Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes v5 #26 - We don't need no STEENKING credits!!!


Released January 24, 2007
DC Comics, Color
22 Pages

Assumed credits based on the cover (digital copy has no credit page):
Mark Waid - Writer
Barry Kitson - Penciller
Mick Gray - Inker

Synopsis

Plant lad is being bullied by Brin, Projectra, Shadow Lass and Colossal Boy after the events of the last issue. Kara, Rokk, Imra, Garth and Brainy find the kidnapped Legionnaires and bust in on the meeting. It quickly becomes the Ranzz family reunion as he sees Mekt and Ayla. Mekt's plan was to trick the Legion into releasing Mon-El so that Brainy could solve the problem of Mon-El's lead poisoning. 

Mekt bullrushes taking over the combined team despite Rokk's protests, showing the robot uprisings elsewhere via Jeyra. Mon and Kara head to Tokyo with Jo and Brainy, burrowing through the Earth. 

While this is happening, Garth and Mekt verbally spar while Ayla warns the Wanderers about Mekt's instability and tenedncy towards suicide runs and martyrdom while giving us the 3boot version story of how the Ranzz kids got their powers on Korbal (take a drink). 

In Tokyo, the away team demolishes a bunch of robots - just in time to see a giant Dominator robot with the trademark Dominator circle on its forehead emerge from below. The team takes it apart handily - until it counts down to release an agent that spreads rapidly across Earth.

Commentary

Issue 26 is the beginning of the end for Waid's tenure writing the Legion in any form, and he starts this arc really well.  Even though we don't get a splash page (at least in digital) to know who the players are, we get a good sense of what's going on as we see the beginnings of a partnership between the Legion and the Wanderers, a partnership that in my opinion turns this book into a better direction as we have a team with a slightly more focused mission that includes some old friends. Waid is a good enough Legion writer to give new takes on classic Legion lore - the Ranzz backstory, Supergirl burrowing through the Earth, the Dominators - and make them interesting.  Granted we get yet another retelling of the Ranzz origins, but its welcome here as we've seen little to no origins for any of the heroes (or indeed of the team) to date. Good use of the teamup, but I did feel like Rokk rolled over a bit quickly - maybe he's given to trust fellow kids more than the UP.

The art is another great work by Kitson, although the lack of a "roll call" page does a disservice to the digital issue (I'm not sure if it was omitted accidentally or not, as this is 22 pages versus the normal 23 - I think the digital page where Ayla and Mekt speak to Garth is the offender, as its a page in itself as a small panel with nothing on the top or bottom.).

Mon-El and Kara burrowing to Tokyo is reminiscent of the early Adventure trials for membership that Supergirl had to undergo in the Silver Age.  That Mon-El is doing it just to FEEL after being imprisoned is a nice call back to earlier versions.  The party emerging in the red cavern in the planetary core reminded me of the last season of Young Justice.

The Korbal natives in this universe are much more humanoid than depicted before - and doled out a LOT more damage. This is certainly the GROSSEST depiction of the Ranzz electrical acquisition - Flesh falling off the bone?  Nasty. But the good news is that we get the exact same dynamic with the Ranzz kids as before. Solo Mekt has issues & runs away, Garth searches for him and gets into trouble, Ayla gets lots of boyfriends. Wait, I'm not sure about that last one. 

Grade: A-.  A very well done setup issue.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Abnett & Lanning Reboot Legion - A look back

Image
  I first started this effort of reviewing the post-Legion Lost Abnett & Lanning Legion works after examining my own extreme negative reaction in an online poll about how long DnA should have been allowed to write the Legion.   I voted on it after having read all the reboot up to LSH 125 just prior. I had read the full run of DnA back in the day (not in real-time though), and just remembered checking out in the latter half of the first year's issues. One world-busting, character-morphing event after another that did not include any of the characters I loved just seemed to leave me cold. But I was vehement and voted that DnA should never have touched the book. If I'm being honest, I still would wonder what a different creative team would have done; the book needed shaking up, but I am still not convinced it needed 5 years of DnA. By the end of the journey, I started appreciating what they did a lot more, but I do think they were on the title for much too long. Abnett ...
Read more

The Legion of Super Heroes v5 #15 - Ancient Times!

Image
Released February 22, 2006 DC Comics, Color 30 Pages Ancient Times Stuart Moore - Writer Pat Olliffe - Pencils Livesay - Inker Sno Cone - Colors Stephen Wacker - Editor Synopsis More pandemonium in Legion Plaza makes a group of young recruits run into the park and tell hero stories around a lantern at night spurred on by a mysterious robed figure. The first story is from the JSA/JLA era.  Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and Alan Scott are trying to retrieve Flashes Barry Allen and Jay Garrick out of energy bubbles, but can't do it. Brainy, Bouncing Boy, Element Lad and Duo Damsel arrive. Chuck tries to bounce them out, but Element Lad is able to free them by temporarily turning them to oxygen. The kids listening to the story mock the idea of a Bouncing Boy among other things. The next story is Saturn Girl, Wildfire, Tyroc and Dawnstar negotiating with Relnic which is interrupted by Karate Kid and Captain Comet dropping in with the Secret Society of Super Villains from the 20th century. C...
Read more

Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes v5 #22 - Ultra Boy becomes Impotent Boy! (Or is it Impotence Lad?)

Image
Released September 27, 2006 DC Comics, Color 23 Pages Tony Bedard & Mark Waid - Script Barry Kitson - Layouts Adam DeKraKer - Pencils Rob Stull & Rodney Ramos - Inks Nathan Eyring - Colorist Stephen Wacker - Editor Synopsis Val is thinking back to a year prior when he was dating Shadow Lass and they broke up. Now she's coming to him to consult about her relationship with Jo, as he's feeling insecure thinking himself insecure. Val suggests Jo has a crush on Kara, but he'll look into it. In Metropolis, the kids debate the leader election as the Science Police try to disperse the crowds. A rogue Legionnaire tries to take matters into his own hands before Cos and Kara handle the situation. Kara kisses Cos on the cheek before taking the rogue back to HQ. Lyle proves to Cos that he's not in love with Kara; its some radiation interference. But its also revealed that Lyle is worshipping Kara, too and may have told Cos that to get rid of the competition. The former Terro...
Read more