Legion of Super Heroes - the Levitz/Giffen Era Reviews

[QUOTE=psylurker;5407613]
On this #1 specifically, I remember Keith Giffen bringing his A-game to this same as George Perez did for New Teen Titans Baxter series #1. I'll also just come out and say I love Giffen in all his iterations, from his initial Bolland/Perez style to the Muñoz era all the way to his more recent Kirby-inspired art, with my personal favourite being the Kevin Maguire-aping style circa immediately before the Magic Wars.[/QUOTE]

If by his A-game you mean, Steve Lightle, then I agree. Lightle definitely drew the panels above. I don't think Giffen even did breakdowns for that issue -- as he had contributed to Lightle's first issue or more.

I did enjoy Giffen's short-lived Maguire-aping style. The inking on those issues was kinda rough (maybe DeCarlo?) -- compared to Malstedt's more refined approach. Giffen drew the Saturn Queen page for the new Who's Who in that style. Scroll about 1/3 of the way down: [url]https://www.writeups.org/saturn-queen-lsh-legion-super-villains-dc-comics/[/url]

[QUOTE=kcekada;5408175]If by his A-game you mean, Steve Lightle, then I agree. Lightle definitely drew the panels above. I don't think Giffen even did breakdowns for that issue -- as he had contributed to Lightle's first issue or more.[/QUOTE]

Wait, I'm confused. I was replying to the review for issue 1 of the Baxter series and that was all Giffen? Lightle didn't arrive until a few issues later when Giffen left.

[QUOTE=kcekada;5408175] I did enjoy Giffen's short-lived Maguire-aping style. The inking on those issues was kinda rough (maybe DeCarlo?) -- compared to Malstedt's more refined approach. Giffen drew the Saturn Queen page for the new Who's Who in that style. Scroll about 1/3 of the way down: [url]https://www.writeups.org/saturn-queen-lsh-legion-super-villains-dc-comics/[/url][/QUOTE]

While I have a nostalgiac fondness for Saturn Queen's beehive (not nearly as much as Night Girl's towering 'do, though!), I love [url=https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Eve_Aries_(Pre-Zero_Hour)]this re-imagining of Eve Aries.[/url]

My bad. I was addressing the art is in issue #5 where Jeckie executes Nemesis Kid.

Lightle started doing pencils loosely based on Giffen's breakdowns in issue #3. He said that Giffen's breakdowns were very small thumbnails he was given -- and told not to follow those slavishly. Lightle stated that in his first issue, only seven pages were his own layout, and he used those less in this next issue and maybe not at all after that.

Back to the execution scene -- this is what Lightle stated in 'Legion Companion'.

[quote]So I remember trying to bring it across visually so that what really won the day wasn't her strength, it as the fact that Nemesis Kid saw something in her eye that made him fear her. I tried to bring it across in a sequence of panels where, instead of just showing them going into battle with each other, I got this scene she looks him right in the eye, and then the camera pulls completely into the pupil of her eye until the panel is full black, because I just wanted to get this feeling that, from Nemesis Kid's point of view, he saw something there that frightened him, and we don't know exactly what that was. The strength of her anger, her conviction...[/quote]

So a lot of credit for that scene goes to Steve.

[QUOTE=caj;5407218]Legion of Super Bloggers review of Legion of Super Heroes #1 - A re-formed Legion of Super Villains vows to kill Legionnaires, Light Lass is captured on Winath, and Shrinking Violet jumps back into action.

[url]http://legionofsuperbloggers.blogspot.com/2014/09/legion-of-super-heroesv3-1-1984.html[/url]

[img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s1vV3L-YHrA/U7bq-i54z9I/AAAAAAAAUik/ElPkeFQwjow/s1600/LSH_1.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]

I never get tired of this cover.

Legion of Super Bloggers review of Legion of Super Heroes #2 - Lightning Lord gives Ayla an ultimatum, Projectra and Karate Kid are captured, the base of operations for the super villains is revealed, and a traitor from the past sets his plan for revenge into motion.

[url]http://legionofsuperbloggers.blogspot.com/2014/09/legion-of-super-heroes-v3-2.html[/url]

[img]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ROPbsh0bxU/U-lmyuf_ktI/AAAAAAAAVNM/33hpAc6klew/s1600/scan0003+(530x800).jpg[/img]

This is Keith Giffen's last issue on art (for awhile). He would continue to co-plot the book for a few more issues. Giffen goes out with a successful issue. This was his best art in quite awhile.

We really start to see just how mentally sick Lightning Lord is.

I was excited to see Karate Kid and Projectra back in action. If only I had known...

This story actually took place before Annual #3 so Saturn Girl is still pregnant and goes into labor in this issue.

Like the reviewer, I had no idea about Nemesis Kid or his past with the Legion. I saw a former Legionnaire with white gloves and immediately wondered why Tyroc would be working with the villains.

[QUOTE=caj;5398875]I personally didn't like it. I realize she had gone through a traumatic experience and probably did have a lot of anger built up. But she seemed nothing at all like her former self from this point forward.[/QUOTE]

I agree.

[QUOTE=caj;5398875]The Shrinking Violet/Duplicate Boy exchange was very confusing to me. I find it hard to believe that Duplicate Boy realized that the Violet he confronted in #298 wasn't really her. When he said "she's not the Violet I fell in love with", I assumed he meant that by cheating on him, she had damaged their relationship for good - and that's all he meant.[/QUOTE]

I thought the exact same thing. He was speaking figuratively.

[QUOTE=caj;5398875]On the other hand, it seemed like the Legion ladies were being given ass-kicking attitude upgrades to compensate for the perception that they had 'weak' powers. Dream Girl, Projectra, Violet, Shady, etc. got more physically aggressive, and Ayla in particular got a more blasty (and, ultimately, less potent) power. It felt like Phantom Girl was the only Legion lady left who wasn't a martial artist, at one point, and that felt odd, since various Legion *men* like Star Boy and Brainiac 5 and Cosmic Boy aren't perceived as needing to be punchy kicky MMA fighters.

If Violet was the only one to get a major personality overhaul, fine. Cool, even.

But taken as a whole with the changes to Dream Girl, Projectra/Sensor, Light(ning) Lass and even Saturn Girl (whose previous run at joining the SP was name-dropped a few times along with her busting out the judo), it felt a little overcompensatory and muddle-headed (as if women *have* to be physically aggressive asskickers to matter, while men like Element Lad can just lean on their powers and be kind of passive).[/QUOTE]

No offence but I have to respectfully disagree with you there. I admit I've only read up to "The Curse" but so far I haven't seen anything to suggest Dream Girl, Projectra etc. are more aggressive. More confident perhaps, but not aggressive. Knowing martial arts doesn't necessarily make one a "physically aggressive ass-kicker," it just means they can defend themselves and others. Heck, every crime-fighter [B]should[/B] know how to fight. It's unwise to depend on super-powers only. Plus how many times have people bad-mouthed Superman and falsely labelled him as "all muscle, no brains" due to his perceived reliance on his powers?

Defeating an opponent with martial arts is no more "aggressive" than zapping them with a lightning bolt or making them too heavy to move. It's just practicality.

Also claiming that "Phantom Girl was the only Legion lady left who wasn't a martial artist" is false. In several issues she's been show punching out opponents, meaning she's had training.

[QUOTE=caj;5407218]
[img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s1vV3L-YHrA/U7bq-i54z9I/AAAAAAAAUik/ElPkeFQwjow/s1600/LSH_1.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]

Great cover.

[QUOTE=caj;5408968]

[img]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ROPbsh0bxU/U-lmyuf_ktI/AAAAAAAAVNM/33hpAc6klew/s1600/scan0003+(530x800).jpg[/img][/QUOTE]

Terrible cover.

Peace

You know, it just occurred to me that I had to wait several months before getting issues #1 & 2.

Because I wasn't near a comic book store, I sent in for a subscription for the Baxter books. But instead of sending me the first two issues, I didn't start getting them until #3. So I came into this story right in the middle. That's a serious knock on the subscription department of DC at the time. Why wouldn't you begin a subscription with the first issue?

It was probably five or six months before I found a comic book store (more than an hour away from where I lived) where I could buy the first two issues. Luckily awhile later, I started going to college in the city where the comic book store was. It was always exciting to go in there and look for new or older books and merchandise.

Legion of Super Bloggers review of Legion of Super Heroes #3 - Nemesis Kid is revealed to be the leader of the LSV, the Legion heads off to Orando as expected, Lightning Lord finally loses his patience with Ayla, and Zymyr teleports Orando - and some Legionnaires with it - out of orbit.

[url]http://legionofsuperbloggers.blogspot.com/2014/10/legion-of-super-heroes-v3-3.html[/url]

[img]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u8IeLIo_S4M/U9Wjnf4nOBI/AAAAAAAAU64/iVTqI9pDebc/s1600/LSH_3+(1)+(525x800).jpg[/img]

This is Steve Lightle's first issue as artist of the book. He did an amazing job. Giffen would continue to draw the covers through issue #5.

The scenes between Mekt and Ayla were majorly intense. I really did think for a minute that he had killed her.

I don't know how they got away with that scene of Saturn Girl breastfeeding her new baby. I guess because her nipple wasn't exposed, it was okay.

I wish they had shown the fight scene between Dream Girl and Silver Slasher. They just cut away from it and Dream Girl escapes unscathed.

I like the pacing of this story. Levitz did a great job of revealing pieces of the mystery with each issue.

The cover of issue #4 is shown as a preview in the letter page. It was pretty clear which Legionnaire was going to die. My heart sank when I saw it.

I had suspected Ayla's powers would be recharged. The return of her powers and Jeckie's new attitude were the best things to come out of this arc. I don't think anyone ever thought much of the character prior to this story, but that's the fault of the writers. Creating realistic, animated illusions is a huge power. She once created an illusion of Metropolis being at war. I know that's difficult to write -- but there were so many ways that her power could have helped defeat opponents without her even being seen.

The worst thing about this arc was KK's death, but all three things together made this one of the Legion's most dramatic stories.

The art turnaround was so amazing. I always go back to read this and the first few issues I'm like, "I don't remember it looking so bad..." and then I get to these last few issues and I totally wish Lightle had been there from the start.

[QUOTE=kcekada;5410723]I had suspected Ayla's powers would be recharged. The return of her powers and Jeckie's new attitude were the best things to come out of this arc. I don't think anyone ever thought much of the character prior to this story, but that's the fault of the writers. Creating realistic, animated illusions is a huge power. She once created an illusion of Metropolis being at war. I know that's difficult to write -- but there were so many ways that her power could have helped defeat opponents without her even being seen.

The worst thing about this arc was KK's death, but all three things together made this one of the Legion's most dramatic stories.[/QUOTE]

Personally that's why I've never much liked Projectra (sorry to fans of her). She's too OP. Look at Aizen from Bleach as an example of how OP perception-altering is. How can one defeat an opponent that can make you [B]think[/B] they're a safe distance away when in fact they're standing right in front of you about to stab you in the heart?