“Yesterday’s” Comic> Adventures In The DC Universe #10

“What do you mean ‘the batteries all died at the same time’?”

Adventures In The DC Universe #10

DC Comics (January, 1998)

Legion Of Super-Heroes: “The Blobs!”

WRITER: Steve Vance

PENCILER: John Delaney

INKER: Ron Boyd

COLORIST: Tom McCraw

LETTERER: Tim Harkins

EDITORS: Frank Berrios & KC Carlson

On their way home from a mission the Legion’s ship is attacked by a mysterious blob creature that seems to counter all of their powers. It turns out to be a projection by injured member Sensor. Meanwhile on Earth, Ferro is questioning being part of a superhero team centuries from his home time period in the 1990s and not getting a lot of support from his team, although Science Police liaison Shvaughn Erin does try to perk his spirits up. He ends up saving Braniac-5’s lab and the headquarters from a criminal ready to blow up the base to cover his thefts.

What they got right: Having the Legion (or the big hitters) face a sort of Kobayashi Maru, a no-win scenario for you non-Trekkies, shows how well the team works together and shows off most of their powers. No matter what they act as a team and never give up, which alone makes the story worth a read even when you know how it ends. The Ferro sub-plot and the construction going on, plus how the team on Earth shrugs off yet another explosion in Braniac-5’s lab, brings the comic relief but has its own share of character moments.

What they got wrong: I’m sure somebody would say that the ending was a bit too clean since the heroes didn’t win and should have lost if not for a subversion of the “it was all a dream” (it just happened to be a delirious Sensor’s) but it just kind of worked for me. So while I thought I would be bothered by it, ultimately I wasn’t.

Recommendation: A good way to introduce kids to the Legion of the time but a good story if you don’t know who they are. It’s worth picking up.