Showcase ‘95 #6 (1995)
cover by Denis Dodier
The confusingly named “Showcase ‘95” series was an anthology lasting 12 issues.
While the cover story is the unlikely team-up between Lobo and Superman’s friend Bibbo, we’re actually focusing on two Legion related stories.
“The Alienation of Unification”
by Beau Smith & Mike Huddleston
The first story will focus on Andromeda and Apparition, two Legion ladies who won’t really get the chance to interact too much in the main books.
It’s also the formal introduction of the Reboot version of the Legion Academy… which I’m betting MOST readers forgot was technically introduced THIS early!
If I’m not mistaken, the Legion Academy won’t be referenced again until the very end of the Reboot, in 2003.
The mission is to vet some potential new Legion members.
Interesting choice to test them by beating them up first, Andromeda.
One of the reasons why most readers assume that the Legion Academy of this continuity is a 2003 addition is that most of these guys will ever be mentioned again.
“Tomb” sure has a weird power for a superhero; I think it’d be really hard to integrate his power into the Legion.
Given his power, Cannus is a missed opportunity for introducing a Dawnstar equivalent in the Reboot.
Not that I’m complaining about what we eventually get (I’m the biggest Shikari fan on the planet and I will praise her to no end once we get there)… but come on, Cannus is a good boy.
And then there’s Brawler, whose power I guess could have made him the new Computo.
But with a personality that matches the L.E.G.I.O.N. better than it matches the Legion, if that makes sense.
Dude, you’re making me root for the xenophobe.
Why did the United Planets think these jackasses were Legion material again?
Then some space pirates attack, so we can finally have a scene that does not involve our heroes being angry all the time.
Well, there goes any chance for a meaningful interaction between Apparition and Andromeda.
Not that I’m blaming Apparition; this is happening BEFORE Andromeda gets massive character development, so who’d want to keep her company?
Motivational speeches are not Andromeda’s strong suit.
These are the good guys, by the way.
By the time Apparition returns to the ship, the action is already over.
They started this trip as five individuals.
And they ended it with two individuals and three nobodies.
Legion significance: 0/10
Cannus will get a cameo in a later audition, but won’t make the cut to actual membership.
Tomb and Brawler had the good sense to just vanish.
Silver Age-ness: 0/10
Does it stand the test of time? 2/10
The only positive side is the artwork; it’s a bit rough here and there, but I really liked some pages and Andromeda has never looked any better so far, outside of the Jeff Moy issues.
But the rest… yeesh. Apparition is completely wasted and the potential recruits just suck. Not just as heroes, they’re just not entertaining to be around!
Since they are just being escorted to Legion Academy, they are not presented as attempting to join the Legion at the moment and as such they are not yet counted among rejected members.
“Learning Curve”
by Gregory Wright & Wave Von Grawbadger
If the Legion Academy is a rare sight in the Reboot, we have something even rarer: a Science Police story!
We’re accustomed to the Science Police being incompetent at this point. But considering the alternative is having officers that are raving like this, maybe that’s for the best!
Shvaughn Erin and GiGi Cusimano have to deal with their unhinged colleague until Leviathan gets involved in a completely unrelated case.
The Science Police has a range of opinions regarding the Legion.
Has breeding genetically engineered super-dinosaurs ever been a good idea?
Well what do you know, the officer from beginning is not completely insane after all.
She’s still cocky enough to infiltrate the lab that has been hijacked by criminals, needing to be saved.
She’s eventually saved by Leviathan and GiGi.
We never see her again. In my headcanon, she’s forced to resign from the Science Police because of reports of her brutality.
Legion significance: 0/10
Completely forgotten.
Silver Age-ness: 2/10
That giant monster B-plot is a bit Silver Age.
Does it stand the test of time? 4/10
Too brief to really get anything going, and too disjointed. From the beginning of the story you would think that Officer Deacon’s past with those criminals she’s attacking would be the focus… but then we shift to a completely different plot.
Still, nice pencils and alien design. I wouldn’t have minded seeing Sybelle Deacon again, she certainly has a distinct personality… she could have interacted with the Legion in a unique way.
But she ALSO feels a bit too much like she’s from the L.E.G.I.O.N. series more than the Legion one.
Sure, Showcase 95 lasted only 12 issues (by its year-named nature), but there were a Showcase 93 and 94 before it and a Showcase 96 after it, so they can really be looked at as a four-year run.
As for “why the UP would think these are good recruits” – remember, the UP enfranchises the planets, and the planets themselves pick the Legion candidates. So how well they will work with members of other races might not be a major consideration.
Writer Beau Smith did an excellent job making me like Guy Gardner. Brawler doesn’t come anywhere near the level of charisma that Guy has. Andromeda will have her day, but this isn’t it.
Officer Deacon had potential. It’s unfortunate that we’ll never see her again.
The Legion will have better Showcase appearances in the future. I’m glad neither of these tried to take up space in the main books,