Thoughts on Legion of Super Heroes 1984 series

[M@Bowers2014]

My one complaint with this run was the resignations of the three original members. Even with Saturn Girl coming back, you needed all three on the team in some capacity.

As a long-time Legion fan I was thrilled that they retired. They always get way too much focus. Plus we got so many new Legionnaires in their place. The only down side of that era was Lightle leaving so soon afterwards. I still bought and liked the book after that but I wasn't super excited. That's until Giffen came back then the book jumped back up to my must read pile. I especially loved Giffen's new style that was very much influenced by his work with Kevin Maguire. Then came the 5YL era which I loved so much even though so many bad things happened to so many of my favorites. The story was so dense and fresh and unlike anything we'd seen in the Legion before while also being firmly planted in Legion lore.

[DrNewGod]

My one complaint with this run was the resignations of the three original members. Even with Saturn Girl coming back, you needed all three on the team in some capacity.

I think most of us knew they'd be back, but it gave a real sense of consequence to the stories, that things weren't just going to be the same old in the near future.

[caj]

It's been awhile, but during the Conspiracy story with the Time Trapper, I understood Mon-El, Brainy, and Luornu's reasons behind their involvement. But what about Imra? Why would she risk leaving her kids motherless to become involved with this?

[caj]

Be honest - who was your first guess as to who Sensor Girl was? Did most of you assume it was Kara Zor El?

[kcekada]

I was hoping, but I picked up on the Projectra hints very early on.

[DrNewGod]

Be honest - who was your first guess as to who Sensor Girl was? Did most of you assume it was Kara Zor El?

I hoped, but it seemed too obvious.

[Nomads1]

Be honest - who was your first guess as to who Sensor Girl was? Did most of you assume it was Kara Zor El?

I honestly don't recall what were my suspicions. I do remember thinking that Kara Zor-El was too much on the nose.

Peace

[caj]

One thing I thought was cool was an issue in which Sensor Girl shares a story with Jacques about her, Karate Kid, and Ferro Lad in their early Legion days. When she finishes the story, they both fall asleep and the tag say something like "the world sleeps".

The next issue, we realize it was actually true as we are now knee deep in The Universo Project.

[Sutekh]

Be honest - who was your first guess as to who Sensor Girl was? Did most of you assume it was Kara Zor El?

Yeah, definitely thought it was going to be Kara, but some sort of temporal shockwave nonsense was going to result in only a part of her being rescued at the moment of her death, so that this 'part' of Kara retained her super-senses, but not much else. Most of her personality was still the same, but she also had totally forgotten ever having a relationship with Brainy, who would have defied the others and nearly broken time attempting to 'save' her, alienating his friends and teammates, and getting... some girl who didn't know him... I had it all figured out. But NOOOPE!

But I actually liked the Projectra pivot. It was cleverly done.

In my own imaginings, the Sensor Girl identity is a shared one. Sometimes used by Projectra, who does actually have some Queenly stuff to do from time to time and isn't there 100% of the time. Sometimes used by Imra, who is 'retired,' but also on Earth from time to time, dealing with political nonsense as an advocate for the Legion (and doesn't want to operate publicaly as Saturn Girl while also doing diplomatic work on their behalf, nor rub Garth's face in the fact that she's not quite as 'retired' as he is, even if he knows all about it). And sometimes worn by that time-displaced 'temporal remnant' of Kara I imagined above (who also isn't around 100% of the time, having her own life to re-discover). Three different women, with quite different powers, which could explain any inconsistencies in what 'Sensor Girl' has been shown doing!

[Thor-Ul]

Yeah, definitely thought it was going to be Kara, but some sort of temporal shockwave nonsense was going to result in only a part of her being rescued at the moment of her death, so that this 'part' of Kara retained her super-senses, but not much else. Most of her personality was still the same, but she also had totally forgotten ever having a relationship with Brainy, who would have defied the others and nearly broken time attempting to 'save' her, alienating his friends and teammates, and getting... some girl who didn't know him... I had it all figured out. But NOOOPE!

That would had been a bigger time mess to complicate the Legion even more.

But I actually liked the Projectra pivot. It was cleverly done.

It was a clever save.

In my own imaginings, the Sensor Girl identity is a shared one. Sometimes used by Projectra, who does actually have some Queenly stuff to do from time to time and isn't there 100% of the time. Sometimes used by Imra, who is 'retired,' but also on Earth from time to time, dealing with political nonsense as an advocate for the Legion (and doesn't want to operate publicaly as Saturn Girl while also doing diplomatic work on their behalf, nor rub Garth's face in the fact that she's not quite as 'retired' as he is, even if he knows all about it). And sometimes worn by that time-displaced 'temporal remnant' of Kara I imagined above (who also isn't around 100% of the time, having her own life to re-discover). Three different women, with quite different powers, which could explain any inconsistencies in what 'Sensor Girl' has been shown doing!

That could had been an interesting way to put the things. But I insist, the "time displaced Kara" would had been another canof worms for the Legion.

[caj]

According to Paul Levitz, she was originally planned to be Kara but he was told he could not use her. That's when everything changed to her being Projectra with stronger powers.

[Timber Wolf-By-Night]

I mean...they made a big deal out of the death of Supergirl. And Levitz actually thought he was going to sneak her resurrection past the higher ups at DC who signed off on her death?

It reminds me of Dan Jurgens' efforts several years later with ZERO HOUR to attempt to erase proto-Oracle Barbara Gordon from the DCU and "integrate" an alternate-timeline Batgirl who was never crippled, just to bring back Barbara-as-Batgirl, and it turned out he apparently didn't even consult with Denny O'Neill about the matter, until O'Neill found out about his plans and informed him that they had plans to use the wheelchair-bound Barbara, so knock it off (I added that last remark). Or when Jim Starlin, in the middle of one of the RANN-THANAGAR minis, did a special starring Hawkman just to get rid of then-current status quo of him being Carter Hall, apparently because he wanted to write about Katar Hol instead, and seemingly didn't check to see if anybody had plans to used Carter-Hall-as-Hawkman. Because almost as soon as that special was published, Hawkman was yanked away from Starlin because Geoff Johns had plans for the Carter Hall version later on in BLACKEST NIGHT.

You have to actually make sure you have editorial control of a character before you decide to make a massive change to said character's status quo.

[JThree]

I mean...they made a big deal out of the death of Supergirl. And Levitz actually thought he was going to sneak her resurrection past the higher ups at DC who signed off on her death?

It reminds me of Dan Jurgens' efforts several years later with ZERO HOUR to attempt to erase proto-Oracle Barbara Gordon from the DCU and "integrate" an alternate-timeline Batgirl who was never crippled, just to bring back Barbara-as-Batgirl, and it turned out he apparently didn't even consult with Denny O'Neill about the matter, until O'Neill found out about his plans and informed him that they had plans to use the wheelchair-bound Barbara, so knock it off (I added that last remark). Or when Jim Starlin, in the middle of one of the RANN-THANAGAR minis, did a special starring Hawkman just to get rid of then-current status quo of him being Carter Hall, apparently because he wanted to write about Katar Hol instead, and seemingly didn't check to see if anybody had plans to used Carter-Hall-as-Hawkman. Because almost as soon as that special was published, Hawkman was yanked away from Starlin because Geoff Johns had plans for the Carter Hall version later on in BLACKEST NIGHT.

You have to actually make sure you have editorial control of a character before you decide to make a massive change to said character's status quo.

Sad, It might have been nice for Sensor Girl to be be Kara, and I really wanted the Silver Age Kater back. I didn't like all the retconning concerning Hawkman. Carter Hall, wasn't a Wovernine wannabe, despite his use of ancient weapons. And Kater Hall was a gentleman and happily married to Shayerra. I miss those days.

--jthree

[kcekada]

It reminds me of Dan Jurgens' efforts several years later with ZERO HOUR to attempt to erase proto-Oracle Barbara Gordon from the DCU and "integrate" an alternate-timeline Batgirl who was never crippled, just to bring back Barbara-as-Batgirl, and it turned out he apparently didn't even consult with Denny O'Neill about the matter, until O'Neill found out about his plans and informed him that they had plans to use the wheelchair-bound Barbara, so knock it off (I added that last remark).

O'Neill never gave a crap about Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. Had John Ostrander and his wife Kim Yale not come up with a way to use her in Suicide Squad, she'd probably have become a recurring supporting character only brought in occasionally to show off the Joker's handiwork. O'Neill had no plans for her until she became Oracle in Suicide Squad.

[Thor-Ul]

O'Neill never gave a crap about Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. Had John Ostrander and his wife Kim Yale not come up with a way to use her in Suicide Squad, she'd probably have become a recurring supporting character only brought in occasionally to show off the Joker's handiwork. O'Neill had no plans for her until she became Oracle in Suicide Squad.

You know, what happened to Batgirl could be compared to what happened to Supergirl. Both characters where secondary femenine variants of the main heroes and in those years that was the thrend to simplify the lines.They had erased universes, remember soon after The Killing joke they published Death in the family. They wanted all thos characters out. Barbara was lucky to have Ostrander anad Yale who found her a different and pivotal role in the post crisis DCU.
But Kara as Sensor girl, well, that was a different problem. I think than even if Levitz would had win and had keep his idea and bring back Kara on that role, most probably she would had ended being revealed as coming from the same pocket universe from where the Superboy just before die. Or worst, she would had been revealed as a Manhunter agent instead Laurel Kent. And then, that would had been really painful.