Legion of Super-Heroes issue #8 preview/Spoiler discussion

[Superlad93]

Bumping this thread because the preview pages can be viewed on here now.

[rpmaluki]

Love, love LOVE this issue!!! I wish we got #8 and #9 as a giant issue, to think I have to wait a whole month for the next installment, ugh!

[Superlad93]

Now this right here is got damn COMICS, man!!

This was far more dynamic and fun. And some Legionnaires showcase in small portions of this will still get a flashback next issue when the trial starts (there's a Timberwolf preview on Bendis' ig).

Seems my theory that there are no Daxamites (in the classic Kryptonian-like sense) and that Mon-El is Kryptonian and Jon's direct descendant turned out to be true. I can't wait to get into his whole deal and everything dealing with New Krypton. You can tell how hard he is on himself. I wonder why he's not wearing the house of El crest? Is he not allowed to for some reason? Do you now have to earn the right to even wear it?

Man, it's gonna be a long wait for issue 9!

[Superlad93]

Few things I noticed:

- One the very first page, Jon's family being well adjusted and functional is contrasted by Jo's dysfunctional relationship with his dad.

- Lots of complex family issues in general. Rokk with his dad being so hard on him, Jo with his dad being the worst, Cham and his mom trying to control him, Saturn Girl's friction with her parents, Timberwolf being expirmented on by his dad, Mon-El's issues with Jon (his great, great, great, great, great grandfather), and even Jon's parents begrudgingly letting him leave home.

- Wildfire seems to be confirmed the most powerful in terms of raw output of power followed by Jon, Mon, and Blok. But he seems to have a weakness.

- The team seemed to depend on Mon-El to shutdown situations quickly. Likely due to his heritage and power. This explains why he was so sure he could end the situation in issue 6.

- Jo's dad seems to have similar but different powers from him. He seems to gain more power from absorbing attacks, and he's able to redirect them. But Jo seems to have issues with energy based attacks.

- When Ultra Boy's dad lets off the big wave of energy after Ferro Lad's punch, you can see Jon moving to protect Saturn Girl, and Monster Boy turns into King Kong.

- Mon-El's tag now says "Krypton" and "classified". So it looks like his tag saying Daxam, Lar Gand, and having a weakness to lead was a misdirection. Likely an example of the kids being able to mess with their tags like Bendis said. I expect we'll get more on that next issue and later when the New Krypton/Rogol Zaar arc starts

[Superlad93]

Translated interlac from Blok's page: "The interlac narration will be something like: Blok comes from Dryad where they believe justice is proportional. So to Blok this attack on the Legion feels like a full scale war. Blok is mentally noting which Legionnaires are actively fighting and which ones are pretending to. It wasn't until this moment that Blok noticed that Shadow Lass doesn't seem to do anything."

At first I thought it was just funny, but then I thought about the implications of this narration, and what Blok may have to say in the future.

Like, Blok may be the one to use deadly force on a foe because it would be proportionate to the threat. Or he'll be the one to advocate for the use of such force if another Legionnaire uses it.

[Korath]

Whoa, an excellent issue ! I was really afraid we'd just get some pin-ups from the artists, but it's not the case at all, and it makes the whole thing so damn better !

I need to read it again and again, to better form my opinion, but so far it's stellar.

[Superlad93]

You know what I now need?

Mon-El's reaction to the possibility of Jon and Saturn Girl being a thing (there's what seems to be another little hint at it in in this issue). Given how high strung Mon can be, that could be a fun interaction.

[manwhohaseverything]

You know what I now need?

Mon-El's reaction to the possibility of Jon and Saturn Girl being a thing (there's what seems to be another little hint at it in in this issue). Given how high strung Mon can be, that could be a fun interaction.

Yeah! I wouldn't want to know my great great times x grandfather and one of my friends had a thing for each other. It would be wierd.

[Korath]

I think that since issue 7, Bendis has finished setting up the place, so to speak : the last two issues have felt a lot more focused on advancinf the story and showing us who the characters are and I'm loving every second of it.

[Superlad93]

Was talking it over with a friend, and I think we may have figured out why Mon-El doesn't want Jon there, and why he's so moody/sensitive (as Triplicate Girl said) in general.

Basically, Mon-El comes from the most famous family in the galaxy. He's the direct heir to the House of El and Jon Kent/Superman (and Clark before him). That's a ridiculous amount of pressure to be under as soon as you're born. To make matters worse, as he alluded to in issue 3, Mon-El seems to have inherited his ancestral great grandfather's looks. So he grows up having people see his legacy and who he looks like before they see him.

So, imagine dealing with that for 17 years, then being asked to join the first new super team in nearly a thousand years....and then having you're famous ancestor you're always being compared to join the team alongside you. Now, every time Jon takes out a villain, shows his charisma, or is just all around doing his job well, you're mistakes and shortcoming look all the more glaring and devastating as you continue to not measure up in real time to a living legend.

That's why he couldn't stand the idea of not getting credit for knocking out Ultra Boy's dad. That's why Lightning Lad points out that Mon-El protested the idea of letting Jon join (issue 6). That's why Mon-El tries to do everything himself (as seen in issue 6 when he goes for the trident even the Brainy told him not to). That's why he takes it so hard when Phantom Girl points out that Ultra Boy's dad attacking the Legion is partially his fault. That's why he gets mad when Jon is nominated to be leader.

____________

And on top of that, I don't think Mon-El even wants to be the 31st century's Superman/Superboy. That might be the idea behind him just going by his name, and why he doesn't wear the symbol that is his birthright. Jon was dealing the the weight of his legacy not too long ago (and he still is). That shared experience may help the two bond even though they're ultimately picking two different paths. Mon gets the great Jon Kent had (and still has) doubts just like him, and Jon gets that Mon is dealing with being in the shadow of a living legend.

Their stories have a lot of potential to enhance each other, so I'm glad Mon-El is a favorite of Bendis', and that he's been excited to dig into the story. It's also great that New Krypton is coming up right after this, so the wait won't be long.

I wonder who House Zod's current heir is? Would be a trip if House El and Zod married at some point and that's Mon's cousin lol

[Robanker]

Was talking it over with a friend, and I think we may have figured out why Mon-El doesn't want Jon there, and why he's so moody/sensitive (as Triplicate Girl said) in general.

Basically, Mon-El comes from the most famous family in the galaxy. He's the direct heir to the House of El and Jon Kent/Superman (and Clark before him). That's a ridiculous amount of pressure to be under as soon as you're born. To make matters worse, as he alluded to in issue 3, Mon-El seems to have inherited his ancestral great grandfather's looks. So he grows up having people see his legacy and who he looks like before they see him.

So, imagine dealing with that for 17 years, then being asked to join the first new super team in nearly a thousand years....and then having you're famous ancestor you're always being compared to join the team alongside you. Now, every time Jon takes out a villain, shows his charisma, or is just all around doing his job well, you're mistakes and shortcoming look all the more glaring and devastating as you continue to not measure up in real time to a living legend.

That's why he couldn't stand the idea of not getting credit for knocking out Ultra Boy's dad. That's why Lightning Lad points out that Mon-El protested the idea of letting Jon join (issue 6). That's why Mon-El tries to do everything himself (as seen in issue 6 when he goes for the trident even the Brainy told him not to). That's why he takes it so hard when Phantom Girl points out that Ultra Boy's dad attacking the Legion is partially his fault. That's why he gets mad when Jon is nominated to be leader.

____________

And on top of that, I don't think Mon-El even wants to be the 31st century's Superman/Superboy. That might be the idea behind him just going by his name, and why he doesn't wear the symbol that is his birthright. Jon was dealing the the weight of his legacy not too long ago (and he still is). That shared experience may help the two bond even though they're ultimately picking two different paths. Mon gets the great Jon Kent had (and still has) doubts just like him, and Jon gets that Mon is dealing with being in the shadow of a living legend.

Their stories have a lot of potential to enhance each other, so I'm glad Mon-El is a favorite of Bendis', and that he's been excited to dig into the story. It's also great that New Krypton is coming up right after this, so the wait won't be long.

I wonder who House Zod's current heir is? Would be a trip if House El and Zod married at some point and that's Mon's cousin lol

I'm convinced someone from each house paired up at some point. I do think it'd be interesting to see how Kryptonian physiology changed over the millennium and how it contrasts with half-humans. I'm also equally convinced that Jon and Mon will bond over how each of them feels like they'll never live up to the legacy of their predecessor.

I will be mad-- nay, furious if we go to New Krypton and they don't have dogs. Krypto deserves a legacy! An entire planet of Goodest Boys. Yes!

Hell, maybe they settle on its moon and name it New Krypto. Every Kryptonian child gets to go there and find a buddy when they're 7 years old as a rite of passage.

[Superlad93]

I'm convinced someone from each house paired up at some point. I do think it'd be interesting to see how Kryptonian physiology changed over the millennium and how it contrasts with half-humans. I'm also equally convinced that Jon and Mon will bond over how each of them feels like they'll never live up to the legacy of their predecessor.

I will be mad-- nay, furious if we go to New Krypton and they don't have dogs. Krypto deserves a legacy! An entire planet of Goodest Boys. Yes!

Hell, maybe they settle on its moon and name it New Krypto. Every Kryptonian child gets to go there and find a buddy when they're 7 years old as a rite of passage.

I'm in full support of 31st century Kryptonian pets!

It's out there, but I'm thinking that maybe the heir to House Zod in the 31st century ends up becoming the 31st century Supergirl. She'd either be just a Zod or she's a Zod/El and thus Mon-El's cousin and also Jon's descendant. Regardless, I'm guessing she's the new version of Laurel Kent/Laurel Gand aka Andromeda. "Laurel-Zod"?

And regarding 31st century Kryptonians, I did notice that when Mon-El was fighting Ultra Boy's dad this issue his tag had just said "Mon. Krypton. Classified". This could mean there's maybe a little surprise in terms of what else Mon-El (and maybe 31st century Kryptonians) can do? Also since there's a whole plant full of Kryptonians, Mon-El's likely a greater percentage of Kryptonian than Jon is honestly.

______

It's also worth noting that Mon-El has been tampering with his tag since issue 2. "Lar Gand" of Daxam (as we saw in issue 3) seems to have been, for lack of a better word, Mon-El's version of "Clark Kent". It was almost like a mini Lois and Clark secret identity thing between Mon-El and Jon. It's really understated, but clever.

[Robanker]

I'm in full support of 31st century Kryptonian pets!

It's out there, but I'm thinking that maybe the heir to House Zod in the 31st century ends up becoming the 31st century Supergirl. She'd either be just a Zod or she's a Zod/El and thus Mon-El's cousin and also Jon's descendant. Regardless, I'm guessing she's the new version of Laurel Kent/Laurel Gand aka Andromeda. "Laurel-Zod"?

And regarding 31st century Kryptonians, I did notice that when Mon-El was fighting Ultra Boy's dad this issue his tag had just said "Mon. Krypton. Classified". This could mean there's maybe a little surprise in terms of what else Mon-El (and maybe 31st century Kryptonians) can do? Also since there's a whole plant full of Kryptonians, Mon-El's likely a greater percentage of Kryptonian than Jon is honestly.

______

It's also worth noting that Mon-El has been tampering with his tag since issue 2. "Lar Gand" of Daxam (as we saw in issue 3) seems to have been, for lack of a better word, Mon-El's version of "Clark Kent". It was almost like a mini Lois and Clark secret identity thing between Mon-El and Jon. It's really understated, but clever.

Andromeda as a Zod is an inspired touch to mirror Mon becoming an El proper considering they're both stand-ins for Superboys and Girl. Well done, dude.

[Superlad93]

Andromeda as a Zod is an inspired touch to mirror Mon becoming an El proper considering they're both stand-ins for Superboys and Girl. Well done, dude.

Thanks man!

Honestly, my most out there theory is that Ultra Boy becomes the Superman/Superboy of the 31st century after Jon goes home.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

The issue felt "meatier" than the other issues Bendis did so far. I kinda like Superlad's theory of Ultra Boy becoming this era's Superman.