Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #253

Welcome back to the blog that is Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes and boy, do we have a special one this week. We have the first appearance of a beloved future Legionnaire, Blok, though in a roll that was quite unexpected. Gerry Conway continues to build out the world as well as the characters whilst also delivering some interesting consequences to Earthwar. Also, he digs deep and continues a conundrum that Jim Shooter inserted unexpectedly but then was dropped and not heard of again…until now! 

Joe Staton is inked this time around by Frank Chiaramonte (welcome to Legion HQ Frank!) and we have much to say about that in the Creative Team section.

Strap in folks, because we do have a landmark issue to cover. Also did I mention some of the Legionnaires get high in this issue? What are you waiting for? Get your flashlight ready because this is the…

Night of the Super-Assassins! 

At the very border of the solar system and interstellar space, a vessel suddenly glitters into existence. For an instant it pauses and then satisfied with its course it plunges onward toward planet Earth. We zoom in on the craft itself and within are six individuals. One of them, Silver Slasher, destroys life-sized mannequins of members of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Her cousin, Blok, watches her whilst also being astounded by the ferocity. They are here to take their revenge but they should not act like beasts. Lazon reminds them that their mission is simple and that is to kill the six Legionnaires who are responsible for the destruction of their planet, which also caused their deformities. 

Several million miles away, the Legionnaires have scheduled an audience with the President of the United Planets, asking for funds to help rebuild their clubhouse as well as the Legion Cruiser that was destroyed last issue. Unfortunately, they are denied because planet Earth is currently spending money of their own, repairing the damage from Earthwar, which currently takes a higher priority. Timber Wolf is furious, reminding them that they have saved them time and time again and threatens that perhaps he will not put the United Planets high on his agenda the next time they are in trouble and need help. Superboy calms him down and Lightning Lad calls for a plan to contact Rene Brande who financed the Legion in the first place. He will take a group of Legionnaires for a visit while Superboy will stay with the others to ‘mind the store.’

Timber Wolf is still upset but this time Phantom Girl manages to calm him down. Ultra Boy asks what they should do and Superboy suggests a night on the town. The suggestion evokes grudging consent and the heroes agree.

We switch back to outer space where a Science Police Patrol Ship makes contact with the unidentified starship. Within, they confirm to the ship’s captain that they are ignoring their radio calls and the Captain orders a shot across its bow, to act as a warning. Suddenly, a beam of light exits the ship, and hits the Science Police Patrol Ship, destroying it. There are few survivors.

Aboard the ship, Lazon laughs with glee and asks the others if they saw how he used his light powers. The Legionnaires do not stand a chance. 

Back on Earth, the Legionnaires are still looking for something to do and Colossal Boy knows just the place where they can find some action. The New Aquarius Niteclub, where the dancing is done in a tank of cooling crystalline, to music that echoes in transparent helmets. And for the first time in days, a few Legionnaires can forget the recurring crisis and remember pleasures far more private. Colossal Boy is sulking off to the side, watching the couples dance, realizing that he and Superboy are actually the odd men out. He heads over to Superboy who is watching the Hologram show. Superboy asks CB what is the chemical they add to the air? Colossal Boy answers that it is a relaxant much like they use in suspended animation chambers. It also coincidentally helps heighten the holograph illusions. Superboy remarks that Timber Wolf and Light Lass are enjoying it and Colossal Boy starts to pine for Shrinking Violet. 

And so it goes, as the Legionnaires move from club to club, through a city recovering from disaster, yet not so weary that it has lost the ability to enjoy. And for some of the Legionnaires it is a night they will long treasure. At that moment, some hundred miles away, on the outskirts of Metropolis, the spacecraft manages to evade more of the Science Police Patrol Ships and uses its repellers to dig a hole in the ground large enough for their ship to hide inside. Blok is wary on leaving everything to chance because it will take more than luck to slay a Legionnaire. Lazon reminds him that they have enough strength with their party of six; They have Blok’s invulnerability, Neutrax and his strange power, Titania’s super-strength, Silver Slasher and Mist Master who is probably the most powerful of them all. And himself, Lazon, who already demonstrated what his light beam can do. Together they will make sure the largest Legionnaire of them all will soon fall.

Back to the group of Legionnaires, the party is winding down and the couples decide to depart. Colossal Boy watches them go and realizes how Phantom Girl has a good effect on Ultra Boy, who is usually really depressing. He asks Superboy if he wants to split a cab home but Superboy declines, saying he promised Lightning Lad he would check in on Brainiac Five and Matter-Eater Lad. He tells Colossal Boy to cheer up things will look better tomorrow. And as he ascends into the sky he pauses and frowns, as though recalling something, and for a moment seems about to turn back.

At the same time on a ruined side street far below, Colossal Boy continues his sulking and we finally see what is troubling him. He is worried about their finances and on top of that he longs for Shrinking Violet. He tries to get himself out of it when he notices a green misty cloud slowly rise and surrounds him. The mist grabs at his throat and he cannot breathe. He quickly grows as large as he can but the mist also expands, encapsulating him. The mist laughs because it knows Colossal Boy cannot escape, because who can possibly escape a cloud? Colossal Boy finally falls to the ground and Mist Master and Titania laugh with glee. 

Mist Master forms the number one in the air and is impressed how the ‘Dark One’ changed them and gave them their powers. With one down there are five more Legionnaires to go. 

Elsewhere, in a spartan apartment on the fortieth floor of a residential tower, Light Lass and Timber Wolf enters his apartment, which is remarkably bare of, well, anything. Timber Wolf merely remarks that comfort makes you weak and Light Lass asks if he thinks love makes him weak as well. He looks into her eyes and tells her he fears not a thing and if it is words she requires then he will give it. But before he can speak, they turn to a very loud noise and Blok and Silver Slasher burst through their wall. Silver Slasher rushes to Timber Wolf and taunts him. He says nothing, and Timber Wolf merely moves, speaking far louder with his actions than Silver Slasher does with words.

While, half a room away, Blok tells Light Lass her death will be quick and less painful than what she did to their home world. Light Lass does not know what Blok is talking about. Timber Wolf tells her to concentrate and to use her power. Blok invites her to do just that and as she turns on her power she realizes it is not working. Blok manages to continually increase his weight as she turns up her power. Distracted, Blok punches Light Lass out cold. Timber Wolf turns to her and Silver Slasher takes advantage of the moment. Like a human buzzsaw she spins, fingers slashing and tearing and in spite of himself, Timber Wolf shrieks. And in the next instant, stiffens unnaturally, stumbling a step backward, and then another step, until he crashes through the window and drops forty stories long, crashing to the ground. But before making impact, something softens his blow, and he lands unharmed.

Meanwhile, back at Legion Headquarters, Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl are surveying the damage done by Omega. Ultra Boy cannot bare seeing a place that he lived the last few years of his life so completely destroyed. Phantom Girl finds something through the rubble by going in phantom form. It is Ultra Boy’s survival pouch, which brings him a few seconds of relief. Suddenly Phantom Girl collapses to the ground and an ominous voice bellows out, telling Ultra Boy he should not be worried because Phantom Girl is quite dead. Ultra Boy spins around and sees Neutrax in his chair with Titania by his side. Neutrax chides Ultra Boy and welcomes him to attack them. A strangled cry of rage and Ultra Boy leaps forward using his one-at-a-time power for super-strength and finding himself horribly outclassed by Titania. For minutes in panting silence, the battle plows back and forth and slowly Ultra Boy finds himself weakening, staggering under repeated blows. He knows he has to switch to invulnerability because Titania is about to smack him with a steel beam. He tries to make the switch but at that instant of change, Neutrax smiles and hellish light flares from his goggled eyes, pinning Ultra Boy in its emerald glare, neutralizing his invulnerability. Titania gives him a smile and hits him hard with the steel beam, knocking him to the ground and right on top of Phantom Girl. 

The other members of the so called League of Super-Assassins join Neutrax and Titania and admire their handwork. However, their vengeance is not yet complete. There is one more to go. And in less than an hour…

Superboy dies!

Is it true? Have we witnessed the assassinations of five Legionnaires? What do you think? The answer…next issue! “A Madman Shall Lead Them” on sale May 24th. 

Creative Team

Gerry Conway continues to build off Earthwar and use it as an interesting plot point to instill conflict and uncertainty into the Legion. It would make sense that with the Earth almost destroyed by the Khunds, money and resources would be devoted to rebuilding the planet and not focused on the Legion. Furthermore, this issue pushes the B-Plot forward and shows us how detrimental it will be that R.J. Brande is bankrupt. Someone must be behind this and this is a great set up by Conway.

Additionally, Conway continues to build the individual characters and he is just so good at making them interact with each other. He instills the personalities of each that if you would just read the dialogue and not have the art in front of you, you could figure out who is saying what. And what a nice call back to Jim Shooter with Colossal Boy once again wondering about Shrinking Violet. There was the build-up and moment in Jim Shooter’s story “The Plunder Ploy of the Fatal Five’ in S/LSH #218 when Colossal Boy is obviously pining over Shrinking Violet despite her relationship with Duplicate Boy. It is an obvious choice (the largest member of the team falling in love with the smallest) but an interesting one and was a real effort to instill some characterization into the squad. Unfortunately it was just kind of dropped until now. Once again, Conway is using what has come before, building on top of it, and injecting continuity into the Legion. Something that is quite welcomed by me and also by the fans at the time. 

Finally, the use of the League of Super-Assassins is very well done. We have a group of villains who have obviously been deceived in some way, using their powers to wreak havoc and destruction on our beloved group. Right away you feel and know how dangerous this group is, which creates uncertainty and increases the stakes.

Unfortunately, we must come to the art. I love Joe Staton but he was obviously let down by Frank Chiaramonte’s inks. It is an odd mix between using pen to communicate light, especially on the facial work, that makes it look wonky with the coloring. There are just moments when the inking is distracting and it pops up time and time again. Luckily, the League of Super-Assassins are handled well, including Blok who we see for the first time here. I do wonder how different this would have looked if Jack Abel or Dave Hunt did the inks. This is not the worst art of the books, but it is definitely up there.

Gerry Conway once again proves why he is such a great writer, being able to not only instill characterization and conflict within a group, move the B-Plot along, but also flesh out the villains and make them dangerous, all in a seventeen page comic. If anyone needs a master class in how to write comics, plotting, dialogue, and so forth, you should grab everything Conway has written and use it as the definitive study. Plus we have the first appearance of Blok, which makes this issue extra special!

Legion Outpost

We have three letters in this issue’s Legion Outpost. The first letter from Darren Goodhart makes an interesting observation asking, “say, when will Tyroc reappear? Do you realize it’s been 2 years since his last major role? We still have yet to learn Tyroc’s origin.” 

This is what I have been saying. And the official answer: “Tyroc, we’re sure he’ll be back when the moment’s right to reveal just where he’s been.”

Do they have plans for Tyroc before this series is over? I sure do hope so!

The next letter, from Ken Morrissey, is interesting because he reaffirms what I have pointed out quite often as it relates to the Jim Shooter/Cary Bates ‘era.’

“The Legion tales written by Cary Bates and Jim Shooter were some of the best in the entire series. However, they were written as disjointed episodes in the Super-Heroes’ lives. Conway has managed to give the Legion something they haven’t had since their inception–continuity.”

Well said Ken and happy that I do have a good finger on the pulse of this series. I would argue that Levitz was also trying to do it albeit he continually got hit with scheduling issues and had to do a lot of shuffling. That being said, both Levitz and Conway have been very noble about referring to each other’s work and you can tell it really made a difference. 

The final letter is by regular letter contributor Edward B. Via, who admonishes the direction by making Brainiac Five the traitor. He is quite negative and pans Joe Staton’s artwork once again, which was a common theme in the Karate Kid book. In addition, Via is quite hard on Gerry Conway and I do disagree with most of the points he said. In short, Via just does not like the direction of this book. But the editor’s response is interesting:

“Much of what was done with Brainiac 5 was a preplanned hook for the subsequent two-parter, so that at least is unfair to Gerry. As to the rest, we suggest you give our new team a chance to adjust. Our next two-parter, planned for #254-#255 should give you some pleasant surprises.”

This is interesting because it once again proves that Gerry Conway was playing ball and inserting the coldness of Brainy to set up Jim Starlin’s two-parter. And also we should expect our next two-parter from 254-255? Should it not be 255-256 since this is the first part and the second part will go into 254? Again, if there is one thing that can be said about these letters’ pages, it is that it has been full of things that did not pan out as well as things that are not true. Sigh.

The Legion Medallion of Merit

We might have a first for this section folks. The Legion Medallion of Merit is awarded to a Legionnaire who went above and beyond the call of duty and made a real difference in the story. Unfortunately, in this story, it was mainly all set-up that will be concluded next issue. And the set-up called for each Legionnaire to fall and succumb to the League of Super-Assassins. What’s more, Lightning Lad went out searching for R.J. Brande, and though this was admirable and he did take charge, he just was not present enough in this issue to be deserving of the medallion. 

Each Legionnaire also fought bravely and to the best of their ability, I would argue equally. So no-one really stood out. Sadly, this is the first time we were not able to award a Medallion. Sad no? 

That is it for this week’s installment! My plead to all of you is please remember if you destroyed someone’s home world to remember it. And also to make amends ASAP! Otherwise you might be facing a group of six menacing villains who want nothing short of revenge. And if that should occur, always remember to shout that beloved battle cry…

LONG LIVE THE LEGION!