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Mild Mannered Reviews - Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century

Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #20

Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #20 [Final Issue]

Scheduled to arrive in stores: November 12, 2008

Cover date: January 2009

"Metallo 3000" - Part 4

Writer: Jack Briglio
Penciller: Phil Moy
Inker: John Stansisci
Cover: Sanford Greene

Reviewed by: Adam Dechanel

Click to enlarge



Roll Call: Superman, Lighting Lad, Saturn Girl, Dream Girl, Brainiac 5, Timber Wolf.

Dream Girl awakens startled at the image of a dying Superman poisoned by a chunk of kryptonite brandished by what appears to be Brainiac 5.

Brainy meanwhile has to leave his lab in Lightning Lad's hands... something he is uneasy to do especially with his new dimensional portal active. Nura arrives seconds too late and explains her reasons for worry to the easily distracted spark plug.

Dream Girl sets off to find Superman on his patrols while Saturn Girl arrives to work on expense reports. The lusty teen follows Imra like a love sick puppy, leaving the lab unattended...

...naturally the perfect time for a mysterious villain to infiltrate their headquarters crack their computers, stealing a large chunk of kryptonite from a secret hiding place and teleport away.

By the time Lighting Lad returns much later Brainy teleports in with a frown on his face. Brainy discovers the theft and is far from in the mood to deal with Lightning Lad's behavior. Nura arrives to tell Brainy about her dream and he brushes her off until she points out she knew about his secret stash of items in his lab, in particular a rock of dangerous ability.

Reanalyzing her dream, Nura realizes Brainy wasn't attacking Superman but trying to do something with the rock, but what exactly is still unclear. Nura tells the team she warned Superman about the danger he faces. Brainy points out Superman could be the danger, not the rock, but he needs to check something while they search for the rock.

As he teleports away Dream Girl an Lightning Lad are able to track Superman just as he's hit by a green laser and a familiar villain in green and bronze armor... Superman is puzzled with the motive of the attack of the man calling himself Metallo and is shockingly easy to take down especially from a green uni-beam emanating from Metallo 3000's chest.

Before Superman is killed, his teammates arrive and temporarily subdue the strange attacker while Brainy travels through his dimensional portal searching for clues...

His discoveries lead to many shocks.

A man who can leap tall buildings in a single bound, a boy trapped in the phantom zone, a clone of Superman battling an imperial foe, a young boy from a bygone age meeting three familiar legionnaires and a Sovereign... primal Superman... and he prays none of them are the Superman he knows...

The team were able to get Superman to a med lab and as he regains his strength they realize the rock in the dream was kryptonite! Timber Wolf is quick to attention when he notices a familiar scent... Metallo!

Nura however shows her powerful perceptive skills by launching a counter attack with a droid at the ready activating a force shield! Taking the battle outside to New Metropolis the heroes have the upper hand... until Garth uses his power to hit Metallo - the resulting charge bounces around the bubble until it shorts out the droid, deactivating their only form of defense.

Metallo demands a fight to the death as he's followed the hero through time to end it. Timber Wolf urges caution - its all a lie, the scent is not John Corben's... and Briany arrives as powerful back up. Saturn Girl probes Metallo and confirms the lie allowing Garth and Brainy to generate a massive blast, removing Metallo 3000's armor to reveal...Tharok!!

Tharok laughs off the attack and points out he is now super charged by the kryptonian rock. The energy discharge is preventing any legionnaire from getting close enough to remove the rock but against all odds Superman steps forward and risks his life to hurl Tharok into the grasp of Timber Wolf who snatches the power source and returns it to Brainiac 5.

Tharok powerless and the rock safely stored, the Legion question their leader, of recent months he's been far from trustworthy, this recent incident with hidden kryptonite only serves to further their doubt in him.

Brainiac comes clean that he's been using it to power his experiments ever since Drax caused him to lose many others. Garth apologizes for allowing Tharok the opportunity to steal but Brainy is even more so when he points out his secrets nearly destroyed them.

Brainy reveals he's been monitoring time, and its alternates, encountering possible futures for Superman and in turn - the Legion... his visions of Superman were enough to sow the seeds of doubt in him.

Superman tells Brainy he should learn to live in the here and now, to live for the day and not worry about possibilities.

Later in Brainy's lab Dream Girl and Brainy destroy the kryptonite and finally Brainiac realizes the team is all about the trust in one another, with trust comes strength and nothing to fear.

Before they can even think of relaxing an alarm in the lab goes off...

And... (no I'll stop there - you'll have to read it!)

4Story - 4: Jack Briglio ends the run on "Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century" with nice touches and a great ending to the storyline J Torres set in motion about distrust in the team. Not only is this the 50th birthday of the Legion, it's also the death of the title and the death of the animated universe. With that in mind I wish the Five, Kel, Imperiex or a glance at the animated universe one last time would have been awarded us... sad to see this title go...

4Art - 4: Sometimes breathtaking, sometimes a little rough around the edges... not a complaint - it adds superbly to the charm of the book. Great work, again... sad to see the last rendition of the DCUA.

5Cover Art - 5: YEAH!!! This is the Legion! An awesome cover! Go Supes!!! Sorry but this cover is awesome! Can we have a poster pleaaaaasssse!!!!

And here for the most dedicated of Superman fans and the DCAU as a whole is a sort of loosely ordered continuity of the amazing run that helped shape modern comic book and animated history.

Show: Batman: TAS
Book: The Batman Adventures
Book: The Batman Adventures - Mad Love
Game: Batman: TAS
Film: Batman - Mask Of The Phantasm
Show: The Adventures Of Batman & Robin
Book: The Batman & Robin Adventures
Game: The Adventures Of Batman & Robin
Film: Batman/Mr Freeze - Subzero
Game: Batman - Chaos in Gotham
Show: Gotham Girls (web based/Birds of Prey DVD)
Film: Superman - The Last son Of Krypton
Show: Superman: TAS
Book: Superman Adventures
Game: Superman 64
Show: The New Batman Adventures
Book: Batman Adventures - The Lost Years
Book: Batman - Gotham Adventures
Book: Gotham Girls
Film: Batman - Mystery Of The Batwoman
Book: Harley & Ivy
Book: Batman Adventures (second series)
Game: Batman - Vengeance
Game: Batman - Rise Of Sin Tzu
Book: Batman - Rise Of Sin Tzu Prequel (web based)
Film: The Batman Superman Movie
Game: Superman - Shadow Of Apokolips
Book: Superman/Lobo - Misery In Space
Show: Lobo (web based)
Book: Supergirl Adventures Special
Game: Superman Countdown to Apokolips
Show: Krypto The Superdog
Book: Krypto The Superdog
Show: Teen Titans
Book: Teen Titans, Go!
Show: Static Shock
Book: Adventures in The DCAU
Film: Superman - Brainiac Attacks (stand alone)
Film: Wonder Woman (stand alone)
Film: Superman/Doomsday (stand alone)
Film: Justice League - Secret Origins
Show: Justice League
Book: Justice League Adventures
Game: Justice League - Injustice For All
Game: Justice League Chronicles
Show: Justice League Unlimited
Book: Justice League Unlimited
Film: Batman Beyond - The Movie
Show: Batman Beyond
Book: Batman Beyond
Show: The Zeta Project
Film: Batman Beyond - Return Of The Joker
Show: The Legion Of Superheroes
Book: Legion Of Superheroes In The 31st Century


Mild Mannered Reviews

2009

Note: Month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

January 2009

February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 December 2009

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Check out the Comic Index Lists for the complete list of Superman-related comics published in 2009.