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LEGIONNAIRES #35 (L #6 for 1996)
"While You Were Out"

Co-Plotter/Scripter: Roger Stern
Co-Plotter/Colorist: Tom McCraw
Penciller: Jeffrey Moy
Inker: W.C. Carani
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Asst. Ed.: Mike McAvennie
Head Honcho: KC Carlson

This Issue's Firesign Line (just for Roger): "Who Am Us, Anyway?"

Here's what I thought...

What a great issue! Loads of fun. I still tend to forget how much I like Roger's writing. Terrific plotting from him and McCraw, and an inspired idea to focus on the non-Legionnaires this time, as the HQ is invaded by mysterious, androgynous shape-changing beings, led by an even more mysterious figure shown only in silhouette on the last panel of page 3. We never do find out why they've attacked, and I'm kind of leery of yet another dangling plot thread (the last thing the Legion books need, IMHO).

In the meantime, though, one can certainly enjoy this story on its own merits. In fact, the Legionnaires themselves only appear on two pages, pretty much in exactly the same position (picking up with the same dialogue - I like this) as we left them. Vi has a plan of attack, and Cos and Imra are hanging back, but that's about the only action there.

Holding down the fort are "Future Girl!" - who? Uh, Lori Morning. She's charmed the Athramites into making her a for-really Legion costume and letting her at the holo-controls so she could have her 15 seconds of fame and impress her "Rondie" (the roll call is absolutely precious!). Marla Latham (he runs the building, right? I forget) isn't thrilled, but c'mon, she's soooo cute... "Rondie" examines Lori as Shvaughn Erin (Latham's second-in-command [?] and SP liaison to the Legion) looks on skeptically. Meanwhile, Tenzil Kem and Chuck Taine play pool, and it's established that Chuck knows his geometric angles.

Which comes in handy as HQ is attacked by the aforementioned androgynous shape-changing beings. Tenzil and Chuck duck for cover, the Athramites try and fail to stop 'em (I love the little Athramite shouting "Flee!" Always a great excuse to recall my favorite Waid-written line of all time, "Flee? I count four!"), and it's up to Rond, Shvaugn and Lori to save the day. Which they do, in grand style.

Moy gets his requisitie Tongue Shot in, as Lori is grossed out on page 9 at the creatures splitting mass and becoming smaller, more numerous versions of themselves. Meanwhile, Marla, Chuck and Tenzil have to deal with their shape-shifting abilities (including the ability to produce organic weapons, which taste awful to the Bismollian). As luck would have it, our heroes near the HQ's power source find out that coming into contact with This Week's Technobabble <g> renders the creatures into liquid protoplasm. Proto, proto... why does that sound vaguely familiar?

Well, we find out once the power core evaporates the other protoplasmic beings (they've fallen in because this corrosive material they were carrying escaped its casing and damaged yet more infrastructure - poor Chuck, so much more work to do now), and Lori's refusal to let the last proto-creature die causes it to roll up into a ball o' stuff. Which Lori decides she's going to call - Proty! Here's your chance, old-time Legion readers, to fill me in on Proty.

Meanwhile, on the very last page, her adventures in FLASH #112 and so forth all done, XS returns home! Yay!!! Hope we get to see at least some of the "mis-shots" she mentions as having occurred between IMPULSE #12 and here.

Outstanding debut on this title by Roger Stern, and I adored the art, as I usually do. I thought it did a nice job of telling the story, especially the facial expressions - better every issue. I almost hate to go back to the "regular" Legionnaires now. :)

So, what did y'all think?

CAPTAIN AMERICA #450
"Man Without A Country"
Chapter One: "Executive Action"

Story: Mark Waid
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Scott Koblish
Colorist: John Kalisz
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Executive Editor: Mark Gruenwald
Head Honcho: Bob Harras

Here's what I thought...

Nice opening on Sharon. I love the way she's described, "prowl[ing] Rogers' apartment like a caged panther" - and of course her black spandex outfit doesn't hurt that image. She reacts rather - interestingly to pictures of someone named Rachel (Marvel readers?).

She doesn't have much time to think about her present predicament, though, because Steve's place is broken into by a bunch of serious- looking suits. Gotta be the guv'mint. She figures they're after her, fights them off almost too easily, and splits.

And Steve comes home with the groceries, whereupon the fed ID themselves as the criminal investigations department of the Army. Oh, jolly - like they couldn't have said that before causing all the damage? Apparently Steve is under arrest for treason. And, while they're arresting him, the feds discover his Captain America suit. The day just gets better and better.

(Slight digression to those in the know: Is Cap's identity a secret, even from the guv'mint? It would appear to be so, by the surprised looks on page 6.)

So they take him downtown - well, actually, uptown, to the White House in Washington DC, where President Clinton refuses to waffle. Must be a pod person. :) Apparently Clinton knows who Cap really is (or vice versa), and specifically wanted him arrested. Something to do not only with the events of the last storyline (which is synopsized very well in the next couple pages - writers take note, this is how you do exposition) but with Project Argus. This little adventure apparently took place a couple years back and involved a nasty-looking dude called Machinesmith and an anti-aircraft cannon. Apparently a state secret's gotten out. Wonder how that could have happened? Gee, it's not like Rogers has any enemies or anything, is it?

"I don't want to believe you committed treason, Rogers, but everything points to you," laments Clinton, who won't even let Steve clear his name. And Cap stands alone, bemoaning to himself the fact that nobody understands him - except Sharon, whom we see spying at him from a nearby tree. Damn, she's good.

So Cap gets his walking papers. And in a lovely silent page, Clinton turns his head (clearly ashamed of what he's doing, but believing he has no choice), Rogers looks at the papers, faces and salutes the American flag in the Oval Office, abruptly turns and walks out the door. Nice.

Seems he's bound for Britain, where he's become their problem. Why the US can't keep an eye on him I'll never know. But this is a great excuse for Sharon (who must have stowed away or something) to hook up with him again so the two of them can "find the ratbag" who framed Steve.

Wonderful pacing, and that silent page still blows me away. More editors ought to have the courage to trust certain writers and leave pages silent when they're supposed to be. And I look forward to Cap and Sharon getting to know each other again, and me getting to know each of them for pretty much the first time. Well, at least for the next few issues.

So, what did y'all think?

ICON #35
"Arena?"

Writer/Head Honcho: Dwayne McDuffie
Penciller: M.D. Bright
Inker: Romeo Tanghal
Painted Color: Jason Scott Jones, Michelle Wrightson, Craig Rippon
Letterer: Steve Dutro
Editor: Matt Wayne

Here's what I thought:

The thing about having a favorite superhero is that you can allow yourself (well, I can, at any rate) to indulge in a bit of fantasy now and again when that hero is faced with insurmountable odds. In this issue, Rocket kicks lots and lots of Yoongar butt. Now, don't get me wrong, Rocket's wonderful, but I found this stretched credulity just a wee bit. And you know something? I didn't care.

Because I root for Rocket. Because this book is about her, overcoming these kinds of odds - whether outmatched by sheer physicality or by her life circumstances. I want her to win. And she does. I don't really care how, when it's a fight - I tune out fights - but it tickles me to death when she comes out on top, because I want her to.

Rocket has just Transmatted over from TalDega to the Yoongar vessel bound for Earth (on their way to demolish it). She challenges the Yoongar captain and tries to make a deal - if she can defeat their mightiest warrior, they leave the Earth alone. Amused, the Yoongar captain agrees. After all, she's got spunk.

Turns out, he hates spunk. He was lying about agreeing not to destroy the Earth. What he really meant was that if she won she wouldn't die. Yeah, right. Like, he meant that retroactively, I suppose. Raquel realizes there's no way to win, but she's gotten herself involved in their game on their turf so she has no choice. Fortunately, after she's almost tapped out defeating SIX <giggle> of their warriors, Icon shows up to get ready for next issue's big face-off.

Meanwhile on Earth, Noble, the father of Raquel's child Amistad, is trying to live up to his name, and doing a fair to middling job of it, although that job gets a little easier when Raquel's best friend Darnice drops by to check up on them. And they put Ami to bed, and stand there looking over him, and look at each other--

And suddenly, they kiss. Which surprises the hell out of them both. Great moment - terrific page. Nicely done, Dwayne and Doc.

And elsewhere, Raquel's mom Sandra gets a visit from Mrs. Timar at the high school, who needs to talk to her about some test scores. Uh-oh. Very nice reminder that, even for those people who can pretend to be superwomen, something's gotta give.

And I must tell you, I'm almost more intrigued by the events on Raquel's home planet this issue than I am by her efforts in saving that planet. Which is, I suppose, as it should be.

Except I really, really want to buy that page in which Rocket emerges from Yoongarian rubble and says, "I just needed a minute to get my wind back." Don't suppose you'd be willing to part with it, Doc? Ah well, can't blame a gal for trying.

So, what did y'all think?

MAN AGAINST TIME #1
"Every Hero"

Writer: Brett Lewis
Penciller: Gino DeCicco
Inker: Andrew Pepoy
Letterer: Thomas Zahler
Coloring by computer: Christopher Sotomayor and Michelle Wulfson
(and I won't name the entire editorial staff because they give NO indication which of them worked on this book)

Here's what I thought...

This latest offering from Motown Machineworks (distributed through Image) deals with time travel and, as many Pen-Elayne readers know (all together now), time paradoxes give me a headache. But I'll plunge ahead anyway, 'cause hey, that's the kinda gal I'm.

All the elements of a decent story are here. We have a mysterious being who calls himself Law (always, always dredd someone who calls himself the law <g>), can travel back and forth across myriad timelines, and plucks his associates from those timelines before, in most cases, destroying them. So his compatriots have no choice but to join up with him, because their realities no longer exist. He dismisses their former identities and gives them whatever code names suit him. And because, as Law himself says, "Every good hero needs a villain," we have supposed "bad guys" from the future out to stop his time meddling.

And there's lots of ambiguity about this, and lots of questions raised, mostly by Tammie (code name Troublemaker), whom this issue follows as she's drafted by Law, her reality (in which the Allies won WWII in 1952, so we "know" it's not the "real" reality) obliterated. We see her partner with Bombadeer, for whom she later develops romantic feelings, just before Law decides to eliminate Bombadeer's existence (Tammie, true to her code name, has kinda riled up the troops as it were). And we're not sure, by the end of this first issue, who the heroes and villains really are - but, as the reader, I'm inclined to stay by Tammie's side.

Pretty intriguing stuff, but it almost drowns in its uneven pacing. Terrific art, very professionally rendered, and I'm intrigued enough to want to keep getting it, but it felt to me like it moved in fits and starts. Tammie and Bombadeer kiss almost too suddenly, and he ceases to exist precisely two pages after that. Some characters are introduced only as addenda to the story, some not at all, and the ones we do follow we learn precious little about. I'm looking forward to Lewis reigning in a few of his ideas and concentrating a bit more on character and thematic development - he shows good signs of being able to, but he needs a stronger editorial hand.

And, considering that this book doesn't appear to have a single editor (all we're given is a list of Motown staff on the inside front page), I'm not sure this is going to happen. But where there's time, there's always hope. Recommended, with reservations.

So, what did y'all think?