Review: Legion of Super-Heroes #10

Legion of Super-Heroes #10 came out this week and was a great walk around the team as we explore several plot lines which have begun in the book. The recovery of Earth's ocean is behind us. The 'Trial of the Legion' is behind us. We have met a lot of the Legionnaires through the last two issues page-by-page storytelling. The future is now.

And there is a lot to unpack in this issue. The romance between Superboy and Saturn Girl and their side mission to find Mordru is here. The current state of Rimbor's politics is here. The impending Great Darkness and the current state of Oa is here. And boy oh boy is New Krypton here. And each of these storylines throw in a lot of hints and clues for the future that whets my appetite for more.

I also love how my favorite Legionnaires get some screen time. Lightning Lass has always been a favorite and her scene in this issue might be my favorite.

Ryan Sook provides the art here and his work is just fantastic. There is so much fun here. The breathy ethereal landscape of the mind's eye of Imra's telepathy is beautiful. Monster Boy's minotaur is fun. Cham pretending to be Krypto and Streaky when on New Krypton is a hoot. He might have based a character in here on a British actor. It is just beautiful. 

Get ready to dive in because I have thoughts and ideas!

I am so happy that a good Legion book is on the shelves!

Much like in Action Comics #1026, we get a very heavy word balloon splash page.

Here we get a peek at Karate Kid. He is still Val Armorr, specialist in all martial arts. I like how he almost sounds like a sensei, teaching and preaching the benefits of the arts. 

We then get a decent recap of all that has happened recently in the Legion.

And then the interlac blurb:

Martial arts are a highly organized set of systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number opf reasons. They were first developed in ancient times for self-defense and law enforcement and then later, competition. Most use them for physical, mental, and spiritual development. For many parts of the Galactic, it is a cornerstone of the preservation of intangible cultural heritage. They have become a large part of a variety of galactic cultures including New Krypton, parts of Planet Gotham, Winath, and, of course, the Japanese outpost on Jupiter which is about to start its millennium celebrations at the end of the year.

I did find it interesting that the influence of martial arts has spread to other planets. And a Japanese outpost on Jupiter. Interesting. My guess is that is a hint at an upcoming adventure, giving those of us who translate a peek at the future.

We start out on Jon and Imra's date. I like that even in the future, amorous teens get together and flirt over onion rings. 

On Titan, physical intimacy like kissing doesn't happen. Instead, they commune telepathically. Imra takes Jon into her mind in one of the more beautiful pages in the book. I like how Jon asks her not to peek into his mind. I was young once too Jon; I get it.

But the date is interrupted by Inspector Sevenbergen who has a faint lead on where Mordru is heading. That means dealing with 'the other Kryptonite'. Nice line there.

Also, Sevenbergen? A play on Karen Berger? Kurt Schaffenberger?
 

Brainy and Blok join Gold Lantern in bringing General Crav to justice on Oa.

This is one of those scenes that is wild and has me speculating.

First off, when did Oa become gold color powered and not green? Is fear part of the energy now?

What is this 'eternal justice' they are doing to Crav? It looks like he is put in a Superman II style glass pane and thrown into what I presume is the power battery.
 

Blok not only silences Grav but also senses that the Guardians are holding back information about the Great Darkness. He says as a Dryad he can tell. The original Blok was a very empathetic soul. I wonder if this one is a bit empathic.

The Guardians say they also could sense the upcoming Great Darkness but they aren't sure if the Legion saves everything from the Darkness or if they caused it.

Could be both. In the original Great Darkness, Mon-El and Shady accidentally awaken Darkseid, leading to the Saga. Maybe they could be blamed as causing the Darkness. Hmm ... 

 And when did the Guardians become flaming heads? There is a ton to think about here.

An away team heads to New Krypton to try and bring home Mon-El. I like that Wildfire sort of belittles Mon-El, pointing out how he might have the power of Superman but he isn't the hero Superman was.

They are greeted by a contingent from the planet. I love the 'Supergirl' with the hammer, a sort of Natasha Irons of the future. 

We also see a Doomsday-looking being. And a Colossus 'maybe I am the Eradicator' looking being. All fascinating.

But then we get this bombshell. The man in white is General Zod, still alive a thousand years later.

First off, he is a dead ringer for Bill Nighy!

Next, if he is alive does that mean Kal and Kara could still be alive? Or did something happen to them? 

I do love the mix of citizens here. But so much to think about!

On Rimbor, Jo Nah delivers the news his father is gone and extends the Legion's hand to help bring Rimbor forward in progress.

I love how this woman assassin tries to attack him and is quickly sent away. I honestly laughed out loud when I read this. We are on Rimbor .. this sort of stuff happens.

Then my favorite scene of this excellent book.

Ayla seeks out Brainy, wondering if she should be in the Legion. It took all her will power to not simply lash out at the President during the trial. She is a justice warrior. Maybe she doesn't fit in with the systemically entrenched Legion.

Brainy points out to the Legion has diplomacy. Ayla has passion, the passion of the ancient heroes. And the Legion needs that passion. She might not need the Legion but they need her. She is progressive and pro-active. They need that fire.

Computo chimes in saying 'Diplomacy will break your heart kid', a quote of OMAC. Nice nod to Jack Kirby's classic 'comics will break your heart, kid' quote.

Back on Rimbor, much to his chagrin, Jo Nah is named leader. He is trying to escape the sphere of his father, not become his father. But Lightning Lad sees a silver lining. Rimbor has always been a problem. Now Rimbor is ruled by a Legionnaire. no more problem.

Except ...

Maybe this will corrupt Jo. Can he wrangle these people to behave?

And more importantly, you already have a President who is wary of the team. How will she take to the Legion having a planet of warriors at their disposal.

This could be messier than cleaner.

On New Krypton, we see that Mon-El has settled in. He quit the Legion. And he has family there! Three daughters: Laraz, Conner, and Lane.

Now I am going to go out on a limb and guess the mother is a Carggian, explaining the three girls easily. It also is a nod to Luornu's crush on Superboy oh so many continuities ago. 

We learn that Zod is Mon's great grandfather. We also learn his grandmother thought the Legion would be good for Mon-El. Maybe ... and I hope I am wrong here ...  Kara is Mon's grandmother? I'd have to figure out last names. But if Zod is alive, Kara could be too.

 As for Jon, with Dr. Fate's help, he learns Mordru is on Xanthu.

And we see that Mordru is telling Rogol Zaar that Jon is alive and well in the 31st century. Now somewhere along the way we learned Zaar was a Kryptonian (although the details were never spelled out) so why shouldn't he be alive too?

But what has he been doing these last 1000 years? And why isn't he ticked off about a New Krypton being out there?

This was a fantastic issue. It gave information which I devoured but that only led me to new questions! And I want all the answers now!

Sook's art is just brilliant. Everything flows gorgeously.

So many questions and theories!

Overall grade: A