This is going to be a new experience for me, because this is the first time I’m reading these issues.
Get comfortable, this is going to be a loooong one.
Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #41 (1993)
written by Tom & Mary Bierbaum
pencils by Stuart Immonen (first part) and Chris Sprouse (second part)
cover by Chris Sprouse
This is basically the pilot for the Legionnaires series, which I will be covering separately.
But it’s also a sort of prelude to the Reboot, because some of the costumes and codenames originate here.
In the previous issues, I was giving New Earth the benefit of the doubt and assuming that 50 million wasn’t its full population.
But nope! The opening narration is pretty clear on the fact that ONLY 50 million people live here.
Granted that’s not the same thing as only 50 million surviving the destruction of Earth… a lot of people probably left for different planets… but still!
That’s a ridiculously low number, ESPECIALLY since New Earth is composed of 94 of the largest cities of Old Earth.
Chameleon Boy believes that the SW6 kids are the future of the Legion, and Invisible Kid II is not feeling his position of President of New Earth.
This results in Chameleon Boy deciding the join the upcoming team with the kids, and Invisible Kid II officially rejoins the Legion leaving his Vice-President in charge.
Said Vice President, and actually President of New Earth, would be Tyroc of all people.
NOT THAT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO TELL IT’S HIM.
That’s not the only promotion: now that Shvaughn Erin is Sean Erin, he’s been promoted to Chief of the Science Police. Enjoy this little interaction, he’s going to have just one other minor appearance in this continuity.
I’m going to disagree with this series and still count Chameleon Boy as an active member, instead of a resigned one, because I consider the Legionnaires team to be a sub-section of the Legion of Super-Heroes and not its own thing. Which I know is not entirely correct in-universe, but it makes updating the count way easier.
Jumping ahead a bit, the first thing Tyroc does is work out a deal with Chameleon Boy to fund a new team.
The SW6 Invisible Kid comes across his parents, who have been looking for him since he’s been in the news. That’s understandable, considering that from their point of view he’s been dead for years.
But this makes me wonder: why hasn’t HE looked for them!?
You mean to tell me that he didn’t bother to check on them WHEN THE EARTH WAS BLOWING UP!?!?
Dawnstar is still traumatized by having been turned into a boring and nonsensical subplot a completely different person through Bounty, not to mention having lost her wings.
The two Brainiac 5s are debating whether the SW6 are clones or time-displaced versions of the adult Legionnaires, with a pretty compelling argument.
Duo Damsel was BORN with the ability to split into 3 bodies, and she’s been stuck as 2 only because Computo killed one. So if she’s a clone, she should be able to use 3 bodies.
Which she just does. This should put the nail in the coffin and make the clone solution the default one, right?
It’s not like the comic will come up with unnecessarily convoluted explanations for why they’re not clones, right?
Right?
OH COME ON!!! This is just stupid!!! Just pick a solution and go with it!!!
We’re now in the “pilot episode” portion, with the SW6 kids rebuilding the original headquarters.
They also bring back the greatest invention in the history of anything: the Planetary Chance Machine™ from Adventure Comics #319.
The new team is not going to feature JUST the SW6 kids. One of the new additions is Catspaw.
We also have the magic user Dragonmage. Unlike White Witch, who had a rather unique way of using magic, he seems to be a rather generic magician.
To distinguish themselves from their adult counterparts, most of the SW6 Legionnaires now switch to new codenames. Exceptions include Saturn Girl who is too much traditional, and Brainiac 5 who doesn’t bother with it.
This results in new costumes for the new members. It’s going to be THE foundation for the look of the entire Reboot.
Since this is the first time I’m reading these issues, as a fan of the reboot… this is weird to say the least. Because for SOME of these guys, this is EXACTLY the look they’re going to have when the reboot starts.
But it’s weird because A) that’s not the same look for everybody B) these are not really the same characters.
Even weirder is the change of codenames, because again: SOME of these will stick to the reboot, and some won’t.
It’s also kind of weird that the reboot gets all the blame for dropping the traditional codenames, but this era did it first.
- Lightning Lad -> Live Wire -> will stick to the Reboot
- Phantom Girl -> Apparition -> will stick to the Reboot
- Colossal Boy -> Leviathan -> will stick to the Reboot
- Triplicate Girl -> Triad -> will stick to the Reboot
- Sun Boy -> Inferno -> will NOT stick to the Reboot! Although there is a completely different Reboot character by that name
- Laurel Gand -> Andromeda -> will stick to the Reboot. Interestingly, the ADULT version is also sometimes called Andromeda by the fans, but at this point in the story that’s not her codename.
- Element Lad -> Alchemist -> will NOT stick to the Reboot
- Light Lass -> Gossamer -> will NOT stick to the Reboot, where she keeps her lightning powers as Spark
- Ferro Lad keeps his name. This will NOT stick to the Reboot, where his equivalent is just named Ferro
- Invisible Kid keeps his name. This is a weird choice considering Invisible Kid II is also active now.
- Shrinking Violet keeps her name. Another weird choice, considering the older Violet is still active.
- Saturn Girl keeps her name
- Cosmic Boy keeps his name
- Brainiac 5 keeps his name
- Ultra Boy keeps his name
- Matter-Eater Lad keeps his name
They’re joined by the younger sister of Invisible Kid II, who uses the codename Computo because she can talk to computers now.
She and Catspaw won’t carry over to the Reboot, and Dragonmage is a VERY minor character there.
It seems clear to me that the Legionnaires team is the one the Bierbaums were most excited about.
But as mentioned, that will be on their own series. For now, let’s stick to see what they do with the main series.
4 pages with The Grid
2 pages with an Imperfect Grid
17 pages without a grid
1 splash page
no text pages
Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #42 (1993)
story by Tom McCraw
script by Tom & Mary Bierbaum
pencils and cover by Stuart Immonen
Tom McCraw is also the colorist. The last time we had a different member of the creative team writing stuff was Al Gordon transitioning from inking to colors.
But while this issue is not particularly important, McCraw will end up being quite important in the early Reboot.
We begin with the older Duo Damsel having nightmares about the death of her first duplicate body.
And with Stone Boy having the perfect poker face.
But as much as I’d love to just read about that poker game, the main plot kicks off when Laurel Gand gets a distress call from home. Her daughter Lauren is fine…
…but her nanny has been beaten up, and a mysterious figure has kidnapped her husband Rond Vidar.
Considering the identity of the aggressor, it’s a bit ridiculous that the fight against a Daxamite is a fight at all.
I’ll be honest, I had COMPLETELY forgotten the subplot about Saturn Girl having been kidnapped. Not that the Legion seemed to be in a hurry to find her!!!
The same enforcer that attacked Laurel also kidnaps Brainiac 5.
What connects these Legionnaires is that they were all part of the conspiracy leading to Volume 3 #50… which if you forgot (how I envy you) was retconned by Glorith in the confusing Annual 1.
So no surprise she’s the one behind the kidnappings.
And because Glorith just sucks, she’s ALREADY lost most of her time manipulation powers in order to return to the 30th century.
Adding to the confusion, the enforcer who kidnapped the Legionnaires… is Duo Damsel’s lost second body.
Sounds legit.
To give Glorith SOME credit, she predicted Brainiac 5 would use Shrinking Violet as his secret weapon once again.
But she didn’t predict the fact that Chameleon Boy would impersonate Brainiac 5…
…only to switch the real one thanks to a Teleportation Disk™.
Granted, Brainiac 5 also didn’t anticipate being teleported naked.
Which is an amusing scene, sure, but are we really meant to believe that BRAINIAC FREAKING FIVE can’t build a working teleportation device!?!?!?
While the other Legionnaires keep the brainwashed Duo Damsel duplicate busy, Glorith vows to kill her enemies once and for all…
…but she fails (shocking, I know) because Brainiac 5 pulled a plot-convenient stunt out of nowhere secretly gave Duo Damsel the power to create force fields.
This comes COMPLETELY out of nowhere. The closest thing we had was Brainiac 5 giving Duo Damsel his force field belt after Volume 3 #51, how the heck did he transfer the power of the belt itself to someone else? ESPECIALLY when he never bothered to do this do himself AND he actually gave her the belt!?!?
Sounds legit.
I’m glad Duo Damsel got her second body again, but there HAD to be a less convoluted way to do it.
We have once again a text page (it’s been ages), and I’ve had to ready it multiple times to understand WTF was going on here.
It’s a journal by Duo Damsel that starts well enough, with her dealing with the loss of her second body…
…but then it goes BACK to when she lost her first body, and the second one is arguing with the other.
And only at the end I understood why I was so utterly confused… because this is the moment that formally introduces the concept that all three of Triplicate Girl’s bodies have different personalities!
That’s going to be a HUGE part of her role in the Reboot, but there’s been NO INDICATION WHATSOEVER IN THIS CONTINUITY SO FAR.
Meaning that ONCE AGAIN the only way to understand what’s going on is to be a telepath and read the Bierbaum minds!!!
19 pages with The Grid
2 pages with an Imperfect Grid
1 splash page
1 text page
Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #43 (1993)
written by Tom & Mary Bierbaum
pencils and cover by Stuart Immonen
Poor White Witch just can’t catch a break.
Remember how last time Dream Girl recruited a mysterious figure to help her sister?
Turns out that was MARTIAN MANHUNTER.
Because that’s the focus the Legion needs right now. Martian Manhunter and Amethyst.
And poor J’onn is like “I’m too old for this crap”.
But apparently we HAVE to follow the Amethyst plot for some reason.
Which involves her possessing White Witch. So this isn’t a Legion book anymore, isn’t it?
Come to think about it, this is SO removed from her original series I’m not even sure we can call this an Amethyst story.
The reason we’re even bothering with this is that we are STILL linking Amethyst to Mordru.
Told you she can’t catch a break.
In other plots, Spider Girl drops by to be uninteresting.
Hey remember how this volume started with positioning Cosmic Boy as the center of the Legion universe? It’s been AGES since he’s done ANYTHING… and nothing has changed.
Remember that Invisible Kid II used to be the President of New Earth until five minutes ago. Now that he’s back in the Legion, his first order of business… is to suggest new uniforms and names that nobody wants.
Devlin O’Ryan moves in. He evolved into a good character through his interaction with the SW6 kids, but now that they’re over their own series he’s returned to having absolutely nothing to do.
In the text page, we have Invisible Kid II’s suggestions for the codenames.
As mentioned Lightning Lass will indeed be called Sparks in the Reboot.
Except Kono who has been using it from the start, and Ultra Boy briefly needing to use “Green Dragon” for a disguise, none of the other codenames will be used.
Devlin O’Ryan and Kent Shakespeare are sometimes called Reflex and Impulse by handbooks, but I’m not sure if they ever use it on-panel.
21 pages with The Grid
no pages with an Imperfect Grid
no pages without a grid
2 splash pages
1 text page
Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #44 (1993)
written by Tom & Mary Bierbaum
pencils and cover by Stuart Immonen
“Legion of the Dead-Heroes” would have been a better title for the 5YL era.
We have an incredibly terrifying flashback of how Mordru used to torture White Witch…
…followed by a very, VERY boring wizard fight.
And apparently all this stuff has been Mordru’s plan all along.
Yeah, sure.
And then… I’m not sure?
I think that the spirit of Ferro Lad from the “Mordruverse” way back in issue 5 comes back to save White Witch and warn the Legion?
As if THAT wasn’t confusing enough on its own, Mordru uses his newfound power to resurrect the deceased Legionnaires.
This also causes the dead to rise from the grave all over the Galaxy. And yet SOMEHOW the story manages the impossible and makes this development incredibly boring.
Invisible Kid II’s contribution, after he just rejoined… is to stay back home.
Mordru’s spell has also resurrected the dead in the Khund Empire, so they agree to help the Legion… but only if the Legion allows some Khund members.
The Legion agrees, despite honestly having NO REASON TO DO SO.
And so we have four Khund Legionnaires now.
Firefist, who is just a cyborg. Which means that he shouldn’t be eligible for membership.
Veilmist is a teleporter.
Blood Claw is.. also a cyborg. We’re ALREADY out of ideas, uh?
Flederweb is… I’m guessing a mutant?
What could possibly turn this into more of a trainwreck?
The return of Roxxas and Amethyst possessing Kono.
21 pages with The Grid
no pages with an Imperfect Grid
2 splash pages
1 text page
Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #45 (1993)
written by Tom & Mary Bierbaum
pencils and cover by Stuart Immonen
Is this rock bottom for this era? I can’t imagine anything on this book lamer than the Khund Legionnaires.
I mean they look lame, and they either have no personality or… no, that’s it.
This warrants the first double-page spread of the 5YL era. Aren’t you glad we saved it for this?
If you thought this era would limit itself to desecrate the 30th century heroes… they also resurrect a bunch of older ones, just to be ripped apart.
Well at least we could get some character development for the Khund Legionnaires… if they WERE characters, that is.
The only one who gets the closest thing to a personality is Veilmist, and I’m not touching that.
Between spending time with the Khund Legionnaires and Roxxas… I think I’d rather join the dead.
Mordru’s resuscitation spell is on a time limit, so we’ll have to pass the time murdering more dead heroes.
So there’s still plenty of time to keep desecrating dead Legionnaires.
How the heck do they have Ferro Lad’s body!? The dude evaporated when he blew up the Sun Eater!!!
no pages with The Grid
21 pages without a grid
1 splash page
1 double splash page
no text pages
Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #46 (1993)
written by Tom & Mary Bierbaum
pencils and cover by Stuart Immonen
Let’s finish this batch, because I’ve had just about enough of this.
I can’t imagine what reading this era must have been like if your favorite Legionnaire was a dead one.
Blood Claw is the first victim. Sure was a great idea to have him on the team.
Oh no, not Blood Claw! He was one of us FOR FIVE MINUTES!
Good thing Giffen has already left, otherwise he would’ve jumped at the occasion of killing Karate Kid even after his death. Again.
There is ONE part of this that, in the hands of better writers, could have been turned into something great. Element Lad is tempted to kill himself, in order to be resurrected as a zombie, if that’s the only way to be with his people again.
Unfortunately I don’t think the Bierbaums are good enough writers to take advantage of that, and Element Lad end up just turning his people into crystals.
Mordru’s power is raising by the minute, and his undead army seems to be unstoppable.
So it’s going to take a monumental effort to… take out the fire used by the ritual.
Projectra, I wish we were ALL spared this.
no pages with The Grid
23 pages without a grid
1 splash page
no text pages
Legion significance
#41: 8/10
The prelude to the Legionnaires series and, as discussed, the origin of lots of Reboot stuff.
#42 to #46: 1/10
Duo Damsel gets her second body back and new powers. None of this will really matter. The rest is a confusing mess that I don’t think gets much mention.
Silver Age-ness: 0/10
Not really.
Depression scale
#41: 8/10
There really ARE only 50 million people on New Earth.
#42: 0/10
Nothing stands out.
#43-46: 6/10
Even being dead isn’t enough to be left alone.
Does it stand the test of time?
#41: 6/10
I’m repeating myself, but the Bierbaums enthusiasm for the Legionnaires team comes through.
#42: 4/10
Use a better villain than Glorith and it’s a competent superhero story with questionable retcons and last minute nonsense.
#43-46: 0/10
Is this the bottom of the post-Giffen era? I sure hope so, because man was this a slog to get through.
Martian Manhunter feels out of place, Amethyst has overstayed her welcome like two tie-ins ago, White Witch is completely wasted, Mordru is disappointing as always, the Khund Legionnaires are unimaginative and MAKE NO SENSE, and SOMEHOW the story manages to make A GALAXY-WIDE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE boring!!!
We are legion
Lots of changes here. First of all, some housecleaning: I’m retroactively placing Timber Wolf in a “sick leave” category of his own, all the way back since Annual #3, since during all this time nobody else considered him a member.
From LSH #41, we have Invisible Kid II re-joining and newcomers Catspaw, Dragonmage and Computo II.
From LSH #44, we have the addition of the four Khund Legionnaires… and I have to take one off with LSH #46 with Blood Claw’s death.
That leads the current count as follows:
34 active Legionnaires. Of these, 19 are in the “Legionnaires” team.
1 in sick leave (Timber Wolf)
4 reserve members
30 resigned members
18 deceased members
83 people have been members
62 people have been rejected
Interesting letters: readers sure were hoping for a better ending for Sun Boy.
Wait, there was a question about whether standing around while people were dying was the right choice for a superhero!?!?
Just in case there was any doubt the readers had any doubt whatsoever about Shrinking Violet and Lightning Lass being a couple.
Sun Boy’s death was, understandably, quite divisive.
As is the 5YL interpretation of Dream Girl. It seems like most readears appreciated the realism of her aging but detested the characterization.
Predictably, the most divisive issue BY FAR is the one where Earth blows up.
Dave has a point… isn’t Invisible Kid II at least A LITTLE BIT responsible?
I fully agree with both Henry and Eolake. While the actual story has potential and good moments, as a reader it’s quite offensive to be cheated like that.
As Anthony points out, THERE’S A REASON why nobody does this without buildup!!!
As we’ve seen, we’re 8 issues in and New Earth is already neglected.
As Adam points out (in a letter I’m cutting for brevity), the Legion readers are too desensitized at this point.
I still think that the Dominators managing to replicate the creation of Wildfire was incredibly dumb.
We have actual numbers for the population of Earth.
Before the gap there were 15 billion people on Earth, but only 8 billion remained between emigration and the destruction of the Moon.
According to this, 6 billion people survived the destruction of Earth… out of which only 50 million live on New Earth, so I’m counting New Earth as an abject failure.
Well at least there’s a bright side. From one of my regular readers, too!
