The story of the Legion\u2019s greatest battle is \ufb01nally told\u2014a mere 30 years late!<\/b><\/p>\n
by Andy Lee \u2022 COMBO #30 \u2022 July 1997
\n<\/b><\/p>\n
Roses are red
\nViolet\u2019s possessed
\nMordru is coming
\nYou know the rest<\/i><\/p>\n
The evil sorcerer Mordru is coming to the 30th century, and the Legion is the only thing that stands between him and total galactic domination. In the extra-sized Legionnaires <\/i>#50, by Roger Stern and Jeff Moy, the Legion of Super-Heroes calls upon the resources of other super-powered groups, including the Work Force and the Uncanny Amazers, in an all-out effort to stop Mordru.<\/p>\n
In the 29th century, Mordru once ruled a third of the galaxy, but was entombed and held inert on a small asteroid. A 30th-century mining operation has inadvertently freed Mordru, who has set out to rule the 30th century and the United Planets by acquiring powerful magical talismans.<\/p>\n
Mordru has set his sights on Shrinking Violet and the Emerald Eye, the most powerful of these mystic objects\u2014so the Legion is out to stop him. This is the Legion\u2019s greatest battle. Two Legionnaires will die, and others will be injured.<\/p>\n
Legionnaires<\/i>, which has been a runaway hit since its reboot during 1994\u2019s Zero Hour<\/i>, has been gaining more fans every month due to the solid stories of Roger Stern and the light-hearted, fun art style of Jeff Moy. Moy is having fun with the Legion, despite the staggering number of characters that he has to maintain. Says Moy, \u201cI like designing characters and revamping old characters. Juggling all those characters makes it fun. It keeps it fresh, because I\u2019m not drawing the same characters on the same page over and over again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stern summarizes what the new Legion is all about: \u201cThe Legion of Super-Heroes is a group of super-powered teenagers in the 30th century. There\u2019s been a long period in which superheroes were looked upon with disfavor. The United Planets, this sort of galaxy-wide republic, has been formed due to the stargate technology of R.J. Brande, the \ufb01nancial backer of the Legion. This technology has made interstellar travel [affordable].<\/p>\n
\u201cBrande is a believer in heroes. He has saved artifacts of the great heroes of the 20th century: He has one of Superman\u2019s old capes and the old eagle medallion from the Justice Society\u2019s meeting room. He knows that heroes are needed. It\u2019s his money and in\ufb02uence that\u2019s behind the founding of the Legion of Super-Heroes. The Legion serves as a training ground for young heroes, since they don\u2019t have any old heroes around as mentors.\u201d<\/p>\n
The storyline that started in Legionnaires <\/i>#48 and concludes in #50 \ufb01nds the Legion battling Mordru and the Emerald Eye to save one of their own teammates. Says Stern, \u201cOne of their members, Violet, has been possessed by the Emerald Eye, which is a quasi-arti\ufb01cial intelligence, with some mystical properties. The Eye has been around for about 1000 years, and it was in some 20th-century stories. The Eye has possessed Violet. Violet, through the Eye, was responsible for stranding part of the Legion in the 20th century [whose story is chronicled in Legionnaires<\/i>\u2019 sister title, Legion of Super-Heroes<\/i>\u2014ed.]. The Eye was used in the 29th century by Mordru to enslave worlds, and Mordru wants it back! Violet and the Eye have merged, but Mordru can get the Eye\u2019s power by marrying Violet, which is why the 50th issue is called \u2018The Bride of Mordru.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeff Moy rose to the task of redesigning Mordru with a more contemporary look. Says Moy, \u201cI\u2019ve been a Legion fan since I was a small kid, reading my uncle\u2019s comics in the basement. I grew up with the Jim Shooter\/Curt Swan [Legion stories in Adventure Comics<\/i>]. I don\u2019t really remember reading the \ufb01rst Mordru story. From what I hear, Mordru had this funny hat. I decided not to put a funny hat on him. I designed an out\ufb01t for him that made him look more like a warlord.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a reason why Moy can\u2019t remember the \ufb01rst Mordru story. Roger Stern admits that he couldn\u2019t \ufb01nd the \ufb01rst Mordru story either. Says Stern, \u201cThirty years ago, when I was a kid in the midwest reading Legion of Super-Heroes stories in Adventure Comics<\/i>, and Jim Shooter was a kid in Pittsburgh, writing Legion of Super-Heroes stories, there was this story where Mordru got loose. [Adventure Comics<\/i> #369-#370] There was this huge battle through space and time because Mordru was the Legion\u2019s most dangerous villain. We saw this \ufb02ashback of how they had to go all-out the \ufb01rst time to defeat him and that it was the greatest battle of their lives. I spent the next 15 years trying to \ufb01nd that early story. Finally, when Jim Shooter and I were both working at Marvel, we were sitting around chewing the fat one evening and I said, \u2018You know, I\u2019ve been looking for 15 years for that \ufb01rst Mordru story.\u2019 Jim said, \u2018Well, there wasn\u2019t <\/i>a \ufb01rst Mordru story. I just made that up.\u2019 I said, \u2018I\u2019ve spent 15 years looking for that! Thanks a lot!\u2019 So when I was asked to sign on to work on the new Legionnaires<\/i>, I said, \u2018Well, there\u2019s one thing we\u2019re going to do: We\u2019re going to do the \ufb01rst Mordru story! It was the greatest battle of their careers, and we ought to see that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is literally the biggest battle the Legion has to date,\u201d says Legionnaires <\/i>editor KC Carlson. \u201cThere are a lot of casualties. There are one or two who actually die. Many more have been injured. At least one character has been stripped of his or her powers. Some good things will come out of the battle too, but those are the things that we\u2019ll keep secret, because we like to torment the fans!\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlson adds that issues #51-#53 are aftermath stories dealing with Violet, Magno, and a new Legion member. Carlson says, \u201cWe\u2019re just getting started on the next big story arc. Let\u2019s just say for now that it will have the Legion all over the galaxy. The words \u2018alien invasion\u2019 can probably be bandied about. You can bet on seeing a lot of previously established alien races. [Dominators!? Khunds?! The Dark Circle?!?\u2014ed.] This story will lead to a major restructuring of how the Legion operates in the 30th century.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a result of this invasion, Carlson and Stern hint that the Legion will soon set up outposts to help them protect the ever-expanding United Planets.<\/p>\n
Coming up are a few more crossovers before the 20th-century team \ufb01nds its way home. Says Carlson, \u201cWe\u2019re not fooling anybody by having the 20th-century team hanging around there forever. Sometime in the next 12 months, they \ufb01nally \ufb01gure out how to get some time-travel thing working, probably right darn smack in the middle of the next big story arc.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Carlson, the Legion will probably run into Superboy again, and there\u2019s talk of a Legion\/Captain Marvel crossover. Also, the New Gods will be making an appearance in the Legion of Super-Heroes, <\/i>and the Metal Men will be around for a few issues. \u201cBrain\u00adiac 5 needs the Metal Men. Brainy is desperately trying to get this time-travel thing working, because he\u2019s sick of being in the 20th century. He\u2019s like the fans. He needs a couple of well-known DC gadgets to get his time-travel machine working.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stern doesn\u2019t seem too worried about getting the missing Legionnaires back. Stern jokes, \u201cI don\u2019t have to worry about the guys who are in the 20th century. That\u2019s Tom Peyer\u2019s problem. I have too many heroes in the 30th century. I\u2019d like to kill off a few more of them\u2026get this crew down to a manageable level! But they\u2019re just too good. They keep on winning.\u201d<\/p>\n
If the return of Mordru isn\u2019t enough to get you to pick up the book, Moy adds, \u201cI think this whole storyline is a good jumping-on point. This book has something for everyone. We have characters that they can relate to. My favorite character is Spark. Pretty much everyone on the Internet knows that. If you don\u2019t like one character though, there\u2019s probably 20 other characters to choose from!\u201d<\/p>\n
Stern points out, \u201cIf you know anything about the old Legion, you\u2019ll probably enjoy seeing some of the characters back. Although the characters are not all the same as they were before. If you like science \ufb01ction, if you like superheroes, if you like a lot of superheroes and a lot of interpersonal action and strange relationships and weird, bizarre, gonzo action\u2014then you\u2019re going to \ufb01nd it in this book!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The story of the Legion\u2019s greatest battle is \ufb01nally told\u2014a mere 30 years late! by Andy Lee \u2022 COMBO #30 \u2022 July 1997 Roses are red Violet\u2019s possessed Mordru is coming You know the rest The evil sorcerer Mordru is coming to the 30th century, and the Legion is the only thing that stands between him and total galactic domination. In the extra-sized Legionnaires #50, by Roger Stern and Jeff Moy, the Legion of Super-Heroes calls upon the resources of other super-powered groups, including the Work Force and the Uncanny Amazers, in an all-out effort to stop Mordru. In the 29th century, Mordru once ruled a third of the galaxy, but was entombed and held inert on a small asteroid. A 30th-century mining operation has inadvertently freed Mordru, who has set out to rule the 30th century and the United Planets by acquiring powerful magical talismans. Mordru has set his sights on Shrinking Violet and the Emerald Eye, the most powerful of these mystic objects\u2014so the Legion is out to stop him. This is the Legion\u2019s greatest battle. Two Legionnaires will die, and others will be injured. Legionnaires, which has been a runaway hit since its reboot during 1994\u2019s Zero Hour, has been gaining more fans every month due to the solid stories of Roger Stern and the light-hearted, fun art style of Jeff Moy. Moy is having fun with the Legion, despite the staggering number of characters that he has to maintain. Says Moy, \u201cI like designing characters and revamping old characters. Juggling all those characters makes it fun. It keeps it fresh, because I\u2019m not drawing the same characters on the same page over and over again.\u201d Stern summarizes what the new Legion is all about: \u201cThe Legion of Super-Heroes is a group of super-powered teenagers in the 30th century. There\u2019s been a long period in which superheroes were looked upon with disfavor. The United Planets, this sort of galaxy-wide republic, has been formed due to the stargate technology of R.J. Brande, the \ufb01nancial backer of the Legion. This technology has made interstellar travel [affordable]. \u201cBrande is a believer in heroes. He has saved artifacts of the great heroes of the 20th century: He has one of Superman\u2019s old capes and the old eagle medallion from the Justice Society\u2019s meeting room. He knows that heroes are needed. It\u2019s his money and in\ufb02uence that\u2019s behind the founding of the Legion of Super-Heroes. The Legion serves as a training ground for young heroes, since they don\u2019t have any old heroes around as mentors.\u201d The storyline that started in Legionnaires #48 and concludes in #50 \ufb01nds the Legion battling Mordru and the Emerald Eye to save one of their own teammates. Says Stern, \u201cOne of their members, Violet, has been possessed by the Emerald Eye, which is a quasi-arti\ufb01cial intelligence, with some mystical properties. The Eye has been around for about 1000 years, and it was in some 20th-century stories. The Eye has possessed Violet. Violet, through the Eye, was responsible for stranding part of the Legion in the 20th century [whose story is chronicled in Legionnaires\u2019 sister title, Legion of Super-Heroes\u2014ed.]. The Eye was used in the 29th century by Mordru to enslave worlds, and Mordru wants it back! Violet and the Eye have merged, but Mordru can get the Eye\u2019s power by marrying Violet, which is why the 50th issue is called \u2018The Bride of Mordru.\u2019\u201d Jeff Moy rose to the task of redesigning Mordru with a more contemporary look. Says Moy, \u201cI\u2019ve been a Legion fan since I was a small kid, reading my uncle\u2019s comics in the basement. I grew up with the Jim Shooter\/Curt Swan [Legion stories in Adventure Comics]. I don\u2019t really remember reading the \ufb01rst Mordru story. From what I hear, Mordru had this funny hat. I decided not to put a funny hat on him. I designed an out\ufb01t for him that made him look more like a warlord.\u201d There\u2019s a reason why Moy can\u2019t remember the \ufb01rst Mordru story. Roger Stern admits that he couldn\u2019t \ufb01nd the \ufb01rst Mordru story either. Says Stern, \u201cThirty years ago, when I was a kid in the midwest reading Legion of Super-Heroes stories in Adventure Comics, and Jim Shooter was a kid in Pittsburgh, writing Legion of Super-Heroes stories, there was this story where Mordru got loose. [Adventure Comics #369-#370] There was this huge battle through space and time because Mordru was the Legion\u2019s most dangerous villain. We saw this \ufb02ashback of how they had to go all-out the \ufb01rst time to defeat him and that it was the greatest battle of their lives. I spent the next 15 years trying to \ufb01nd that early story. Finally, when Jim Shooter and I were both working at Marvel, we were sitting around chewing the fat one evening and I said, \u2018You know, I\u2019ve been looking for 15 years for that \ufb01rst Mordru story.\u2019 Jim said, \u2018Well, there wasn\u2019t a \ufb01rst Mordru story. I just made that up.\u2019 I said, \u2018I\u2019ve spent 15 years looking for that! Thanks a lot!\u2019 So when I was asked to sign on to work on the new Legionnaires, I said, \u2018Well, there\u2019s one thing we\u2019re going to do: We\u2019re going to do the \ufb01rst Mordru story! It was the greatest battle of their careers, and we ought to see that.\u2019\u201d \u201cThis is literally the biggest battle the Legion has to date,\u201d says Legionnaires editor KC Carlson. \u201cThere are a lot of casualties. There are one or two who actually die. Many more have been injured. At least one character has been stripped of his or her powers. Some good things will come out of the battle too, but those are the things that we\u2019ll keep secret, because we like to torment the fans!\u201d Carlson adds that issues #51-#53 are aftermath stories dealing with Violet, Magno, and a new Legion member. Carlson says, \u201cWe\u2019re just getting started on the next big story arc. Let\u2019s just say for now that it will have the Legion all over the galaxy. The words \u2018alien invasion\u2019 can probably be bandied about. You can bet on seeing a lot of previously established alien races. [Dominators!? Khunds?! The Dark Circle?!?\u2014ed.] This story will lead to a major restructuring of how the Legion operates in the 30th century.\u201d As a result of this invasion, Carlson and Stern hint that the Legion will soon set up outposts to help them protect the ever-expanding United Planets. Coming up are a few more crossovers before the 20th-century team \ufb01nds its way home. Says Carlson, \u201cWe\u2019re not fooling anybody by having the 20th-century team hanging around there forever. Sometime in the next 12 months, they \ufb01nally \ufb01gure out how to get some time-travel thing working, probably right darn smack in the middle of the next big story arc.\u201d According to Carlson, the Legion will probably run into Superboy again, and there\u2019s talk of a Legion\/Captain Marvel crossover. Also, the New Gods will be making an appearance in the Legion of Super-Heroes, and the Metal Men will be around for a few issues. \u201cBrain\u00adiac 5 needs the Metal Men. Brainy is desperately trying to get this time-travel thing working, because he\u2019s sick of being in the 20th century. He\u2019s like the fans. He needs a couple of well-known DC gadgets to get his time-travel machine working.\u201d Stern doesn\u2019t seem too worried about getting the missing Legionnaires back. Stern jokes, \u201cI don\u2019t have to worry about the guys who are in the 20th century. That\u2019s Tom Peyer\u2019s problem. I have too many heroes in the 30th century. I\u2019d like to kill off a few more of them\u2026get this crew down to a manageable level! But they\u2019re just too good. They keep on winning.\u201d If the return of Mordru isn\u2019t enough to get you to pick up the book, Moy adds, \u201cI think this whole storyline is a good jumping-on point. This book has something for everyone. We have characters that they can relate to. My favorite character is Spark. Pretty much everyone on the Internet knows that. If you don\u2019t like one character though, there\u2019s probably 20 other characters to choose from!\u201d Stern points out, \u201cIf you know anything about the old Legion, you\u2019ll probably enjoy seeing some of the characters back. Although the characters are not all the same as they were before. If you like science \ufb01ction, if you like superheroes, if you like a lot of superheroes and a lot of interpersonal action and strange relationships and weird, bizarre, gonzo action\u2014then you\u2019re going to \ufb01nd it in this book!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":268,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[35,36,37],"class_list":["post-263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-andy-lee","tag-combo-30","tag-july-1997"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/eacottdesign.com\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/eacottdesign.com\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/eacottdesign.com\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eacottdesign.com\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eacottdesign.com\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/eacottdesign.com\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":272,"href":"http:\/\/eacottdesign.com\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263\/revisions\/272"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eacottdesign.com\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/eacottdesign.com\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eacottdesign.com\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eacottdesign.com\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}