Honestly, I had been planning to stop doing these at #50, because there’s a limit, even for me, but although the whole exercise is just a fun one, the depressing possibility that Geoff Johns’ “I Can’t Believe It’s Not The Paul Levitz LSH” will become the de facto Legion kills a lot of that fun, much in the way that watching people squander vast storytelling potential in order to appeal to a cadre of steadily shrinking, impossible to satisfy, aging bitter fans can… hey, wait, that’s exactly what would happen if they went with the Johns Legion as the “primary” Legion!
Anyway. Soapbox mode: off. Hope that they stop constantly rebooting the Legion to save it: on.
I’ve said before that you can’t have the Legion without Cosmic Boy. He’s their Captain America. He’s always The Leader, regardless of whether he’s actually leading or not. And this is fine and good.
However, currently in the Legion, there is no Cosmic Boy. He went to the future with the “Knights of the Galaxy” in a thinly veiled homage to the original Superboy-meets-the-Legion story, which depending on your point of view was either brilliant or hokey. (There hasn’t been a lot of middle ground there.) So let’s bring him back! But I don’t want him to be the leader. Surely there’s more interesting things to do with Cosmic Boy than just have him be inspirational and leader-ish all the time, right?
So here’s what happens: he comes back from the future, and he doesn’t remember a-ny-thing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. The big donut. He knows he went, but everything after he stepped through that time portal? Blank. He has no idea what happened, and really, when you think about it, doesn’t that make sense? To protect the timestream and all.
…except sometimes he has flashbacks. Sometimes they’re weird. Usually they’re scary. Often they’re violent. Sometimes they’re painful. And he hasn’t got any idea why he’s having them.
Maybe a 41st-century Saturn Girl equivalent stored memories he would need in his head, allowing him access only when she felt he needed to have them. (41st-century telepathic techniques are, unsurprisingly, vastly more advanced than 31st-century telepathic techniques, so the actual Saturn Girl can’t get to the memories in question. “It’s like trying to derez a forcefield with a squirt gun.”) Maybe those memories are a guidebook for him, meant to unlock only when the time is right and the knowledge stored within can help the Legion.
Or maybe, nobody’s fault, he saw things in the 41st century he Wasn’t Supposed To Know. (Time travel. It’s a bitch like that.) And for the good of everybody, he agreed to have parts of his memories locked off so he couldn’t endanger anybody. Except memory locks aren’t perfect; they need regular maintenance, especially for an intelligent and strongwilled person like Cos. Maybe that stuff He Wasn’t Supposed To Know is bleeding through, infecting his real memories, combining and swirling…
Or maybe it is somebody’s fault. Maybe the flashbacks aren’t bleeding through by accident. Maybe a nefarious being (take your pick) is mining his head for tactical advantage, and the flashbacks are spillage as the nefarious memory thief digs deeper and deeper.
Or maybe the stuff he saw wasn’t stuff He Wasn’t Supposed To Know in the affecting-the-modern-day sense. Maybe the Knights of the Galaxy weren’t a 41st-century equivalent of the Legion, but instead a psychotic fascist government which pulled him to the future seeking ancient knowledge, except they screwed up and got him too early. But they tortured him anyway, because heck, maybe he’d know something helpful. He barely escaped, but now he’s suppressed everything he saw and experienced – because that’s how bad the future is. (Maybe the 41st century version of the Legion, a desperate but heroic band of rebels, were the ones who set his escape in motion.)
Or maybe it’s a combination of all of the above, sorta, with the Knights of the Galaxy still evil, but instead of tricking Cosmic Boy for the purposes of mining his brain, they snagged him to turn him into a living weapon against the past itself. The flashbacks are a combination of instructions and post-traumatic stress disorder, with the former hidden deep within the latter.
Whatever happened, the one thing that doesn’t change is that Cosmic Boy can’t trust himself to lead the Legion, can’t allow himself to put lives on the line when he’s in such a state. So he sits back in the membership, acting as a role player rather than a commander. Practically the whole team defers to him naturally (because he’s Cosmic Boy), but he doesn’t allow them to do it if he can help it (again, because he’s Cosmic Boy). He needs to figure out what happened to him before he can assume his proper place.
Oh, and here’s one more possibility for you:
Maybe he never went to the future at all.
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One of my pet notions is that… remember the Knights Tempus recruited Cosmic Boy in the wake of the apparent destruction of the Dominion? Maybe the Knights think Cosmic Boy is so great *because* they think he committed genocide. Maybe they’re into that. And now he’s in the 41st century with them without even his flight ring to help him.
the depressing possibility that Geoff Johns’ “I Can’t Believe It’s Not The Paul Levitz LSH” will become the de facto Legion kills a lot of that fun, much in the way that watching people squander vast storytelling potential in order to appeal to a cadre of steadily shrinking, impossible to satisfy, aging bitter fans can… hey, wait, that’s exactly what would happen if they went with the Johns Legion as the “primary” Legion!
That’s the worst-case scenario, of course, but:
a) there’s also a possibility that we’ll end up with something that constructively (by which I mean no reboot) combines the virtues of all Legion versions, and
b) in any case, DC has a habit of making bad decisions about the Legion that nonetheless result in good comic books.
I *think* DC has learned their lesson about rebooting the Legion. I think they have. I hope they have.
So I’m cautiously optimistic.
Actually, I wouldn’t mind hearing your full thoughts on the issue of the Legion and why Johns shouldn’t be writing it. I mean, just a bit of a more detailed answer.
And while you’re being forced to give thoughts, what’s the best possible outcome for Legion of Three Worlds short of having three ongoing Legion books?
One big-team up book featuring all three in a JSA/JLA team up sort of way? The current book continuing with occasionally nods to the other two teams? A mix of some of the best takes into one team but without rebooting continuity at all?
I’m pretty sure Johns is going to give us his Legion + a few people like XS, Kinetix, Gates, etc. That’s not the best possible solution at all in my mind.
Oh, and here’s one more possibility for you:
Maybe he never went to the future at all.
Dude. You can’t wax all poetical about all the stuff he may have done in the future and then throw out “Maybe he never went back” as anything less than an absolute red herring for the paranoid elements of the fan base to cling on.
That said, I’m a big fan of the general premise – I went back in time and they didn’t tell me anything I’m allowed to share publicly – is always clever. And it sets up some interesting parallels with Supergirl, the girl who is destined to go back to her own time line and die. Ultimately, you could revolve the entire story around “this stage in history” and how time lines interact with each other and what butterfly effects cascade through the ages.
It would be funny if Cosmic Boy went to the future, discovered an inter-galactic Utopia, and came back home with express orders to not fuck it up. All this memory locking is designed to keep him from spoiling the sweet deal that 41st Century folks have, and perhaps he has to make the terrible choice of preserving the well-being of his future friends and allies against the present predicaments of his 31st Century allies as some of those memories come bubbling out. Perhaps Brainiac has to go rogue and commit some atrocity before people get their acts together or a supernova needs to detonate today and wipe out a solar system in order to pave the way for scientific advancements a thousand years later that will benefit so many more people. And Cos’s strange inaction in times when he is desperately needed for the moment leave his allies wondering where his true allegiances rest.
Or perhaps the Utopia is a lie and a trick. Or perhaps there are multiple time lines that he adventured through in his travels in the 41st Century, all mixing and muddling in his head, driving him insane – I think they had an Outer Limits episode with something to that effect.
Either way, he becomes an excellent implement for foreshadowing and a massive wild-card for the rest of the Legion to deal with as no one knows whether to follow the leadership he isn’t exactly providing (since, if he isn’t acting, it must be for a good reason) or try to “save” him from some terrible curse he’s been inflicted with.
Yeah, I’m liking it a lot.
I don’t thin that last possibility would work well in a comic book, but is my favorite. I love paranoid, PKD-like endings. It could also be a mix: maybe he did travel to the future, but no one believes him… Damn, now I need to read this comic. When will you stop that law school nonsense and storm the DC offices?
@Michael “Actually, I wouldn’t mind hearing your full thoughts on the issue of the Legion and why Johns shouldn’t be writing it. I mean, just a bit of a more detailed answer.”
I think the issue is more the assumption that Geoff Johns taking over the Legion would imply that “his” legion would take over as the actual legion. I really enjoyed John’s Action arc, but a lot of what made it so enjoyable was, essentially, fanservice to a very small readership who was extremely familiar with the original continuity of the legion (1958-1994). This is not exactly a widespread bed of support to start with as an audience. Say what you will about the post v4 reboots – but they did make the Legion a lot more accessible.
In one of his earlier WISWTL, MGK talked about the “toybox” rule – that you should try to create two “toys” (characters, places, props… whatever) for every one you take from the “toybox”… and much of Johns work is more like polishing all your toys to a high gloss and then putting them in an elaborate diorama. It can be very nice to look at for those who like the toys, but it’s not exactly condusive to a long-term healthy storytelling environment.
@Matt D – I always thought an interesting take on a Legion book would be to just throw out the concept of “continuity” and tell 1-4 issue arcs alternating between various legions, various time periods… I actually think you could do a really great series this way as, in my mind, the star of the book is the concept of the “Legion” itself, you’d probably keep the readership of people who profess only to “like” one certain iteration (which I’ve never understood), but could also expose new readers slowly to the truly staggering amount of cannon while still telling new stories. However given DC’s editorials latest pronouncements about continuity being an immutable iron-clad entity – I doubt we’d ever see anything of that sort.
*Johns, not John’s.
Looked like I picked the wrong week to stop drinking coffee.
This is a strong idea, Chris. I really like its parallel to the post-hypnotic suggestion that Superboy and Supergirl had that prevented them from remembering anything about their future.
I also really like the underlying concept that Cosmic Boy is the Superman of his time period.
i love these “why i should write the legion” posts
Cosmic Boy: The Legion of Super Heroes “Chuck”
Yes, but Cos wouldn’t necessarily figure out the flashes by the end of each episode.
I think it’d be difficult to do Legion as a rotating 3 continuity book because as arcs swap back and forth, you end up waiting six to eight months to deal with whatever was set in motion in the last arc (or you don’t get any real longterm storylines, neither of which is desirable, IMO)
Personally, I don’t care how we get him back, as long -as- we get him back. I’m not a long time reader. I only started a few years ago (largely on the strength of your I Should Write the Legion posts), and I’m really only familiar with the current version of the continuity, but I miss him too.
Man, I haven’t even read anything on the original Legion, but if you wrote it, I would definitely start…
1. In Regards to you possibly stopping “Why I Should Write the Legion”: Stop that nonsensical talk right now, buddy. I love these. It’s what drew me to your blog, and they are absolutely facinating. They spark conversation, thought, interest and my own imagination. So I thank you for those reasons. If you really do stop these posts, it will be a shame, but understandable. It is your blog, but man, I know I sure love these posts; in fact, I will kill time at work every once and a while and go back and re-read the archives and comments. MGK, these are my absolute favorite posts on your blog, and even if they stop now, I’ll still come back, swearsies.
2. In Regards to the subject matter of Cosmic Boy: I have always sub-consciously loved him the most. Here’s how I feel like Rokk Krinn need’s to be taken: Southern, All-Star, Highschool, Quarterback. People are drawn to him. He leads, not because he thinks he good at it (Colossal Boy) or because he wants to do things his way (Ultra Boy) but because he understands what people need and expect from him. He’s talented. He’s been scouted by magnoball agents for years and has a lot of promise. I think of him as a sounthern (like from Alabama or Georgia or whatever) kid in the sense that he’s blue-collar, and a big name round where he’s from. He’s not cocky, he’s reserved, and has been coached and raised to be this great athlete and get his family out of debt and stuff. And instead, he becomes something greater. He embodies the Hope aspect of Superman. That’s how I’ve always thought of Cos. This future/not future?, crazy/not crazy? idea is really cool. And thank you for acknowledging that not all us Legion readers have been around since 70s or 80s. I could care less about Dawnstar, give me my Gates and make him PISSY.
Bravo.
I might be tired but I teared up at the description by Kyle S of Rokk Krinn.
And what’s a Gates? Give me my Dawnstar/Bounty!
much in the way that watching people squander vast storytelling potential in order to appeal to a cadre of steadily shrinking, impossible to satisfy, aging bitter fans
Who are the fans that DC should be appealing to?
I don’t really see many other than the ones you’re saying shouldn’t be appealed to.
but it’s not exactly condusive to a long-term healthy storytelling environment.
. . . it’s not? You’re getting the same toys everyone likes, kept in good condition, and if you don’t like the diorama, it’s easy to take the toys and put them back in the box, on the shelf, or switch up the diorama so it shows a whole new scene.
I think he’s recommending new toys (and old) which are actually played with rather than merely posed. The illusion of change is key to the best stories with corporate characters.
Well I guess that makes it official: you should write the Legion of Super-Heroes.
I had to reread this post a few times before I figured out what the last line was about.
And here’s the thing: it makes sense.
Cosmic Boy just came out of a war. A war he ended when he destroyed a civilization. He didn’t kill the Dominators, true, but the Phantom Zone wasn’t chosen as a Kryptonian prison because it was such a nice place. And he put an entire planet in there. Not just women and children- senior citizens and infants and ICU patients, none of whom will be getting any older for the foreseeable future. And we know from Mon-El’s example that the foreseeable future could be as long as a thousand years.
And then he stepped down as leader.
And then the moment he was out of sight of his teammates, he ditched his flight ring and vanished.
Now he’s back, for some reason, but he has this story about being picked up and taken a thousand years forward in time. This is a significant interval. Phantom Zone. Thousand years. Ringing any bells? Oh, yeah- he’s claiming to have traveled to a point where the Dominators have endured just as much exposure as Mon-El did before the Wanderers picked him up. And of course, he doesn’t have any details but he’s not predicting good things. I wonder why. Wait. No I don’t. Dude has clearly had a psychotic break following massive PTSD from leading teenagers into a war in which they destroyed an entire civilization, and is using this crazy time travel story to cover for the fact that he’s agonizing over the repercussions of a decision he can’t even tell anyone about. And it’s killing him. He’s still doing his damnedest to help out and make up for it- he wouldn’t be Cosmic Boy otherwise- but it’s killing him inside and nobody knows that.
And Brainiac Five has been missing for seven months.
So it looks like it’s down to Phantom Girl to handle this one.
Damn, that’s good. You missed one obvious hook, though: there are several Legionnaires who’d bet their last dime that it isn’t really Cos. Whether they’re correct or not is largely irrelevant compared to the inevitable friction. The old “one of us is a traitor” trope is practically a by-law in the Legion’s Charter.