The Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #2
Published and © by DC, 1983
Title: “Whatever Gods There Be …”
Synopsis: Legionnaires headed to a wedding get tossed back through time to ancient Earth, where the encounter Durlans masquerading as gods.
Writers (plot): Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen
Writer (script): Levitz
Artist: Dave Gibbons
Review: Technically solid, this 1983 Legion annual is somehow … lacking. Part of the problem is Paul Levitz’s story, which requires readers to swallow more than one convenient coincidence. Dave Gibbons art is a contributing factor, too. Clearly, Gibbons is a talented artist, and, as a 2000 A.D. alumni, his style certainly plays well with some sci-fi settings. But his squat figures and indistinct backgrounds are an ill fit for the Keith-Giffen-era Legion. Mostly though, this annual just pales in comparison to the previous year’s, as the classic Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #1 (see review) set the bar extremely high.
Grade: B
Second opinion: “Modest little fables like this one (and great new artists such as Dave given) serve to reaffirm my faith in the comics medium.” – Kevin McConnell, Amazing Heroes #31, Sept. 15, 1983
Cool factor: Yeah, not so much.
Not-so-cool factor: Queen Projectra and Karate Kid tying the knot might be cool … if we didn’t know how that story ends. 🙁
Notable: Wedding of Queen Projectra and Karate Kid.
Collector’s note: According to the Grand Comics Database, there is a $1.25 Canadian variant of this issue.
Character quotable: “I must admit your human customs are rather – curious, Dawnstar.” – Blok, adroit observer of human behavior
Editor’s note: This review was written Nov. 12, 2021.
