Saturday, October 07, 2006

Superman and the Legion of Super Heroes #1-3 Review

What Happened That You Have To Know About:

The first thing you have to know is that this episode, perhaps the entire series, was created specifically to appeal to me personally. I don't know how the show people got to know me so well, or why they decided that I was the most important part of their audience, but I certainly don't quibble with their decision.

Superman makes a new friend, a rich chick named Alexis, and spends a lot of time with her, to the point where it gets in the way of helping the rest of the Legion deal with some technology thieves called the Scavengers. Superman finally chooses duty over friendship, and Alexis gets mad and jealous. She teams up with the Scavengers, they attack the Legion, and are defeated. When Superman blows up Alexis's robot suit, it burns her hair off.

Review:

As I say, it was created specifically for me. The way I know this is that Alexis's robot butler was named Wodehouse.

Some of you may not grasp the significance of this. P.G. Wodehouse is one of my favourite writers ever, and he should be one of yours. Wodehouse was, almost indisputably, the funniest writer in the history of the English language, and his (abundant) work retains the ability to delight (and crack up) his audiences decades after his death, and will continue to do so for decades if not centuries to come. His most famous creation is the omniscient gentleman's gentleman Jeeves, which is undoubtedly where the Legion writers got the idea to name Alexis's butler (not that a gentleman's gentleman is the same as a butler, but these days it's close enough) after him.

So what am I to conclude but that this was all meant just for me? There are lots of Wodehouse fans, and lots of Legion fans, but surely the overlap can't be that large. Anyway. I don't mind if the rest of you enjoy it too.

As far as the rest of the episode is concerned, it was as we've come to expect: a very direct plot, well-characterized Legionnaires, and some nods to Legion continuity. The villain of the episode, Alexis (I don't count the Scavengers, who were just a shade above generic, but none the worse for that)... I wonder what their plans for her are? Most people saw the problems with her coming; comic book fans know what things to keep an eye out for in a Superman story, and the syllable 'Lex' is one of them.

In summary, SALSH creators, I am watching and I am pleased with your progress. You may continue.

Rating: How could I give it anything other than the maximum of LLLLL?

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