The Stop Button

Despite a poor opening, the feature’s not terrible. I mean, Mike Grell’s mid-forties-looking Superboy is always a thing, but otherwise—besides the incessant bickering between the Legionnaires—it’s an okay story. Once you get past Superboy’s introduction to the story, which is thankfully the worst Jim Shooter exposition we get in the whole story.

The introduction promises Ultra Boy cracking under the pressures of being a superhero, but it’s actually something tied to a very specific trauma for Ultra Boy. The resolution to it entirely invalidates the introduction teaser, but whatever. It could be much worse.

The Legion’s hanging out at headquarters when someone breaks in, getting past all their advanced defenses. It’s the best thief in the galaxy; come to tell the Legion he’s going to steal their miracle machine. Brainiac-5 accuses the thief of being a liar because Brainy’s never heard of him.

The thief points out he’s never been arrested or caught because he’s the best, so how would Brainiac-5 have heard of him? Brainiac-5, being written by a Jim Shooter-level intelligence, has no rejoinder.

The thief transports out or whatever, promising to return, and the Legion has a fit about what to do next. They take a vote on destroying the machine, only to discover they can’t destroy it anyway; it’s too well-built. So they up the defenses and stand guard.

We still haven’t had Ultra Boy cracking under pressure, by the way. We’ve got to wait for them to try to track the thief down, running into a space dinosaur instead, and Ultra Boy hates space dinosaurs. Good thing the comic’s called Superboy and Superboy can see across the universe.

There’s nothing particularly good about the story, but there’s also nothing particularly bad—Shooter made it through a whole story without any sexism—and while Grell’s going to Grell, maybe it’s worn me down by now.

The backup’s similarly indistinctly “not terrible.” Also not at all good. Shooter scripts, Grell’s on art with Bill Draut. Is Grell better with someone else inking? Not really. Draut makes the lines bolder, which isn’t really Grell’s problem. None of the body work is improved.

On a solo mission, Timber Wolf answers a distress call, but something else may be going on. To survive, Timber Wolf will have to use his smarts and knowledge of the Legion policy and procedure handbook.

So many thought balloons from Timber Wolf. None of them thoughtful, but also none of them filled with the character’s usually sexism.

The comic’s not so much not bad as inoffensive. It’s still not anything good, but inoffensive is a good start.