In our bright and shiny 30th Century the Legion of Super-Heroes is taking a well deserved story break from the activity of the last few issues.. at least that is how this story starts off.
This story is a dense one issue ride with an old Legion foe and a new Legionnaire making their first appearance, so let’s dive in!!!
A simple cover that tells a tale doesn’t it? The Legion is in trouble all because of a little girl? Wait. That can’t be right.. but it is.
Page 1: We get what is affectionately known as the “Roll Call” Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Mon-El, Element Lad, Cosmic Boy, Light Lass, Dream Girl, Duo Damsel, Phantom Girl, Chameleon Boy, Shadow Lass, Colossal Boy, Timber Wolf, Wildfire, Brainiac Five, Dawnstar, Ultra Boy, Star Boy, Blok, Shrinking Violet, Sun Boy, Bouncing Boy, “Several Guests” and ?.
We are introduced to Science Police Officer Shvaughn Erin who is the liaison officer between the Legion of Super-Heroes and the Science Police
Page 2: Shvaughn references “Earthwar” and her boss Chief Zendak in internal monologue and approaches the LSH headquarters only to be captured by an automatic unwelcoming mat. Luckily for Shvaughn, Dawnstar and Wildfire are leaving the headquarters and Wildfire blasts the device setting Shvaughn free. Wildfire and Dawny abruptly leave once informing Shvaughn that their acting leader is inside. Shvaughn is beginning to doubt her new assignment.
Page 3: Shvaughn enters and is greeted by Element Lad who promptly apologizes for the security devices that are installed but that Brainiac Five has not yet worked out “all the bugs.” Element Lad gives Shvaughn the tour of the headquarters including all the upgrades that have been put in. (Comic book translation: all the new tech the writer and new artist are putting into the headquarters). A new statue appears in the Hall of Heroes, Reflecto and as Element Lad says.. it is a long story. Involving that adult Legion cover.. remember?
Ferro Lad, then Chemical King, now Reflecto.. can Shadow Woman be far behind?
Page 4. Shvaughn and Element Lad look into the new Medical Center watching Brainy, Dream Girl, and Mon-El work on a little girl who has some sort of electrical impulse brain disorder. The girl is Danielle Foccart and with her is her older brother Jacques Foccart. Jacques is notable right now for two things: first he is of African descent making him the third real ethnic character..after Half-Asian, Half Caucasion Karate Kid and the now off in another dimension Tyroc. The second being that Jacques and Danielle are from the Ivory Coast and he is a Francophile, and his dialogue is frequently full of French phrases and his accent.
Page 5. Dreamy asks if Brainy is ready to begin and Brainy has a thought that he swore never to use that particular circuitry he just asked Dream Girl to activate especially with what happened last time. A power surge spikes into Danielle’s brain, the universal “red alert” symbol goes off and Dream Girl has just enough time to scream before her console blows up, then Brainy activates his flight ring to leave his as it blows. Jacques is quick to point out to Mon-El that his sister is awake and her eyes are red.
Page 6. Cosmic Boy is in his quarters admiring his new costume, one of the last of the “disco Legion costumes” to be replaced by artist Keith Giffen when suddenly all the metal in the room becomes attracted to Cosmic Boy. Cosmic Boy finds he cannot repel the metal despite using his powers and the walls are beginning to buckle in on him, threatening to crush him.
Page 7. In Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad’s quarters, the AutoChef has gone crazy and blown up their quarters pinning Saturn Girl, as Lightning Lad comes in to save her the Atomizer attacks Lightning Lad. Saturn Girl makes the comment that “it was like it was waiting for him.” Outside the Legion’s automatic force field surrounding their headquarters has gone up.
Page 8. In the Game Room, Sun Boy and Star Boy are playing Dungeons and Dragons using a computerized version of characters when all of a sudden a power surge hits and the character holograms come to life and attack the Legionnaires.
Page 9. Element Lad and Shvaughn have been separated from the Legionnaires in the Medical Center by a barrier that Element Lad cannot transmute away. Shvaughn has informed the Science Police to isolate Legion HQ from the outside world as much as possible. Brainy is trying to figure out what occurred and after seeing Dream Girl is okay, Jacques pleads with Mon-El to help his sister. Danielle opens her mouth and says that she is not his sister.. she is C.O.M.P.U.T.O.
Cue the flashback…Brainiac Five created C.O.M.P.U.T.O. way back when in this classic tale from Adventure Comics.
Now, if you were Triplicate Girl.. and made Duo Damsel by this foe don’t you think this would be a little bit troubling for you?
Page 10. Chief Zendak orders all technology lines cut from Legion HQ. He is aware of C.O.M.P.U.T.O. and what it is capable of, meanwhile an evacuation of Metropolis is taking place.
Page 11. I’m not even going to summarize this one.. because here it is..the private quarters of married and retired Legionnaires Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel.
Sometimes a writer has to work in some background with characters who should already know things for the benefit of the reader. It makes complete sense that Bouncing Boy would want to help the Legion and that Duo Damsel would need to sit this one out due to the trauma of facing the villain the first time. This section is more for the writer to establish the new status quo of Duo Damsel vs. C.O.M.P.U.T.O, as in the original story, Duo Damsel just saunters up to the Legion and says basically, he only got one of me, I’m good for another round. The thought of one-third of her dying was never addressed in those simplistic comic book days. Which makes no sense. Now, they are finally addressing it here and I say, bravo.
Page 12, We get Element Lad and Shvaughn Erin discussing the barrier some more as Shadow Lass comes barreling in wondering why she can’t get out of the headquarters and why the computer sent a declaration of war to EarthGov. As they have this discussion, C.O.M.P.U.T.O announces that it has switched off the life support systems inside the building. In 1969, we get a panel of a flying Superboy who is shuddering for some stranger reason.
Page 13, brings us the new Legion couple of Colossal Boy and Shrinking Violet, readying a cruiser for a vacation to celebrate their new love and to get their minds off the ice asteroid they were stranded on for the past few issues. Of course, C.O.M.P.U.T.O takes over the cruiser and it blasts out of the headquarters at amazing G-Force pinning Colossal Boy and presumably knocking Violet unconscious, or even worse.
Page 14, brings us the now freed Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl looking rather beat up from their ordeal in their quarters when Cosmic Boy’s quarters burst open and Cosmic Boy collapses in a heap on the floor. At the same time, a blast of solar fire comes through the wall the other way. Lightning Lad leaves Saturn Girl with Cosmic Boy and he goes off to help Sun Boy. At the end of this page we get one panel introducing.. A NEW SUPER TEAM!!!
Next time: The Legion of Substitute Heroes!!! and the Annual will be “To Be Continued” for the time being.
