Legion Headquarters falls and our first Legionnaire dies... this is what happens when you listen to Cosmic Boy... We look at Legion of Super-Heroes v5 #9 & 10

Legion of Super-Heroes v5 #9

Where did we leave off? Oh right, everyone on the Legion is acting like a jerk and they're splitting into two teams. One follows Cosmic Boy and the other follows Brainiac 5. Not sure why you'd follow either, but since I'm not an underager, things in this book make less sense to me.

Actually, that's a good aside - if anyone reading this was a teenager when they first read this series, did the young versus old plot line work? Did the book accurately reflect what it was like to be a teenager? Did any of this work for you?

We begin with Legionnaire staring down Legionnaire and the crowd of "Legionnaires" congregated around the HQ are starting to leave. Everyone knows about the fight and everyone's taking sides. Invisible Kid shows up to stop a fight and they accuse him of being the one Legionnaire who's been playing both sides against the other. He let Cosmic Boy into Brainy's lab and then told Brainy what happened.

Lyle rushes into the hole in the HQ (from when Karate Kid became super strong and threw Micro Lad out), and faces an angry Lightning Lad.

We get a nice addition to the credits this issue - Barry Kitson is listed as the co-plotter along with writer Mark Waid. We also have a guest art team - Georges Jeanty on pencils and Art Thibert on inks. I'm really looking forward to this one - Jeanty and Thibert are both really, really good at what they do and if Kitson needs a break due to the heavy workload on this title, this is as good of a fill-in team as you can get.

Remember a couple of columns ago when I commented that the characters all looked the same and, even worse, it looked like the guest artists were ignoring the character designs they had been given. Jeanty has done two things to surprise me - one, Cosmic Boy and Ultra Boy look really, really different. I don't know what guide he got on Chameleon, but he got rid of the ears and the antennae. I'm starting to get really confused by the editing of this book. Is Stephen Wacker paying attention to what's going on?

At Metropolis Central Port, Rokk is talking to his brother Pol and about to get onto the transfer to get him home to Braal. I'm confused about why he didn't just use the transmatter device at Legion HQ, but that wouldn't be the first time characters did things that make no sense. The two brothers talk about their father's health and what Rokk's going to do when he gets back home. He thinks about returning to Magnoball or working at a forge, but he's not sure.

Next, we go to U.P. HQ, where Saturn Girl is talking to her mother, who's the Titan representative, about what's going to happen and how they need to stop Lemnos. Imra shares the conversation with Lightning Lad, who's already starting planning what to do. He and Triplicate Girl talk about what to do when both Thanagar and Rann leave the U.P. while Invisible Kid argues his innocence. He didn't tell Brainy about the break-in.

As they talk, Ultra Boy (who looks a lot like Lightning Lad and is suddenly a redhead) comes to apologize. He's quickly knocked down and we realize it was Chameleon pretending to be Jo to apologize and the real Jo isn't too happy about it. Jo and Garth are ready to start fighting again. Cham is ready to strike, too, and Ultra Boy is ready to quit. Which is when Lyle discovers a way the Legion can stop the war before it starts. They head to Brainy to tell him.

But where is Brainy? On the planet Helegyn. The beings there are being attacked by invaders and Brainy tells them to get shelter. Then he calls in Shadow Lass, Ultra Boy, Element Lad, Dream Girl, Star Boy, Micro Lad, and Saturn Girl... but not Lightning Lad.

On another part of the planet, Lemnos and Elysion are flying around on disks and talking about how easy Helegyn is going to be to terraform. Elysion, being very cocky, is looking forward to teaching the Legion a lesson. The Legionnaires Brainy asked for head through the transmatter gate to fight and Ultra Boy pushes Invisible Kid back.

Luckily for Lyle, Phantom Girl is there to ask what's going on and he explains that there are three worlds that can save the universe, and there needs to be a Legion to show them how.

The battle between the Legion and Terror Firma is, and I have no idea how, broadcast across the U.P. Cosmic Boy sees what's going on while he's waiting for his trip and immediately realizes that Brainiac 5 has made some tactical mistakes - he's not a field leader and doesn't know the best way to use the Legionnaires in battle. Rokk suddenly finds himself surrounded by those who used to live around the Legion HQ. Since he's quitting, they can quit as well.

He starts talking to them, reminding them of all they've sacrificed. They're stunned he knows their names. We get the rousing leadership speech that we've needed for a while. And then he says, "The Legion's not twenty guys with corny names and costumes!" Glad to know he thinks so highly of his team.

But the speech continues and he talks about how the Legion has been kicking the U.P. in the ass for two years. Really? And they're still this disjointed? Wow...

Some walk away, no longer moved by his words, and he watches them walk through the transmatter gates. He follows to his gate, realizing that his dream may be really and truly dead. But no - Invisible Kid's there. What could be happening?

He reprogrammed the gate coordinates. Cosmic Boy's on Helegyn. Lyle says that Brainy can't do this without Rokk. And Cosmic Boy simply says, "I know." And flies into action.

On Braal, his family keeps waiting for him.

 

I'm confused by Cosmic Boy's massive personality change here. Last issue he couldn't have looked more inept and horrible if he tried. And now, suddenly, he's giving rousing speeches and ready to fight?

I also have no idea who Chameleon is supposed to be. Is he someone who's got a bad attitude, like Rokk suggested last issue? Is he someone trying to understand everyone else and spends lots of time confused? Does he care about the team? Or is he an idiot?

Ultra Boy... I know he's just an ass at this point. At least he's consistent.

 

We get another excellent letters column with Kitson back on art. This time, Light Lass and Star Boy are handling the questions and we get a very confusing continuity question. The most fascinating part of this is that, in just three pages, we get more character development for both of them than we've had in 9 issues. Light Lass also alludes to the fact that she's been with Ultra Boy, Element Lad, and Sun Boy. I find it fascinating that DC Comics kept Ayla and Violet's relationship in the closet for years and were scared to refer to it to ensure they didn't anger conservative readers but they're okay with her being romantically connected to multiple partners here.
I think it's great she's so proud and confident about her dating history. I don't know if I'd be bragging about some of the guys she's dated... cough... Ultra Boy...

 

Legion of Super-Heroes v5 #10

It comes as no surprise that it's Ultra Boy yelling at Invisible Kid on this cover. Glad to see the rest of the Legion has their newest member's back.

Barry Kitson is back on art duties this issue, joined by inker Drew Geraci. On the plus side, everyone will look the way they're supposed to, right?

The battle on Helegyn is over and the Legionnaires emerge through the transmatter gate, tossing Elysion into the HQ first. Chameleon is, to no surprise, confused about what's going on as Dream Girl questions the villain and Ultra Boy threatens him, saying "I'm the bad cop." Did Waid just decide at the beginning of this series to save all the bad dialogue for Jo?

While Karate Kid puts Elysion into the power-dampers, the rest of the team heads out to the plaza around Legion HQ. Cosmic Boy and Brainiac 5 stand before the masses to recap everything that's happening and let everyone know that Praetor Lemnos is about to start an intergalactic war that will result in the youth being drafted to fight. Brainy has a plan that requires teamwork from everyone - that's the only way they can prove to the U.P. that they need to do what the Legion tells them to. Very dramatically, they shake hands.

With Elysion in the dampers, Cosmic Boy is nice enough to explain what happened on Helegyn. There was fighting, the rest of Terror Firma ran away, and they caught Elysion because he's an idiot. Kinda anti-climatic, but that's par for the course for this series.

As they're about to start "interrogating" him, which means Saturn Girl is going to read his mind for information, Projectra interrupts to demand Elysion explain what happened to Brin Londo - after all, he's wearing Timber Wolf's jacket. 

It's easy for Imra to read Elysion's mind, happy to make it hurt as payback for everything. They ready the transmatter gate while Karate Kid deals with Invisible Kid. Lyle continues to claim innocence, saying he didn't tell Brainy that Cosmic Boy broke into his lab. He says that it's Shrinking Violet, or Atom Girl, but Karate Kid tells him that there is no Legionnaire with that name. Val tells Lyle to put Elysion into one of their cells.

While Cosmic Boy gives yet another exposition dump to explain Lemnos and what he has planned, Dream Girl and Brainy are in the lab. She's trying to figure out why she can't see anything in the future and he's going to help her get her power back. Rokk continues, explaining that, according to Triplicate Girl (but actually Invisible Kid), there are three key planets that must stand together: Earth, Dormir, and Ttrxl. The last two are trying to secede from the U.P., so they send teams of Legionnaires to these planets to convince them to stay. A third group is headed to Terror Firma's homeworld to investigate. Projectra demands to join the third group - she wants to fight back against the group that destroyed Orando.

Wow - for the first time in this series, we actually get to see the Legion acting like the Legion. Can't believe it took almost a year to get to this point.

Which means, of course, that Lemnos is beginning his final phase. Suddenly, throughout the plaza, some of the gathered underagers say "Hail Lemnos" and activate bombs they're wearing. One of them even got into Legion HQ and has joined Invisible Kid and Elysion in the cells.

Brainy and Dream Girl, still in the lab, immediately react to the explosions. She wants him to activate his force field and start saving people. He wants to fight back. They rush out and run into Invisible Kid, who tells them that Elysion's free. They call for help but, for some reason, the signal's not reaching the other Legionnaires.

Elysion attacks them and starts ranting about how the darkness is foretold (Darkseid??) and how he's hand-chosen to make it happen. Dream Girl realizes what he's got planned and they flee... very quickly.

Once outside, the three Legionnaires try to work with the S.P.s while Elysion pulls a huge rock up from the ground, causing more chaos. As they start saving as many people as they can, Lyle gets hit by rocks and breaks his arm.

And then, Elysion destroys Legion HQ. And heads to U.P. HQ to continue his rampage.

Brainy tries to get them to work together, knowing that he can't call the team back and since there's no HQ, there is no transmatter gate to get them back. He and Lyle search for Dream Girl and finally find her...

...buried under the rubble, blood everywhere.

Lyle sums up the issue: "It's over. We've lost."

 

I will call out one bit of great writing here by Waid - the whole mystery of why Dream Girl can't see into the future is played as something done to her by Lemnos. But no one ever considers that it's because she's going to die.

It's also great to see the team finally acting like a team. It's just a shame that this choice ended being the mistake Lemnos needed to attack Earth. So I guess the lesson is... don't work together and don't try to help anyone else?

And now, a rant...

Why does every writer think that the only way to create drama in a comic story is by killing off or maiming one of the characters? Whether it's Magnetic Kid, Dawnstar, Sun Boy, Leviathan, Apparition, Monstress, Element Lad, Live Wire, Kinetix, or now Dream Girl, it just seems like every creative team takes this short cut to make the reader feel something.

I know this is going to make me sound like an old man, but I miss the days when a hero's death actually meant something. Now it's just a Tuesday.

What's worse is that Dream Girl might be the only likable character they've had in this version of the Legion.

 

Our next Legionnaire in the spotlight... Veilmist!! 

Have you ever watched a television show and thought to yourself, "I've seen this story before. In fact, I've seen this story so many times it's become a cliche. Or a trope."

I'm not going to recap the horrible stories that came out of the Five Years Later Legion once Keith Giffen left but will just give you the bare bones of what you need to know: Four Khundians joined the Legion so they could fight dead people.

One of those four was a teleporter named Veilmist. She was married to, and the property of, Firefist. According to Khundian law, anyone who killed Firefist would become her new husband and owner. Yep, you read that right - the Khundians considered women as property. Devlin O'Ryan accidentally killed the Khundian leader and suddenly found himself married... and the owner of a sentient being... and she was trying to get Ultra Boy to kill Devlin. Khundia took her back, saying that Devlin was too young to own anything. Then she returned, once again tried to get Jo to kill a new Firefist, and her husband killed her for betrayal.

In case you're wondering why the Legion needed to be rebooted after the 5YL changes, stories like that are the reason why.

What's most irritating about all of this is that they could have actually made a good story out of this. It's not hard. Let Devlin and Veilmist stay married. Show them struggling with married life. How do they adjust? Does Veilmist scare Devlin on a regular basis? Does she order him around? How does he deal with the morality of "owning" her?

They both change and adapt as they go on. She has to earn the Legion's trust and also learns how to help others instead of just looking out for herself.

On that front, they could've told so many stories of the Legion dealing with their new Khundian teammates... can they connect? Can they become friends? Do they have anything in common? Heck, Star Trek already mined these possibilities with Worf on the Enterprise. It can be done with good writing...

And to wrap everything up, when Firefist comes back, Devlin has to fight to protect his "wife." It all ends when he is finally able to grant her freedom, something she never thought she wanted or could get.

There are so many moral and ethical conversations that could've come from this. So much awkward comedy and pathos. They could've added depth and drama to the series. 

Instead... nothing.

 

If you haven't already checked it out, Episode 3 of our new podcast came out today... it's focused on Saturn Girl and Jim and I had a blast talking about one of the most important super-heroes in the DC Universe.

Please leave any comments or thoughts on the column either here or on Reddit. I always love getting your feedback.

Until next week, when we wrap up the first year of the Threeboot and take a look at another Khundian Legionnaire. Until then...