by Alex Ross & Doug Braithwaite
Cover by Alex Ross
The spectactular 12-issue series by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger and Doug Braithwaite is collected in this amazing, oversized, slipcased Absolute edition. The members of the Justice League of America are about to learn they aren't the only ones who can band together toward a common goal. The greatest criminal masterminds of our time appear to be acting in concert — but with a surprising plan that seeks to achieve more good than the JLA ever could!
This Absolute edition features a new cover by Ross, plus sketchbook a section with previously unseen artwork and more!
Advance-solicited; on sale November 25 • 8.25” x 12.5”, 496 pg, FC, $99.00 US

Bits of Legionnaire Business

Stuff and more stuff, thirteen items.

• The Life and Death of Ferro Lad came out in hardback a couple weeks back, reprinting Adventure Comics #346, 347, 352, 353 and 357.
  
  
• Last time I told you about the Space Canine Patrol Agents. Now Brian Hughes at Again With the Comics brings the awesome sequel, where the SCPA fights not only the Mutt and Meow Gallery (including Fido Felon and Kid Kitty) but also the Phanty Cats, who were so evil that when their owners got banished to the Phantom Zone from Krypton, their cats got banished too. No, really.
  
  They appeared in SBOY 136 (3/66). For what it's worth, over at Marvel the same month you could have read Fantastic Four #48 which introduced Galactus and Silver Surfer. That's the difference between DC's and Marvel's Silver Age.
  
  
• The BEAT has sales for the end of the Legion title.
  
  

  86 - THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES
  01/2004: Legion #29 — 24,908
  01/2005: LoSH #2 — 42,261 [48,584]
  01/2006: LoSH #13 — 32,730
  01/2007: SLoSH #26 — 32,342
  —————————–
  01/2008: LoSH #38 — 33,045 (-27.9%)
  02/2008: LoSH #39 — 31,123 (- 5.8%)
  03/2008: LoSH #40 — 30,377 (- 2.4%)
  04/2008: LoSH #41 — 28,939 (- 4.7%)
  05/2008: LoSH #42 — 27,940 (- 3.5%)
  06/2008: –
  07/2008: LoSH #43 — 27,531 (- 1.5%)
  07/2008: LoSH #44 — 29,954 (+ 8.8%)
  08/2008: LoSH #45 — 25,783 (-13.9%)
  09/2008: LoSH #46 — 24,959 (- 3.2%)
  10/2008: LoSH #47 — 23,751 (- 4.8%)
  11/2008: LoSH #48 — 22,917 (- 3.5%)
  12/2008: LoSH #49 — 22,180 (- 3.2%)
  01/2009: LoSH #50 — 22,327 (+ 0.7%)
  —————-
  6 months: -22.3%
  1 year : -32.4%
  2 years : -31.0%
  5 years : -10.4%
  
  The final issue of the property’s current incarnation gets a slight boost, presumably on the basis that its number is a multiple of 25.
  
  In one of those baffling management catastrophes that seem to happen all the time at DC, the entire creative team was exchanged on short notice, just one issue before completing a year-long storyline — according to the credits, the writer is one “Justin Thyme” (a commonly used pseudonym for hack jobs), while the title of the story is “Hack the Infinity Net!”
  
  I’m sure this guarantees people are going to be standing in line for the paperback collections for decades to come.

  
  I'll be updating my sales charts shortly.
  
  
• Richard Caldwell at ComicNews.info has a 2-part interview (part 1, part 2) with former Legion artist Mike Grell. He doesn't talk about the Legion, but I know that many Legion fans are also fans of Grell.
  
  
• Did you hear that they made a movie about "Watchmen"? I keep getting these email alerts for various articles about the movie because it uses the words "legion of super-heroes" in close proximity, which in a way points out that the Legion is at the fringes of the mainstream. Some examples:
  

  Siu~V:
  Set in a gritty and alternate 1985 in US, it tells the story of Rorschach, a costumed vigilante who investigates the murder of an ex-superhero. His journey reunites him with his former legion of superheroes, thus unraveling some of the deepest darkest conspiracies and secrets about them.
  
  New York Newsday's Frank Lovece, in an article on Zack Snyder:
  “It may be too early to call him the next Ridley Scott,” he says of Snyder, “but visually he’s freaking extraordinary. Anybody who says he’s not, after they see the first 15 minutes, they’ll be eating their hats.” And unless you’re Matter-Eater Lad of the Legion of Super-Heroes - the very antithesis of “Watchmen” - that just won’t do.
  
  Black Voices:
  It took a legion of superheroes to bring Madea down. Dropping to second place after landing the top spot during the last two weekends was 'Madea Goes to Jail.'

  
  
• Matthew at the Legion Abstract writes about what kind of Legion stories would he like to read.
  
  
• The Legion Flight Ring made an appearance on the 3/12 episode of "Smallville" titled "Infamous" (read recap here).
  
  
• The Bottle City of Kanga reminds us that Mon-El is starting his year-long(ish) run in "Superman", starting in issue 685.
  

  So this issue is the set up for Mon-El to take over as the lead in the Superman books which, supposedly, should have really taken place in the soon-to-be-relaunched Adventure Comics. But they can’t relaunch Adventure until Legion of Three Worlds finishes which will tell the reader which of three versions of the Legion DC are planning to stick with. That won’t conclude until George Perez actually pulls his finger out and finishes drawing the series though which already seems to be around a year behind it’s original conclusion date. Gah!
  
  So poor old James Robinson has to introduce Mon-El without giving away which version he’s supposed to be...

  
  
• L3 Brainiac 5 returns in R.E.B.E.L.S. #2, where he tries to assemble his own version of the Legion.
  
  
• Oklahoma's NewsOK has an interview with Yuri Lowenthal, voice actor of Superman on the animated Legion show. He talks about his audition for the show a few years ago. They also list his favorite episodes. In a third article, Lowenthal talks about his inspirations while voicing Superman.
  
  
• The Idol-Head of Diabolu (a Martian Manhunter blog) looks back at DC Comics Presents #43 from 1982, featuring Superman and the Legion vs Mongul and a Sun-Eater.
  
  
• Tilting at Pinwheels has a few more Legion sketches from what we saw last time.
  
  
• Daily Scans looks back at "Legionnaires" #7 because everyone is drawn by Adam Hughes and is wearing a bathing suit. This is v4-era after the Earth had been destroyed.
  

Speculation: Reis on the Legion?

Chuck pointed out this Newsarama article on upcoming changes to Green Lantern, with emphasis added by me:

Ivan Reis, who's been the Green Lantern penciler since 2006, is now the artist on the Blackest Night mini-series, working months ahead with Johns for the July launch. And as Reis told Newsarama at New York Comic Con, the last issue of Blackest Night will mark the end of his run with the Green Lantern characters, although he said his next project (still unannounced) will reunite him with Johns.

"It is so much fun to work with Geoff. And if I can work with him for 10 years, I'll do it," Reis said.

Now, we've been told that former Legion artist Francis Manapul is the artist on the new Adventure Comics, which is supposedly Geoff Johns' next project. So either the Reis comment is for yet another new book for Johns, or Reis is replacing Manapul on Adventure.

I have no idea which (if either) of those is true, but that won't stop speculation. Anyone have any more info?

Devlin O'Ryan says Happy St. Patrick's Day

Thanks to Matthew Peterson at Major Spoilers for putting together this Hero History of the future's greatest Irish Legionnaire: Devlin O'Ryan.

LSH action figures coming May 15th

The new figures in the JLU line for the Legionnaires will be coming out May 15th, according to mattycollector.com. They will only be available online.

View the pictures on mattycollector's Facebook page, Toy News International, and Major Spoilers.

According to Major Spoilers,

The 4-pack goes on sale on May 15, and while no pre-order or pricing information has been posted, the Justice League Unlimited Gotham City Criminals Action Figure 4-Pack sold for $30.00.

It'll be Brainiac 5, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, and Cosmic Boy. Here's a sample:

Klordny Weekend in Las Vegas

We've set our annual Legion of Super-Gamblers trip to Las Vegas for the weekend of August 13-16 this year. For the first time, the trip will coincide with the last half of Klordny week, which is the week (Monday to Sunday) which includes August 13th.

Here's the announcement from last month, or you can click on the Las Vegas tab at the top.

Everyone's welcome to join. If you're interested, send me an email or leave a comment.

Trivia Answers #33

Questions 1, 2, and 3 were provided by the Cosmic Treadmill. They apply strictly to the Adventure Comics run and not any other series. Other than that, this was your quiz for March, which comes in like a Nitwonian Nibbybug and goes out like a Tulvanian Witch Wolf.

Too bad you guys are so smart, you got these answers pretty quickly.

1. Which Legionnaire was listed in the roll call with the wrong gender?

Bouncing Girl was in the roll call on the splash page of ADV 315.

2. Which two Legionnaires exchanged the first on-panel kiss during the Adventure Comics run?

Ironically, Element Lad and Light Lass, ADV 326.

Note that Light Lass could barely keep from LOLing.

3. Which Legionnaire(s) cross-dressed during the Adventure Comics run?

Chameleon Boy masqueraded as Cosmic Boy’s “date” in ADV 303, and Lightning Lass was disguised as her brother in ADV 308. Of course, it wasn't the fact that she looked, sounded, walked, talked, and smelled like a girl, it was the fact that she had no Adam's apple that gave her away. She would have gotten away with it, too, if not for those meddling kids!

4. What is the sound that Arm-Fall-Off Boy's arm makes when it comes off?

Not "Plop!", which might be expected, but "Plorp!".

5. Who was Quantum Queen's twin brother?

Via the Silver Age Legion Clubhouse:
Reader Dave Broomhead suggested the character Quantum Lad, who could project a laser beam, turn into a ray of light, pass through transparent objects, and dazzle foes (Bits of Legionnaire Business, ADV 337). Reader James Hankard asked Legion Editor Mort Weisinger if the Legionnaire on the cover of ADV 354 was Quantum Lad's girlfriend and Mort indicated that she was his twin sister (ADV 371 letter column).

6. During the Great Darkness Saga, Shadow Lass' costume was destroyed. What did she end up wearing?

She put on a Science Police uniform that was lying around. After that she found a new costume, which covered her from neck to toe in black.

7. Name three Legionnaires who gained additional powers after joining the Legion.

There have been lots of them. You guys came up with Kinetix, L2 Violet, L1 Lightning Lass, L2 Spark, L1 Karate Kid II, L1 Princess Projectra, Livewire, L1 Invisible Kids I and II, L1 Dream Girl, L1 Sun Boy, Apparition, Ferro, and probably more.

Legion to return to Smallville

Thanks to Murray for pointing this one out to me, from Entertainment Weekly:

Question: How about some Smallville news? --D-rick

Ausiello: The Legion will return in the May finale -- in some form. Also, I'm told this season's final two episodes will focus on a manhunt for Chloe and Doomsday.

Not sure what "in some form" means, but we'll find out.

New action figure prototypes

Action Figure Hub has some photos of the unpainted prototypes for the Cosmic Boy, Brainiac 5, and Saturn Girl JLU figures coming this year (missing only the Lightning Lad one).

AFHub says that either the figures or the prototypes were seen at the New York Comic Con last month, but I haven't found pictures of them yet. This page has close-ups of all three figures.

Bruce Timm, on the alleged pilot episode

It's common knowledge that the "Far From Home" episode of the "Justice League Unlimited" series was supposed to be a back-door pilot for a proposed Legion series.

Well, common knowledge is wrong in this case.

Via ToonZone, here's an excerpt from a Feb. 2009 interview with Bruce Timm, animator and producer:

Q: I understand the episode "Far from Home" from Justice League was supposed to be some kind of a pilot for a Legion of Superheroes show?

TIMM: Not really. No...

Q: So the fanboys on the Internet have no idea what they're talking about?

TIMM: Imagine how THAT could happen! (laughs) No, we just wanted to do a Legion of Superheroes story, and again, going from the comics where Supergirl and Brainiac had a romance, we thought, "Oh, that would be an interesting thing to do with Supergirl that we hadn't done before." We hadn't really shown her as getting into more adult issues of romance and stuff, so it just seemed kind of like a fun thing to do. But it wasn't ever intended to be a backdoor pilot, no.

Trivia Quiz #33

Questions 1, 2, and 3 were provided by the Cosmic Treadmill. They apply strictly to the Adventure Comics run and not any other series. Other than that, here's your quiz for March, which comes in like a Nitwonian Nibbybug and goes out like a Tulvanian Witch Wolf.

1. Which Legionnaire was listed in the roll call with the wrong gender?

2. Which two Legionnaires exchanged the first on-panel kiss?

3. Which Legionnaire(s) cross-dressed?

4. What is the sound that Arm-Fall-Off Boy's arm makes when it comes off?

5. Who was Quantum Queen's twin brother?

6. During the Great Darkness Saga, Shadow Lass' costume was destroyed. What did she end up wearing?

7. Name three Legionnaires who acquired additional powers after joining the Legion (any era).

MegaCon/WonderCon 09: DC Nation, DC Universe (update 2)

Update 1: added the DC Universe panel info at the bottom.
Update 2: added the James Robinson panel info.

---

I totally forgot that Orlando's MegaCon is this weekend also, same as San Francisco's WonderCon. Here are the DC Nation updates from both conventions, from Friday night:

MegaCon's DC Nation, via Newsarama:

QUESTION: Why does it seem like the re-introduction of the same ideas?

DD [Dan DiDio] – They are the same ideas but shown in a new light. Take the Legion for example. They are important to DC, and Legion always worked best when it appeared with Superboy. Superboy & the Legion of Super-Heroes was the most successful, so that’s what we want to get back to.

QUESTION: You’re not just letting stories in that you liked when you were a kid?

JP [Jimmy Palmiotti] – We remember the stories we read and we try to integrate that into the stories now.

WonderCon's DC Nation, via Newsarama:

As for Superman, Robinson said that it will take many heroes to guard Metropolis is Superman’s absence, and the series will showcase Steel, Guardian, Black Lightning, and other heroes.

Robison said that the history of Nightwing and Flamebird and the history of Daxam (from its discovery to the time on Mon-el) will be explored in upcoming Annuals.

WonderCon's DC Nation, via CBR:

Robinson then spoke a bit about the upcoming “World of New Krypton” series, indicating that “Superman has left Earth, and he's not coming back any time soon.” He praised co-writer Greg Rucka's other series, “Action Comics,” which currently stars Nightwing and Flamebird. The regular “Superman” series, written by Robinson, will star Guardian, Steel, Mon-El, and Zatarra (“who's a little shit”) for the foreseeable future.

“Since we've made Kryptonians illegal on Earth, Supergirl will now be going back to the Silver Age [concepts], where she needs a secret identity,” Robinson said of plans for the character's title. He also praised Geoff Johns's “Secret Origin” and “Adventure Comics,” though for the latter he noted “there's very little I can say about that right now.”

---

The DC Universe panel was Saturday afternoon at each convention.

WonderCon's DC Universe, via Newsarama:

Speaking of Superman, Robison reiterated that many heroes will play a role in that series: Mon-el, the Guardian and the Science Police, Steel, Black Lightning, and Zatara, who Robinson described lovingly as “a little s**t.”

...Robinson then spoke of the coming Superman: Secret Origin by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, adding that the story won’t be a rehashing of stories that are already known, but rather fresh takes on the elements that allowed Clark Kent to become Superman.

The writer again said that the books are building to a “gigantic event” in 2010 that has been in the planning for over a year, “and I know you won’t be disappointed in the adventures to come.”

...Asked about Legion of Super-Heroes, Robison said that there will be Legion material coming up in Superman. And ongoing Legion presence will be seen in 2010, Robinson said.

WonderCon's DC Universe panel, via CBR:

Robinson recapped developments in the Superman titles, which have led to 100,000 surviving Kryptonians, and Superman living among them. “It's Superman among his people, and what Zod and Alura may or may not be planning.” He added that the series would impact other DC universe titles, and mentioned that Superman would not appear in “Action Comics” or “Superman” for the duration. Nightwing and Flamebird will take over “Action Comics,” while the Guardian, Mon-El, Steel, Black Lightning, and Zatarra.

“You're going to see these characters, and in their separate story arcs,” Robinson said. He indicated that he wants to give Metropolis a personality, as he did with Opal City in “Starman.”

He also said that “'Supergirl' the comic and Supergirl the character will play a big role in the ['Worlds'] storyarc,” and that Kara would return to her roots as Superman's secret weapon. Robinson then praised “Superman Secret Origin” by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, and that he expected it to be one of the big books of the year. “I think you will be delighted by the fresh look Geoff is bringing to the story.”

...On the topic of continuity, Robinson praised Morrison's and Geoff Johns's ability to incorporate multiple versions of characters, using as much of their history as possible. “But for Mon-El, there was all that Valor stuff about a guy in the twentieth century,” he said, noting the pre-”Zero Hour” series from the 1990s. “I have to ignore that, because it doesn't make any sense with what I'm doing. But I try to use as much of Mon-El's continuity as is possible.”

...Asked about an ongoing Legion series, Robinson said “they will appear in an ongoing book.”

MegaCon's DC Universe content will be posted when it appears online.

WonderCon's James Robinson panel, via CBR:

He talked about how far in advance the Superman books have been planned. “I think at one (early) point (we knew) we were going to send Superman off into space—it’s all been there from the beginning—the Legion (of Super-Heroes) is going to be a part of it...

Q: Is the Starman in JSA your Starman?

A: “I introduced him at the end of my run, but he’s the ‘Kingdom Come’ Starman, who became the Legion Starman.”

Smallville "Legion" rerun this week

For those of you who missed it the first time around, or who want to watch it again, the "Legion" episode of "Smallville" will be shown again this Thursday at its regular time (8pm Eastern/Pacific, 7pm Central/Mountain, other than that you're on your own).

Click the "Smallville" tab at the top for previous posts and discussion.

More Bits of Legionnaire Business

More stuff that I keep finding (or that people send me), a baker's dozen items this time:

• If you've never read (or even heard of) the Space Canine Patrol Agents, well, you're probably better off. The SCPA is the dog version of the Legion, with Krypto in Superboy's role (more or less). No, really. Meet Mammoth Mutt, Tail Terrier, Tusky Husky, Chameleon Collie, and... I'm sorry, I just can't finish. The SCPA even made it into the Krypto animated series a couple years ago as the Dog Stars. (Thanks to Brian Hughes at Again With the Comics for the stories!)
  
  
• Atomic Surgery reprints an Imaginary Story from Lois Lane #47 (1964) with a cameo by the LSH and Night Girl (who don't appear until 7 pages into a 9-page story).
  
  
• Tiny Brainiac 5 makes a non-canonical appearance in Tiny Titans #13 (via scans_daily).
  
  
• scans_daily also has a reprint of Jimmy Olsen #100, in which Jimmy goes to the future and meets the Legion.
  
  
• Bill at the Trusty Plinko Stick got an Archie artist to draw Phantom Girl. Unsurprisingly, she looks like an Archie character.
  
  
• I'm not sure if this is a spam blog or what (I get a lot of those email alerts from Google), but it looks like something translated from English to another language and back to English:
  

  Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl -- these be the unfaltering babyish adventurer that dare to delivery inwardly circle a fresh age of hero! Set in the far-flung impending of the 30th century, and representing planets in the assembly, these young heroes must belt in cooperation to revere the galaxy from space-born bullying in leave of curious as the universe itself. This pretty field bring together the unprompted issues of SUPERBOY, SUPERMAN, ADVENTURE and ACTION COMICS in favour of a definitive Legion compendium Graphic Novels Legion of Super-Heroes Archives.

  
  
• Gorjus Prettyfakes reviews "Teenagers from the Future".
  
  
• In Smallville news, the series was renewed for one more season. With luck, we'll see another Legion appearance, as the ratings spiked up noticeably for their episode.
  
  
• Dan DiDio provided his 20 answers this week at Newsarama.
  

  9. I know that you don’t like to talk too much about creators work into the future after their current projects, but are there plans for George Perez after Legion of 3 Worlds?
  
  DD: It would be foolish not to have plans for George Perez after Legion of 3 Worlds. laughs
  
  NRAMA: Where would you put him if you had your druthers?
  
  DD: Something epic. George is the one person that doesn’t shy away from the incredible group shots or something that encompasses the whole of the DC Universe, and it would be foolish not to utilize those skills.

  
  Question 2 talks about how they're moving (in some cases) to the "iconic" forms of the characters (like Barry Allen and Hal Jordan returning as Flash and Green Lantern), and mentions the Legion in that context.
  
  
• Heromachine reminds us that the Legion is not clothing-optional. Not even Colossal Boy.
  
  
• The Cosmic Treadmill closes out its look at the Legion in Adventure Comics with the Treadmilly Awards.
  
  
• Who do you think should play the various Legionnaires in a hypothetical movie? Vote at ImagineCasting.com.
  
  
• Sheryl Roberts recounts her long history with the Legion (which intersects with me and mine in the mid-90s).
  

WonderCon this weekend

If you're in the San Francisco area this weekend and you're checking out WonderCon, here are some panels you might want to visit:

Friday
4:00-5:00 DC Nation— The DC Nation is back on the convention circuit and is gathering for WonderCon. DC is always looking for new recruits, so be sure to come on by with your friends as VP of sales Bob Wayne, senior story editor Ian Sattler, and some of the industry's top talent discuss where the DC Nation is heading in the coming year! Room 103

Saturday
1:30-3:00 DC Universe— The repercussions of Final Crisis are here—and with the future overshadowed by Black Lanterns, could the days of the DC Universe be numbered? Your guides to this brave new reality include VP for sales Bob Wayne, senior story editor Ian Sattler, and some of the industry's best and brightest stars! Room 103

3:00-4:00 Comics Arts Conference Session #6: Superheroes Of The Bronze Age— Jennifer K. Stuller (www.ink-stainedamazon.com) attempts to reconcile the conundrum of 1970s feminist superheroines such as the Valkyrie, Diana Prince, Ms. Marvel, Lois Lane, and The Cat, who presented a superficial image of feminism but continue to serve as symbols of female empowerment in the cultural imagination. Jeff Barbanell (Teenagers from the Future) argues that the "Marvelization" of DC's Bronze Age was presaged in Jim Shooter's run on the Legion of Super-Heroes with Shooter's attempt to infuse his comic book narrative with the Lee and Kirby techniques of group dynamics, hyperrealism and cosmic context, which added a further dimension to Lee and Kirby's humanization of the comic book superhero. Click here for more information on the Comics Arts Conference. Room 204/206

4:00-5:00 Spotlight on James Robinson— WonderCon special guest James Robinson returned to comics last year with amazing work on Superman. One of the chief architects of the "Super-Universe" at DC, Robinson is also known for his Eisner Award–winning work on Starman and Leave it to Chance. DC Comics senior story editor Ian Sattler interviews Robinson. Room 104

Flashback: The End of the Legion's Silver Age

Another dip into my email archives. Back in 1998, I asked on the mailing list of the Grand Comics Database about the Legion's move to "Superboy" after its home in "Action". I got responses from Dave Blanchard and Rich Morissey; the late Rich Morissey may be known to you as an early founder of Legion fandom as well as being a comics historian (and the inspiration for Jim Shooter's M'r'ssey character). Seeing as how all of the principals at DC involved in the move (Weisinger, Bridwell, and Boltinoff) have died, this may be the closest to a definitive response we'll ever get.

My original question was: were the first four LSH backup strips (in Superboy 172, 173, 176, and 183, cover dated March 1971 to April 1972) commissioned under Weisinger's helm as editor? I had been wondering about this to see where the unofficial end of the Silver Age Legion stories would be – the Action Comics run was definitely Silver Age, since it was credited to Mort Weisinger, the only editor the Legion had had up to that point. And starting with the story in issue 184, Dave Cockrum started working with Cary Bates, and that was clearly post-Silver Age. So what about those four issues in between? If they were commissioned by Weisinger for Action Comics but used in Superboy, then the break is between 183 and 184. But if they were commissioned by Boltinoff, who was the editor of Superboy at the time, then the end of the Action run would be the break point. The four issues in question contain stories by Bridwell and Bates, all with art by George Tuska (with one story inked by Vince Colletta); the later Action stories had been written by Bridwell and Bates, with art by Win Mortimer and Jack Abel, so the fact that Tuska did only those stories is no help. On the other hand, Cary Bates has never really been considered a Silver Age writer, more closely identified with Bronze Age. Does the writer or editor matter more here?

(In order, below: the covers and links to issues 172, 173, 176, 183, and 184.)

(Images and links via the Grand Comics Database)

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Dave Blanchard wrote:

This is just a speculation, but Weisinger had been in "retirement mode" for quite some time before finally stepping down near the end of 1970. For instance, I've heard it said that Bridwell actually edited Mort's last two issues of SUPERMAN (#s 230-231, an Imaginary story pitting Super-Luthor vs. Killer Kent; Bridwell got credit for editing # 232, a GIANT issue).

At 12:21 PM 3/24/98 EST, Rich Morissey wrote:

He did. Bridwell told me so himself, and Swan's pencils on those issues were inked by Dan Adkins... a definite change from the Weisinger inkers (he'd used Esposito, Roussos, and Abel after losing Swan, and Murphy Anderson on some covers) as well as Schwartz (who used Anderson all the way along, with rare exceptions inked by Swan himself and Dick Giordano).

Dave Blanchard wrote:

I would venture to say it's more likely Boltinoff commissioned the Legion stories in question.

At 12:21 PM 3/24/98 EST, Rich Morissey wrote:

I'd say he definitely did. He was working closely with Bridwell and Bates, especially on ACTION COMICS (which he'd just inherited from Weisinger); it was probably his decision to move the feature to SUPERBOY. But the deciding factor to me is the LENGTH of the stories. Weisinger backups (at least since 1959, when he pioneered the two-feature comic) tended to be about the same length as the leads, whereas Boltinoff favored what seemed to be the company preference at the time of a 14- or 15-page lead and a 7- or 8-page backup. If the stories had been commissioned for Weisinger, they'd probably have run the 10 to 13 pages the ACTION backups did, rather than a mere 7 pages each.

Admittedly the fourth story ran 11 pages, comparable to a Weisinger backup, but all the evidence of the lettercols indicates the length was (a) a result of reader complaints about squeezing a 25-member team into 7-page stories, and (b) an opportunity provided by the 48-page format pioneered by DC in the spring of 1971, which allowed as many as 26 new pages of story material... an innovation definitely postdating Weisinger's departure.

Weisinger didn't seem to leave much inventory on any of his strips... especially the Legion, due in part to his disagreements with his departing writer, Jim Shooter. (Disagreements were frequent among people who worked for Weisinger... check out Alvin Schwartz's AN UNLIKELY PROPHET for a detailed account of another one by a writer of a completely different generation. For that matter, they weren't too uncommon when Shooter had *his* day as an editor, either...) By his last year, he was using up even what inventory he had. His last actual issue as editor, SUPERMAN #229, closes out with a story by Wayne Boring... almost certainly from inventory, since Boring was otherwise gone by 1967; his last story being that year's three-part "Mighty Annihilator" serial in ACTION. In a way, it's appropriate that Weisinger and Boring (the two men who, between them, most set the style for Superman after the 1948 departure of Siegel and Shuster) should go out at the first time, but it shows how... uh, unique... Weisinger's mode of operation was.

Rich Morrissey

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So there you go. Now you know... the rest of the story.

Good ideas

Last fall, I had a couple of posts here in which we discussed some of the bad ideas in the last 50 years of the Legion. How about this time we talk about the good ideas?

What would you consider to have been a good decision, either at the time or in retrospect, with regard to the Legion? Here are some of mine, in rough chronological order:

• Having Jerry Siegel and Edmond Hamilton write stories in the early 60s. Hamilton brought a strong science-fiction background to the series, while Siegel brought the Superman/20th century aspects to the series. They brought the 30th century alive.
  
• Having Jim Shooter take over from them. Shooter Marvelized the Legion in the mid-60s, when much of the DC line was still stuck in the late 50s/early 60s. Shooter brought the characters alive.
  
• Having Dave Cockrum take over the art chores in the early 70s when the series was floundering as a backup strip. Along with writer Cary Bates (moreso than E. Nelson Bridwell), they updated the look of the 30th century and made the Legion popular enough to support its own book again. Then when Mike Grell followed on the art and Jim Shooter shared the writing, they brought Legion fandom alive.
  
• Having Paul Levitz on his first run. Despite the classic Earthwar story, he felt he wasn't as good enough a writer as he could be, and took some time off. In retrospect, this was a big deal in that it let him figure out what to do better the next time around. And boy, was it better the next time around.
  
• Having Keith Giffen as artist (the first time). He and Levitz were on fire for their run together (Omen and Prophet excepted), and their synergy gave the series new life. At their height, the book was the second-best selling title that DC had in the mid-80s (behind Teen Titans). They Claremont-ized the Legion, in the good sense of characterization and plotlines. Levitz kept it up for several years after Giffen left.
  
• In retrospect, although I didn't think so at the time, once we accepted the reality of the post-Zero Hour reboot, having the storylines diverge from what we had seen before that made the series somewhat fresh and exciting. New characters like XS and Gates, and new storylines that didn't synch up with anything we had seen before.
  
• Again in retrospect, the Abnett/Lanning/Coipiel "Legion of the Damned" turned sales around and for the first time in many, many years sales began to go up. People started liking the Legion.
  
• Having Mark Waid writing the new version of the Legion. Yes, it wasn't such a great idea in the first place, but if you're launching a new book, having some A-list names doesn't hurt.

What kind of things would you consider as good (and lucky counts as good here)?

New series in work?

I can't check the details right now but I got an email today that said there was a mention of a new Legion series in Comic Shop News 1131 in a discussion of L3w #4. if anyone has more info, please spill in the comments! (thanks Otto for the tip!)