Back in the early nineties, when the Legion of Super-Heroes was rebooted without any mention of the Man of Steel, there were two titles, much like today. Only instead of having classic stories paired with modern stories, the two were independent of each other, with LoSH being the adult Legion, and Legionnaires being their teenage counterparts. There were no crossovers, and this was a godsend for poor 10 year old me, who could only afford 3 or 4 comics a month. I picked up the first issue of Legionnaires, not really knowing what it was, and I specifically remember loving it when I was a kid.
But would I love it again? Well, I recently picked it back up, and the answer is after the cut. But since it’s a Friday Rec, you can probably imagine I did.
And if you thought I loved it, you’d be right. If there’s one thing I love in comics more than anything, it’s to be entertained. Sure, I love art, and I love writing, and you could say that art and words are the two ingredients that make a book entertaining and fun. Bad writing and poor art make a book nigh unreadable; while good writing and rich art make a book amazing. But while this book had the latter’s qualities, it found a way to become more than the sum of its parts, and be something truly special.
Now, I only re-read the first couple arcs, so while I haven’t re-read everything, it truly stands the test of time so far. But even in the little I’ve re-discovered, Tim and Mary Bierbaum, the co-writers for the book, really didn’t skimp on crystal clear characterization. Every single character has a clear voice, attitude, and personality to keep things interesting. Sure certain team members follow certain archetypes and patterns (Cosmic Boy is the stoic leader, Inferno is a complete jerk, etc.), every single one feels more realized than a lot of teams are these days. I’d be remiss to not mention my
But I think the winner here is the new Emerald Empress, one Cera Kesh. Cera was part of a group to hopefully join the Legion. While not being the perfect physical specimen, she had a lot of heart, ad some raw talent that could be refined into a true asset to the team. But she’s also painfully shy, and she gets flustered easily; which caused her try-out to not go so well. But since she’s not super thin, and she doesn’t have the best skin, she’s mocked by the worst members of the team (namely, Live Wire and Inferno). She secretly becomes the crux of the story, while her plight is taken advantage of by an old enemy of the Legion, the Emerald Eye. When that despicable accessory manipulates her into murdering the OTHER Emerald Empress (you’ll see) and taking over the new Fatal Five, the tragedy is complete. But it’s a beautiful tragedy.
The art is no slouch either. While he was still young in this series, it was penciled by future legend Chris Sprouse, who went on to create Tom Strong along with Alan Moore and penciled the Midnighter solo-ongoing series. That tells you the kind of pedigree this book actually had, and with the passage of time, how classic the art actually is. Every character has similarities, as any artist’s work does, but at the same time, every personality is put on the forefront, just by looking at them. Inferno is cocky as Hell, and it’s plain as day on his face. Cera is as unsure as her alter-ego The Empress is arrogant evil, and Brainy’s mullet is a sight to see, let me tell you! There are even some gags put in for fun, like Brainy having a freak-out when his girlfriend, the Supergirl stand-in Andromeda, puts on a revealing bathing suit while on vacation. In any lesser hands, the gag would not have been funny, but looking at it still makes me laugh. From Brainy’s face to Andromeda’s “haters Gonna Hate” Strut, it’s just an incredibly funny scene.
If you’re a parent and you want to have some fun books to share with your kid, or even if you just want a fun all-ages read, this is the book for you. Legionnaires was a favorite growing up, and it’s a favorite all over again.