I don't think I ever ran into anyone who didn't like Levitz on the Legion. Of course since there wasn't a real regular writer for the series after his first stint on the title I suppose he doesn't have much competion for that era of the Legion. It would have been fun seeing what Thomas would have gone with the title beyond one storyline. The whole Reflecto thing seemed drawn out though.
There was a Legion Outpost book published a couple of years ago that interviewed everyone that had worked on the title worth getting if your a fan. From my recollection Grell pushed for more black characters to appear in the book. It might seem a bizarre notion these days that would be a problem but apparently he ran into resistence. One character in a story was actually switched to caucasion. He didn't care for the "all the black people live on an island" concept behind Tryoc & gave him a stupid costume. Personally I liked the costume & thought Tryoc had some pretty strong voice powers. He also designed Dawnstar's costume which I also really liked.
Thanks for the suggestion, MEM. Was that a Two Morrows book? If so, I missed it.
I dug up a letter about Tyroc, on the introduction of the new Invisible Kid (Jacques Foccart, a french-speaking African black character) in LEGION ANNUAL 1 (1982), and commenting on it.
The letter appeared in LEGION 297 (3/1983), with Levitz's response:
- Dear DC Folks,
Not too long ago, I read an interview with Paul Levitz, where he confessed his hatred for the Tyroc character, supposedly because of the origin.
Paul Levitz said that racial problems are a "thing of the past". I guess he thought to himself that it would best be forgotten. I can understand that, and while we're forgetting human tragedies, let's forget the Holocaust too, Okay?
Anyway, Paul went on to say that he might use Tyroc "only to kill him". Luckily he moved off the strip and Tyroc was left alive. Well, Paul came back and put Tyroc away by putting him permanently out of phase. But the stories have been very good.
Now comes LEGION ANNUAL # 1, and what do we get?
A French-speaking black teenager who can turn invisible. WOW. Somehow I should have expected this from Paul. I doubt Jacques Foccart will see much action, but I'll keep looking and hoping.
You know, when black models are used in the big deal department store catalogs, they like for them to present themselves as foreign because they are more exotic and less offensive than us American Blacks.
Thanks Paul.
--A. Goodwin, Brooklyn, NY
Actually, my quote in that interview was to say that by the thirtieth century I believe racial problems will be a thing of the past, and that certainly includes the Holocaust.
If not, I rather doubt there ever will be a thirtieth century.
For that reason, I found Tyroc's origin (as a character who came from an island of blacks who had formed a separatist state to avoid prejudice) anachronistic.
Jacques Foccart was introduced not for the sake of his color, but as a hopefully interesting character, with a French accent because of his origin on the Ivory Coast of Africa, where the French have taken great pains to help their language live on.
An "American Black" (quotes because in the 30th century our stories presume America is no longer a distinct political or social boundary) would speak Interlac exactly as the other Legionnaires do, so the accent was added for an extra touch --without my being aware of the particular example of prejudice you mention existing in the modeling industry.
You have seen Jacques in considerable action in previous issues, and more will follow... as well as more presence of other ethnic groups in the 30th century stories, something I admit we've neglected from time to time, not from prejudice but from preoccupation with our existing characters. I hope you'll keep reading. --P.L.
