Welcome to Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #225, a landmark issue that officially brings Paul Levitz to Legion HQ. Welcome Paul! As you may or may not know, but definitely will find out, Levitz’s contribution to the Legion Lore will be the cornerstone and example in how every writer is measured going forward. As I keep stating, his contribution cannot be adequately expressed in mere mortal words and any attempt to do so would be futile. But what we can do is enjoy the world building, characterization, and the incredible moments that Levitz will bring.

We also welcome James Sherman to the team, who will make a strong contribution to the artistic direction of the series. In fact, it was Sherman’s art that grabbed me to this book in the first place, making me realize that I missed a piece of comic book history. When I close my eyes I can still see his beautifully rendered face of Superboy that gave me chills and really brought that 70’s sci-fi vibe to the book. So it is a personal joy that I can experience his first contribution to the series. Welcome James!

Also, we have the dazzling debut of Mike Nasser who is going to tackle the back stories. Welcome to Legion HQ Mike!

Whew. So many new faces around Legion HQ!

If you are wondering where Mike Grell is, we will dive into this in the Super-Talk section. But do not fret! Mike Grell has not departed Legion HQ…at least not yet.

With the necessary introductions out of the way, let us dive in and begin our journey with the wonderful Paul Levitz as he gives us two stories and already gives us a hint of the power that he is going to bring to the Legion of Super-Heroes

And Who Shall Lead Them?

Wildfire is being sworn in as the new leader of the Legion of Super-Heroes when suddenly Superboy swoops in. He accuses Wildfire of cheating him out of the leadership position because he was the one that actually received the most votes.

Wildfire replies that what Superboy deserves is a slap across the face, and Mon-El jumps in and does just that, making Superboy reel back. Dream Girl intervenes and tells everyone to behave themselves. She then tells Superboy that the rules of electing a new leader has changed. Lightning Lad steps in and explains that when they founded the Legion, they did not expect to have part-time members and this was also not covered in the constitution. Wildfire agrees and adds that since Superboy and Karate Kid are spending most of their time in the past, the Legion needed a full-time leader, which is him. So there.

Superboy still does not buy it and he believes he can do a better job. He tells the group so and then storms off, not wanting to have anything to do with the ceremony. Shadow Lass chases after him and is shocked that he would act this way. After all, Superboy is good, too noble, and asks him what is really bothering him. Superboy shrugs it off and tells her that this is something he needs to work out on his own. 

If the bitterness does not end, the ceremony soon does, fading into memory as the Legionnaires answer an urgent call for help. Soaring aloft with their flight rings, Wildfire remarks that only hours after his inauguration they are already in trouble. Lighting Lad asks what this is all about, and Wildfire replies that it is the Resource Raiders. They have been plundering half the galaxy and this is the first time they made it to Earth. And he wants to make it their last. He instructs Ultra Boy and Dream Girl to rescue duty and asks Lightning Lad and Shadow Lass to follow him. They will go after the Raiders and stop them from destroying the dam below. The Legionnaires split off to their respective duties. Ultra Boy and Dream Girl quickly move the civilians out of harm’s way and Lightning Lad hits the destructive beam destroying the dam, but it does nothing. Wildfire the suggests to go after the main ship with Shadow Lass providing night cover. As all three hit the ship it still is not producing any effect. Wildfire changes tactics and instead tries to repair the crack in the dam with his fantastic energy. He delivers a blast of energy but is blocked by Superboy.

Superboy instructs Ultra Boy to turn on his super strength and together they grab hold of the Raiders’ ship and throw it into outer space. Wildfire asks what the deal is and Superboy inspects the dam to reveal that the Raiders actually sprayed explosive powder all over it. If they had used their powers on the dam, its could have blown up not only dam but the entire valley. 

Later Ultra Boy, Shadow Lass, and Dream Girl are discussing what just transpired and suspect that Superboy is up to something. But what could it be? As the discussion rages on, a lone figure finds what appears to be Wildfire’s containment suit. As he takes it out of its casing, a light is turned on revealing the lone figure to be none other than Superboy. And the one who turned on the light is of course Wildfire. Wildfire tells Superboy that the smear campaign is over but Superboy brushes it off and tells him he will be leader, no matter what it takes.

Wildfire responds not while he has an ‘erg’ of energy left. The two face off and the battle seems to rage for eons, but in truth it is only minutes that pass, for with two such powerful combatants, a longer struggle might release enough energy to wreck an entire world, and Wildfire walks out of the room unharmed. He walks to a window and looks up to the sky. He sees the Raiders are waiting to attack but vows that this time he is going to lead the legion, which is the way it should be.

Within moment a Legion Cruiser makes its ways to the skies to confront the Raiders. Inside are Dream Girl, Ultra Boy, Shadow Lass, Lightning Lad, who are questioning Wildfire’s ability to detect the Raiders, especially since he does not possess Superboy’s telescopic vision. Wildfire tells them to not worry about it and as they ascend into space he points that the Raiders have been hiding behind ancient satellites this whole time. Wildfire gives the order to attack and the teenage super-heroes exit the Cruiser and begin to attack the ship. Dream Girl notices that Wildfire is not emitting his usual energy trail and is fighting a lot like Superboy. Wildfire turns to Dream Girl and tells her to watch out, that the Raiders are about to blast her, when he rushes in and absorbs the blast and explodes. When the destruction subsides, Superboy is there. Dream Girl asks him if it was him in that costume but Superboy replies that it should have been, but he could not stop Wildfire from sacrificing himself, yet again, to save them all.

Superboy then proceeds to admit that he wanted to replace Wildfire as leader because the Legion’s computer predicted that the new leader would be blasted on his first mission and he thought he had the best chance of surviving. He even tried to impersonate Wildfire but Wildfire hit him with an energy blast that knocked him down and then he convinced Superboy that he would have a better chance of surviving. 

Wildfire jumps back into his containment suit and tells them that indeed, the computer miscalculated. It figured Superboy would end up leading the mission and he would be destroyed by the hidden Kryptonite in the beam. The computer did not take into account how stubborn Wildfire was, or how hard it would be to kill a man of pure energy. 

The Legionnaires round up the rest of the Raiders and Ultra Boy will try to convince them where their home-world is and why they have been stealing the galaxy’s resources. And then they will have a showdown once and for all.

So you shall Ultra Boy…’cause next issue, the Legion will face its greatest challenge—and meet the deadliest hunter in space! “The Dazzling Debut of Dawn Star!” —is she friend or foe? Find out…on January 20th!

A Matter of Priorities

The time is the 30th Century. The place, a starship hurtling across the galaxy, and the secret, an untold tale of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. A thousand years from today, people will still try to take their homes with them when they travel. People will journey to the far reaches of a galaxy, all the while staying within an artificially familiar place. 

And people will still die. And this is proven as a body plummets off a railing, hitting the ground below.

A disguised Legionnaire moves into action in order to chase the killer who flees. Another disguised Legionnaire holds him back and we learn the one that leapt into action was none other than Timber Wolf. The one holding him back? Sun Boy, who reminds Wolfy that they need to keep their disguises in check because they cannot afford to blow their cover.

Timber Wolf retorts that the knife is the trademark of Tseln of Thaun, who just so happens to be most dangerous homicidal maniac in space. He pushes Star Boy away and continues his pursuit of the fleeing individual. Star Boy picks himself up off the ground and asks Ambassador Relnic why he simply cannot follow orders? Relnic tells him it is alright, no one still has noticed them. That is good, because if someone does recognize them, especially the ambassador, the United Planets will give up on his secret mission and that will cost more lives than Tseln could take in a century.

Meanwhile, Timber Wolf continues his pursuit and hopes to grab Tseln without too much of a fuss since it is currently the Night Cycle on the starship. He rips off a piece of cloth from the wall and hurls it at the escapee, who just so happens to be Princess Projectra. 

Surprised, Princess Projectra informs Timber Wolf that Tseln vanished like he always does. Relnic and Sun Boy have caught up  and reminds them of the mission. Their job is to get Ambassador Relnic safely and secretly to the Dominion worlds so he can avert a war with the Dominators. Timber Wolf simply replies that the Legion has chased Tseln across twelve planets and they still have never been able to get a good look at his face. They only know that he is a native of Thaun, which is the most superstitious world and that he always kills with a unique ceremonial knife. Him currently being trapped on the ship with them is just too much of an opportunity to pass up.

Ambassador Relnic places his hand on Timber Wolf’s shoulders and tells him he understands his dilemma. But the Dominators cannot admit that he is here to make peace since there are factions within their government who would use his presence as fuel to start a war they are trying to avoid. This is why they must stay out of costume and why Timber Wolf must continue to wear the makeup and hide his features. If the Dominators found out the Legionnaires were accompanying him, they would suspect they were here as his body guards and any chance of a productive discussion and a hopeful resolution would be put off the table. 

Hours pass and with them, the light-years between the stars. Warp engines cool down for the last leg of the voyage and tempers begin to heat up. Timber Wolf, out of frustration, resigns himself to his quarters and Princess Projectra, Sun Boy, and Ambassador Relnic continue their discussion as they have no choice but to wait.

Suddenly, the room is an inferno, filled to every corner with flames and the burning fear of the passengers. Two demons appear and welcome everyone on the ship to the Devil’s Nebula. Also it will be the last place they visit in their insignificant lives. The Earthly voice seems to resound from the glowing walls, echoing n the haunting tones more suited to a graveyard. 

The Demon raises his arms and is about to hurl a ball of flame at Princess Projectra, when Sun Boy, standing at the back, knows he has to time this just right with Princess Projectra’s illusion. SB throws the flame and it looks like it hits our Princess and she staggers back. A man appears and announces that the demon will not take him. For he has a knife of mithril silver and this knife has tasted a blood sacrifice to the gods of luck. It also has the power to destroy any demon. Then he announces himself as Tseln of Thaun, and he has killed a hundred men, and today he shall add a devil to his tally.

The demon laughs and delivers a solid uppercut to Tseln, knocking him out cold. And then the demon disappears. Two members of the space’s security team arrive and pick up Tseln off the ground. An announcement is made that delivers an apology to all the passengers of the ship for the nature of this entertainment. But it did result in the capture of a wanted criminal. 

The Ambassador is overjoyed that Tseln was trapped by his own superstition. Also, Timber Wolf chimes in, with a little help from the Legion.

Creative Team

Paul Levitz brings his A game for his first story and it is quite the cracker. It does have that classic Cary Bates feel, where we have the good ole fashioned bait and switch. Levitz gives us an unbelievable scenario in the beginning and as it plays out it was not as it seemed. It is quite effective and it was a nice way to welcome Wildfire to the team. Plus we actually had an Easter egg. Wildfire states to Superboy that he has not an ‘erg’ of energy left, is a nice call back to his name being Erg-1 in Superboy #195. Plus what I really liked about this story is that not only does Levitz bring in Dream Girl but she also plays a vital role in the story. Dream Girl is one of my favorite Legionnaires and so far she has been horribly underused by both Cary Bates and Jim Shooter. So it is really nice to see her here and play a vital role on the team.

James Sherman has big shoes to fill and he does it quite nicely. As mentioned in the leader above, it was James Sherman’s art that brought me on this book and effectively made me a Legion of Super-Heroes fan. His figure work is strong, and Wiacek does a great job in inking him. The characters are depicted correctly, and while I will not call him a Mike Grell clone, you can definitely see the influence Grell has on him, especially in depicting the movement of the Legion members. I also like his Superboy, and he does give him a strong teenage look.

The minus points for me are that the story wraps up quite quickly and by the end it does get quite busy. You did not really see the Raiders too much and it was confusing on what they were actually doing and what the Legion was actually attacking. I attribute this to the two-story approach because it just forces everything to be crammed into a short story with a limited page count. As we will see in Super-Talk, they are intending to continue with this format. Sadly.

The second story was good albeit very dense. Doing the write-up, I realized there was a ton of exposition that had to be explained. However, it does set things up for what we are going to get from Levitz. We have a bit of political intrigue, the mentioning of a different culture, and this is the beginning of the world building that Levitz would incorporate. And it is fantastic because it really gives us a good sense that there is a very large world and the Legion plays a vital role in it. I am very much looking forward to seeing how this approach continues.

All in all, issue #225 is a strong start for Paul Levitz and James Sherman and I am very excited to read in real time how this series will progress. 

Super-Talk

With this first issue from Paul Levitz and a new art team, we do have quite a few worthy tidbits to mention in the letters section.

First up, we have a good summary of the shuffling of the team. 

“Denny O’Neil has become the new story editor of the Legion, while Murray Boltinoff moves on to other projects. Joining Denny as a newcomer to the Legion team is writer Paul Levitz, who will be scripting all the LSH tales for the foreseeable future with Cary [Bates] tied up on the now-monthly Flash and Jim [Shooter] busy at Marvel Comics. 

“On the art side, fans should not despair for Iron Mike Grell. The Legion’s prize penciller will be back next month, as soon as he’s caught up on all his deadlines. Meanwhile, we’d like to give James Sherman a tip of the editorial hat for his pinch-hitting…and at the same time promise that Mike will be here for each and every issue from now on.”

So there you go. Unfortunately as nice and wonderful that last sentence is, it would end up not being true. Mike Grell’s deadlines were his contribution to the spectacular run he was doing at the time with Denny O’Neil on the Green Lantern/Green Arrow book. For those that do not know, O’Neil and superstar artist Neil Adams did a fantastic run on Green Lantern that also paired him with Green Arrow. Many say (me included) this run redefined DC Comics’ approach to storytelling. That run ended at number 89 and the series laid dormant for a few years until DC revitalized it again for issue #90. And Denny O’Neil handpicked Mike Grell to follow in Neil Adams’ footsteps. It is a great ten plus issue run that I can heartily recommend. On top of that, Grell was drawing the Warlord book, so he was quite busy.

Unfortunately Iron Mike would not return next issue and if memory serves he has about one issue left in the main book. Plus if you were reading the Green Lantern/Green Arrow book mentioned above, there came a point where he would take a break and then to do the now famous Treasury Edition, which depicted the marriage of Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad. So really he has two. I will also include the Treasury Edition in this blog when the time comes. 

But long story short, Mike Grell is not exactly gone, but he is definitely not going to be here from every issue from now on. We will definitely do a Mike Grell tribute when the time comes to say goodbye. 

Another interesting letter comes from Robert F. Kinzel who remarks that he would prefer the longer stories and not two-parters because those two-parters force a dip in each story’s quality. Because you have to do a story in twelve pages instead of the, at this time, seventeen. And I agree with this. As I commented above in the Creative Team section, the first story wrapped up quite quickly and the backup just seemed forced with a lot of exposition. 

Well, they do reply and it does not look good for those that also lean toward the longer stories, at least in the near future:

“New writer Paul Levitz admits to being the last surviving comics pro who likes doing 11 page stories, so he promises to mix them liberally with full-lengthens in the future.”

Rats. 

The Legion Medallion of Merit

Once again we have two stories, which makes the choice of who is deserving of the prestigious Legion Medallion of Merit difficult. But not really because we of course have to give it to Wildfire, who had his first mission as Leader, literally minutes after the ceremony.

Wildfire is known to be a hot head but he was able to keep his cool enough and also handle the challenges of Superboy. He allowed it to play out, convinced Superboy that he was able to survive any attack by the Raiders, and led his team to victory. He was confident, gave orders, and on his first day proved that he is deserving of the leader title.

Congratulations Wildfire! It feels just like yesterday that you made the ultimate sacrifice to help beat that piece of farming equipment that went haywire, and had to make a billion mile trek through the stars back to Legion HQ to find your containment suit so you could join the most prestigious group of super-heroes in the 30th Century. This memory is enough to put a tear the eye of us old-timers.

And that is it for this week folks! If you ever find the need to make the ultimate sacrifice, be sure to put a communicator in your containment suit that will ring out the continual command and help you find it…a command that rings true through the entire galaxy and reminds us…

LONG LIVE THE LEGION!