Superman for all times

It's been a while since my last post. I've been busy catching up on my reading material and all the ongoings of FINAL CRISIS and SECRET INVASION. It seems that the respective comic universes are coming down either at the hands of the reborn New Gods or because it's drowned in more skrulls than you can shake a stick ( or a She Hulk ) at.


But in reading all about vengeful Rogue's, running towards salvation or new orders I have neglected my own blog a bit. I tried to finish all my reading before my brother comes to Spain next month because naturally he won't bring his own laptop so I won't have access to mine once he gets here. I'm now halfway through ( or maybe two thirds ) with the biggest parts still ahead of me like ANNIHILATION which I want to read before I read issue 1 of the new GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY series. That's the only comic left from my last comic order. I have already ordered the next batch ( because I doubt that I can read any comics on the computer once my brother gets here ) but it takes two weeks for them to get shipped to Spain so I don't know if they arrive before my brother. The only other comic to read is the fourth volume of the Jom Aparo stories for THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD but I want to drag that out for as long as I can so I'm reading all the stuff that's still on my laptop. But I had to take a break.

One reason is that my head's ready to explode from sensory overload the other reason is that I wanted to put up post 150 ( the second one ) as long as I still can. It has taken me this long because normally I just write whatever comes to my mind but I already had the topic for post 150. So when another topic started manifesting itself in my head I had to write it down to post it as post 151. Which took a few days but in the end I did it.


The downside was that normally after emptying all my creativity into one of my usual incredible litrary pearls that I share with my fortunate readers - I'm feeling pretty drained. Which combined with the fact that I got caught up in my reading material led to the huge gap between the last post and this one.

Well, what is done is done, now we're back on track and the positive side is that I have already written post 151 which is sure to bring quite a lot of controversy with it.....which is the reason why it's not post 150. For this post I have decided not to write about destructive and negative things like skrull invasions or final crisis but about something positive : namely the rebirth of everything super in the form of ALL STAR SUPERMAN. Right in time with the 70th anniversary of the Man of Tomorrow this instant classic wraps up so what better time to take a look at it than right before the last issue ships ?

So let's fetch some Pretzels and beer, turn on the old phantom zone projector and dive into some Silver Age vibe.

The guy everyone loves to hate


The one comment I read most while doing the research is " I was ready to hate the series when I first hear about it but when I read the first issue ( insert clever play of words ) bla bla bla ". It seems the general populace is not too impressed with the Man of Steel. While on one side everybody on the planet ( no pun intended ) seems to know who Superman is on the other side mostly everybody thinks he's boring, uninteresting and just a living anachronism. It seems that when the average Joe thinks about Superman he doesn't think about all the great things about Superman like the first Superman movie, Superman vs Muhammed Ali, Superman for all Seasons or Kingdom Come.


No. When they think about Superman it's normally the likes of Superman the fourth movie, Superfriends or all those bad Superman stories.

Additionally the whole basis of Superman seems so outdated that it's bordering on the ridiculous. In today's world everybody's in it for himself and someone who is as altruistic as Superman must be crazy or having a hidden agenda. Today's slacker generation is more likely to see delinquents like 50 Cent or Lex Luthor as their heroes than Superman. Most people just see what Superman COULD do with his powers and they don't think that someone on this powerlevel could be very interesting. I mean with all his power what could really happen to him ? It's a rule that a main character's appeal to the reader is tied to the possibility of being hurt or his possiblities to die. And most readers see Superman as indestructable.


And this is where a good writer comes in. Because most people are so focused on the powers that they forget the man behind the cape. Let's face it : it's all about Clark Kent. In KILL BILL it was said that Superman is always Superman because he can't turn off his powers. And that Clark Kent is his commentary on humanity that he sees as weak and fumbling. Now while it is true that Superman can't turn off his powers ( at least not without a lot of trouble ) it is not true that he's always Superman. He is always Clark Kent.

Once upon a time in America

Superman is a universal story because it's about things everybody on the world can relate to ( or should be able to relate to ) truth, justice and doing the right thing. But it always had a special connection to America because the story is also a typical american story : a foreigner comes to America where he finds a life, friends and a destiny to fulfill. Superman is not the first immigrant nor will ne be the last but he's the most famous one. Contrary to other aliens like the Martian Manhunter or Hawkman Superman grew up as an american citizen and his values are therefore american values. He grew up in Smallville as Clark Kent and despite his super powers that's who he basically is. He may be the strongest being on the planet ( or the second strongest depending on how you rate J'onn J'onzz ) but his mindset is of a boy who grew up on a farm working hard with his own bare hands.

Superman is not who he really is. Superman is something he created to give to the press and the media so they are occupied and don't bother Clark Kent.


It has always been said that a pair of glasses is the worst disguise when in reality it is the best disguise - if it is a disguise after all. Because normally heroes hide their faces in their superhero identity and show their real faces in their secret identity. With Superman it's the other way around. He shows his real face in his superhero role. Which is the reason that most people don't think that he even has a secret identity ! I mean everybody on the planet knows how he looks. How could he have a secret identity ? It's not possible. So most people think he's just Superman 24 hours a day. It's logical. If you could be Superman all the time would YOU be someone else ? And everybody has seen Superman at baseball games or other public events. It's not like he's averting desasters all the time. And when he wants to be alone he just goes to his Fortress of Solitude. Most people just think that Superman is always super and always does super things. They don't think much about what it means to be this Superman.

Because that's the crux of every good Superman story. Don't forget the Super but concentrate on the man. Despite of all the power there is still a man inside this hero and that's also where his greatest weaknesses hide. There are some things that Superman can't do and that has always been the parting point for the best stories. Like the fact that even Superman can't be everywhere at the same time was the beginnig of the KING OF THE WORLD. Or the fact that even Superman can die was the beginning of THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN, WORLD WITHOUT A SUPERMAN and REIGN OF SUPERMAN.


Or the fact that even the greatest superpowers are worthless if you can't trust your own senses. If you don't know what's real and what's not all your super powers amount to nothing which was the beginning of the RED GLASS TRILOGY and the DOMINUS storyline.

There are certain points where even Superman reaches his limits.

May it be the fact that he can't change history, bring back the dead or simply won't break the law. But the great weakness as well as the greatest strenght of Superman has always been Clark Kent and his human side. So it's no wonder that ALL STAR SUPERMAN gives us a hefty dose of this human side.

All Star Grant Morrison

There is always the danger of coming across as pompous when you use terms like " instant classic " , " best comic " or " all star " but that's something I'm going to risk in this case. Because it's not too big of a risk if you ask me. So far there have been only two kind of reactions by readers of this series :

Firstly complete approval by all Superman afficionados who read it. And secondly a big dose of " What's so great about this series ? " by readers who never were very interested in Superman for the most part of their life. And I can understand that. No, really. If you haven't been reading Superman for 35 years like me and you haven't followed him through storylines that hurt worse than a kryptonite infection it's hard to see how brilliant this new series is.


If you don't know much about Batman you also don't know how brilliant Tim Burton's first BATMAN is. It's a good movie but nothing more if you don't know your Batlore. And if you don't read much Superman it's also difficult to grasp how brilliantly Grant Morrison takes everything from Superman's 70 years of history and weaves it into one complex story that I'm sure will go done in history as one of the best stories ever.

And not only because the story is littered with little winks and nods to Superman trivia or because Grant Morrison seems to come up with the craziest ideas effortlessly like a new key for the fortress that's so heavy that only Superman can lift it. No it's also because he incorporates things like the Suneater, the computer tyrant Solaris or encounters with Samson and Atlas or the Superman - Jimmy Olsen - War and puts his own spin on it. Everything that makes Superman Superman is in this book and like the fortress of solitude get a brand new makeover.

But what makes this series so great is not only the content but also the format.

To be continued

You know I pity the people who buy this as a trade. No, I really do. Because let's face it : Grant Morrison is reviving a lost art form with the book. The self contained single issue story.


Even though every issue is part of a big story that unfolds like a giant mystery story it contains a story that stands for itself. There is a creepy story in SUPERMAN'S FORBIDDEN ROOM,a blockbuster action story in THE SUPERMAN / OLSEN WAR, a tragic story in FUNERAL IN SMALLVILLE, a bizarre story in the Bizarro two parter and a Lex Luthor story in THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LEX LUTHOR. Each issue leaves you on the edge of the seat and you can't wait for the next. Which for me was always how I rate a series. Not if the writer or artist is hot but how much do I want to read the next issue. Which is one of the reasons why I read John Byrne's BLOOD OF THE DEMON or DOOM PATROL. Because I just wanted to know what happened next. That's just part of every good comic reading experience. Waiting for the next part and rereading the issue and descovering all the little things you overlooked the first time. Savoring each little part of this twelve part series on it's own. And that's something all the people who are waiting for the trade are missing out on. And that's why I pity the fools.

If you think about it the whole series is a big Lex Luthor story. Because in the end that's all what it boils down to : Lex trying to kill Superman. Of all the villains Superman has had over the years Lex Luthor has always been the least powerful and the most successful. But why is that so ? What has made Lex the eternal thorn is Superman's side ?


In the beginning he was no different than all the other cheap throw - away, dime - a - dozen villains that paraded through the pages of the Superman magazines like the Prankster, Terraman or Brainiac. But over the course of time Lex became his big nemesis first by tying his beginnings as a villain to Superboy and then by seeing Superman as nothing more than an alien invader. The moment when Lex started to refer to Superman as the alien was the moment when he took his first steps to become the Ying to Superman's Yang. The next big step was when John Byrne revamped the Superman franchise and turned Lex Luthor from the armory wearing bruiser to a kingpinlike untouchable crimelord who held Metropoils in his iron claw and was seen by all inhabitants of Metropolis as the ultimate humanitarian. This concept was so successful that it has been incorporated in the ADVENTURES OF CLARK & LOIS tv show ( starring the fantastic Teri Hatcher )

 
 and all following versions of Lex.

Lex Luthor now had two things that would make him Superman's equal ( if not better ) : one of the most brilliant minds on earth and absolutely no remorse. He would do whatever it takes to bring down Superman and take his natural role as president of the United States and ultimately king of the world. I always asked myself why Lex really hates Superman. Is it the fact that he sees him as an obstacle to mankinds natural evolution like he always proclaims ? Or does he just hate him because unlike Lex he never wanted to rule earth ? Does Lex see Superman as an alien because he came from the stars or because Superman's ideas of using all his powers to the benefit of mankind without getting something back are something he can never understand ? Let's face it : Lex always argues that it's the fault of Superman that he's a criminal and that with Superman gone he could rush in a new utopia. But in the year without Superman he didn't invent a cure for cancer or build new cities on the moon or find a new source of energy. All he did was build machines to kill Superman. So that shows what he's really made of.

The house that Lex built

It's no wonder that Grant Morrison shows us a invigorated and charismatic Lex. One that's so obsessed with the achievements he made without super powers like his muscles or his intellect that he never even suspects that some feeble and clumsy human like Clark Kent could be Superman.


The Luthor we can find in this book is vain, brilliant, funny and utterly evil. Without spoiling too much he kills Superman in the first issue because Lex has wrinkles. That's badass.

And that's really not much of a spoiler because that's the whole parting point of the series, the big idea of Grant Morrison : Lex finally suceeding in killing Superman and what Superman does in his final days. There have always been two kind of superhero stories that have been repeated over and over again : the origin and the final days. It seems the most interesting points in a superheroes life are his beginnings when he learns the ropes and the ending. Which is the reason why Superman's end lasts eleven issues. Because as THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN showed the event in itself is not the interesting part but what leads up to it or what comes afterward. And in this case Superman knows that his days are numbered. Which Morrison uses to delve into the psyche of this Superman to see him experience fear, tragedy, defeat and pain....in short being human.

All Star Frank Quitely


A comic is always the combination of words and pictures giving the reader the creative fuit of labor of a great writer as well as a great artist - in the best cases. So I would be amiss if I didn't mention the work of Frank Quitely. Where Grant Morrison does his magic with words to pull us into the story it's the art of Frank Quitely that really takes us to the fortress of solitude, bizarroworld or the underverse. And where Morrison weaves a story that seems simple but reveals layer upon layer of deeper meanings Quitely unfolds a tapestry of iconic pictures that capture the sheer scope of the Superman universe adding all the little easter eggs for Superman fans to discover on the third or fourth reading. And believe me, you will be reading the issues four or even five time. And not only because of the story but also for Quiteley's amazing art. His Superman is imposing, his Clark Kent looks like he dressed himself without lights and his Lex really instills fear.


It's not always easy to transform godlike superfeats into something printable....well, unless you're Frank Quitely. Which is surely one of the reasons for the books Eisner awards.

So far the series has received nothing but praise so I don't think it's much of anunderstatement that this is one story that in future times will be refered to as one of the classic stories like WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW ?, FOR THE MAN WHO HAS EVERYTHING or SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS. For some stories only time can tell if they can stand the test of time but sometimes you know right away if something is just perfect like the MASTERS OF EVIL storyline by John Buscema and Tom Palmer.

So the final issue is still to come and like always Lex Luthor has managed to turn the tables on Superman. And while I think I know what's to come I have long given up trying to secondguess writers of the calibre of Grant Morrison or Erik Larsen because it's just not possible. All you can do is strap yourself in and enjoy the ride. After all this is Grant Morrison's world - the rest of us is just visiting.


Normally I would have put up the amazon link for the trade but in this case the hardcover is cheaper than you will get in any comicshop on the internet ( at least the ones I know ) especially if you keep in mind that this includes shipping - within Germany at least.



Now lastly here's something for those that don't care to be spoiled. On this blog you can find a little experiment, namely the whole story told in eleven panels taking the pivotal panel from each issue for it. I think it suceeded : All Star Superman in 11 panels

New to the blog ? Everything you need to know about TALES FROM THE KRYPTONIAN : top ten posts / more posts of interest

Long live the Legion !

I couldn´t sleep tonight so - once again - I´m spending the time writing on my blog. And it´s waaaay overdue since I wanted to write a few posts before going to Spain on Tuesday.


Yes, my days are numbered.....but in a good way. Tomorrow I´m off to the land of affordable comics, uncut movies and great tv entertainment. Compared to Spanish tv the German tv program is for monks and eunuchs. The spanish tv is more like in Italy.

I´m going to Spain to attend the SALON DEL COMIC DE BARCELONA 2008. Last year was my first time there and it was a really great experience so I´m really excited to go. Of course I am ill right before leaving Germany which is probably Germany´s way of saying : " Now don´t you forget why you are leaving. Here´s a little cough to remind you. And since you´re already sick how about a running nose ? " Man, that totally sucks. So that´s one reason why I can´t sleep tonight. Then I also had to get up and finally finish the CD with the music I´m going to take with me to Spain.


For the last two days I´m trying to finish it ( I´m going to save all my files on the computer to get the harddrive clean ) but my brother is always writing something and I don´t know if I have mentioned it......but if my brother is working I can´t do anything. Everything is a distraction so playing music was totally out of the question. Last night I made the mistake to stay awake to wait for him to finally go to sleep. The result was that five minutes after I was too tired to stay awake and finally went to sleep he decided to do the same. Which also meant that he got up ten minutes after me the next day. Looks like he´s gone back to ghosting me. Splinter would be proud.

Anyway, last night I didn´t wait for him to go to sleep but I didn´t get any more sleep either. At least I´m writing another post for my blog even if it will probably be my last post for the next few months. Since my mother is also flying to Spain I´m going to stay there for a few months to look for a job. There has to be more in life for a 40 year old guy who speaks four languages and who has a degree as a salesman than working for almost nothing or sweating at the factory.


And since I don´t have a return ticket yet I´m guessing that it will be three months till I come back and have internet access.

So for this post I have decided to write the all spoilers post about the SUPERMAN AND THE LEGION OF SUPER - HEROES story in ACTION COMICS. I was hoping that up to this point I was already finished with the SUPERMAN issues by Carlos Pacheco but again I didn´t get to it. So like it´s already a tradition I´m taking some Superman comics done by Carlos Pacheco with me to read.


Last year it were the SUPERMAN / BATMAN issues by Pacheco and the following issues by Ed McGuiness and the year before the first storyline by Ed McGuiness. If you ever take something with you to read at a house in the middle of nowhere ( like the one I´m going to ) than take somethin you can re - read at least ten times. And as a small tip : better take the stories done by Carlos Pacheco and Ed McGuiness - the rest is just downhill.

I don´t know why they are still publishing the book. I mean the first 25, 27 issues were gold ( with a few exceptions ) but after that the stories and the art got worse and worse. I couldn´t even look at the issues guest - starring the Metal Men. This book used to be the best of the best of DC and now the stories are even worse than what´s printed in the regular issues of Superman. I mean on one side you have the regular issues with Pacheco and Gary Frank and on the other side......well, it seems DC never heard about quitting while you´re ahead.

Anyway, the Superman issues are the only reading material I´m taking with me this year. Anything else I need to get sketches ( I bought a brandnew, mother - f - ing big sketchbook for this convention because my old little book has just a few pages left ) I will buy at the convention because it´s way cheaper there. And this year I will take the Pacheco Superman issues with me to the convention. Last year I didn´t take the SUPERMAN / BATMAN issues with me to the convention and I could have them all signed.


Well, maybe that´s a blessing in disguise since he signed all my AVENGERS FOREVER issues when he was in Erlangen and now I´m reluctant to read the issues. I have the trade of OBEY OR DIE ( or how it is lately called ABSOLUTE POWER ) but somehow I prefer to read the single issues. Anyway, I got my Wonder Woman sketch by Carlos Pacheco and that´s the important thing.

But most important is the real topic of this post which is Superman and the Legion of Super - Heroes. Like I already mentioned this post will be full of spoilers so if you want to enjoy all the surprises, twists and shocking cliffhangers then skip right to the clip section. You have been warned.

THE MAN WHO REMEMBERED TOMORROW


When it was announced that Gary Frank would be the new regular artist on ACTION COMICS I didn´t immediatelly jump and put it on my pull list. One of the reasons was that I expected my brother to put it on his pull list. He has way more money to spend and for the last few years he has had most Superman titles on his pull list even when the quality wasn´t very high. So I thought he would leap at the chance to get such an high quality book in his comic collection. Which for some strange reason he didn´t. Just one of the reasons why I have given up on understanding why my brother has certain comics on his pull list.

The other reason was that every time when a " hot " new creative team is announced you can count yourself lucky if they have no fill - in artists in the first five issues. So I decided to get the issues without putting it on my pull list. Who knows how the story will be ? If they´re good then I can keep an eye out for more issues.


So, are the issues any good ? You have no idea. It´s so good to have the Legion back as a part of the Superman continuity. The Legion is back with a vengeance. It´s like when you suddenly walk into your best friend that you haven´t seen in years. You know, back in the day you were best friends like till - the - end - of - the - world - best - friends but something happened. You moved and lost his address and phone number or one day he was gone without a word and you couldn´t find him or whatever. Something happened and your paths branched of and it´s been so many years that you have forgotten it. And than - bam - you two meet by accident and it´s like nothing happened. Like no time has passed at all. You´re going for a few drinks and you spend five hours just talking and it´s like old times. Well, that´s how the storyline is.

It´s a little weird to see Clark Kent as the deliberate awkward and oafish outsider at the Daily Planet again.


I mean, every time a new writer comes aboard a Superman title Clark´s personality changes. That may be a writer´s prerogative but as a longtime reader it´s a bit hard to swallow to see him go from seasoned pro and father figure to Olsen to burnt out ex - star reporter who has been demoted to insecure newbie with no reason whatsoever. A little bit of editorial oversight would be really appreciated here. But thankfully that´s not the main focus here even though the whole clumsy Clark routine is done superbly and just adds to the overall nostalgia feeling of the storyline.


And when I´m talking about nostalgia I´m not talking about the stories that are written exclusively for older fans and new readers can´t understand. I speak of an story that combines the best of the best elements of Superman and form an instant classic like the Porsche 911 of Superman comics. Like Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely´s ALL STAR SUPERMAN.

So in the first issue we learn that Superman had forgotten all about the Legion ( besides his encounters with the group as an adult like I retold in my last post about the Legion ) but thanks to the events in the JLA / JSA crossover THE LIGHTNING SAGA he knew that they had been best friends, they had many adventures together but one day the skies turned red and he never heard of them again till he was all grown up. In the first issue Brainiac 5 contacts him to help with some great desaster in the future and so Superman literally remembers Tomorrow - he remembers the days he spent in the future.


The first impression when I read the first issue was that aside from the exceptional art one has come to expect from Gary Frank Geoff Johns has a knack for explaining how alone Superboy really was before meeting the Legion. After being unique for many years it must have been pure joy to meet teenagers who were like Superboy. Kind of like when you´re at your first comic convention.


So of course Superman agrees to travel through time ( did I mention that I just love good time travel stories ? ) only to find out that like always the time machine was damaged, he didn´t arrive when he was supposed to arrive and when he finally meets some Legionnaries they are not too thrilled to see him.

NO TIME LIKE THE FUTURE


Well, it seems that Brainiac 5 didn´t listen to the other Legionnaries ( what else is new ) when he contacted Superman. It has been mentioned in THE LIGHTNING SAGA that : Superman must not return to the 32nd century ! Okay, maybe that has a little " Harry Potter must not return to Hogwarts ! " vibe going. But it´s like they always say : If you have to borrow borrow from the best. And of course it added a whole new level of mystery to why the Legion never contacted Superboy again. It´s not what you would expect and let me just say that not all´s like Superman remembers in the future. There have been some changes since he left and not all of them are for the better.


One of the changes makes Superman´s stay in the future tougher than he expected if not outright life threatening. I´m not going to say what it is since it´s the big surprise ending of the first issue but there is a very good reason why the Legion voted against Superman´s return.

But Geoff Johns wouldn´t be Geoff Johns if that was all to it. No, to add another wrinkle to it there has been another change that forces Superman to confront the legacy he left behind and what history makes out it. And not in a good way.

REVENGE OF THE REJECTS


For the villains in this story Geoff Johns has really dug deep in Legion history. Although they seem to be new creations all the bad guys have appeared in Legion comics before. They were all rejected by the Legion but unlike Polar Boy who formed the LEGION OF SUBSTITUTE HEROES ( my favorite part of the Legion franchise ) and who later earned the respect and finally a place in the real Legion those guys went the other way and became villains.

So here are the bady guys and what they looked like in their first appearances :


Golden Boy


I was always a little baffled by the reasons the Legion chose their members and by which they rejected some of the guys. I´m not sure but being able to turn things into gold is a genuine superpower. And should the possible dangers to the economy really be one of the main reasons for rejecting someone ? Shouldn´t it be possible to be a hero if you vow only to use your power for good ? No, they just outright say that he is going to cause interplanetary economic disaster. I mean, Superman can turn coal into diamonds ? But was he rejected because if he made millions of diamonds that would be bad for the economy ? I think they just didn´t like him and had to come up with some stupid excuse to give him the boot.

And that´s not the only one. Just look at Radiation Boy


Rejected because he couldn´t turn his power off ? That´s totally bogus. Can Wildfire turn his powers off ? No he can´t. He even has to wear a freaking containment suit to stay in human form. Without it he is just a pulsating cloud of energy. Well, Radiation Boy has him beat on that level. He doesn´t need a stinking containment suit to have a human body - although it would help with the deadly radiation. Now, last time I read a comic with the Legion they said that their spacesuits shield them from radiation. So all they had to give him would have been one of their old suits ? Man, that´s cold. Anyway, Radiaton Boy - better than Wildfire. Hmm, I begin to see why they are so pissed off to begin with. I would also be angry if I got rejected because of some nitpicking. Like in the case with Storm Boy


Rejected because he didn´t have a real superpower. He only was a genius who could build a machine to control the weather. He was rejected because let´s face it - he´s just very smart.....like Brainiac 5. That´s right. Brainiac 5 also has no superpowers. All that he can contribute to the Legion is his intelligence and the things he builds like his forcefield belt or his time machine. It´s like building a machine that could say.......control the weather ! What´s going on here ? This guy got rejected for the same reason that Brainiac 5 is IN the Legion. Being very clever. Maybe Brainiac 5 didn´t want another member who could someday replace him and make him obsolete. It´s like in X - Static when the Anarchist is freaked out because there is another brother on the team. You have two very smart Legionnaries and all of a sudden it´s : You better don´t start any long holo fictions, Brainiac 5. So no membership for guys who are good at building things ( unless they´re green ) which means that Iron Man would have no chance to become a Legion member.

Another guy who had no chance was Tusker


He just got a bit nervous and got his tusks stuck in a tree. So what´s the Legion´s sensible response to the poor guy who just embarrassed himself in front of his heroes ?

REJECTED ! GET THAT LOSER OUT OF MY FACE !

It seems that in the future you don´t need social skills to be a hero. There goes one super hero to be. Scarred for life. Nice going dudes. So am I supposed to feel sympathy for the Legion in Geoff John´s new story ? More and more it looks like they only got what they deserved. No, really. The more I see about the tryouts for new members the more it seems that they admit whomever they like and they reject who they want if they feel like it.

I mean in Murphy´s laws there is such a thing like the effect of the demonstration. Which means that you can go and do something as many times as you want at home. Every time you do it at home it works perfectly. But then you want to do it in front of an audience and of course all of a sudden it goes wrong. And not only does it go wrong but it goes wrong in the worst way possible. Like for Spider Girl


Rejected for pissing off Saturn girl. Hmm, first this guy who was kind of like Iron Man and now this girl who is kind of like Medusa. I´m not sure but did Marvel build its heroes out of old Legion rejects ? Next thing you know Marvel will go and make a comic about someone called Spider Girl. Wait a minute.....they already have.

Now here´s what I find so fantastic about copyright laws and how DC deals with them. Superboy had to die because of some stupid thing concerning copyrights but it´s okay to have someone in an actual comic whose name is a ripp - off of a Marvel character. That sucks ! You just can´t understand it. And I don´t even try anymore.

But we have one last Legion reject who is also their team leader : Earth Man or TSHFKAAB which means " the Super Hero formerly known as Absorbancy Boy ". With a name like that I would also change it to Earth Man.



His superpower ? Kind of like Animal Man´s powers. He can absorb any residue superpowers. That´s like Amazo only better. Amazo can duplicate every superpower of every super hero who´s present. Now Earth Man´s powers go even a step further. He can duplicate the powers of every hero when they have already left. Which means that if he enters the meeting room of the Legion of Super Heroes right after a full membership meeting he´s one hell of a powerful guy.


Which in turn makes total sense that they rejected him and chose Tyroc. I mean Earth Man could have any superpower you want if you just have the right Legion members leaving the room. That´s way too powerful. And we don´t want guys who are too powerful in the Legion. I mean where would be the challange ? It´s better to have someone like Tyroc whose power it is to do whatever the story needs with his voice. No matter if it means burning up flying saucers or to turn elephants into flowers. Tyroc just screams and presto - instant story resolution. No wonder they imprisoned him in Brigadoon.


So there you have it. Somehow the Legion brought this one upon themsleves and now the whole universe has to suffer. What else is new ? But that´s what happens when a bunch of Teenagers pick favorites for a super team. We like to think that people with superpowers are like Peter Petrelli but the truth is they have more in common with Paris Hilton.

" You´re hot and you´re not. And I only want hot people on my super team. "

Somehow it´s really strange how the creators of the Legion could tell that in the future young people with special abilities would gather to be chosen to join a small group. Somehow they could see the future but they did not foresee that it would happen on television. There you have it : Legion tryouts = Star Search with superpowers.

Damn them all to hell. Who wants to be in their damn team anyway. I don´t care if I always get picked last. One day I´m going to show all them suckers.......heh, got a little carried away. I was playing a bit of devil´s advocate for the villains. Just to get the point across. Not like I would know how it feels like to be in their shoes.

In his new story Geoof Johns has Brainiac 5 say that the process by which the Legion decided the worthiness of the contestant was not based on superpowers alone.


Probably because nobody could really understand why someone was picked and others weren´t now Saturn Girl was doing telepatic scans of the contestants. To check for signs of mental instability or other disturbing stuff - at least that's what they say. But who knows what she really did while inside those minds and which ideas she might have planted.

So, not only did the Legion mock and belittle the poor schmucks who failed their so called " tryout " they also violated their civil rights and read their minds without asking them for permission or even telling them they were doing it. Forget about the government hacking your computer to fight terrorism. Here we have a case of Teenagers invading other peoples innermost thoughts for fun and membership in their little faschists club. But what can you expect from someone who thinks it´s okay to repeatedly mindwipe Superboy ?

CALL IN THE SUBS


The Legion Rejects have taken over and are now calling themselves the JUSTICE LEAGUE. Superman´s legacy besmirched and turned into a lie. The Legion imprisioned or on the brink of defeat. The universe five minutes away from a total intergalactic war. You know what time it is ?

Time to call in the subs. It seems young SUBZERO wasn´t the only one with a special fondness of the coolest assembly of super heroes for whom failure was just the beginning. Apparently Geoff Johns also likes the substitutes since they are the inofficial stars of the book. Right from the moment Brek Bannin a.k.a. Polar Boy appears the subs steal the spotlight.


Many writers would just cast them off as Losers but Johns puts the right spin on this little team that could. If you don´t have big, cool powers like the normal Legionnaries you have to work twice as hard and you have to be three times as tough. And of course much more crazy to mix it up with super villains. Especially if you can´t control your powers 100 percent. All you have is your will power and the hope that somehow you will win. Or like Brainiac 5 says : " Although, please note that I don´t approve of the substitutes´impetuous modus operandi. They don´t just jump into the deep end of the pool without looking. They do it backwards and handcuffed. "

To which Polar Boy grinning replies : " Hey, Brainy, when you´ve never had anything to lose you can get a bit reckless. " Which pretty much says all there is to say about the subs´attitude.


Geoff Johns just knows how to thread the thin line between cool and insane. His Chlorophyll Kid thinks he can communicate with plants ( which he clearly can not ), his Rainbow Girl strikes fear into the hearts of evildoers and Stone Boy takes the time to strike a cool victory pose before turning to stone and acting as a living battery ram. Which reminded me of the scene in ONE PIECE when Zorro, Nami and Vivi are slowly turned into wax figures and Zorro strikes a cool pose for posteriority.

So far only five of the six parts have come out but so far the story is incredibly good. Geoof Johns makes the subs cool and the rejects menacing. Earth Man becomes an unstoppable, allpowerful menace and the Legion has to fight against overwhelming odds. Just when the Man of Steel is turning 70 this story shows us what´s so special about the Legion and why they just belong into Superman continuity like signal watches and bottled cities. The future is no nice, clean utopia but a grim and gritty urban jungle where survival of the fittest is the only law.

Aside from Geoff John´s great story the visuals of Gary Frank really help bringing the reality of the bleak future home. There are many cool double page spreads and there are hints of the history of the DC universe throughout the book.


The ideal story for Legion fans as well as for comic readers who always wanted to know what´s so special about the Legion.



Now before closing the topic of the Legion before I spoil too much there is one thing I have to mention : the costumes. Or rather the new costumes. Or rather the new old costumes. I know that the whole story has kind of a classic vibe which may be the reason why Gary Frank designed his costumes to resemble the initial costumes. But in my mind that´s a mistake since the costumes of the 70s looked much more " futuristic " for lack of a better word than the originals. The new costumes look more like spacesuits designed in today´s day and age covering up waay too much skin especially where the ladies are concerned. And as the authority on all things COMICBABE BATTLE I just have to cry foul. What has happened here ? The costumes just get more restrictive over time. I mean Dawnstar has a small cleavage window left in her costume.


Not that I´m complaining about cleavage windows, I´m all for them and more power to the artists drawing them. But just a few months back Dawnstar appeared in the LIGHTNING SAGA and boy did she wear something different there.


Holey Moley ! Now that´s what I call a costume. Am I the only one for whom this is the classic costume of Dawnstar ? As far as I can think back that´s the costume she always had in the legion stories and the new one just looks weird. Much too heavy for a flyer. But all the costumes that have been changed in the past few incarnations have changed for the worse.

What Princess Projectra used to look like.


And how she looked after the re - design.


It doesn´t even look like the same person anymore.

Or Phantom Girl. Here she is in her stylish 70s outfit.


And here´s the re - done political correct version.


That´s not right ! The only Legion lady that shows her 70s roots in the story is Shadow Lass who wears something at least resembling her disco era costume. The original.


And the costume she wears in the new storyline.


Pretty close, huh ? I don´t know why the costumes were redesigned but in my opinion they didn´t have to do it. Aside from that minor flaw the story is really a high octane blockbuster action comic - like the name ACTION COMICS implies. The last part hasn´t come out and I don´t think I can read it before I go to Spain ( no, I´m pretty sure I won´t read it before I go to Spain ) but so far it has really become one of my favorite Legion stories and whenever I finished an issue I was more excited than before to read the next issue. I´m sure Geoff Johns will find an intelligent and surprising way to wrap it all up in the final issue. After a long time this is finally a Superman comic that in my opinion is well worth the money.

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