#imsk

[jasposeyblog]

My commission of Composite Legionnaire (à la Teen Titans GO!) sketch cover by @nickjustusart

[cantsayidont]

November 1989 (set October 23, 2994). The first issue of the relaunched LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES series reveals that during the five-year gap following the end of the previous series, former Legionnaire Shrinking Violet, whose real name is Salu Digby, had joined the military when her homeworld of Imsk went to war with the planet Braal, homeworld of fellow Legionnaire Cosmic Boy (Rokk Krinn). By this point, several years later, Imsk has won the war and is occupying Braal, but Vi is in a military stockade.

As the page above alludes, in 2991, Vi and her unit were involved in an Imskian war crime, and she's been imprisoned because she refuses to retract her official protest or agree to keep her mouth shut about what happened.

In the previous series, Vi had expressed a romantic interest in fellow Legionnaire Ayla Ranzz (Lightning Lass), who hesitated, briefly seemed receptive, and then made a panicky dive into an aggressive hetero flirtation with Rokk Krinn's younger brother Pol (who was then killed in the final storyline of the previous series). We learn here that during her imprisonment, Vi and Ayla have been writing to each other, and Ayla has invited Vi to join her on the family's agricultural commune on the planet Winath, where Ayla has gone to live with her brother Garth (formerly known as Lightning Lad) and his wife (Imra Ardeen Ranzz, formerly known as Saturn Girl) since the Legion disbanded. Newly released from the army, Vi finally agrees.

This is an example of the radical shift in the complexity and sophistication of this phase of Legion history. The previous series had had some elaborate plots and characterization, but at the end of the day, it was still a superhero comic. This was something else, and not only in storytelling style. It's regrettable that a pointless series of editorial battles ended up making it such a mess, and even more regrettable that DC later decided to abandon it in favor of a return to cutesy adventures of cute teen heroes with no history. The point in this series was that the characters had BEEN cute teen heroes, but they grew up, and so did the universe around them — both for good and for ill.

[evilhorse]

Why, you overgrown blowhard!

[girlsofcomics]

Shrinking Violet

-Real name: Salu Digby

-A.k.a.: Vi, Violet, Virus, Emerald Violet, LeViathan, Atom Girl

-Publisher: DC Comics

-Type: Alien / Imsk

-Afilliations: Imskians, Legion Espionage Squad, Legion of Super-Heroes, Legionnaires

-Powers: Shrinks to microscopic and subatomic proportions, grows to gigantic size, super strength, martial arts, unarmed combat, legion flight ring, agility, stealth.

[theblanddcu2021]

Imsk, Shrinking Violet's native planet, pulsates.  The planet shrinks and grows and the natives adapted shrinking powers to live there.  Brainiac 5 perfected his ancestor's shrinking tech.  Brainy started a business venture with Shrinking Violet to host pulsating raves on Imsk to foreigners.

@cosmictreadmill27

[jasposeyblog]

My commission of Shrinking Violet sketch cover by Jason Adams

[evilhorse]

The whole world shuddered—and began to shrink!

[jihaereadslegion]

SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #232 "The Disease that Wouldn't Die!" (159o)

Publication Date: 10/77

Creators: Gerry Conway, Ric Estrada, Jack Abel, Elizabeth Safian, Clem Robins

Roll Call:  Clark, Vi, Garth, Imra, Gim, Rokk, Tasmia, Brainy, Mon, Brin, Cham, the Immune, RJ Brande, Dr. Regulus

Plot Summary:

The Legionnaires are celebrating Klordny Week when they are first interrupted by a racist who hassles Vi for Imsk's recent threats of UP secession over mining rights. (Vi is firmly for Imsk's mining rights, arguing that because they have been violated in the past, they now need more territory because their economy relies on mining.) They are then further interrupted by space pirates and the Immune breaking into Legion HQ in an attempt to murder Brande, and a strange space fog that makes everyone start shrinking. Everyone blames the Imskians, but it was actually Dr. Regulus orchestrating things so that he could charge high prices for the cure, which is in the Immune's blood. The Legionnaires use the power of disguise to defeat both Dr. Regulus and the Immune and develop a vaccine for the shrinking disease.

Notes:

Mon "grand-standing"-- suggested that he is insecure because he has the exact same powers as Clark and wants to prove himself.

Tasmia tries speaking before violence

This might be the first time a Legionnaire has had overt politics that caused a conflict of interest with their duty as a Legionnaire-- interesting concept to explore!