The Legion of Super Heroes v5 #11 - The Battle Continues!

Released October 26, 2005
DC Comics, Color
30 Pages

Mark Waid - Writer
Barry Kitson - Penciller
Mick Gray - Inker
Sno Cone - Colors
Stephen Wacker - Editor

Synopsis

The Legion teams are scattered across the galaxy and can't communicate due to the destruction of Legion HQ.  Brainiac 5, Invisible Kid, and several of the other bystanders stand watch over Dream Girl's dead body.  Brainy shields Dream Girl with his shield. Lyle implores Brainy to do something as Elysion plows through Metropolis. Lyle leads a host of the kids out of the plaza. 

Cosmic Boy's team on Dormir is on a planet which is the communications hub of the galaxy with several balls of energy flying around them. One of them hits Star Boy who begins speaking an alien language. Rokk gets hit on purpose. The energies tell Rokk where to go and the Legion meets a strange being who looks like a silhouette of clouds in the sky. Ayla tries to work some of the machinery and the entity smacks her across the room. It turns out they are in the machinery of the Public Service surveillance system.

On Trxxl, Sun Boy's team is on the precipice of the fifth dimension, so they are seeing all kinds of bizarre things. Trxxl is the nexus of the teleportation technology of the galaxy. The Legionnaires encounter Agent Skelter and immediately begin to fight. Their powers appear to act in reverse. Sun Boy casts a shadow field around Skelter and they get away to another floating platform, but Imra is somehow missing. Tasmia wonders if Imra can call out for help, but Garth confirms that Titanians are mute.  Meanwhile, she is hunted by Skelter. 

Back on Dormir, the team wants to tear the Public Service to pieces, but Rokk tries to persuade Dormir's ruler idea to stay with the UP.  If Lemnos makes his way to Dormir, he will make the idea cease to exist. At the same time, the Legionnaires find they are starting to become ideas themselves. The plan is to use the young ideas to help enable communications again.

Ultra Boy is in lead for the mission on the enemy base. They see hundreds of Terra Firma soldiers standing at the ready in front of portals, waiting to invade.

On Earth, Brainy thinks he's not smart enough to save Dream Girl.

BACKUP

Mark Waid - Writer
Dale Eaglesham - Penciller
Art Thibert - Inker
Sno Cone - Colors
Stephen Wacker - Editor

Elsewhere in Legion Plaza, many of the other kids are working to help rescue others, with juxtaposition of their deeds against those depicted in various comic books from the 20th century.  An "Elastic Lad" combs through the ruins looking for whole comic books and is confronted by another and a fight starts. Cooler heads prevail, and elastic lad says he was just getting them to preserve the books for their inspirational value. He decides to focus his efforts on helping the rescue of people. 

Commentary

Another super solid issue that has no title.  The three issues of 10-12 are super page turners.  We are definitely seeing the Terra Firma endgame and every page has some element of detail that is relevant to the sole task of moving this plot ahead graphically and in dialogue.  We get into some truly imaginative spaces here, as Waid creates three other worlds that work as you wouldn't expect.  The concept of "child ideas" with a "jerk" grownup idea in charge is a neat spin on the adults v students theme.  While I don't like the theme generally, this is a cool twist on it that is both thematically and visually interesting, while turning it sideways. Similarly, the team in the fifth dimension has a cool trip as well, where powers work in reverse. I wonder if agent Skelter's first name is Helter? :)  And finally, a great cliffhanger with hordes of enemy Terra Firmans ready to surge out to who knows where. 

I only got hung up on one element of the story - when on Trxxl, Shady is used as cypher, asking why Imra can't call for help.  How long has she been on this team?  She should know that by now.  But its totally there for new readers to understand what's going on, so I'm not going to get too bent about it. It is cool how Imra literally disappears from one frame to another.

Kitson's art is as reliable as ever and we're treated to our second two-page spread in two issues. I really like this guy's work.

The backup story is good in its own right, focusing on the teen Legion supporters working to help the injured in Legion plaza. The juxtaposition of classic comic book covers with similar actions in the plaza was a great touch on the inspiration they provided to the kids. So when "elastic lad" is confronted for picking at the books, I'm actually sympathetic to his reasoning of keeping them for his inspirational value, but his priorities are way out of whack. Thankfully he sees that.  Its also very well drawn by Eaglesham.

Grade: A+. Great story and art all around for both stories.  I definitely wanted to jump straight into 12 after reading this.