Who's Who Laurel Gand

I have been a long time fan of the Fire and Water Podcast Network. And in particular I have been a big fan of their Who's Who show, even joining in as a guest host on several Who's Who in the Legion of Super-Heroes episodes.

Starting next week, Rob and Shag will begin their look at the 'loose leaf' Who's Who from the early 90s and I am very excited. I collected these when they were released so can't wait to relive them. Unfortunately, my binder of M-Z has been lost to time!

Anyways, to honor their hard work in this endeavor I thought I would review a Who's Who loose leaf page. But I already have reviewed the Supergirl one. And if you look hard enough here, I have also reviewed the Silver Banshee and even Maxima.

So this time I thought I would review Laurel Gand, the Supergirl analogue for the 5YL Legion run. For those who don't know, I reviewed the first 50 issues of the 5YL Legion over on the Legion of Super-Bloggers. I loved that run and I loved Laurel. Even though Matrix was around, I thought Laurel really captured the spirit of Supergirl.

And I love this Keith Giffen art. She is tall, proud, powerful. And I love how the red cape is a bit more of a darker, less primary red color. She was the muscle of the team. And that Darkseid head in the background has to be referencing the Great Darkness.

Just gorgeous.

I loved how the Bierbaums and Giffen sort of melded so much of Supergirl's original history and even her early Legion history into Laurel's tale. From living in a domed city to being in an orphanage with an 'LL' name to how she joins the team, her history a sort of reflection of Kara's history. Add to that a history with the Khunds and Zaryan, and you have a very good mix of old Legion and new Legion. Even that early outfit, a combination of blue skirted Supergirl and headband Supergirl and (of course) Mon-El. And she had that sort of fierceness I love in Supergirl, willing to throw herself into action to save people and battle injustice.

But the big thing about Laurel is her very ingrained past with Brainiac 5, discussed at length in this history. This wasn't a passing fancy. This was a hard core romance and a sort of doomed relationship. It was just what Kara/Querl fans were kind of looking for.

I mean it when I say that I love the 5YL Legion, in particular the very dense first year, and the equally satisfying first 3 years. If you are a Legion fan, you need to seek it out.

And definitely listen to the Who's Who Podcast. That is an absolute hoot!

Posted in: Reviews