Random Happenstance

I love this run so much, even though I've admitted it was occasionally frustrating: it holds up for me largely because, it's a set stretch, from here to there, not something that always happens in comics. This is a relatively minor issue in the run, but it features our favorite, Timber Wolf, so here we are: from 1993, Legion of Super-Heroes #52, "Broken Dreams, Fuzzy Memories" Written by Tom McGraw, pencils by Stuart Immonen and Christopher Taylor, inks by Ron Boyd and Wade von Grawbadger.

The recently-returned Timber Wolf was still recovering from injuries, so he has time to reminisce about his old friend/sparring partner Karate Kid, and his old girlfriend Light(ning) Lass, Ayla Ranzz. Who, by this point in the series, had been with Shrinking Violet/Salu Digby for some time, although she still cares for him. This issue recaps a lot of T-Wolf's history, like his unhappy childhood with a dad gung-ho on making sure his kid had enough power to deal with whatever, to being convinced he was a robot by one of his dad's androids. There's an extended flashback to Legion #289, where the stranded and freezing Saturn Girl and T-Wolf comfort each other, only to be found by Ayla, who takes it the wrong way.

Another flashback explains what happened to Timber Wolf and Wildfire pre-Five Years Later: in battle with Sun Boy's nemesis Dr. Regulus, T-Wolf took a massive blast of radiation, eventually mutating him into the massive and mute "Furball" we see later/early in 5YL. Wildfire had sacrificed himself to save the sun from destruction: although, he had seemingly recently returned, but it wasn't the same guy! (We briefly see "Wildfire" examining his containment suit, which he apparently needed...hmm.) T-Wolf does have the opportunity to thank Ayla for always being there for him, although it's pretty obvious, they were not going to be a couple going forward. And, the Legion was going to face Glorith, soon...there was a bit of a reset coming, but the end was near.

I was so pissed at Timber Wolf getting mutated into "Furball," but he did get a limited series out of it later, so okay.