Sales Review: August 2015

A couple of weeks ago, the news was released that DC was cancelling five titles and changing the creative team of another. Included in that list was Justice League United, a book headlined by Jeff Parker and bringing a classic 'team-up' feel to a DC book. Also in that list were recent DCYou offerings Doomed and Omega Men. (I am pretty sure I called Doomed and Omega Men being short lived titles when I lamented the cancelleation of Supergirl.)

That news was followed up with the usual coverage of comic sales over on ICv2. Here is a link looking at the top 300 comics for August:http://icv2.com/articles/news/view/32523/top-300-comics-actual-august-2015

In what is becoming so common that it isn't news anymore, Marvel dominated the market. But looking at the numbers, it might explain, at least a little, some of DC's decisions. Still, I worry about the quick axe for some of these more experimental titles. There was little time for buzz to build. 

Looking at the Superman books, all seemed to get a modest bump in sales last month. I wonder how much of that might have been secondary to Bombshell variants. Those covers all sold out at my local store. Still, Superman #43 was the issue where we saw Lois' reveal Clark's identity. I wonder if that brought some new readers or some new orders from comic stores.

 Superman sold just under 50000 units, a number I don't think it has reached in a long time.

And Action Comics, my favorite of the bunch, sold just under 42000, a bump from the usual mid-30s I have seen the book languish in for a while. This is orders, not sales, so I have to think the Bombshell stuff has to factor in here.

I was a big fan of the Justice League United concept from the beginning. While I worried about idea that Supergirl was a 'bull-headed loner', Jeff Lemire won me over with the inclusion of Silver Age characters as well as bringing back a true Legion of Super-Heroes.

Lemire left and Jeff Parker took over and had the brilliant idea of combining a core team of heroes with rotating guests. I mean, this is probably the only place a new DC reader (do those exist) would meet Sgt. Rock, Enemy Ace, and the Doom Patrol.

A mere three issues into the new direction, DC pulled the plug. Surprisingly, the book was still selling over 24000. This reminds me of the cancellation of Supergirl. Here was a book that was selling solidly if not prolifically. And yet, the plug was pulled.

The only place we can get a Supergirl these days is in Justice League 3001.

And given the cancellations and murmurs of a rebranding close after the DCYou rebranding, I am worried.

JL3001 sold just under 19000.

That is a scary number.

Knowing DC, they'll blame Supergirl for the sales.

I am not a comic business person. I don't have inside knowledge of the economics. But I am confused by the apparent lack of direction of DC right now. It feels rudderless.

Justice League United #11 - Supergirl Bolted

It has been three months since the last issue of Justice League United was released. In that issue, the Infinitus Saga came to an end, Supergirl had an intriguing moment with Brainiac 5, and the team came together saying they should stay unit and work together. Stargirl and Equinox and Supergirl squealed about how they would be great friends.

Then Convergence happened. Supergirl was canceled and basically placed in limbo. DCYou came about with an attempted reinvigoration of the universe. And Jeff Lemire, the then writer of JLU, left the book.

The 'new' JLU was then given a sneak peek in the back matter of Convergence. New writer Jeff Lemire would have a small core unit of Leaguers. But those Leaguers would bring in mission-specific agents to fight targeted threats. Basically, Parker would suddenly have the every character in the DCU to play with.

Still, there was part of me that wondered. Why no Supergirl? How would that be explained?

Justice League United #11 came out and we learned the new state of this League.

Adam Strange seems to be living as a disembodied spirit in the Zeta-field. He can detect 'Breakers', beings worming into this universe but threatening the space/time continuum.

The current team is Animal Man, Equinox, and Alana Strange.

As for all the other team members? They are gone. J'Onn and Ollie had to 'cut out' without any warning.

And Supergirl? She 'bolted'.

She bolted.

Okay DC. The show is coming out soon. How about we get our act together and give us some news about Kara? How about something more substantial than she 'bolted'.

All that said, I liked the issue and the concept a lot. Fighting some odd evil plants/anti-Green beings, the League recruits Mera, Swamp Thing, Etrigan, and Poison Ivy. It is a trippy read. And the recruitment scenes are a lot of fun.

I am growing fonder of Travis Foreman's art. It is quirky and warped and stylish. But I can't take my eyes off it and I think that is the whole point. His Mera is stunning.

So, even without Supergirl, I guess I am going to get this title. It is sort of like a massive DC Comics Presents!

The New Justice League United

DC has quasi-rebooted the DCnU after Convergence, bringing in new books, new perspectives, and apparently opening up all Earths and continuities to creators. And I have to give them some proper respect, DC gave free 8 page previews for many of the new books and new directions, sticking them at the back of the Convergence mini-series but making them available for free on line.

One I wanted to look at closely was Justice League United. For those who haven't looked, here is a link to the preview: http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/dc-sneak-peek-justice-league-united-dc-comics-2015

Now I was interested because I liked Jeff Lemire's run on the book. And Jeff Parker, another writer whose work I love, was taking over so I wanted to see what Parker had in mind. But more importantly, or most importantly, I wanted to see if Supergirl was going to be part of the book. She was a big part of the initial stories. She seems to have been swept aside post-Convergence.

What was going to happen?

Well Parker does a great job showing what he has in mind for the book. The core team of Animal Man, Equinox, Adam and Alana, and Stargirl is intact. They are tasked with taking care of continuity anomalies which have sprung from Convergence. And, knowing the individual nature of each adventure, they'll put together a unique team suited for the threat. Everyone is a possible JL member if their powers match up. It is like the biggest team-up book ever.

And Parker does a great job of showing us how crazy this could be, giving us glimpses of unfortunately forgotten heroes like Firestorm and the Doom Patrol, as well as Swamp Thing, Deadman, and other interesting choices.

Perhaps the best scope shot is the ending splash. I mean, I want to read some Hawk and Dove. And the Marvel Family. And Blue Devil. Etc.

But still, look in that massive Who's Who sort of page. Who isn't there? Supergirl.

And that's a shame because Kara was a great part of JLU.

She was often a big part of the cover treatment, especially the variant covers!

And she grew over even the short time on the book.

She was far from the 'bull-headed, stubborn', dark hero Lemire initially described her as. She might be all business. But she knew enough to save Hawkman rather than chase Lobo. And she also became the muscle of the group, a powerful ally to the team, smiling as she jumped into action with her teammates.

And it isn't as if she didn't have her own little subplots going on.

Lemire set up a backstory with Brainiac 5 in the New 52 Universe. Will we ever see that play out?

And we see that she has become friends with Stargirl and Equinox.

But for some reason, DC has decided to pull the plug completely on this version of Supergirl, just as she was getting interesting and heroic. This seems to be a sort of recurring theme with DC, getting Supergirl to where she needs to be character-wise and then rebooting again.

Will Parker explain her absence? Have Equinox and Stargirl mention their missing friend? Or is Supergirl untouchable?

I will read the Parker book because it sounds like the sort of book I am looking for in the DCU.

But I'll miss Supergirl being there.

Review: Justice League United #10

Justice League United #10 came out this week and was a very entertaining ending to the Infinitus Saga Legion crossover. This was a great ending for any number reasons which I will go over. But for a Supergirl fan, this is an excellent reason. There are great moments for Kara here including one scene that floored me. Floored me as it should floor all long term Supergirl fans.

I am trying to wrap my head around this month in DC Comics in the grander scheme of things. We get two months of Convergence coming up. We get a rebranding, rethinking of the entire universe afterwards. And while Justice League United is continuing, we know that this creative team is gone. We have no idea who will remain on the team. I am calling it here and now ... Supergirl won't be there. But we'll see.

Indeed, when you read this issue, it could easily be read as a 'final issue'. And that is a shame because I have really loved this book. Thanks to Jeff Lemire for putting together a diverse and engaging team. Thanks for writing an interesting Supergirl without making her too hard and bull-headed. And thank you thank you thank you for writing a great Legion! We need a Legion book by Lemire!

Neil Edwards wraps up his work on the book as well (as far as we know) and continues to do a great job with the massive cast of the arc. The action of this issue ends relatively quickly leading to more character moments and dramatic scenes. Nice stuff on those quiet moments too!

You might remember that last issue J'Onn lobotomized Ultra, ending the Infinitus threat. Unfortunately, Brainy had already fired his ultimate missile, resulting in a black hole opening up in Thanagarian space.

Byth wriggles free of Colossal Boy's grip and falls into the black hole, nearly taking Equinox with him.

And so we come to the first great Supergirl moment. With Star Girl and Equinox about to also fall in, Supergirl streaks to the rescue, grabbing them and flying them away from the gravity well. Great semi-splash here of a determined Kara saving her friends. Love it.

While the Star Boy tries to slow down the black hole's effects, the others go into rescue mode. Unfortunately, Thanagar is in danger of slipping into the black hole, destroying the whole planet.

When all seems lost, Dreamy gets a prophetic vision, two planets in proximity to each other. The answer is clear. Thanagar must be teleported away.

Hmmm .... okay ....

It isn't going to be easy. But if all the Rannian fleet fire Zeta beams at the planet's poles, and with an amplification boost from Mysa, it just might work.

I am a big fan of the White Witch so it was nice to see her have a little moment in the sun. She is able to work her magic and Thanagar gets blipped away. The whole planet is now in the same system, the same orbit as Rann! Now that is interesting and certainly opens up an opportunity for someone at DC to do a 'Cosmic' book looking at the new dynamic of Rann and Thanagar.

And no doubt, they have saved Thanagar.

But is the black hole still out there? I guess so.

We have seen Lemire make a hodge-podge Legion composed of members of every continuity and reboot. Does anyone remember a story where Mysa actually did an amplification spell on Takron Galtos?

Now, the best Supergirl moment of the book. And the best moment of the book for me. And a fantastic moment for Supergirl fans everywhere.

Kara finds Brainy to let him know that everyone is gathering for final goodbyes. Brainy stammers around Kara a bit. And then ...

He says this is the first time she has met him. But he comments on something happening between them in the future.

Lemire references a Brainy/Kara relationship. We haven't seen a whiff of that in the New 52.

I love it!

So all that is left is character moments as the two teams part. I say it all the time. I love the small moments in comics as much as the big ones.

Here, Brainy has to admit that his plan as leader would have failed. Dreamy actually was able to save the day and she was only around because she disobeyed Brainy's orders. He nominates her for leader.

I have always loved the Dreamy/Brainy relationship. There is some grit there. They are both smart and strong-willed. I love when respect grows out of there differences.

And then this nice moment. Dawnstar gets to meet her hero from the past ... Equinox.

That just makes sense. And it is a beautiful small moment that makes me like both characters more.

Great stuff.

And luckily, Lemire removes one of the plots that has irked me all along. Brainy is able to remove what I call the 'zeta beam insanity' between Alana and Adam. They can now be together.

I always hate the 'powers turn on an off randomly' or 'people change places randomly' storylines because they always seemed forced. The switch never happens when someone would die. The switch never happens when someone is in the bathroom.

I am so happy this is gone!

The Legion  head back to the future, taking Ultra with them. And the Justice League end up back in Canada.

The first two arcs basically revolved around Ultra. With the big threat gone, what happens to the team.

Thankfully, Green Arrow and J'Onn recognize that this team is strong and worth keeping together. Suddenly we are talking about team names and monitor duty!

Like many super-hero teams, they were brought together by chance. But they stick together. Very classic!

And then the third great Supergirl moment.

Courtney and Mi are all excited that they are part of a superhero team! And Mi invites both Courtney and Kara to head into town to meet her friends. Happily, Kara accepts.

You might recall Lemire calling Supergirl stubborn. She was an outsider. I worried that she would be a foil to Star Girl and Equinox. That they would hate each other.

So to see the three become friends and hang out socially made me happy.

Of course, Byth all along kept talking about how he had lived the Ultra story already. He talked about things being different, changing, etc. Now we learn why. The black hole sends him back in time, to prehistoric Thanagar, where he begins his life again. He will arrange for Ultra and Infinitus to happen again, in his future, in hopes of changing things.

I guess that makes Byth immortal?

This was a tremendous arc and great first year for this title. I suppose it appealed more to Legion fans and those buying the book for the JLU might have felt cheated. But for me, this sizzled. And even if you aren't a Legion fan, the quality of the book was high.

And so I have to worry about what is happening next. Where is this book going? Who is writing and drawing? Who is on the team? I will miss Lemire and his approach to the characters.

Kudos to Lemire, McKone, and Edwards.

Overall grade: A

Review: Justice League United #9

Justice League United #9 came out this week and was a very very entertaining and satisfying penultimate chapter to the Infinitus storyline. I am absolutely sure that I am enjoying this arc more than many because I am such a Legion fan. And frankly this has been one of the best Legion stories I have read in the last 5 years. This just feels like the Legion.

Writer Jeff Lemire clearly understands how to write the Legion, making the lack of a Lemire Legion as a title in the soft summer DC reboot that much more glaring in its absence. We see a lot of the Legion and even get a feel of their personalities. But Lemire also walks the line nicely making sure that the stars of this book ... the JLU ... aren't forgotten. Neither team dominates this issue. Both add a lot. Maybe 50/50 isn't what Justice League fans want. But I ate it up with a spoon.

And artist Neil Edwards' handles everything spectacularly. The cast of characters in this issue is insanely long. I don't know how easy a task this was for him. But we get a nice mix of large and small panels. We get emotion from the characters. And everyone looks great.

Best of all is that this feels like a second-to-last chapter. The story has been paced such that I think we will get a satisfying ending. Nothing irks me more than when I am heading into a final chapter with too much in the air, wondering how the writer will be able to wrap things up in 20 pages. Lemire gives us cliffhanger. But he wraps things up enough to tee up next month's conclusion.

As I said, we get a nice mix of splash pages and multipanel pages that make the issue progress in a visually appealing way. Unlike the recent Superman which was all big panels, we get the story we need and we get big art for big moments.

And nothing says big story like a splash page of a team heading into combat! We get the JLU and the LSH all heading to fight Infinitus' wraiths, trying to stop him from forming.

This page made me feel some sympathy for Neil Edwards. That's 38 characters in the role call! And that's just the heroes. Whew!

Despite the action which worms it's way through the book, for me it is always the character moments that I enjoy the most in mash-ups like this. Yes, seeing Legionnaires and Leaguers fighting wraiths is cool.

But seeing Animal Man mock Green Arrows rallying cry of 'Justice League Attack!' gold.

And seeing Brainiac 5 match wits and personalities with Dream Girl is also good. These two have sparred in the past, usually when Brainy underestimates Dreamy. But having him make a doomsday bomb seems like flirting with disaster.

One panel which fell flat for characterization was seeing Phantom Girl seem almost scared about Infinitus manifesting. Tinya has been treated pretty rough the last couple of years.

On the other side of the bleed, Supergirl and Byth battle it out.

I have liked the strength of Kara in this title. I was worried that she was going to be dark and bitter (based on early Lemire comments) but she has really just been pro-active and the muscle of the team. Here I love how disgusted she is by Byth's attempt to be with her. She's sixteen!

Love it!

In response, Byth shows his 'true face', becoming a monstrous tumorous mass akin to The Thing at the end of Carpenter's film.

With the Wraiths streaking towards Rann, the teams split up. Some will head to the planet to defend it from this invasion. The others will stay in space to battle Infinitus.

Again, it is small details that deepen these books and make me love them. Mon-El activates the 'Legion Planetary Defense Squad' of Wildfire, White Witch, Lightning Lass, Element Lad, and Bouncing Boy. That is one tough squad, even if Chuck is the weak link.

But inter-team squads like the Legion Espionage Squad are nice little flourishes that make love the Legion. Is this the first naming of this squad?

But it is also important that everyone get a little moment to shine. Even someone like Bouncing Boy. When Animal Man gently mocks him, Chuck shows his stuff, bouncing to smash the crystalized wraiths. It's completely ridiculous.But I love it.

One of the difficult things about writing the Legion is giving everyone a purpose, a moment.

But this isn't just a Legion book. Remember, the title group is the Justice League.

And team leader Martian Manhunter has some great moments in this book.

I love this page breakdown of J'onn entering Hawkman's mind to wipe away the Byth brainwashing. There is a puzzle-like feel to it as J'onn puts together the pieces. And even the half-faces, the two heroes looking in different directions, gives it a sort of unique feel. We have seen pages like this before, but usually the faces line up. This shows they aren't quite in synch yet.

Luckily it works and J'onn, Hawkman, and Dawnstar streak into the rift. They hope to get their friends out of there before Brainy fires his bomb.

While the heroes bash on Byth (that toothy thing in Colossal Boy's hand), Dawnstar communicates their coordinates to Gates who is able to open up his own rift.

Colossal Boy is able to grab Byth and his friends and pull them free of the bleed.

Byth seems to be much much more than a shapeshifter. He seems to have some sort of psionics. And he seems particularly strong. But alone and facing the entirety of the Legion, even Byth has to surrender.

It happens relatively fast ... but some bruisers from both teams have been pounding on him for about 3 issues. So I can believe that he finally was overwhelmed.

Alas, the cute little multi-alien we knew from the beginning of this title is gone. In his place is this suddenly ultra-intelligent, supremely self-aware Ultra. And he thinks he's God.

Despite some frank talk from J'onn, it looks like Ultra is going to manifest as Infinitus.

I wasn't expecting this! I thought for sure there would be some twist where Byth was Infinitus.

Nope.

Ultra becomes a villain and is becoming Infinitus.

That is until J'onn lobotomizes him.

Since the beginning, J'onn has been Ultra's biggest defender. He has been something of a father figure. So this is pretty powerful to have J'onn be the one who has to defeat him this way. It must be killing J'onn on the inside. But what choice did he have.

And like that, the emerging Infinitus fades away. Only the damage Ultra is left.

There is some meatiness to this moment, mostly because of the relationship between the two characters.

You would think the story is over. Infinitus was the big bad and he's been defeated.

But Lemire throws in a nice classic Legion twist.

Brainiac 5 didn't trust his friends to beat Infinitus. He launched the Infinitus bomb. And with no huge cosmic being to take the brunt of the bomb, it simply explodes and opens up a black hole right above Thanagar!

Brainiac 5 accidentally creating something deadly is a well-worn path. Computo! Omega! Computo again! Having him potentially make things worse is classic Querl. But with Infinitus and Byth out of the way, having the teams deal with this threat can happen in the finale. This ending can happen in one issue.

In fact, I anticipate that somehow, something happens with Byth and this black hole. Remember, Byth has said all along that he has done all of this before. I bet that Byth is thrown back in time via the black hole and has to relive everything we have seen again. He is stuck in a time loop.

I am pretty happy with this title and with this arc. Great Legion stuff ... truly. Nice characterization for the Leaguers. A feel of DC Cosmic. And very good art to boot!

Overall grade: B+

Review: Justice League United #8

I have been waiting for what feels like a very long time to read a good Legion comic.

Who would have thought that I would find it in Justice League United? Because Justice League United #8 is just that, the best Legion comic I have read in the last couple of years. Writer Jeff Lemire uses this issue to showcase the heroism of the Legion, re-introducing us to a true Legion of heroes, a hodge-podge of all the different incarnations of the team. And since this feels like a primer on the Legion for newer readers, Lemire doesn't necessarily get into any nitty-gritty, instead telling us the ideals of the Legion and then showing us how they try to achieve those ideals. I was thrilled reading this as it reminded me of just what the Legion should be.

And since this is the Legion, artist Neil Edwards, with inkers Keith Champagne and Jay Leisten, gets to stretch his legs a bit with splash pages and double splash pages of the Legion troops flying into battle. I always say that big moments deserve big art. There is a lot of big art here! For a Legion fan like me, these were big moments. The cover by Andrew Robinson has an old school sci-fi movie poster feel.

But with splash pages and action shots, the plot of Ultra and Infinitus only progresses a baby step, although that movement forward brings about a major plot change. I wonder what people who don't like the Legion or don't follow the Legion think of this issue, a sort of expository piece on the Legion more than anything else.

We start out in the future, with Dream Girl ruminating on the Legion. How RJ Brande decided to form a team of young heroes from all the races of the United Planets. How the Legion became a symbol of home.

It almost sounds Pollyanna in this current cynical world where heroes are darker and grayer. The Legion was a true force of good that inspired people. And this discussion while the world seems to be burning around Dreamy is a nice juxtaposition.

And we then get a pages showing the team battling their greatest enemies, groups like the Fatal Five and Universo.

Just look at this page. This just screams the Legion to an old fan like me. Fifteen Legionnaires are flying through a fleet of enemy ships. Fifteen!! And we get a mix of costumes, from a mix of Legion histories.

Yes, the team grew and grew.

But those are memories of victories. The current situation is dire. Earth has been overrun by Infinitus wraiths. The Legion is in full rescue mode, getting the survivors on ships, and trying desperately to regroup and decide on the next steps.

Veteran readers know not to underestimate Dream Girl. She might be a big flirt but she is highly intelligent and a great leader. I love the look of strength in that top panel as she barks her orders to Cosmic Boy. The only hope is in the past ... they have to join Brainy in trying to stop the ascension of Infinitus.

So the Legionnaires gather at the Time Institute. Look at this motley crew of Legionnaires. In this scene we see Legionnaires from every version. And no explanation. This is the reality!

Is that Andromeda in the top left!!!! Laurel Gand!! And Ferro Lad? And others that even I don't recognize.

I will admit there was a time when I left the Legion. Once Zero Hour undid the 5YL Legion, I dropped the book. The Legion has been a near constant in my comic book life. But there is this gap. So someone will need to fill me in on some of these Legionnaires and Legion Lost members.

But I will smile smile smile if Laurel Gand is around.

And it seems like Dream Girl is quickly becoming Edwards' favorite Legionnaire to draw.

This is the New 52 Universe ... so I suppose I just roll with the different Legionnaire versions I am seeing.

But then we get back to those Legion ideals. It is time to head back into the past, to save the universe, even though this might be a suicide mission.

They will go together and fight together. Look at the determination on the faces here.

Long Live The Legion!

It has been too long since I have heard those words and felt they meant something in a comic.

And then, another double splash page of the team streaming to the rescue ... this time in the present. A true Legion is here to help the Justice League.

One thing I like about the Legion is that they are Legion!

This is going to sound lousy, especially given the fact that some people might say the same about Supergirl. But I think Ferro Lad should stay dead. I love his story being brief, tragic, and heroic.

But that is a beautiful splash page.

But despite this influx heroes, Byth is still able to speed towards the rift with Ultra. And oddly, Ultra seems like he wants to go. He is curious about what is on the other side.

The only person with a shot at stopping the speeding ship is Supergirl. And she once again decides to ignore orders. I think the best adjectives for Supergirl in this book is pro-active and impetuous. Nice look of determination here by Edwards.

Unfortunately, Kara can't catch up with the ship. She, along with the ship with Byth and Ultra, disappears into the rift. She's gone.

Interesting. What is on the other side? And how does it effect Kara?

But this is a failure or defeat of the League and the Legion. Ultra went through the rift. And now Infinitus has manifested. Another splash page, this time to show just how massive Infinitus is.

I'm starting to wonder if it isn't Ultra who is Infinitus ... but  Byth! And maybe Supergirl, being on the other side of the rift, will play a key part in the ultimate defeat of Byth and Infinitus.

So if you are a Legion fan, this is a great issue. This felt like a Legion issue, a true Legion issue with heroic people working as a team, trying to save everyone. And the art mirrors those high ideals.

If you are not a Legion fan, this might have felt like a pause issue. Lots of splash pages without a lot of story advancement. And very little League action.

But I am in the former group and not the latter. Dreamy as leader? Andromeda? Members from all the incarnations? "Long Live The Legion"? It was all fantastic.

I will await the announcement of the Jeff Lemire penned Legion book. So let's start guessing about the artist.

Overall grade: B+

Review: Superboy And The Legion Of Super-Heroes #233

Justice League United, written by Jeff Lemire, has been a great title for me, mixing in the best of the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, and the modern age, into the current state of comics.

It certainly hasn't hurt that Lemire has brought back a Legion of Super-Heroes that I both recognize and enjoy. It has been a while since I have been able to say that. And in the big JLU/LSH crossover, the villain is the Infinite Man (renamed Infinitus).

I have been looking for the right time to review Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #233, the Infinite Man's first appearance and with Infinitus about to rise in JLU I figured the time was right. It was the middle of 1977 when "The Infinite Man Who Conquered Time The Legion" hit the shelves. Writer Paul Levitz and artists Jim Sherman and Bob Wiacek spin a fast paced action tale with a couple of interesting side scenes to create a pretty intense story.

While the story is very good, the art is spectacular! Dramatic, trippy, detailed ... as well as showing huge art where art needs to be huge. Sherman and Wiacek really shines here and make this book worth buying if you see it for the right price.

And this isn't just the first appearance of the Infinite Man! We see Sklarian Raiders for the first time as well, right here on the opening page!

Here, the Raiders are trying to steal a new 'time engine' designed by Rond Vidar. They feel that the United Planets are holding their planet back, keeping technology away from them and therefore keeping them in a sort of Dark Ages. If they need to steal the tech, they will.

Sklarian Raiders are always female, usually gorgeous, and later on obtain a yellow skin color and blue hair with a few pastel highlights. Their costumes here fit the time when Dave Cockrum's influence was still strong in the Legion leading to a skimpy bathing suit style costume with a variety of holes cut out here and there.

Kono, over in the 5YL Legion, is from Sklaria.

The Sklarian Raiders are repelled so Vidar is able to proceed with his hyper-time engine experiment.

Vidar theorizes that time is circular and that he will use the engine power a ship and send someone through time for one lap. The pilot is Jaxon Rugarth, a volunteer from the Time Institute and a fan of Vidar's.

Unfortunately, the  engine works too well. The ship travels through time a near infinite number of times. And that trip is enough to do two things to Rugarth. One, it makes him nearly omnipotent. Second, it cause him so much pain that he goes insane. And all his pain and wrath is aimed at Vidar.

Here is the first of many good pages of big art by Sherman. The design of the Infinite Man is visually grabbing - giant sphinx helmet, invisible or galactic limbs. And with power over time, Sherman gets to stretch his legs a bit showing us Viking ships, biplanes, and starships.

Levitz makes the Infinite Man seemingly unstoppable. We see him pluck things out of time to battle the Legion (dinosaurs and cavemen). We see him blast pure energy from his eyes, helmet, and hands. We see him paralyze Star Boy by freezing him in time. And we see him teleport Superboy away, sending the Boy of Steel careening through dimensions light years away. There is simple no reason why a handful of Legionnaires should defeat him.

But somehow they are able to at least hold him off. Infinite Man realizes he needs to regroup and teleports away to bide his time.

There are plenty of great panels of this early fight with Tyrannosaurs as well as Superboy in the wild visuals of the different dimensions. But I love this page. It's sort of a semi-splash but by giving Sherman room we really see the difference in size between Superboy and Infinite. And there is something ludicrous but fascinating about seeing the villain's bare feet. The shading and perspectives are great too.

And then the story takes what I would think is a left hand turn. Realizing that time means nothing to the Infinite Man and that he could return any second, the team splits up to seek help from the own races and others. So Dream Girl heads to Naltor to see if the high seer can prophesize how to defeat the Infinite Man. And Phantom Girl heads to Gendyx to ask The Timeless Ones if they can help. Neither gets anything useful.

Brainiac 5 even heads to Colu to see if the brilliant minds there can help. But even they have been unable to fully understand time. And Brainy isn't happy about it. Look at that emotion!!

Meanwhile, The Infinite Man has fully grasped his powers. He controls time and space. And he still is livid at Rond Vidar. Despite the powers the Infinite Man has, Jaxon Rugarth suffered pain for "a million million" trips through the circle of time.

He heads back to have his revenge only to once again square off against the Legion.

Despite all these powers ... beams, control of time and space, ability to teleport ... somehow Colossal Boy gets in a right cross to the kisser. I do love how the Legion simply doesn't give up. Would you even consider punching this guy as an answer?

I also think Vidar's silence is deafening. You almost wish he would surrender to spare the world this menace. My guess is once Vidar is 'punished', the Infinite Man would leave.

But the battle continues.

I love this panel. The Infinite Man decides to show the Legionnaires an instant of what he suffered during his trips through time. And we get this absolute maelstrom of a panel with swirls, a Dali-esque Star Boy, and enough Kirby Krackle for an issue.

I have always liked Sherman's work but this issue has really elevated his stuff in my mind.

The Legionnaires are basically delaying the inevitable as the deal with neanderthals, energy blasts, and trips through chaos. Finally Rond Vidar (who is thankfully protected by Brainiac 5's shield belt) comes up with an answer.

He hooks up Rugarth to the hyper-time engine again (!), sending him hurtling through time ad infinitum. This time he won't be able to escape. Instead he will endure the torture of this trip ... forever. Harsh!

And so we have the origin of The Infinite Man. There is a lot of potential for this character as his powers are varied and interesting. His design is also quite grabbing.

We see the Infinite Man again, most notably in a Crisis crossover. But the real beauty of this issue is the art!

Overall grade: A