In this week’s batch of Legion comics we get a major anniversary milestone and my read-through of ‘Earthwar’ actually pays off!
The Legion of Super-Heroes #300-#303
Written by Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen
Illustrated by Keith Giffen, Larry Mahlstedt, Kurt Schaffenberger, Howard Bender, Frank Giacoia, Curt Swan, Dan Adkins, Dave Cockrum, James Sherman, Joe Staton and Dick Giordano
Colored by Carl Gafford
Lettered by John Costanza
I’ll start this week with the oversized 300th issue of “Legion of Super-Heroes.” Of course, as the credits note, this title began as a Superboy book, so the milestone isn’t entirely. Regardless, the issue also apparently coincided with the 25th anniversary of the Legion, another event worth celebrating.
The primary item of note with this issue is its relationship to a particularly interesting classic Legion story; ‘The Adult Legion.’ This two issue arc in “Adventure Comics,” written by Jim Shooter, saw Superman visit the Legionnaires as adults. The continuity established by this future version of the, well, future, ended up shaping decades of Legion stories to come as subsequent writers strove to align their stories with Shooter’s vision. Several Legion marriages and casualties, such as the death of the legionnaire “Reflecto” earlier in Levitz’s tenure, were established by Shooter.
Issue #300 primarily features Brainiac 5 viewing a series of possible futures through the dreams of a mysterious figure. These six visions, each more dismal than the last, feature a unique artist including the likes of Curt Swan and Dave Cockrum. Of note, one vision returns to the ‘Adult Legion’ story while another shows a dark take on ‘Earthwar’ in which Mordru won. This is arguably the best of the bunch, thanks in no small part to original ‘Earthwar’ artist James Sherman’s terrific pencils. The strangest sees a dark future where the remaining legionnaires become a group of murderous mercenaries at the behest of the United Planets, simply because the married legionnaires weren’t around to keep them on the straight and narrow.
Aside from the ‘Adult Legion’ showing up as a vision, issue #300 also interacts with that arc in a metatextual way. Issue #299 revealed that Shadow Lass has now taken the moniker of Shadow Woman, the same name that adorned her memorial statue in ‘The Adult Legion.” Playing on previous writers’ adherence to that future and the expectations of readers, issue #300 features a playful fake out as Shadow Woman and Mon-El battle against the Khund. This section features terrific designs from Giffen and Mahlstedt, with the Khund piloting a giant humanoid mech as they attach the asteroid station.
It is revealed that the identity of the mysterious dreamer is none other than the twin brother of the deceased Ferro Lad, who (not so) coincidentally played a villainous role in ‘The Adult Legion.’ The final pages of the issue see Brainiac 5 reflecting on the nature of time and the infinite expanse that lies ahead. He resolves to “let the future roll onwards…a mystery to us…forever.” Fittingly, Levitz finally relegates ‘The Adult Legion’ timeline as an alternate future, breaking the story’s hold on future generations of Legion scribes.
Issue #301 is a Chameleon Boy centric story that sees father and son return to the Durlan homeworld on a quest to regain Chameleon Boy’s powers. The pair are successful, but not before running afoul of the native Durlans. This leads to a fantastic battle between two shape-shifting Durlans, wherein Giffen expresses his artistic imagination. These pages are quite striking in their austerity, as the combatants quickly change from one form to another against a white negative space. Some might consider the lack of background lazy, but I think it helps highlight the terrific monster designs by the art team.
Issue #302, on the other hand, primarily focuses on a battle between Lightning Lad and his evil brother Lightning Lord. The latter comes seeking their sister Light Lass, hoping to lure her to his side following her departure from the Legion. Unfortunately, it’s not a particularly compelling plot thread, but it does lead to some enjoyable artwork as Lightning Lord battles against various Legion members.
Running through these issues are a number of plot thread such as the upcoming nuptials of Projectra and Karate Kid, the ongoing relief effort at Daxam, Element Lad and Schvaughn’s investigation into Shrinking Violet’s secret, and an odd trip to Weber’s World. This last bit forms the bulk of issue #303, as a group of Legionnaires, including Supergirl and Brainiac 5, is mysteriously attacked while flying past the bureaucratic planet. The team comes to find Ontiir, the dubious reptilian security officer from the ‘Earthwar’ arc has been promoted to Science Police Commander for the artificial world. However, the team quickly learns that he is still a pawn of the Dark Circle and has allied himself with the Emerald Empress of the Fatal Five. The team is able to overcome the Empress, of course, but it’s fun to see Levitz returning to these characters and ideas. I particularly enjoyed the team composition in this story, as Levitz continues to build the burgeoning relationship between Brainiac and Supergirl, a ship I’ve always enjoyed.
Next week I’ll cover the second Legion Annual, featuring the wedding of Projectra and Karate Kid. As the Legionnaires note, things tend to go wrong a Legion wedding, so I’m eager to see what kind of doom falls upon the team.
