Li'l Legion/LSH (a JL8 spin-off) by Yale Stewart

Yale Stewart is the writer/artist for JL8. JL8, available on Facebook and Tumblr, is the story of the DC Justice League as 8 year olds. They attend a Schwartz Elementary with friends and foes. Here's a class picture that Yale did for me:

Sometime ago, Yale published a commission piece that I really liked featuring a "Li'l Legion." I've been told that it was done for Mercer Creed, Jr.



Kathy asked me what I wanted for our 35th wedding anniversary and I said I'd like a Legion of Super-Heroes commission featuring the team as I best remember them in JL8 style. She agreed. I had an exchange with Yale and this is the result. I'm thrilled.

So, allow me to introduce the characters:

Left side:

• Tenzil is at the picnic table doing what he does
  
• Andrew, Val, and Jeckie are chatting. Clearly Val and Jeckie have been infatuated from the beginning.
  
• Tasmia, Lar, Clark, Jo, and Tinya are grouped with the boys showing off how strong they are.

Center Section:

• Ayla reminds Brin to mind his manners. While Gim and Salu laugh at them.
  
• Imra, Garth, Rokk, and Lydda clearly are planning what the team should address next

Right Section:

• Luornu bounces on good old Chuck.
  
• Dirk exchanges love notes with some fair lady over his Omnicom - the emoji's are flying, Shavaugn, a future SP officer, embarrasses the apple of her eye, Jan.
  
• The smart kids are about to make a terrible mistake, they are building Computo. Look at the terror on Luornu's face, there's more than one reason for it. Kara helps Querl extract parts from the box. Reep and Thom are assembling the pieces under the direction of Nura. Lyle makes adjustments before final placement.
  

I was asked about how the piece was created. Here's the outline of how it went.

I gave Yale reference and described relationships in a couple of long emails. The relationship descriptions were important because capturing relationships in a group is a big part of his work. You can see the letter that I sent to Yale in the Additional Images section.

The individual vignettes though are all Yale. I would never have thought of the Computo assembly. Having the "smart" kids building the monster that Triplicate Girl is about to hit is a great idea.

I also love Sun Boy on the Omnicom and Shavaugn embarrassing Jan.

And Tenzil

And the strong kids

And...


I'm really pleased with this piece. If you like it, be sure to check out JL8. Heck, even if you don't like it, check out JL8. Also, you can reach Yale by clicking on his name above.

P.S., in viewing a Facebook page, I remembered something that I'd forgotten when I commissioned this piece. The Legion had been turned into kids three times during the Adventure Comics run - in issues 317, 338, and 356.