tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post4084782026446656826..comments2024-02-21T12:40:49.323-05:00Comments on The Absorbascon: The LegionScipiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16217376618860561999noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-51834620707511518422023-01-09T02:13:00.502-05:002023-01-09T02:13:00.502-05:00It's good.It's good.Scipiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12112155718721908876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-32569567429648994672023-01-04T16:43:03.240-05:002023-01-04T16:43:03.240-05:00What are your thoughts regarding the first Legion ...What are your thoughts regarding the first Legion reboot?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-85406412068638740552007-06-11T10:13:00.000-05:002007-06-11T10:13:00.000-05:00Love the essay, and I speak as one who learned to ...Love the essay, and I speak as one who learned to read with Legion stories in Adventure in the mid-1960s.<BR/><BR/>Re the development of more unique personalities over time in both the Legion and in JLA: in the exchanges above the elephant in the room was the almost-immediate influence of Mighty Marvel on the writers of both books, once Marvel teams started getting market share.<BR/><BR/>Just saying.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-6920445705814328332007-06-09T05:52:00.000-05:002007-06-09T05:52:00.000-05:00Can we PLEASE rename Jay "Lightening-Fast Oldster"...Can we PLEASE rename Jay "Lightening-Fast Oldster"?!! I almost fell off my chair. Thanks, Scip!R Greenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11109345943099159368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-68767588076296690652007-06-07T05:03:00.000-05:002007-06-07T05:03:00.000-05:00Surely one of the most distinctive things about th...Surely one of the most distinctive things about the Legion is their emphasis on social relationships? It seems in the early stories they're most concerned that candidates demonstrate they're good sports- you may have great powers and a self-sacrificing committment to justice, but screw you if you can't take a joke. I'd really love to read a contemporary Legion that really ran with this...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-53577115850112076232007-06-07T01:34:00.000-05:002007-06-07T01:34:00.000-05:00I must disagree, because before the X-Men were eve...I must disagree, because before the X-Men were even cool, many people liked the Legion, and as a 12 year old, I liked the X-Men as much as the Legion... so I really think the type of characters have anything to do with anything.<BR/><BR/>It's everybody's specific tastes that matter.MaGnUshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06351888054411049033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-53670002155240644742007-06-06T09:29:00.000-05:002007-06-06T09:29:00.000-05:00Magnus- I know Timberwolf debuted first, but Wolve...Magnus- I know Timberwolf debuted first, but Wolverine had, like, 5 million stabbings, impalements, and guttings under his belt circa 1989, making him wicked cool. Timberwolf just wasn't violent and dark enough, thus, not cool.<BR/><BR/>Again, this is all from a pre-teen perspective, why those of us who liked X-Men didn't get into Legion, and why it wasn't the number of characters but the type of characters.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-91005728958406549532007-06-06T05:16:00.000-05:002007-06-06T05:16:00.000-05:00Hahahaha... dude, I know that, I do read (and post...Hahahaha... dude, I know that, I do read (and post, like, a lot) on your blog, don't I?MaGnUshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06351888054411049033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-81648778082327716292007-06-06T04:48:00.000-05:002007-06-06T04:48:00.000-05:00To answer your question: yes, and yes.To answer your question: yes, and yes.Jeremy Rizzahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08480479249595700846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-75521374037253571222007-06-05T22:36:00.000-05:002007-06-05T22:36:00.000-05:00And Blockade Boy is horny and a jerk?And Mike Loug...And Blockade Boy is horny <I>and a jerk</I>?<BR/><BR/>And Mike Loughly, just to refute one of your claims, the Legion had Timber Wolf, who was Wolverine waaaay before (ten years earlier)Wolverine.MaGnUshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06351888054411049033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-86605413226014100892007-06-05T20:34:00.000-05:002007-06-05T20:34:00.000-05:00Re: the Legion's personalities, I've found that "j...Re: the Legion's personalities, I've found that "jerk" is a good corollary descriptor. Brainy was impatient <I>and a jerk</I>, Saturn Girl was a bit frosty <I>and a jerk</I>, Lightning Lad was a jerk <I>and because it bears repeating just an unbelievable asswipe of a goddamn mega-jerk</I>, etc.<BR/><BR/>Not that I harbor any kind of personal grudge against the Legion. I'm just sayin', is all. Yeah, that's the ticket...Jeremy Rizzahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08480479249595700846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-90163825952380003372007-06-05T17:25:00.000-05:002007-06-05T17:25:00.000-05:00Scipio--Thank you. This Legion fan thanks you.I ha...Scipio--<BR/><BR/>Thank you. This Legion fan thanks you.<BR/><BR/>I haven't read the latest Lightning Saga yet (was out of town so I could get to my FLCS), but I have great hopes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-91861052750213832562007-06-05T16:41:00.000-05:002007-06-05T16:41:00.000-05:00I'll be nit-picky and pedantic and point out that ...I'll be nit-picky and pedantic and point out that the JLA's first appearance was in "The Brave & The Bold", not "Showcase" ;-)<BR/><BR/>Seriously, I think the Legion works best when their world is utopian rather than dystopian -- a (30th) 31st century that we look forward to rather than fear. I think Scipio has talked about the difference between DC and Marvel being essentially that in the Marvel universe, pessimism is the order of the day because ultimately, as humans, any power we acquire will be our downfall; at DC optimism is the order of the day and any power acquired will ultimately lead to the betterment of all.<BR/><BR/>I don't think one is better than the other, but there is a difference...<BR/><BR/>Word verification: loylvf -- what Tyroc yells to improve the condition of his comics ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-85820382315749234242007-06-05T16:03:00.000-05:002007-06-05T16:03:00.000-05:00tadwilliams-I always thought that Triplicate Girl ...<B>tadwilliams</B>-<BR/>I always thought that Triplicate Girl becoming Duo Damsel was very sad, but the idea of Duo Damsel becoming Mono Maid almost made me fall out of my chair laughing.Philliphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00679456592657711270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-9407068988093092312007-06-05T15:50:00.000-05:002007-06-05T15:50:00.000-05:00tadwilliams has got me thinking...Scipio, have you...tadwilliams has got me thinking...<BR/><BR/>Scipio, have you ever done one of your patented riffs on Legion Tryouts? They were always a bizarre world unto themselves (especially the REALLY weird Silver Age tale about the kid who ends up becoming the Legion Clubhouse--Container Boy or something). <BR/><BR/>It would be too, too funny. May I humbly request it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-81887134038624883632007-06-05T14:44:00.000-05:002007-06-05T14:44:00.000-05:00Re: a million Legionairres vs. a million X-Men, fr...Re: a million Legionairres vs. a million X-Men, from the perspective of someone who grew up in the late '80s & early '90s:<BR/><BR/>The Legion isn't cool. X-Men may have 20 billion characters, but one of those characters is Wolverine (cool slashy guy), there's a ninja babe with purple hair, a dude in a trenchcoat, a big blue monster genius, that metal guy, a few dudes with really big guns, etc.<BR/><BR/>Legion's coolest character is... none of them! They're not edgy, not hip, not "dark" & angsty, etc.<BR/>Plus, they were never drawn by Jim Lee, Jim Lee wannabes, or those pseudomanga guys.<BR/><BR/>If I discovered the Legion at age 8 or 10, those 37 or more characters would be cool. I'd want to get to know them. I wasn't aware of the Legion until my early teens, when X-Men was the standard. Now, I can see the appeal, and I enjoy the current series.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-35546084370989924982007-06-05T14:27:00.000-05:002007-06-05T14:27:00.000-05:00(rather than some things, like Alfred becoming the...<I>(rather than some things, like Alfred becoming the Outsider, just never being referred to again).</I><BR/><BR/>As good a segue as any to bring up a continuity glitch from 20-odd years ago. In a late 1970s <I>Batman Family</I> story, the Outsider persona was "separated" from Alfred, presumably forever. And yet, in an early 1980s <I>DC Comics Presents</I> story, Alfred bumped his head and whoops, there's the Outsider again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-36321499890783649712007-06-05T09:22:00.000-05:002007-06-05T09:22:00.000-05:00I think the Laurel Gand reboot gets conflated with...I think the Laurel Gand reboot gets conflated with the 5-year gap simply because they happened so close together (in issue 5 or 6, I believe). And I'd argue that it was larger than the changes to Batman, simply because one character was taken out of continuity and replaced with another (rather than some things, like Alfred becoming the Outsider, just never being referred to again). I like the pre-Zero Hour Laurel Gand quite a bit, actually.<BR/><BR/>So while the Legion's only had two hard reboots, the LG soft reboot was harder than most, at least as experienced by the fans at the time. (It also preceded the other two, so we didn't know how gentle we had it!)<BR/><BR/>Great essay, Scipio. I think you're right on target with this.Rob S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07331286524477806963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-27725613632270699782007-06-05T05:51:00.000-05:002007-06-05T05:51:00.000-05:00The Giffen Legion DID change some things from the ...The Giffen Legion DID change some things from the past, but I guess as a belated result of the first Crisis. Laurel Gand standing in for Supergirl, etc.<BR/><BR/>But no more a reboot than, say, whatever changes Batman suffered after the Crisis.Siskoidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08266365376486695812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-48451918360212329342007-06-05T05:02:00.000-05:002007-06-05T05:02:00.000-05:00Hey,You guys do realize the Legion has only really...Hey,<BR/><BR/>You guys do realize the Legion has only really been rebooted twice?<BR/><BR/>The Giffen League wasn't a reboot; it was a continuation ("Five Years Later" that changed nothing about the Legion's past.<BR/><BR/>The post Zero Hero "Archie" Legion came next (which got screwed up by Legion Lost), then the current Cosplay Legion.Scipiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16217376618860561999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-13569848424053547772007-06-05T04:46:00.000-05:002007-06-05T04:46:00.000-05:00"While the JLAers started out like the JSA, stampe...<I>"While the JLAers started out like the JSA, stamped with the same personality"</I><BR/><BR/><BR/>I think I covered that, Matt.Scipiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16217376618860561999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-16727909297764862382007-06-05T03:42:00.000-05:002007-06-05T03:42:00.000-05:00Oh, right.... EXPLODING KID!!!!And Matt, I am the ...Oh, right.... EXPLODING KID!!!!<BR/><BR/>And Matt, <B>I</B> am the nitpicking bastard. :PMaGnUshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06351888054411049033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-3479256236268235332007-06-05T03:25:00.000-05:002007-06-05T03:25:00.000-05:00The Legion is one of my favorite groups of all tim...The Legion is one of my favorite groups of all times. I totally agree with your comments Scipio.<BR/><BR/>BTW, Timothy Callahan (tcallah@hotmail.com) is editing a book of Legion essays for Sequart, mayhaps you'd be interested, drop him a line.MaGnUshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06351888054411049033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-7159829842181468792007-06-05T01:53:00.000-05:002007-06-05T01:53:00.000-05:00I have to say that "Exploding Kid" sounds like a g...I have to say that "Exploding Kid" sounds like a great super-hero name to me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-28015642502127750782007-06-04T22:54:00.000-05:002007-06-04T22:54:00.000-05:00Good post. I recently picked up the LOSH Showcase ...Good post. I recently picked up the LOSH Showcase and I've been loving it. <BR/><BR/>One disagreement though:<BR/><BR/><I>Even more, the Legion pioneered the idea of particular relationships between individual members, i.e., some members got along with each other better than others. This is a pattern that JLA would also follow.</I><BR/><BR/>While this was <I>eventually</I> true of the JLA, it wasn't right away. The early adventures in <I>Showcase</I> and earlier issues of <I>JLA</I> depict a super-team almost completely like the Society - they never disagree, never argue, and they're never wrong.<BR/><BR/>I guess that doesn't really change anything about your argument. Allow me to just say that I'm a nitpicky bastard.<BR/><BR/>-MMatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05910006954704396801noreply@blogger.com