The 5YL Legion of Superheroes: Reviews by Pharozonk
Dec 20, 2015 23:27:41 GMT -5
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Post by Pharozonk on Dec 20, 2015 23:27:41 GMT -5
Legion of Super-heroes (1989) #9
Laurel’s Story
Writer: Keith Giffen, Tom Bierbaum, Mary Bierbaum
Pencils: Keith Giffen, Paris Cullins
Ink: Bob Lewis
Color: Tom McGraw
Editor: Mike Eury
Grade: C+
Summary: The issue opens on an intergalactic library where Roxxas is checking out a “holo” about Laurel Gand which is narrated by Laurel herself. Laurel reveals that she didn’t grow up on Daxam itself, but on Ricklef II, an asteroid city. One day, Khund invaders under the lead of Zaryan, the Khund conqueror, attack the base and kill her parents. However, Laurel has knowledge of how the base is run and uses the computer system to override the main control and destroy the entire Khund fleet. She is rewarded for her bravery, but Zaryan survives and looks for her to take his revenge. After an attempt on her life by Khund assassins, Eltro Gand, Laurel’s cousin who she is staying with, recommends that she go underground to avoid them. She goes to live in an orphanage on Earth. She is visited by Saturn Girl, Phantom Girl, and Triad, who offer her membership in the Legion. Laurel tries out and is accepted into the Legion, though she has to have her lead poisoning cured by Brainiac 5. One of her first missions is to bring in Doyle, R.J. Brande’s “cousin” for attempting to take Brande’s life. Laurel captures Doyle and the two seem to fall in love. The holo ends and Roxxas is about to leave when he sees a wanted ad for him put out by Earthgov. Roxxas is outraged to find that his employers went behind his back and put a bounty on him. Meanwhile, we see that the green light is still being tracked by scientists. Roxanne then heads to Winath to attack the Legionnaires during Blok’s funeral. On Winath, Salu is distressed because she knows Rokk will be coming to the funeral and she doesn’t know how she is going to face him.
Thoughts: This was a pretty mediocre issue overall, perhaps the first real sign in this run that the internal politics at DC were beginning to take a toll on TMK. While Giffen and the Bierbams were adept at making the best out of the retcons handed to them (see issues #5 and #8 for that), this is just a really bland story. Laurel Gand, while a well written character later in the run, just doesn’t spark the same interest in me as a reader as Supergirl did, not helped by the fact that her entire backstory is near carbon copy of Supergirl’s but without any kind of Silver Age fun.
Paris Cullins’ pencils are not my cup of tea and they almost feel like they let out of a completely different comic. The exaggerated cheekbones and elongated faces contrasty heavily with Giffen’s Kirby-esque block heads so the transition is a bit jarring. I really wish Giffen was doing complete art duties for the book again.
I do really like the way the Roxxas subplot is developing. Having Earthgov sell him out to cover their own butts is a pretty clever twist and his raving reaction to it is just priceless.
Laurel’s Story
Writer: Keith Giffen, Tom Bierbaum, Mary Bierbaum
Pencils: Keith Giffen, Paris Cullins
Ink: Bob Lewis
Color: Tom McGraw
Editor: Mike Eury
Grade: C+
Summary: The issue opens on an intergalactic library where Roxxas is checking out a “holo” about Laurel Gand which is narrated by Laurel herself. Laurel reveals that she didn’t grow up on Daxam itself, but on Ricklef II, an asteroid city. One day, Khund invaders under the lead of Zaryan, the Khund conqueror, attack the base and kill her parents. However, Laurel has knowledge of how the base is run and uses the computer system to override the main control and destroy the entire Khund fleet. She is rewarded for her bravery, but Zaryan survives and looks for her to take his revenge. After an attempt on her life by Khund assassins, Eltro Gand, Laurel’s cousin who she is staying with, recommends that she go underground to avoid them. She goes to live in an orphanage on Earth. She is visited by Saturn Girl, Phantom Girl, and Triad, who offer her membership in the Legion. Laurel tries out and is accepted into the Legion, though she has to have her lead poisoning cured by Brainiac 5. One of her first missions is to bring in Doyle, R.J. Brande’s “cousin” for attempting to take Brande’s life. Laurel captures Doyle and the two seem to fall in love. The holo ends and Roxxas is about to leave when he sees a wanted ad for him put out by Earthgov. Roxxas is outraged to find that his employers went behind his back and put a bounty on him. Meanwhile, we see that the green light is still being tracked by scientists. Roxanne then heads to Winath to attack the Legionnaires during Blok’s funeral. On Winath, Salu is distressed because she knows Rokk will be coming to the funeral and she doesn’t know how she is going to face him.
Thoughts: This was a pretty mediocre issue overall, perhaps the first real sign in this run that the internal politics at DC were beginning to take a toll on TMK. While Giffen and the Bierbams were adept at making the best out of the retcons handed to them (see issues #5 and #8 for that), this is just a really bland story. Laurel Gand, while a well written character later in the run, just doesn’t spark the same interest in me as a reader as Supergirl did, not helped by the fact that her entire backstory is near carbon copy of Supergirl’s but without any kind of Silver Age fun.
Paris Cullins’ pencils are not my cup of tea and they almost feel like they let out of a completely different comic. The exaggerated cheekbones and elongated faces contrasty heavily with Giffen’s Kirby-esque block heads so the transition is a bit jarring. I really wish Giffen was doing complete art duties for the book again.
I do really like the way the Roxxas subplot is developing. Having Earthgov sell him out to cover their own butts is a pretty clever twist and his raving reaction to it is just priceless.
