Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Visionaries of Tomorrow Francis Manapul Interview: The Start of Something Big!

Drawn correctly Garth's lightning always covered his shoulders so I do see the big deal with "wide" lightning. I like the look of most, especially Brainy's Nehru jacket. Perfect for him. What I don't like is the bare-footed Brin. He's gone from trying to be Wolverine to being Beast.

As Gary mentioned, maybe a little to X-Menish but I'll give it a try. Really depends on the writer though. If the two don't click then what does it matter.

Oh wow. I am sad Dennis isn't full time (maybe we can get a cover on occassion!) but when I saw this guy's art it blew me away.

Energy, dynamic! LOVE THE NEW COSTUMES! Especially Colossal Boy, Saturn Girl, Invisible Kid and Phantom Girl! (gotta make micros of these!)

Don't care for Cham's actually now that I see them all. The rest are amazing.

So at higher magnification, a few more details penetrate my consciousness:

1) Brainy is wearing the Silver Age forcefield belt, and the symbol is the Brainiac symbol from the Animated Series, right? The comics versions of Brainiac never used that? If so, does this mean Brainiac is changing, and thus Brainiac 5?

2) Gim has brown studded cuffs on his gloves. This seems more Jack in the Beanstalk to me. Oh, and short sleeves.

3) Vi has shorts on now

4) I'm glad Brin's costume finally has some color other than brown verging on black. And, I think switching from Wolverine to Beast is a big improvement.

5) I wonder why Trip's costume HASN'T changed?

6) Cham's costume just makes no sense

7) What if Karate Kid IS the Countdown one?

Saturn Girl's new costume looks alot like Carol Danver's Binary Costume also a Dave Cockrum design.

Here's a 1024x768 copy.

I don't mind costume changes when there an improvment,but I have seen little improvment since the Dave Cockrum designs.

I've been staring at this pic off and on for over and hour. I really like it and I'm looking forward to seeing more. I'd love to get a better look at Vi, but I think shorts are a great idea. I'd like to get a better look at Sun Boy and Jeckie, too. I like T-Wolf's new look. I know most people prefer Cockrum's design, but I like his hair shaggier than that. I think I've drawn Saturn Girl in that costume, so I can't help loving that. Interesting colour change for Shady. Not sure what I think of it, although, I wonder if it's intentional. There's been so many colouring mistakes in this series. Brainy's jacket looks great, but the yellow is a little to bright for me.

Interesting glow around the image. Some kind of forcefield? Is anyone else reminded of Coipel? Particularly with Invisible Kid.

The more I look at it, the sillier Gim looks. At some point as he becomes colossal, his head must start shrinking.

His Ultra Boy is a little Coipel to my eyes. The longer hair, with more rugged features in the face.

There's a bit of a colouring omission. See the lightning lines out of Garth's clenched hand. The colorist decided not to render it.

the costumes don't look bad. but here's the big question, which design will they use when Mattel releases the LSH wave with a Micro Lad BAF from the new DC Universe line?

For me the Cockrum Lightning Lad uniform is one of the best all time, I thought the Kidson version improved on it a bit not as crazy about this version it is close to but not as good as the original or Kitson's version

Gotta say, I'm not a fan. I really loved Barry's designs pretty much across the board and I'm very sorry to see them go. Especially LL's. that was a great redux on Barry's part. The new one is just too blue. Which is something coming from me. 75% of my wardrobe is blue along with my bedroom walls. I like blue, just not unpaired with white on LL's costume. Also, I really dislike the look he's given Brin. One of the things I really liked about WaK's run was that Brin was so humanoid, instead of the Furball decendants he's been ever since '89. He felt like Brin to me again, though with a bit more brains. I'm also dismayed by the 'roid look of Ultra Boy. I've never felt like heroes with super-strength need to be depicted as super-beefy. The strength comes from sources other than raw muscle, so what's the point of them having huge muscles? KK honestly I could almost see, though I'd rather see a more lean, wiry, Bruce-Lee type look where the muscle is honed to perfection rather than pumped indisciminately.

The one costume I really like is Brainy's. It really seems to suit him and I love seeing the return of the belt. I do have the echo the comment above about the chest symbol. I'm pretty sure that's only ever been seen in the cartoon universe. However, since this is just a teaser image, maybe someone will point that out before actual production starts.

Actually this was credited by all the news sources as being the image for #38's cover. That doesn't mean there still isn't time to make changes but I wouldn't be surprised to see it very close to this when released.

Even though I like LL's look I'd much rather see some white added as others have mentioned. This almost looks too leathery, like the stupid outfits in the X-Men movies.

The image looks a bit weird to my eyes. I think the proportions are a bit off. Micro Lad's head is way too small for his big fists, IMO and it just looks weird. Ditto with KK.

I like Lyle going back to his big I on a black background costume that he had in post-ZH. And I also like Brainy's new look.

I'm not sure I like the way Tinya now has power girl's costume signature feature. Do we need to show her breasts that way? Also I think E-Lad's costume is way too busy. It's weird, because although Dennis' costume was busier, it always looked better.

Ayla looks as if she could do with a haircut to me. I think she looks weird with hair that length. However I do like shady's hairstyle.

I wonder how much of this is to pander to fans of previous boots. The Cockrum Saturn Girl costume, the KK costume, Lyle's costume...

I'm very pleased to see this new artist's first take on the Legion. It will be as dramatic a change from Calero to Manapul as it was from Kitson to Calero, but I must say I do like it overall.

Love Tinya's cut out look.

Lyle finally gets a real costume, and it rocks! (But it does need a headband!)

Although it's a bit hard to make out, I like the idea of shorts for Vi. Can't wait to see it in detail.

Glad to see the return of the classic white costume for Val but Manapul needs to tone down the the overly muscled physique.

Love the headgear on Gim but as was pointed out by someone earlier, the brown padding looks a little odd.

Very much like the new look for Jan. That was one of the few designs of Barry's that just didn't work all that well for me, though I did like the addition of the cape.

Don't care for Jo's features but the costume remains a classic.

Lu hasn't been changed much though there is something about her that looks a bit better to me in the splash page. (Maybe it's the hair coloring? Not really sure.)

Tas doesn't look bad (other than that strange reddish sheen on her cape, which I hope is a coloring mistake) but I liked Barry's design better.

Cham looks a bit weird. He seems to have breasts and appears to have put on a bit of weight.

Can't really make out too much about Jeckie, Thom or Dirk

Do not care for Garth's new look. I rally liked Barry's design and this one looks like it's missing something...like some white!

Can't say I really like this new look for Brainy but I like it better than Barry's design. At least he's back in his traditional purple!

I also do not care at all for the Ayla's new redesign. Barry's take on her costume was simply perfect...easily his best costume design and I'm very sorry to see it go. And I don't like her longer hair either.

The last two are by far the two that caused the strongest reactions for me...

I really, really hate seeing Brin depicted as a wolf boy and this is maddeningly close to that look. Fortunately I don't see any fangs or claws but I'm really worried that they just aren't exposed. I thought Barry did a great job of redesigning and redefining Brin and I'm distressed to see what appears to be a retrograde for him. I really hope I'm mistaken.

And Imra...wow! I can't believe I'm going to say this since she's always been at the top of my most disliked list, but she looks absolutely awesome. This is certainly one of the best looks the Ice Queen has ever had!

So, there you have it. Individually, I would say this is a mixed bag on the costume changes but overall I like the look and style that I see.

PS: Cos' costume from the sketch of the founders looks very close to his original look. Not sure if that's what he will look like though so I'll reserve judgement until we see him in action again.

Also, I'm disappointed to note that Mysa hasn't joined and that none of the others we've met recently appear to have remained. And where is Dream Boy?

The padding on Colossal Boy's arms may stem from one of Barry's original desings which had the padding.

I assume Timber Wolf will complete his transition to "Feral Lad" during the Bedard/Calero run -- going by the cover of issue #34. At least he has feet instead of paws.

Three years strikes me as perfect timing for some costumes tweaks. The next artist will tweak back and forth, and so on. It's all fine with me as long as the characters remain recognizable, and distinguishable from their other-earth twins. Maybe they should have kept the Kitson designs for Karate Kid and Colossal Boy. Those two resemble the old KK and CB2 too much.

Brainy and Saturn Girl are by far my favorite reworkings. Cosmic Boy and Dream Boy have never looked better.

Most of them are more appealing than Gary Frank's godawful (imo) new costume for Dawnstar.

I see the "L" belts are back. Not sure how I feel about it. I genearlly don't like anything that promotes uniformity.

Overall, I like it with some reservations, though I'm much more interested in the name of the writer and the new, post-Supergirl direction of the book.

That's an older sketch based on the 2boot characters. It's been floating around for a while.

Interesting

I preferred Ayla's old look, she looked cute and energetic there, now she looks more adult and mature and regal - but I preferred her as cute.

I like his Jeckie though, and Lyle's costume might become my fave Lyle costume ever. Might.

I do think Brainy's new look is a good match for him, and like Imra's update.

I don't like Jo/Val on steroids either.

Hm... I also wish we'd see some new characters intro'd, but then that isn't really the artist's job huh?

I'm experiencing a mixed reaction. Some of the designs I really don't like. Yet, the overall effect is fascinating. I keep being drawn back to it. I am curious to see more. It does make a statement. DC does not appear to be giving up on the Threeboot Legion.

I certainly respect your right to dislike the "Jack-in-the-Beanstock" sensibility of Gim's revised costume. However, I must point out that the original costume which has clearly inspired this version was meant to invoke exactly that sort of visual association (I think). In fact, his mom, Marte Allon, once even openly chided him for deliberately striving to create such an impression during the Giffen/Levitz era.

In other words, I guess that I'm saying that I liked this nod to the old continuity.

Whoa... oaky, so yeah, I find this image very X-Mennish. Yes, Arachne, I was right away reminder of the latter Coipel LSH run, certainly NOT a bad thing.

I'm joining the Legion of Lovers of Saturn Girl's revised bikini look. Now if she'll only become a panel-hog again.

From the top down:

SUN BOY: too tiny to see details, looks like this boot's original outfit.

I think they should revert to the original, or something close- like Karate Kid's.

MICRO/COLOSSAL BOY: What, no shorts?! C,mon... Actually, he looks very Imperial Guardsman, to me. The padded stripe seems out of place-- maybe they're actually folded up tents in case of massive emergencies. Gim grows to giant-size, pops open one of the squares and you've got a tent big enough to house a village. I like this look, for the most part.

LIGHT LASS: Nice revision... couldn't they put a feather inside the arrow? Actually, between her and Tasmia, I wish they'd stuck with Ayla for the 'bare tummy' trend. I think her gloves should be white.

ELEMENT LAD: Need a closer view. What is that white bit on his torso? A girdle?

TRIPLICATE GIRL: Is her costume any different? Her hair is. This'll do, if we can't have the 'flip'. Hey- if Ayla and Luornu switched hair-do's, each'd be *perfect*, hair-wise!

BRAINIAC 5: The latest in would-be dictator wear. Vrilification is almost complete.

SHADOW LASS: To me, her costume's color is more brown/grey-- possibly it's just black reflecting Sun Boy's emissions. I hope that's the case, because brown/grey/muddy red doesn't seem the best choice. Need to see more.

CHAMELEON: More androgynous than ever! For a sec, I thought Monstress'd returned. Chain mail fits, in a way. Hmmm. Fits a Durlan. But Cham? Not so sure.

SATURN GIRL: Very creative bridge between all boots. I love that the spiky pony-tail's gone. Never liked that look. Here's hoping some iron-butt attitude's added to her personality mix to match the gestalt-costume.

TIMBER WOLF: I was liking this boot's Brin. Especially costume-wise. This look makes think of Gen 13. Not a fan of the bare feet. Unless he's going to be some sort of shape-shifter, now.

KARATE KID: Is that LIGHTNING SAGA Val, or the Waidboot Armorr? Intriguing...

LIGHTNING LAD: I miss the white, but truthfully, I didn't really notice till y'all pointed it out. I miss the 'sparkly' bit-- Garth's was the only costume in which the attempted futuristic fabrication really worked, IMO. Shame to lose it.

PRINCESS PROJECTRA: For a sec, I thought this was Nura. Can't really tell much, though the behind-the-head piece seems different, if not gone altogether (which would be a good thing).

SHRINKING VIOLET: I dunno-- the short skirt or shorts *look* good, but shrinkers tend to find themselves in more gooey messes than other heroes. Not sure it's practical for Vi. I *think* she's got a new hair-do. Good.

ULTRA BOY: Longer hair, tied back. Bet there's an earring in the ear we can't see. Welcome back, pirate Jo.

PHANTOM GIRL: Don't get me wrong, I think what we see of Tinya looks great (especially the 'normal' flesh tone). But I loved the Kitson update to her costume. I miss the stylized 'P', with matching gloves. That look was elegant. I hope she retains the flares.

I preferred the hair-clips (or whatever they were), to loose hair, too.

INVISIBLE KID: Guys and gals! He's using his power to make the headband invisible! Obviously.

This is sort of like reboot Lyle's costume mixed with Alchemist Jan's. Interesting. I like the rounded dot of the 'i', as opposed to the square from reboot.

The best thing about the pic is the cumulative effect. It has me tantalized, that's for certain.

Here's hoping there's some tailoring to some of the Legionnaire's personalities to go with their sartorial updates, also bringing facets from previous version to the future of the future.

So Med Boy, the Fee-Fie-Fo-Fum look for Gim is growing on me (ba-dum, bum!). Especially since I was the one who argued he needed more protection being a 60-foot tall non-invulnerable target.

Tamper makes a good catch on the uncolored lightning (Tamper's always SO perceptive). So, if we repeat it often enough, maybe we can make Shady's cloak a coloring mistake. I too will miss Barry's Shady. I hope she stays the bad-ass that Waid and Kitson made her. (Please note that bad-ass does not necessarily imply rude, uncouth b!tch.)

I too really like I-Kid's outfit. It is perhaps an improvement on the 2-boot's awesome uniform. I also like the idea that Phantom Girl's and I-Kid's costumes are both black and white--the Legion's two "wraiths" have a thematic link.

Star Boy's costume looks unchanged, which is a good thing. If anyone tampers with that costume, it's an instant fatwah of death upon them.

E-Lad's outfit really is a puzzle. That white ab thing is either some homage to the original U-Boy belt, or an homage to Cockrum's "up-arrow", or both. That's all I got.

Sun Boy's outfit looks like the Kitson original without the blousy nature of the top. Also, his hair looks like Heat Miser's. Appropriate I guess.

My biggest beef is that there isn't enough green or pink. Why not make Cham's costume green like the cool one on the animated series? Wouldn't Tenzil look awesome in a pink and green thing? Say what you want about Cos, but the man's worn a pink and/or lavender costume for 50 years--I only wear pink when it comes back in style, and even then grudingly.

Does Chameleon have yellow octopus legs?