L.E.G.I.O.N. '94 #60 pg 11

This is last of that fun lot of L.E.G.I.O.N. pages I nabbed from eBay last year! This was Barry Kitson's last issue as a writer for the title he'd been working on for five years, and he used it to wrap up a story for one of L.E.G.I.O.N's very best characters, Phase. She doesn't know it, but she's actually Phantom Girl of the Legion of Super-Heroes, having had her memories wiped when she was cast back in time by the villainous Glorith. In this story arc, one of L.E.G.I.O.N.'s member planets has been plagued by a circus troupe of phantoms, with powers much like Phase's. Hoping that they could shed any kind of light on who she is or where she comes from, she accompanies them into their tent, and is unwittingly whisked away... to a hellish planet in the phantoms' home dimension. The planet is home to a demon named Bhargast, who's been having the phantoms kidnap children away from other dimensions so he can feast on their youth, turning them into adults in the process.

With all that context out of the way, here we see Phase going toe to toe with Bhargast in the hopes of protecting all the kidnapped children, and finding out she's bit off a bit more than she can chew. Thankfully, the other phantoms - transformed children, themselves - are inspired by her bravery, and come to her rescue a few pages after this one. At the end of the issue, it's revealed that the leader of the phantoms (front and centre in the last panel, there), is named Bgztl. That name doesn't mean much to memory-wiped Phase, but if she had her memories, she'd know that Bgztl is the name of her home planet in the 30th century, which this band of phantoms clearly goes on to settle. It's all a wonderful tribute to Phase's character and story arc from the writer who knew her best, and it's exactly the kind of time-travel goodness I like to see in my Legion comics.

With alllllll that story out of the way, it turns out the art is pretty gorgeous, too! With Barry leaving the book, L.E.G.I.O.N. went through a few potential new pencillers, and I think Stephen Jones would have been a great fit to fill Barry's shoes. I find that every artist who draws Phase draws her very uniquely, and while Barry's version of her is of course the best, I like Jones's take on her, too. He did a great job making Bhargast look appropriately monstrous and terrifying, along with giving the phantoms their airy costumes and floaty hair. I also enjoy how every panel is packed full with details, even around the really well-choreographed fight scene. As a geologist, I do love me a well-drawn rock, and this page is full of them!