Analysis Notes
| Cover |
Note that Apparition, Ultra Boy, Saturn Girl, and Cosmic Boy never appear in this issue (except in flashback). The first three are presumably still in Happy Harbor with Superboy, Robin, and Impulse, keeping C.O.M.P.U.T.O. occupied, and Cosmic Boy has been possessed by C.O.M.P.U.T.O. |
| General |
Only pages 7-8, 14-18, and 20-21 are dealt with here. |
| Only one Triad — either Triad-Neutral or the merged version — is seen throughout this issue, but that is impossible, given that Triad is currently split, with Triad-Neutral possessed by C.O.M.P.U.T.O. Given that the presence of Triad in this story is all but unnecessary — she has only a single line of dialogue — assume that both Triad-Purple and Triad-Orange are actually present in all panels featuring Triad. |
| Since Legion of Super-Heroes and Legionnaires were running simultaneously, they included “L” numbers on the front cover to indicate recommended reading order (like the triangle number on this issue, which contained the reading order information for the Superman titles). Arguably, this issue should have had an “L1” number as well the “triangle-4”. |
| 7:1-2 |
Spark is taking the point here not because of seniority — both Triad and Brainy are more senior than she is — but because she has had direct interaction with Superman (Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #<86>), and possibly because she is somewhat better known to the hero community due to her being among those chosen to enter The Source during Genesis. |
| 7:2 |
After Superman lost his powers during The Final Night, he went on a quest to recover them, the result of which was to turn him into this electric blue form. (He would later split into a second, electric red form, before finally fully recovering.) |
| 7:3 |
This is Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5, Spark, Cosmic Boy, and Ferro. |
| 7:3-4 |
These are both scenes from Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #98. |
| 8:1 |
It isn’t clear where Metropolis is. In the 30th century, it may reach as far north as Boston, but 20th century maps have placed it as far south as Delaware. The Legionnaires probably first dealt with Providence, then Boston, and then New York, Gotham City, and Metropolis (but not necessarily in that order). |
| Brainy’s reference to time running out refers to the time warp C.O.M.P.U.T.O. has opened up over Metropolis, which will only last for a few hours. (Note that no mention is made of the fact that the time warp is presumably right near where they currently are.) |
| Ferro is still a provisional Legionnaire. At this time, he is not expecting to go to the 30th century with them. |
| It isn’t clear what is in Ferro’s backpack. He is probably carrying equipment for Brainiac 5, including Platinum and Iron’s responsometers. |
| 8:2 |
The Legion has been in the 20th century for over a dozen issues at this point, including participating in two major crises (The Final Night and Genesis). Although the time comparison between the DC universe and the real world is never exact, they probably spent about six months in the 20th century. |
| 8:3 |
Park Ridge is presumably a suburb of Metropolis. Indications later in this issue indicate that the auto plant is the work of C.O.M.P.U.T.O., but the tanks are not, and that C.O.M.P.U.T.O. has a limited range. Thus, Park Ridge is north of Metropolis, and between Metropolis and Happy Harbor. |
| 8:4 |
The two figures standing in front of the second car are Maggie Sawyer and Ben Turpin. |
| 14:4 |
Brainy and Spark’s uniforms should have been colored in where they weren’t blacked out by the plane’s shadow. |
| 263 kilometers is approximately the nice round number of 163.4 miles. |
| 14:5 |
It initially seems a mighty large leap that C.O.M.P.U.T.O. should be focussing on the Metropolis area. However, it has already created a time warp in the vicinity, and that’s where the Legionnaires (and especially Brainiac 5) are. |
| 15:6 |
These are Julianna and Suzie Berkowitz, the daughters of Metropolis’ former mayor. |
| 16:3 |
“Look! Up in the sky!” is the first part of the classic phrase from The Adventures of Superman television show, which concludes with “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!” |
| Coloring error: there is a white band next to the word balloon; the colorist presumably thought this was a tail pointing off-panel. |
| 16:4 |
Electric powers are closely related to magnetic ones: passing a current through a wire creates a magnetic field, and passing a wire through a magnetic field induces a current. |
| Koko can just barely be seen on Brainy’s
shoulder. |
| 17 |
The pilot is only seen in 17:4. |
| 17:4 |
Coloring error: the curved line behind Spark’s right arm is her thigh, in a position similar to (but reversed from) that in 17:3. |
| 18:2 |
Shvaughn may have been deputized by the Metropolis S.C.U. (with Superman’s help) while she was in the 20th century. Without such authorization, the tower staff might not have been quite so ready to follow her dictates on this matter. |
| 18:4 |
Note that triangulation can’t stop the advanced technology of C.O.M.P.U.T.O., but it can work to stop Luthor. |
| 20:2 |
Coloring error between Luthor’s word balloons. |
| Lena is the daughter of Luthor and Contessa Erica Alexandra. In the preboot, Lena Thorul was Lex Luthor’s younger sister (with her last name changed to distance her from Lex’s villainy), and she was part of Supergirl’s supporting cast. |
| Lena is in the playpen next to Luthor’s chair. |
| 20:4 |
Recall that the Legionnaires broke into LexCorp once before, in < >. |
| Shvaughn Erin is behind Brainiac 5. |
| 21:2 |
The Legionnaires have not revealed that they are from the future. Most people probably think they are aliens; what Luthor believed prior to 21:6-7 is unknown. |
| 21:3 |
LexCorp Tower should be beyond the extent of C.O.M.P.U.T.O.’s range, if Brainy’s figures were correct. But perhaps the Omnicoms’ internal communications methods allow it to extend that range only for such limited situations like this. |
| 21:5 |
Note the pause on Shvaughn’s part. It takes her a second to get what Superman is after. She may or may not be telling the truth. |
| The loss of historical data between the 20th and
30th centuries is so great that information about Green Lantern
is also completely missing, so any lack of information on Luthor
and his legacy means very little. (If his legacy goes through
Lena, though, I wonder if anyone has ever heard of “Thorul” in
the 30th century?) |
| 21:8 |
Koko is not seen in this panel. |
