Legion of Super-Heroes v2 #268 (1980)
by J.M. DeMatteis & Steve Ditko
cover by George Pérez
Quite an assemble of talent: DeMatteis and the late George Pérez on writing and the cover, with the internal artwork by Steve Ditko (who will become the regular artist shortly).
The reconstruction of the HQ has finally ended, but the issue won’t deal with that: after an introductory scene by Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad, the rest of the story will cover the adventures of a sub-team lead by Cosmic Boy. I wonder if this part was conceived by Conway and the rest was commissioned to DeMatteis.
I always appreciate these little character moments in the downtime between missions, and it also gives some perspective on how the Legion views its fantastical universe.
Dream Girl just had one of her prophetic dreams and wow, the Steve Ditko environment is a jarring transition from the more sci-fi oriented artists.
Also this is by far the most conservative nightwear we’ve seen in a long time in Legion stories!
Dream Girl is still committed to keep the fanservice going, though, so her dream is suitably kinky.
That will have to wait, because R.J.Brande informs the Legionnaires that the sensor have picked up an unusual spaceship.
Yep. I’m with Karate Kid on this one.
I’m not sure Diko looked at how the Legionnaires operate in space. We’ve already seen multiple times they have transparent suits, but he draws them like they’re wearing some sort of armor.
The Legion is kidnapped by the Space Subway ™…
…and we get one of those incredibly rare mentions of the awful Karate Kid series.
Ah, good to see I wasn’t the only one to suffer through THAT.
Turns out the planet is a gigantic museum, with multiple stuff from Earth.
If you’re a Legion fan, you were probably waiting for this moment.
If you’re not, let me introduce you to the greatest supervillain design of all time… Doctor Mayavale.
Yep. That is one glorious design, isn’t it?
I suppose that with the mention of his series, a patented Karate Kid Disappointing Fight Scene © is in order.
Before he was… THAT… Mayavale used to an aspiring Doctor Strange wannabe on another planet.
Mayavale had some kind of “mystic blockage” that prevented him from ascending from an higher state of existence.
Basically he had mystic constipation.
The solution was to breathe these magic fumes.
At any rate, Mayavale was definitely inhaling SOMETHING.
Jokes aside, it’s a neat concept: basically Mayavale unlocked the knowledge of all his past lives.
That doesn’t mean the story is not still COMPLETELY BONKERS.
Mayavale has a vendetta against every single Legionnaire because one of their former lives caused trouble to one of HIS past lives.
Vandal Savage has claimed to having been Julius Caesar, so we have only two options:
A) he was lying and Mayavale was the real Caesar
B) Mayavale has been drinking too many gallons of LSD
Option B all the way, obviously.
Dream Girl is then shot…
…to then live out her dream.
All of this as part of a ritual to turn Mayavale into DOCTOR Mayavale, “surgeon of evil”.
Which is too cool of a name to waste here!
Unfortunately for him, the Legionnaires survived: Chameleon Boy by turning into a snake to avoid being killed by horses…
…and Karate Kid by finally having a somewhat decent action scene.
But they’re not really necessary since Dream Girl rescues herself!!!
The comic even acknowledges that everybody underestimates Dream Girl, forgetting she’s a freaking badass!!!
Is this the earlies formal acknowledgment that other Legionnaires are trained by Karate Kid?
Mayavale manages to escape, and the Legionnaires wonder if he was completely insane or if reincarnation is actually real.
Like I said it’s an interesting concept, but… come on, would you trust THIS guy!?!?
Legion significance: 0/10
Sadly, the first and last Mayavale appearance. Which means that, bafflingly, the green arms are NEVER EXPLAINED.
Silver Age-ness: 7/10
The premise and ESPECIALLY the villain’s design are vastly Silver Age, but it loses points because I don’t think we would’ve gotten the girl defeating the bad guy that way. Oh sure, she would’ve won regardless, but not by wiping the floor with him.
Does it stand the test of time? 5/10
This is a very, VERY tough call! And once again remember this is NOT a quality score.
The base concept is strong, and I do like the fact that DeMatteis stays vague about whether Mayavale is lying or insane. That being said… the plot is very bare bones, the action is mostly disappointing, and other than the Doctor Strange-inspired scenes Ditko doesn’t seem to be comfortable with the setting.
Still…
We are legion
21 Legionnaires
6 reserve members
1 on sick leave (Matter-Eater Lad)
Interesting letters: the Legion will eventually get its own future slang, which is something I’ve always enjoyed.
