Legends #3 and #4

We're back! Check out my previous post for details of my latest podcast appearance. I'll let you know as soon as it's up and available on iTunes.

I'm writing this post from my new laptop, and sadly I don't have my image editing software up and running yet, so no scans to illustrate the posts. Hopefully I'll be properly set in time for the next post.

Anyway, on with the story!


Legends #3
Send For... The Suicide Squad


Plotter: John Ostrander
Scripter: Len Wein
Penciller: John Byrne
Inker: Karl Kesel
Letterer: Steve Haynie
Colorist: Tom Ziuko
Editor: Mike Gold
Cover Artist: John Byrne
Cover Date: January 1987
Release Date: 23/10/1986

Angry mobs lay siege to public headquarters of super-heroes, whose activities have been prevented by executive order. Sarge Steel acts a a chaperone to the Teen Titans, but is unable to follow through his threats of extreme force when Changeling and the Flash decide to head out to help. Meanwhile, Task Force X is given their purpose - carry out missions in exchange for pardons - and with most of the team wearing explosive bracers to keep them in check, are directed to take down Brimstone. They engage the monster at the foot of Mount Rushmore.


Billy Batson, distraught at the death of Macro Man, goes into hiding, meeting a young girl called Lisa who has become separated from her parents. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne visits Jason Todd in hospital. As Bruce comforts his injured sidekick, shots ring out from outside, a symbol of the civil disorder inspired by G. Gordon Godfrey. Wayne leaves, determined to prove that President Reagan's edict was wrong.


During the battle, Blockbuster directly attacks Brimstone, who reaches down and burns the villain to death in his fist. Revelling in the destruction, Brimstone leaves his chest open to attack, and is destroyed by a shot from Deadshot, wielding a specially-constructed laser sniper. In the aftermath, Captain Boomerang realises that everyone on the team was considered to be expendable, including Rick Flag.


At the White House, Superman pledges his support to Reagan's edict, despite his vocal opposition to it. At the same time, Billy Batson is invited to dinner by Lisa's parents. During the meal, G. Gordon Godfrey appears on the TV, provoking a reaction in Lisa's family that intimidates Billy into running away again. Catching up , Lisa tells him that she still believes in super-heroes.


Throughout the issue, Darkseid and the Phantom Stranger debate Darkseid's plans. Observing Lisa's faith, the Stranger declares that this is why Darkseid is doomed to fail. Darkseid refuses to believe this, unveiling the next phase in his strategy - his Warhounds.

Legends #4
Cry Havoc


Plotter: John Ostrander
Scripter: Len Wein
Penciller: John Byrne
Inker: Karl Kesel
Letterer: Steve Haynie
Colorist: Carl Gafford
Editor: Mike Gold
Cover Art: John Byrne
Cover Date: Feb 1987
Release Date: 24/11/1986

In Star City, an attack by Count Vertigo is foiled by a law-breaking Black Canary. A policeman pulls a gun, attempting to arrest her, but is blocked by his partner. The two argue whilst Black Canary escapes, with the first policeman accidentally shooting and killing the second. Attempting to rationalize his actions, the policeman concludes that Black Canary made him shoot, and thus she murdered his partner.


On Apokolips, Darkseid sees all on Earth, despatching Desaad to the land of Skartaris to destroy the legend of Travis Morgan, the Warlord. Elsewhere in Gotham City, Batman foils a raid by the Joker, apprehending him in defiance of the Presidential Order. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, a gang of body-building bank robbers are caught by Guy Gardner. In Chicago, Blue Beetle foils a heist by Chronos, but is forced to let the villain escape when the police arrive and turn their attentions to him. Meanwhile, spurred into action by the growing public hysteria, Doctor Fate returns to service.


In Washington, Rick Flag announces to Task Force X that their actions against Brimstone have earned them their freedom, de-activating their bracelets and letting them free. At the same time, G. Gordon Godfrey addresses a rally in Gotham City calling for a revolt against President Reagan for the weakness of his frequently-flouted edict. He introduces the weapon to be used against the government, human-controlled Warhounds. Enjoying his freedom, Captain Boomerang goes on a rampage, but is quickly caught by the Teen Titans. As they prepare to take him away, Flash and Changeling are attacked by two Warhounds.


On Apokolips, Darkseid turns his attention to Superman, unleashing the power of his Omega Beams.

The middle chapters of Legends feel like they both progress the story and tread water at the same time. There is a large amount of time spent setting up tie-in issues in the fourth chapter, despatching Desaad to participate in the Warlord title, and using the cliffhanger to draw readers into the next month's Superman titles. We also spend a lot of time following various future members of Justice League International as they ignore the presidential edict, although in the case of some members such as Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, they are newer characters within the DC Universe, and in the case of Guy Gardner, a character with a new status quo, having recently received a power ring during the Crisis. Whilst these vignettes were undoubtedly important at the time, knowing where these characters will end up after the crossover makes most of the fourth issue seems like an extended exercise in moving the pieces of the story into position.

I do like the continuation of the Task Force X storyline. It plays very nicely into Darkseid's schemes that Brimstone, the monster that has apparently destroyed the Justice League of America, should be brought down by a morally dubious government-sponsored team of super-villains, hardly an achievement that can be propogandized.

I'll be honest here. I see the Legends crossover in four parts - the opening two issues, these two, the Superman crossover, and then the conclusion. I like the opening, love the Superman crossover, enjoy the ending, but see these issues, especially the fourth, as the bit we have to get through to get to the good stuff. I have nothing against the creators, but apart from the death of Brimstone, it all feels a bit too much 'middle chapter'-ish. The cliffhanger to the third issue, the introduction of the Warhounds, is barely touched upon in the fourth, save for a brief reference to the fact that people get 'turned into' them.

Knowing the great Apokolitian action just around the corner, I think it's best to draw a veil here and reconvene at Darkseid's feet.

Next on World of Superman: Clark Kent vs Apokolips!

Golden Age Superman

Hi guys, just a fast post, made mid-recording of my good friend Jon M. Wilson's podcast Golden Age Superman. Jon's recapping concurrent releases from the month, which features Superman #3 and Action Comics  #20.

I'm so very close to a new post, featuring Legends #3 and #4, then featuring Superman #3, this time from the second series.

Anyway, back to the podcast!

Sarah-Jane Smith

This is not a Superman post.




About 22 hours ago, a post appeared on Facebook that I initially thought and wanted to believe was a sick, tasteless joke. It told me that Elisabeth Sladen had died. I hate it when things like this pop up, because I fall for them like crazy. I fell for the Samuel L. Jackson one a few months ago, where CNN accidentally tweeted of his death and it spread like wildfire. I fell for the Michael Jackson thing a few years ago, then refused to believe it when it actually happened. The post linked to a BBC news story. Surely the BBC couldn't be complicit in a hoax about the death of the star of their most popular children's dramas, The Sarah-Jane Adventures?

Sadly, they weren't. The news was true.

Completely out of nowhere, Elisabeth Sladen, the actress behind the most popular and enduring companion of the entire 49-year history of Doctor Who, had sadly succumbed to battle with cancer that very few people knew that she was fighting.

I've spent the past day in a state of partial shock. I can't think of anyone's passing that has affected me more, and I can't quite work out why. Sarah-Jane was never my companion. She debuted a full decade before I was born, and by the time I discovered Doctor Who the series had been consigned to history, bar the publication of a regular novel series. And yet, whenever companions were discussed, the name 'Sarah-Jane Smith' was always mentioned with the highest praise and respect. Coupled with the most popular Doctor (at least, until David Tennant), Sarah-Jane had managed to burn herself into the national consciousness, the Doctor Who-loving bits of it, with such presence that twenty years after her departure from the show she was still remembered with more than casual fondness. (Of course, she never really departed, returning in 1981, 1983, 1993, 2006, and beyond).

Until a few years ago, bar a repeat of Pyramids of Mars shown when I was still a bit too young to truly appreciate her performance, I had never seen Sarah-Jane Smith in action. When I remedied that, with a rented DVD of The Time Warrior, I was very impressed. Most of what I knew of companions came from the Target novelisations, and they tended to embellish and over-sell the character in comparison to the performance on screen. In the case of Sarah-Jane, the opposite was true. The printed word couldn't hold a candle to what I was seeing.

===

In 2006, Russell T. Davies was looking for a way to strengthen ties between the revival of Doctor Who and its past. Working on the season-long theme of what would happen to Rose when she left the Doctor's side, the decision was taken to bring back a former companion from the show's classic era. There was only one person who could be brought back - Sarah-Jane Smith (oh, and K-9, the robot dog). The third episode of the second series, School Reunion, was as close as Doctor Who has ever got to a masterpiece (some dodgy CGI aside). Sladen's performance was pitched perfectly. The moment where she ran into the TARDIS in the school basement and then into the Doctor was the most electric moment of the entire series. Her return was a success, propelling her into a successful spin-off show, 25 years after her first attempt!

For me, the shining moment of Sladen's performances in new Doctor Who came from the Season 4 finale, Stolen Earth/Journey's End. Her reaction to the revelation of the Daleks as the 'kidnapper's of Earth, crying whilst hugging her adoptive son closely to her, was so human and so painful to watch that it grounded what was otherwise a very overblown, but enjoyable, piece of space opera. Even better was a confrontation with Davros from the second part, referencing scenes from Genesis of the Daleks from 34 years previously. This short interaction crackled, Sladen was feisty and defiant, living proof beyond the Doctor that Davros was doomed to fail in his plans. Even better was the fact that for these two episodes, Sladen, along with several other cast members, wasn't credited as a guest star, but received her name in the opening credits, the coveted 'and' position, for the first time in her career.

The news of her death of shocking, and pretty much took everyone by surprise. Twitter was full, initially, of comments trying to discover if this was a terrible hoax, then with anguished realisation and acceptance, before heading into a day of celebration and remembrance. There have been many responses to her death, and I'd like to link a few of them.

Chip, the Two Minute Time Lord, released episode 201 of his podcast within hours of the news of Elisabeth's death. A tender, heartfelt, and brief look at his reactions to the news. http://twominutetimelord.com/

Tony Lee, writer of the ongoing Doctor Who comic from IDW, wrote a warm recollection of her impact on his life, both personally and professionally, over at his blog.
http://www.tonylee.co.uk/index.php?option=com_wordpress&p=255&Itemid=1

Richard Herring, comedian, covered his discovery of her passing during the interval of his stand-up tour, before launching into a very touching remembrance of her, probably the most tender writing from someone not directly connected with the show or the franchise.
http://richardherring.com/warmingup/?id=3095

Tom Baker, former Doctor, writes about the loss of his friend, and publishes some rare behind the scenes pictures from his archive.
www.tom-baker.co.uk/

Finally, the current generation of fans, those who knew Elisabeth Sladen primarily through the revived series and the Sarah-Jane Adventures, post their thoughts and tributes over at the CBBC Newsround site. There are so many, from young children to teenagers, and the simplicity and honesty of what they have to say is heartbreaking.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_9460000/newsid_9463000/9463099.stm

I hope Elisabeth knew of some of the extent of the love that people had for her, and I hope that these good wishes, fond memories, and public remembrances act as a small measure of comfort for her family in these difficult times.

Elisabeth Sladen
1936-2003

A fast 'Hello'

Hi all!

Well, I'm back from my holidays. I had a great time over in California, exploring the state, enjoying the good weather, rueing the bad, and generally having the time of my life. I had a few nice comic-related experiences, discovering Earth-2 Comics in Sherman Oaks and discovering that the owner had spent a large part of the late 1980s in London, working for and with most of the comics shops that I've ever had a pull list from. I also encountered WonderCon in San Francisco, although due to schedule and not buying a ticket I only encountered the outside of the convention center. But being there did allow me to meet and enjoy a breakfast with Jeffrey Taylor of the supermanhomepage.com and the From Crisis To Podcast.

Sadly, it's going to be a bit longer before we get back into things here at the World of Superman. I'm currently starting the huge task of packing up my life and moving to the other side of London. At the same time, my computer has been hit with a crazy mad virus which at the moment is preventing it from booting up. I'm getting help with it, but my confidence is low and I think it may have to be a new computer before too long.

So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can be back regularly just after Easter, but if I'm not then you know why.

See you all soon!

Where in the world is the World of Superman?

Hi all.

So, I guess those New Year's resolutions about regular and timely postings went out of the window pretty quickly, huh?


In brief, I wasn't intending to be away from the blog for so long without any notice. However, a month ago, my 6-and-a-bit year relationship came to an end, and I've going through all kinds of things since then. It's been hard to sit and focus on anything, and this blog is one of many things in my life that have been put on hold for the near future.

There is some good news. I'll be taking off to California for nearly three weeks next Monday. I'm looking forward to this like crazy. It's my first time travelling in a decade, and I'm planning to take in an awful lot. Two weeks after I return, I'm moving across London to start things over again, and hopefully my job will be moving with me. Once I'm settled, I'm fully intending to get back to writing again. After all, I'm only five years worth of comics behind From Crisis To Crisis, and I'll need to catch up at some point!

Look for me after Easter when I'll hopefully be able to resume my coverage of Legends. And don't forget to follow me on twitter - @quizlacey - to keep up with all things, both geeky and non-geeky.

I'll see you all after Easter,

Steve

Legends #1 and #2

OK, a bit of a long one today. I'm going to try and hit up the first four parts of the Legends crossover in two posts, bringing us up to the point where the Superman titles segue into the story. Before we begin, I'd just like to drop a quick reminder to e-mail Ian Sattler at DC comics in support of a trade paperback of Dark Knight Over Metropolis. See this post on the Superman Homepage for more details.

And now, the first of a two-part special bringing us up to speed on the 1986/7 Legends crossover.

Legends #1

Once Upon A Time...!

 

Plotter: John Ostrander

Scripter: Len Wein

Penciller: John Byrne

Inker: Karl Kesel

Letterer: Steve Haynie

Colorist: Tom Ziuko

Editor: Mike Gold

Cover Artist: John Byrne

Cover Date: November 1986

Release Date: 28/08/1986

On Apokolips, Darkseid is content with his domination. Desaad reminds him of Earth and its heroes. Darkseid notes that not only do Earth’s heroes perform heroic deeds, but they act as legends, inspiring others. Deciding to strike at the concept of legends, Darkseid summons Glorious Godfrey and Doctor Bedlam, and orders Desaad to prepare the Techno-Seed.

On Earth, Professor Stein oversees a nuclear experiment when the Techno-Seed materialises in the core, spawning the inhuman monster, Brimstone. Stein summons Firestorm, who assaults Brimstone, but quickly discovers that the monster is far superior to him. Thinking quickly, Firestorm protects himself by turning the air to asbestos, and goes to summon help.

Elsewhere, the Flash faces off against Deadshot. He quickly defeats the assassin, delivers him to the police, and returns to Titans Tower, where Changeling is watching the latest broadcast from G. Gordon Godfrey, interviewed by Billy Batson, who rails against all super-heroes, calling them threats to society. As the two Titans talk, a power outage strikes both the Tower and the studio where the interview is taking place. The outage is caused by an armoured giant rampaging in the neighbourhood. Under the cover of darkness, Billy slips away and transforms to Captain Marvel.

Captain Marvel and the giant, Macro-Man, fight, but when Marvel is caught in Macro-Man’s vice-like grip, he decides that the only way for him to escape is to change back into Billy Batson briefly. Calling down his magical lightning, Billy is shocked to see that the bolt also struck Macro-Man, causing him to fall from the rooftop to a fiery death.

In the Pentagon, Colonel Rick Flag reports to Amanda Waller, and is ordered to reform Task Force X. He is shocked by the list of candidates for the Task Force, but puts his surprise aside to do his job.

In a diner, Cosmic Boy’s breakfast is interrupted by the onslaught of Brimstone. The Legionnaire attacks, attempting to construct a metallic prison to contain Brimstone, but his attack is soon repelled. The Justice League of America arrive to lend their help.

Viewing the melted corpse of the Macro-Man, Billy Batson vows never to become Captain Marvel again.

Legends #2

Breach of Faith

Plotter: John Ostrander

Scripter: Len Wein

Penciller: John Byrne

Inker: Karl Kesel

Letterer: Steve Haynie

Colorist: Tom Ziuko

Editor: Mike Gold

Cover Artist: John Byrne

Cover Date: December 1986

Release Date: 25/09/1986

G. Gordon Godfrey arrives at the site of Macro Man’s death, using it as an opportunity to decry not only heroes but the concept of being a hero. His words whip the onlooking crowd into a frenzy, scaring the confused Billy Batson into hiding. Darkseid watches Batson’s despair with glee, before turning to the Phantom Stranger, promising to remove free will from the people of Earth.

On Earth, Brimstone faces off against the Justice League of America. Although Vibe is able to topple the giant, Brimstone fights back, burying the League underneath a collapsing building. Meanwhile, Rick Flag visits Deadshot in prison, enlisting him into Task Force X. At the same time, in Gotham, Batman and Robin break a hostage situation. The commander of the arriving SWAT team clashes with Commissioner Gordon when he prevents him from taking down the heroes. Suddenly, the onlooking crowd turns, attacking and carrying Robin away whilst Batman is unable to help when a bottle of perfume is smashed in his face.

In Chicago, Blue Beetle carries out a drug bust, but unwittingly exposes a deep cover police officer. The attending policemen open fire on Beetle, who escapes in his bug ship. Meanwhile, Guy Gardner rescues an aeroplane whose engine has exploded mid-flight, guiding it to a makeshift landing on the freeway. However, the commuters on the road turn aggressive at the disruption caused to them. Gardner uses his ring to repel them before flying away.

At Titans Tower, Cosmic Boy recovers from his combat with Brimstone, revealing to Flash and Changeling that the Justice League had disappeared by the time he came round. He flies off to rescue ‘the love of his life’. Watching news reports of the League’s defeat, Professor Ivo prepares to make his move.

Superman meets with President Reagan in the White House, where Reagan informs him that he is about to issue an executive order, banning all super-hero activities until the public disorder has passed. Later in Gotham, two policeman discover the battered and beaten body of Robin.

These first two parts of the Legends crossover take a very wide-angled view of the state of the DC Universe. reading with hindsight reveals some strong comparisons, especially the way that the then-current Justice League (Detroit) fares against the yet-to-be-formed Justice League International. The defeats of the heroes hurt. The entire League is beaten and missing in battle, whilst Billy Batson's pain at believing that he has killed the Macro-Man is very tangible. Other heroes find themselves lost and without a cause when faced with the negative reactions of the public. By the end of the second issue, where Superman bows his head in acceptance of President Reagen's executive order and Jason Todd lies unconscious in the street, there is a very real sense that the tide has turned against the heroes.

John Byrne draws the heck out of these issues. I do marvel at his ability to turn out great-looking comics. At the time of this issue's production, Byrne was likely working on the first few issues of Superman and Action Comics, yet he still found the time to produce six issues showcasing almost every major hero in the DC universe. In particular, Byrne's renditions of Darkseid are masterful. In fact, I'd be happy to list Byrne as one of my top three Darkseid pencillers, along with JG Jones (Final Crisis) and Jack Kirby. Byrne gives us an intricately detailed Darkseid, with maliciousness oozing from every frame. When Darkseid grins, it's a grin that should terrify any onlooker. The final panel of issue #1, with Darkseid looming in the background revelling in the success of his plans, could easily have looked goofy in the hands of a lesser artist, but a rarely-seen laugh from Darkseid here chills the reader. And the opening shot of Apokolips, from the first page of issue #1, is glorious.

Inevitably, there are things that don't work so well for me. I wasn't reading the DCU when the series first arrived - it would have been quite an achievement considering I was 3 1/2 at the time - and a lot of the wider picture of the DCU is lost on me. As always, some of the Fourth World designs look incongruous and a product of their time, although Glorious Godfrey is far more sinster and insidious as G. Gordon Godfrey than as his cloak-wearing, grinning Apokoliptian incarnation. And most annoyingly of all, the Phantom Stranger pops up in issue #2 for no adequately explained reason, giving Darkseid someone to boast to and turning his campaign against Earth's heroes into something more akin to efforts to impress an unimpressed colleague.

These complaints aside, these are strong issues, featuring super-hero action and a strong, logical drive to the plot and threat. What is really enjoyable is watching Ostrander pull task Force X together, and next time, we'll see how well they do on their first mission.

The Geeky Bits:

Legends was the first event for DC, following Crisis on Infinite Earths. Originally planned as more of a direct sequel, Legends eventually grew to be its own unique story. John Byrne was picked for the art, although his workload with Superman meant that he only had time for 6 issues, not the planned 8. This reduction in length may account for the confusing nature of the Phantom Stranger's appearance in the story, with his introduction a casualty of editing the story down.

A large number of DC titles crossed over into Legends, with 22 official tie-ins alongside the six issue miniseries. A full list can be found at the DC Crossover Checklist over at the Fortress of Baileytude.

Next on World of Superman: See how Earth's heroes react to an executive order banning their actions, how Task Force X fare on their first mission, and what leads Darkseid up to focusing his attention on Superman.

The Most Important Post You'll Read This Year

Readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan and supporter of From Crisis To Crisis: A Superman Podcast. After nearly 100 episodes, it's still a must-listen on my podcast feed, and the only thing that stops me from listening as soon as it's downloading is the need to sit down and enjoy the relevant issues first. If you listened to the recent episode #82 (and let's face it, you probably did), you would have heard Michael and Jeffrey launch a campaign to get the classic Superman and Batman tale "Dark Knight Over Metropolis" reprinted, possibly as Superman/Batman vol. 0.

Of all the uncollected stories from this era - and let's face it, there are a lot that have never been collected - this is possibly the most notable. It's a great, tight, 3-parter that (serendipitously for this blog, considering this recent post) wraps up the story of Amanda Conner, as well as redefining the relationship between Superman and Batman, allowing the two to grow beyond their frosty and untrusting relationship that was characteristic of the early years of the post-Crisis reboot. Suggestions have been made that the trade could contain Man of Steel #3, as well as the Superman/Detective Comics crossover set during Luthor's presidency that concerned the kryptonite ring (on a personal note, when this story first came out I was keeping up with events in the comics through the Superman Homepage reviews, and when they didn't cover the Detective Comics issue I was pretty annoyed, and it took me several years to get hold of a copy and read it for myself). However they choose to do it, it's undeniable that a reprint of Superman stories from this era would be a bold move DC, considering that since they wrapped up their Superman: The Man Of Steel series of trades we haven't seen any of material from this era reprinted, and may bode well for future reprints or re-releases of out-of-print titles (Exile, I'm looking at you!).

Well, the details are in and the campaign has begun. Check out this post at the Superman Homepage for the full details and get writing your e-mails. Remember the plea to be polite and to the point, and don't forget to pre-order the book if and when it gets announced. And don't forget to mention From Crisis To Crisis in your e-mail!