Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #82 (1996)
written by Tom Peyer & Tom McCraw
pencils by Lee Moder
cover by Alan Davis
I would get that checked out if I were you, Ultra Boy.
We begin with Brainiac 5 blowup up his laboratory.
And it’s implied this was on purpose… what is he even working on?
You have to love how nonchalant he is about this.
He’s definitely insensitive towards Chuck here, but I would argue this makes perfect sense considering Brainy’s point of view and his priorities.
Nobody was hurt and Chuck’s job IS to do repairs, so why would Brainiac 5 be concerned about somebody doing their job?
He’s even aware of Chuck’s workload, so he’s even keeping tabs! That’s a step forward considering his previous opinion of others.
Plus it gives us this great moment that explains why Brainiac 5 probably voted for Violet.
Bonus: in addition to keeping Brainy happy, Violet also brought back Dr. Gym’ll.
This works on multiple levels. It brings back a beloved supporting character, but if you think about it this signals a radically different approach to leadership.
Under Cosmic Boy, priority was given to what Legionnaires could give to the team: Brainiac 5 is the smartest sentient in the Galaxy, so he was put in charge of ALL science-adjacent stuff, no matter how trivial.
Shrinking Violet is looking at what Legionnaires are as people, factoring their personal lives to make them happier and more productive.
The Legion is on a mission to Xanthu, home planet of Star Boy… plus other past and future Legionnaires.
And apparently it’s quite a small planet, with a population of 16 million people.
As of 2026, this puts Xanthu on par with Earth’s 74th most populated country, Zimbabwe.
That is… NOT a lot for a whole planet, especially considering how important it seems to be for the United Planets.
Also, Spark’s mention of the Crystal Falls of Xanthu made me go back to the first Star Boy story, Adventure Comics #282 from 1961, to see if it’s there… and it isn’t. Bummer.
Spark’s initial reaction to Chameleon being her secret admirer isn’t what I expected.
The fact that Xanthu only has 17 million people is even more shocking considering its superhuman population: we’ve already seen Star Boy and Kid Quantum, and now there’s four more meeting the Legion.
We have Insect Queen, Atom’X, Kid Quantum II and Legally Not She-Hulk Monstress.
The latter two will eventually join the Legion!
Interesting to see that Monstress says she doesn’t have another name; that’s because her very tragic backstory won’t be told for years, but even in-universe I can kind of see her why she doesn’t use her original name at the moment.
Insect Queen’s civilian name is a clear reference to Lana Lang being the original Insect Queen, while Atom’X does not give us his real name yet… it’s related to one of the dumbest things the Reboot will ever do, so I’m not mentioning it yet.
These four are the Uncanny Amazers, and I have to guess the name is ridiculous on purpose.
Kid Quantum II is actually the sister of the original Kid Quantum, inheriting the title but mercifully not his crappy personality.
Well she IS angry at Leviathan for the death of her brother under his leadership, but trust me she has good stories ahead.
Hey, the return of the Encyclopedia Galactica! I really missed those bits of lore.
We do get an explanation for why Xanthu has so many superhumans despite such a small population: it’s on purpose, given their status as a frontier world.
The fact that they’re all teenagers is because ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Star Boy is here to inform his government that he’s staying with the Legion permanently, but for that to happen the Legion has to beat the Uncanny Amazers.
You can thank Leviathan being insufferable for why Star Boy stays with the Legion.
M’Onel won’t participate in the fight because, you know, it needs to be a fight.
Kid Quantum II stays out of the fight as well, but her place is taken by two other members of the Uncanny Amazers: Floating-Head-Girl and Bald Lad.
Just kidding, they do actually have real codenames… well at least one of them does.
The girl’s name is Konk, and they bald guy… I’m not really sure? He’s not given a name in this story and he seems to only show up in one other issue (LSH #102) where he’s also not named… but some online resources identify him as “Phrenologax Lad”.
If true, that would easily be THE worst codename in all Legion continuities, PERIOD.
It’s a real shame we didn’t get more interactions between Monstress and Gates.
It would be a fair assumption to believe Konk is the Reboot equivalent to Arms-Fall-Off-Boy.
Except AFOB will actually show up, and come to think of it Konk’s power is slightly more useful than his!
Because remember the joke with AFOB is that his limbs can only detach, but at least Konk’s head can actually fly.
The reason why Kid Quantum II is sitting out of the fight is that she’s using her power to slow down the Legionnaires.
Unfortunately the diplomat’s comment validates what Kid Quantum II heard as a rumor: that her brother died because he disobeyed orders, not because Leviathan sent him to die.
That’s enough for her to stop rigging the fight.
This means Star Boy will remain in the team, and that the series is not done crapping on Leviathan.
In the other main plot of the book, Ultra Boy is looking for closure after the death of Apparition.
That’s when we get the cover image!
Apparition’s mother is cleaning up her daughter’s room, and she’s as charming as ever.
Her outburst triggers another of Ultra Boy’s pain spasms, as well as something mysterious.
She uses Ultra Boy’s flight ring (!!!) to bring him to the infirmary, demonstrating that while Ambassadro Wazzo is… A LOT… she’s not evil.
Good thing we have Dr. Gym’ll here, because you just know Brainiac 5 would instantly dismiss the concept of Ultra Boy being haunted by ghosts.
Because that’s what was causing Ultra Boy’s pain: THE GHOST OF APPARITION.
So Apparition is back in the cast, even if she’s stuck as a ghost.
A phantom girl, if you will.
Legion significance: 8/10
Apparition still being alive but stuck as a phantom will impact the series quite a bit.
It will take considerably longer for some of the Uncanny Amazers to join the team.
Monstress is clearly supposed to be a throwaway character here; you will eventually find her incredibly annoying AND you will be deeply sorry you previously despised her. Trust me.
Kid Quantum II is the only member of the Amazers that, at this point, was definitely intended to eventually return to the spotlight.
Silver Age-ness: 7/10
We’re currently just supposed to accept that Apparition’s ghost is haunting Ultra Boy, but more importantly we have the Uncanny Amazers… who have a member whose sole power is konking you in the head with her floating head. Amazing power, no notes.
Does it stand the test of time? 8/10
Despite being given more space, the Uncanny Amazers plot is the weakest. It’s not BAD, but it feels quite rushed… the Amazers are anything but amazing, Kid Quantum II’s realization that the Legion are not the bad guys feels VERY rushed, and the motivation to have Star Boy stay with the Legion feels like an afterthought.
The Ultra Boy plot is much stronger, even if it’s just 8 pages out of 21. It does humanize Ambassador Wazzo a little, and it’s quite satisfying to see Apparition return.
I don’t have a source, but I’m pretty sure she was also supposed to eventually return (although the letters page consistently said the opposite).
Labs exploded by Brainiac 5: 7
Who did it better?
A Legionnaire turned into an intangible ghost stuck inside another Legionnaire’s body?
It will take a while to get the whole story behind the logistics of how this actually happened, and believe be it will be EXTREMELY convoluted.
And it STILL will make a whole lot more sense than the Reflecto saga.
We are legion
I’m returning Apparition to the active Legionnaires; kind of funny to count her as “active” when she can’t touch anything, I guess.
Also ironic that the issue that restores Kid Quantum to being the only dead Legionnaire is the one introducing his sister.
- 18 active Legionnaires
- 1 resigned member (Andromeda)
- 1 honorary member (Superboy)
- 1 deceased member (Kid Quantum)
- 21 people have been members
- 3 Legion leaders (Leviathan, Cosmic Boy, Shrinking Violet)
- 2 members have been rejected
Interesting letters: I am quite embarrassed that a mention in the letters page highlight something that SOMEHOW I never noticed.
Each issue of Legion of Super-Heroes and of Legionnaires has an “L-Number” that highlights the order with which you need to read LSH and Legionnaires.
I first read these comics almost 25 years ago and I must have re-read them at least a dozen times at the bare minimum… HOW DID I NEVER NOTICE THIS???
