Supergirl & LOSH Issue 28

By: Merin
Date: Monday, April 09, 2007

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes – Issue 28
Writer: Mark Waid ; Penciler: Barry Kitson ; Inker: Mick Gray
--
Roll Call: Phantom Girl, Ultra Boy, Supergirl, Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Dream Boy, Shadow Lass, Projectra, Brainiac 5

One Sentence Synopsis: Even down with members captured the Legion manages to set a trap for the Dominators.
--
The Meat: We start off with a somewhat cryptic “vision” for Dream Boy that involves the deceased Dream Girl. From there we move to see what the remaining free Legionnaires and Wanderers are doing to save Earth.

Mon-El is sick and though Saturn Girl does her best to distract him from his illness, Brainiac 5 says there's no way for him to manufacture more serum to deal with Mon-El's lead allergies. We also are reminded again about how secluded and insular the UP citizens have become.

Still free Wanderers and Legionnaires are at each others throats as the stress and seeming impossibility of their situation ways on them. They are injured and getting more battered and beaten as the fighting continues. Luckily Phantom Girl has recovered something that they needed for “the plan.”

Meanwhile, with the prisoners, we see that the Dominators are torturing Cosmic Boy. Pretty badly. In this mini-Gitmo, a few Wanderers are in a cell with Triplicate Girl. After a bit of fun with the Legion leader the head torturer, we'll call this Dominator Alberto (just cause), slips on some special gloves and goes to work on forcibly separating Triplicate Girl into her three parts. After her arm is broken and the threat is made to see what happens to her parts when one dies, she apparently cracks and gives up the Legion's plan.

The remaining free forces are gathering at one location. The Dominators open a portal and send in a strike force to capture them. This is where Cosmic Boy's trap plays out – once the portal is opened, Supergirl, Mon-El and Ultra Boy super-speed their way through the portal and take control of the gate technology on the Dominator's homeworld. Shortly thereafter the prisoners are rescued and the whole group invades the Dominator's world.
--
Character Watch: The roll call is fairly large, but most characters only get part of a page. Dream Boy does get the first two pages, but I have to say I don't like him yet and have no idea what Waid is doing with him. Cosmic Boy, Triplicate Girl and Ultra Boy seem to get the best face time.

Cosmic Boy and Triplicate Girl are exceptionally well written this issue. We also get some Wanderers who, if it weren't for some of them being based on previous continuity Legionnaires I wouldn't even know who they are.

And again, her name is first in the title but other than a minor appearance (though a pivotal role in the trap) Supergirl is largely absent again.
--
Favorite Line: “No need. I'm up.”

Favorite Moment: When Ultra Boy rams through the robot at super speed but hasn't switched to invulnerability in time.

Favorite Image: When Dominator Alberto uses the gloves to pry Triplicate Girl apart.
--
Overall Grade: B-
- Let me say that a couple scenes, plus the trap laid by Cosmic Boy, saved what was otherwise a somewhat disjointed and disappointing issue. It is still a better issue than most of what Marvel is crapping out, but I've come to expect better from DC and from Waid. Now this isn't bad, really, and only has me speaking low about it because I love this series and have obviously had my expectations raised high. What happens in this issue feels like it should be half an issue, and some scenes seem like a waste of a whole page. I know these things, like Timber Wolf's injuries and Phantom Girl finding the “item” will most likely pay off in the future, but it seemed like there was too much of this. Still, a good read and not really a blemish on a great series.