Shockingly enough, The Revolution has actually really enjoyed back to back issues of Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes. Too bad it had to come near the tail end of Waid’s run on this title. Yup, Waid and Kitson are leaving this title as of issue #30. You can read more about that at the Legion Omnicom.
Is it possible that Waid could go out in style and get me to enjoy the last couple of issues he has in store for us? Let’s find out and hit this review for Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes #27.
Creative Team
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciler: Barry Kitson
Inker: Mick Gray
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: We begin with a ghostly image of a Dominator holding the Earth in his hand and saying “Remember the fifffdeee-tu.” We then cut to the Dominator Homeworld. The Dominators laugh at the losing battle the Legion is fighting on Earth. That the Dominator’s A.I. virus will give them full control over all the technology on Earth.
We see that the Dominator’s have Sun Boy and his teammates ties up on torture machines. The Dominators used their powers including invulnerability, speed, agility and such to create a new army of Dominator warriors physically suited for physical combat. We see a giant buff Dominator enter the room. The Dominator scientist leaves the new muscular Dominator to continue torturing Sun Boy and his teammates. (Yup. That is the new shiny happier more positive DC Universe for ya!)
We shift back to the U.P. Headquarters on Earth. The UP ambassadors are trapped. A group of Legionnaires including Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Shrinking Violet, Chameleon Boy and Invisible Kid are outside the U.P. Headquarters. Cosmic Boy wants to save the ambassadors. Mekt yells that it is a waste of time and effort to save the ambassadors. Cosmic Boy counters that saving the ambassadors and getting them back to their home planets could mean they could use their influence to pull in interplanetary allies. Mekt takes his Wanderers and storms off.
We then see the Dominator’s robot army inside the U.P. Headquarters. The robot army starts tossing ambassadors out of the building to let them go splat on the ground. Invisible Kid flies up to save the falling ambassadors. Cosmic Boy yells for him to not use his flight ring since once it is activated the A.I. virus will corrupt it. We see Invisible Kid’s flight ring blow up and blast Invisible Kid’s arm off. (Yeah, you really have to love that new shinier more positive DC Universe.)
Chameleon Boy turns into a bird creature and grabs the bleeding one armed Invisible Kid. Kromak, one of Mekt’s Wanderers, is a grafter and he stems the damage to Invisible Kid.
We cut to Brainiac 5 and the Coluan from the Wanderers building a teleportation device. Brainiac 5 ridicules the other Coluan for his mere tenth-level intellect. Plant Lad cloaks their activity with a massive forest. The A.I. virus hates the forest and can’t search inside of it.
We cut to “elsewhere” where Karate Kid and Polar Boy have Theena search for the other Legionnaires. Theena tells them that Star Boy’s group is in Cairo and Timber Wolf is gravely wounded. Supergirl is in Mega Tokyo and Ultra Boy is down. Light Lass and Shadow Lass are searching for Saturn Girl in Londinium. Phantom Girl and some members of the Wanderers are trying to locate something lost in the wreckage of the Legion Headquarters.
We shift back to the forest where Cosmic Boy and his team have arrived with the ambassadors that they rescued. Brainiac 5 activates the teleportation unit and it begins sparking. Evidently, the Coluan from the Wanderers screwed up some of the work on the teleportation unit.
We cut to the Dominion Homeworld where the Dominators have detected a teleportation gate opening on Earth. That they have pinpointed the location within 500 meters. We then see the Dominators sending in their new muscular Dominator soldiers into the forest where the Legionnaires are hiding.
Cosmic Boy is informed of the appearance of the Dominator soldiers. Mekt and Garth are dispatched to hold off the soldiers while Brainy gets the teleportation unit fixed. Brainy tells Cosmic Boy that the A.I. virus may have already seized the teleportation unit while he was busy fixing what the Coluan from the Wanderers screwed up. That Cosmic Boy needs to decide to send the ambassadors through and hope they make it or abandon any chance of rescue.
We cut to Mekt and Garth frying the Dominator soldiers. Mekt tells Garth that he isn’t sending his Wanderers on another suicide run. That Mekt never wanted to be an outsider. That now that he has his own family with the Wanderers he is terrified that he is going to get them all killed. Mekt says he owes it to the Wanderers to not die. Garth retorts that maybe Mekt owes it to him and Ayla to not die.
We shift back to Cosmic Boy sending the ambassadors through the teleportation gate. Brainiac 5 says there is a problem. That none of them are reassembling on the other side. Suddenly, we see the ambassadors flying back out of the teleportation unit. They are missing arms, legs and other body parts. (Ahh, more of that shiny, happy and more positive DC Universe.)
Mekt and Garth fall back and tell Cosmic Boy that they have to retreat. Cosmic Boy tells them all to retreat to the rendezvous point and that Cosmic Boy will hold off the Dominator troops.
We shift to all the Legionnaires and Wanderers meeting at the rendezvous point. Garth asks Mekt where Cosmic Boy is. Mekt doesn’t answer. We see Cosmic Boy falling in battle to the Dominator troops. End of issue.
Comments
The Good: Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes #27 was okay, but certainly nothing great. We certainly got tons of action in this issue. Dominators are always fun villains and it is cool to see the Legion in an all out war with the Dominators.
Waid delivers a fast paced issue that has a frantic feel that is accentuated by Waid delivering short scenes and cutting back and forth between each of them. Waid does a good job creating tension in the reader. This issue was certainly an intense read that grabbed the reader’s attention and didn’t let go until the end.
The Dominator’s scheme to unleash an A.I. virus that would take over all of the Earth’s technology is a pretty cool plan. It certainly accomplishes the necessary plot device to place out heroes in a seemingly hopeless situation that they must battle their way out of. Plus, it is just like the Dominators, who are a frail race, to come up with an attack plan that is more subtle than a bunch of warships, missiles and bombs.
I also like the Dominator’s genetically created soldiers. Again, the Dominators are not an imposing race, so it makes sense that they need to create some serious muscle in order for them to overcome the Legion and the Wanderers.
I liked the scene with Mekt and Garth. Waid is doing an excellent job with Mekt’s character. I dig that Waid is giving us a much more complex and sympathetic Mekt than the original Lighting Lord. I never was a real big fan of Lightning Lord because he was always portrayed as such a one-dimensional villain. Not anymore. Hopefully, Mekt and the Wanders survive this war and are able to establish a rivalry with the Legion as the universe’s preeminent super team.
Waid is also doing a good job handling Garth relationship with Mekt. Having Mekt call the Wanderers family must wound Garth. The rift between Mekt and his two siblings must be deep and wide. But, it appears that the two brothers are beginning to establish a connection. It was great to see the two brothers fighting back to back against the Dominators. Hopefully, some good can come out of this war with the Dominators. Maybe this war will unite the two brothers.
As always, Waid delivers an excellent Brainiac 5. It is clear that Brainy is Waid’s favorite Legionnaire. Waid knows exactly how to write Brainiac 5 and gives him by far the best dialogue. Brainiac 5’s sarcastic comments about the Wanderer’s Coluan were classic.
But, you know what was the best part about Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes #27? No Supergirl!! That’s right. Other than seeing her in one panel where Theena is searching for the various Legionnaires, we get spared having to deal with Superbarbie. And that is always something to be thankful for.
As always, Kitson delivers some excellent artwork. I will really miss his art once he leaves this title. It has been a very long time since the Legion has had art this nice.
The Bad: I think Waid tried to jam a bit too much into this issue and it gave it a very hurried and rushed feel to it. It is as if Waid has drug his feet and meandered around with little purpose for 26 issues and then suddenly realized that he has 4 issues before his run ends on this title in which to wrap up all of this plotlines. So, suddenly, Waid shifts into high gear and attempts to cram as whole bunch of crap into the final four issues.
It also seems like Waid is determined to destroy the sandbox and all the toys in it on his way out of this title. The Legion Headquarters is blown up. We get Timber Wolf gravely injured. Invisible Kid gets his arm blown off. Sun Boy is tortured and on the brink of death. The U.P. Ambassadors are slaughtered. And in the previews for the upcoming issues there are hints of even more injuries and deaths to come.
Maybe it won’t happen, but is surely seems like Waid is getting ready to destroy every toy in the sandbox in order to leave nothing but broken pieces behind for the next writer. I rarely dig it when a writer decides to blow up everything in a title on their way out the door.
Now, if Waid does destroy everything on his way out, that could mean that we are in store for another radical shakeup on this title. That with the hints of the Levitz Legion existing in this new DC Universe that maybe we are in store for yet another re-boot of the Legion is some form or fashion.
Look, I would be beyond thrilled if the Levitz era Legion was restored. However, this continual cycle of blowing up the Legion and then rebuilding it has just got to end at some point.
Overall: Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes #27 is a case of too little too late. After practically neglecting this title for a year, Waid is frantically trying to give his run on this title some substance and meaning before he leaves this title with issue #30. I’m sure that we are in store for an action paced and fast paced storyline as we head toward Waid’s final issue on this title.
