Detritus of the Mind

Legionnaires #9: Skin Deep Creative Team:  Tom & Mary Bierbaum (writers); Chris Sprouse (penciller); Karl Story (inker); Adam Hughes (guest artist pp.16-20); Brian Stelfreeze (guest artist pp.21-22); Pat Brosseau (letterer); Tom McCraw (colorist); December 1993 Legion Roll Call:  Andromeda; Catspaw; Cosmic Boy; Dragonmage; Inferno; Invisible Kid; Live Wire; Matter-Eater Lad; Lifetime Lass; and Shrinking Violet. Miscellaneous Notes:  From here on out, we'll be seeing a mix of artists for several issues.  Chris Sprouse does a little in each, however, and it's not until #12 that you get a lousy artist.  Until then, at least they all feel "of a piece" and blend well. Summary:  How boy, this is more a bunch of subplots than a single story.  First, we've got Andromeda, Catspaw, Dragonmage, Tenzil, & Vi tracking some Khunds to an isolated planet; after a crash landing, they encounter mysterious natives that resemble people beloved to the Legionnaires ...

Legionnaires #8: In Heart and Conscience Free Creative Team:  Tom & Mary Bierbaum (writers); Colleen Doran (penciller); John Nyberg (inker); Pat Brosseau (letterer); Tom McCraw (colorist); November 1993 Legion Roll Call:  Alchemist; Andromeda; Brainiac 5; Cosmic Boy; Saturn Girl; Chameleon; Computo; Dragonmage; Invisible Kid. Miscellaneous Notes:  I'd say about half of those listed in the roll call are just in the first two pages, which are a fan-servicey pool party.  Since there's beefcake along with the cheesecake, I don't mind (even with that last panel - Ayla should really wear more than one leaf on her lower regions if she's gonna belly-flop like that.) Summary:  Brainy & a few friends travel to Colu to watch him receive a special honor, only for him to disappear.  It turns out the Coluan chancellor had him spirited to the mountains and has asked him to choose between staying with the Legion or serving his homeworld.  When he choose...

So I recently happened across the Legion Abstract, where author Matthew E had this exchange with a commenter named Jip: JIP: An optimistic far future is what the Legion was originally founded on. Since that vision is no longer in style, it has been a MAJOR [his emphasis]  challenge to plot and write stories. MATTHEW E: It can still be done, though. Nothing wrong with swimming against the tide. This begs a question that's been on my mind lately, for a long list of reasons both pop cultural & personal: Since when is optimism considered "tricky"?  Since when is a story with an overall optimistic tone considered a hard sell?  And why are you considered naïve at best if you don't subscribe to that attitude? This is something that extends to everything from movies to comics to what amounts to an expected worldview.  Apparently, if you aren't horribly cynical, there's something wrong with you; you cannot be savvy and optimistic at the same time.  I make a...

Legionnaires #7: Devils in the Deep Creative Team: Tom & Mary Bierbaum (writers); Adam Hughes (pencils); Mark Farmer (inks); Pat Brosseau (letters); Tom McCraw (colors); October 1993 Legion Roll Call: Brainiac 5; Andromeda; Apparition; Ultra Boy; Inferno; Shrinking Violet; Triad; and Matter-Eater Lad. Miscellaneous Notes: The credits roll along the bottoms of the first few pages, which is understandable.  This isn't art you want to clutter up if you can avoid it. Summary: Big fight's over, so let's have a downtime issue.  What's survived of the underwater city of Tritonis is a tourist trap & luxury resort which a handful of Legionnaires set off to enjoy.  They go to a resort run by a family of sorta-Asian merfolk & proceed to live it up.  However, after Inferno's date (the owner's daughter, Keiki) is hurt by a local packing heat & hunting a shadowy "sea devil", he learns a horrible truth - Tritonis has had numerous attacks...

Legionnaires #6: An Eye for an Eye Creative Team: Tom & Mary Bierbaum (writers); Chris Sprouse (artist); Karl Story (inker); Pat Brosseau (letterer); Tom McCraw (colorist); September 1993 Legion Roll Call: Chameleon; Computo; Dragonmage; Ferro; Gossamer; Invisible Kid; Matter-Eater Lad; Shrinking Violet; Triad; Ultra Boy; "and the other Legionnaires". Miscellaneous Notes: The note at the end of the roll call isn't a joke; the entire team gets play is this issue to some degree, and listing them all would be kind of pointless. Summary: Cera & McCauley have an Emerald Eye duel, where we learn he was the one who actually had control of Ingria's Eye.  Back at the capitol, there's an excellent fight between Persuader, Tharok, Mano, and many Legionnaires; we get to see Computo use her powers to make Tharok beat himself up, Alchemist give Mano a nice set of indestructible mittens, and - best of all - Matter-Eater Lad eats the Atomic Axe to disarm ...

For those familiar with my Twitter feed, I said these would be back next month.  Well, I'm home sick with a particularly weird thing, so I might as well do something halfway practical with my time.  Behold - the return of the Omnicommentaries! Legionnaires #5: New Life, New Death! Creative Team: Tom & Mary Bierbaum (writers); Chris Sprouse (artist); Karl Story (inker); Pat Brosseau (letterer); Tom McCraw (colorist); August 1993 Legion Roll Call: Andromeda; Apparition; Catspaw; Computo; Cosmic Boy; Ferro; Matter-Eater Lad; Shrinking Violet; and Ultra Boy. Miscellaneous Notes: I have nowhere else to put this, but it's worth a mention.  Mile High Comics is opening another Mega-Store, now in Anaheim!  Rob Liefeld is appearing in person on June 25th, but that's not important.  No, what is important is that Jim Shooter is appearing on the 26th.  So let's travel back in time and see if we can convince him not to take the run on the Three...

Hello, everyone.  I'm just putting a quick note to discuss soem of the semi-regular stuff that's being cycled in & out of Detritus before I get to an end-of-year summary.  First, though, let me wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Belated Hanukkah, Happy New Years, and Happy Anything Else I Missed.  Here's hoping 2013 isn't too painful. Anyway, I'd like to update everyone on a column being bumped and another being started.  I won't give up on them permanently, but I've decided to put the Omnicommentaries on the shelf for a while.  I find myself tending too much towards the negative; reading these with adult eyes is making me see stuff that flew right over my younger self's head but now drives me bonkers.  I don't want to be mean, but I feel like some of the elements in those early Legionnaires issues (Saturn Girl & Live Wire's Lifetime-tastic romance, a "beach" issue with a gruesome mood-killing plot hole, Chris Gardner...

The latest Top Five podcast from Major Spoilers covered cartoons you think don't get the love they deserve.   This is, obviously, a topic near & dear to my nerdy little heart, so here's my list.  I'm basing this on size of fandom, staying power, & availability as well as my own love. 5.) Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force GO!   A loving tribute to 70s/80s sentai anime, this is the only series on this list that I haven't seen in full.  But what I saw was so impressive that I resent I can't legally see more or own it in a nice set.  It's got giant robots, it's got cute monkeys, it's got a boy hero with an awesome scarf who falls in love with an android girl, it's got freaky-ass set pieces, it's got an art style that seems to have inspired others in its wake... how could this fail?  Maybe, even though it made the full 65-episode run, it was just too unique to succeed. - Following: Small but loyal.  I've never met anyone, but hell, so...

( I told you these weren't dead yet.  Schedule is still hectic as sin, and I won't be able to do the review-a-month I'd hoped, but I'm still doing them.  Apologies for the delay.- Mela) Legionnaires #4: If Looks Could Kill Creative Team: Tom & Mary Bierbaum (writers); Chris Sprouse (artist); Karl Story (inker); Pat Brosseau (letterer); Tom McCraw (colorist); July 1993 Legion Roll Call: Catspaw; Chameleon; Ferro; Inferno; Invisible Kid; Live Wire; Matter-Eater Lad; Saturn Girl; and Ultra Boy. Miscellaneous Notes: The roll call starts a new running gag.  Whenever Tenzil is in the roll call, they describe as powers as "Eats Matter (stupid!)" or something similar.  I like it - it fits with Tom Bierbaum's view of him as a humorous & not at all serious but still competant character, and that's probably how Tenzil himself would describe his powers if asked. Summary: Cera Kesh has the Emerald Eye, and she wants righteous vengeance for her h...

I just want to warn everyone: This will be an epic-length post.  If you don't feel like reading a lot, just scan for the stuff in bold for what each subject is. So at Major Spoilers, their newest podcast Top Five did a show about the Top Five Things They Never Should Have Cancelled.   Their answers cover everything from TV to food to the space program (thoroughly agree with that one), and they asked listeners to share what theirs would be.  I wanted to write a response to it in the comments, but as I thought about it more & more, I realized that I had waaaaaaaay more than five things.  So here's 15 things they never should have cancelled and why. Honorable Mention - Raising Hope:   This is technically not cancelled... yet.  Fox is doing their damnedest to justify doing so, however, in such a ham-fisted way that it's downright inexcusable.  The story of Jimmy Chance & his attempts to raise his daughter (whose mother was a serial killer sent...

Dear Mr. Levitz, I hate writing these; I only do it to creators whose work I genuinely admire and who I want to see avoid cliche pitfalls towards which they seem to be heading.  I know in my heart that every person to whom I have addressed these can do better than what I've seen.  With some recent Legion additions and announcements, I need to air some concerns.  I know this is probably futile, as you are the master of long-term story planning and are probably already deep into the marrative planning, but I need to say this.  It's been bothering me ever since I heard the teaser in your interview. You have created a new character that I absolutely love, and I am afraid that your plans to reveal a new teammate as evil will involve her.  I speak, of course, of Dragonwing. A lot of Dragonwing's characterization codes her as evil.  She is prickly, confrontational, impatient, overly competitive, prone to using excessive force, and incredibly sarcas...