Analysis Notes
| General |
As with the previous issue, the captions in this issue
provide a sort of internal monologue for Spark, but they are not sufficiently
dialogue-like to be counted as such. |
| 1 |
“GalCyc” was previously known as “Encyclopedia
Galactica.” “M3” should mean “Third Millennium,”
but since the Legion exists in the 31st century (the fourth millennium),
it refers to “the millennium whose years start with a 3.”
Once the public’s love of all things Y3K dies down, the resource
guide will presumably revert its name back to something more traditional. |
| As with Legion Worlds #1, the coordinates listed
are presumably from the galactic core. The measurement scale isn’t
Terran in origin, though, nor particularly decipherable. |
| At 20,576 km in diameter, Winath is more than half again
as thick as Earth (12,756 km), equating to double the surface area and
about four times the mass. With a presumably similar gravity to
Earth, it must have a lighter core. Greater surface area works well
for its position as an agricultural world, but other relate physics may
or may not support that as well. |
| Earth’s current 31st century population is only slightly
larger than Winath’s; on the other hand, Earth has had the likes
of the Blight to deal with recently, which may have lowered the population
there somewhat, and Winath has a lot more open space to put people into. |
| “Bio-engineered”: a standard science-fiction
element is for colony worlds to be terraformed, altering the landmasses,
atmosphere, and flora and fauna to be more usable by humans. Another
element is for the humans themselves to be altered to adapt to the planet,
such as mer-people for water worlds, or other adaptations for heavy-gravity
planets. The special adaptation of Winathians appears to be twin
births; this might have been engendered in order to boost the population
of the colony quickly, allowing it to sustain itself better. The
references to twins being a “cultural” norm implies that beyond
than the human populace, other “twin” patterns seen on Winath
may be forced and artificial, not natural or bio-engineered. |
| “Solos”: some segments of fandom had dubbed
such children as “singletons”. |
| Note the lack of land masses or bodies of water.
As seen later, the entire planet is apparently shrouded by the winwood
trees (even the oceans)? There is a curious lack of cloud cover,
too, which may be caused by the climate control machinery. |
| There are creatures (see the eyes on one on page 3) attached
to the shuttle and drifting near it. They look almost like remoras
on a fish, or Spanish moss on a tree. We’ll dub these Winathian
space eels. |
| The ship Ayla is in — a “slo-boat” —
may be using a ramscoop. This is a science-fiction ship drive element
which gathers free hydrogen and other small matter from the front of the
ship and converts it into energy to power further progress forward. |
| Recall that it was Brande’s stargates which made the
United Planets a possibility. Rapid transit between worlds was known
in earlier centuries; however, either such methods turned out to be highly
unsafe or the fuel sources used for them have long since dwindled to the
point of infeasibility. |
| 2:3 |
Although “slo-boats” (a pun on “slow boat
to China”) are allegedly sub-light vehicles, Winath is presumably
many light years away from Earth, so even six months would be insufficient
to get Ayla home. There is obviously some super-light capability
available, but there could be a number of answers to just what the situation
is. Perhaps the ship Ayla is on brought her from a station where
she is able to get passage on a super-light ship which goes between systems
but only at a few multiples of light speed, taking months to go between
systems. Or it might be that there are few such super-light ships
in operation, and passengers may have to wait weeks or months for one
to dock and pick up passengers. Another possibility is that the
super-light ships cannot enter system gravity wells and the shuttles must
take a months-long sub-light journey out of the system to contact the
super-light ships. All of these ideas have been explored in science-fiction
stories over the years. |
| The orbital towers may be located at or near Winath’s
Lagrange points, locations in a two-mass system orbit where the gravitational
and centripetal forces are equal. There are five such points, although
there might be more for Winath if it has multiple moons (and you just
know it must have two). The JLA satellite occupied one of Earth’s
points, 22,300 miles above the surface. |
| Note the space eels clustering below the tower like moss. |
| 3:1 |
Not only is Ayla well known as Spark, of course, but on
her last visit to Winath, she ended up on the run when the Legion was
accused of assassinating one of Winath’s twin presidents. Some
of that reputation may still persist. |
| 3:2 |
Note the relative lack of expression on Ayla’s face
throughout this page. While some fans chalked this up to generally
inferior art on Breccia’s part, consider Ayla’s situation: Winath
may think of her as a hero, but that which made her a hero (in her opinion),
the Legion, is gone. She’s now returning home in something
of disgrace, unsure what welcome she will receive. She’s also
been separated from Garth, her anchor, for most of a year. And she’s
been on the road (as it were) for six months, a mind-numbing experience
to be sure. A lack of expression might not be improper at this point. |
| 3:3 |
Eleven members: Saturn Girl, Live Wire, Brainiac 5.1, Umbra,
Ultra Boy, Element Lad, Monstress, Kid Quantum, and Chameleon, plus Wildfire
(who was not really a member at that time, but was apparently made one
posthumously) and Gates (who was not among the Legion Lost cast, but apparently
was also missing in the wake of the Rift collapse). |
| 3:4 |
On a world where everyone is a twin, and especially in
the current situation where almost no one not from Winath would be coming
to Winath, why would these Science Police officers ever ask if
someone were travelling alone? |
| 4:4 |
In Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #125, Spark was seen
guiding the members of the Workforce onto a life pod. Apparently
she didn’t board the pod with them, but went back to find Garth. |
| 5:1 |
The Rift’s edge acted as an event horizon. It
isn’t clear whether what is seen here and in Legion of Super-Heroes
v4 #125 indicates that the entire Outpost was pulled into the Rift or
if only half of it went through. |
| Dialogue is from Ayla. |
| 5:2 |
Although this is probably intended to be Kinetix with Spark,
as seen in 4:5, the hair color is different and she appears to be wearing
a cape. Chalking the hair color up to artistic interpretation through
the monotone color palette (as with Kinetix’s almost black hair in
4:5), this is probably Apparition. (Whom, it should be noted, has
just seemingly lost her husband. It is presumably Phase’s personality
which is in control here, not Apparition’s.) |
| 5:3 |
This is the Legion Lost statue, with Legion Headquarters
behind it. With no mention of the Legion being disbanded in these
panels, we’ll presume this occurs just prior to the story in Legion
Worlds #6 (story #2). |
| 6:4 |
Is it mere coincidence that this shuttle has a configuration
similar to that of the Legion Lost ship? Perhaps not: Brainiac 5.1
designed the Legion Lost ship, and Coluans may well have designed this
shuttle; Brainy would have just been using a known design. |
| Ninety-five percent coverage? Does
Winath have no oceans? And while we did see abundant tree foliage
in < >, we saw almost none in Legion: Secret Files #1
(story #1); that must have been one of the small areas which are not covered
by the winwood trees. |
| Three kilometers is just under 10,000 feet. |
| “Phototropically”: reacting to light, as in how
a plant’s leaves move to track the sun. Based on the depicted
night sky with a rim of light coming in, it probably means that the winwood
trees change position with the available light, and the oncoming dawn
results in the largest variation and thus the window through the canopy
(which is probably largely kept clear by pruning, of course). |
| 6:5 |
Note the spacing of the winwood trees, and that none can
be seen all the way to the horizon past this row. What a massive
— and lightweight — canopy these trees must have. (In
other words, this biology is a bit silly, but we’ll accept it anyway.) |
| Consider the size of the building (an orbital elevator)
seen in the background here: given the scale of the frontmost winwood
tree, which must approach the size of a small town in diameter —
perhaps half a mile across — and the fact that this building dwarfs
the nearest tree, it must approach ten miles across. This building
may be larger than the city of San Francisco (which is seven miles across). |
| 7:1 |
Although we see two birds and two “raccoons”
here, note that we also see a solo bird. Barring that being a bird
without a twin, the “twin” aspect of Winathian life may be somewhat
prominent in the ecosystem but enhanced to mythical proportions by the
human residents. |
| The tree canopy must let through a good deal of light,
if crops are actually able to grow and ripen. |
| 7:2 |
These orbital elevators are closer in scale to the winwood
trees. The one in 6:5 might have been a regional one of some kind,
perhaps the “Outreach Tower” mentioned in 20:4. |
| Recall that Garth and Rokk were scared by a hologram of
a horse in Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #62, an animal apparently
long extinct in the known galaxy. These cyberhorses are probably
the most accurate version of such creatures left. |
| 7:3 |
While the intent by calling them “orbital elevators”
is to imply that they reach all the way to the outer atmosphere, that
defies the capabilities of building materials known in the 21st century,
and probably in the 31st. (There isn’t that much inertron
available.) These undoubtedly merely reach above the winwood canopy
(which is still impressive by 21st century standards), allowing transport
ships to load at any time rather than having to wait for the periodic
canopy openings to occur. |
| 7:4-5 |
The twin nature of these dogs and rabbits combined with
cyber enhancements implies that (a) such animals may well no longer exist
in their real form on Winath, and (b) the humans force the twin nature
on even the unnatural facets of their life. |
| 8-9 |
Having no way to tell which is Blane and which is Syra,
especially in the panels where the speaker cannot be determined, we’ll
alternate speakers, a là Huey, Dewey, and Louie. The one
on the left or speaking first is always Blane, the other is Syra. |
| 8:1-2 |
Super flyaway hair may be common on Winath; Garth and Ayla
have certainly had it from time to time. |
| 8:3 |
Note that only occasionally do we see twin adults together
on Winath. This is further evidence that the “twin” aspect
is artificial. As Winathians grow up, they tend to form their own
more traditional family groupings; while still close to their twins, they
are no longer dependent on them being constantly around. |
| 8:5-6 |
Dialogue is from Blane Gulz. |
| 8:7 |
Not a winwood tree to be seen. Unless those canopies
are incredibly broad and light, this is bad art. |
| 9:1 |
Dialogue is from Ayla and Syra Gulz. |
| 9:2 |
Dialogue is from Blane Gulz. |
| 9:3 |
A “hick” planet like Winath is going to be way
down the list of planets which McCauley’s government is apt to provide
aid for. Although Winath was once the breadbasket of the United
Planets, months have gone by. The claim in the 20th century is that
civilization is only a few days from collapse if the foodlines go away;
by now, no one is relying on Winath’s exports any more, giving even
less reason for the Untied Planets to help. |
| Blane is in the middle, Syra is driving. |
| 9:4 |
Twin picking robots. |
| Dialogue is from Syra Gulz. |
| We never see Ayla go back to the pickup; she seems to
have just walked through the orchard to the gravesite, then met Mekt and
gone home from there. |
| 9:5 |
Note the lack of apparent twinning in the pluberries.
A native flora, perhaps? |
| Or were they uncomfortable because she’s a celebrity?
Or because they know what their father and uncle are involved in? |
| 9:5-6 |
In almost every other case seen on Winath, the twins are
same-gendered; on Earth, opposite gendered identical twins are impossible.
What if Garth and Ayla are actually solos like Mekt, but Winathian biology
usually causes fraternal twinning when solos are born? Maybe solos
simply run in the family line. |
| 9:6 |
Lightning overhead. Ooh, drama. |
| 10:1-2 |
Winathian fauna with no twin present. Or is this
irony referring to Ayla now being a solo. |
| 10:2 |
Of course, other Winathian solos don’t all go bonkers.
Nature, nurture, take your pick: did the lightning cause Mekt’s madness,
aid it, or just serve as a convenient excuse for him to let go with his
desires? |
| 11:1 |
Did Ayla bring down that lighting, or did it happen by
chance? |
| 11:3 |
Eight months ago: shortly after McCauley came to power,
and two months before Ayla left Earth. Without attributing malice
to McCauley’s administration, this sort of automated parole would
help to reduce costs in the prison system (and if it didn’t quite
work perfectly, well, cross that bridge later). It is curious (suspicious)
that Ayla didn’t know that the parole had happened, however. |
| 11:5 |
Some twin machines, some solos. |
| Note that the buildings are neither twinned nor even symmetric.
These buildings are also significantly different from the ones seen in
Legends of the DC Universe 80-Page Giant #1, implying a significant
life change for the Ranzz family after the twins were born. |
| 12:1 |
This is Dayla Ranzz; her name isn’t mentioned until
the second story in this issue. |
| Note the picture in the background, featuring the Ranzz
parents and one child. That is presumably Ayla, and it was taken
after Garth had run away, perhaps when she was drafted into the Legion. |
| 12:4 |
No idea what the item behind the cyberdog is. Perhaps
a cyberpooper scooper? |
| 13:2 |
Ayla doesn’t appear happy. Bad art, or resentment
of Mekt being accepted back into the family like some prodigal son? |
| 14:1 |
Given that Winath was probably terraformed and perhaps
settled by genetically modified settlers, plants, and animals, Kirth Ranzz’s
attitudes probably seem an odd throwback. |
| 15 |
There is unlikely to be any connection, but recall that
Legion of Super-Heroes Annual v4 #5 featured the Legion in an Oz
setting, with Ayla as Dorothy. |
| 16:2 |
With the wind whipping around them like that, sufficient
to break apart the barn, could Ayla keep her feet like this? Perhaps
the flight ring helps, or perhaps she is subconsciously using some vestige
of her gravity powers. |
| 17:6 |
Is the Winathian raccoon here meant to be the same one
seen at the grave site? If so, is there symbolic meaning here?
(None that is obvious.) |
| 18:3 |
Note: it didn’t “hurt” but rather, it “hurts”.
It still does, in other words. |
| 19:3 |
Mekt was paroled eight months ago, but without stargates,
it might have taken him a couple months to get to Winath. |
| 19:4, 19:6 |
Ayla is primarily donning her costume because it reminds
her of her role as a hero, but it is probably also insulated and will
protect her better than her farm clothes would. |
| 20:1 |
There had better be plenty of bustle. Wearing that
outfit, she’ll stick out like a sore thumb. Dumb thing to wear,
if she wants to be inconspicuous. |
| Mekt is standing next to the brown pickup. |
| 22:5 |
This isn’t an Omnicom. Odd, since they usually
are so ubiquitous. |
| 25:6 |
The fusing was probably from the weapons the Millhaveners
fired. Spark knows better than to let her powers destroy property and
evidence like that. |
| 30:3 |
Mekt’s stutter is gone. It was probably caused
by the medication or the feedback loop from the custody tag. |
| 30:4-5 |
Is Mekt back to his evil self? Perhaps he really
is cured, and the tombstone destruction is a reaction to Ayla going on
about “Garth, Garth, Garth” again. Perhaps he is even
merely destroying it under the assumption that Garth is with the other
Legionnaires and it is no longer needed. (Nah, we know better.) |
| Note Mekt’s custody tag on the ground. The Science
Police should know about the failure of Mekt’s control tag right
away, although being short-staffed may limit how fast they can respond.
He should end up having to fight his way off planet if he is going to
resume his career as Lightning Lord. |
