Jab’s Builds! (Sword of Sodan! Nightmare Creatures/Circus! Lawnmower Man!)

[M4C8]

The same happened with the most recent FF movie, the fans saw the directional the movie was going in, quite rightly had issues with changing everything that made the characters successful in the first place and outright told the makers of the film how terrible their ideas were and yet despite the fact that Johnny now being black was just one issue in a long list the fans were just dismissed as racist and therefore their opinions were ignored.

Johnny being black and Sue being white didn't phase me. I've known families like that since I was three. I was somewhat incredulous as to which child was adopted into the Storm family, and which was born to it. But it wasn't a problem, just atypical from my experience.

It wasn't what the change was that annoyed fans, it was the fact that he had been changed in the first place and then when fans questioned the decision of making such an unnecessary change to a character like Johnny Storm (a long established well known already popular character will literally generations of fans) they were accused of being bigots. Johnny being the same age as Sue was also a problem that changed their entire relationship.

Honestly, it would have been better if they'd come up with an entirely new team and said that it was an homage to the FF, that's what we got with 'The Incredibles' and the fans loved it.

[Goldar]

Damn you, Typo-Man! I will have my revenge one day!

Now, now...let us not be sexist...just as likely was Typo-woman!

I think she meant me. And I have all the dangly bits and a Y-chromosome, so yeah, Typo-Man.

Ah, gotcha! (Just trying to keep things equal all-round!)

And, uhm, I am sure your dangly bits are very nice and.. uhm, yeah..

I always thought Wildfire was sort of unique to the Legion for a few reasons: his name not having the usual kid, lad, etc, his true form being energy and that while created in the 1970's, seemed like he had been with the Legion all along.

Wildfire, Colossal Boy and Timber Wolf were the next wave of super-strong Legion characters after the Big 4.

[Batgirl III]

Guys! Jab said no more off-topic. We must pay the tax:

[Goldar]

First Cosplayer I have seen of Dawnstar. Very nice!

[Ares]

Wildfire was a solid addition to the Legion, adding a very distinct personality and look to the team, as well as a new powerhouse to the team who wasn't just another flavor of Kryptonian/Daxamite. I never could figure out what the "Anti-Energy" descriptor his powers had was suppose to mean. Wouldn't that be something that neutralizes or absorbs energy? Or robs things of energy, basically generating cold? Ah comics.

Wildfire was also an example of how to do an abrasive character right. Drake was annoying, but he was also entertaining, funny, brave, willing to sacrifice himself, was clearly in love with Dawnstar, and had some sympathetic reasoning for his behavior. I enjoyed reading about Wildfire in a way that I couldn't with Live Wire of the SW6 Legionnaires, because that version of Garth was just an asshole with almost no redeeming qualities and absolutely no justifications save for perhaps some insecurities that he used his bluster to cover for, but which were never really explored, examined or even really brought up.

Regarding his containment suits, it was mentioned in one issue that the suits are so complex that Brainiac 5 has to create each suit by hand, and even then there are often minor variations in the suits that can result in fluctuations in Drake's abilities. It helped handwave any contradictions in his history and why they couldn't just make him a humanoid looking body: if the best BRAINIAC 5 can manage is the suits Drake wore, then that's probably the best he can hope for.

Speaking of the suits, I definitely agree that the later outfits are clear case of "trying to hard". They all tend to try to overstylize the containment suit, have these large areas where the energy is visible or looking like a flavor of MCU Iron Man. It's weird that the suit that looks like a stylized WWII-era bomb-suit can be that cool and classic, but that's why Cockrum was the man.

And it IS really sad about the situation Drake and Dawny were in, since the very thing that made it interesting prevented it from going anywhere. It's much like how the Thing will never permanently gain the ability to switch back and forth between human and rock form, because then he'd lose a lot of his pathos and anything to complain about. But the relationship gets old if it never goes anywhere. Despite what comic writers thing, fans do eventually want the relationship to go somewhere, as decades of "will they/won't they" gets tedious, as does the swinger life-style. It's why fans LIKED it when Legionnaires actually got into steady relationships.

There were a couple of ways they could have had them upgrade to official relationship status, however. One way would be to simply have the White Witch or someone similar create some kind of artifact that basically let them meditate together and meet up on the Astral Plane or something similar, where they can basically make out on another plane of existence and allows them to be intimate there. Simple, and a bit of an asspull, but it lets things go to the next level.

The other option is that Brainiac 5 develops an android body he can put Drake's essence into, with hundreds of various micro-systems designed to keep his energy levels to a point that they don't damage said body. Said systems allow Drake to experience all the sensations of the world like a regular person, and is anatomically correct. The problem is that designing the android in this way means that while inside of it, Drake is basically a normal person with no powers. Furthermore, even with said microsystems, if he spends too much time in the android he'll burn it out, and after he leaves it it takes weeks of maintenance to get it back to its functioning levels. It might even have some super-rare components that make it even harder to build than his containment suits, so that there's only the one. So basically, Drake gets to be human for 24-to-36 hours once ever 3 or 4 weeks.

That actually has some potential to let their relationship get upgraded, and for some comedy, as you can have a side panel every now and then with Drake pestering Brainy to get his body ready. And then next time, it's Dawnstar pestering Brainy to hurry up with the repairs, because hey, a lady has needs.

[Woodclaw]

And yet the same fans had zero issue with a Black Heimdall, a Black Nick Fury, an Asian Quake, and so on and so forth... They weren’t upset about the race-change, they were upset by the crappy story. But they didn’t word it with the correct film theory academia jargon.

Are you kidding me?
There are people over here that brings up Heimdall every time they see Idris Elba on screen (things compounded after The Dark Tower). And I'm not talking about die hard comic book fans, just regular joes that just can't get over the idea that Marvel's Asgardians aren't gods, so they keep bitching that all of them should be tall and blonde examples of the Arian ideal.

The same happened with the most recent FF movie, the fans saw the directional the movie was going in, quite rightly had issues with changing everything that made the characters successful in the first place and outright told the makers of the film how terrible their ideas were and yet despite the fact that Johnny now being black was just one issue in a long list the fans were just dismissed as racist and therefore their opinions were ignored.

Johnny being black and Sue being white didn't phase me. I've known families like that since I was three. I was somewhat incredulous as to which child was adopted into the Storm family, and which was born to it. But it wasn't a problem, just atypical from my experience.

Except that they were supposed to be twins! Which is kind of hard to explain. I didn't have issues with messing up thing, but at least a bit of consistency should be involved. I ask a friend of mine, who studied genetics, and he told me that there's an super-rare condition where two identical twins from mixed parents might end up inheriting one all the genetic markers of one side of the family, but there has been like 4 cases in the entire history of medicine.

Given that, what I didn't like about that last attempt at the F4 was that it missed the point big time: for me F4 is a comic primarily about family and the sense of wonder. It's much closer to Lost in Space than anything else. My gut feeling while I watched the movie was that they could have put in any other character, I didn't feel any level of chemistry, they were a team not a family.

[Ares]

Guys, Jab asked that we sideline the side-topics for today, given he's hoping for discussion about his favorite Legionnaires. Even beyond common courtesy, its his thread, he can ask for such things.

[Goldar]

I had only seen the "classic" Wildfire suit. Those last 4 pics are new to me. I really liked them all, but the red one the least.

[M4C8]

Did any of the later Imperial Guard members (those not based on Legion characters) eventually get Legion counterparts?

[Jabroniville]

Haha, Wildfire being reduced to pleading sounds hilarious, especially given how prideful he normally acts around others (he's only unguarded around the rookies he trains, really). I can just imagine Brainy getting agitated about it, finally seeing Drake off, only to have Dawny knock on his door " Braiiiinyyyyyyy....".

[Ares]

Haha, Wildfire being reduced to pleading sounds hilarious, especially given how prideful he normally acts around others (he's only unguarded around the rookies he trains, really). I can just imagine Brainy getting agitated about it, finally seeing Drake off, only to have Dawny knock on his door " Braiiiinyyyyyyy....".

Well, there you go, that's now canon in my setting.

I could imagine it also working in another direction, where Drake and Brainy bond a little and Brainy starts asking Drake for relationship advice. Which is about the worst source of said advice, but Brainy would ironically feel more awkward asking one of the more "perfect" couples for advice.

[Batgirl III]

Now I'm wondering if Brainiac-5 ever read Larry Niven's (in)famous Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex essay... And how he'd have face similar, uh, risks given his relationship with Kara Zor-El.

[L-Space]

Now I'm wondering if Brainiac-5 ever read Larry Niven's (in)famous Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex essay... And how he'd have face similar, uh, risks given his relationship with Kara Zor-El.

I'm imaging Braniac-5 writing down a list of possible solutions.

Kryptonite condom - Too Dangerous
Red Sun pill - Duration?
Magic IUD - Hard to duplicate
Intercourse Battle Armor - Defeats purpose
etc..

[Batgirl III]

Just pray to Rao and any gods the Coluans might have that she doesn’t do Kegels.

[Bladewind]

Just when I've finally forgotten about that essay someone has to bring it up.