Issue #11 Review

What Happened That You Need To Know About:

The Legion is currently split into four groups.

On Earth, it still seems like Dream Girl's dead. Brainiac 5 has some notion that he can save her, although he may just be a little crazy. Invisible Kid leads a bunch of the rank and file to go after Elysion, who's wreaking havoc all over the place.

On Dormir, Cosmic Boy's group runs into some beings who are nothing but ideas. The place is where the hub of the Public Service is located. It's Communications World. The Dormitories were on the verge of leaving the United Planets, but by the end of the issue Cosmic Boy seems to have talked them around.

On Ttrxl, Sun Boy's group isn't doing quite as well. It's a fifth-dimensional area where probability is all messed up; this probabilistic condition supplies power for all transmatter gates. It interferes with the Legionnaires' powers, especially Saturn Girl's, and she's mute without them. The Ttrxln representative, an Agent Skelter, doesn't want to hear anything from the Legion, and there's some fighting.

It's now obvious why Dormir and Ttrxl are important. It's not obvious what Invisible Kid's plan, involving them, is.

On Terror Firma's homeworld, Ultra Boy's group discovers a big space full of transmatter gates, all with dozens of troops poised to charge through.

Then there's a backup story about random anonymous legionnaires cleaning up Legion Plaza after Elysion's attack.

Review:

I have two problems here.

First is that the series has been ramping up to a big climax, and we didn't get it, or get much closer to it. It's not that there's anything wrongwith the action or story of this issue; it just doesn't go on long enough. And that's all I have to say about that.

Second is that the backup story is a distraction from the matter at hand.

It's a distraction because it's an interlude at a point in the story where we don't want an interlude.

It's a distraction because it raises continuity questions when that should be the last thing we're thinking of.

And it's a distraction because it seems to be addressing us, the readers, directly, but the message it's conveying is not clear.

This issue was well done, but the backup story was a giant bump in the road. I suppose I'll have to eat these words if the issues raised by the backup lead to some big worthwhile payoff, but I'll take my chances.

Rating: LL