Written by Paul Levitz
Illustrated by Phil JimenezPhil Jimenez (INFINITE CRISIS, Amazing Spider-Man) launches an arc starring the rookies as they learn to be heroes at Legion Academy! This gorgeous issue marks a perfect jumping-on point for any new reader curious to learn about the DC Universe of the 31st century!
This book was the very definition of a game-time decision. I did not pre-order it, I did not draft it in our weekly review draft and, in fact, I didn’t even remember it was coming out until I saw it there on the shelf. However, despite my waning interest in the main Legion book (also by Levitz), I had a good feeling about this particular new era for Adventure Comics. Namely because of the combination of young characters and one of my personal favorite artists Phil Jimenez. How did this sucker hold up? Find out after the cut!
Our story begins and is told primarily from the point of view of Glorith, the newest recruit to Legion Academy after studying under and living with former Legion members The Black Witch and Blok for quite some time. In very short order, she becomes the archetypal neophyte character to not only introducing the reader to the goings on of Legion Academy and her classmates, but also the current state of Earth society given the lack of traditional culture on her home planet of Sorcerer’s World. Given this, much of the issue was introduction and exposition, which given the fact that this is the first issue of a more or less starkly new direction for the book, makes a lot of sense.
Despite their appearance in a Legion back-up several months back, the young characters that make up this team are still quite new to readers and to the world of the Legion, so their brief reintroduction made sense. Frankly, right off the bat I’m already a large fan of several of them (especially Variable Lad, with his catch-all power of having a new power with every activation of his abilities.) While I am not the biggest or most long time Legion fan, I haven’t really grasped just how many members there have been over the years, so to me this new set feels pretty unique and genuinely NEW in terms of power set, personality, history and design. All signs that bode well for them in the long run.
In addition to all the introductions (and reintroductions, as the case may be for school heads Duplicate Girl and Bouncing Boy), we’re also given a story of entitled, youthful folly on the parts of some of our cast, which ends on a quite hairy cliffhanger for them. The premise is simple, but the implementation is rife with the charm of a John Hughes movie, and we can’t ask for much better than that from a comic about teenagers.
On the art side, you best believe that Jimenez did not disappoint. I’ve been a fan of this guy since he first appeared on Grant Morrison’s New X-Men and his work has consistently impressed me since. His well crafted, photo-realistic style brings an entirely chique air to the proceedings that not only manages to capture the unique look and feel of these characters, but represents the wonder Glorith must feel witnessing some of these fantastic landscapes and locales for the first time. It saddens me that, given his recent track record, he won’t be on this book for much longer, but who knows; maybe by then the fact that he was my primary draw to the book may no longer be why I enjoy it? Or maybe I’m just being a negative ned and this is the start of a long, boisterous run for him? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Overall, I really did enjoy everything about this book, and it is absolutely the biggest underdog win of the week. While Legion of Super Heroes may be flailing, Levitz and crew are off to a great start in this book, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Buy
