M'rissey is the new Devlin O'Ryan and two more Legionnaires just disappear! We look at Legion of Super-Heroes #43 & 44

Legion of Super-Heroes #43

We're back with Enemy Rising: Part 4 The Leader who Lost the Legion by writer Jim Shooter, penciller Francis Manapul, and inker Livesay. A group of Legionnaires have just saved Rimbor from an alien invasion, working mainly as individuals, and, as a thanks, the Rimborian government wants to arrest Ultra Boy.

Not for sexual harassment, which surprises me slightly.

Let's begin...

What's the best way to stop the Science Police from arresting a teammate? If you're Star Boy, you increase everyone's weight tenfold and watch them crash to the ground. The team convinces Saturn Girl to run away and, I think, mind wipe everyone so they don't remember seeing the Legion. I have no idea how they'd understand why they're suddenly heavier and unable to move if they can't remember the Legion being there, or why Saturn Girl has moral problems with this after she's done it so many times, or why the S.P.s think they're able to arrest them when the Legion still has the same legal authority they do, but if you want things to make sense, stop reading.

Back at Legion HQ, the S.P.s are using their search warrant to go through everyone's rooms. To no surprise, it's Brainiac 5's lab they're most interested in. I'm most interested in the comment when they get into Element Lad's room: "...I bet we find some interesting pharmaceuticals."

Which leads to my rabbit hole of the day: What kind of drug laws would they have in the 31st Century? Would they make anything illegal? Would they not have incredibly powerful treatments? If the universe is so "perfect," would people even need to take these drugs? Could Element Lad just change the chemical compound of anything to make it a drug? Is his entire life just one contact high after another? Is that how he got through his entire planet being wiped out? Does that explain Legion Lost a little better?

Let's go to another subplot, shall we? On Velmar V, the "replacements" for the Legion, the U.P.-sponsored group known as the United Planets Young Heroes (or UPYH) were caught in the middle of a battle between the Peril Men, the Ikonns, and the S.P.s. The Ikonns won, taking over everything. We meet the leaders of the Ikonns, Ikilles and Cazhmir. Wow, Shooter wasn't even trying with these names, was he?

After the U.P. requested Legion assistance, Lightning Lad sent Invisible Kid, Karate Kid, Timber Wolf, Light Lass, Shadow Lass, and Triplicate Girl on a rescue mission. As they approach, Lyle provides us with all the background information we need (which is why Timber Wolf calls him a tour guide). They just decide to attack, with no real plans, and rush headlong against the Ikonns.

I no longer think Lightning Lad is that bad of a leader. Between these six, none of them even contemplated planning ahead. 

A huge ball of light appears, with beings inside requesting Karate Kid and Triplicate Girl join them immediately. They get enough information to join the mystery time travelers (I think) and leave Invisible Kid all by himself. Great teamwork, folks.

Back to Rimbor, where Ultra Boy leads them through the sewers to evade the police. We learn that he's wanted for vehicular homicide (you would think the Legion would've run on a background check before letting him join the team) and, because this book is one crazy coincidence after another, find an unconscious Gazelle. They give her some food to get her energy back but leave her to deal with the many S.P.s coming to arrest them.

At Legion HQ, the S.P.s seize all of Phantom Girl's 1,000-year-old comics (at least that's what I think they are - they're not colored or mentioned by name until the final panel) but run from Element Lad's room because of his pet Muskshrew. Well, they try to seize the comics, but she uses her powers to get them back. Which proves, once again, that S.P.s are incompetent buffoons. Or criminals. Or both.

Brainy gives the S.P.s complete access to his computers but they don't seem to learn much. We also get a tasty bit of future tech when he mentions that "a single hydrogen atom can be encoded with up to a megabyte of data..." This is the kind of science that I want to see in a Legion comic, even if we now know a megabyte isn't that much.

Then M'Rissey has a business proposition for him. He also reveals that he's the one behind the new costumes. Brainy agrees and we're ready to see what M'Rissey does with the team.

Lightning Lad keeps dealing with more and more bureaucracy as S.P. Colonel Pismo orders the entire team gathered into the main room to deal with what Invisible Kid witnessed.

On Velmar V, they're starting to notice that Karate Kid and Triplicate Girl aren't there to help with the fight.

On Rimbor, Colossal Boy gets blasted... again... and thankfully his suit absorbed the energy so he's not dead. The team heads to the roof to escape from the S.P. attack. Can anyone think of a better use for Gim than as a target?

Ikilles is able to defeat the three Legionnaires facing off against the Ikonns by killing some of his own men and quickly beating up Timber Wolf. Wow - first they power him up and then he gets defeated so easily?

Lightning Lad learns that U.P. minister Popoff, the one who requested they go to Velmar V, has disavowed that request and Invisible Kid violated his bail by going on the mission. Yep, that's no surprise. I honestly don't have a problem showing Lightning Lad struggling in his leadership role, but do they have to show him as being so painfully incompetent? Can't he do one thing right?

As the Legionnaires are blasted by the S.P.s on Rimbor, Garth is unable to take Saturn Girl's call to either help or decide to attack. She doesn't want to fight back against the S.P.s without authorization. Strange that none of them had a problem with this in previous issues.

The final nail in the coffin - the Attorney General of the U.P. has issued arrest warrants for every Legionnaire, revoked their charter, and shut down all operations. It's the end of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Or, to be really blunt, exactly where the team was in issue one of this series.

I get that Shooter is trying to build drama, and set up M'Rissey as the big hero to solve every problem, but he's doing it by completely ignoring everything that Threeboot Legion was built on. When did they have problems with making the S.P.s look stupid? When did they care about any of this?

I'm honestly wondering whether we're just in the middle of another reboot. Shooter is just ignoring a lot of what happened before. It's gotta be jarring for any fans of this series.

At least the book looks good - Manapul's art continues to shine. 
 

Legion of Super-Heroes #44

Enemy Rising Part 5: Operational Calculus with guest penciller Sanford Greene and inker Nathan Massengill.

Light Lass, Timber Wolf, and Shadow Lass have been captured by the Ikonns and their leader, Ikilles. He's nice enough to tell us who they are and explain their powers so the readers are up-to-date. I guess they didn't trust that the captions were enough. I'm stunned that they know Tasmia is the shadow champion of Talok VIII but I guess that's an important enough title that even space pirates from the other side of the galaxy recognize it... (that's said with heavy sarcasm)

They're also nice enough to explain who the other prisoners are (the Peril Men, the S.P.s, and the UPYH). We get a lover's quarrel as Ikilles' partner, Cazhmir, is not happy he's focused so much attention on Light Lass. They argue, she punches him, and he orders the crew to shoot her. Which they do. Which means he wants Ayla to be his new girlfriend.

Note to listeners of the Long Live the Legion podcast. Our latest episode focuses on the Reflecto saga and we talk about the horrible pirate story line that leads to Ultra Boy's second "death." This pirate tale is worse... much, much, much worse.

Ikilles tries to take off Light Lass' costume but, luckily, the new uniforms are impossible to remove... or something... which is when Invisible Kid shows up to rescue everyone. Have we also forgotten that Ayla is a teenage girl at this point? Am I the only one finding this extra creepy?

Let's head to Rimbor before things get worse. The team is stuck on top of a tower and two have been blasted unconscious. Saturn Girl takes command, again, and tells them to attack the S.P.s who blasted them.

Ultra Boy flies into a ship, destroys it, and then saves a woman falling to her death because of his actions. Her name is Norima and she declares that she loves him. I have no idea why this scene is here. Is it because she's not in an S.P. costume and exists solely to explain how his powers work? Is it because they want to show Ultra Boy is a hero on Rimbor? Are they trying to convince the reader that even though Jo has been an ass for 44 issues, he still has a good side? Are we ignoring that he killed everyone else on the ship?

I just don't understand these choices anymore.

Star Boy wrecks some ships, Atom Girl beats up a lot of people and gets mad when she's called little, Saturn Girl mind controls a bunch of them and gets them to turn around, and Shooter introduces a bunch of new futuristic slang. And explains everyone's powers in painstaking detail during the fight.

A ship crashes on the unconscious Legionnaires and Saturn Girl. Colossal Boy wakes up to let us know his legs are pinned and he can't help them escape. They use their flight rings to lift up the debris and all is good... I guess.

As they recover and try to get home, Ultra Boy lets them know that the transmatter portal home is gone - someone at Legion HQ shut off the power.

Speaking of Legion HQ, M'rissey has taken over and is handling all their problems with the S.P.s.

To Velmar V, where the Ikonns are assuming Invisible Kid will be easy to defeat. Lyle flies into the sky, dragging two vines behind him. They're attached to two statues, which fall and crush Ikilles to death.

Yep, no Legion rule against killing at all... man, is this even the Legion anymore?

He releases Light Lass from her bonds, and she immediately sends the entire group of pirates into the sky.

At Legion HQ, M'rissey solves everything in a single page, demanding repayment from the U.P. for services rendered, telling them how much interest they're accruing every day, and warning them that their P.R. firm is ready to communicate every horrible thing to the masses.

The S.P.s apologize and leave the building.

On Rimbor, the transmatter portal is back, the S.P.s have backed off, and the Legionnaires are safe. Atom Girl is a little worse for wear, losing her fight with the S.P. officer who called her little. Really? She got beaten by a regular S.P. officer?

On Velmar V, everything's good as well. The pirates are arrested, Invisible Kid is hailed as a hero, and we learn that Karate Kid and Triplicate Girl left a piece of wood with the letters "OKKK" scratched into it to let them know they're okay. Man, that's a gigantic leap of faith, isn't it?

I am incredibly thankful that we didn't have that horribly cliched moment where the pirates announce that Lyle is now their leader... or is betrothed to Ikilles' wife... or some other nonsense. 

We have to wrap up one final plot point - how did M'rissey get enough money to hire lawyers, a P.R. firm, and other stuff? He sold the rights to market Legion Flight Rings. So anyone in the galaxy can buy one now.

In case we thought everything was going to be easy from here on in, U.P. President Keiselbach calls to let them know a planet has appeared out of nowhere and may rip apart the entire solar system! Isn't she the president who hates the Legion? Why is she calling them for help?

Again, to be continued!

Let's start with the negatives - I did not like the artwork on this one at all. Since this is one of Greene's earliest works, and he'll go on to win an Eisner for Bitter Root, I'm guessing this isn't very indicative of his talent. Once again, we see a great artist start out on the Legion.

This was a weird book to read on a variety of levels. First, the entire book felt like Shooter was trying his best to explain who the Legionnaires were and what powers they had, regardless of whether it actually fit the story. This is the first story on his latest Legion run where it felt more like it was written in 1975 than 2008.

I'm not a fan of making one character look like an idiot to promote another. Okay, Lightning Lad's struggling as a leader - but did they need to make him the worst Legion leader ever just to make M'rissey the perfect new team member? Did they need to do everything in secret so Garth didn't have a clue what was going on?

Why not have a smug Garth call in M'rissey when the S.P. had attempted to arrest everyone and let them both enjoy the moment? Why not show Garth as someone even slightly competent at his job?

Speaking of M'rissey, I know he's named after a Legion fan writer named Rich Morrissey, who passed away in 2001, but did they need to turn him into the Threeboot version of Devlin O'Ryan to pay homage to his hard work? Did he have to be the savior of everything? 

There are just so many choices here that I don't like. It's still better than the end of Waid's run and Bedard's run because we're actually getting a Legion book. But it feels like a completely different team.

Six issues to go, right?

 

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

 

 

If I'm making a list of the best things to come out of the Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning run on the Legion, Shikari is at the top of the list.

If I'm also making a list of all the things I've learned while writing these spotlights, I get to add the fact that her full name is Shikari Lonestar, which I either never knew or completely forgot. 

Shikari was the perfect new member for a series like Legion Lost - DnA needed a character who would be the audience's surrogate, someone who didn't know who any of the characters were and needed a ton of exposition to "get" what the Legion fans already knew. They also needed the one character who could explain to the Legion where they were and what was going on. Shikari achieved both and stood out right from the first issue.

She had two important powers on display right from the beginning, flight in outer space and an insanely good tracking ability. She also had retractable armor and claws so she could go and fight alongside her new friends.

Almost instantly, she was an integral part of the team and, in fact, all of her people, known as the Kwai, ended up being needed for the transporting threshold system to work. One might argue that she's the most valuable Legionnaire, especially to the U.P.

She had a unique look and made the Legion a little more diverse. Her speech patterns showed she wasn't used to speaking Interlac and I loved how she referred to each Legionnaire by nicknames. Like Umbra was "Dark Legion" or Saturn Girl was "Fair Legion." It didn't make a ton of sense after a few years, but it was great at the beginning.

What I find funniest about Shikari is both how strongly she resembled Dawnstar and also how strongly DnA would push back on anyone who pointed out the resemblance. The powers were similar. The wings were similar. The friendship with Wildfire was similar. But nope, she's not an updated version of Dawnstar!

I'm perfectly fine writing this down as an incredible coincidence.

She was also the first Oliver Coipel-designed Legionnaire and he really amazed me with the design choices. She stands out on a page and draws the eye.

Unfortunately, she got the worst ending to the Reboot Legion. While the rest of the team floated off into the void while singing Kumbaya, she flew into the Threeboot universe and disappeared. Stuck in a horrible version of the Legion without actually doing anything? Tragic. Luckily, she came back for Infinite Crisis, and I've seen her appear in other books, so I hope she'll be there in any future Legion. I'm not sure how she and Dawnstar can co-exist, but I don't want either of them to go away.

 

Thanks for checking out this latest column, even if it's a day late, and we'll see everyone next week. Please share your thoughts on the books or Shikari either there or one Reddit!