Tim Callahan's collection of essays on the Legion by various writers (including two by me!) is now available from various online booksellers. Details here.
Now, I'm obviously biased.
But I've read a draft of this book and it's quite the piece of work. No Legion fan should be without it. In fact, you may even consider buying multiple copies.
Let me also say that if you do buy it, I really hope you like it.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
Thanks for posting this, Matthew. I had wondered if it had ever been published. (I should have an article in it, too, by the way.)
Posted by TimCallahan on :
Thanks for all the Legion World help in getting contributions for the book -- and thanks for getting the word out!
I've listed the contents of the book on my blog, if you're interested:
Should be something for everyone! (And two Matthew Elmslie chapters??? That guy is some kind of Legion fan!)
Posted by Silver Age Lad on :
I've received my copy all the way over here in the UK (using Lulu).
Haven't finished it yet but it is an interesting read and recommmended for Legion Worlders
Posted by Sketch Lad on :
I'll certainly get it. I'd love it if my CBS carried it. Will it be available in stores, too?
Posted by Matthew E on :
Yeah. According to Tim, it's going to go something like this:
- right now, available on Amazon and other online booksellers - later, not available on Amazon etc. anymore, but available in comic book stores - a few months after that, once the comic book stores have had their shot at it, available on Amazon and stuff again
If my understanding is correct. I'm sure Tim will have updates on his blog, and I'll also put them on mine as I learn them from him.
Posted by Sketch Lad on :
Thanks! I was going to contribute an article about Legion art, but I didn't have time to give it the attention it deserves, so I bowed out.
Posted by Acid Digestion Lad on :
Man I've been waiting for this book..Now if only I had money with which to buy it xD.
Posted by Fat Cramer on :
Interview at CBR with TIm Callahan re: the book and Legion/Legion fandom.
Posted by Kid Quislet on :
I received mine this past weekend, and even though I'm just getting started on it, I'm geeked.
The first two essays and Forward and Introduction all pointed out things I hadn't considered before. Can't wait to read the rest! (trying to pace myself - digest slowly...)
Posted by stuorstew on :
Mine is waiting for me at the Post Office so this thread has been handy to remind me to go pick it up!
Posted by Ricardo on :
I got it from Amazon a couple of weeks ago. Loved Julius recap of the TMK run and found Matthew E analysis of the reboot much more fascinating than the book itself, which says something! Go buy yours, if you didn't.
Posted by Matthew E on :
Now that's a compliment. Thanks very much.
Posted by Chemical King on :
Got my copy yesterday and I have to say I'm totally enthusiastic about it. Just read the first essay on the Death of Lightning Lad and am so looking forward to enjoying the stuff on TMK and Levitz and and and... reading it makes me realize how much I love the Legion and how much I love reading behind-the-scenes essays.
Posted by Fat Cramer on :
Just got my copy today. The intro has a wonderful quote by Matt Fraction - "Legion isn't a comic; it's a lifestyle."
Posted by cleome on :
I'm so longing to read this. Maybe I can sneak over to Powell's and furtively skim a couple of chapters without buying. All those frantic Xmas shoppers will hide my evil from sight. :/
Then I can go over to the library and whine about how long it's taking them to get it. [sulk]
Posted by Chemical King on :
I really love the book so far; I saved my favorite eras for last (Levitz and TMK), can't judge them for that reason.
But I really liked the more descriptive essays, like the first one about Lightning Lads death and rebirth and Matthew E's about the Reboot legion (made me even want to maybe reread it someday... now that my hard feelings are ten years away and the Reboot has been erased as well )
My favorite thus far was the short one about the Legionnaires growing older. I really liked the writers arguments, really echoed my feelings about the natural growth of fictional characters.
Really having fun reading this!
Posted by cleome on :
quote:...really echoed my feelings about the natural growth of fictional characters.
Do tell: Pro-n.growth or Anti-n.growth ?
Posted by Matthew E on :
Chemical King: Thanks, I appreciate that. And you should reread it! There was a lot of good stuff in the reboot Legion. It's just a question of regarding one's feelings about the original Legion as separate.
Posted by Chemical King on :
Pro natural growth of course, cleome! Always pro growth
Matthew: I had problems to accept the Reboot Legion for a long time, especially cause the difference between "adult" TMK and "kiddie" Reboot was too large for me to bear. Only the fact that the Reboot suffered the same fate as the original continuity after a much shorter time let me make my peace with it. When I finally have some time to reread it, I will, but there is a whole lot to catch up to until then (JSA, Avengers, Love & Rockets, L.E.G.I.O.N., Byrnes F4...). Just finished Bedards Exiles run, for example...
Posted by cleome on :
quote:Originally posted by Chemical King: Pro natural growth of course, cleome! Always pro growth
That would be me, too, CK. After all, I am flora on this board. [snerk]
Bleep it, now I wanna' read the book even more !
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
quote:Originally posted by Chemical King:
My favorite thus far was the short one about the Legionnaires growing older. I really liked the writers arguments, really echoed my feelings about the natural growth of fictional characters.
I haven't received my contributor's copy yet, but I take it you're talking about my article, "The Legionnaires Should Just Grow Up." If so, thanks for the compliment.
Posted by Chemical King on :
quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders:
quote:Originally posted by Chemical King:
My favorite thus far was the short one about the Legionnaires growing older. I really liked the writers arguments, really echoed my feelings about the natural growth of fictional characters.
I haven't received my contributor's copy yet, but I take it you're talking about my article, "The Legionnaires Should Just Grow Up." If so, thanks for the compliment.
Hey, that was you? Really good work, short and very on-point. Nice to have so many contributors to the book actually contributing here as well
Hope that the Legionnaires will finally get a chance to grow up - again - just like the JSA did. That franchize (JSA) is currently becoming my second favorite due to the large legacy it can thrive on.
Posted by jimgallagher on :
Is it illustrated? I'm guessing not since no one's mentioned it.
Posted by MYG on :
I've had mine for a few months now and I'm taking my time reading/digesting it. This is a MUST READ for all Legion fans. It's great,very indepth and gives you a little more persepective on the creative thought that goes into these stories. I love it! Although I know it's a collection of essays, I would have liked to have seen more artwork. But overall, if you're a true Legion fan, you can't go without it!
Posted by Matthew E on :
quote:Originally posted by jimgallagher: Is it illustrated? I'm guessing not since no one's mentioned it.
There are pages from Legion comics interspersed into the text every so often, where it's appropriate to illustrate this point or that.
Posted by Tromium on :
I know for a fact that Santa ordered this for me from Amazon.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
Well, I finally got my contributor's copy! Turns out they had misspelled my name in the original edition and waited until they had made some corrections before sending it. It was worth the wait.
This is a truly wonderful collection of 18 essays (18!) that cover many different aspects of the Legion. I've read only a half dozen articles so far (besides my own!), and I'm impressed with the insights that people offer on topics ranging from the role of women in the early Legion to Shooter's incorporation of the Marvel style of storytelling in his stories. There are so many points that make me think, "I never thought of that!"
My favorite article so far is Scipio Garling's essay on the Legion's connection to both the JSA and JLA. Garling points out something else I'd never thought of: that the JSA was more of an amateur crime-fighting organization and the JLA a more professional one in terms of their attitudes toward being super-heroes. He argues convincingly that the Legion served as a bridge between the two, since the Legion first appeared before the JLA and reflected both the "clubby" feel of the JSA and the more professional organization-with-rules approach of the JLA.
What insights has this book given you?
Posted by jimgallagher on :
I borrowed it from a friend and am still reading it.
One author compared Giffen's early "crisp and clean artwork" to that of "former Legion artist, Jim Starlin." I'm pretty sure he/she meant Jim Sherman, right?
Also, one footnote mentions that Ferro Lad wore a mask to cover his "scarred face." This implies that his face was wounded or injured, perhaps in the line of duty, which was not the case. He was just born with a hideously deformed, inhuman face.
Re: Aging comic book characters. This argument comes up again and again, yet I never hear anyone make what seems an obvious point to me. Although we readers only get to observe the characters' exploits on a monthly basis, it's rare that a month elapses within the context of the story between issues. In fact, it's usually a mere matter of seconds or minutes that pass from the end of one issue to the beginning of the next, or at most a few days, so naturally the characters have not aged 20 years in the course of a 20 year publication schedule.
Minor quibbles, aside I'm enjoying the book a lot.
Posted by Kid Quislet on :
quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders: What insights has this book given you?
I still have the last quarter of the book to complete, but my favorite essay so far is the Amethyst/Legion connection. I missed many of the Amethyst stories, but always liked the concept and found it interesting how it meshed well with the Legion. The essay gives a lot of background on both Amethyst and the Legion's dealings with magic, and shows how the two very much relate to each other.
I also appreciated the essay on Keith Giffen's experiment of the Legion in dystopia with 5YL. It gave some interesting explanations and insights on the motivating forces that brought about much of what happened in that boot. Although my opinion of that boot is mostly unfavorable (like Mr. Giffen should have created his own new characters a la Alan Moore's Watchmen than dragged the Legion through the mud...), the essay slightly makes the whole circumstance easier to swallow (for me) than before.
I'm looking forward to reading opinions about this latest Mr. Waid boot as well.
Posted by kenaustin on :
I'm still waiting for a copy I ordered to arrive at one of my LCS. Posted by He Who Wanders on :
I've noticed a few errors in some of the articles, too, Jim, but they do not detract from the wonderful job everyone did.
You're correct that a month does not pass between issues. Since the Legion is set in the future, however, the writers are free to advance the timeline at any speed they choose, or not at all. I hope I've made my case that the benefits of advancing the timeline, however fast or slow, far outweigh the questionable merits of rebooting the franchise.
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
quote:Originally posted by Kid Quislet: [QUOTE]I still have the last quarter of the book to complete, but my favorite essay so far is the Amethyst/Legion connection.
One of the real treasures for me is getting to read articles such as this one and see different aspects of the Legion in a new light. I never read Amethyst, other than the preview, and never found the concept remotely appealing or relevant to the Legion. But Lanny Rose did such a wonderful job in describing the Amethyst connection that it now seems to fit into the Legion's universe more naturally.
Another unexpected surprise was Matthew E's article on generational theory. Although I've made my feelings about the threeboot known, I enjoyed Matthew's description of the Waid era as an "Awakening." Matthew almost made me want to hunt down and read those early issues. (Almost . . . )
I did, however, hunt down and read one of the books that Matthew cites, "Generations" by William Strauss and Neil Howe. Their work is very intriguing and insightful. Thanks for the tip, Matthew.
Posted by Matthew E on :
Entirely my pleasure. That's the best review I could ask for, right there.
Posted by Mr. Kayak on :
i'll get my copy next friday Posted by jimgallagher on :
quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders: I've noticed a few errors in some of the articles, too, Jim, but they do not detract from the wonderful job everyone did.
You're correct that a month does not pass between issues. Since the Legion is set in the future, however, the writers are free to advance the timeline at any speed they choose, or not at all. I hope I've made my case that the benefits of advancing the timeline, however fast or slow, far outweigh the questionable merits of rebooting the franchise.
I despise reboots, so no argument there. Which article is yours? I've not read them all yet.
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