Legion of Super-Heroes Appreciation 2019 [Long Live the Legion!]

[Anthony Shaw]

I loved Pulsar Stargrave's origin in L.E.G.I.O.N '89.

I have not read that series. I am assuming it was set in modern times.

I thought it was great that Shooter set up a major villain with the power to challenge the full team, and be a rival for Mordru. Plus, he could mess play head games with Brainaic-5.

[Jon-El]

I vividly remember Pulsar Stargrave! I think the first Legion issues I read were the ones with him, the Fatal Five , Grimbor and Charma. I still love those issues!! I briefly thought Superman & Superboy were different people. Grell drew Superboy to look 1970’s “hip” complete with sideburns. He looked nothing like Superman at the time. I think the 70’s were a great time for the Legion. The Cockrum era, Grell, underrated Jim Sherman, Joe Staton. There are good stories during the Jimmy James period as well. I loved the book well into the Giffen years.

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[Zero Hunter]

You really should read L.E.G.I.O.N. it is an amazing series. Those first 50 issues especially are fantastic. You get strong ties to the Legion of Superheroes without it being overwhelming. Stuff like Vril Dox II being Brainiac 5's great-grandfather and seeing Shadow Lass's ancestors as members of the team. The Emerald Eye showing up in the modern times. The alien races from the Legion like the Khunds and Durlans being prominently used.

[caj]

You really should read L.E.G.I.O.N. it is an amazing series. Those first 50 issues especially are fantastic. You get strong ties to the Legion of Superheroes without it being overwhelming. Stuff like Vril Dox II being Brainiac 5's great-grandfather and seeing Shadow Lass's ancestors as members of the team. The Emerald Eye showing up in the modern times. The alien races from the Legion like the Khunds and Durlans being prominently used.

Agree with this. Keith Giffen, Alan Grant, and Barry Kitson did an amazing job on this book. And Strata being one of Blok's ancestors from Dryad.

[caj]

There are good stories during the Jimmy James period as well.

Most Legion fans hated Jimmy Janes but I didn't mind his art. There have certainly been worse Legion artists. I admit I didn't care for the writing during his tenure, but his art wasn't that bad IMO.

[Lonewolf36]

You really should read L.E.G.I.O.N. it is an amazing series. Those first 50 issues especially are fantastic. You get strong ties to the Legion of Superheroes without it being overwhelming. Stuff like Vril Dox II being Brainiac 5's great-grandfather and seeing Shadow Lass's ancestors as members of the team. The Emerald Eye showing up in the modern times. The alien races from the Legion like the Khunds and Durlans being prominently used.

I enjoyed LEGION they should reform and maybe add Phantom Girl from the the Terrifics and Dreamer/Nia Nal from the Supergirl TV series. Bring back Telepath, Lady Quark, Captain Comet, Strata, Tribulus and have Techne, Brainiac 2's sister take over leadership.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

Most Legion fans hated Jimmy Janes but I didn't mind his art. There have certainly been worse Legion artists. I admit I didn't care for the writing during his tenure, but his art wasn't that bad IMO.

At the time, I was happy for Jimmy Janes to come aboard because it meant that Joe Staton was leaving. Did not care for him on most superhero comics, so it was too bad that he was on Legion for what seemed like forever.

However, the weaknesses in Janes' art began to show, but at least the characters no longer looked so cartoony.

I think post-Grell and pre-Pat Broderick, the only Legion artist I really cared for was James Sherman when he was inked by Bob Wiacek or Bob McLeod -- and those were precious few issues.

There were a lot of bad inkers in comics in the 1970s and the art from the same artist could vary widely. I could actually tolerate Staton on Legion when he was inked by Dick Giordano. When Murphy Anderson inked him, it didn't even look like Staton art, which would have been a good thing it it didn't come during Earthwar and interrupt the Sherman/McLeod team.

[caj]

I think post-Grell and pre-Pat Broderick, the only Legion artist I really cared for was James Sherman when he was inked by Bob Wiacek or Bob McLeod -- and those were precious few issues.

Yes, I was a fan of this art team as well. After Grell, it did seem like Legion could not hold onto a great artist for a long time.

[caj]

about the new costumes....

how do you guys felt about this?

What bugged me about 5-years later is that they only included 10 of the original LSH members. Okay 12 if you count Laurel Gand/Supergirl and Bounty/Dawnstar. But Dawnstar without wings, Cosmic Boy without magnetic powers, and well...Furball/TimberWolf.

I may be in the minority, but Kono, Ivy, Devlin, Celeste, and Kent didn't add anything to the book.

[madmodpoetgod]

Have you guys read House of X?

Poor DC. Legion needs HoX kind of treatment.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

Here's some good quality images of the new characters that Dave Cockrum was proposing to add to the Legion series.

First up, the Devastators -- a villain team consisting of Foxglove, Tyr, Wolverine, Sidewinder, and Manta.

Only Tyr was ever used, but it's interesting that Cockrum had created a character called Wolverine a few years before Marvel's version. Dave later referred to these characters as The Strangers -- you can see that's actually what it says under some white-out at the bottom of the page.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

Here's Dave Cockrum's Quetzal, originally called Flamingo:




Here's Trio, a Carggite who has 3 bodies each with a unique power:

[Comic-Reader Lad]

Here's Dave Cockrum's Typhoon:







And here's Wildfire with a slightly different costume -- and a different name!

[Sandy Hausler]

Here's some good quality images of the new characters that Dave Cockrum was proposing to add to the Legion series.

First up, the Devastators -- a villain team consisting of Foxglove, Tyr, Wolverine, Sidewinder, and Manta.

Only Tyr was ever used, but it's interesting that Cockrum had created a character called Wolverine a few years before Marvel's version. Dave later referred to these characters as The Strangers -- you can see that's actually what it says under some white-out at the bottom of the page.

Hmm. Doesn't Wolverine resemble Fang from Cochram's Imperial Guard at Marvel, which, of course, was based on the Legion.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

Hmm. Doesn't Wolverine resemble Fang from Cochram's Imperial Guard at Marvel, which, of course, was based on the Legion.

Yes, of course Wolverine later became Fang. Cockrum repurposed ideas and designs all the time. Trio's cape was used for Storm (after being used for an early version of Marvel Girl), and other characters he created for the Legion series -- called The Outsiders (which included Trio, Typhoon, & Quetzal) -- had Nightcrawler in it!