Did you need to be convinced that Timber Wolf is a good super-hero? No? Too bad, because here's The Legion #15 & 16

The Legion #15

We've officially entered the post-Olivier Coipel Legion and let's see what the new artists can do with the Independence Day Legion (yes, I'm keeping this until it becomes a thing or I annoy everyone).

Kev Walker is back on pencils this issue, joining writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (DnA). It looks like we're getting a spotlight on Timber Wolf because issue #9 wasn't enough to get us interested in the new Legionnaire.

The first page shows Brin soundly beaten with his clothing torn apart. So we're going to jump back and forth through time to tell this story - I always like this technique.

24 hours ago, we're at the U.P. Congress, where Timber Wolf is getting his orientation. I guess the Legion doesn't have an HR department to walk him through the rules, present him with everything he needs to be a Legionnaire, and show him around Legion World. Actually, now that I think about it, that would make for an amazing issue...

"Hi, I'm your Legion HR rep, Marla Latham, and welcome to your new home on Legion World. First, let me remind you of our most important rule: No killing! Except during wartime, or if you're stuck on the other side of the galaxy, or if a villain killed your husband, or, well, if we ever come up with a good reason for you to do it. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to the emergency exits and talk about what to do in a Robotican attack drill."

Anyway, to the surprise of no one, both Xanthu and Colu are angry that the UP is recognizing Robotica as a peaceful species that deserves membership. Xanthu needs help and is threatening to withdraw their petition for U.P. membership (does that just mean they reunite with the Khunds...?) and Colu withdraws from the Congress.

As the Coluan delegates leave, they run into Timber Wolf and words are exchanged. Brin doesn't have any patience for their insults and threatens them. Kid Quantum meets up with him and tells him to watch what President Wazzo is about to say. The President announces that the Kwai are joining the U.P. and they're sending a diplomatic mission, headed up by R.J. Brande, to the Kwai galaxy. Then she tells Brin that she wants to talk to him. That can't be good, right?

Look, I'm all for doing something, anything, different with Winema Wazzo, but why would Brande go on this mission? Why would he trust her with anything? Why would she authorize this? I know that the automatic thought is that she's going to leave him for dead, or make sure this mission fails, but it would be such an illogical move for a president that it would just turn her into another badly-written villain. And she's never been that. She's always been anti-Legion and anti-Brande, but never at the cost of the U.P. Or am I forgetting something?

Kid Quantum then takes Timber Wolf to the Legion World Command Deck where, once again, Leviathan just sits there, grown to her full super-size, for no reason whatsoever. Triad has become the person running the deck, with Chuck and Gear at the controls. We learn that they're headed to Shanghalla today - so we finally give Live Wire and Monstress a funeral. Not Element Lad? Did they tell everyone what he did? Did I miss that?

Brin is given a tablet to hand off to Invisible Kid, who he's never met before, and after seeing Ayla complain again about not being called Live Wire, and XS sprint off somewhere, Lyle grabs that tablet and thanks him. We're just reinforcing the "everything is confusing for a newcomer" moment. Now they really need HR, don't they?

Back to present time, where Brin staggers to his feet and an unknown threat says to another that it's time to kill Timber Wolf. And punches him hard.

21 hours earlier, Brin enters the medical center, greets Saturn Girl. who's recovering from last issue's battle, and finds out she's headed back to Titan to "de-stress her brain." I wonder if, because he saved her life, she'll avoid mind controlling him as she is want to do.

Before we can get further into that, the Cub starts crying and Brin rushes off to see the baby. But Tinya's not there, only Jo, so we have a tense moment where they introduce themselves and talk about what to do with a flying baby. The Cub comes down into Brin's arms, irritating Jo. Timber Wolf quickly hands the baby to his father and leaves. The baby immediately starts crying, leaving Brin to judge Jo and his bad parenting skills.

Okay, this scene is confusing to me. I get Jo being jealous. But why would Brin be? He's got no feelings for Tinya and they've made that abundantly clear in the last few issues. Why any animosity towards Jo? It's not like Jo is doing anything bad - he just doesn't know how to be a father. It's like DnA want to have a love triangle but don't want to make it make any sense at all. Or they want tension without really earning it.

On Shanghalla, the Legion is flying together, hovering over the planet's surface, while Kid Quantum gives a very short speech for the memorial. Everyone looks solemn, there's no moment for say, Cosmic Boy, who was best friends with Garth, or any of the Xanthuans, who were longtime teammates with Monstress. We just get Jazmin and Brin.

And finally, if you weren't already convinced that Kid Quantum is an amazing leader, we have a moment where she addresses Ayla's desire to be called Live Wire instead of Spark. Jazmin tells Ayla that, even though she took her dead brother's name and joined the Legion to honor him, Ayla needs to be different. She tells Ayla that she's Spark, not Live Wire, and she needs to stay Spark to be true to herself. A teary Ayla agrees and tells Jazmin that she's not so bad. I know what they're trying to do here, but Jazmin was probably the worst person to give this speech. I mean, all Ayla had to say was "Why do you get to carry on your dead brother's name but I don't?" and the conversation is shut down immediately.

We finally address the Element Lad elephant as Jazmin tells Brin about him, defending Jan and talking about how he was a sweet person who was changed over the millions of years he was marooned. She and Brin go to Trom, where Jazmin leaves the memory crystals Jan used (remember back in Legion Lost?) as a memorial to the real Jan Arrah. After she thanks Brin for accompanying her, they fly off, leaving a holographic projection of a disheveled and long-haired Jan Arrah.

Back to the present, where a bloodied Brin is hit again and again but just won't stay down. Or die.

14 hours earlier, Brin is staying in his room, watching TV and keeping to himself. We get some great background info, like that both Ra's Al Ghul and Tharok are in custody. Tinya shows up and tells him to join her and meet his fellow Legionnaires. They fly to the "bar," where there are tons of other beings (not just Legionnaires) and Jo sees Brin and Tinya enter together. Jo walks away, angry, and Tinya runs after him.

Brin meekly smiles and says hello to a few Legionnaires. Cosmic Boy and XS don't look pleased to see him. Wow - that's a completely different take on these characters. Glad to know that two of the friendliest and most-Legion-welcoming members of the team have dramatically changed.

And is this Legion World now? Is it an entire planetoid full of different beings living together? It's not just Legion HQ? Again, did they explain this ever or are we just supposed to understand what's going on from the background pictures?

We move to Day Two, completely ignoring the previous text explanation of time, so I'm guessing it's the morning of when Timber Wolf gets beaten up. A team has been gathered to transport Tharok from Legion World to the port at Sintrol Beta before heading to Takron-Galtos. No idea why they don't just threshold to the prison planet, but when does anything have to make sense here.

On the team, it's XS (who introduces herself, which lets us know she didn't introduce herself the night before, at the bar, which, again, is completely out of character for her), Shikari, Wildfire, and Ultra Boy. Who's not happy to see Timber Wolf.

They take a threshold to the port, Ultra Boy takes some shots at Timber Wolf because he thinks Brin was chasing after his wife, and there's a massive explosion.

The Fatal Five (well, four) have arrived and they want Tharok back.

To be continued... 

The Legion #16

We continue with the Legion against the Fatal Four. Kev Walker is still on pencils but now, joining Andy Lanning on inks, is Al Milgrom. Do I need to explain that Milgrom is one of the best inkers ever? Is it okay that I'm wondering why he's working on this book? Slumming? Needing work?

This issue is written from Timber Wolf's perspective as he recounts his first mission as a Legionnaire to Kid Quantum. He and Ultra Boy are already jawing at each other and it's Wildfire... yes, you read that correctly... who's telling them to settle down and behave as they're about to fight.

Now because the Legion needs to lose this fight so they can show how strong Timber Wolf is, the rest of the Legionnaires will forget how to properly use their powers, fight individually and not as a team, and generally act like idiots. Wildfire blasts the Persuader and is stunned his axe can cut through energy. XS runs straight towards Mano, who ignores the fact that she's running faster than the human mind can comprehend and just blasts the ground underneath her. Shikari faces off against the Emerald Empress, lands some good shots, but is distracted when the Persuader cuts Wildfire in half. The Empress knocks her out and keeps beating on her. I guess we'll just ignore that Shikari fought Batman to a standstill but can't handle the Empress.

For story armor reasons, the Four won't kill the Legionnaires (they're bargaining chips), so Shikari is safe for now. The Eye closes the threshold and simulates the regular communication at the port, so no one knows anything bad is happening.

Ultra Boy and Timber Wolf continue fighting Validus and, in no time at all, Jo decides that his invulnerability will handle Validus' lightning. He's wrong. So Timber Wolf is all alone.

As the Eye breaks Tharok out of his stasis cell, Validus and Mano keep beating on Timber Wolf, which we saw last issue. They throw Brin through a wall and the Fatal Five has reunited. Tharok is surprised that Mano has rejoined them, but Mano tells him that "some things are more important than my personal loathing for you." They decloak the ship, board, and head off to recover the prize... whatever that is. But to get it, they need all five of their gene-codes and then they get paid.

Wow - an actual motivation for the villains that makes sense and doesn't require pages of exposition. Greed and a desire to make one last big score. Sometimes simple is the best.

Just before Mano destroys the station, the Empress tells him to stop. They can't leave - someone has removed the reactor interface from the ship's drive. They're stranded. Who did it? Why Timber Wolf of course. No, there was no moment when he could've snuck past the Past and grabbed. No, we've never seen him show the slightest knowledge of how drives work. No, none of this makes sense. But Timber Wolf is getting pushed to the moon, so we get this plot point.

The rest of the fight begins. The Fatal Five hunts for Timber Wolf, desperate to get the interface back before the entire U.P. realizes what they've done. First, he knocks out the Empress after complimenting her fighting prowess and bragging about how tough Rimborians are. Next, he makes short work on the Persuader, grabbing his axe and knocking him out. Then he smashes the globe around Mano's head after pointing out that the Fatal Five defeated the Legion while working as a team... which they didn't at all... wow, even the writers aren't paying attention here.

Brin faces off against Tharok and Validus, who's ready to pull XS apart if Timber Wolf doesn't give them the interface. He tosses it to Tharok and then throws the Persuader's axe at the Eye. It explodes in a flash of green energy and now everyone in the galaxy knows what the Fatal Five is trying to do. Tharok attacks him and Validus smashes him into the ground. Defeated, Brin gets to introduce himself: He's Timber Wolf. Of the Legion.

Which is when the rest of the Legion appears through a threshold, ready for a fight.

On the final page, we see Kid Quantum debriefing Brin about his first mission. We find out everyone's okay, Wildfire is back in his suit, and the Eye wasn't destroyed.

Well those were two issues that probably didn't need to happen.

Timber Wolf is one of my favorite Legionnaires and even I think this was a little excessive. Yes, it's always great to see a hero take on a bunch of villains, emerge victorious, and let all the readers know that they're great at what they do. But this story basically presented Brin as better, stronger, faster, and more talented than any Legionnaire short of M'onel. Okay, DnA, we get that you have your favorites, but this is extreme.

Art-wise, Kev Walker really struggled with these two issues. There were individual bits that I liked, such as how he drew Validus, and the energy of the fight sequences. But he really struggled to draw any character the same way twice. I think Kid Quantum's face changed on every panel.

But on the positive side, there were things in these two issues that I did like. I thought setting up a memorial for Jan on Trom was a great move. And as much as I wished they had let another Legionnaire instead of Jazmin do it, I honestly couldn't think of any other team member who had any sort of connection to him. She showed she was friends with him during Legion Lost (which admittedly came out of nowhere, but at least it's there). And the only other Legionnaire who was close to him (Monstress) is dead, so it makes sense that she did it. Instead of this showing a failing of DnA's work, I actually think this is a bad commentary on the previous creative team. They had a Legionnaire with, honestly, no personal connection to any other team member.

Another positive - the Earth didn't get attacked.

Our next Legionnaire in the spotlight... Fire Lad!!

Ummmm... if you thought I had little to write for the past two weeks when looking at Stone Boy and Chlorophyll Kid, this one's going to be even lighter.

I ended up over at the Legion of Super Bloggers page to remind myself about Staq Mavlen because, and this should come as no surprise, he doesn't even have a link to the Legion of Substitutes page on Wikipedia. He's just that unimportant.

Look, he's got a great look, and I liked the fire Mohawk during the 5YL Legion, but he only exhales fire and definitely deserved to be a Sub. 

The only memory I have of him from before 5YL is when he gets knocked out by a rock during the Great Darkness Saga.

During 5YL, he was an effective resistance leader and it was his greatest moment. But there was never, ever a moment while I was reading those comics that I was thinking, "I'm so glad Fire Lad is getting more attention than any regular Legionnaire."

Let's just enjoy the pictures and get ready for next week, shall we?

Once again, please leave any comments here or on reddit - thanks so much!