Legion of Super-Heroes #289 (1982)
“Once upon an insanity”
by Paul Levitz & Carmine Infantino
A little eight page story that takes care of a lingering subplot: whatever happened to Matter-Eater Lad after going nuts all the way back in issue #251 ?
Well, apparently the best way to handle a mentally ill patient is to trap him within a force field where he can’t eat anything.
Wait, what!?
No, seriously, wait a minute: Matter-Eater Lad can eat INERTRON!? Since when!? We’re talking about stuff that freaking SUPERMAN can’t break and he can just munch on it!?
What kind of sense does that make? I’m not talking scientifically, of course… it never made any sense… but from a story telling perspective, you just nerfed Inertron for no reason!
Remember there’s a whole PLANET with the same power of M.E.L!
*sigh*
Brainiac 5 has a solution for that, but then he and Element Lad are knocked out by bad Infantino art.
I mean it’s not anywhere as bad as his Supergirl series, but… yeesh.
Turns out that the person responsible for the ambush is one of the doctors who treated Brainiac 5 during his insanity: Doctor R’Xalim.
When I first read this issue I assumed that he was a long-time Legion villain… but nope, this is his first (and only) appearance. But apparently he was behind the scenes before, which is disappointing because he has a quite memorable design!
It’s unfortunate that the story is diminished by the artwork and the short length, because there’s some good stuff here.
Brainiac 5 completely ruining someone’s life because he made a offhand remark, but then being proven completely right, is just peak Brainiac 5.
Despite the great design and the interesting motivation, R’Xalim is a complete idiot: he sets the force field emitter to crush the Legionnaires to death… and then just leaves for no reason!
He says he doesn’t want to be found near the bodies, but he doesn’t need to leave BEFORE THEY’RE DEAD!!!
Especially since this gives Brainiac 5 more than TEN MINUTES to figure this out!!!
I’m conflicted about this scenario, and not just because this was my first full Brainiac 5 story.
I really like how he has such an encyclopedic knowledge to instantly recall an incredibly minor bit of research…
…but on the other hand, just how stupidly convenient is it that the garden just HAPPENS to have a flower that Element Lad is allergic to!?
Element Lad transmutes the air into a shield that is too strong for the force field, and the stress makes the emitter explode.
And so we end with R’Xalim arrested, with Brainiac 5 taking full custody of Matter-Eater Lad.
Legion significance: 0/10
Ultimately skippable, since Matter-Eater Lad doesn’t even get cured until later.
Silver Age-ness: 7/10
M.E.L. can eat Inertron!? And the garden just happens to have a flower that Element Lad is allergic to? What!?
Does it stand the test of time? 4/10
It breaks my heart ueo to my nostalgic attachment to this issue… but this was pretty bad. I really like the Levitz characterization for Brainiac 5 and the way we are shown his thought process… but the situation is WAY too convenient for the heroes. You’re a much better writer than this, Levitz!
As for the artwork, for the standards of 80s Infantino it’s not THAT bad… but it’s still bad.
We are legion
21 active Legionnaires
6 reserve members
1 honorary member (Rond Vidar)
1 on sick leave (Matter-Eater Lad)
I think Lightning Lad was character-assassinated, and in the vilest way. Nothing Chameleon Boy did was Lightning Lad’s fault – CB undertook the mission to Khundia on his own authority without even telling LL! How is that a failure of leadership on LL’s part? Blame the Legion’s constitution for making CB the permanent, unelected (and let’s face it, despotic) leader of the Espionage Squad and answerable to no one.
Hmmm I disagree. All the characters are constantly telling LL that he’s not responsible, so I don’t think the story itself is doing that. It’s more that he’s the kind of hero who feels responsible for stuff he couldn’t possibly be blamed for (think Spider-Man).
Regarding Chameleon Boy… technically he’s answerable to the Legion leader, it’s just that he completely ignored LL’s orders. He’s the one being blamed by the characters and the story.
I do wonder whether the leader of the Espionage Squad is an elected position of not, however.