Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #2 Review
What Happened That You Have to Know About:
The Legionnaires and Enterprise crew get away from the people they were fighting and flee across the continent. They meet each other on the last page.
Review:
So what the flip is Roberson up to, where we get two whole issues before the Legionnaires meet the Enterprise crew? What's going on in these two comics that's worth us reading? I mean, it's got to be something, right?
I know what one part of it is: Roberson is sharing a lot of details of his alternate universe with us. And...
I don't dispute that it's cool stuff. I mean, I don't care, but certainly if I was in his position, messing around with these two franchises, it'd be very tempting to do this kind of mixing and matching like he does. If what you're into is the minutiae of Star Trek or the Legion, well, it's interesting. But my problem with it is the same as my problem with Flashpoint, which is, I know this world isn't going to last, so why would I make any emotional investment in it? I wouldn't, that's why.
So what else have we got? A couple of generic firefights? Please tell me what. I'm trying to come up with something positive I can say about what happens in this comic book and I can't think of anything. I mean, it tastes right; it's not like Roberson doesn't know the characters. It's just that they haven't gotten to do anything yet.
Notes:
- just what was the deal with that panel on page 7 where the Legionnaires turn into monochromatic streaks?
- no trouble opening the comic book this time; that's always a plus
- if the Trek guys are the first "temporal disturbance", then are the Legion the other one? If so, they didn't have to go very far to find themselves...
What have we got, three issues left? Bring 'em on quick and get it over with. Not impressed so far.
Art:
77 panels/22 pages = 3.5 panels/page. One set of three panels spread over two pages; no single-page panels.
Second-issue syndrome for the art; some of the panels look kinda sloppy and some of the characters have big-head syndrome, which is not unknown from the Moys. Look at the bottom of page 18, for instance. One thing I think I noticed was that the Legion pages used slightly fewer panels than the Trek panels. Maybe superheroic characters need more room to move than science fiction characters. Or maybe I'm making something out of nothing.
I'd like to point out that 3.5 panels per page is not a lot, and 77 panels is less than you usually get in a 20-page Legion comic.
Labels: Comic Book Reviews, Legion of Super-Heroes
posted by Matthew E @ 10:09 PM
20 Comments:
Its a 6 issue mini-series. So I don't mind that the opening is a bit of a slow burn. Lots more to go.
The thing is one-third over, hardly anything has happened yet, and I'm out eight bucks. This is not the way to do it.
I definitely hear you about not having sufficient reason to get interested in the story.
Personally, I'm finding the intellectual questions enough so far: exactly when/how did this universe diverge from the ones we know, who is this shadowy figure who seems responsible, why these two universes in particular? I'm enjoying the correspondences (Klingons/Khunds, Controllers/Organians, Tyrazz being the homeworld of the Borg, etc.)
I've never before noticed how much the Legion and Star Trek universes parallel each other, and I'm wondering if we're going to get some cosmic explanation like them being two sides of the same multiversal coin or something.
For me, so far, this has been enough to sustain my interest. But I completely understand if that doesn't work for you -- you're right, it's a failing in the story.
(I'm used to spending money on pointless or disappointing Legion comics -- after all, I've bought the original Legion Lost twice and Legion of the Damned three times. I'm hopeless...I'd buy toilet paper with the Legion on it.) (Does that remind anyone else of the Dr. Mayavale story?)
who is this shadowy figure who seems responsible,
Probably Universo. Khan Noonan Vidar.
I'm used to spending money on pointless or disappointing Legion comics -- after all, I've bought the original Legion Lost twice and Legion of the Damned three times.
But those aren't pointless or disappointing! They're great!
What is it about the Legion that makes writers dawdle nowadays? Paul Levitz is in his second year of foot-dragging,and now Chris Roberson takes until the last page of the second issue of a 6-issue mini-series to have the Legionnaires and the Enterprisers meet,which should've happened no later than the last page of the first issue! Perhaps the Legion really has gotten too big and unwieldy.Even the presence of Starfleet can't speed things along.
The pity of it is,Roberson and the Moys are doing a fine job rendering both the LSH and Kirk's crew.But $8 is too much to pay to get so little in return...think I'll wait and get the tpb of this series from my local library.
P.S. Now I got a copy with sticky pages. Did IDW send out glue samples in their comics and not tell anyone?
What is it about the Legion that makes writers dawdle nowadays?
I don't think it's just the Legion. I think this is just how it works these days, except for the writers who fight against it.
This second ish dawdles too long on exposition...yes, theres comparisons between the Trek/Lsh universes but enough already! We can find out all this as we go along not introducing the damn issue! The crowd scared of Shady's shadows...connction to this mysterious 'shadowy' man?
The Moy's artwork is perhaps too cartoony here; Id have appreciated some more detail. And as an aside, Id have preferred the Next Gen crew to the original to have met pu with the LSH.
I wonder if Roberson isn't assuming that the very existence of this comic book is entertainment enough in itself. I mean, I'm sure he's having a blast writing it. Unfortunately, the meter's running, so let's pick up the pace.
Very disappointing again. I can't believe it's been two issues and still no meet up. It makes me wonder what exactly is going to happen in the story when we have 4 issues left. Surely the pace is going to have to pick up in the next few.
The other annoying thing is that the information presented in this issue is pretty much what we could have gleaned from the first issue.
I just have a horrible feeling that the next issue might be a firefight between the Legion and Trek heroes lasting the entire issue and then the final page is a "Ceasefire! We need to talk" :(
Not impressed so far.
Yeah, maybe; one thing about that is that physical combat is one of the least interesting things about Star Trek, so we may be able to dispense with that stage fairly quickly.
I didn't feel as satisfied with this issue as the first.
I agree, we can probably expect at least 2/3 of the next issue being the fight before the team-up. Roberson could short-circuit that if he wants, though, via Saturn Girl -- give us 2 pages of fight and then halt. Of course, with the Legionnaires having powers, that's as long as a fight should last anyway. Issues 4 and 5 will be "split into small groups with some from each team for mini-missions".
The third time anomaly is the Emperor, of course. We were supposed to think early on that it was Mirror Spock, but that's obviously misdirection. It has to Glowing Eye For The Mystery Guy from the start of issue #1, of course, but this doesn't feel like Khan or Universo. My thought is Vandal Savage, although I'm not sure how that works, either. Stargrave with a dye job, maybe? Q?
I thought of Vandal Savage, but why should it be him? Cripes, at this rate, we'd need a whole issue and a half just to explain who the freaking guy is.
Why Vandal Savage? Villain with a dark beard who was around in caveman times and still would be in the 23rd century.
And since we did get Tommy Tomorrow and Space Ranger in issue #1, the door is cracked open for other DC characters.
No, I don't mean why do you think it might be him, I mean why would Roberson use him? He's not a Legion or Star Trek villain, and as a major character (and not a cameo) he'd need some kind of explanation, and since there are only about 320 panels left in the whole series, and the two main groups of characters haven't even introduced themselves to each other yet, I'd say we don't have time. Whoever the villain is, he's almost certainly a Legion villain or a Star Trek villain or a combination of the two.
I roughly agree. I guess Universo is the most likely candidate, since they highlighted his eye in issue #1 and his beard in issue #2. How it fits with his typical goals, no idea.
I read on the Star Trek boards that the writer thought of this series when he realized one villain had been in both Star Trek and Legion, already. The Star Trek Original Series universe is smaller, so I searched there.
The Sun Eater is the same as the Doomsday device, but that's not a villain. The Paradise Syndrome's planet could be Dawnstar's home. But, no villain. The alien in Requiem for Methuselah could be Vandal Savage. Could it be the Gamesters of Triskelion? I only have vague memories of the LSH being manipulated to fight each other. The story so far fits well.
That's interesting. My Trek knowledge is pretty limited, so I don't know if I'd recognize whoever it is, but anyway it's a good way of having a crossover. I wonder if Roberson meant that it was literally the same guy, or if it was two guys who were so deeply similar that they might as well be the same guy.
Did they ever fight Hitler in Star Trek?
Not Hitler. They did visit a planet based on the Third Reich. The villain ended up dead. I don't know the movies, cartoon, novels, or comics.
Hmm. Are the Gamesters of Triskelion anything like the Luck Lords of Ventura?
They Gamesters never showed on screen, they could be the same.
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