BARBELITH underground
 

Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.


Underground > Comic Books >

Legion of Super-Heroes: A Critical Perspective

  
 
TimCallahan
00:16 / 28.03.07
I'm working on this new book, scheduled for release next year, which would provide a scholarly approach to the never-quite-taken seriously, even at the height of its popularity (yet 49-years-old and counting) Legion of Super-Heroes saga.

I'll be writing bits of it, but I'm also drafting writers from every walk of life to contribute something smart to the book.

But what I'd like to know is (a) is anyone here familiar with the Legion (I haven't seen much mention of it on any thread) and (b) what would be some cool/interesting/unique/philosophical/fancy approaches to scholarship that you'd like to see?

Some essays already in progress:
"Edmund Hamilton as Progenitor of 'Event' Comics"
"The Legion: A Sartorial Approach"
"Generational Politics in the Waid Threeboot"

Some essays (off the top of my head) that probably should be written by someone:
"Gender Identity in the TMK Legion"
"Love and Death in the American 30th Century"
"Shooter's Marvelization of a Universe"
"Apocalyptic Images from Tomorrow"
"The Inevitable Dystopia"
"Robert Altman, Paul Levitz and Teenagers from the Future"

And a lot of other things I'm forgetting to mention.

So, what else must we include in such a book? What would you want to read? What would you (dare I ask?) want to write?
 
 
Hallo, Paper Spaceboy
00:42 / 28.03.07
Off the top of my head, and excuse the brevity as I need to run and do the dishes before I head out-

Redemption of the Legionnaires. While Superman had more of a personal code against killing, the Legion had it hardwired into their constitution, and consequently murder/redemption cycles feature heavily in their stories. The big two examples I can think of would be Star Boy murdering an attacker and being expelled (to return as 'Sir Prize') and the TMK Legion's Venado Bay backstory, with Shrinking Violet unwilling to accept her own redemption for events taking place during war-time, especially as they had to do with her former teammate, Cosmic Boy.

Is the Legion an example of rescue fiction? Or possibly some examination of it as a governmental body. For the bulk of the canon, the Legion has always been presented as a sanctioned law-enforcement group rather than vigilantes (with some exceptions, like the Legion on the run story in the TMK series or various "Universo turns Earth against them" recyclings). Furthermore, almost seventy-five percent of the time they're shown in sweepingly epic settings, saving the day from natural disasters and apocalypses - routinely saving U.P. citizens. Legion squads are sent out to investigate space stations and planets in distress. They were always presented - at least preboot - as being very much involved in rescue and repair after the fact as much as they fought super-villains.

Genre-bending Legionnaires. Examination of stories which directly merged other genres of fiction with science-fiction and superheroics. Start off general with a discussion of utopian fiction and super-heroes being blended, move into a discussion of its soap opera elements, and then explore more specific alternates - I'm thinking of the Magic Wars and the Mordru-led alternate dimension from TMK, the "Who Shot Laurel Kent?" annual which used detective fiction tropes and is probably one of my all-time favourite comics books, even beyond the Legion canon as a whole.

Animation & the other Super-Heroes. Watching the new cartoon, I'm struck by how boring it is to watch Superman or Lightning Lad use their powers when the comparatively weaker and often ridiculed Triplicate Girl and Bouncing Boy are absolutely STUNNING when seen in animated form. One migh talk about how there's always been a disparity and tension in the Legion (with its much-touted but often ignored "no power duplication" rule) between the bricks (Mon-El, Superboy, Supergirl, Blok, Ultra-Boy) and those "weaker" members who are nevertheless more interesting-looking.
 
 
Hallo, Paper Spaceboy
01:00 / 28.03.07
While I was washing the dishes (do you see? do you see? I'll be thinking about this all night)--

Secret Identities in the Legion. Typically, the Legion didn't engage in (a) masks, and (b) secret identities; their names and codenames were publically known and tabloid fodder (think about that wistful Element Lad spotlight Sean Erin read as a wee boy before taking the profem) -- only the result is that the secret identities stand out and become significant. The Legion has a history of unknown members, like that time Supergirl flew through a red kryptonite cloud and ended up thinking she was somebody completely different, and ran around in a lead-lined mask. Star Boy & Dream Girl left for various reasons and returned as Sir Prize and Miss Terrious. Jan Arrah joined as Mystery Lad before swapping out to be in his Element. Discussion could be had of the unfortunate secret identities like Ultra-Boy showing up calling himself Reflecto while being a disembodied presence possessing Superboy. Projectra appearing as Sensor Girl with terribly ill-defined powers. Saturn Girl would be a touchstone for this piece as her telepathy made her privy to a lot of secrets that she had to keep (Element Lad, Sensor Girl)and those she had to reveal (Jo-as-Reflecto). Secret identities are significant to the Legion becaus they are an abnormality, a break from the typical compared to Superman and Clark's constant rigamarole with Lois or Green Lantern's romantic discombulations with Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris. The issue of masks as well, signified chiefly by Sensor Girl (Was she Supergirl? A Supergirl robot? Saturn Queen? Someone else) and Ferro Lad (in a world of wild aliens his face was apparently too horrible to be gazed upon) - masks were an uncommon occurrence and led to other Legionnaires lounging around playing holographic D&D, trying to figure out who someone is. Someone they're supposed to trust.
 
 
TimCallahan
01:18 / 28.03.07
Yes! Excellent suggestions, all.

Although when I read it quickly, I thought you wrote "Gender-Bending" instead of "Genre-Bending" and I thought you were going to make a point about Laurel Kent being a Manhunter robot or something until I re-read it and said, "duh."

So, which of these topics do you want to write about for the book?
 
 
Hallo, Paper Spaceboy
01:27 / 28.03.07
Let me think about it, I might spurt out a couple more. Laurel Kent as Manhunter is not only a stupid plot decision to do with some random event comic that shouldn't have affected things - well.

There's also something to be said for The Body & its Nudity in the Future, which might also feature Laurel heavily.
 
 
Mario
09:48 / 28.03.07
"The Homogenization of the Future" Because, with very few exceptions, the 30th-century is often written as basically the 20th century with spaceships.
 
 
Mike Phillips
11:04 / 30.03.07
Tim,

Has Julian expressed interest in this? You said you might need something related to the Zero Hour stuff. He'd probably be good to whip up an essay or two.
 
 
TimCallahan
11:59 / 30.03.07
I'm sure Julian would be involved. But I'll see what the definite gaps are before I ask him to contribute something. But, you're right--he might be a good post- Zero Hour guy.
 
 
ONLY NICE THINGS
13:24 / 30.03.07
How is Julian, anyway? I haven't seen him for ages...
 
 
Hallo, Paper Spaceboy
13:37 / 30.03.07
Guys, consider what's relevant to the Comics and what can be taken to PM, okay?

I'm still thinking about potential topics. You could do something with the idea of "living history" in a society where you can just time-travel back to previous eras and meet (or recruit!) historical figures, occasionally being possessed by them (Superboy is Hitler!). I'm hoping the gender identity paper, which is ostensibly TMK-based, will put any attention on Ayla's opening drag act as her own brother? Hell, you could do the concept of identity theft as focused through Yera-as-Shrinking Violet, Proty-as-Lightning Lad, and possibly funnel it through Chameleon (Boy).
 
 
TimCallahan
01:27 / 09.04.07
I still need more contributions for the Legion book (scheduled to premiere at the New York Comic-Con in 2008)! I can tell you what who's working on what essays so far, though:

1) Paul Levitz has expressed interest in writing the Foreword (assuming the book is positive toward DC, which it will be)

2) Scott Cederlund is writing about "Doomed Teenagers: Why the Legionnarires Can't Grow Up"

3) Sara Ellis is writing about "Architecture and Utopia"

4) James Kakalios is writing about "The Future-Science of the Legion"

5) Chris Sims is writing about "The (Often Arbitrary) Rules of the Silver Age Legion"

6) Richard Bensam is writing about "Edmund Hamilton and 'Event' Comics"

7) Jae Bryson is writing about "Racial Politics in the Legion"

8) Matthew Elmslie is writing about "Generational Cycles and the Threeboot"

9) Dean Lee is writing about "The Art of the Future"

10) Barry Lyga is writing an Afterword about how the Legion inspired him to become a writer.

But there are still dozens (hundreds?) of topics that could be explored! Email me with your proposals if you want to join this esteemed crew of writers.

--Tim
TCallah@hotmail.com
 
 
matsya
00:18 / 10.04.07
i know not the legion at all very well; often excited by what people say about it, not so much the actual comics themselves. but i am excited at the prospect of the shooter-focussed article and saddened that nobody has taken it up.

i read an interview with shooter in an old marvel age recently where he said of his publication as LSH author back when he was 13: 'i picked the most boring comic DC had because i knew they would be desperate for anything that resembled a new idea', and also mentioned that he pitched to DC because they were shitter than marvel - marvel had too many great writers for someone like young shooter to stand out, but DC's suckage was an opportunity he could take advantage of.

this is all paraphrase, of course.

it makes me want to maybe read up on the legion and take a punt at the shooter essay, but i'll be honest it would be a terrible distraction from all of the projects i'm already ignoring.

i'll settle for seeing the book when it comes out. best of luck with it. an exciting project to be part of, i'm sure.
 
 
TimCallahan
02:39 / 24.03.08
The final cover image has been approved! Thought you guys might want to see what Fishtown artist Kevin Colden came up with:



What do you think?
 
 
TimCallahan
02:42 / 24.03.08
You'll note, of course, that the hoped-for Levitz Foreword didn't pan out, but we brought in Matt Fraction instead. Fraction on the Legion? Interesting, no?
 
 
Hallo, Paper Spaceboy
03:37 / 24.03.08
Looks beautiful.

I'm sorry I never managed to pump out an essay for it, I'm afraid. Such is life. Maybe another round.
 
 
spiel
09:16 / 24.03.08
Great cover. Is Fraction actually a Legion fan?
 
 
grant
14:01 / 24.03.08
"Comics Scholarship Authority" = peaches and cream.
 
 
TimCallahan
20:15 / 24.03.08
Fraction is not a Legion fan, but he always wanted to be. Hence, his Foreword calls this book "a godsend."
 
 
Mug Chum
20:56 / 24.03.08
What's the overall appeal of the Legion?

It always pops up on the blogsphere, I just assumed it was nostalgia over a book (perhaps well-written for the time) from people's childhood.
 
 
TimCallahan
09:07 / 25.03.08
The Legion provides an interesting avenue for analysis of the superhero genre and American cultural trends since it's been (almost) continually published for 50 years, basically stands in its own isolated continuity, articulates present conceptions of the future, and has never risen to iconic status.

I thought it would be interesting for a variety of critics and scholars to take a look at 50 years of Legion history and see what it had to say about the medium, the genre, and the society in which it was created.

If you're asking why people read the Legion, I don't think it's just nostalgia, it's because it combines the nerdiness of sci-fi with the nerdiness of superheroes, soap opera melodrama, AND "real" stakes. In the Legion people can die, others go off and get married, and before the 1990s reboot, it had a sense that anything could happen. After the reboot, and the Threeboot, it became interesting in a different way (and perhaps much less interesting as a reader, but no less interesting as a commentary about the culture of superheroes.)
 
 
Mug Chum
18:35 / 26.03.08
Oy, thanks.

I think I might be looking into buying one of those oldies archives trades to get to know it a little better (I think for my appetite-for-weirdness sake I should consider some Silver Agery stuff).

I think it first caught my curiosity when reading Brendan McCarthy's references to "Saturn Girl" in his Solo.
 
 
FinderWolf
23:14 / 26.03.08
anyone reading the current book? I didn't think Shooter's return to LEGION would yield anything decent... and it seems kinda crap/filler/cliche superhero stuff. Sort of like when Stan Lee writes/creates new comics these days -- unless they're tributes to his unique bombastic over-the-top retro/60s way of storyelling, they're kinda lousy. (there was some Stan Lee project where he created a bunch of new characters for direct to DVD videos, one called Mosiac, that just seemed utterly disposable. But hey, I'm not knocking him, because he basically built the Marvek Universe from the group up along with Kirby and Dikto, Buscema, etc. Just saying in the modern day and age, his recent writing doesn't hold up... although I did get a kick out of his Marvel characters meet/tribute Stan Lee miniseries bits.)
 
 
TimCallahan
01:29 / 28.03.08
The new Shooter issues have livened the series up a bit, but the characters are completely inconsistent from what Waid wrote. Shooter claims that DiDio offered him a chance to reboot the series AGAIN, but he thought that it would be better to continue with what the previous creators had done. So, then he comes in and does his own take anyway.

His dialogue is kind of embarrassing, but I think the comic has a bit of a spark that was missing during Waid's run. It's still not great though.

And, yes! If you're going to read the Legion, the Edmund Hamilton-penned Silver Age issues are great. Also, the Jerry Siegel stuff. Bizarro Computo is pretty awesome.
 
 
Chew On Fat
11:03 / 01.04.08
I have to recommend the Silver-Age Legion too.

They were part of the ‘Superman' stable of comics and show much of the heart and depth of those. The League of Substitute Heroes for instance are the most lovable bunch of misfits and losers you could meet. They went off and formed their own secret Legion when they were rejected for not having practical enough powers - only strong in the dark, can turn into completely inert stone(!), fire-breath, can make plants grow etc.

Their stories are as whacked out as they sound.

Although their continuity was isolated from most of the DCU, the Silver Age Legion was very much tied into SA Superman continuity, and speaking as a SA Superman fan, they served to add even more depth to his characterisation. Amongst the Legion was the only place where Superboy could let his guard down and be himself, among equals for a time before heading back to the trials and subterfuges of high-school life.

The adult Superman 'recalls fondly' his time with them. Many of the SA stories of Superman and Supergirl turn on the Legion messing about with them incognito. (They do that a lot!)

The relationship between Superman as an adult and his awe-struck protege Supergirl has a nice science-fiction twist in that not only can she hear from him about his youthful japes, she can just zip forward in time and meet his friends seemingly in between Superboys own visits.

So, as well as their own merits, the SA legion is part of the very rich tapestry of the Weisinger Superman mythos, which is my latch-point onto them. I often find reading Essentials/Showcases a drag, but I tend to fly through the Superman Family books. They just zing with charm, wit and heart. The art too is often just perfect linework of its kind. Any strip by Kurt Schaffenberger, for instance is a real feast for the eyes. (and Dave Gibbons has studied his Schaffenberger, methinks)
 
  
Add Your Reply