From: [c--ve--n] at [cae.wisc.edu] (Michael Blakeman Cleveland)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: ZERO HOUR SUMMARIES: 3/6: L.E.G.I.O.N. '94 #70
Date: 31 Jul 1994 22:51:22 GMT


L.E.G.I.O.N. '94 #70

Minor spoiler review:  Crosses directly over with Dox's cameo in ZH #3.
Other than that, this issue has no direct effect on ZH. A familiarity
with L.E.G.I.O.N. history is helpful for this issue.  I'll include the
relevant bits in my spoiler summary.

The story is OK, but probably not worth getting unless
    a) you already get L.E.G.I.O.N.
    b) you are a ZH completist fanatic
    c) you plan to pick up R.E.B.E.L.S. #0.  I don't think this is any harder
      a place to begin than #0 will be.
      
Summary w/ spoilers:





























Hang on.
A brief history:  After the Invasion series, Vril Dox led a small team to
free Colu with the ultimate goal of using them as the core of a new
peace-keeping force.  To begin that plan, he raids the planet Cairn, 
(almost totally controlled by drug lords) and takes over their "law
enforcement personnel" by assassinating the biggest drug lord, Canis Biz.
Dox is a master of manipulation (although sometimes he cheats, like when
he used a personality enhancement program to brainwash the Coluans into 
serving him instead of the computer tyrants who ruled them before.)

Lyrl Dox is the super-intelligent infant son of Dox and Stealth, and has 
begun to use Dox's enhancement program for his own benefit, taking over
several of the newer LEGIONnaires and staging the massacre of thousands
of Argites (who were given refuge on Cairn in an earlier storyline).  He 
has taken over everyone but Dox, Stealth, Phase, Lobo, Borb Borbb, Strata
(who quit during the Argite massacre), and Lady Quark (really a parasite
that had lived in Captain Comet's mind and tried to take over the real
Lady quark's body.  It has since killed Quark and tried to kill Comet.)
Quark knew that the enhancement program was working and confronted Dox 
about it last issue, so Dox, Quark, and Stealth know that Lyrl's up to 
something.  Oops, Lyrl also doesn't have Marij'n Bek under control because
she's been too busy planning (with Telepath's help) revenge on the 
parasite for killing Captain Comet.  (Confused yet?) 

Now on with the show:  The first time anomaly for LEGION shows up at the 
beginning as Canis Biz's freshly murdered body shows up in Dox's lab.

"Lady Quark" and Stealth start hunting for Lyrl (although Stealth wants 
Quark to promise not to kill him).  Meanwhile, Lyrl is sending his
brainwashing program to all of LEGION's client worlds so that they'll serve 
him as well.  Telepath (under Lyrl's control) tells Marij'n that the time is
right to kill "Quark".

Meanwhile, (Get used to that word in this post.) Jo Nah wants to take take
Phase (who has proven to be Phantom Girl's sister Enya) back to the 30th
century and start looking for Tinya.  Phase mentions the Argite massacre, 
and Jo expresses surprise that it's already happened.  Phase is concerned
enough for her comrades that she slips out of the time bubble when he leaves
(although we don't find that out until later in the issue).  (This scene
must occur before Legionnaires #18 and the recruitment scene in ZH #4.)

Garv and Strata get married with Borb Borbb and Lobo in attendance.  (Borb
told Lobo that they were going to the reception, not the ceremony.)  Strata 
is upset that no one else showed up, but Garv, who bitterly quit the LEGION
a long time ago just takes it to mean that the LEGIONnaires don't care.

Back to the main plot:  Stealth and Quark attack Lyrl, but Marij'n shows
up and kills the parsite while Lydea holds Stealth prisoner.

Dox discovers many time anomalies and launches a probe (direct crossover
with ZH 3) to investigate.  A time warp opens above Cairn and spits out
a ship that crashes into one of LEGION's shipyards.  Dox tries to send
help, but finds that Lyrl has stripped him of authority.

Stealth brins Lyrl to Dox and they have a confrontation.  Lyrl chastises
Dox for not manipulating people enough, for bending their wills, but not
breaking them.  (He is, however, impressed by Biz's corpse.) Lyrl offers
an alliance but Dox refuses.  Dox is captured, but Stealth escapes. (Lyrl
doesn't want his mother hurt.) Stealth recruits Phase, Strata, Borb, and 
Lobo, but Garv refuses to help and threatens to be gone before Strata 
returns.

Lyrl puts Dox on public trial for staging the Argite massacre, but the 
others rescue him.  During the battle, Dox has an opportunity to shoot
Lyrl, but can't make himself do it. Meanwhile, Strata and Dox kidnap 
Telepath.  They run to the shipyard and take the still-intact ship from
the time warp, and after a rough take-off, escape Cairn.

Lyrl declares his goal to retrieve his mother and kill his father.  The
escapees (or should I say, R.E.B.E.L.S.) band together and threaten to
return.

Dense, huh?

Michael