Thursday, September 28, 2006

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #22 Review

What Happened That You Have To Know About:

This is an issue that focuses almost entirely on Legionnaires' relationships, so it's not clear what's necessary information and what isn't. Let's just say that the relationships explored include Val and Shady, Jo and Shady, Val and Jo, Jo and Kara, Rokk and Kara, Rokk and Lyle, Lyle and Kara, Shady and Kara, and Ayla and Kara.

Possibly a throwaway event, possibly not: Ultra Boy and Supergirl spend some time destroying meteors before they can fall on one of the moons of Tykon.

Election fever is causing some chaos among the legionnaires and the Science Police almost have to step in. One of the troublemakers, who may very well be the threeboot version of our old compadre Radiation Roy, is invited to join a Legion training program, first we've heard of that.

From a plot point of view, the real meat of the issue is the arrival on Narchus III of Sun Boy and Terror Firma. They're investigating the abandonment and damage of a settlement there, and are attacked by a giant Dominator who wants a piece of the Legion. Dirk and his merry men get taken prisoner on board some spaceship or other, where one of the machines is counting something down.

Review: It's another Adam DeKraker issue, which is suboptimal, but he does seem to be getting more comfortable with the characters. He's not a bad artist; he's just got a tough act to follow.

I couldn't help but notice that Brainiac 5 and Dream Girl didn't appear in this issue. So does that mean that that storyline has been... I don't want to say 'resolved', because that would be completely inaccurate... concluded? On the other hand, there also wasn't anything about the giants and LSV in this issue, and we know that isn't over.

One thing that was particularly welcome about this issue: it was a single story (about Karate Kid solving a problem that had sprung up between Shadow Lass, Ultra Boy and Supergirl; basically, he sets up a situation in which Jo proves that he can pee farther than Kara). It started and ended in one issue. I believe a new reader could have picked it up and not been lost. There was a decent amount of action and, as always, wonderful characterization. This is exactly the sort of thing I want more of.

About that characterization. I wrote about how Mark Waid writes the Legionnaires here, and while I still like my theory, the new stuff we learned about Shadow Lass this issue doesn't really fit into it. Which is okay! On the other hand, I'm proud to say that one of my fellow Legion World posters figured out, before this issue, how Jo does fit into my characterization theory. (I myself predicted that Ultra Boy would have problems with another Legionnaire being more powerful than him, but unfortunately can't provide a link to where I predicted it. I can't find it. You'll have to take my word for it that I'm smart.)

Rating: LLLL (it'd be higher if Barry Kitson was drawing it)

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's weird that, when I picked up this issue, I also found an old Levitz/Giffen issue, Part 2 of the Great Darkness Saga - which was basically the Legion fighting the evil Servant Clones. In the thick of the battle, what are they doing? Element Lad and Ultra-Boy spend the entire time electioneering. They can't even let it go for FIVE MINUTES.

8:54 PM  
Blogger Matthew E said...

The other thing the Levitz Legion spent a lot of time doing was worrying about being understaffed. "Do we have enough members? Should we add more members? Oh no, another Legionnaire just quit! Anybody ready at the Academy?" Again and again and again.

9:50 PM  

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