Or – “Sometimes, You Just Need A Goofy Silver Age Tale…”
When it comes to the Retro Review, there are times where I want to be topical, times where I want to be informative, times where I want to convince you of the awesome that nobody but me recognizes. And sometimes, Supergirl uses the computer at the Fortress of Solitude as her personal matchmaker, which is such a perfectly goofy comic book moment that we all need to KNOW about it, dammit!
Or – “The Heavy Legacy Of Condo Arlik…”
Chemical Kid’s brand of ‘leadership’ has brought him and his teammates to his (hilariously named) home planet Phlon, where Chem’s illusions about home and dear old dad have been seriously tested. Their chances of making it through the Academy are getting slimmer all the time, but even if they do make it, there’s no guarantee that the Legion won’t treat them like they do poor Power Boy (not to mention how they treat their own seasoned veterans.) Not that I’m bitter, mind you…
Or – “Fast Times At Thirtieth Century High…”
With one bad decision under their belts, it’s much simpler for the kids of the Legion Academy to make a few more bonehead plays… Is there any chance of them making it to their second year?
Or – “Hey, I Forgot About This!”
One of the unpleasant side effects of working on the fringes of the comic industry is that, sometimes, you get caught up in solicitations and coming attractions and forget that a particular event hasn’t actually HAPPENED yet. I’ve been looking forward to the Legion Academy story and the return of Phil Jiminez to the 30th Century for some time now, but was pleasantly surprised when it arrived this week. It’s one of the most talented artists of our time, plus Bouncing Boy and Duplicate Damsel? SOLD!
Or – “I Think I’m All About The Big Picture…”
Maybe it’s something strange about my bio-chemistry, but while I’m a big fan of the Legion of Super-Heroes in all it’s incarnations, I find myself incredibly harsh about individual issues featuring the team. My heydey with the LSH was during the Volume Four (Five-Year-Gap) stories of the Legion, and while I remember them fondly, I also remember being regularly enraged with the way the issues played out, especially when they blew up the Earth just to prove a point. My second realization while looking at this issue’s cover is that the Gary Frank costumes make some of the female Legionnaires look REALLY slutty, especially poor Lightning Lass…
Or – “Also Known As Adventure Comics #306 1/2.”
One of the transformative moments in the history of the Legion of Super-Heroes came in the form of their first loss, the death of Lightning Lad at the hands of Zaryan the Conqueror. Far from destroying the LSH (as it reasonably could have), Garth’s sacrifice instead catalyzed the remaining members to rededicate themselves to taking down pirates and space-whales and such. Even though he got over it, it was really the moment that turned the Legion from Kal-El’s teenage social club into an honest-to-Klordny army against evil. It also set the precedent that, unlike MOST superhero stories, there were very real consequences in the Legion’s world…
Or – “I Almost Forgot How To Do This With A CURRENT Book…”
So, with the Legion having their own book again, the first-half (for now, at least) of Adventure Comics is dedicated to tales of the LSH when they were young. We’ve gotten a couple of real bombshells in the first few issues, and now the LSH is travelling to the PAST to see young Clark Kent in his natural habitat. Surely this will be an incredibly significant moment for them all, right?
Of all the super teams with long histories, The Legion of Super-Heroes has seen many reboots and retcons to the point where even those in the know may be scratching their heads in confusion. This week Matthew Peterson and Stephen Schleicher take a peek behind the covers of Adventure Comics #517 to see how the founding members’ histories have been tweaked… again.
What is in store for Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes? DC has released a sneak peek of Adventure Comics #517 that arrives in comic book stores this week.
A trope is a recognizable theme used in storytelling. The kidnapped princess, the final battle, the training montage, these are all tropes we have seen again and again. Usually recognition of a familiar trope is a good thing, it lets the audience know how they should feel about things and sets them up either for a satisfying conclusion or an excited twist. But what happens when a trope goes stale? When you can’t watch two hours of TV without seeing the same situation over and over, like the writers just emptied their cliche bladders all over the place? Some themes have suffered this fate, through excessive use now they accomplish the opposite of what the writers want. They take the viewer out of the experience. What follows is a list of tropes that I find tiresome, troubling and most of all, trite.
Or – “Do You Know How Many Captain Americas There Actually Are?“
As part of my Major Spoilers Star-Spangled Weekend™, I’m going to be periodically checking in with you, the Faithful Spoilerites to talk a little pop culture during my long weekend off. (Vacation from two out of three jobs is the best I’m going to get.) This time around, Captain America, American Son, as well as the greatest heroes of China and Russia take center stage as we look at the best and worst of last month with our monthly Rapid-Fire REVIIIEOOOOOOOOooOOOOOEWWWW!
Or – “I’m Almost Tempted To Mark This One As A Retro Review…”
I really didn’t intend to review two Legion-related books back-to-back, but c’est la guerre, I guess. We all know the story of how three kids from the future changed Clark Kent’s destiny be showing him that he wasn’t alone in the world. But 52 years down the line, some of those old-school tales are feeling a bit shopworn. At least for a while, Adventure Comics is going to fill in some of those blanks, showing us (in essence) the past of the future! Flight rings… ACTIVATE!
