Monday, July 27, 2009

Bullet Review: Final Crisis:Legion Of 3 Worlds #5

It finally happened ... Final Crisis:Legion of 3 Worlds #5 was released last week.

I haven't fully reviewed this series here so I won't get too in-depth. As an old-time Legion fan I was interested to see just how the unfortunately clumsy Legion timeline would be stream-lined. It was hard for me to understand exactly why DC allowed Johns to bring 'his Legion' into Action Comics while the 'three-boot' Waid Legion was still being published.

Anyways, I love the idea of the Legion but there hasn't been a version I have really embraced since the 5YL issues (and I know I am in the minority for liking that version).

So Superboy-Prime was revealed as the Time Trapper last issue.


And since he is at the end of time as the Trapper, it would appear he is victorious or at least survives. That is discovered to be false. Instead it is revealed that the Time Trapper is the amalgamation of all possible timeline endings of the Prime character.

With that new hope discovered, the three original Legionnaires from Johns' current version bring in every incarnation of every Legionnaire to their aid. Perez, more than anyone, can pull off a huge group panel like this. It was fun to look it over and see some familiar characters - Beppo, Laurel Kent, Lady Quark, Kono, Tyroc, Streaky ... I could go on for a while.



And who was in that big group, the last incarnation of the pre-Crisis Earth-1 Supergirl ... headband and red shoulders streaking into action!!

What a nice little gift to be given, to see that somewhere that Kara is still kicking around. After all, we remember the last time George Perez drew Supergirl.

And to add a bit of joy, an earlier incarnation of Supergirl, this one looking more like the Maid of Might from the 1960's actually gets to deliver a right cross to Prime's mug.

Too awesome!

A confrontation between the young Prime and the Time Trapper Prime leads to the character de-evolving to pencil sketches and then being shunted back to 'his Earth' which somehow turns out not to be our Earth Prime but another Earth.

With Prime gone, the many Legions disperse themselves throughout the space/time continuum.

And in a very nice scene, we see Conner and Bart's homecoming. Superman assembled the Titans and some friends to welcome the resurrected heroes. Included in that group was Supergirl.

Wouldn't it have been nice to have the colorist get her costume right. I love the red skirt look but that isn't her costume.

The ending of the book has Prime going back to his world where his insanity and killing sprees have been read in comics by his family and friends. Isolated in his basement he turns to the reader and yells. He then goes to pour out his anger and bile on the DC message boards (sounds about right given the animosity on those boards).

Of course this has been done before ... recently in Wanted ... better in Morrison's Animal Man (even the de-volution from pencil sketch to thumbnail was done there).

And while I am glad that a current DCU Legion has been established (one that seems to be built on the adventures of the high times of Paul Levitz run), this series was something of a frenetic jumble which was not helped by the outright criminal delays between issues.

Still, it was nice to see some prior incarnations of Supergirl and her mythos sprinkled throughout the series.

Overall grade (series): C

18 comments:

Saranga said...

I must admit I only bought the series because they brought Bart back in it. On the whole I enjoyed it, and it was nice to see Kara included at the end there, but the best bit of the issue (series?) was Superboy Prime going all meta. I just have a soft spot for that stuff, which is why I shall shortly be reading Animal Man.

Anj said...

I just have a soft spot for that stuff, which is why I shall shortly be reading Animal Man.

Thanks for the post.

If you haven't read Morrison's run on Animal Man yet then you are in for a huge treat.

3 trades gather up all his issues with the more metatextual stuff in the last 2. But read all three. Great great stuff!

Unknown said...

I was re-reading this issue last night and was wondering when you were going to get around to reviewing it.
I agree that the Perez art was a treat! I also agree 100% the delays really killed this title. FC has been over for quite some time now and we are only now getting this issue?!

On a side note, I hope that Kon and Kara meet up at some point as I really enjoyed their interaction in Supergirl's first arc.

Lastly, I don't know if you saw this yet:
http://www.eaglemoss.com/dc/figurines.html

It should be released sometime in September here in the states. I talked with my local shop and they already ordered me a Supergirl one (issue 14). Take care!

TalOs said...

Man I've truly enjoyed this mini from it's epilogue special (which I think was titled "DCU #0"?) right on through to the concluding issue at hand and I don't think I've ever seen Pre-COIE E-1 Supergirl, Krypto, Streaky, Beppo and Laurel Kent all pictured together in any Legion title (till now) which was a real treat for me to see finally come to be on top of seeing that apparently our Pre-COIE E-1 60's-'84 era original Supergirl herself is still even out there to this very day at that! WOOT!!! BD

Anj said...

Wouldn't it have been nice to have the colorist get her costume right. I love the red skirt look but that isn't her costume.

I think DC are testing the waters to see if a 'red' colored skirt will be accepted... but in having had said that they even colored her boots fully red too (which should have a yellow/gold trim on them) so maybe it is just a miscoloring error in the end really. :/

Oh and Anj, Geoff apparently recently announced at recent Con that Adventure Comics #4 will be elaborating on the so called 'Legion of 3 worlds' concept still. ;)

Saranga said...

Who is Laurel Kent and Beppo?
Who's the guy in the Red cape strwen over his front next inbetween the two central figures?
And before I ask about all the other folks, has anyone seen a post online listing all charcters pictured? Cos that's really what I need. My Legion knowledge is nill.
Ta for any help :)

Saranga said...

Re Eric's posta bout the figures, has anyoen bought any of these? Are they any good?
I'm quite taken with a number of them, esp Robin, GA, Raven and Deathstroke.

Anj said...

Lastly, I don't know if you saw this yet:
http://www.eaglemoss.com/dc/figurines.html

It should be released sometime in September here in the states. I talked with my local shop and they already ordered me a Supergirl one (issue 14). Take care!


Thanks. I have seen these every so often on EBay and wondered if they were part of a set.

Some of them are quite attractive.

The only downside I heard was that they are small for the cost. But I will definitely ask my store if they are ordering.

Anj said...

I don't think I've ever seen Pre-COIE E-1 Supergirl, Krypto, Streaky, Beppo and Laurel Kent all pictured together in any Legion title (till now) which was a real treat for me to see finally come to be on top of seeing that apparently our Pre-COIE E-1 60's-'84 era original Supergirl herself is still even out there to this very day at that! WOOT!!! BD

I agree it was cool to see all of them present surrounded by all the LSH. Perez is a master of those group shots.

Anj said...

Who is Laurel Kent and Beppo?
Who's the guy in the Red cape strwen over his front next inbetween the two central figures?


Laurel Kent is the person wearing the red cape like a poncho. Pre-COIE, Laurel was Clark's descendant and (I believe) only had invulnerability for a power. She turned out to be a Manhunter sleeper in the dreadful Millenium crossover.

Beppo was a super-monkey in the Legion of Super-pets. He had been rocketed into space by Jor-El in a practice run for Kal.

I haven't found a glossary of the panel although I would love one because I did not get the Legion Lost years and some of these folks looked foreign to me.

Gene said...

That red skirt Supergirl looks pretty good. I wouldn't mind that slight costume change in her regular series.

A friend of mine ordered that Supergirl statue for me awhile ago from Westfield. Honestly, I only want it for the book that comes with it.

Anj said...

A friend of mine ordered that Supergirl statue for me awhile ago from Westfield. Honestly, I only want it for the book that comes with it.

The books do seem really slick.

Sigh - now I might have to buy this.

MDZ said...

The Eaglemoss figures are available in American comic book stores through Diamond. We have a Supergirl in our store right now. It's one of the few I don't like. Her hair is too poofy, and she's wearing the Turner/Churchill era "belted dust ruffle." But for the most part they are beautiful lead figures.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't mind "partying" with our old friend the Bronze Age Kara...in a one off appearance or some sort of "Multiverse special".
Especially if the conceit is that the BA SG survived the crisis without so much as messing up her hair-do....
But the SG we have now is pretty much classic Kara in all respects and I'm happy with her as is.

Hmmm or maybe a team-up....ohhh that is an idea.

John Feer

Anj said...

I wouldn't mind "partying" with our old friend the Bronze Age Kara...in a one off appearance or some sort of "Multiverse special".
Especially if the conceit is that the BA SG survived the crisis without so much as messing up her hair-do....
But the SG we have now is pretty much classic Kara in all respects and I'm happy with her as is.


Thanks for the post.

I doubt that DC will muddy the waters by re-introducing the Bronze Age Supergirl. Too bad.

But just by including her here you get the sense that they appreciate her stories and her place in DCU history.

Saranga said...

Cheers for the info Anj.

Anj said...

Cheers for the info Anj.

My pleasure!

Anonymous said...

Actually they've already let the BA Supergirl out to play a bit, she had a featured cameo in the JLA "Justice" maxiseries...So clearly she is out there in a meta sense.

John Feer

Nikki said...

Crisis supergirl lives on, we didn't need this to know that. What about the fiery spectre that appeared to Linda Danvers or the apparition that appeared to boston brand?

As for the eaglemoss statue, its tiny. It would get lost down a couch cushion. They've been out here for a few years now. I'd be interested in what would be in the magazine