This version known to fans as the “Retro-boot” Legion can be seen on the cover of the forthcoming Justice Society of America #11.  Due out on July 24, 2024, this Legion can be seen fighting the JSA.  Cover artist Mikel Janin shared the cover on Twitter/ X after the solicit for issue #12 was released.

Foremost, demonstrating that this is the “Retro-boot” Legion are the depictions of Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl.  They appear as they did when the “Retro-boot” Legion was “reintroduced” back in “The Lightning Saga.”  Amongst others are Dawnstar, Ultra Boy and Cosmic Boy in their “Retro-boot” character designs.

The Legion of Super-Heroes has been plagued with reboots both total and soft ever since the Crisis on Infinite Earths back in 1985.  The Crisis reorganized the DC Universe, part of which eliminated Superman’s time as Superboy and thus his time with the Legion of Super-Heroes.  After a “pocket universe” story that fixed this paradox the Legion continued for about five years.  It then relaunched with a “5 years later” storyline that took the once bright and hopeful future in a darker direction.  This led to a couple soft reboots of Legion history along the way.  With the Zero Hour event in 1994 the Legion completely rebooted.  The Legion would again reboot in 2004.  Finally, the classic Legion returned in the aforementioned “Lightning Saga” in 2007.  This time, the Legion history picked up from the pre-Crisis Legion continuity and restoring Superman’s time with the Legion as Superboy.  This Legion would continue up through Flashpoint and into The New 52.  Just before Flashpoint they were appearing in their own title as well as the relaunched Adventure Comics.  It seemed like a new golden age for the team.  However, sales were not enough to sustain the title far into the New 52.

The Legion was set to return during “Rebirth” within the pages of Doomsday Clock.  A young and classic Saturn Girl was a large part of it until the team finally returned at the end of the 12-issue series.  Instead of a classic Legion returning it was Bendis’ new Legion.  It’s still my opinion that the delays on Doomsday Clock were mostly due to Gary Frank having to redraw the classic Legion as Bendis’ Legion.

It’s possible that the Legion on the cover of Justice Society of America #11 is just a ruse, but there has been another reference to classic Legion lore in “House of Brainiac.”  Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) mentions that once upon a future she was very close to a Brainiac.  Pre-Crisis, Kara and Brainiac 5 were a romantic pairing.  Brainiac 5 was devastated when she died in Crisis on Infinite Earths.  taken together, this reference and the cover to Justice Society of America #11 indicate that this is not just a one-of situation.  With the impending fall of the United Planets in Green Lantern we only need Jon to go back to being 13 and DC can finally be rid of the plague that was Brian Michael Bendis.

The post Are the Classic Legion of Super-Heroes About to Make a Comeback? appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Artist: Scott Godlewski

Colors: Ryan Cody

Letters: Dave Sharpe

Reviewed By: Matthew Lloyd, Derek McNeil

Summary

Justice League Vs The Legion of Super-Heroes #4: Now it’s the Legion of Super-Heroes’ turn to get stuck in a time they don’t belong in, the 21st century. Time for the greatest heroes of the future to see the reality of their heroes of the past. All this is happening because the Great Darkness is coming, and even as the truth behind it is about to be revealed, it may be too late to stop all from becoming nothing. It’s the heroes of two eras in ways you’ve never seen them before!

Positives

Matthew: Let’s be honest, there aren’t a lot of Positives as we hit issue 4 of this series.  Scott Godlewski continues to keep things interesting in the art department, but he’s not given a lot of interesting material to work with in Bendis’ script.  There are a couple of interesting lines from Bendis that are worth mentioning.

Positives Cont.

When Brainiac 5 walks into the bunker he automatically attempted to connect to the computer with his voice only.  Cleverly, Bendis has Brainy admit he’s only ever been in a world that has computers that are voice recognition enabled.  This feels like a genuine experience that someone from the future would have.

Derek: Yeah, Godlewski is basically carrying the book. Unfortunately, while a great story can sometimes save poor art, the reverse isn’t true. This series is great to look at, but it has little else to offer.

Matthew: In another part of the issue, the Gold Lantern who’s been thrown further into the past meets Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern.  It’s a neat moment, but way too short.  Well the idea is cool, but it’s not executed very well.

Derek: That pretty much wraps Bendis’ writing in a nutshell. He comes up with some really good ideas, but rarely goes anywhere with them. When I saw Alan Scott, I thought this could lead to something interesting. But Alan does nothing to contribute to the story during his brief appearance.

Negatives

Matthew: I don’t think it’s a stretch to ask if anyone even cares about this series at this point.  It doesn’t help that the series has gone bi-monthly.  However, it seems to be the overall pacing of the series that’s the biggest issue.  Everything is taking so long to develop that it’s hard to feel any sort of tension or drama with the events.  The first issue had a decent set up, but not much has happened since.  It feels mostly like a set up for something else.

Derek: I know I’m finding it difficult to stay interested in this story. The story ends with the caption “To Be Continued…?” as if the series might not carry on past this point. And I thought to myself “Why bother continuing it?”. It doesn’t really seem to be adding anything to the overall Great Darkness story being told in the Dark Crisis event.

Matthew:  All the talk of the “great darkness” isn’t really paying off.  For those readers who know what the Great Darkness really is this story feels aimless.  Even within the confines of the story itself, there’s no real development of the darkness for a reveal with some sort of payoff.

Negatives Cont.

Derek: And what’s worse, is that we already know how this story ends, thanks to the delays this series has encountered. In Justice League #75, Green Arrow states that the League has recently encountered the Great Darkness and defeated it – evidently referring to this series. We already know that the League will be back in their own time and at their proper ages by the end of this series. By the story’s end, the status quo will have come full circle. You could cut this piece of the overall Great Darkness story and it wouldn’t make a lick of difference.

Matthew: It’s hard to believe, but the dialogue seems to be getting worse.  There are moments that the dialogue is confusing from a storytelling standpoint as well as dialogue that is just there because Bendis thinks he’s being clever.  I don’t think he has any clue as to how Black Adam should speak.  It’s more of a distraction than anything effective in any capacity.

Derek: Bendis has always been a little too impressed with how clever his dialogue is. Yes, occasionally he will come up with witty things for his characters to say. But more often than not, it’s just something inane. And you’re absolutely right about him not having a good grasp on how the characters should talk. There were multiple instances in the main Justice League title where he put words in Batman’s mouth that the Dark Knight would never utter.

Verdict

Matthew: It’s not worth following this series.  There’s literally nothing of interest going on and there’s almost no chance anything of significance will happen.  Coupled with the fact Bendis’ Legion is uninspired, it’s best to just put this away and hope we get a classic Legion reboot and let Bendis leave the DC Universe well enough alone.

Derek: I suspect that Joshua Williamson and the other plotters of Dark Crisis and Flashpoint Beyond arranged it so that this story would be ultimately separable and irrelevant to the overall Great Darkness story. It’s likely just meant to keep Bendis occupied so that he doesn’t mess up the overarching Dark Crisis storyline. While I’ve been enjoying their new Great Darkness Saga very much, readers could very easily skip it. In fact, they probably should.

Matthew’s Score:

Derek’s Score:

Average Score:

The post Review: Justice League Vs The Legion Of Super-Heroes #4 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Artist: Scott Godlewski

Colors: Ryan Cody

Letters: Dave Sharpe

Reviewed By: Matthew Lloyd, Derek McNeil

Summary

Justice League Vs The Legion of Super-Heroes #2: “The Gold Lantern Saga” part two! Who is the Gold Lantern? And what does his power source have to do with the Great Darkness? Is the Gold Lantern everything it promises to be? The Justice League and Legion of Super-Heroes team up and travel to each other’s time periods to unravel the mysteries that have led them to the precipice of this Great Darkness.

Positives

Matthew: For me, the best part of this issue is when Bendis takes time to explore The Gold Lantern.  It seems obvious at this point that this is the story arc that would’ve launched in Legion of Super-Heroes #13 had the series not been canceled.  These first few pages are quite strong as we meet Kala Lour and get a sense of him as he is offered the Gold Lantern ring by the 31st Century version of the Guardians of the Universe.  We get to see what he believes and how it may or may not differ from the traditional modus operandi of the Green Lantern Corps.  Even Scott Godlewski’s art seems to be suited to this section in his depictions of the aliens that Kala Lour interacts with.

Derek: I agree. Bendis’ Legion of Super-Heroes title tended to gloss quickly over a lot of story due to the large number of characters. And it doesn’t help that he takes up so much space on mostly inane dialogue. So it’s great to see him actually take some time to examine this character in more depth. Gold Lantern was one of the more interesting additions to Bendis’ Legion, but he was little more than a face in the crown in the main Legion series.

Positives Cont.

Matthew: The idea that the two dark patches witnessed in the 31st and 21st centuries are a path between time periods is interesting.  It will depend on where this goes in order to determine the quality of the execution.  It could be an interesting idea that is developed or it may not go any further and be something else Bendis leaves on the table.

Derek: Perhaps the Great Darkness somehow transcends time. Or is there some other reason that this story involves the 31st Century, when all the other threads leading to the Dark Crisis crossover event seem focused on events in the present-day DCU? Whatever is going on here, it seems that Gold Lantern is at the centre of it.

Negatives

Derek: I agree that the patches of darkness connecting the two time periods is intriguing, but it brings up an issue I have with this story. In the opening recap, Gold Lantern tells us, “…first: Brainiac discovered a dangerous cosmic concern he calls a Great Darkness Anomaly…Then he discovered that simultaneously, a thousand years ago…there is a similar Great Darkness Anomaly”.

Time does not work like that! Two things cannot simultaneously happen at separate times. From the Legion’s perspective, the 21st Century occurrence of the anomaly happened – past tense. It is not happening in the past. However, I suppose I can give Bendis a pass for this, as better writers have been making the same mistake in time-travel stories. For example, Marv Wolfman was guilty of the same error in the original Crisis On Infinite Earths.

Matthew: Much like the last issue, the dialogue from the Legion all tends to sound the same, and the members of the Justice League all have a similar reaction to waking up in the 31st Century.  While dialogue that moves a story along can be effective, at times it tends to slow things down in Justice League Vs the Legion of Super-Heroes #2.  It’s not quite as bad as the first issue, but it is noticeable in the scene when the Legion and the League all convene to work out a plan.

Negatives Cont.

Derek: Yes, Bendis’ dialogue is nowhere near as witty as Bendis seems to believe. So, it’s good to see that Bendis is putting less emphasis on it and giving more attention to the story itself. I don’t know what the whole “Queen Naomi” stuff is about, but it seems rather irrelevant to the story at hand. It’s probably best that he follow that particular story thread in his Naomi series rather than here.

Matthew: The whole idea of this “Great Darkness” feels quite contrived.  We all know that “The Great Darkness” is Darkseid, so to purport as anything else feels off.  “The Great Darkness Saga” is one of the greatest Legion stories of all time, so to attempt to recast it as something else comes off as disrespectful of the amazing work of Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen.

Derek: While the Justice League Incarnate miniseries has implied that Darkseid is somehow involved with this new Great Darkness. Whatever is going on in this series seems to be just a piece of the overall story, which is all leading into Dark Crisis. However, I can see that it does feel somewhat contrived.

A lot of the changes Bendis has made to the Legion appear to be change for change’s sake. It seems a pointless reshaping of the team just to make it his own thing. So, it would seem logical to guess that Bendis is just recycling The Great Darkness Saga into his own story. Perhaps it would have been better if an original title had been employed instead.

Verdict

Matthew: Overall, Justice League Vs Legion of Super-Heroes #2 is a bit better than issue #1.  It’s a bit more focused and there’s some really good character work with Gold Lantern.  The rest of the issue is about the same.  It has potential, but the big concept is so far unrealized, and the interesting aspect of Triplicate Girl that was introduced in #1 isn’t even mentioned this issue.

Derek: I totally agree. This issue is a slight improvement, but mostly just more of the same. I also found it disappointing that Bendis didn’t follow up on the Triplicate Girl subplot. There is definitely the makings of a good story here, but I remain doubtful that Bendis is up to the job. But if he can focus on the story, and not inundate us with an overabundance of pointless dialogue, then this actually could be a good story.

Matthew’s Score:

Derek’s Score:

Average Score:

The post Review: Justice League Vs The Legion Of Super-Heroes #2 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Artist: Scott Godlewski

Colors: Ryan Cody

Letters: Dave Sharpe

Reviewed By: Matthew Lloyd, Derek McNeil

Summary

Justice League Vs. The Legion of Super-Heroes #1: One thousand years in the future, a Legion of Super-Heroes comes together to dedicate their lives to recapturing the great age of heroes of the 21st century. When the heroes discover that reality is falling to a great darkness in both times simultaneously, the Justice League and the Legion of Super-Heroes must team up to stop it all. But what is the connection between the secrets of the new Gold Lanterns and the coming of the Great Darkness? Justice League Vs. The Legion of Super-Heroes #1 begins a monumental DC epic event miniseries!

Positives

For this review of Justice League Vs. The Legion of Super-Heroes #1, DCN has brought together our regular reviewer of Legion of Super-Heroes, Matthew Lloyd and our Justice League reviewer, Derek McNeil. Both are well acquainted with Brian Michael Bendis’ work for DC – Matthew having reviewed his run on Action Comics and Derek having reviewed his run on Superman, as well as his Future State: Legion of Super-Heroes.

Matthew: The group scenes of the Legion in the opening sequence feel very much like classic legion in a battle moment- even Gold Lantern planting the seeds of a separate plotline work.

Derek: I definitely got that feeling too. I feel that Bendis’ Legion has elements that could make this one of the great eras of the Legion. But he has difficulty realizing that potential. While not all of his ideas are good, there are some good ones in this story, but will he be able to make them pay off? The Gold Lantern plot is intriguing and I hope he fleshes it out better in the upcoming issues.

Matthew: The actual mystery is interesting, what’s happened to one of Luornu’s bodies?  While it at first appears that Bendis is going to retell how Triplicate Girl became Duo Damsel, the story goes in a different direction.  No matter, it’s the basis for a good mystery.

Derek: I had the same thought that Bendis was doing his own version of that classic story. And Luornu’s situation does raise some interesting questions. If one’s self doesn’t want to remerge, should the others force her to? If they need to do so to survive, does that give them the right to force the merging? With one of the selves now significantly older than the others, what age would their merged self be – perhaps the average age of the three? So, when they split again would they all be that average age?

I also would like to add, that although I’m still not used to some of the visualizations of Bendis’ Legion, they are beautifully rendered by Scott Godlewski – as is the Justice League.

Negatives

Matthew: While Bendis’ use of dialogue can be effective, it just goes on too long.  He doesn’t know when to stop.  Every character seems compelled to speak in every panel.  When it moves the plot along it works.  But, characters say things that are not only non-sequiturs but completely unnecessary.  Furthermore, there’s no distinction between voices.  It works a bit with the Legionnaires” overtalking” during the opening battle sequence because it’s a bit nostalgic, but afterward, when they are trying to figure out what happened with Luornu, the unnecessary dialogue detracts from the gravitas of the situation.

Derek: Yes, Bendis seems way too impressed with his snappy dialogue. It can be effective in small doses, but it wears thin after a while. And it uses up a lot of the page count that would be better used telling the story. There were a number of points in the story where I was thinking “Get on with it!”.

Matthew: It’s no better with the Justice League.  It’s actually worse, because not only do the Justice League “overtalk,” they sound EXACTLY like the teenage Legion from 1000 years in the future… and, it’s the exact same dialogue at times.  It’s as if he’s made no attempt at differentiating characterization or presenting accurate characterizations.

Derek: I noticed that too. I also noticed that the lineup of Bendis’ League has changed a bit from their regular title with no explanation. Diana is back, but Hippolyta has disappeared. And why is Clark the Superman featured on the covers when Jon is the only Superman in the actual story?

Verdict

Matthew: The basic ideas presented in this issue have some merit.  It feels like there’s potential for the story, but Bendis’s track record at DC falls somewhere between very bad and mediocre.

Derek: Justice League Vs. The Legion of Super-Heroes #1 has me feeling somewhat ambivalent. This title has a lot of potential, but I don’t know if  Bendis’ story is going to realize it. He has done some good writing in the past, but his recent work doesn’t give me a lot of faith that he will again. On the other hand, at least it looks nice, thanks to Godlewski’s art.

Matthew’s Score:

Derek’s Score:

Averaged Score:

The post Review: Justice League Vs. The Legion Of Super-Heroes #1 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Artist: Riley Rossmo

Colours: Ivan Plascencia

Letters: Dave Sharpe

Reviewed By: Derek McNeil

Summary

Future State: Legion of Super-Heroes #2: The unthinkable has happened: one of the Legionnaires has betrayed the entire galaxy! The United Planets is in ruins, the team has been scattered across the cosmos, and madness reigns on multiple worlds! Now the surviving Legionnaires are just discovering the real truth behind what has happened to their dream of a new age of heroes. Don’t miss this shocking twist 1,000 years in the making.

Positives

After reading Future State: Legion of Super-Heroes #2, I initially had a favourable impression of Brian Michael Bendis’ story. However, I have seen a significant number of people in online forums expressing their dislike for it. This made me stop and consider why my reaction was that different than others.

First off, I have to admit that I am easier to please than a lot of reviewers. This is not to say that I give every book an easy pass. If I truly dislike a story or the art, I am not afraid to say so. But, I don’t hold the comics I review to extremely high standards, although I will praise them for it when they do so. But, generally I as long as I derived some enjoyment from the experience and there are no glaring flaws, I will give a book a decent rating.

Now, I have found Brian Michael Bendis’ work for DC to be rather hit-and-miss. Some of his stories have received the lowest ratings I’ve ever given out, while at other times, I have given a Bendis book 5/5. I never know from issue to issue whether his story will be mediocre or excellent. Thus, with Bendis’ books, I try to judge each issue on its own merits, apart from my feelings about the series in general.

The negative opinions that have seen  for Future State: Legion of Super-Heroes mostly fall into two main camps. The first just plain hate Bendis’ reboot of Legion in general. I can somewhat sympathize with this, as I don’t agree with many of the changes Bendis has made, but he has still provided some decent stories. I can appreciate that this is an entertaining story, in spite of my misgivings about Bendis’ Legion overall.

Positives Cont.

The other camp is composed of those who like Bendis’ rebooted Legion, but hate the new direction Bendis has taken. His Legion of Super-Heroes title is only 12 issues in. Readers are still getting to know the characters and the world they live in. And suddenly, Bendis throws in a catastrophic event that changes nearly everything. They might be okay with this if it were only a possible future, and that things would return to normal in issue #13. However, Bendis has implied that this will be the title’s status quo going forward.

While they don’t like the wave of sweeping change Bendis has thrown in, I find I don’t mind it. And the simple reason is that I don’t really feel emotionally invested in Bendis’ Legion. So, I don’t really care that Bendis has irrevocably upset that title’s status quo.

Another thing I found is that Riley Rossmo’s artwork on the series is rather polarizing. While some are quite put off by his particular style. However, this is a rather subjective area. For my own part, I quite enjoy his unique style. I also feel that it has a abstract edge to it that fits the new messy reality the Legion now lives in. The United Planets is no longer the clean, shiny future but a battered, messy dystopia, which Rossmo captures perfectly.

Also, there are complaints about Rossmo’s redesigns of the Legion’s costumes. However, since I didn’t really care much for the character redesigns introduced with Bendis’ reboot, I can’t say that I’m particularly upset to see them go. And I have to admit, Rossmo’s designs are definitely bold and orginal.

Negatives

While I can’t say that I was upset at the changes, I do agree that it probably would have been wiser for Bendis to wait a while longer than 12 issues before putting the Legion through such a major shakeup. It would have had much more impact if readers were allowed to get more familiar with his interpretation of the 31st Century.

Also, some have said that he’s ripping off the Keith Giffen’s “Five Years Later” storyline. There is some truth to that criticism. That storyline also featured gap in time between the previous story. And in both, major changes to the Legion’s world happened during that gap. And nearly everyone got redesigned costume. It really does look like Bendis was trying to  make his own version of that story.

Verdict

Not really caring much about Bendis’ regular title allowed me to appreciate Future State:  Legion of Super-Heroes a lot more than I probably would have had I been a devout fan. Unfortunately, that doesn’t say much about the regular title. But taken on its own, it’s quite an enjoyable diversion. I think when the regular Legion of Super-Hero title resurfaces, it would be better off following the story started here or skipping ahead to the inevitable next reboot of Legion continuity.

The post Review: Future State: Legion Of Super-Heroes #2 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Artist: Riley Rossmo

Colours: Ivan Plascencia

Letters: Dave Sharpe

Reviewed By: Derek McNeil

Summary

Future State: Legion of Super-Heroes #1: Whatever happened to the Legion of Super-Heroes? The team is no more, and the United Planets are in total chaos as one of the Legion’s own has turned on the entire galaxy! Everyone is affected…and not everyone survived! Ultra Boy tries to put the Legion back together to face the future head on! Find out the fates of all your favorite Legionnaires like Shadow Lass, Triplicate Girl, Brainiac Five, and Bouncing Boy. Plus, a shocking twist in the Legion mythology-and a long overdue appearance by the Legion of Substitute Heroes!

Positives

Future State: Legion of Super-Heroes #1 is set even further in the future than the regular Legion title. It’s unclear how much time has passed, but clearly a lot has happened in the interim, as the Legion’s future is now looking a lot more dystopian than it had before. While this is an interesting move and is rife with story potential, it isn’t exactly original. It seems to me that Bendis is doing his own take on Keith Giffen’s shakeup of Legion continuity known as “5 Years Later”.

The catalyst for all the changes seems to be an event called the “Elemental”. The nature of this event is unclear, but it appears to have ravaged the worlds of the United Planets. And it has led to the disbanding of the Legion. The worst part is that Element Lad seems to have turned traitor and is presumably the cause of the Elemental event.

There have been some interesting changes to a number of former Legionnaires. Brainiac 5 no longer has his original Coluan body, which he actually finds freeing. Also, he now calls himself Brainiac 7. This suggests that there was an interim form in his evolution, which is an intriguing idea in itself. And some changes are rather tragic, especially in the case of Luornu Durgo, formerly Triplicate Girl. As in the classic Legion history, one of her three selves has been killed.

Positives Cont.

And it nearly all characters have been visually reimagined by Riley Rossmo. While some of the visual changes seem bizarre, they are all fascinating. I hope that we get to see the rationale for the changes, especially Saturn Girl’s skull-faced armour.

I am also intrigued by the character sporting a red cape and Superman symbol. Is this Jon Kent? Or has Jon returned to the 21st Century and this is someone else stepping into his role? This is just a wild guess, but I think this might be a reimagining of Kent Shakespeare.

On the whole, I found this iteration of the Legion more enjoyable than the regular title. Bendis’ version of the team has been somewhat polarizing due to his having made some major changes to characters. However, by making even more drastic changes, this version of the title has become more of Bendis’ own thing as opposed than messing with the classic team. This title is more palatable to longtime Legion readers as it seems more like an Elseworlds story, while the main title seems more like Bendis is replacing the classic team with his own ersatz version. Bendis has hinted that the main title may actually just continue this Future State story, and I think that might actually be a good idea.

Negatives

While the visual changes are quite stunning, there is a drawback to them as well. During Bendis’ tenure as Legion writer, many of the characters have already had their appearances drastically changed from their classic appearances. With two rather rapid sets of visual changes, it’s rather difficult to figure out who a lot of the characters are supposed to be.

Also, while I appreciated the nod to the Legion of Substitute Heroes in this issue, I found their role as random disposable villains disappointing. They really deserve a bit more respect than that.

Verdict

Future State: Legion of Super-Heroes #1 completely exceeded my expectations. I wasn’t really a fan of Bendis’ reinterpretation of the Legion, but I am really enjoying this look ahead into a potential future for the team. If Bendis continues under Bendis’ direction, I hope he continues this story instead of picking up where he left off.

The post Review: Future State: Legion Of Super-Heroes #1 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Art: Ryan Sook & Wade Von Grawbadger

Colors: Jordie Bellaire

Letters: Dave Sharpe

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

Rogol Zaar and Mordru attack New Krypton- will the Legion of Super-Heroes stop them?

Positives

Legion of Super-Heroes #12 starts out on a high note as we learn that Saturn Girl may have used her powers unethically in order to convince the rest of the Legion that it was a good idea to bring Jon Kent to the future to learn about the Age of Heroes firsthand.  What’s interesting about this is the notion as Imra describes it…that this sort of thing for telepaths is considered an intimate type of moment.  It’s a nice metaphor in examining the way different cultures communicate.  Not everything means the same thing to everyone, and here we see Imra understanding and admitting that there may have been a better way to bring up this idea to the rest of the team.

Imra is involved in another positive moment in this issue: she, White Witch and Dream Girl combine their powers to end any multi-player battle.  This is a really interesting concept, unfortunately, Imra gets distracted and they are unable to hold together long enough to do whatever it is they were going to do.

Ryan Sook has some really nice action pages in this issue.  He’s done a fine job since issue #1 and this issue is no exception.  There’s a really nice double page of the entire Legion coming in for a strike on Rogol Zaar that gives the heart a jump of nostalgic excitement- it feels like a classic Legion moment!   Jordie Bellaire continues to utilize the colors to create a lighter, more hopeful atmosphere for  the future of the Universe.  

Negatives

Legion of Super-Heroes #12 feels rushed.  It’s an odd thing to say that Bendis moves things along too quickly, but that’s exactly how this issue feels.  Over the past few issues he’s been setting up the meeting between Mon-El and Jon and teasing Zaar and Mordru and a “great darkness” to come.  And, suddenly in one issue, it all sort of happens, and quickly at that.  There’s certainly more to be explored with these concepts that an almost “battle issue” finale. 

The biggest problem in this finale is that once again, Bendis relies on Rogol Zaar, one of the most uninteresting villains in the history of Superman comics.  Zaar was boring and one note in  The Man of Steel, he was boring and one note in “The Unity Saga,” and he’s just as boring here.  This lies on Bendis’s doorstep alone.  He created the character, failed to develop him properly and is unable to make him interesting.  Bendis is attempting to tie in the events from the early part of his Superman run to what’s going on in this issue.  The biggest problem is that Bendis failed to explain Zaar’s role in the destruction of Krypton.  He recaps vaguely here as Saturn Girl narrates, “Galactic leaders meeting in secret led to the conspiracy around the destruction of Krypton….”  Even Bendis doesn’t sound like he’s sure of what happened!

Zaar’s appearance really weighs this issue down.  Bad villains don’t get better just because they are used over and over again.  It’s perplexing because in this issue we see Bendis create an interesting idea around Imra’s use of her powers at the top of the issue.  That moment reveals something about Imra’s character….  But, the whole destruction of Krypton which is supposed to be at the crux of the issue has the flimsiest of explanations and exploration.  There’s supposed to be some real intrigue, but it just falls as flat here as it did before in “The Unity Saga.”  

Negatives Cont’d

Unfortunately, Jon’s reveal as Mon-El’s grandfather is just as uninspired.  Besides it completely eliminating who Mon-El had been in previous incarnations, a character with a unique and rich history, he’s just another version of Superboy.  The most interesting aspect is that he’s also a Zod.  This has potential to be interesting, but again, as part of the rushed aspect of this issue it is neither interesting or unique.  A new character would’ve filled this role better, or perhaps even Laurel Kent would’ve been a better character to reinvent.   She’s always been a decendant of Superman, whereas Mon-El has always been something distinct.   It just serves to dilute Mon-El.  Factor in the fact that Mon-El’s children go unexplained, it’s just bizarre and misguided.

While Bendis addresses it in the dialogue after the battle, this being the “great darkness” is really underwhelming.  That phrase to Legion fans means so much more.  He tries to use Brainy to indicate that this may not be that…but, why even suggest that this could be it?  This adds to the notion that this was rushed and that Bendis was told to wrap it up because Legion of Super-Heroes would not be coming back in March after the two “Future State” issues in January and February.

Verdict

Overall, Legion of Super-Heroes #12 is just as erratic as the entire run has been.  It’s as if Bendis can’t tell his good ideas from his bad ideas.  Clearly, he’s had some good ideas for this series, but they seem to get the short shrift in favor of his bad ideas.  It’s easy to see this in this issue as Imra’s character is much more intriguing than the botched characterization of Mon-El or the almost impressively boring Rogol Zaar storyline.  Who would’ve thought Bendis would hinge his entire Superman run on this lame character?  While Legion of Super-Heroes has been better on the whole than either Superman or Action Comics, these twelve issue are still disappointing.  Jon should’ve been the hook for this series, but Bendis never really allows the reader into Jon’s head.  Jon is just one of a cast of 33(?) who get a bit of page time.  While the end of the issue touts Future State: Legion of Super-Heroes as the continuation of this tale, one has to wonder how it will function.

The post Review: Legion of Super-Heroes #12 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Art: Ryan Sook & Wade Von Grawbadger

Colors: Jordie Bellaire

Letters: Dave Sharpe

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

The Legion of Super-Heroes faces threats on multiple worlds as Mon-El and Jon come closer to a confrontation.  Plus, the coming darkness has another prophet in Triplicate Girl.

Positives

There’s a lot going on in Legion of Super-Heroes #11, and that a good thing.  In classic Legion form, Bendis packs a lot of information into this issue not only with each of the plotlines getting important development, but also some neat character moments.  It feels like Bendis may finally be getting into a rhythm with this series as the first year comes to an end.

The nature of Triplicate Girl’s nature gets some exploration this issue in a scene with Dream Girl that works really well.  Not only does TG explain to Dreamy her concerns about a dream she’s had about the coming darkness, she reveals a little bit more about the one “Cargg Consciousness” that her three forms inhabit.  Without spoiling anything about it, it’s an interesting concept that if quite far removed from the original idea of Luornu being able to split into three separate versions of herself.  

The colors  by Jordie Bellaire are really great as he uses different color sets and tonalities to produce unique appearances for the different planets in this issue.  He knows when to be bold and when to be subtle to help tell the story and to produce a reaction as his colors work to set the mood that fits the scene.  Sook and Von Grawbadger are solid throughout.   Unlike last issue in which there were some awkward moments, this issue feels much more cohesive, even suggesting some Steve Rude influence here, combining with Bellaire for an overall look reminiscent of Nexus.

Additionally, Bendis also finds a way to bring the disparate storylines together somewhat by the end of the issue.  That’s not to say they resolve, but it feel more natural when the various team members are assembled for what appears to be a greater threat.  After last issue, it there’s a bit of confidence that Bendis will be able to come back to these other plotlines and address them effectively without having to wait six or eight months for some kind of payoff.  

Positives Cont’d

Surprisingly, the scene with Jon and Rogol Zaar is a bit emotional.  However, it doesn’t mitigate the lameness of Zaar’s character, rather it’s carried by the fact that Bendis does a great job of communicating Jon’s emotions and thoughts.  In the same vein, while we continue to learn more about Mon-El, this version is a mixed bag.  While executed effectively, what we learn about Mon-El is not endearing, rather it tends to make him a bit of an unlikable jerk.  While some of it is still out of context, it doesn’t bode well for the character.  It’s very difficult to wrap my head around a teenage father of three.  He is still a teenager, isn’t he?

Negatives

Not all the new characterizations are working.  While Triplicate Girl and Dream Girl have been intriguing and likable, as mentioned above, Mon-El is not.  Gim’s revelation that “his people” are born as adults is bizarre and very far off from the original Colossal Boy.  Without knowing more, it feels like something added for shock value instead of substantive story content.  Additionally, Dawnstar makes a comment to Ultra Boy when she sees him in action: “I find you very impressive,” that comes off awkwardly.  It clearly tells us something about Dawnstar’s character, but in the context of the scene it appears to connotate that she may be “impressed” by the wrong sort of attributes.  It isn’t complimentary of her character.

Verdict

The Positives definitely outweigh the negatives.  Legion of Super-Heroes #11 is one of the best issues of the run, so far.  The series has a real chance if it continues to move in this direction.  Despite some questionable characterizations that don’t  provide an affability with these versions, there’s enough here to be excited about.  Though, there’s an equal amount of concern for the next issue as this series has been erratic.  

The post Review: Legion of Super-Heroes #11 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Art: Ryan Sook & Wade Von Grawbadger

Colors: Jordie Bellaire

Letters: Dave Sharpe

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

After the Trial of the Legion of Super-Heroes, the team breaks into smaller group missions to New Krypton, Rimbor, Oa and Xanthu leaving Saturn Girl and Jon Kent in New Gotham for a date.

Positives

Breaking the team into smaller groups for missions comes across well in Legion of Super-Heroes #10.  It is effective in getting more Legionnaires in the issue and surprisingly it manages to move multiple plotlines forward.  There are enough character moments that allow the reader to get to know more about some Legionnaires as well.  We finally get the low down on Gold Lantern and how things work with Oa in the 31st Century and Mon-El’s lineage gets another reveal. (See more on that below!)  There’s a lot of content in this issue, which is not usually the case.  It’s dense in the sense that it doesn’t feel like a quick 5 minute read.

Apparently, there’s no Green Lantern Corps anymore, but the Gold Lantern is the current wielder of the emotional spectrum.  The Guardians have themselves developed, thus altering their use of a Lantern Corps.  There are still questions, but the Gold Lantern has his own questions as well.

Saturn Girl and Jon’s date gets interrupted by Police Commissioner Sevenbergen.  She has news on Mordru’s escape.  Despite his characterization in Legion of Super-Heroes #1, Mordru now appears much closer to his classic depiction as Sevenbergen seems to dread the notion of dealing with magic as much as Jon.  It’s not clear whether Bendis is reimagining him as he goes along or this was always part of the plan.  Suffice it to say, it appears that Mordru will seem much more familiar going forward instead of the joke he was in the first issue.

This leads to the final couple pages of the issue as Mordru finds an unfortunately familiar character on Xanthu.  No, it’s not Starboy….  These final pages show Sook and Von Grawbadger channeling some Keith Giffen, and they look great!.  If the mystery character revealed was a better character, it might me interesting.  As it is, Mordru tracking down Rogol Zarr is just one of the …

Negatives

…in the issue.  Bendis already proved how boring and purposeless Zaar was in twenty some issues of Superman.  There’s no need to rekindle that kind of disappointment for Legion readers.  No, really!  

Unfortunately, the art is erratic in Legion of Super-Heroes #10.  While the homage to Giffen on the last few pages looks great, and provides a nostalgic moment, the first page of the issue is painful.  Val Armorr gives us the introduction to the issue, and instead of looking like a teenager, he looks like an old man!  

While many readers will be excited to learn more of Mon-El’s family tree, there’s a huge question in the mix somewhere.  So, (spoiler immediately ahead) Mon-El is the great-grandson of General Zod (drawn looking like Curt Swan’s Superman!).  Mon-El is apparently descended from both Jon Kent AND General Zod!  This doesn’t fit at all with Mon-El.  Sure, these are new versions of characters, but Mon-El is not Kryptonian…it just feels way off even knowing it’s a new version.

Secondly, Mon-El is said to be “coupling” with Shadow Lass in this issue and then also revealed to have three kids on New Krypton?  So, what’s going on with that.  How old is Mon-El?  How does he have 3 children already- and the one we see is young.  Who’s the mother?  It’s clearly not Shadow Lass.   Unfortunately, instead of being an intriguing mystery, it paints a very unflattering view of Mon-El and pushes him even further away from being a likable character.

Verdict

Legion of Super-Heroes #10 is above average, but not without it’s faults.  This iteration of the Legion has been as such.  There are moments that are really good, but many more that either just feel off or are just not executed well.  While there is some excitement in “the coming darkness,” which could now be Rogol Zaar, Mordru, or both, the revelations about Mon-El are just disappointing and there’s absolutely no fire in the “coupling” of Imra and Jon.  

The post Review: Legion of Super-Heroes #10 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Art: See Image Below

Colors: Jordie Bellaire

Letters: Dave Sharpe

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

As the Legion is summoned  to trial by Crav of Rimbor, President Brande has some questions for her son, Chameleon Boy about his teammates.

Positives

Page 1 starts out with a big positive as Jon Kent’s summary of the inaugural Legion of Super-Heroes story arc sounds exciting and engaging, and at the same time fits this contemporary take on the Legion and explains, more or less, how it’s going to be different from the original concept of the “bright, hopeful future.”  At least that’s what Jon explains he’s experiencing.  

As Chameleon Boy shares some of the files about the Legionnaires with his mom, it’s a great opportunity for readers to get a primer on them as well.  These individual pages recount the Legion tryouts as administered by Garth, Imra and Rokk.  They often present different aspects of the characters so that they don’t come off as one note.   These are easily the best aspect of Legion of Super-Heroes #8 as they fill in background and personality for the featured Legionnaires.  It seems clear that next issue will do the same thing.

The main threat of the trial is adequately built up through the issue.  Even though the characters are the focus of the issue, the plot thread is woven through the conversation between Cham and President Brande.  This fleshes out the conflict as they both see it through their distinct points of view.

The huge selection of artists works well for the most part.  It would’ve been more effective if each page was purely a spotlight instead of just a page in a longer narrative.  There’s no storytelling drawback to the event, however.  It’s nice to see so many different styles present, although, one wonders if page assignments were random or artists were chosen for a particular character.

Negatives

With all that said, there will be readers that don’t like personality changes to characters they love.  It’s important to remember that these are new versions of characters with the same names, these are not retcons.  It’s difficult because there is a familiarity.  That being said, Mon-El finally describes his relationship to Jon.  It’s doesn’t sound as interesting as it could be.  There are certainly more beloved descendants of the Man of Steel to show up in the Legion who don’t come across as confrontational as Mon-El does in Legion of Super-Heroes #8, Laurel Kent I’m looking at you!  Previously, Mon-El had his own story and now genetically tying him into the Superman family takes away his uniqueness.  Time will only tell if Bendis can make readers love his version of Mon-El.  So far, it’s not quite working.

As good as the first page is, again it is a reminder, just like last issue, that the recap does a better job of creating excitement for the previous issues than the issues themselves.  The comics almost seem to have been printed out of sequence.  The character moments have been the best part.  However, they haven’t been integrated effectively.  Bendis is all over the place, and consequently there’s no real character to find likable and there’s not a cohesive plot line to follow with interest.  It all feels jumbled, as if the first 8 issues of the comic were written, the scenes cut out and tossed in a hat and then selected in random order for publication.  It’s frustrating, because Bendis shows he can write some good stuff, but he can’t seem to get out of his own way when it comes to trying to be clever.

Verdict

The roller coaster ride continues for fans of this venerable franchise!  Despite an incredibly poorly planned overall plotline, Legion of Super-Heroes #8 stands out as one of the best issues of the series.  Inside, readers might find a character that is really intriguing, no matter how different from previous incarnations.  Dream Girl and Projectra both stand out in this issue for me.  They may not be who I remember, but Bendis does a nice job of creating character with them both.  One can only hope that Bendis figures out how to balance the issues and tell a cohesive story.

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