|
Post by rberman on Apr 10, 2019 5:53:58 GMT -5
Legion of Super-Heroes #3 “It’s a Magic Number!” (April 2005) Creative Team: Mark Waid writing. Barry Kitson pencils. Art Thibert inks. The Story: Triplicate Girl goes on simultaneous dates with Ultra Boy (speeding through town in his ancient automobile), Element Lad (all the philosophical discourse a girl could want, and then some), and Sun Boy (who takes her to a café where Chameleon keeps trying to prank them by disguising himself as one or the other). Chameleon would probably have more success if he imitated someone who isn’t already present. ![](https://i.imgur.com/t6I0UNN.jpg?1) At the end of the issue, the three guys find out they were all on simultaneous dates, and it weirds them out. My Two Cents: Romance was always a major part of Legion stories, which is probably why the team has far more male/female parity in numbers than any other super-team you can imagine. This issue’s title homages the Schoolhouse Rock song “Three Is a Magic Number” in honor of the Triplicate Girl focus. It’s not an accident that this happens in issue #3 either. Much of the issue is given over to explaining her backstory, exiled from a world full of multiplicates because her travels have changed her thinking too much to rejoin the hive mind. ![](https://i.imgur.com/24lDi7i.jpg?1) Now she’s spying on her teammates to aid Cosmic Boy in his rivalry with Braniac 5. Within the story, her spying is a convenient opportunity for Waid to deliver exposition about the personalities and motivations of the three men who dated her. By the way, this version with the turtleneck cape is my favorite of any costume she’s ever had. ![](https://i.imgur.com/xX1K4oP.jpg?1) Sun Boy’s date with Triplicate Girl includes a silly moment where they play “Lois tries to prove Clark’s secret identity.” ![](https://i.imgur.com/TRZQiXy.jpg?1)
|
|
|
Post by rberman on Apr 11, 2019 6:04:34 GMT -5
Legion of Super-Heroes #4 “Fight the Power!” (May 2005) Creative Team: Mark Waid, co-plotting with Barry Kitson; Leonard Kirk pencils; Mick Gray Inker. Back-up story: Mark Waid, Dave Gibbons, and Drew Geraci, respectively. The Story: All over town, Science Police stormtroopers burst in on Legionnaires due to a new regulation outlawing their flight rings. The actual cause of the problem: Lyle Norg’s father is a Science Police chief who is putting pressure on his son to drop out of the Legion. Cosmic Boy doesn’t appreciate being kept in the dark about this detail of Invisible Kid’s family life, which is causing a massive problem for the Legion now. ![](https://i.imgur.com/WLDmT3V.jpg?1) Norg puts his boy genius brain to work for a solution. He offers his dad a blood sample from which the invisibility serum perhaps might be extracted. And imbedded in the blood sample is a Trojan horse virus that gives Braniac 5 access to the whole Science Police mainframe. This redeems Norg in Cosmic Boy’s eyes, sort of. The Back-Up Story: It’s a focus on Tinya “Phantom Girl” Wazzo. Turns out that her home of Bgztl is not another planet; it’s another dimension. When she goes intangible, she’s actually crossing back to Bgtzl. She seems quite distracted much of the time as a result of this impossible dual life. It’s a nice conceit that totally falls apart if you try to think about how that would work, how she avoids materializing inside solid objects in one world or the other, etc. I like this variation on her 70s costume, though I am surprised it uses an English letter “P.” The future does not use Keith Giffen’s Interlac alphabet any more. My Two Cents: This is mainly a spotlight issue for Invisible Kid and Sun Boy. The only parents in the universe who love the Legion belong to Sun Boy. They can recite obscure Legion lore and seem sincere, not just trying to recapture their youth by hanging out with the cool kids. But they inadvertently cramp Sun Boy’s style by being so appealing to his friends that they, um, overshadow him. Maybe this is why he’s planning to quit the Legion. ![](https://i.imgur.com/Rb9bw2C.jpg?1) Issue titles in this series are taken from the covers but do not appear within the interior. Some issues have no cover text at all, and thus no title. This issue’s title “Fight the Power” comes from a song by rap group Public Enemy which was the theme for the Spike Lee film “Do the Right Thing.” Its anti-authoritarian stance fits this series well.
|
|
|
Post by dbutler69 on Apr 11, 2019 7:27:21 GMT -5
Legion of Super-Heroes #2 “Tomorrow’s Heroes Today!” (March 2005)There’s also a fun duel between Karate Kid, Shadow Lass, and two Naltorian “precommandos” whose ability to see seconds into the future makes them unbeatable in melee combat. ![](https://i.imgur.com/OcRcnew.jpg?1) That scene was sort of fun with Dream Girl's contribution, but I also found it a little annoying. Just because you can see something coming, doesn't mean you can stop it. I may know Mon-el or Kid Flash is going to give me a right hook, and that doesn't mean I can stop it, or the Arizona Cardinals (and everybody else in the building) may know that the Cowboys are going to hand the ball to Ezekiel Elliott on 3rd and 1, but that doesn't mean they can stop him.
|
|
|
Post by rberman on Apr 12, 2019 5:17:34 GMT -5
Legion of Super-Heroes #2 “Tomorrow’s Heroes Today!” (March 2005)There’s also a fun duel between Karate Kid, Shadow Lass, and two Naltorian “precommandos” whose ability to see seconds into the future makes them unbeatable in melee combat. ![](https://i.imgur.com/OcRcnew.jpg?1) That scene was sort of fun with Dream Girl's contribution, but I also found it a little annoying. Just because you can see something coming, doesn't mean you can stop it. I may know Mon-el or Kid Flash is going to give me a right hook, and that doesn't mean I can stop it, or the Arizona Cardinals (and everybody else in the building) may know that the Cowboys are going to hand the ball to Ezekiel Elliott on 3rd and 1, but that doesn't mean they can stop him. There may well be foes against whom the precommandos' prescience avails them little. Two seconds' advance notice won't help you escape from a nuclear blast. In the hands of a trained fighter, it would be a very useful edge in melee combat, which is what we see them doing here.
|
|
|
Post by rberman on Apr 12, 2019 5:19:28 GMT -5
Legion of Super-Heroes #5 “Livin’ Fast… Dyin’ Young!” (June 2005) Creative Team: Mark Waid writing. Barry Kitson plot/layout. Art Thibert finishes. The Story: A delegation from the United Planets council lobbies unsuccessfully for the Science Police to lighten up on the Legion. Does the U.P. want to help the Legion, or just co-opt them? ![](https://i.imgur.com/Q0vzEcd.jpg?1) Ultra Boy is having trouble controlling the activation and deactivation of his powers. Shadow Lass (his girlfriend, maybe) insists he get meditation training from Karate Kid to learn how to center himself. ![](https://i.imgur.com/071rWj7.jpg?1) On Rimworld 19, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad investigate a local catastrophe and run into Brin “Timber Wolf”, a non-Legionnaire who is helping clean up the mess. Terror Firma, a team of new super-villains, menaces the heroes on Rimworld 19. After a bit of fighting and a fake surrender by Lightning Lad, the villains are forced to retreat through their warp portal; Timber Wolf jumps through to spy on them in their base. My Two Cents: I’m surprised Waid waited until issue #5 to finally introduce Legion co-founders Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl. She can only speak telepathically, her race’s vocal cords having atrophied over centuries of disuse. Also five issues in, we get our first intimation of organized rivals/foes for the Legion, and it’s composed of all-new villains. I bet this other team doesn’t have 80,000 members in their fanclub across the galaxy, though. ![](https://i.imgur.com/rVbgnMN.jpg?1) We also get a hint that Timber Wolf is in a relationship with Princess Projectra, whom we haven’t seen yet. Only Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl have survived the relationship reshuffling in this reboot.
|
|
|
Post by brutalis on Apr 12, 2019 7:49:02 GMT -5
I do admit half the fun in this run was seeing Waid's changing up the love life of the LSH. Seeing the different match ups and social interactions was actually one of the more interesting aspects for the series and at times was better than the actual main story lines.
|
|
|
Post by dbutler69 on Apr 12, 2019 9:13:08 GMT -5
Legion of Super-Heroes #2 “Tomorrow’s Heroes Today!” (March 2005)There’s also a fun duel between Karate Kid, Shadow Lass, and two Naltorian “precommandos” whose ability to see seconds into the future makes them unbeatable in melee combat. ![](https://i.imgur.com/OcRcnew.jpg?1) That scene was sort of fun with Dream Girl's contribution, but I also found it a little annoying. Just because you can see something coming, doesn't mean you can stop it. I may know Mon-el or Kid Flash is going to give me a right hook, and that doesn't mean I can stop it, or the Arizona Cardinals (and everybody else in the building) may know that the Cowboys are going to hand the ball to Ezekiel Elliott on 3rd and 1, but that doesn't mean they can stop him. Yeah, I'm still not sure they should be able to beat somebody as skilled and strong as Karate Kid, and Shadow Lass can plunge then into darkness that only she can see in. How can they their visions be useful when the vision itself is of total darkness? Actually, I think this whole precognition thing is being overplayed and is really getting on my nerves. Also, if these commandos can use their pregoc to defeat other combatants, that in effect means that the future can be changed, since they're using their powers to win these battles.
|
|
|
Post by dbutler69 on Apr 12, 2019 9:16:20 GMT -5
Legion of Super-Heroes #3 “It’s a Magic Number!” (April 2005) Creative Team: Mark Waid writing. Barry Kitson pencils. Art Thibert inks. The Story: Triplicate Girl goes on simultaneous dates with Ultra Boy (speeding through town in his ancient automobile), Element Lad (all the philosophical discourse a girl could want, and then some), and Sun Boy (who takes her to a café where Chameleon keeps trying to prank them by disguising himself as one or the other). Chameleon would probably have more success if he imitated someone who isn’t already present. ![](https://i.imgur.com/t6I0UNN.jpg?1) At the end of the issue, the three guys find out they were all on simultaneous dates, and it weirds them out. My Two Cents: Romance was always a major part of Legion stories, which is probably why the team has far more male/female parity in numbers than any other super-team you can imagine. This issue’s title homages the Schoolhouse Rock song “Three Is a Magic Number” in honor of the Triplicate Girl focus. It’s not an accident that this happens in issue #3 either. Much of the issue is given over to explaining her backstory, exiled from a world full of multiplicates because her travels have changed her thinking too much to rejoin the hive mind. ![](https://i.imgur.com/24lDi7i.jpg?1) Now she’s spying on her teammates to aid Cosmic Boy in his rivalry with Braniac 5. Within the story, her spying is a convenient opportunity for Waid to deliver exposition about the personalities and motivations of the three men who dated her. By the way, this version with the turtleneck cape is my favorite of any costume she’s ever had. ![](https://i.imgur.com/xX1K4oP.jpg?1) Sun Boy’s date with Triplicate Girl includes a silly moment where they play “Lois tries to prove Clark’s secret identity.” ![](https://i.imgur.com/TRZQiXy.jpg?1) I thought the 'Clark & Lois' game that they played was cute. And poor Cham! I also liked the presentation of Triplicate Girl, and he origin was interesting and different. I thought it interesting how her other selves wanted nothing to do with her when she visited her home planet after a year away.
|
|
|
Post by rberman on Apr 12, 2019 10:04:45 GMT -5
Actually, I think this whole precognition thing is being overplayed and is really getting on my nerves. Also, if these commandos can use their precog to defeat other combatants, that in effect means that the future can be changed, since they're using their powers to win these battles. Indeed, precognition is either totally worthless (if your reaction to the knowledge ends up being part of the future you foresaw) or too powerful (if you can change the future or at least fission a timeline in which the future doesn't come to pass). Why didn't any of the kids on Naltor foresee that the adults were going to drive them all nuts with an insomnia machine? Etc. But Dream Girl's precognition will be used in a cool and chilling way a few issues from now.
|
|
|
Post by String on Apr 12, 2019 12:08:04 GMT -5
That scene was sort of fun with Dream Girl's contribution, but I also found it a little annoying. Just because you can see something coming, doesn't mean you can stop it. I may know Mon-el or Kid Flash is going to give me a right hook, and that doesn't mean I can stop it, or the Arizona Cardinals (and everybody else in the building) may know that the Cowboys are going to hand the ball to Ezekiel Elliott on 3rd and 1, but that doesn't mean they can stop him. Yeah, I'm still not sure they should be able to beat somebody as skilled and strong as Karate Kid, and Shadow Lass can plunge then into darkness that only she can see in. How can they their visions be useful when the vision itself is of total darkness? Actually, I think this whole precognition thing is being overplayed and is really getting on my nerves. Also, if these commandos can use their pregoc to defeat other combatants, that in effect means that the future can be changed, since they're using their powers to win these battles. I consider it thinking outside of the box which I applaud Waid for doing within this particular run. The age gap, youth revolt theme may not have been sustainable but at least Waid was approaching the Legion and it's future here from a different perspective, trying to inject something fresh into what had become, frankly, a static staid franchise. The expansion of their personalities, the change-ups in their relationships, the evolution of their abilities, new takes on their homes and societies, it all made for a very interesting read and change for me. Of course, some aspects were hit and miss and story and character focus fluctuates over time but I consider this series to be a worthwhile experiment.
|
|
|
Post by dbutler69 on Apr 12, 2019 18:31:00 GMT -5
Yeah, I'm still not sure they should be able to beat somebody as skilled and strong as Karate Kid, and Shadow Lass can plunge then into darkness that only she can see in. How can they their visions be useful when the vision itself is of total darkness? Actually, I think this whole precognition thing is being overplayed and is really getting on my nerves. Also, if these commandos can use their pregoc to defeat other combatants, that in effect means that the future can be changed, since they're using their powers to win these battles. I consider it thinking outside of the box which I applaud Waid for doing within this particular run. The age gap, youth revolt theme may not have been sustainable but at least Waid was approaching the Legion and it's future here from a different perspective, trying to inject something fresh into what had become, frankly, a static staid franchise. The expansion of their personalities, the change-ups in their relationships, the evolution of their abilities, new takes on their homes and societies, it all made for a very interesting read and change for me. Of course, some aspects were hit and miss and story and character focus fluctuates over time but I consider this series to be a worthwhile experiment. Certainly it was outside the box thinking, and there were some things that worked for me (many of the personalities, some of the origin twists [e.g., Triplicate Girl and Phantom Girl but definitely NOT "Micro Lad"] were really cool, and some of the science also, but overall it was more miss than hit for me. To each his own, though. I'll read through the first 3 TPB's to follow this thread, though.
|
|
|
Post by rberman on Apr 13, 2019 5:26:01 GMT -5
Legion of Super-Heroes #6 “Meet The... Legion of Super-Heroes” (July 2005) Creative Team: Mark Waid writing. Barry Kitson pencils. Art Thibert inks. Back-up story is by Waid as well, with Scott Iwahashi on art. The Story: Cosmic Boy visits Princess Moneybags (Projectra) in the Legion penthouse suite to beg for cash. He’s stringing her along with empty promises of influencing Legion policy. How long can that last before she cuts bait? Things take a turn for the horrific when Projectra’s home planet of Orando, which is somehow the economic powerhouse of the whole United Planets, explodes at the hands of the mystery super-team from last issue. Bad for Orando, bad for the U.P., and bad for the Legion which just lost its main funding source. ![](https://i.imgur.com/eTAz8Jt.jpg?1) In a side plot, Karate Kid tries to convince Ultra Boy to accept him as sensei to improve his self-control. Back-up Story: Praetor Lemnos, leader of the villains, sneaks into Legion HQ to give Braniac 5 a mocking expository monologue about his history. His power is to manipulate information; its passive effect is that people can’t remember he exists unless they are looking right at him. Even electronic recordings don’t hold his image long. This is very similar to Doctor Who villains The Silence, who were introduced in 2011. Lemnos threatens that Braniac 5’s home planet of Colu will be his next target. But after Lemnos leaves the room, Braniac can’t remember the conversastion. Lettercol: Not only are letters printed, but they are read and then responded to by Cosmic Boy and Chameleon, breaking the Fourth Wall. My Two Cents: Lots of good character development going on, and the destruction of Orando is big news as well. This is the first story I’ve ever read in which Projectra had a clear personality. She’s the poor little rich girl: pampered yet insecure, desperate to parlay her position into friends and respect. Her piteous “I might finally get to do something important!” line was Barry Kitson’s idea. ![](https://i.imgur.com/sfvgn86.jpg?1) Braniac 5 and Dream Girl get in some fun screwball repartee. Will her joke about marrying him prove accidentally prescient? Note that her hair has returned to the correct platinum shade. Projectra has the same shade, but without bangs. ![](https://i.imgur.com/bIlwVnh.jpg?1) Lots of nerdy fanservice here too. Jeckie’s bodyguards read old comic books, while Chameleon quizzes Invisible Kid on vintage superheroes. Waid is a fan writing for fans, so the Legionnaires are fans as well. ![](https://i.imgur.com/HF7ZwkW.jpg?1) ![](https://i.imgur.com/ersdCUf.jpg?1)
|
|
|
Post by dbutler69 on Apr 13, 2019 9:07:44 GMT -5
I thought the protrayal of Projectra was cute, but I was very disappointed that she didn't have any powers, especially since I like her powers Maybe that changes later on? I don't remember.
|
|
|
Post by rberman on Apr 13, 2019 9:37:59 GMT -5
I thought the protrayal of Projectra was cute, but I was very disappointed that she didn't have any powers. Maybe that changes later on? I don't remember. It changes, very soon.
|
|
|
Post by dbutler69 on Apr 13, 2019 10:00:06 GMT -5
Should we refer to Projectra as Priness Leia?
Oh, and the stuff with the vintage DC comics was cool also.
|
|