Legion of Super Heroes V4, Issue 1 (Pages 1 & 2)

Here we go.  This is becoming a much bigger thing than even I thought it would originally.  Which is not a bad thing.  I am having a lot of fun with this.  Expect multiple posts per issue, at least starting out, as there is so many things to reference and mention.  I want to post pics as often as possible, giving the sense of history that was involved with this undertaking by the creative team.  They really did a lot of planning and put a lot of thought into what was to come.

Legion of Super Heroes V4, Issue 1

Tom Bierbaum says in his Blog, “It’s Okay, I’m a Senator.” that “Keith and we spent several hours on the phone mapping out his plans for the universe and what had happened in the five-year gap, so that he and we felt like we knew where we were going and could write something that would tie together over the long haul. I understand that Keith and our inker Al Gordon did the same thing and Keith gave Al a lot of input on the series and on the direction certain characters took.” 

This suggests obviously that there was a great deal of thought that went into this series and that the changes that were intended were not them flying by the seat of their pants.  At least that was their plan.  As we will see as the first half of a year of issues are reviewed here, there were other things in play that would continually throw a monkey wrench into their plans.  To their credit, in this fans mind anyway, they found a way to work through it all…and even give us one of the single best comics I have ever read.

On with the first issue:

Page 1 –  One page panel.

Star field with the text: 5 Years Later.

Page one of Legion of Super Heroes V4 #1

In his Blog, Tom says that Al Gordon is the one that created the star field.  He also mentions that Keith Giffen intended the title to be not only descriptive of the story taking place five years later in the Legions continuity, but as the title of the first story arc that continued to issue 12.

Page 2 – Introduction of the 9 panel grid to the Legion of Super Heroes.  Not sure if this was the first time Keith used this layout, but it became the standard for him while he was doing this series.  Fans are split by their like/dislike of this pattern…for this fan, I liked it.  Tom also tells us in his blog that this page was added later to give a sense of the history of the Legion of Super Heroes.  He also says that it in some ways confused the readers who thought that Lightning Lad had died in the previous five years, and not that it was referring back to an issue of Adventure Comics decades earlier.

Panel 1:  Simply the sound effect “KLIK.”  This sound is referring to the fact that someone is flipping through channels.  We will find out who is doing this in a few pages.

Panel 2: We are given a view of the Second Headquarters of the Legion of Super Heroes.   

Adventure Comics V1 #367 (April 1968)

First shot of the new Headqyarters

This headquarters was first seen in Adventure Comics V1 #367 (April 1968,) replacing the upside down rocket ship design the team had used since their first appearance in Adventure Comics V1 #247 (April 1958.)  It would eventually be replaces with a floating version in Legion of Super Heroes V2 # 311 (May 1984.)

 

Adventure Comics V1 #304 (January 1963)

Lightning Lad dies from his injuries

Panel 3: The death of Lightning Lad (who first appeared in Adventure Comics V1 #247; April 1958) from Adventure Comics V1 #304 (January 1963).  Lightning Lad came back to the Legion in a later story, but this was the first death for the team (retro continuity aside.)  This story is important to something that is revealed later in the series.

Panel 4:  The Death of Ferro Lad (who first appeared in Adventure Comics V1 #346; July 1966) from Adventure Comics V1 #353 (February 1967.)  He sacrificed himself to destroy the Sun Eater (which first appeared in Adventure Comics V1 #352 (January 1967.) This is a death that stuck., as Ferro Lad only ever appeared again as a flashback or a “ghost.  While he was not the second character to die in the pages of a Legion story (Triplicate Girl had one of her bodies destroyed, killed, by Computo the Conqueror in issue 341; February 1966, causing her to change her name to Duo Damsel), his was the first that totally took the character from the team..
  

Adventure Comics V1 #353 (February 1967.)

Ferro Lad sacrifices himself

Panel 5:  A shot of Mano and The Emerald Empress (with Eye) of the Fatal Five.  The Fatal Five were first seen in Adventure Comics V1 #352 (January 1967.)  The five villains (Emerald Empress, Mano, Thorak, Validus and the Persuader - all of their first appearance as characters and a team.) were actually brought together by the Legion of Super Heroes to help defeat the Sun Eater, which Ferro Lad sacrificed himself to destroy.

Adventure Comics V1 #352 (January 1967)

Panel 6:  The creature known as Omega first appeared in Superboy and the Legion of Super Heroes V1 #250 (April 1979).  Omega was created by Brainiac 5 (while he was a bit unhinged) using the Miracle Machine.

Superboy and the Legion of Super Heroes V1 #250 (April 1979)

Panel 7:  Darkseid (who first appeared in Supermans' Pal Jimmy Olsen V1 #134; November 1970) standing over White Witch (who first appeared in Adventure Comics V1 #350; November 1966) and Brainiac 5 (who first appeared in Action Comics V1 #; May 1961.)  This is during the epic The Great Darkness Saga, which was featured in The Legion of Super Heroes V2 #290 – 294.)  This story also gets a follow up of sorts later in this series.

The Legion of Super Heroes V2 #290

The Legion of Super Heroes V2 #291

The Legion of Super Heroes V2 #292

The Legion of Super Heroes V2 #293

The Legion of Super Heroes V2 #294

Panel 8:  The Mission Monitor Board, which dates back in some form to the Legions first appearance in Adventure Comics V1 #247 (April 1958); as well as the Legion Flight Ring which replaced the Flight Belt in Adventure Comics V1 #329 (February 1965.)  While both changed their appearance over time, the concepts originated in their early adventures.

Adventure Comics V1 #247 (April 1958)

Adventure Comics V1 #329 (February 1965)

Panel 9:  “KLIK”