Retro Review

Legion of Super-Heroes went through a period of great controversy in the early 90s, and no issue was more controversial than#31, the issue in which a long-standing fan question about Element Lad’s sexuality was answered, and another character, Shvaughn Erin, was changed in a very significant way. Dealing as it did with gender identity and sexuality, the revelations of this issue were considered shocking by many, even though, at least according to Al Gordon, not as shocking as they could have been. Some people hated the issue, even citing it as the reason they dropped the title, but for me, LSH #31 had a very beautiful message about love and life.

 The story is part of the “Five Years Later…” storyline, which ran through the first 61 issues of the 1989 relaunch of Legion of Super-Heroes, and included a lot of changes that long-time fans did not like. The team had disbanded in the wake of intergalactic economic collapse, and the universe was a darker place, with war, crime and strife abundant. (more…)