Legion of Super Heroes v5 #50 - Hack The Infinity Net! The END of the THREEBOOT!



Released January 28, 2009
DC Comics, Color
24 Pages

Hack The Infinity Net! - Enemy Manifest Conclusion

Justin Thyme - Writer
Ramon Bachs - Penciller
John Livesay - Inker
Jo Smith - Colorist
Mike Marts - Editor

Synopsis

Invasion! The intruders have begun a mass invasion of the UP with planets appearing in every major UP system, creating major problems. Many Legionnaires are deployed across the UP, leaving Brainy, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Atom Girl, Ultra Boy, Gazelle, and Star Boy left to defend Earth. They all get zapped (literally) into the Infinity Net, except for Invisible Kid who wants some enhancements to his avatar.

The Legionnaires appear in the virtual world, including a beefed up Lyle whom Gazelle fawns over. In moments they are swarmed by defenders. In the Net's HQ, the leaders of the aliens confer with the newly digitized Minister Lafong, who offers to act as a mediator. She then gives the backstory - they remade themselves digitally and eradicate life in the universe, except for what they like. She basically turns on the aliens, who are monitoring, then is deleted by the Magistrix. She also orders all UP data deleted as they begin to wipe out the UP.

Lyle asks Brainy to reset his avatar appearance just before the alien destroyers break into the lab and ravage the Legionnaire's bodies. Lyle's disguise reverts just in time so Brainy can hack into the Net to save the Legion and destabilize it and stop the invasion.  Unfortunately the Legion is stuck due to their bodies being killed.  One week later, their bodies regrown, the Legionnaires are transferred back into their bodies, including - surprise! - Dream Girl! And we're all invited to the wedding.

THE END.

Commentary

As one would expect with a story with a pseudonymn author, this issue is a bit of a mess that does its best to wrap up the main story that had been dragging out for 14 issues. The core story - the attack on the alien invaders - isn't too bad stripped down to its component parts, but there is so much added on to it in strange ways the entire issue gets muddled. The transference of the Legionnaires into the Infinity Net was a cool idea - very Matrix-like. Based on their smoking husks, I figured that they were killed by Brainiac going in, but then when the warrior avatars come in and ravage the lab, there's no doubt they are dead. Then things get weird(er).  

First the aliens are afraid of the Legion to the point of considering surrender, then turn around and easily start to overwhelm the Legion after the Minister is killed. The whole Lyle avatar I guess makes sense given his infatuation over Gizelle, but then her response makes zero sense and is completely out of character.  Brainy & Lyle's hacking of the net was cool.  The miraculous recovery of the Legionnaire bodies was bizarre, but not as strange as Nura physically coming back out of nowhere (she literally had no body) with her full powers. 

Yikes.

So the longest running story bit was hastily thrown together, we get no resolution to the Projectra situation, or to Garth/Imra/Jo (although Garth does have his arm around her at one point), and we are missing a handful of Legionnaires.  What. A. Mess. To add insult to injury, almost a fifth of this issue is devoted to pages of backstory. I get the "every comic is someone's first" deal, but devoting almost a quarter of this rush job for exposition seems like a waste.

Given that this was a last minute wrap issue, the art isn't as great as we've had the fill ins elsewhere in the run, but its better than the writing. With the exception of Gazelle. She barely looked like the character we saw earlier. The art isn't horrible, but it ain't great. 

The cover, however is pretty epic.  The kind of thing that you'd expect for a 50th issue - but not a final issue and not a final issue as bad as this one. And it has absolutely nothing to do with the content of the story.

The good news?  This train wreck of a run is over with.  Yay.

A couple other notes:

what's with all the -ix suffixes? Imperatrix, Magistrix... come on, man.

Finally, if you have the courage to take a look at Shooter's plans for the rest of his story arc, he's published it here.  You may want a stiff drink, though.

Grade - D-.  Not a complete fail, surprisingly enough. But bad.

Next Week - The BRAVE AND THE BOLD!

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