tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post6588104156744875..comments2024-03-19T10:41:35.976-05:00Comments on Bronze Age Babies: Giant-Size July: Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes 208Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-51731893522320263452019-03-19T12:22:42.841-05:002019-03-19T12:22:42.841-05:00The splash page being a second cover always drove ...The splash page being a second cover always drove me batty with DC comics. What a waste!<br /><br />Yeah, as much as I love the Legion, the names are a bit embarrassing. I didn’t mind when the “Archie Legion” renamed them, so that Lightning Lad because Live Wire, for example.<br /><br />Shouldn’t Sun Boy, as fill-in leader, know where Mon-el is?<br /><br />As far as Chameleon Boy knowing Chameleon Chief’s escape plan, couldn’t Saturn Girl have read his mind? Or was she not in this issue?<br /><br />Good story, but I thought the final fight was disappointing and anticlimactic. Maybe that’s a result of it being a 19 page story?dbutler16https://www.blogger.com/profile/00046066729353639991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-69577055933649565172013-11-10T14:16:13.424-06:002013-11-10T14:16:13.424-06:00Spider-Girl came before Medusa; Medusa was the cop...Spider-Girl came before Medusa; Medusa was the copy of Spider-GirlCraignoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-50666126551223132352013-07-18T10:38:58.523-05:002013-07-18T10:38:58.523-05:00Scooter-Head Lad: a limited metamorph. When he clo...Scooter-Head Lad: a limited metamorph. When he closes his eyes and summons forth his Tibetan training, his head shapeshifts into a scooter (wheels up). He then stands on his head, and uses his hands to push off. He was rejected as a Legion applicant, due to the fact that at least 7 members were faster than him. However, he has found great success as the fastest member of the Substitute Heroes. So far he has won 4 out of 5 races with Stone Boy. He has an on-again off-again relationship with Motorcycle Mama from the Legion of Substitute Villains. She wears the pants in relationship.<br /><br />I was a faithful Legion reader in the 70's, thanks to Cockrum and Grell's art. I gradually lost interest after Grell moved on.<br /><br />We're on the last night of our London vacation. Our hotel just happens to be around the corner from Forbidden Planet. My son and I have hung out quite a bit there.<br /><br />James ChattertonUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15576083934906136102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-37877024859516868452013-07-17T01:43:06.128-05:002013-07-17T01:43:06.128-05:00I truly love this issue. Mike Grell is a favorite...I truly love this issue. Mike Grell is a favorite dating back to these LOSH issues as well as GA/GL and Warlord. I would buy any Grell book that I could find.<br /><br />Yeah, it is a flimsy story and goofy but dang I Love it. I have such a soft spot in my heart for the LOSH tales of this age.<br /><br />And that Cockrum-designed Lightning Lad costume ... THE BEST COSTUME EVER! johnlindwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11742041159952441523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-54618403637776894692013-07-16T19:15:34.012-05:002013-07-16T19:15:34.012-05:00Ed, thanks for the inspiration!
"I like the ...Ed, thanks for the inspiration!<br /><br />"I like the use of a name ('Harriet') instead of the typical lass or girl. it feels so Silver Agey.<br /><br />It's like Sybil gone super-bad!"<br /><br />Karen, you reminded me by bringing up "Radiation Roy." You are a bad influence. (-;Teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01213481870704579199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-24001454972019062422013-07-16T16:33:52.046-05:002013-07-16T16:33:52.046-05:00I like the use of a name ('Harriet') inste...I like the use of a name ('Harriet') instead of the typical lass or girl. it feels so Silver Agey.<br /><br />It's like Sybil gone super-bad!Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032477453891087135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-24259294878608617822013-07-16T15:21:44.736-05:002013-07-16T15:21:44.736-05:00Teresa, absolutely and utterly brilliant. Now if y...Teresa, absolutely and utterly brilliant. Now if you could only talk Keith Giffen into drawing that story for you...Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-20082063140611786072013-07-16T14:55:27.684-05:002013-07-16T14:55:27.684-05:00"I second Karen re: "scooters in the hea..."I second Karen re: "scooters in the head." In fact, Scooter-head Lad would be a great name for a (Substitute?) Legionnaire. Just can't figure out what his powers would be."<br /><br />I will take it from here.<br /><br />"Scooters in the Head Harriet." SITHH<br />Possibly the most powerful applicant ever. She had a random but large array of powers.<br />But that was her undoing. She was rejected on the basis of the "no super power duplication clause." <br />(Superboy, Supergirl, Ultra Boy and Mon-El avoided eye contact.)<br />This enraged SITHH and then her weakness was exposed. Every power had a different personality. Her rejection was swift.<br />They nearly lost Saturn Girl.<br />SITHH naturally assumed membership in the Subs. They rejected her on the grounds that "She scared the Bejeezus out of us."<br />SITHH is the founding body of the Substitute Villains. There are 15 members and only one body. She has fought the Subs many times. They managed to escape every time.Teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01213481870704579199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-91728113473817937632013-07-16T03:15:06.703-05:002013-07-16T03:15:06.703-05:00It took me a while to warm to Mike Grell's sty...It took me a while to warm to Mike Grell's style. His awkward anatomy which seemed to work despite itself reminded me of Herb Trimpe at the time. Not that their stuff looked alike, but that both had a very idiosyncratic approach to how people looked, which despite a breakdown in the specific details added up in the whole. Weird. <br /><br />Rip OffRip Jaggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09936426877024852134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-72527566471822960642013-07-16T02:50:53.872-05:002013-07-16T02:50:53.872-05:00I second Karen re: "scooters in the head.&quo...I second Karen re: "scooters in the head." In fact, Scooter-head Lad would be a great name for a (Substitute?) Legionnaire. Just can't figure out what his powers would be.<br />I also have to agree with Karen about Polar Boy and Fire Lad: most of the time they would have been much more useful than Dream Girl, and probably also Duo Damsel and Bouncing Boy as well. Personally, I always thought there wasn't much of a reason for keeping Night Girl out of the Legion, either. They could have just made sure she was always around Shadow Lass on missions - problem solved.Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-26064113160295002412013-07-15T22:32:26.903-05:002013-07-15T22:32:26.903-05:00Somehow I missed this issue, but at the time, Supe...Somehow I missed this issue, but at the time, Superboy & the LSH and Justice League were the main comics that I collected. Dave Cockrum just blew me away when I saw his art and Grell just continued it for me. If I flipped through a comic and saw Grell's name on it, I usually bought it...ditto Cockrum.<br /><br />The main reason that I read DC over Marvel for the most part was a simple one, at least to me....I had a hard time keeping up with the Marvel story lines since most of them were multi-part sagas. I was only 10 or 12 at the time and that was the way my mind worked. Plus, distribution of Marvel comics wasn't as consistent as DC where I lived, but did improve as time passed and I did get into Marvel more in the mid to late 70's, but the LSH always were a favorite. Thanks for the review.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10547751537787941998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-28667473486698038402013-07-15T22:15:51.517-05:002013-07-15T22:15:51.517-05:00"scooters in the head" - my new favorite..."scooters in the head" - my new favorite phrase!Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032477453891087135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-59940886727777128802013-07-15T21:20:26.502-05:002013-07-15T21:20:26.502-05:00Great review!
Grell was my gateway artist into th...Great review! <br />Grell was my gateway artist into the LSH. Few ever captured his energy.<br />Reading this review I realized something that is a funny, but not in a ha-ha way. Maybe a little.<br />Mon-EL of the 20th century is trapped in the Phantom Zone, watching himself eat pancakes. His 30th century self remembers watching himself eat pancakes.<br />No wonder he went a little scooters in the head.Teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01213481870704579199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-84339842240307304742013-07-15T20:25:23.214-05:002013-07-15T20:25:23.214-05:00Groovy sideburns by Grell! Yes I loved his work on...Groovy sideburns by Grell! Yes I loved his work on the Legionnaires, although looking back most of his costume designs (and those sideburns!) scream '1970s fashions'! Great art, though.<br /><br />DC at this point was not known for churning out any thought provoking stories, as Doug & David from WI pointed out; you simply had your juvenile action story and that was it. It's funny how the super villains here all have powers similar to their legion counterparts. Is it ever explained how Chameleon Chief can alter the form of other objects?<br /><br /><br />- Mike 'I shoulda been Matter Eater lad' from Trinidad & Tobago.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-33314721435132520422013-07-15T16:43:23.128-05:002013-07-15T16:43:23.128-05:00David --
I actually (with a slight reservation si...David --<br /><br />I actually (with a slight reservation simply because I don't have any Dick Dillin work right in front of me) would say I prefer Grell over Dillin.<br /><br />One of these days we need to run a post on personal artistic hierarchies. That could prove interesting.<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-69731805746751512672013-07-15T16:30:50.095-05:002013-07-15T16:30:50.095-05:00My first exposure to Grell art was the return of G...My first exposure to Grell art was the return of GL/GA in ish 90. I liked him on that title initally, but I didn't care for the limited way his heroes were shown running or flying (always seemed repetitive with the same poses and perspectives..). <br /><br />Agreed with my 'brother' and Doug on DC.. I **wanted** to like them more, especially characters like the Titans and GL... but my inner Marvel Zumvembie just ran too deep, I'm supposing. <br /><br />Also the art typically disappointed ~ What's worse than 'later Don Heck' drawing Marvel heroes..? Having him draw DC heroes like 'Batman Family' stories. Grell was alright, just not as nice as Dillin on JLA.david_bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00218727673816200051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-55636397304866514072013-07-15T15:37:17.584-05:002013-07-15T15:37:17.584-05:00The Mike Grell art is really what kept me coming b...The Mike Grell art is really what kept me coming back at this point in the book. As someone who had been reading Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and more recently (at this stage) Steve Englehart, the stories appearing in the Legion at this point seemed extremely light fare. Even though there were at times dozens of characters present, they all seemed relatively the same. It was only when Paul Levitz came on board a few years later that the book really became interesting to me. He invested some of the characters with actual personalities and we had sub-plots and on-going stories. So you could say it became more Marvel-like!<br /><br />And hey, don't diss the Subs! I mean, if Dream Girl and Matter Eater Lad could be Legionnaires, I see no reason why Polar Boy or Fire Lad couldn't have been! Besides, it was always fun to see them struggle to get involved with whatever the Legionnaires were facing.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032477453891087135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-84328231230261080272013-07-15T14:14:26.940-05:002013-07-15T14:14:26.940-05:00Nice review. I think I had this comic. And I'l...Nice review. I think I had this comic. And I'll echo a lot of others' thoughts - I liked Superboy and the Legion more than Superman. And I was pretty strictly a Marvelite at this point. I think it was silliness like the Subs that kept me from buying more of these.<br /><br />TomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-33338915123391378202013-07-15T13:55:08.062-05:002013-07-15T13:55:08.062-05:00Thanks to you four for the comments -- I would hav...Thanks to you four for the comments -- I would have thought more Legion fans might make themselves known. <br /><br />Anyway, I agree with what's been said about Mike Grell. I never had a problem with him back in the Bronze Age, and even today looking at some of the commission art he's done he's just a really nice artist. I know there are detractors, but I always enjoyed his work.<br /><br />WP, the Ma and Pa Kent anti-aging thing was strange. Obviously Byrne chose not to go that route. I thought they were played very well in the Man of Steel film -- right in their mid-50's, which feels about right.<br /><br />David from WI -- right on, brother! For the most part it was Marvel for me, too. I did buy 3-4 DC titles, but never left a mag with the same degree of satisfaction I got from an Avengers, Spidey, or FF that I'd bought on the same trip. I so wanted to love the Legion, Teen Titans, and Batman. But while I stuck with them for several years and enjoyed them, I just never enjoyed them <i>as much</i>.<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-40479795746959573142013-07-15T13:00:08.795-05:002013-07-15T13:00:08.795-05:00The stories being put out by DC during this time w...The stories being put out by DC during this time were why I was pretty much Marvel only. I think Doug said it best, that DC seemed to assume comic readers were all 10 years old (although when this story came out, I was 10). But also agree that the art is visually compelling. This seems like something I might have halfheartedly enjoyed just because of the Grell artwork. As for the subs you commented on Karen, I fail to see how turning to stone but being unable to move is helpful in any way. Same goes for changing an objects color...<br /><br />David from Wisconsin Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-41170318947894210662013-07-15T11:29:37.076-05:002013-07-15T11:29:37.076-05:00Fun review, and nice to see the Grell art. I'v...Fun review, and nice to see the Grell art. I've always been a Grell fan, but haven't seen much of his Legion work. Garettnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-81634490244594284462013-07-15T08:34:17.903-05:002013-07-15T08:34:17.903-05:00I was struck by how young the Kents looked, so I d...I was struck by how young the Kents looked, so I did some research on your site, the Cover Browser database and the DC database—and am I right that, with issue 145, the Kents were permanently made to look younger (even though they were still in their, what, 60s)? I hadn't noticed before how they went from being white-hairs to brown-hairs, even though I own one issue featuring the Kents from either side of the metamorphosis. I became an all-Marvel guy in the late '70s, so I didn't see the Kents again until John Byrne's revised narrative.William Prestonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07896164917625191919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-7229832036022904352013-07-15T08:20:15.937-05:002013-07-15T08:20:15.937-05:00So Ultra Boy's mom's name is Mytra? Too ba...So Ultra Boy's mom's name is Mytra? Too bad his dad's name isn't, say, Krom instead of Crav ;)<br /><br />Thanks for the review, by the way. My first issue or two of Superboy & the Legion were purchased about a year later. I recall the art by Grell, but that's about it. You're certainly correct that it is quite visually compelling - I'm sure it raised the level of the stories.Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.com