Superman vol.2 #8 (1987)
by John Byrne
The Legion has interacted with the post-Crisis continuity before, on Booster Gold and on the Cosmic Boy miniseries. But now it’s time to really get into it.
We begin with Clark Kent having returned to Smallville, chatting with Lana Lang.
In this continuity, she knows he’s Superman. And also, because this is going to be VERY important shortly: in this era, Superman was never Superboy when he was younger.
While it’s sad to have lost some of the Silver Age craziness, and the mess it caused with the Legion is infuriating, I really really like the changes John Byrne made to the Superman mythos.
Some of them fluctuate… the Clark persona has gone back to being a weakling a couple of times, and most of the pre-Crisis stuff eventually returned… but perhaps the most lasting change is to have his adoptive parents still alive in his adulthood.
His super-senses alert him that something is up, and he traces the Time Bubble™ that has taken a few Legionnaires into his time.
Superman doesn’t recognize them, because THIS version of Supes hasn’t met them yet.
Even more amazingly, he can’t recognize Brainiac 5 as being related to his nemesis… because Superman hasn’t even the post-Crisis Brainiac yet!!!
That won’t happen until Adventures of Superman #438, almost a year after this.
The Legionnaires are here because they fled from Superboy in LSH #37, so when Superman’s heat vision mysteriously activates itself on its own they think it’s him.
Sun Boy responds with a fire blast, with Superman even feeling the heat. This version is not NEARLY as invulnerable as the pre-Crisis one, so it might be able to do SOME damage.
Brainiac 5 is naturally the only one trying to understand what’s going on.
Blok, on the other hand, just throws a huge chunk of rock at him (they’re in a quarry).
Hm. Sounds familiar.
This is VERY early in Superman’s career, so he hasn’t met too many people who can fly.
One of the things I’ve always liked about Byrne’s Superman are the insights on his thought process.
The Legionnaires calling him Superboy are the hint that they’re not just regular foes.
References to Crisis were a rarity in this period, and any sort of acknowledgment of the existence of other Earths was a BIG no-no. This is an exception, with Superman acknowledging Superboy Prime. Who, I remind you, is NOT the Superboy that was in the Legion.
We’ll see THAT Superboy once I get to “Legion of Three Worlds”, which given my pace should be around the 25th century.
I would argue that Byrne does a better job at showcasing how much of a powerhouse Sun Boy can be than the actual Legion series, at least in this period. It’s closely related to Superman not having absolute invulnerability anymore, but still.
Brainiac 5 stops the fight with his force field, which is shown to be invisible.
Something that happens quite rarely; I guess it’s habit for Byrne since he was the one to REALLY showcase Invisible Woman’s invisible force field back on his Fantastic Four run?
The pause allows the other Legionnaires to see this is not Superboy, and for Superman to ask a simple question.
The Legionnaires SHOULD be aware that Superman doesn’t remember their existence, since Cosmic Boy learned it during his miniseries.
Also, regarding Superman’s skepticism, it’s entirely possible he hasn’t met any time travelers before.
Brainiac 5 then narrates to Superman the first Legion story, and it’s surprisingly accurate!!!
John Byrne is one of my favorite pencilers (at least with the style he had in the 80s), so it’s a pity that he never gets to do a proper Legion story.
Just look at this gorgeous shot! He even includes Tyroc (!!!) and the dead Legionnaires, but of course not Supergirl.
Brainiac 5 even gives Superman a retelling of LSH #37, including the scenes where he wasn’t personally present.
Wait, is THAT the reason why the artwork’s quality was so low in that issue? Greg LaRoque was trying to imitate Byrne’s style and failed miserably?
Some of these are the same exact panels by two different artists! I find it hard to believe, because LaRoque is a good artist and his typical style isn’t radically different from Byrne’s… but still, coincidence?
Superman listens to all this, still wrapping his head around Superboy’s pre-Crisis powers.
And the story ends with Superboy catching up with them.
Legion significance: 0/10
Doesn’t really provide any additional information after LSH #37.
Silver Age-ness: 5/10
Exclusively the scenes from the re-telling of the origins.
Does it stand the test of time? 9/10
I’m probably a rarity among fans of the Silver Age: even with my appreciation for the pre-Crisis character, I absolutely love Byrne’s interpretation of Superman.
Rating the issue is not straightforward. If you approach it only from a Legion perspective, it doesn’t really provide anything new. But that’s not why this exists: it’s an introduction to the Legion from readers of another series that are not familiar with the team. It’s an aspect that the Legion CONSTANTLY struggles with, and any serious attempt to get new readers is great.
I wonder: how many Superman fans checked out the Legion after this story and became fans? The Legion has the (mostly undeserved) reputation of being difficult to get into, but I believe this one eases new potential readers into the Legion concept rather well.
John Byrne was absolutely on fire in this period, and his whole Superman run is HIGHLY recommended.