Analysis Notes
| 1 |
This is the first postboot instance of the Legion Roll Call, a staple back in the Adventure Comics era. It is a very useful storytelling device for large-cast comics — especially ones with iconic characters like super-heroes — as the creative staff then does not need to dedicate space to naming each character when he or she appears in the body of the story. |
| Role call images do not count as panel appearances. |
| It is unclear what the device floating above the woman’s head is. Possibly some kind of a bar camera or other security monitoring device. |
| The sketch by the bartender’s hand is possibly a logo for the bar, “Atom’s Aunt.” However, Legion headquarters had a sculpture much like that in front of it during the 1970’s era. |
| The metal objects next to the empty glass are alcohol decanters (probably Silverale). |
| 2:1 |
The name of the bar is “Atom’s Aunt.” This is probably just a pun on the cartoon show “Atom Ant,” but Tom Peyer, who would join the writing team of the Legion books in a few issues, was known at the time for writing comics starring the Atom. |
| Silverale is a 30th century equivalent of beer, perhaps, and accessible to teenagers on at least rougher worlds (since both Ultra Boy, here, and in a later story, Inferno, request it). In the preboot continuity, Jo Nah’s gang the Green Dragons smuggled Silverale at one point. |
| 2:4 |
When Ultra Boy first appeared, it is uncertain if his chest emblem was anything but a nifty bit of graphic design (since he first appeared with Marla Latham in a similar costume but with a different chest design). Later, after his origin was revealed to have involved an ultra-energy beast, the design was said to represent such a creature. His origin was further modified to change the ultra-energy beast into an Imskian Space Dragon (<card #? of the xxx card set>), which did not change the meaning of the symbol. Also grafted onto the character was a leadership role in a Rimborian gang called the Green Dragons; the symbol thus has a connection to the gang, although it is unknown if the gang name was connected to the Imskian Space Dragon, or whether Jo’s involvement with the gang (and its name) predates the accident which gave him his powers. Jo also adopted the costumed identity of the Emerald Dragon at one point. |
| In the current continuity, Jo was swallowed by a space whale — a creature definitely bearing no resemblance to the chest symbol — but he still had a Rimborian gang connection prior to joining the WorkForce, so the chest symbol should be assumed to link to the Green Dragons and nothing else. |
| The character design of the green bruiser is reminiscent of Strong Guy from X-Factor. Probably just coincidence. |
| Coloring error: Jo’s earring is flesh colored. |
| And a Legionnaire he will be, eventually. |
| 3:1 |
So much for not hitting a woman. This ain’t the 1960’s Legion! (Although even then, Jo hit Uli Algor in Action Comics #386, which provoked a significant fan outcry.) |
| 3:2 |
Note the reaction of the alien, exemplified by his hair standing on end. Ultra Boy must have used his ultra-speed to slip out of the jacket. |
| 3:4 |
Jo is flipping a coin to the bartender. This is a rare indication of physical currency being used in the 30th century. It may be that physical currency is still traded on the lower social levels, demonstrating a mistrust for or outright avoidance of electronic credit transactions, especially with the information tracking that involves. |
| The female thug is holding her nose. Jo probably broke it when he kicked her. |
| 3:5 |
Given the proximity to Legion headquarters, that building’s probably location with respect to the United Planets Government Center, and the closeness of that to Suicide Slum, as well as the nature of the bar’s clientele, Atom’s Aunt is probably also in Suicide Slum. (If we really wanted to get perverse, we would theorize that this is the bar Garth got arrested in off-panel in Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #0, and even that it is on the same site as Bibbo’s bar in 20th century Metropolis.) |
| 4:3 |
Female superheroes typically have “soft” or defensive powers, while the attack powers are reserved for male characters. |
| 5:1 |
Note that neither XS nor Triad appear to be happy about Ayla’s usurpation of Garth’s role with the team. |
| Is Gim’s pause before “powers” a momentary focus on physical attributes (a lá Monty Python’s “huge… tracts of land”)? |
| 5:2 |
This panel follows immediately on the heels of Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #0, page 2. Even the clothing matches, indicating the accuracy of Garth’s dream in that issue. |
| 5:3 |
This is a departure from the preboot continuity, where the three developed their powers immediately and recharged their battery themselves. |
| That Mekt awoke first could indicate that he received a different charge than Ayla. Alternately, his older, stronger body may have simply recovered faster. |
| 5:4 |
<When does this panel occurs with respect to Legends of the Legion #2?> |
| 6:1 |
Arguably, it would be fine with Winath if they had twin members, given that is how their biology is directed, but other worlds would undoubtedly see this as unfair representation. |
| In the preboot, each Legionnaire had to have a unique superpower of his or her own (except for Superboy and Supergirl, who were given exemptions). This led to the eventual changing of Lighting Lass’ powers to Light Lass. |
| 6:2 |
“They”? Or just President Chu? |
| 7:2 |
It is curious that it takes so long for the news of the Legion to disseminate through the United Planets. News contact would seem to be a primary first application of Brande’s stargate technology. And the Legion has been in place at this point for several weeks, maybe even a couple months. Perhaps the news simply didn’t get to the Ranzz family (and by extension, the general populace on Winath) until recently. On the other hand, contact with Xanthu has always been spotty at best, based on Winema Wazzo’s comments in Legionnaires #60, and even just Earth to Titan contact may apparently go silent for days at a time (per the alternate timeline from Titans/Legion of Super-Heroes: Universe Ablaze), so maybe such problems are prevalent throughout the United Planets. |
| 8:1 |
The forthcoming draftees would be Shrinking Violet, Kinetix, Andromeda, Gates, and Lume, although not all join right away. There could be other potential draftees whom the readers never see, too. |
| There should be no question that President Chu knows exactly why they have come to her office. |
| The “There are more?” word balloon is from
Saturn Girl, since she is leading the delegation to President Chu’s
office. |
| 9-10 |
President Chu is a consummate politician and manipulator (she trained under former President Thawne, after all). She has obviously been aware of Garth’s runaway status for some time, and could have acted on it at any time had it truly been a problem. The fact that she didn’t indicates that it was not a problem. In fact, it is entirely possible that the rap sheet on Garth that she displays is faked, something she had prepared to manipulate the team in just this way. It also would not be beyond her to have sophisticated psi-blocking equipment to foil Saturn Girl from spying on her thoughts and giving away any deceptions she is building. President Chu plays the Legionnaires like fiddles so strongly in this scene that it is almost certain little of the matters she brings forward were very serious concerns for her. |
| 9:1-2 |
Garth’s shadow and rap sheet holopic count
as a panel appearances. |
| 9:3 |
Assuming Garth’s message did go through, this partially gives the lie to President Chu’s statements. |
| Hmm. Could the delay in information about the Legion getting to Winath have been directed by Chu personally, in order to encourage them to supply a Legionnaire, whom she could then use as a wedge to break up Brande’s “children”? That the draftee sent happened to be Live Wire’s twin sister would have been a surprise bit of gravy. |
| 9:4 |
This lowered age of majority is perhaps a good thing. In earlier centuries, children were considered adults at ages younger than the current 18+. This would seem to indicate a tendency toward making individuals more self-sufficient at an earlier age, rather than less as is the current trend. (It is worth noting, too, that the American education system is worse about this than the European one.) |
| 10:1 |
This rap sheet is probably at least mostly authentic. |
| 11:2 |
The classic division between applied science and theory remains in the 30th century. |
| Whatever this energy column is, it is seen again in < >. |
| 11:3 |
The object by Brainiac 5’s hand is presumably the beta register he was looking for. |
| When Lyle is invisible, he is a not counted as appearing
in the panel except when we can be completely certain he is there. (“If
there’s no one there, it’s Norg.”) In this case, he
could have tapped the already floating beta register rather than moving
it directly with his hand. |
| 11:4 |
Given that several objects are drifting in the air apparently of their own accord in 11:2, Brainy’s comments is a bit ironic. But since Brainiac 5 isn’t given to such commentary, what he means is that the beta register actively moved toward him, something it is not rigged to do. |
| 11:6 |
Invisible Kid will use this floating waste metal to produce the Legion’s flight rings. (Compare this use of the output of a failed experiment of Brainiac 5’s to the preboot origin of the element — known as Valorium — which was created by Lar Gand manually fusing several elements into one super-element which had anti-gravity properties.) |
| 12-14 |
The vertical blur motif is a very interesting way of showing Ultra Boy’s penetra-vision, much like a quick “pan” (on film) to or from a static tableau. |
| Despite indistinct panel borders, we will assume logical
divisions. |
| Despite the presence of word balloons in this sequence,
there is no way Jo could be eavesdropping while using his penetra-vision — that
old “one power at a time” rule. Instead, he must be lipreading. (And thus 14:2’s image of XS and Apparition walking away is part
of an ongoing view, with the actual dialog having occurred while the
girls were facing toward Ultra Boy rather than walking while away.) |
| Dialogue captions are from Ultra Boy. |
| 12:2 |
This anti-Legion attitude on Winema’s part pervades her, all the way through her disbanding of the Legion in Legionnaires #81, years down the line. |
| 13:1 |
The alleged Interlac seen through the back of the holographic chalkboard is nonsense. A couple of the characters could be Interlac letters, but they are either wrong, backward, or in the wrong place in the word — or all three. |
| Leviathan is making a conscious effort to overcome his anti-Durlan bias in dealing with Cham this way. |
| Ultra Boy may have had a run-in with a Durlan before; we don’t yet know what went on between his escape from the space whale and this story. |
| 13:2 |
This alleged disowning of Tinya is never followed up on. |
| 14:1 |
Tri-jitsu is a martial art practiced by Carggites (and probably handed down directly from ju jitsu training possessed by some of the original settlers when the world was colonized, ostensibly with the help of Valor in the 20th or 21st century). It was first seen in the preboot continuity, in Legionnaires #< >. |
| 14:2-3 |
Jo is already interested in Tinya. |
| 14:4 |
Given his upbringing on Rimbor and what he has probably experienced working for McCauley, it’s no wonder Jo’s mind isn’t a pleasant place. |
| 15:3 |
Spark is standing on the steps of the church or museum that is to the left of Legion headquarters (when looking art the front door, as in 4:1). The steps are seen more clearly in 18:1. |
| The lightning is whiting out Ayla’s eyes, much like the effect Black Lightning uses. |
| 15:5 |
Ayla is protecting Saturn Girl. While this might be just a defense she would provide to any Legionnaire, she is Garth’s twin (and she had a lesbian relationship in the preboot): maybe this demonstrates a proto-crush. |
| 16:1-2 |
The blur indicates that Jo is using super-speed, so he must not be flying here. |
| 18:3 |
Coloring error: Garth’s belt pouches are colored the same as his uniform. |
| 19:3 |
Garth believes that the lightning is what turned Mekt bad. He had gone bad long before that, but the lightning may have pushed him further. |
| 19:5 |
Jo doesn’t need to say “Burn” to evoke his flash vision. We’ll see this kind of verbalization from Inferno in Legionnaires #21 as well. It is possible that this is an affectation Ultra Boy picked up from her. |
| If Jo intends to recruit Garth for the WorkForce, this is a lousy way to go about it. |
| That piece of green statuary looks like nothing so much as one of those preformed plastic desktop organizers with different height tubes to hold different sizes of pens and pencils and such. (Alternately, perhaps it is based on the Kryptonian memory crystal structure seen in Superman: The Movie.) |
| 20:3 |
Garth is smarter than we might give him credit for, having picked up on Jo’s power limitation like this. (He observed that Jo stopped flying when he got hit by the lightning, and that he stayed grounded when using his blast vision.) |
| 21:2 |
It is rare we get this sort of a view of the damage that would come from superhero battles. One can only imagine what the streets of Manhattan and Metropolis must look like in the 20th century. |
| Based on similar items from the preboot continuity, and from the small figures seen on it, the item below the gravcar is an elevated motorized sidewalk. It is unclear when the damage occurred to it during the fight: most likely between 19:2 and 19:3, or possibly from the debris in 18:3. |
| 22:5 |
The figure to the far left (mostly obscured by panel 4)
is Chameleon |
| In future issues — until he rejoins — Live Wire will not be listed as a Legionnaire. |
| 23:4 |
The implication here is that Mekt used to work for Leland McCauley, prior to the formation of the WorkForce (although it’s possible that Jo was referring to one of the other members of the WorkForce). In the preboot continuity, the original Legion of Super-Villains (not the ones from the future) were funded by Tarik the Mute, who had a grudge against the Legion, but no powers of his own; Lightning Lord was a member of all versions of the LSV. It is possible that a Legion of Super-Villains will eventually develop out of the WorkForce, and McCauley’s apparent connection to Mekt Ranzz may be significant in this. |
| 23:5 |
See note for 2:4. |
| 24:1 |
It isn’t clear whether calling Garth “Lightning Lad” here is a scripting mistake or intentional dialogue on Ultra Boy’s part. |
| 24:2 |
Although they are not named here, the four WorkForce members other than Ultra Boy are Inferno (fire powers), Spider Girl (telekinetic hair), Karate Kid (martial arts), and Evolvo (evolution into a super-smart form and devolution into a super-strong ape form). |
| General |
This issue was reprinted in the Legion of Super-Heroes: The Beginning of Tomorrow trade paperback collection. |
