Spring Road Super Review

FNF (Round 1): M10 results and Mockingbird vs. Nemesis

Round 1, Match 10 results

When I first paired the Match 10 combatants, I knew next-to-nothing about the Voice. Basically, I jus thought he was like a crime-fighting ventriloquist. Up against that, a quirky-looking martial artist like Osakan Riot would seem to have a pretty good chance...

But then I read the Voice's inaugural adventure in Amazing Comics #22. In it, not only does the Voice single-handedly taken on a large group of thugs (in contrast to Osakan Riot, who shows up to help Miss Melee take down a gang) but to top it off, the guy can blast bad guys out of trees and even collapse a building by "throwing his voice in a loud roar"!?

I'm guessing this assessment was universal, as the feedback I got from a few Facebook polls uniformly gave the win to the Voice. The people have spoken, Voice goes to the next round!

The Heroes of Lallor

In previous posts, I've discussed my appreciation for members of the Legion of Superheroes (specifically Chemical King and Polar Boy). Today, I want to return to DC's 31st century, but not to focus on the LSH. Instead, I'm interested in another super-group: The Heroes of Lallor.

One of the main things I liked about the Heroes was the contrast they presented to the Legion. It always struck me as odd--given the plethora of teams and independent heroes in the contemporary DC timeline--that by the 31st century superheroes had largely been consolidated into one massive uber-team. With an even bigger universe, it seemed natural to assume, there should've been at least as many independent heroes in the 31st as there had been in the 20th.

Gas Girl

The five powered teens (Beast Boy, Gas Girl, Evolvo Lad, Duplicate Boy, & Life Lass) who composed the Heroes, were all born on Lallor, a planet ruled by a single dictator. They were mutants whose powers were the result of exposure (in utero, apparently) to fallout from an accidental atomic explosion. The kids' powers manifested when they were quite young--a fact the planetary authorities seem to have known. Eventually, however, "Prime Minister" Vorr experienced one of those sudden, inexplicable opinion changes that are all the rage with dictators, and banished the teens.

The actual reason for the banishment isn't exactly clear to me. Wikipedia says it was for, "opposing the dictatorship," while the DC Database wiki simply claims that, "the leader of Lallor, fearing what the young people could do [had] them exiled..." Whatever the specifics, one thing is clear: the Heroes were outsiders. They were the super-powered square pegs in the 30th century...and that's one of the main reasons I like 'em.

Evolvo Lad

This theme of nonconformity appeared again in Adventure Comics # 339 (Dec 1965) where Beast Boy--who, for some reason was shunned from polite Lallorian society--retreated to the jungle planet Vorn where he led an animal revolt against the planet's human population. As it turned out, this story concluded with Beast Boy's death and his burial on the memorial planet Shanghalla.

FNF (Round 1): M9 results and The Voice (Centaur) vs. Osakan Riot

Round 1, Match 9 results

Initially, I really thought this would be a pretty even match. First, I have to acknowledge that I've read neither Contest of Champions #3 nor Flash #124. Thus, in both cases, I'm having to base my judgement based on others' synopses of the tales. With that caveat, I really thought this would've been a more even match, but now--despite being a fan of Peregrine--this looks to me like a pretty easy win for Captain Boomerang.

In the two tales referenced, we have a non-superpowered dude who's repeatedly given the Flash trouble and learned how to throw a boomerang through time, going up against a non-superpowered guy who was defeated by the Angel once the latter was able to secure a stick!? If a stick is all it takes to tip the scales, then tossing a boomerang through time should pretty much wrap it up.

Boomerang for the win!