Ultra Boy Appreciation Thread 2021

[DrNewGod]

I love Ultra Boy. He's fascinating because he puts on like he's either a thug or a dumb jock, but he's actually very shrewd and cunning, he's just from a world and used to an environment where hiding what he knows can be a big advantage - and that plays out to be true in the Legion and the United Planets as well! The best example I can think of offhand is Legion vol 4 Annual # 1.

Because that youth running with gangs is so important to how I view Jo's character, I couldn't help but be rubbed the wrong way by Bendis' version. Oh well, the classic material is still there, just as good as it ever was!

Even back in the Silver Age they were showing how Jo had a lot more going on between his ears than others gave him credit for, and knew how to exploit others' misapprehension of his potential.

[atomicskull]

One of the most compelling things about Jo Nah is being about to use one power at a time. You have folks like Kon, Superman, Shazam and Wonder Woman who can kind of just rush into situations. Jo would have to be a little smarter with his approach, figure out which ability fits the best. You have super-strength but perhaps not the invulnerability to back it up.

[j9ac9k]

Jo was an odd choice to get the son-of-the-leader retcon, given how many other Legionnaires either have always been (Dirk, Jeckie, Tasmia) or become over time children of privilege (Reep, Tinya, Gim) whose parents are leaders, champions, celebrities or ultra-rich.

I kind of liked that he was more working-class, and didn't come from the same background as some of the more upper-class Legionnaires.

I get what you're saying, but Bendis still gave him a father and culture that's just as rough - they might as well be a gang rather than royalty. I'm still trying to get used to the new design though, as with many of the Legionnaires who don't "look like themselves." Bendis Jo doesn't seem to really act like the Jo I'm familiar with either,(most Legionnaires seem to have interchangeable personalities now) but we'll see how it goes...

[Timber Wolf-By-Night]

Paul Levitz really leaned hard into "dumb jock" in his characterization of Ultra Boy during his classic 80's run -- but not for the first three years of it. The first three years, he portrayed Ultra Boy as being as intelligent as most the Legion who weren't Brainiac 5, particularly during the period from when he ran for leader against Dream Girl and Element Lad to his temporary stint as Dream Girl's second deputy leader. I think it was near the beginning of the Baxter title's second year, when Levitz had Mentalla try out for the Legion by demonstrating her powers on Ultra Boy, when Levitz started portraying Ultra Boy as dumb. Those first three years, it was Timber Wolf whom Levitz seemed to be hell-bent as portraying as dumb, unsure of himself, and basically making all the wrong decisions in term of his relationship with Light Lass, which in hindsight Levitz was clearly determined to torpedo. I think fans started really pushing back against this characterization of TW during the first year of the Baxter run, and that's how we got the now classic LSH #13 featuring TW carrying out Karate Kid's last request. But it's weird how, after finally ceasing to treat Timber Wolf as the Legion's dumbest member, he decided to give that distinction to Ultra Boy, instead.

[Sutekh]

Paul Levitz really leaned hard into "dumb jock" in his characterization of Ultra Boy during his classic 80's run -- but not for the first three years of it. The first three years, he portrayed Ultra Boy as being as intelligent as most the Legion who weren't Brainiac 5, particularly during the period from when he ran for leader against Dream Girl and Element Lad to his temporary stint as Dream Girl's second deputy leader. I think it was near the beginning of the Baxter title's second year, when Levitz had Mentalla try out for the Legion by demonstrating her powers on Ultra Boy, when Levitz started portraying Ultra Boy as dumb. Those first three years, it was Timber Wolf whom Levitz seemed to be hell-bent as portraying as dumb, unsure of himself, and basically making all the wrong decisions in term of his relationship with Light Lass, which in hindsight Levitz was clearly determined to torpedo. I think fans started really pushing back against this characterization of TW during the first year of the Baxter run, and that's how we got the now classic LSH #13 featuring TW carrying out Karate Kid's last request. But it's weird how, after finally ceasing to treat Timber Wolf as the Legion's dumbest member, he decided to give that distinction to Ultra Boy, instead.

Every generation some Legion dude got to wear the dunce cap, or the angry jerk cap, or painted with some unlikable trait. It rotated between Jo, Brin, Drake, Gim and, last time Levitz was on the book, seemed to have settled on Dirk this spin, who was a creep who kept touching women without their permission and getting called on it.

I loved a lot of his stories, but Levitz could get a little ham-handed with the 'must have drama!' personality conflicts on the team. It was kind of like an episode of Real World up in the Headquarters, sometimes, with people seeming to be set up for all the relationships shenanigans (who is cheating on who this week!) and clashing personalities shoved together (Vi hates Yera, let's make her a member of the team, so she can be angry all the time!).

It mostly annoyed me when it seemed not just out of character (because everyone has bad days!), but also kind of ridiculously unlikely, given the nature of the character. (Dream Girl can see the future. So she makes an obvious mistake, and then complains about having foreseen how it was going to blow up in her face? Brainiac 5 is *always* getting into clearly frustrating conversations that he could totally avoid with a slightly more diplomatic word choice. He literally is the stupidest person to ever open his mouth, when dealing with his teammates. Gim has a stronger mind for saying what he means without starting an argument! Ugh. Not *everyone* has to have 'the drama!')

[Adekis]

Every generation some Legion dude got to wear the dunce cap, or the angry jerk cap, or painted with some unlikable trait. It rotated between Jo, Brin, Drake, Gim and, last time Levitz was on the book, seemed to have settled on Dirk this spin, who was a creep who kept touching women without their permission and getting called on it.

Oh yeah... Dirk was really shoved under the bus at the end there, both between the pre-Crisis stuff and the Five Years Later arc, I mean they really made him awful, honestly gross. It was not what he needed. Sun Boy deserved and deserves better than that. Weird to say this, but I felt like Johns did a good job on Dirk back in like 2008. Sort of a redemption-arc-without-actually-referencing-the-bad-stuff.


You know, I'm not sure why there would ever need to be a Legionnaire wearing the "Jerk Hat" at all. I guess soap opera antics were in - it sure was the case over on "X-Men" and the Legion was one of DC's answers to that, so...

Okay, that's not about Ultra Boy, but it's still true!