Legion of Super-Heroes v3 #49

Legion of Super-Heroes v3 #49 (1988)
by Paul Levitz & Pat Broderick
cover by Ken Steacy

Pat Broderick is the temporary replacement for Greg LaRoque, who has moved to penciling a very successful run on Flash.
Next issue will see the return of Keith Giffen, for good and for bad.

The Starfinger plot is supposed to be the main one, also considering the cover, but the issue starts with a focus on the conspiracy.

Saturn Girl doesn’t take kindly to the accusations, but it is once again the outcome of the Legion’s behavior during the past several issues.
The old guard has been bending the rules to do whatever they want for a long time.

Even Mon-El’s shirtless scene isn’t enough to ease the tension…

…but the Starfinger plot does, interrupting them by causing immense pain to the Legionnaires.

And speaking of the dysfunctional Legion, there are tensions between Dawnstar and Phantom Girl for not following Polar Boy’s orders.
Which admittedly were not a good idea either.

Something is affecting all Legionnaires to cause them pain. Incredibly this even works on Wildfire, who I’m not even sure is capable of feeling pain.

It also causes White Witch to pose for the camera. She IS Dream Girl’s sister after all.

I still can’t bring myself to care about Starfinger. And I’m guessing the Legion agrees, because even his most successful plan to date… is dismissed by Timber Wolf as indigestion.

Starfinger scolds Dr. Hazeg, the one responsible for handling the device that attacked the Legion and who is currently hiding inside this bubble robot.

No, Starfinger, you’re doing the Master Supervillain schtick wrong!
You’re supposed to kill or injure a random minion BEFORE you extend the deadline to your scientist! Now if he fails he’s going to just ask yet another extension.

It’s kind of hilarious that Starfinger is going through all this trouble to kill the Legionnaires but not only Timber Wolf mistakes his attack for indigestion… but the rest of the team completely forgets they were attacked and continue the conspiracy plot like nothing happened!

Sensor Girl has deduced the goal of the conspiracy. She’s not against it, just against the idea of keeping it a secret. Ironic, from the mistress of secrets.

It’s time to learn what the conspiracy is even about. It goes all the way back to Superboy’s death in issue 38.

So what is the conspiracy about? KILL THE TIME TRAPPER.

The fourth member to join the conspiracy is Duo Damsel.
Is this the first time we hear about the fact that she SHOULD have died when her first body was killed? I can’t remember an explicit mention.

Brainy, I think you’re giving Polar Boy too much credit. I don’t think he wanted to influence you guys to kill the Time Trapper, ESPECIALLY considering his attitude later on.

So the conspiracy is no more… because now the entire Legion is behind it.
Well, sort of. Next issue will complicate things.

Back to the Starfinger plot: Chameleon Boy has the confirmation that “Dr. Hazeg” is actually Colossal Boy in disguise.
We’re supposed to be impressed by this, and admittedly it’s kind of cool… but I can’t get past the fact that Starfinger managed to:
A) have his base infiltrated by TWO Legionnaires
B) trust both of them in their fake identities
C) fall for Colossal Boy’s trick of using the Flight Ring to cause just a minor annoyance to the Legion

I don’t know, Chameleon Boy… considering Starfinger’s track record so far, I think you’re both safe.

You know Polar Boy has completely lost control of his team when they don’t want to wait for him because he wouldn’t know what to do, and they decide to trace the signal to Starfinger anyway.

You don’t know the half of it, Quislet.

We then have a truly baffling Sensor Girl scene. She goes to a random place on Earth (identified as such, not my assumption) to recruit… SOMEBODY.
Even knowing who is recruited (we’ll learn it later), I still don’t get what he’s doing here.

Starfinger’s men learn that the Legion is coming, and they want to just leave.
I told you, Starfinger, you should’ve threatened your minions BEFORE we got to this point!

For the Legionnaires who are still at HQ planning how to deal with the Time Trapper, things are not going well.

This is the big reveal of the issue: the Time Bubble™ HAS NEVER WORKED, and the only reason why the Legion was able to time travel was entirely thanks to the Time Trapper.

In terms of DC continuity it doesn’t entirely work, because there are other time machines.
But for the Legion itself, it’s a powerful moment: the same technology that was in their very first story has always been just a trick from one of their worst enemies.

A rare moment of humility from Brainiac 5.

And then SUDDEN RESURRECTION!!!

(yes I’m going really old school with the memes this time)

That will have to wait for next issue, because… oh come one Starfinger, you’re still doing it wrong!!!

Now that he’s discovered that he has hired Colossal Boy, Starfinger… doesn’t even manage to kill him. He doesn’t have any powers right now, and Starfinger is supposed to be a threat worthy of the whole team!!!

And so we end with the cliffhanger of Starfinger about to kill two Legionnaires.

A cliffhanger that… WON’T be picked up next issue! The Starfinger plot will be resolved in the next Annual, which won’t be published until AFTER issue 52.

So once again Starfinger keeps getting ignored by everyone.
But I’m fine with it, because issue 50 will be an important milestone.
It will see the return of Keith Giffen in what I consider the best Time Trapper story ever made.

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Legion significance: 9/10
The revelation of the conspiracy, but more importantly the retcon about time travel. Which is kind of the reason why the Legion will basically stop traveling through time for a while.

Silver Age-ness: 3/10
Starfinger’s steadfast refusal to make any progress kind of falls in the category.

Does it stand the test of time? 7/10
I typically really like Pat Broderick, but the artwork seems to be struggling a bit here.
The conspiracy stuff continues to be the main focus, to the detriment of the Starfinger plot… which is made even worse by scheduling the resolution in the annual AFTER several issues.
I wonder if Levitz ended up moving around some plots when he noticed he couldn’t finish the Starfinger plot before issue 50?
Speaking of Starfinger, his threat level has definitely continued to fall: I just can’t take him seriously as a threat to the whole Legion. Glad that he’s not the focus of #50, but that could just be the Time Trapper fan talking.
At first it might look a bit too convenient that everybody seems to agree with the conspiracy right away, but issues 50 and especially 51 will go through great lengths analyzing how everyone feels about it.
Brainiac 5’s reaction to the revelation that his time machine has never worked was great, a rare moment of him showing vulnerability. And something to keep in mind as contrast to what he’s going to accomplish with issue 50.

We are legion
Rond Vidar not being dead was so predictable I didn’t include him among the dead Legionnaires, so the count remains unchanged.
24 active Legionnaires
6 reserve members
12 deceased members
2 resigned members
1 honorary member
45 people have been members
50 people have been rejected

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Interesting letters: even international readers get the chance to vote now!
I do wonder where the Legion was being translated into Arabic. Maybe Egypt?