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Mild Mannered Reviews - Classic Post-Crisis Superman Comics

Legends #4 (of 6)

Cover date: February 1987

Plot: John Ostrander
Script: Len Wein
Pencils: John Byrne
Inks: Karl Kesel

"Cry 'Havoc..!"

Star City. Two cops patrol the rubble strewn streets in their cruiser, when they are suddenly overturned by Count Vertigo. As the cruiser crashes, the Count heads for a bank, before clutching his head in pain as a sonic scream cuts through the air. Black Canary begins to kick the stuffing out of the dazed villain, but is stopped by one of the two cops she just saved, who draws his firearm and tries to arrest her for violating the Presidential order. His partner intervenes, wrestling with his colleague and telling Canary to go. Thanking him, she departs and the two cops struggle; until the gun goes off, shooting the cop who aided Black Canary. His partner is mortified, but quickly blames Canary, swearing to shoot any other heroes he sees first and ask questions later.

Darkseid watches the events with glee and argues his case with the Phantom Stranger yet again, before dispatching Desaad via a Boom Tube, to deal with the legend of Travis Morgan, Warlord of Skataris.

Gotham City. The Joker and his gang raid a jewellery store with his current squeeze, Fungus Soufflé. The Batman strikes, taking care of Joker's henchmen and asking him if he'd care to come quietly for a change. The Joker refuses and threatens to shoot Fungus. As the clown prince of crime and Batman exchange quips about his violation of the Presidential order, the Dark Knight discreetly hurls a batarang, which loops away behind him, out of the building and comes crashing in through a window behind the Joker. Batman seizes his chance and fells the distracted Joker with a single punch.

Los Angeles. Ms. Magnificent and her Pretty Boys (four pumped up body builders) raid a security depot, only to be confronted by a huge, glowing, green creature. Guy Gardner steps forward and uses his ring to change the monster into a giant hand, which scoops up the bewildered gang before he flies them away, proclaiming himself the one, true, Green Lantern.

Chicago. A beautiful woman strolls into an antique clock show, wearing only a skimpy bikini. As male admirers swarm over to her, she throws back her head and bongs loudly (!) stunning those in the hall and paving the way for Chronos, the Time Thief, to make his entrance. Chronos opens up his bikini clad robot and removes an inflatable carrying cushion, quickly filling it with the most valuable clocks. Blue Beetle suddenly leaps into action, knocking Chronos to the floor. Angrily, the Time Thief detonates his robot, forcing Beetle to dive for cover to avoid the sharp gears and metal shards. Security guards arrive, further delaying Beetle long enough for Chronos to make his getaway. Beetle uses the jump line on his craft to make a sharp exit himself, escaping from the guards.

Salem. Kent Wilson broods over the growing turmoil across the country with his wife, Inza. Donning the golden helmet of Dr. Fate, Wilson transforms into the Lord of Order and leaves to help restore the world to normal. Inza slumps into a chair. Nothing in her world has felt normal for years...

Washington DC. Having completed the mission (eliminating Brimstone, as shown last issue) Captain Boomerang angrily demands that his explosive bracelet be removed. Amanda Waller refuses, but Colonel Flag sets all the surviving members of Task Force X free, telling them they can go.

Gotham City. G. Gordon Godfrey whips a crowd into a frenzy with his latest speech - telling them that their President has failed them. Not only has his edict failed to stop heroic activity, but the President has also ordered Godfrey's apprehension. The crowd howls with rage, as Godfrey gives them an opportunity to help him overthrow the government. Who will be the first of them to become...a Warhound?

New York. A newly freed Captain Boomerang robs a jewellery store, not quite able to believe that the other members of his 'suicide squad' refused to quit with him. The Flash intervenes and Boomerang refers to him as Kid Flash, telling him he isn't man enough to fill the boots he's wearing. It looks like he might be right too, as one of the Captain's boomerangs strikes Flash from behind, dazing him. As Boomerang prepares to finish Flash off with a razorang, Changeling intervenes, in the form of a boxing kangaroo. Flash insists he's got to defeat the Captain on his own but the situation quickly becomes moot as two huge, metallic and hungry looking Warhounds charge forward.

On Apokolips, Darkseid exhorts in the success of Operation: Humiliation. The Phantom Stranger reminds him that Superman still remains, as the greatest force for good on Earth, even if he has followed the Presidential edict and become inactive. Darkseid scoffs that Apokolips is far less forgiving than Earth and opens a boom tube, sending forth his omega beams to bring Superman to him.

Story - 4: Another busy issue, something of a showcase to highlight 'new' or unfamiliar DC heroes such as Black Canary, Guy (Green Lantern) Gardner, Blue Beetle and the new Flash. There isn't overly much to drive the story forwards here, other than Godfrey upping the ante and declaring his intention to overthrow the American government, but there is plenty of character and some examples of how G. Gordon Godfrey's work is having an effect. The scene with a cop killing his partner and then twisting events to be the fault of Black Canary is quite intense and Batman gets another chance to shine, making a good entrance by grabbing one of Joker's henchmen in each hand and hauling them up off the floor, banging their heads together and knocking them spark out. At least we know what Bruce meant last issue when he was talking about taking action to prove Godfrey (and Jason) wrong.

The Man of Steel doesn't appear at all in this issue (other than in the form of a small statue (action figure?)) that Darkseid waves around for a panel whilst cackling. Speaking of Darkseid, he seems to use 'star gates' a lot here, with no mention of the 'boom tubes' that I'm used to with the New Gods. The Warhounds introduced last issue barely get a look in, although we are made privy to the fact that people are actually somehow turned into a Warhound. You just know that's going to complicate things for the good guys when they have to deal with them. Nice to see the first thing Captain Boomerang seems to do after having his criminal record erased and walking free is go on a crime spree. Leopards and spots, I suppose. This issue is mainly set up for the events of the last two issues of the series and the particular involvement of Superman (watch out for my review of Superman #3, coming soon) and trundles along quite nicely but without ever really becoming the stuff that fives are made of (although you are spared hearing me scream - mercifully, we don't get any more pages of Billy Batson's self turmoil in this issue!)

Oh, yeah. 'Ms. Magnificent and her Pretty Boys'..?

My favourite sound effect this issue was the FWHOOMP!' as Chronos the Time Thief (has there ever been a costume more garish, I mean really?) explodes his bikini clad robot in a hail of razor-sharp gears.

Art - 4: And the backgrounds become even less defined. Still, good work as always back then, from John Byrne. Darkseid looks great, although the Joker looks a bit... weird. I loved the interior of Kent (Dr. Fate) Wilson's tower in Salem (now there's some background detail!) and the many different characters all look suitably distinctive.

Cover Art - 5: Okay, colour me inconsistent, as there isn't really any background detail on this cover at all, but when you've got an image this powerful and effectively rendered, I'm really not caring about what's in the background at all. A great cover, with effigies of our heroes (they are only effigies, right? *gulp*) lynched and with their heads on fire! The flaming-torch bearing Godfrey looks suitably maniacal and the entire effect screams lynch mob and fanaticism with only a single person in sight. A striking picture, sparse in its detail but no less effective for it. A definite 5 out of 5 for me.