Back Issue Review: Superboy And The Legion Of Super-Heroes #256

We are still a couple of weeks away from new Supergirl show episodes. And we are still completely in the dark about Supergirl in the comics. Will there be a new series coming out of the Man of Steel event? Is DC just pulling the plug?

And with no Superman book on the shelf last week, I thought I would thumb through the back issues for a review. And with Brainiac 5 playing a role in the show, I thought I would take a day to look at a Brainy-centric story. So today I will look at Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #256.

One of the more interesting aspects of Brainy's character is his somewhat unstable mental condition. Whether it is obsession or social awkwardness or outright occasional malevolence, he has always walked a fine line. He has created Computo, an evil computer intelligence, and has tried over and over to look back at that programming and hope to rehabilitate it. He created Omega, a being fueled by the hate of the universe, with which he hoped to eradicate all life. And he has mourned and nearly dipped into madness with grief after Kara died. Please note that linked review was one of the first issues I ever reviewed here.

Even on the show, we have seen Brainy be a little distracted and a little awkward and even a little brusque with people. At times this comes off as narcissism or overconfidence. But you also get the sense he is simply shy and sort of bad with human interaction.

With all that in the mix, I thought this was a good issue to review.

"This is your life ... and death, Brainiac 5!" was written by Gerry Conway with art by Joe Staton and Dave Hunt. This issue takes place in the near immediate aftermath of the Omega story arc. A simple internet search will reveal the complicated creative mess of that story which was originally supposed to be in a stand-alone special, became morselized into three non-consecutive issues, and ultimately was changed so bad that artist Jim Starlin asked that his name be removed (replaced by the pseudonym Steve Apollo).

For me, the Omega story has a grand scale and should have had a more lasting impact. The finale is in issue #251. We should have had a lasting death, or a lasting major problem, or Brainy should have remained evil for some time. But here we are just a few months later and we are resolving the Brainy issue, basically removing all consequence of his actions from the character.

Here he is, as an inpatient in an asylum, in a dark room, reading.

The three founders and Superboy all head the the hospital in hopes of helping Brainy out. Perhaps the staff isn't leading him to a cure in as timely a fashion as they anticipated. This seems a bit rushed doesn't it. To think that this place hasn't 'cured' Brainy in so short a time seems like an unrealistic goal.

Also, one fallout from Omega that did last for a little bit of time was Matter-Eater Lad also going insane. In that story, Tenzil eats the Miracle Machine so Omega cannot use it to end all life. That ingestion leads to his madness.

Despite having no degrees in psychology or psychiatry, those Legionnaires still think they can get to the bottom of Brainy's issue better.

In an astonishing turn, the evacuate Cosmic World (think of it as an intergalactic Disney World) and make it off limits to patrons. They want to use the holographic technology there to nudge Brainy along.

Now one thing I do like about this is that the Legion isn't given a carte blanche to do this. The park manager calls the Science Police. And the SciPo aren't exactly happy with the Legion right now given the recent past with Omega. The officers will take back Cosmic World, by force if need be.

There is some Earthbound fallout as well. In the battle with Omega, Wildfire had to unleash all his energy and destroyed the Legion headquarters. The planet is still reeling from all the damage done. And RJ Brande is suddenly bankrupt. The Legion is going to be having some financial issues and even some shelter issues for a bit. It is enough to make the volatile Timber Wolf throw his hands up and say the Legion shouldn't help people any more.

Luckily Ayla is there to calm him and remind him of the team's ideals. I think it is all going to work out for these two!

As for Brainy, he awakens to find himself not in his cell but instead in his crib!

Between the holographic capabilities of the park and Saturn Girl's deep mental dive into his memory, the Legion is hoping to have Brainy confront his problems in the past.

So we start out with pressure placed on Brainy by his father ... even as an infant. This newborn will hold the mantle of Brainiac 5. That is going to happen.

That's a lot of weight to place on a kid.

But Querl is very smart. In school, he surpasses his classmates without effort leading to his being bullied.

Kids can be so mean ... even on Colu.

So pressure from his parents. And hatred from his peers.

That hatred leads to physical violence in the schoolyard.

And that pressure leads to anger by his father.

It seems Brainy gets no love or support from anywhere.

With the Science Police knocking on the door, assaulting the park with ships and even Kryptonite rays, Imra finally gets to the key memory.

In his youth, Brainy came across a young Coluan girl in danger on a cliff. (What is this Midvale?) When he tried to save her, she recoiled from him in fear. This time Imra reconfigures the memory so the young girl instead hugs Brainy.

For once, he is accepted for who he is, appreciated, and loved.

Faced with his youth and those memories, and now seeing this memory played out a different way, Brainy is 'cured'. Okay, it is something of a naive approach to mental health. It reminds me of the Hitchcock movie "Spellbound" .... spoiler alert ... when Gregory Peck is cured of his mental issues when he remembers accidentally killing his little brother. You think that would be the beginning ... not the end of appropriate counseling.

Querl is all better. Just 5 months after he was at his worst.

I wonder if Gerry Conway didn't agree with the direction. Or liked Brainy. Or just wanted to put the Omega story and all its problems behind him.

Still, I think of this whenever I read stories where Brainy is off-kilter or a bit unhinged. He has a lifetime of what seems to be emotional trauma that he has had to work through. It may be why he doesn't interact all that well with people. He hasn't been treated well by many!

Will this sort of backdrop be part of the show? Who knows? It may just be that he is shown to be akward because of his intelligence, a sort of Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory personality.

Just two more weeks. Then back to new episodes!

Posted in: Reviews