Legion Outpost: Steve Lightle, Sensor Girl, and Supergirl

Last month, I stumbled on this Legion Companion book, published by TwoMorrows and put together by Glen Cadigan. It is a fabulous collection of interviews with Legion creators from the earliest up through Zero Hour. I decided that the best way for me to digest this was not to read it front to back but to pick and choose which creators struck my interest in the moment. Last month I reviewed an interview with the man who drew the first appearance,  Al Plastino.  

This time I decided I would jump forward to the Baxter series and read a 2003 interview with Steve Lightle. This interview was done by Glen Cadigan. I love Lightle's art, in particular his Legion stuff so I dove right in. It is interesting to read how Lightle got given the book, why he left the book, and how he feels when people always want to talk Legion with him.

But this is a Supergirl blog. So what am I talking about here? Well, if you saw the title of the post, you know it is Sensor Girl.

I get the sense that as I read through this book there will be Supergirl nuggets for me to showcase here.

I was a big fan of Sensor Girl and I loved her original costume. There is something that just works there.

For me, back in the day, the thing that obviously intrigued me about Sensor Girl was the chance that she was Supergirl. Crisis was happening. Her first appearance was in Legion of Super-Heroes #14, which came out one month before Crisis on Infinite Earths #7.

There were rumors that writer Paul Levitz was planning on Sensor Girl actually being Supergirl. But I never heard anything concrete about that being the plan. So let's hear what Lightle recalls.

Review: Superman Last Stand Of New Krypton #2

With Superman:Last Stand of New Krypton #2, we have reached the halfway point in the Last Stand storyline. It is hard to believe that the last couple of years of plots in the super-titles will careen to their endings at the end of next month.

While the earlier issues of Last Stand have chugged along at breakneck speed, this issue seems to pause and let the audience take a breath. There is a bit of exposition here, reviewing what has been going on in the future and why that is impacting now.

And just when you think this issue is going to maybe slow things down too much, it ends with a couple of huge cliffhangers.

As I said before, so far Last Stand has really been entertaining. While Superman: World of New Krypton seemed to wheeze across the finish line, this arc has been nonstop action and revelations. That doesn't mean some of the mysteries of WONK have been forgotten (like that military installation with the silver pelts), just put on the back burner.

And how great is that George Perez cover? No one does a 'busy' cover like Perez. All the main characters are here, engaged in this frenetic battle with the Brainiac drones.


In the last chapter, Supergirl finally called upon her mother to wrest control of the planet from General Zod and allow the Legion to complete their mission. Spurred on by Kara, Alura does just that.

I really have come to love the swirling tempest of emotions that is Alura. Originally, she seemed like a one-note character, vindictive to a fault. But since those early issues, we have seen her depressed, nervous, angry, nasty, and eerily calm. It is hard to get a good read on her because she has been all over the emotional map. (Hmmm ... maybe the GL corps should have used her in Blackest Night.) So it isn't out of the ordinary to see her stand up to Zod and demand to know his plans.

And I also have come to understand that she really does love Kara, even if she doesn't always show it the right way. Here she describes Supergirl as 'very smart and not prone to misjudgments' ... that is light years away from what she calls Kara to her face (usually 'a disappointment').

The old angry Alura does rear its head again when she tells Zod that she'll kill the Legion if anything happens to Kara. Alura has to be one of the most intriguing and compelling characters in comics.

Unfortunately, the Legion initially can't seem to get into Brainiac's ship no matter what they do. Even Quislet's powers prove useless.

Finally, an answer comes from the future. Brainiac 5 arrives.


While the Legion tries to get in, Superman and Mon-El continue to try to free the trapped cities and break out.

Back on his ship and re-energized, Brainiac is suddenly the brawny Coluan we saw way back in the Johns/Frank Brainiac storyline. In fact he is so muscle-bound, he actually engages in fisticuffs with Superman. It seems a little off for Brainiac ... to sully himself when he has a ship full of weapons and drones he can send in for the wetworks instead. Maybe this emotional response, the way that Superman has got under his skin, will prove to be his downfall.

During their brawl, Superman is able to get hold of the city of the telepathic Lanothians. Brainiac teleports away with all the others.

I'll say it again - the Lanothians become the race of telepaths on Saturn's moon that will eventually lead to Saturn Girl


Brainiac 5 is able to use his skills to get the Legion into Brainiac's ship and they decide to split up to cover more ground. Sensor Girl, Tellus, and Quislet run into Superman. There is a fair amount of exposition in this scene as the Legionniare catch Superman up about the trouble in the future and their mission in the past. It has all been covered elsewhere, but if some readers are only getting Last Stand, it probably was valuable info.

A couple of other things. One, I like how Sensor Girl, Tellus, and Quislet seem to naturally work together. They were inducted into Legion together and might feel some added affinity to each other.

The other is my continued rant against the new-look for Sensor Girl. The overall look just doesn't work for me. But even worse is the fact that she wears an actual mask and blonde wig. She has illusion powers! Would she really use a wig instead of just weaving an illusion? I don't know ... maybe I just have to let this go.


One thing I did like was that the telepathic Lanothians did not become a deus ex machina to help turn the fight. Tellus had initially thought that he and the Lanothians could use their powers to get the Kryptonians to drop their guild prejudices and fight together.

It turns out when Tellus tries that it doesn't work. The Kryptonians are filled with such fear that the telepathic link can't get through. Given their time in the bottle and the control that Brainiac had over them, that degree of fear makes perfect sense.

And let's face it, this sets up Superman to be the missing leader ... the person to cut through the fear and unite his people.

And you can understand why the Kryptonians are so afraid.

Despite having super-powers, they still end up losing the battle to Brainiac. They get put back into the bottle. In fact, this is an upgrade with red-sun force field walls which will incinerate any Kryptonian foolish enough to fly into it.

I am pretty sure that I guessed that Kandor would be shrunk, New Krypton would explode, and the bad guys would be put back into the Phantom Zone. So far I am one-third right.

I have to say, I didn't expect the city to be re-bottled this quickly. So this was a surprise to me.



Added to that surprise, we see Superman pummeled by Brainiac's weapons systems as he tries to re-save the city. It isn't even a fight. Superman is simply taken out.

So we have two excellent cliff-hangers ... two tremendous turns in the story.

Superman is declared dead.

Kandor is back on Brainiac's ship.

So at the halfway point, it looks like the villains are winning.



So why does Zod calmly state that Brainiac bottling them means that the Coluan has lost?

I have no idea. What the heck could Zod have up his sleeves in his diminutive state? Why would he be pleased with being captured?

I have to say that 2/3 of the way through this issue I felt a bit let down. It didn't seem to continue the speed of the earlier chapters. And the Sensor Girl wearing a wig ... brrrr.

But then the Kandor gets shrunk! It was like I got lulled a bit before the knockout punch. These endings of the issue pulled up the grade.

So kudos to Sterling Gates and James Robinson. Last Stand continues to be very entertaining, picking up some of the momentum I felt at the beginning of New Krypton so long ago. It really isn't just a Superman story ... it's a Superman/Supergirl/Mon-El/Legion story. And everyone seems to be having their moment in the sun.

Pete Woods continues to shine here and Travis Moore pitched in on some pages. While their styles are different, it wasn't glaring enough to distract.

Given that we know the War of the Supermen is coming, I doubt the Kryptonians remain shrunk for long.

Overall grade: B/B+

Sensor Girl And Quislet

Every so often I get reminded just how old I am as a comics reader. Maybe old is too pejorative a term. Maybe I should say distinguished. I have never hidden the fact that I am 39 years old (with the big 4-0 looming just a few months away).

Basically, I realized that Sensor Girl and Quislet are being re-introduced to the comic public. They were introduced way back in 1985. That's 25 years ago!! And they were only 'around' for a handful of years after that.

So after I complained about the 'new' costume for Sensor Girl and the potential 'new' powers and armaments for Quislet, I realized that some people may not know the 'old' costume or powers. Plus, I promised I would do some research on the characters, reacquainting myself with them.

And so, here are some Who's Who pages on the characters. These entries were more comprehensive and detailed than the entries in the Who's Who in the Legion mini-series which was published after the general DCU directory.

The Sensor Girl page was drawn by Steve Lightle, one of my favorite artists, who had a brief but memorable stint on the Legion. I just love that original costume design.

And, as I recalled, outside of her illusion powers, Sensor Girl also had the vague ability to 'see through the illusions of the world' giving her super-senses. (It is scary that that phrase somehow stuck in my mind more than 2 decades later.)

Also, when Sensor Girl was first introduced, her identity was a mystery. In fact, some Legionnaires (especially Brainy) thought she was Supergirl. Here is a link to my 'back issue' review of one of the issues that explored that mystery:
http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2008/08/it-came-from-back-issue-box-legion-of.html


So some elements of the original costume are kept here, but I still think the original is much more striking. For some reason, I really dislike that I can see her eyes. I prefer the white 'spidey eyes' much much more.

As for Quislet, here is his page from the Who's Who Update '88.

Quislet could leave his ship and entire nonorganic objects and animate them. As I thought, at least back then, he could only stay in an object like that for a short time before the object unraveled at a molecular level. Since he was able to maintain his disguise as a Science Police HoverCam for a prolonged period of time in recent issues, I have to assume his powers have been changed slightly.

Hope this trip down memory lane was helpful. I definitely liked looking at Lightle's art again. The layout of the Sensor Girl page is great.

Review: Superman #692

Superman #692 was released last week and seemed to be a sort of rest issue as we pick up on the many plot threads that James Robinson is weaving in this book. In fact, he even added a few more story lines in this issue.

If I have had a complaint about Robinson's run is that he is juggling so many plot lines right now that it is difficult to see if there is a grand plan, a method to his madness. As I have posted in the past, I find myself wondering why pages are being dedicated to certain plots and characters that seem minor to the overall arc when maybe they could be better spent on a bigger theme.

That said, I didn't mind those moments this issue. After Codename:Patriot, we needed an issue to catch up with everything that is going on. More importantly, I thought it was good pacing to see the responses to the 'Metropolis 3' attack on the city and the presumed death of Mon-El.

Still ... another plot line? I don't know if I can keep up with them all.



The issue opens with a group of super-heroes trying to fix the destroyed Metropolis sewers so that water can again flow in the city. Unfortunately, as Dr. Light tells us, the bomb used to destroy the water system including nanotech which undoes any repairs performed on the pipes. And that tech is clearly from John Henry Irons' Ironworks factory.

Irons is alive but in a coma. Again, I wonder why Lane or Atlas would leave Irons alive when they could have easily dispatched him. It makes even less sense if they were going to implicate the Metropolis 3 for the attack on him. Why not implicate them in his murder? Maybe I am more ruthless than General Lane?

The effect of the lack of water is shown in some detail as we listen in to another episode of The Edge of Reason. There isn't enough water for hygiene. There is barely enough for survival.



The haggard appearing Edge then goes into pure propaganda mode, talking about General Lane as a normal man who will save the world from the super-human Kryptonians. Throughout this rant, Lane is shown in incredibly patriotic images while Supergirl and Thara are shown thrashing hte military.

I find it interesting that Lane's influence can reach into a private sector celebrity like Morgan Edge. I hope we learn if there is some back story between the two.

Meanwhile, Mirabai is shown interrogating Zatara.

The more I read, the more I am worried that Mirabai isn't going to always be a good little soldier for General Lane. I wonder if she has her own agenda and working for Lane is just serving a purpose. I mean now she calls herself 'Mirabai the Forlorn' as she playfully twirls a rather nasty looking axe. Her powers seem to have no limit. Even here she has magically silenced Zatara as she questions him telepathically.

Mirabai begins her discussion by telling Zatara that the Mark Merlin he met was actually the Parasite in a false form trying to worm near the magical power source of General Lane's satellite. I think this is a lie. I think that that truly was Merlin.

More interesting is her revelation about who is the power source of the satellite. It is not Prince Ra-Man. In fact it is someone people won't know 'in a thousand years'. That reference to 'a thousand' and all the Legion members running around this comic make me think the source is a magical character from LSH.

You may remember that when Mirabai was underground in the sewer system with Reactron and Metallo she talked about how those close quarters were unnerving to her. Back then I wondered if her claustrophobia meant she was somehow related to Mordru. Now she drops this nugget of information. I know I am not the first on the 'net to say it but I think Mordru is the power source.

The scene ends coldly with Mirabai casting a sleep spell on Zatara and telling him that when he awakes he will serve her in her court. Mirabai may very well be the big bad in this story arc.

Back in Metropolis, The Guardian reveals that Johnathan Kent was in fact Mon-El and that the troops should all raise a glass in his honor.

Jamie Harper looks astonished that Mon was her partner.

I am more astonished at The Guardian. Mon-El is invulnerable. There was no body found. Heroes get resurrected every other day. I am surprised that Harper would reveal the secret identity this early. It seemed a bit incongruous.

In what I thought was a good character development scene, Guardian then tells Jamie how proud he is of her and all her accomplishments. It is a nice moment between a clone and his (?) descendant.

Robinson does a good job of keeping the development of his characters moving forward, of creating three dimensional players out of even the most bit player. I still wonder though if this cast is too large.

And here is yet another character driven scene. Harper's lieutenant Officer Wilcox talks about how she is recently widowed and that her heart is cold right now.

When I first read this scene I wondered why Robinson was giving us more back story on another small cast member. I mean ... am I supposed to care about a Science Police squad leader, the equivalent of a red shirted landing party member in Star Trek?

Well ... it turns out that yes I should care.

Wilcox is later shown in her apartment talking on the phone to someone. As she hangs up she picks up a picture of Princess Projectra and Karate Kid and says 'Val' sadly.

The next panel we see her crying, a Sensor Girl costume in the background. Wilcox is Princess Projectra somehow active in the past! Wow! I didn't see that one coming.

Of course, Projectra became Sensor Girl after Karate Kid (her husband) got killed in combat with Nemesis Kid way back in the Levitz/Giffen Legion of Super-Heroes in the mid 80's. For a while, the Sensor Girl mystery was a hot topic as many thought she was Supergirl, brought back in a clever way by Paul Levitz.

Now I am very interested in why all these Legionnaires are hanging out in the past and what part they play in this arc. And I like Sensor Girl so I am intrigued to see what Robinson is going to do with her. But now I have another big plot line added to this already complex tangle of threads. Is it too much? Will Robinson be able to bring all these subplots together into a grand finale?

The issue ends on a high note as we see General Lane walking through Project 7734. We see some of the different areas within the headquarters and some of the metahumans and creatures he is assembling. We are shown a genetics division. We see the Creature Commandos. And we see this robotic are.

GI Robot? A Manhunter? The original Robotman? Mekanique, the time travelling robot from the early JSA adventures? This is like a wonderful buffet to a DC fanatic like me.

It is clear Robinson also likes the dusty corners of the DCU. When you add these characters to Sensor Girl, Prince Ra-Man, Atlas, etc ... you see that no character cannot be reclaimed and refitted for his story ... for the current continuity.

The last shot is of an angry Mon-El, alive and in captivity in the bowels of Project 7734.

Overall, I actually liked this issue a lot. The more character driven scenes are written well and move the individual stories of these characters forward. No one is a two-dimensional character here; everyone feels fleshed out.

And while no major step forward in the World Against Superman storyline was made, enough bay steps were taken to make me feel that this wasn't a glorified rest issue.

I have to add that I have mixed feelings about the Sensor Girl reveal. I am glad she is back but I wonder if we have room for a new major character in this book.

Fernando Dagnino's art is solid here. I think he enjoys drawing Mirabai; that scene seemed to crackle a bit more than the rest of the book.

So I think the book isn't treading water in terms of plot progression. But it isn't doing the free style either. It feels more like a doggy paddle.

Overall grade: B/B+