FYI

FYI, I'm on vacation in China this week. Unfortunately, they've
blocked blogspot.com (as well as Facebook, Twitter, and lots of other
sites) so I can't post directly, only via email. I have your comments
emailed to me, so I can see what you're saying, but I won't be able
to reply for a couple of weeks. I've got a trivia quiz pre-scheduled
for today, and I've got some other stuff I can mail in.

Oh, and the Chinese people in the 21st century look nothing like
their 30th century counterparts as seen in the Lightning Lad/Saturn
Girl wedding story. Perhaps it was because those Chinese were on the moon.

More Bits of Legionnaire Business

More stuff:

Former editor KC Carlson (late v4/early reboot) talked about Legion of 3 Worlds from the perspective of both a former staffer and a fan. Go read it.

I had a lot to be worried about, especially after my normally loving wife had cynically put it into my head early in the series that “you know, a lot of the characters are just gonna be cannon fodder. They’re probably going to kill off ‘your’ Legion to make room for a new one.” Thankfully, a chance meeting with Geoff Johns at last year’s Wizard Chicago Con gave Geoff the opportunity to say “I hope you’ll be pleased with what happens with ‘your’ Legion – especially with XS and Gates, who I loved writing!” Thankfully, I was very pleased at how the whole thing turned out, especially since most of the characters did survive, although it was often a brutal and bloody fight.

...Yeah, I’m still a little bent about the Legion just being the back-up, although I hear from “knowledgeable insiders” that this is more of a placeholder as DC’s PTB work out the details of just what the Legion’s place in the new DCU will exactly be. And it looks like with the recent announcements, Paul Levitz may now be more of a part of those discussions.

...When Mark Waid, Tom McCraw, and I spent several months determining how to streamline the Legion and all its various far-flung stoylines and situations prior to the big Zero Hour event – now known as the Legion Reboot – I kept trying to break down what the Legion was in its most basic form. I kept coming back to this phrase: “Kids in the future in space.” That was the Legion that I grew up reading, and I felt that’s what made the series so special.

Legion Abstract has a long essay (with a neat little pun as the title) on the Great Darkness Saga (which DC should really put back in print now!) focusing on how Darkseid was portrayed in relation to the Legion.

I once said that what the GDS was really about was fear. I don't think that anymore, but I do think I had a point. What I think now is that Darkseid and the Legion never really understood each other.

I'm still several episodes behind in "Smallville" (and getting behinder) but apparently a Legion flight ring played a part in the season finale last May and in the season premiere this week. The FlickCast has a picture and a video clip. IO9 has more on this season of "Smallville" in general, but they also say that the Legion is rumored to reappear (wishful thinking or is this news?).

Asgard Press has the 2009-2010 DC Calendar with vintage covers. For whatever reason, they chose the cover to Superboy 147 for October 2009. (Thanks Mike for the tip!)

Get-a-Life Boy reviews the Legion in Comics for the 9/16 week.

Comix Secret HQ looks at the Adult Legion of Super-Villains.

And don't forget that the new miniseries "Superman: Secret Origin" ends issue 1 with a plug for issue 2 in which the Legion shows up. They used the 1970s "Superboy & The Legion" style logo.

Bits of Legionnaire Business

More bits...

Some reviews of Adventure Comics #2:

• Matthew at Legion Abstract "reviews" the issue, but the discussion in the comments section is more interesting.
  
  
• Pulptone:
  "Characters I only know on surface value but everything you need to know about the story is right there. The comic reads just like it’s name. Adventure."
  
  
• Comix101
  "Although this is my first introduction to the Legion I like what Geoff is doing here so far and look forward to the rest of the story... Absolutely recommend this book. Even if you’re not familiar with the characters like I am with the Legion, you will not be disappointed."
  
  
• Paradox Comics
  "I’ve never been that fussed with the Legion of Superheroes but while I’m a way off from considering myself a fan, the second instalment of the backup was a lot more involving than the first, and I’m quite intrigued by the direction Johns is taking the story."
  
  
• Newsarama's Best Shots
  "While I wasn't a fan of last month's debut, seeing the Legion in their natural habitat really was great this time around."
  
  
• Rokk's Comic Book Revolution
  "And what hurts the pace Johns has decided to take with this series is that we already know that he is going to be leaving this book after issue #6 to work on the new Flash ongoing series, and taking Francis Manapul with him. This kills any sort of momentum that this series might have had as Johns has clearly written these first two issues as start up points for an even larger story he was waiting to tell. But because his run on this title ends with issue #6 any long-term plans he had for this series is thrown out the window as with a new creative team there will most likely be a new direction for this series.
  
  Also I am not too sure about the choice of Paul Levitz, former President of DC Comics, being helmed to take over writing duties. I am not familiar with Levitz's work but it feels like a strange choice for a series about a teenage superhero. And I am not taking his age into account but it is more that it has been a long time since he has written anything of note that he will probably be very rusty. Coming on to write a book like Adventure Comics seems like an odd choice for him to begin writing on an ongoing basis again.
  

Superhero Times reviews the new DC Direct Booster Gold figure, whose sculpt includes a Legion flight ring on his right hand.

Don "Get-a-Life Boy" Sakers thinks he's come up with a fairly ingenious way to fix the Legion timeline.

The Problems:

1. The Legion is 50+ years old, but its members are in early adulthood (20s - 30s).

2. The Legion interacts with the "present day" DC Universe on a fixed 1,000-year interval.

3. Reconciling these two conditions results in a Legion chronology that is ever-changing and ever-shrinking to match the current DC Universe.

4. Everybody keeps messing with the Legion, and there is no agreement on fundamental principles.

5. By the nature of the problems, most solutions are only temporary. Ideally, any solution should still stand when the Legion celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2058.

Subzero at Tales from the Kryptonian thinks he's figured out why sometimes in the early stories the Legion was referred to as being from the 21st century instead of the 30th. Hint: it involves Cosmic King of the Legion of Super-Villains.

Legion Abstract looks back at the Omen/Prophet storyline. Bonus points for the title of this entry: "Step 1: Omen. Step 2: ??? Step 3: Prophet!"

Anyway, that's “Omen and the Prophet” for you. Not a great story, not as bad as its reputation, some obvious flaws, some points of interest. Give it another look.

Talk Like a Pirate Day 2009: Captain Frake

Captain Alisia Frake of New Tartuga [Note: this entry spells it this way, while 2008's Pirate spotlight on Dynamo Boy spells it "Tortuga"]

From Who's Who in the LSH #1:

Growing up amidst the poverty and lawlessness of New Tartuga led Alisia into the most common profession of the asteroid world: piracy. Quickly gaining a reputation for her ruthlessness, she manned the pirate ship "Antares" with cutthroats and led a successful pirating career until she crossed the path of Ultra Boy, who was floating through space after being thought killed by Pulsar Stargrave. Captain Frake fell for Ultra Boy, but he turned against her when the Legionnaires arrived on New Tartuga to arrest the pirates. Captain Frake and her crew were killed when the blast from a weapon called the Star Crusher ricocheted off Ultra Boy.

Bits of Levitz Business

Francis Manapul talks about working on Adventure Comics (right before it was announced that he's leaving for the new Flash book).

Superheroes-R-Us asks:

That leaves the unanswered question of: Did Levitz and/or DiDio know of the events that would leave Levitz with large amounts of free time or was Levitz planning on doing this along side his DC Presidential duties?

Legion Abstract analyzes the new situation and asks some good questions.

Newsarama's Legion Blogpost reflects on the Third Coming of Paul Levitz, and reminds us what happens sometimes when writers come back to the books they worked on years before:

While it’s true that Levitz wrote many great Legion stories, some fans worry about writers returning after lengthy periods away. Chris Claremont’s various returns to the X-Men seemed to get less successful over time, while Jim Shooter experienced a rocky return to the Legion in the recent past.

Newsarama's Friday Flashback, meanwhile, looks back at the Great Darkness Saga:

Its influence runs deep, in my opinion. Take a look at many of the event stories that have come sense, and I challenge you not to see echoes of patterns established by Levitz and Giffen. The Great Darkness manages to juggle character, action, and spectacle without sacrificing any of those qualities.

Tpull at FilmFodder looks at what Levitz's new position may mean for not only the Legion but also pretty much the whole comics industry from production to distribution.

If Levitz was contemplating doing some writing again, and Johns was going to be busy with the Flash reboot, and Levitz now had some free time to actually sit down and read some comics for a change and catch up on what ha been developing with some of his old character friends...

Voila! It's one of those things that make you think there really is a mysterious force moving things into place for you to recognize and take advantage. Levitz will take over Adventure Comics, and before too much longer, the Legion of Super-Heroes will overshadow Superboy, and possibly even push him out. That's what happened in their original title, so it's not like there isn't a precedent.

Trivia Answers #39

Ye olde answers to this month's trivia:

1. BION had the powers of all Legionnaires except for who?

Kono was the only one he didn't have powers from.

2. Which active Legionnaire did not take part in Earthwar?

Tyroc, of course. Even Paul Levitz didn't really know what to do with him.

3. In Blackest Night, the dead are rising to become Black Lanterns. Which 20th century heroes arose when Mordru raised the dead in v4 #43-48?

I don't have access to those issues, but according to Again With the Comics, the dead 20th century heroes included Vigilante, Flash, Atom, Jason Todd. Anyone have the issue handy to see if there were more?

4. Which Legionnaires named themselves after an animal?

Alphabetically, that would be Catspaw, Chameleon/Chameleon Boy, Chameleon Girl, Dragonmage, Emerald Dragon, Gazelle, Insect Queen, Lamprey, Leviathan, Porcupine Pete, Spider Girl, Timber Wolf, Turtle, and Virus.

5. Cosmic Boy, in his civilian identity, was once shown going to a movie date with someone other than Lydda "Night Girl" Jath. Which 20th century movie star was shown on the movie screen (updated to the 30th century)?

Nobody got this one. It was Charles Bronson with a laser gun in a scene from "Death Wish". I think it was Superboy 212 where Night Girl gets her new costume and teams up with Shadow Lass.

6. Who else besides XS, Iris Allen, and Iris's family is related to Bart Allen and comes from the 31st century?

The ones I was looking for were Owen Mercer (Captain Boomerang II) and Inertia. I forgot about the Thawnes, from Bart's mom's side of the family.

7. The Magic Castle is a real-life magic-themed nightclub in Hollywood. What Legion connection does it have?

In the 30th century, it was a museum of magical artifacts, curated by Antonio Stefanacci - Darkseid ransacked the place and stole (if I remember correctly) Matter Master's Mentachem Wand. Jonathan Miller also reminded me it appeared again in the Magic Wars (but I don't remember in what context).

The future of Adventure Comics

Pun intended in the title, of course.

Question 1 in this week's Q&A with Dan DiDio at Newsarama involves Adventure Comics, the Legion, Paul Levitz, and Superboy (as if you couldn't guess). Another question was about Legion of 3 Worlds.

1) Lost_Daughter wrote:
The Adventure Comics changeover. How did that happen? Was it planned? Will Legion be the stars? Will Levitz continue with Geoff's plans?

Dan DiDio: The change was in the works already before Paul stepped into the mix. And the change started at the moment we decided Francis was going to be the artist on The Flash.

What we're planning to do with The Flash ongoing series, we needed to get Francis and Geoff off the Adventure Comics series so they could concentrate on The Flash ongoing.

So we knew we had a change there. We just weren't sure exactly where and when. And we were going back and forth on which issue it was because Geoff had a really wonderful Superboy story that he wanted to tell that, unfortunately, will have to be pushed to a later date.

But my goal now is to get those guys going on Flash as soon as possible. And then when all the changes started to occur, Paul was our only choice for the series. And to be quite frank with you, before even knowing everything that was taking place, Paul was the person we were thinking about approaching for the series as well, given his association with the Legion, given his association with Adventure Comics, and his love for the title, and his love for those characters. It only made sense for him to be the one to take this and move it to its next incarnation.

Newsarama: There's no doubt that when you think of Paul, you think of Legion of Super-Heroes. But there are Conner Kent fans out there that are wondering - what's going to happen to the Superboy piece of this comic?

DiDio: We're going to see Conner's, probably, gradual leave from that book. But that's not to say Conner won't be joining a team book soon, or appearing in another series of his own at some point.

Nrama: Then as a follow-up to that question, ds69 wrote:
Dan, you now have the GREATEST LSH writer back on the title, you must use an A-list artist. Who will it be?

DiDio: I don't have the artist chosen yet. We have several people in mind. What I really want to do is sit down with Paul to see what his direction, tone and feel is. And to work with him on selecting the proper artist. We want to make sure he's a part of the process as well, in choosing the artist for the book.

But because there are so many things going on now, that's a little on hold for the second. What Paul's been doing is actually getting up to speed on the Legion of Super-Heroes. He's just been going through all the work Geoff has done on the characters lately, as well as James Robinson. And he's looking to build on the foundation we have going right now.


11) Kooster wrote: Legion of 3 Worlds #5 -- Is there a near-future story about how Alan Scott got trapped in Sorcerers World? And can you comment on what George Perez is working on next?

DiDio: There is presently no Alan Scott story that I know about, at least for the moment.

The internet breaks in half - Levitz to return to LSH!

In case one or two of you haven't heard by now, there's been a shakeup at DC that promises big things for us in the 31st century. In a nutshell, DC's corporate bosses are realigning things such that DC Comics, now renamed DC Entertainment (DCE), is more closely under the auspices of the movie division. And that means a change in leadership at the top - Paul Levitz will be leaving as President and Publisher. However, he will stay on as consultant, editor, and writer. The big news here? He will be coming back to write the Legion.

The story actually started yesterday, when it was announced that Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul would be leaving "Adventure Comics" for a new Flash comic. Jerry Ordway will be drawing issues 5 and 6, which tie in with Blackest Night, and then Levitz will pick up with issue 7 with an artist to be named. It's unclear whether Superboy will star, as the title has been referred to today as "Adventure Comics featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes".

This morning, Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood Daily broke the news. Read DHD for all the corporate details. This plan is not a reaction to last week's purchase of Marvel by Disney, but has been in the works for a couple of years. It makes sense to me, that Time Warner should be exploiting (in the business sense) their assets, of which DC Comics is one, and it's always bugged me why DC has never been too close to the rest of the company.

But DC Comics insiders are now telling me that Levitz told senior staff this morning he will "transition out" after a new publisher is sought and found. He chose to leave after 35 years at the comic book company. Warner Bros gave him an option to stay but in a different capacity. "He was a constructive, positive partner in the restructure," a source advises me. But his reporting structure was going to change. (Previously, he'd reported to Alan Horn. One insider told me Levitz's conversation with senior staff this morning went like this, "Don't worry. No one should sweat right now. It's all going to be fine.")

According to a press release:

Paul Levitz, who has served as President & Publisher of DC Comics since 2002, will segue from that role to return to his roots as a writer for DC and become a contributing editor and overall consultant to DCE.

Diane Nelson, the new head of DCE, explained what DCE is going to be:

DC Entertainment’s mission is to deeply integrate the DC brand and characters into all of Warner Bros.’ creative production and distribution businesses, while maintaining the integrity of the properties and DC’s longstanding commitment to and respect for writers, creators and artists. The founding of DC Entertainment is about Warner Bros. taking DC to the next level and giving DC an even greater degree of focus and prioritization in all the businesses in which we operate—films, television, home entertainment, digital, consumer products and videogames.

Levitz wrote a letter of resignation to the public, which included this:

It will come as no surprise to anyone who’s heard me answer a comic convention request, “When are you going to do more Legion stories?” that I’m going to step away from my executive desk in coming months to resume my writing career, in comics and hopefully other forms as well. One of the lessons I learned from my many great teachers, from Frank McCourt through Joe Orlando and Jenette Kahn, is that creative work is more enduring than executive acts, and I look forward to adding to the stories I’ve told. Expect to see my byline at DC, as it has appeared for almost 37 years, adding what I can to a mythology and company that has my enduring affection, and expect to see me around the world of comics, which I hope never to leave. I already hear Karen and Dan sharpening their blue pencils with glee, waiting for my first pages.

... And now, if you forgive me, the future is calling.

Then came this at the DCU Blog:

You may have heard that Paul Levitz will be once again adding his considerable talent, drive and creativity to our ever expanding universe as a regular DC Comics writer.

So, what’s his first writing assignment?

Paul is returning to the title he made great as both a writer and editor, ADVENTURE COMICS, and with his eyes set to the future, he brings several of his favorite characters with him. ADVENTURE is the first in a number of projects, both ongoing and mini-series that Paul will be taking on as he joins of our list of top notch creators here at DC.

As Executive Editor, and as a fan, I can’t wait for him to get started.

-Dan DiDio

Some reactions:

• Occasional Superheroine: Brains 'Sploded!
  
• Mark Waid: I'm gobsmacked!
  
• Kurt Busiek: "I'm thrilled I'll get to read new Levitz 'Legion' stories. Beyond that, I'm still stunned."
  
• Ron Marz: "Paul Levitz is going back to the Legion. How cool is that?"
  
• Keith Giffen: [When it comes to us collaborating on the Legion again] all Paul has to do is pick up the phone and tell me when. And if comic book fandom knows a good thing when they see it, they should be popping champagne corks at the fact that Paul Levitz is returning to the 30th Century. Knowing Paul, it's not like he ever 100% left."
  
• Marv Wolfman: When 'New Teen Titans' was the #1-selling book at DC, the #2-selling book was Paul's 'Legion,' and we were far ahead of other books at DC at the time. He may not always talk about his writing, but I always look at it as the fact that the fans made the decision very clear when they chose Paul's as one of the two top books: it was that good.
  

In a Newsarama interview with Levitz and Nelson on what DCE means, Levitz said:

While Nelson will head the division, Levitz will become a contributing editor and consultant, as well as taking over as writer of the monthly "Adventure Comics" title featuring Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes.

"On the 'Legion', I have a lot of homework to do before I'm ready to hit the keyboard the first time," Levitz said, adding that he's going to have to do a lot of research.

...Yet Levitz is also looking forward to transitioning toward his new job as a writer of "Adventure Comics."

"I'm looking forward to seeing my old friends again and playing with them," said Levitz, who had a legendary run on "Legion of Super-Heroes" in the '80s. "I'm even more looking forward to seeing what I've got in me. I've been talking with writers about things about the changing world of the graphic novel and what the creative possibilities are."

CBR also has an interview with Levitz and Nelson.

Blog@Newsarama has a nice writeup of Levitz's history with DC, and Mark Evanier talks about his impact on the comics industry over the last couple of decades.

Andrew Foley weighs in on the new Legion writer:

As one of his final acts as DC publisher, Paul Levitz screws Christopher Bird ("Why I Should Write the Legion") by returning to write the Legion of Superheroes. I’d find that really exciting if I was still fourteen; as it is, I just hope he’s happy. Levitz, that is. Bird’s funnier when he’s pissed off. Sorry Boss, but it’s true.

Finally, BeaucoupKevin has a definitive explanation of what the DC Comics restructuring means to you, the fan.

Bits of Legionnaire Business

It's too late for in-depth links to Legion of 3 Worlds or Adventure Comics #1, but here are some items I didn't get around to posting on my last Bits column that aren't too outdated already. It's a long one, chock full of good stuff all the way down to the bottom. Now I'm caught up through this weekend.

• Those of you on Facebook might be interested in groups for the Interlac language, LegionWorld.net, and the old Legion apa's (like the Outpost, Interlac, etc.).
  
  
• The Fortress of Baileytude has a series of podcasts covering Superman's history from Crisis (on Infinite Earths) to Crisis (the Final kind). Episode 10 covers August 1987, when the 4-issue storyline on Superman, Superboy, and the Pocket Universe appeared.
  
  
• Again with the Comics looks at Tenzil for the Defense.
  
  
• Remember how at the end of LSH v3 #5, five Legionnaires left through a stargate to make it back home (as seen in the recently reprinted "An Eye for an Eye" TPB)? Well, they had a detour in the 20th century with Superman and Brainiac, first.
  
  
• TroopNY shows off his custom-made reboot Cosmic Boy costume at the League of Heroes site.
  
  
• Newsarama interviews Tony Bedard on what's coming up in R.E.B.E.L.S.
  
  
• Did you know that the M'rissey character that showed up in Jim Shooter's recent run on the Legion was based on long-time fan Rich Morrissey? Rich helped create Legion fandom in the early 1970s and was one of the great comics historians. Here's a little bit of the character on scans_daily and the obituary that Mark Evanier wrote in 2001.
  
  
• Chris Mosby reveals why LSH v3 #312 is the most pivotal Legion issue EVER.
  
  
• The Legion Abstract's Matthew was a guest of the Legion of Substitute Podcasters following the end of Legion of 3 Worlds. Worlds will live, worlds will die in this crossover!
  
  
• Major Spoilers has an in-depth Hero History of the Legion of Super-Pets.
  
  
• It's too late to go into detail about the Adventure Comics #1 reviews, but here are links to them anyway. Legion Abstract, Read/Rant, CBR, Shotgun Reviews, IGN, ComiXtreme, Get-a-Life Boy, Comic Book Legacy, Newsarama's Legion Blogpost, Comix411, Examiner, Keith's Comics Revue, Comics And..., and Comic Nexus.
  
  
• The Origins and Powers of the Legionnaires, as posted by Diversions of the Groovy Kind. These are pages from the All-New Collector's Edition book that had the wedding of Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl, these pages with art by Jim Sherman and Jack Abel.
  
  
• Info on costume designs by Mike Grell and Dave Cockrum, from an issue of Back Issue magazine.
  
  
• If you're into Mighty Muggs, how about this custom Wildfire on ebay?
  
  
  
• Whatever happened to those goats that L3 Brainiac 5 had in the HQ?
  
  
• The Major Spoilers poll and podcast: the Legion vs the X-Men
  
  
• Mattel, on what their next plans are for Legion action figures: "We do have some great plans for the Legion of Superheroes, but when and how they will be released has yet to be announced!"
  
  
• Oh Noes! Clark needs to get to the 30th century right away, but he's cuddling with Lana. How will he get away?
  
  
• Ah, Laurel Kent. Post-Modern Barney calls Superboy sick and wrong for hitting on his multi-great granddaughter, while Armagideon Time lists her in one of his "Nobody's Favorite" histories.
  
  
• Gratuitous Legion references of the day: from the Sacramento Bee, talking about the University of Florida's "inevitable" march to the national championship game. "The Gators fit the bill. They've got the smarty-pants football coach. They've got the pretty-boy quarterback who works on making the world a better place in his spare time. They've got more speed than the Legion of Super-Heroes."
  
  Second, from the Wall Street Journal, on Disney's acquisition of Marvel: "Disney agreed Monday to buy Marvel Entertainment Inc., adding a legion of superheroes to a durable family of children's favorites."
  
  
• Wil Wheaton talks a bit about his role as Cosmic Boy on the Legion TV series in an interview about his role on a recent episode of "Leverage".
  
  
• It's time to play "Crazy Celebrity Baby Name or Member of the Legion!"
  
  
• Here's a fabulously retro look at the Legionnaires on the cover of Adventure 247, by ~Quimbus on deviantART.
  
  
• The Legion cartoon airs at 10:30am Sundays in Brisbane. In case you were wondering.
  
  
• Blake's 2-in-1 Podcast looks at Mon-El - who is he, and what's his story?
  
  
• Finally, my Google Alert subscription notifies me of these things from time to time, where somebody uses the phrase "Legion of Super-Heroes" but not actually referring to our team. This one is kind of cute, from the Willard Central Elementary School in Springfield, MO. The super-hero theme this year at the school "will focus on developing HEROES – Honorable, Empowered, Responsible, Organized, Exceptional Students." That's so cool! I hope DC/Warners doesn't bust them for trademark infringement or something.
  

Toronto Fan Expo 2009 (Dan DiDio doesn't "get" the LSH)

Forgot about this one last week. Here's an interesting report from Newsarama on the DC Nation panel there:

When the floor opened up to other topics, someone inquired whether there were plans to expand on the Legion of Superheroes?

“The problem with Legion of Superheroes is the big cast and my biggest personal problem was the lack of Superboy and the inspiration for the team,” offers DiDio. “That was so key to the origin and so key to so much going on there that without that, without Superboy to inspire the team, it lost its own purpose and just became a team. It was something set in the future, but it didn’t have a real tether to what was going on in the DC Universe currently. What we are trying to do is rebuild that time, rebuild that sensibility, and hopefully rebuild a Legion that is a strong powerful set of characters in the DC U again.”

Well gee, it might have been nice to allow Mark Waid to use Superboy then when he was rebooting the Legion, wouldn't it?

Snell at Monstrobot has an in-depth rebuttal on how Dan DiDio apparently just doesn't "get" the Legion.

Trivia Quiz #39

Some new questions for you, back on track (for the time being) on the first Monday of the month....

1. BION had the powers of all Legionnaires except for who?

2. Which active Legionnaire did not take part in Earthwar?

3. In Blackest Night, the dead are rising to become Black Lanterns. Which 20th century heroes arose when Mordru raised the dead in v4 #43-48?

4. Which Legionnaires named themselves after an animal?

5. Cosmic Boy, in his civilian identity, was once shown going to a movie date with someone other than Lydda "Night Girl" Jath. Which 20th century movie star was shown on the movie screen (updated to the 30th century)?

6. Who else besides XS, Iris Allen, and Iris's family is related to Bart Allen and comes from the 31st century?

7. The Magic Castle is a real-life magic-themed nightclub in Hollywood. What Legion connection does it have?

Trivia Answers #38

This month's trivia quiz was based (loosely) on the LSG trip to Las Vegas.

1. Ventura is the Gamblers' Planet in the 30th/31st centuries. Where have we seen it in the 20th/21st centuries?

The obvious one, which I knew everyone would get, was in the first story arc of the latest Brave & Bold series, with Green Lantern, Batman, Blue Beetle, Supergirl, Lobo, and the Book of Fate. The obscure one, which I wasn't sure anyone would get (but Jeffrey did), was when orange-skinned alien gamblers from Ventura named Sorban and Rokk (no relation) encountered Superman in "Superman" 171 (8/64), then reappeared in "Flash" 175 (the second Superman vs Flash race, 12/67) and "World's Finest" 150 (6/75).

2. The LSG freed some money from the clutches of the evil casinos. Name three people or groups to have freed Mordru from imprisonment.

Shadow Lass (ADV 368), The Dark Circle (Earthwar), Darkseid (Great Darkness), the Sorcerors of Sorceror's World, and (I think) the JLA in the JLA/JSA crossover but I don't recall the details.

3. There's always paperwork when there's money involved. What was the name of United Planets' statute-in-council #2958-07Q? [Either answer is acceptable.]

Pre-Zero Hour, it was The Legion of Super-Heroes Enabling Act; post-Zero Hour, it was The Legion of Super-Heroes Revenue Act.

4. Who stayed behind to watch the HQ during the wedding of Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel (and didn't get to party at Casino Nix Olympica)?

Mon-El and Shadow Lass. As the only two left in the whole HQ, you know they must have tried to do it in the conference room, the tryouts room, the weapons room, the reception area...

5. The volcano at the Mirage Casino erupts every 15 minutes from sunset until midnight, but Krypton only exploded once. Which Legionnaires were present on Krypton shortly before its destruction?

The one I was thinking about was Shrinking Violet, Cosmic Boy, Shadow Lass and Wildfire, from Superboy & the LSH 255. Of course, Kal-El and Mon-El were there separately, as were future Super-Pets Krypto and Beppo, but I was looking for Legionnaires as a group.

6. The LSG is always up for new members, and the initiation test is that you have to gamble at the same table with other members at least once. But twice, Saturn Girl asked the Legion to induct a new member based only on her say-so. Who were these Legionnaires?

Element Lad and Sensor Girl. I forget, did she recommend Sir Prize and Miss Terious the same way?

7. Sometimes a LSGer will only appear at one or two gatherings and then mysteriously stops. When was Insect Queen's last appearance with the Legion?

I should have said "last regular contemporaneous pre-Zero Hour appearance", which would have been during the Reflecto story. I forgot that they pulled her out of some random time for a cameo in the recent Legion of 3 Worlds story in issue 5. And was she in the group shot in LSH v2 #300, or am I misremembering?

Super Powers Collection 25th Anniversary - Blog Crossover

Turns out that this week is the 25th anniversary of the Super Powers action figure line, and 14 comic/toy-related blogs have banded together to celebrate as they saw fit. I didn't find out about it until this morning. D'oh! Of course, the lone Legion-related figure in the line was Tyr.

In 1986, as part of the 3rd wave of the then-popular Super Powers action figures, someone decided that a kewl-looking villain should be added to the cast. Why they went all the way to the 30th century to get Tyr is beyond me, but he gets the distinction of being the first honest-to-goodness Legion-related action figure. Toyotter has a great writeup on all the characters, including Tyr.





The Super Powers line featured "action" figures - you moved it in a certain way and they did something. Tyr's gimmick was that his arm blaster fired when you squeezed his feet. The front and back of the card tell of his "Power Action Rocket Launch" and a card you were supposed to cut out that described his powers and weaknesses. I bought mine a decade ago for $65 (original price: somewhere around $1.50), but ebay prices are all over the place today. The third wave of Super Powers figures was made in smaller quantities than the earlier waves, which explains why he's hard to find these days.

The 4th wave of Super Powers figures for 1987 never got off the ground. However, in an interview several years ago, Steve Lightle discussed being asked by the Kenner team to design at least two Legion figures: Dream Girl and Dawnstar. They never made it past the drawing stage, though Steve's suggestion for Dream Girl's insignia can be found on this page that has an excerpt from the interview (the original of which has apparently vanished into cyberspace). I can see Dawnstar's "action" power (squeeze her legs and her wings flap, just like the Hawkman figure), but I have no idea what they were going to do for Dream Girl's.

The Kenner's Super Powers page has some closeups of the loose figure and the disassembled pieces of the prototype.

The third wave of Super Powers figures had its own non-canonical tie-in comic miniseries.

Here are the other blogs participating in the Super Powers anniversary:

• The Aquaman Shrine: Scans of every mini-comic appearance by the Sea King, plus a line overview, creator credits, and various other merchandise.
  
• Batblog: All the Batman-related characters
  
• Being Carter Hall: Hawkman mini-comic appearances reviewed.
  
• Crimson Lightning: Extensive commentary on the Flash mini-comic.
  
• Dispatches from the Arrow Cave: Complete scans and commentary on the Green Arrow mini-comic.
  
• Doom Patrol: Red Tornado mini-comic scans and commentary.
  
• Firestorm Fan: The Nuclear Man in comics and figures.
  
• Fortress of Baileytude: the Superman family of characters
  
• The Idol-Head of Diabolu: The Martian Manhunte
  
• Justice League Detroit: Colección Super Amigos: Liga de la Justicia de Detroit Bootleg Action Figures
  
• Love Dat Joker: Extensive commentary on the Clown Prince of Crime's role in the set, including figure photos and complete scans of his appearances from the Batman, Green Lantern, and his eponymous mini-comics.
  
• ...nurgh...: Critical reviews of every mini-comic, starting with #1-8, then #9-16.
  
• Once Upon a Geek: Dr. Fate and Blue Devil mini-comics and toys.
  
• Speed Force: A look at the Flash figure itself
  

Upcoming Blackest Night/REBELS crossover

If you don't want to read any spoilers about the upcoming Blackest Night/R.E.B.E.L.S. crossover stop reading now.

Via Newsarama's article on Orlando's Mini-Megacon this weekend:

Finishing out the floor buzz today was Tony Bedard, who is still hard at work with R.E.B.E.L.S. for DC. Issue 7 just hit the stores, and right now, he is working on the Blackest Night crossover issues, 10 and 11, which should be out in November and December. He’s really excited about the crossover, as not only will a bunch of new people be exposed to the book, but it has been a lot of fun. Bedard said they are throwing everything into it – two Black Lanterns, the Sinestro Corps, Starro and his Good-Time Gang, Vril Dox and his crew. This obviously raised the question – who will the Black Lanterns be? Bedard revealed that one will be Harbinger (from Crisis on Infinite Earths fame) and the other will be Stealth, who was a member of L.E.G.I.O.N. In addition to that crossover, he said he was thrilled to have worked with his old Route 666 partner, Karl Moline, who drew one off the chapters in the upcoming R.E.B.E.L.S. Annual, which has other chapters by Kalman Andrasofszky, Derec Donovan, and Joe Prado. Beyond that, Bedard hinted that early next year, R.E.B.E.L.S. will be crossing over with one of DC’s flagship books, but he couldn’t specify which, since the details are still being hammered out. Then, after that, he said he is really excited about next year’s big event, which should have fans excited with Geoff Johns and James Robinson at the helm of it. Bedard said he feels very confident about the direction they will give it. He added that both Johns and Robinson have told him how much they are enjoying R.E.B.E.L.S., “which is the nicest thing to hear,” he said with a smile.

Trivia Quiz #38

Yay, I'm back! The Legion of Super-Gamblers made out OK in Las Vegas (some of us did) - at least we all had enough for a cab ride to the airport. So, this month's trivia, a couple weeks late, based (loosely) on the LSG trip:

1. Ventura is the Gamblers' Planet in the 30th/31st centuries. Where have we seen it in the 20th/21st centuries?

2. The LSG freed some money from the clutches of the evil casinos. Name three people or groups to have freed Mordru from imprisonment.

3. There's always paperwork when there's money involved. What was the name of United Planets' statute-in-council #2958-07Q? [Either answer is acceptable.]

4. Who stayed behind to watch the HQ during the wedding of Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel (and didn't get to party at Casino Nix Olympica)?

5. The volcano at the Mirage Casino erupts every 15 minutes from sunset until midnight, but Krypton only exploded once. Which Legionnaires were present on Krypton shortly before its destruction?

6. The LSG is always up for new members, and the initiation test is that you have to gamble at the same table with other members at least once. But twice, Saturn Girl asked the Legion to induct a new member based only on her say-so. Who were these Legionnaires?

7. Sometimes a LSGer will only appear at one or two gatherings and then mysteriously stops. When was Insect Queen's last appearance with the Legion?

Happy Klordny Week 2009!

Hey, we're in Klordny Week already! Since 1995, Klordny Week has been celebrated in the week or so that contains both my birthday (August 13, today) and Elvis Appreciation Day (August 16). It first appeared in Superboy and the LSH 232 (10/77).

How do you celebrate? By dancing and partying!

Do me a favor, Lightning Lad, shut up and dance!

Why do you celebrate? I'm not telling you!


What's the Ritual Klordny Toast?


You can never have too much Frunt. Others celebrating (whether they know it or not) include Cold Frunt Productions, Frunt's flickr photos, Frunt's blog on Vox, frunt.net, Hilde Frunt, Frunt's Myspace page, and a map of the town of Frunt, in Graubunden, Ostschweiz, Switzerland, and none other than Erwin Frunt!.

Chicago 09: DC Nation

Some hopeful news for a new series out of Chicago's DC Nation panel.

Via Newsarama:

Going on to Adventure Comics, Manupal talked about his modified style. He told Johns that maybe they should go for an “Americana” style of presentation; Sattler commented that it was “stunning to look at” with “the best Krypto ever.”

... The next question was about the split of Adventure, which will be the Superboy lead with the Legion co-feature. There will also be Legion bits in the main Superboy story. Sattler said that there will be more Legion story before getting to a dedicated Legion book.

The same panel, via CBR:

Manapul confessed that he wasn't sure "Adventure Comics" would be a good fit for him, but said that he suggested to writer Geoff Johns that they approach the series with an Americana feel.

...Manapul confirmed that "Adventure Comics" will feature the Legion in Superboy's main story, in addition to their backup stories. Regarding the various Legions, Manapul said that "all three" would appear, and Sattler added that DC needed to establish who the Legion are before they get a dedicated book.

Coverage from Wizard? I give up. You'd think that the magazine that owns the convention would bother to put coverage up on its web site Wizard Universe (where the only discussion of the DC Nation panel is a press release from weeks ago announcing that there will be a DC Nation panel), or even, I don't know, the site which represents all of its conventions, Wizard World.

Chicago 09: It's Here!

Ah, con season. Everyone's still recovering from the behemoth that is San Diego, and now it's Chicago Comic Con weekend (formerly known as Wizard World Chicago, formerly known as the Chicago Comic Con before that). Here's what's on tap this weekend:

Saturday
4-5 p.m.
DC Nation Panel
Michael Turner Room: A
Join DC Comics’ Ian Sattler for a peak at what the powerhouse publisher has coming up in the biggest titles from Geoff Johns’ Blackest Night event to Grant Morrison’s Batman & Robin.

Sunday
1-2 p.m.
Silver Age Trivia Experts Take On The Fans!
Mike Werringo Room: E
Come pit your knowledge of Silver Age super-heroes against a panel of trivia geeks! Fans will get a chance to compete against the experts to be crowned the champion! Moderated by Craig Shutt, writer of the “Ask Mr. Silver Age” column for the Comics Buyer’s Guide.

Additionally, George Perez will be doing several appearances at the Hero Initiative booth, where maybe you can talk to him about L3W. See the Wizard page with more info.

I stumped Waid, Busiek, and Levitz

Kurt Busiek posted a San Diego story the other day.

There was no Pro/Fan Trivia Challenge at the San Diego Comicon this year. There was, however, one question from last year's challenge, which neither Mark Waid nor I attended, that was offered up this year, and once asked, seemed to travel around by osmosis. There's nothing quite like walking into the DC booth and having DC President and Publisher Paul Levitz say to you, without preamble, "I only got four, but I agree that [those other three] don't count." And knowing what he was talking about.

So: How many Legionnaires can you name who had letters on their costume?

Naturally, the 'L' on the flight ring doesn't count.

I got five—or eight, depending on how technical you want to get.

Mark Waid got the same five, but agreed that those other three shouldn't count.

Paul Levitz got four, with the same caveat.

James Robinson got five.

Tom Galloway came up with a sixth, but then, as I understand it, he was at the Challenge last year, so he's had much more time to think about it. And I spurn his sixth name as a technicality anyway, while Mark grumbled that yeah, it's a technicality but he should have gotten it anyway.

How many can you name?

If this sounds familiar, you might recall it from one of my trivia quizzes a couple years ago. I'm not sure yet who of the above got which answers. Some people took a shot on Kurt's Facebook page.

Let's not include the flight rings, the SW6 belt buckles, or the v4 jackets, all of which had the "L" on it; or any other jewelry, rings, belts, bracelets, or stuff like that, just the costume itself.

My regular trivia quiz coming in a day or two (and yes, I know it was supposed to be this past Monday).

Bits of Legionnaire Business

I've let this go so long I'm going to have to spread this over 2 posts:

• CBR's Comic Book Legends Revealed reveals this:
  

  COMIC LEGEND: Mike Grell tried to introduce a black character into the pages of Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes, but saw his efforts literally whitewashed away. STATUS: True

  
  It's really the story of Dvron, which you might not have heard before. The next week we heard about
  

  COMIC LEGEND: Keith Giffen and Tom and Mary Bierbaum had a character switch genders in the Legion of Super-Heroes to have a character they felt was gay be with a man. STATUS: True

  
  Of course, it's the story of Element Lad and Shvaughn/Sean Erin (with over 180 comments afterwards).
  
  
• Action Figure Blues and Superhero Times review the four Legion figures that recently came out in the Justice League Unlimited series.
  
  
• Caperaway lists their top 10 Legion stories. This is a good topic for another day here.
  
  
• Scans Daily: LSH v3 #38 (Death of Superboy), Computo and the death of Triplicate Girl ("So much wrong, so little I can post. But I'll do my best. So, today my thesis is the Legion are fucking idiots. Here is evidence. Finally looking at the famous first Computo story, I have to say: I never realized just how stupid the Legion were. And how heartless. And how flip they were with the issue of death and mutilation."), and the 80s look at how Luornu has dealt with that trauma from the Legion Annual.
  
  
• Don noticed something interesting in a recent issue of JLA about the Sun-Eater.
  
  
• It didn't cross my mind at the time, but this tribute at the time of Ed McMahon's death concentrates on the infamous "Challenge of the Super-Heroes" and "Roast of the Super-Heroes" shows from the late 1970s. Ed was host of the Roast. Mordru was in both shows.
  
  
• Comic Book Noise continues its look at Robinson's Starman series. In this podcast episode, they discuss the 30th century's Starman.
  
  
• Photon Torpedos looks back at some Alan Davis covers from the mid 1990s.
  
  
• Speaking of podcasts, the Legion of Substitute Podcasters #39 discusses the last part of the "An Eye for an Eye" TPB.
  
  
• The Howling Curmudgeous determine who the worst pre-Crisis Legionnaire was.
  
  
• The Tearoom of Despair has a long essay on the ups and downs of being a Legion reader.
  
  
• Major Spoilers shows us a number of drawings by Gene Gonzales of Legionnaires.
  
  
• They're remaking the movie "The Karate Kid", but because of naming rights that DC holds, the new title will be "The Kung Fu Kid".