Jim's Legion Blog

Released December 31, 2008 DC Comics, Color 23 Pages One Evil - Enemy Manifest Part 4 Jim Shooter - Writer Francis Manapul - Penciller Livesay - Inker Jo Smith - Colorist Mike Marts - Editor Synopsis In a hidden fortress deep in the depths of ancient Metropolis, Projectra/Imperiatrix trains in hand to hand combat. She mentally triggers her trainer to attack her, and she easily dispatches him. At Legion HQ, Saturn Girl and Phantom Girl share a meal and talk about what to do about Projectra.  Timber Wolf overhears and threatens them to stay away from her. As he stalks away, Tinya suggests that they tell Lightning Lad.  Imra resists, saying that they may need Brin for the upcoming conflict. Then she whines about her own cheating. Lightning Lad and Invisible Kid confer about strategy around the invaders.  Brainy tests out his Data Ripper by scanning a sandwich that Sizzle promptly eats. Brainy plans to go to the Intruder Planet for an espionage mission. Elsewhere in HQ, Eleme...

Released November 26, 2008 DC Comics, Color 22 Pages The Edge of Doom: Enemy Manifest Part 3 - The Edge Of Doom! Jim Shooter - Writer Francis Manapul - Penciller Livesay - Inker Nathan Eyring - Colorist Mike Marts - Editor Synopsis As the UP prepares to receive a delegation from the intruder planet, alarms go off in Legion HQ to be on alert.  M'Rissey suggests tryouts, and candidates are already arranged and waiting: Turtle, Sizzle, Night Girl and Gazelle. Gazelle is up first and demonstrates her powers.  Night Girl is next and she thrashes Ultra Boy as a demonstration, at the cost of falling out of her uniform.  Sizzle and Turtle begin a joint demonstration, but are interrupted by the return of Sun Boy, who joins in. The Legion debates the new candidates, with the exception of Projectra who left when Sun Boy arrived. He leads Terror Firma, who destroyed Orando prior to his tenure. Sun Boy is able to sit in on this discussion. He explains that he couldn't make Terror Firm...

Released August 22, 2007 DC Comics, Color 23 Pages The Quest for Cosmic Boy: Lord of Lightning Part 2 of 2 Tony Bedard - Writer Dennis Calero - Artist Nathan Eyring - Colorist Mike Marts - Editor Synopsis On Earth, Brainiac 5 is frustrated with coddling the search teams on Earth and Lallor, but has lost contact with the team on Winath - Mekt, Thom and Dirk - due to an electrical storm. On Winath, the Ranzz parents and a hooded figure (the town mayor, all apparently brainwashed) try to zap the team with lightning powers they shouldn't have. Thom weighs them down to take them out, but the mayor zaps him.  Mekt and Dirk retreat. Tenzil eats his way out of the grain silo he was trapped in.  The Wanderers bother Brainy about Mekt's status as they are concerned they can't track him and Vrax thinks the whole point is to make Mekt look bad (not that that's hard). On Winath, the culty townsfolk take Star Boy away. Mekt realizes that bioelectrical capabilities could be faked via ...

Released July 25, 2007 DC Comics, Color 23 Pages The Quest for Cosmic Boy - Lord of Lightning Part 1 of 2 Tony Bedard - Writer Dennis Calero - Artist Nathan Eyring - Colorist Mike Marts - Editor Synopsis This issue picks up right after the end of 31, on Winath where Thom, Mekt and Dirk are arguing with Tenzil about what to do with Rokk once he's rounded up. Tenzil records everything through his lie detector glasses, but Thom and Mekt do a decent job of threatening him to stand down.  They enter the Ranzz home and find it empty after a massive E-M burst. Brainy is manning the nerve center on Earth where he is fielding calls from Atom Girl needing backup on Lallor while Thom calls to ask for Kara's help - no one is answering his calls for assistance on Winath as no one is around. Brainy leaves them to their own devices. The foursome goes underground to avoid an oncoming storm - which is where most of Winathian business happens. They find "Validus" graffiti on a wall, an...

Released June 27, 2007 DC Comics, Color 22 Pages Tony Bedard - Writer Kevin Sharpe - Penciller Robin Riggs - Inker Nathan Eyring - Colorist Mike Marts - Editor Synopsis Dream Girl tries to tell Brainiac 5 some information while he dreams, but he's interrupted by Star Boy regarding the disappearance of Cosmic Boy. Supergirl is the winner of the Legion Leader election, and she is told this by DoJ prosecutor Tenzil Kem.  At the Metropolis Convention Center (temporary HQ) Kara offers the Wanderers and Terror Firmans Legion membership to help look for Cosmic Boy.  Tenzil is there to prove Rokk guilty of war crimes. Mekt, Dirk and Thom argue about who should be the leader. Brainy suggests three locations to look for Rokk.  The teams begin to come to blows before Kara settles everyone down.  Team 1 - Brin, Vi and Shady head to Lallor and are immediately accosted by authorities but are observed by a mysterious group.  Team 2 - Kara, Garth and Imra search the Gobi rainfo...

Released May 23, 2007 DC Comics, Color 22 Pages The End is Only the Beginning! Mark Waid - Writer Barry Kitson - Penciller Mick Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti - Inker Nathan Eyring - Colorist Mike Marts - Editor Synopsis In a great foreshadowing moment, we see a memorial statue to Mon-El. The story picks up seven days prior: The Legion and Wanderers, led by Cosmic Boy, cripple the Dominator homeworld while Brainiac 5 finds a cure for the AI plague on Earth. But the flip side is that there are millions of Dominion super soldiers that at some point will be let loose on the galaxy, sooner or later. Dream Boy lets slip about a bomb that Rokk ordered Brainy to create to devastate the planet. He also dishes on the truth about Dream Girl - she only appears in people's dreams. Meanwhile Kara and Lar finish up on the planet and head out to meet the Legion, but Mon-El is weakening by the moment.  Cos decides the Dominator threat needs to be dealt with by any means necessary, and Brainy construct...

Released April 25, 2007 DC Comics, Color 23 Pages Extinction Event! Tony Bedard - Writer Kevin Sharpe - Penciller Mark McKenna & Jack Purcell - Inkers Nathan Eyring - Colorist Mike Marts - Editor Synopsis This issue focuses quite a bit on the lead Dominator scientist that is responsible for the new Dominator super soldiers. Via narration, we get interesting insight into the Dominator culture of superiority and how this scientist wanted to protect the Dominion from unforeseen weakness. Cut to the Legion/Wanderer force on the Dominion homeworld cleaning up the Dominators, who keep chanting "remember the 52." Lightning Lad asks why they keep saying it, and I'm right there with you, bud. But luckily the scientist's narration gives us the skinny. 1000 years prior, the Dominion's plans to overrun earth were foiled by the Justice League. Over the years, the Dominion isolated and even signed a non-agression treaty with the humans. Then Booster Gold shows up from the p...

Released February 28, 2007 DC Comics, Color 22 Pages Mark Waid - Writer Barry Kitson - Penciller Mick Gray - Inker Nathan Eyring - Colorist Stephen Wacker - Editor Synopsis This issue takes a decidedly Dominator-focused narrative to start, with much of the story told through their eyes. The Dominators mark the progress of their conquest of Earth even as they talk to Sun Boy and the remnants of Terror Firma about their plan - the infusion of super-power DNA into Dominators. On Earth, the Science Police are trying to figure out the best way to evacuate the UP delegates. All technology has been taken over by the Dominator AI Virus and is acting with a mind of its own - mainly to kill humans. Mekt could care less about them but Cos makes the point that saving them could gain political cred. Lyle tries to save a delegate being thrown to their death, but his flight ring explodes, severing his arm. One of the Wandered stands by to help Lyle.  Cos and Cham get a load of delegates to a port...

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...

Released February 1, 2006 DC Comics, Color 31 Pages Mark Waid - Writer Ken Lashley - Pencils Adam DeKraker - Pencils pgs 7-12,18-20 KWL Designs - Inks and Color Rodney Ramos - Inks pgs 7-12, 18-20 Sno Cone - Colors pgs 7-12, 18-20 Stephen Wacker - Editor Synopsis On New Year's Eve, the UP is looking at the rubble of the Terror Firma attacks and all the negative press going their way for not listening to the Legion.  Imra's mother recommends granting the Legion official UP status and delivers it to her daughter, Garth and Tasmia. Garth, who is interim leader while Rokk is away, but he doesn't know what to make of this offer, which will make the Legion supposedly independent of, yet economically tied to the UP. In Legion plaza, Luornu, Thom and Val, apologize to Lyle about the Atom Girl prank and Val for getting mad after Lyle blamed Atom Girl for snitching to Brainy about the lab break in.  He promptly disappears.  At Colossal Boy's house, Ayla wakes up very confused (ap...

Released January 18, 2006 DC Comics, Color 31 Pages Mark Waid - Writer Barry Kitson - Layout Mick Gray - Finishes Sno Cone - Colors Stephen Wacker - Editor Synopsis Lemnos orders Terror Firma troops to storm the worlds beyond the transmatter portals as the Legion team attacks those in the staging area. The portals flicker and go out as the first few troops step through, bisecting them, and the troops start to panic. One portal is left open and the other Legion teams enter to support the fight. Each Legionnaire brings their powers to bear in their own way. On Dormir, Cos has the Legionnaires remove their rings so that he can broadcast their success against the foot soldiers of Lemnos' army. The core of the Terror Firma team squares up against the Legionnaires while Cos communicates a strategy to Sun Boy. The Legionnaires show they can work well one-on-one against the Terror Firmans just as they did with the larger groups. Cos communicates directly with Lemnos as a distraction so Sun...

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 tur...

So before we get started here, an apology for the pause in publishing.  I had a lot going on with a household move and office construction, so there wasn't much in the way of time or space in which to get back to these reviews.  So with that, I'll return you to the Legion Threeboot! Released March 30, 2005 DC Comics, Color 30 Pages Cover Title - Fight the Power! Mark Waid - Script Barry Kitson - Co-Plotter Leonard Kirk - Penciller Mick Gray - Inks Chris Blythe - Colors Stephen Wacker - Editor Synopsis (Fight the Power) Dirk Morgna's parents are hanging out in Legion HQ passing out cookies; they are big Legion fans and are somewhat throwbacks in the overly conservative society, but Shady thinks that Dirk may be quitting.  The Science Police barges in to arrest the Legionnaires.  A bogus law has been trumped up to make the Flight Rings illegal by none other than Invisible Kid's father, who is head of a SP division. Cos naturally thinks that Lyle's membership is a setu...

  Released February 23, 2005 DC Comics, Color 31 Pages Cover Title - Three is a Magic Number Mark Waid & Barry Kitson - Storytellers Art Thibert - Finishes Pages 1,3,6-26,28-30 Chris Blythe - Colors Phil Balsman - Letters Harvey Richards - Asst Editor Stephen Wacker - Editor Synopsis Triplicate Girl is dangling off a ledge above an inferno as an enemy steals her flight ring and threatens her. She pulls him off the ledge, and triplicates to dangle him further towards the fire below. He surrenders and is taken into custody. Phantom Girl is reading old Batman comics in Element Lad's room while he preps for a date, and they are seeking dating advice from the comic book. He takes off his ring to switch his appearance to normal clothes when his date arrives - Triplicate Girl! Jan opens by saying he likes to be naked. Lu responds by talking about her story. She woke to a ruined Cargg to find herself the sole survivor. She found the ability to triplicate and to keep triplicating until ...

The Legion of Super Heroes v5 #1 Released December 29, 2004 DC Comics, Color 30 Pages Mark Waid - Writer Barry Kitson - Artist Mick Gray - Inks, pgs 21-30 Chris Blythe - Colors Stephen Wacker - Editor Synopsis The first "threeboot" issue opens with a four page discussion about the need for heroes through the ages, showing scenes of valor from ancient Rome to the near future. The future of the 31st century, spanning star systems, is one of security, stability and order, and the kids all hate it. We're then shown more about the world via an exposition scene with the Science Police - the Legion is a movement of over 75,000 teens, but only about 20 are the Legion we know. The Public Service monitors all minors at all times and the core Legionnaires are invisible to the service via their flight rings.  Shadow Lass, Ultra Boy, Colossal Boy, Sun Boy, Star Boy and Light Lass are taking out a rogue experimental Macrobot in a good showcase of all their powers except for Shadow Lass...