Written by Paul Levitz
Illustratedby Chris Batista and Rich PerottaThe architect of today’s Legion of Super-Heroes, Paul Levitz, delivers a science fiction odyssey on a scale you’ve never seen in a new, 6-issue miniseries!
The broad strokes of the Legion’s origin are well known, but you’ve never seen the secret machinations that went on behind the scenes! Why was the organization known as the United Planets formed? Who tried to kill R.J. Brande the first time? And what great power could leave entire planets desolate and lifeless? Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad may have founded the Legion, but the story starts here!
With DC’s third (!) current Legion book hitting the shelves this week, what can we expect? The major disaster that is Legion Lost, the minor disaster of Legion of Super-Heroes or, perhaps, no disaster at all?
Click the cut to find out!
My first thought after finishing this books is: What the fuck, DC? Why wasn’t this issue titled Legion of Super-Heroes #1 and released in September as the first issue of the ongoing Legion of Super-Heroes title?
The Legion franchise, for some reason, is one of three types of book that DC didn’t really muck around with during the New 52. I assume this is a) partly because the book has a small but loyal audience and DC doesn’t really see the potential for too much more growth for the franchise, b) to keep Paul Levitz happy and c) because it seems a lot of these decisions were made impulsively. That is a shame, because this is an accessible, well told Legion story and is infinitely better than either of the Legion books that are part of the New 52.
The first point is the most interesting to me — as of August, the last month of the old DCU, Legion of Superheroes was the 111th best selling book of the month, barely selling 20,000 copies. According to statistics on Comicbeat.com, the book was selling 10% less copies than it did a year earlier, with a steady decrease all the way down. When Legion of Super-Heroes was relaunched, #1 sold approximately 45,000 copies (with its sister book, Legion Lost, selling just over 41,000), putting it in the bottom 1/3 of all of the DCnU titles.
There are clearly thousands of people out there who have been reading the Legion of Super-Heroes for years and years, and who know and love the dense mythology and millions of characters that seem to be the staples of Legion books. However, I’m not one of those people. I have no attachment to these characters. I’ve heard good things about the books, but always have been intimidated to jump right in. Aren’t I exactly the audience DC should have been targeting with their relaunched Legion titles?
And yet, with this miniseries that precious few will pick up, DC has finally given a story that can draw in new Legion fans en masse. Paul Levitz introduces characters simply, and gives ample opportunity for the reader to observe these characters and get comfortable with them without throwing too many at the reader at once. So far, we have met 6 classic Legionnaires (Cosmic Book, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Brainiac 5, Triplicate Girl and Phantom Girl), and we are seeing not only the team being brought together, but some greater context as to why they are coming together.
The approach here is interesting as well, as with the exception of Brainiac 5 and Phantom Girl, we see and hear about the Legionnaires without them speaking a word, or doing much more than stand around. This technique works for both new and old fans; for old fans, they don’t need explanation as to who these characters are, and for new fans, it allows us time to get acquainted with the characters.
Artists Chris Batista and Marc Deering do a nice job giving us definitive and classic versions of these characters, while still giving the book some flair, specifically through the various types of technology present. Each piece looks well defined and fits well into this world; the 31st Century appears streamlined and polished, without some of the inherent goofiness that some of the older Legion stories appear to have.
This is a great introduction to the characters, and I honestly have no idea why DC didn’t make this book the first arc of Legion of Super-Heroes, much like how Justice League and Action Comics have their first few arcs take place in the “past”, and then jump forward in a few issues to “modern” times. It is a shame that this book won’t benefit the way that those in the initial relaunch did, and that DC, again, did not put its best foot forward in terms of accomplishing their own goals for the New 52.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – Buy if you give a lick about the 31st Century
