Quote:

THE Bastard said:
I guess I read my first Legion comic back in the early 70s...one of those big 100 page/60 cent joints that came out back then...1 new story, 2 reprints and some other stuff...like capsules of the origins and powers of the members.

Hold on...let me check the issue #....

I'm back. Issue #205. "The Legion of Super Executioners" (new tale). Story by Cary Bates, art by Mike Grell.
The entire Legion has been brainwashed by some up-to-no-goodnik and only Superboy, Ultra Boy and Lana Lang as the Insect Queen(!) were left to save the day.

"The Outcast Legion/The Forgotten Legion" from some Adventure Comics whose issue numbers I can't be arsed to look up right now. Story by E Nelson Bridwell, Art by Curt Swan
This was the one where Superboy and Supergirl were forced to quit the Legion because of the Earth had been surrounded by a cloud a green K. Shrinking Violet implanted a tiny piece of the stuff in their brains to make them forget about the Legion. Their replacements were Sir Prize and Miss Terious (Star Boy and Dream Girl in disguise) The story features appearances by The Legion of Super Pets, The Substitute Legion, The White Witch, Evillo and the Devil's Dozen and a young Mr. Mxyzptlk. And of course, in the end, the green K cloud was overcome and the Supes kids were back in the hizzy.

There had to be like 60 different characters combined in this book. That year I went on a cross country drive with my dad that summer and that was one of the books I had with me. I must have read it about fifty times in the back seat of the car during the two week trip. That was my first exposure to the Legion and kicked off a love for the comic that I still have to this day.

I've suffered thru bad stories, bad art, Baxter paper prices, cancellations and re-boots but, I'm still here. I have every single issue of every incarnation of the Legion since the Superboy comic became Superboy and The LSH with issue #197 in 1973. I have all the archives and about 50 or 60 of the orginal Adventure Comics featuring the group. My lifetime comic goal is to collect all the original appearances of the Legion in Adventure Comics...even though some of the stories were bullshit.

I'm a fanboy...what can I say?

Even after all that, I can't exactly explain my love for the characters. Maybe it was the diversity of the book...even though there was only one black guy in the book and he was the stereotypical "Angry Black Guy" and disappeared after a few issues.

Maybe it was because they were just teen-agers at a time when I was just a kid...even though a couple of them got married at what was probably 17 and started families.

Maybe it was the art. In the 70s/early 80s, Mike Grell, Dave Cockrum, Jim Starlin and others held the same appeal for me as Alex Ross, Bryan Hitch and John Cassaday do for me today.

Maybe it was being able to find a full run of the 5 Year Gap books at a local con after I'd been away from comics for 10 years and marvelling at the evolution of Giffen's art.

Maybe it was the subtle evolution of the characters or the interesting factoids about ther homeworlds or the inter-team romances or the supporting characters or the backdrop of the 30th century or the invention of Interlac or Darkseid's appearance in the mid 80s or....whatever.

I probably will never be able to adequately explain why I love the Legion to and non- or casual fan. Those that share my affection for the book will understand.

I'll be here no matter how many reboots, no matter how many shitty stories with bad ideas. I don't care if some of you think the new Waid/Kitson book sucks. I'm enjoying it. And even if I didn't like it, I'd still buy it becuase a shitty Legion is better than no Legion.

LONG LIVE THE LEGION!!!!!


my head hurts

Last edited by Poster Child; 2005-03-20 1:49 AM.