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.