Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! The New Legion of Super-Heroes, thus far...SPOILERS! - UPDATED AGAIN (1/19)

Thanks, rhino! Reserv, I respect your points, but I always thought some of the best Legion stories involved the Legionaires dealing with their parents -- from the Legion chain gang (and the parallel Universo/Rond Vidar drama), to ME Lad's lout of a dad, to Colossal Boy's President Mom, to RJ Brande and his son Chameleon Boy, to the death of Cosmic Boy's mom. As a younger reader, I related to the fact that Legionnaires had parents and parental figures to deal with, just like I did. I completely agree with you that not all of the characterization should revolve around the parent/child relationships. But, those relationships ought to be an important part (in some cases) of why someone joins the Legion. If nothing else, seeing the parents REMINDS us that these are still young people creating their own place in the world. In regards to the Waid/Kitson premise feeling "tacked on," my reaction was that they have created a universe that MUST have a Legion, but only time will tell on that one.

One parent/child relationship I'd expect to see developed is that of Lyle and his sci-cop dad - since the foundation has already been laid for another confrontation. I'm hoping that there will be some twist to it, however - other than the son-establishes-own-identity-in-confrontation route.

One thing I've noted in previous Legion versions, it's only the kids with the (good) super-powers - which precludes the Legion from doublechinner's categories 1 (sidekicks) or 2 (training for adult superheroes). They're something new for the galaxy, operating in uncharted territory.

But I have wondered where the adult super-powered people have been, apart from assorted villains, throughout Legion history. If Waid is giving us a very tightly-bound society (as it appears), it would make sense that these "rebellious" youths would be the first, in a long time, to use their powers for the public good.

I do wonder about the lack of adult super heroes in the old continuity.

However, maybe in this new one the adults have had the desire to conform, to be safe etc so ingrained into them that they have been unable to break free, to put themselves in the way of danger in that showy, spandex way of the Legion. Not to say they are not brave adult heroes out there, some maybe with powers. Just that they have accepted societies mores and do not want to draw attention to themselves, they want to play buy the rules and have the attitude of that senior SP officer who asks for options, and strategies whilst youth simply runs in and hits things. This would mean no fancy costumes; no code names and a much more “grey” conformist attitude than heroes like the JLA tend to show.

As for the existence or otherwise of adult criminals? Maybe they, unlike the legion have not yet discovered a way to get off the tracking system and so can not enter UP space. Despite the fact that the Legion gets the better of the SP in the pages we have seen so far, these SP’s look like they are well able to handle various threats and the fact that they exist at all indicates that they are needed.

Yet even if a Lightning Lord or a Cosmic King existed in this continuity they would be “tagged” or whatever it is and therefore visible to the law no matter where they hid. True, they would cause a lot of damage, kill a lot of SP’s but eventually they would work out that a society willing to give up so much to be “safe” would not leave them free and I think they would flee outside UP space where they would be less likely to suffer attack or arrest.

Or maybe it is true and it takes super powered heroes to arise before superpower villains can exist?

NC those animations look amazing!

Jorge

I like the return to a cleaner, better defined look for the Legion -- it often seemed to me that Coipel drew shadows or messy piles of slime or rubble to avoid having to flesh out the backgrounds or giving us a well thought out version of the 3000's.

But I'm a little apprehensive - it feels a bit too 'Elseworlds' at this stage.

Updated!

With the the additional pages from Legion of Super-Heroes #1. Which were included in DC Horizon #20 (Oct 2004), a free publication given out at Cons and Comic Shops. Since it's free, I think it's okay to display here.

Can I be the first to say WOW!!!

Barry's art BLOWS ME AWAY!!! He is definitely doing his best ever work here! Absolutely beautiful pencils! And for all my worries about the colouring that looks top-notch too.

And what can I say about the writing - loved it! Waid has obviously put a HUGE amount of thought into this. The writing is intelligent, exciting and fun. With action and characterisation. Its even got little things to love like the way Ayla and Jo flew off with the sci-cops helmets. And I absolutely loved the way we got introductory glimpses of Ayla, Jo and Gim before the full page spread of them.

This series deserves to be a HUGE success IMO and you know what - I think it just might be! CANNOT WAIT til the end of December!

Faboo!

By the way, is that an upside-down rocketship headquarters I see in the last panel?!? ... Oh my!

The anti-retro brigade are gonna hate it! I, of course, am thrilled!

-he he-
I hadn't noticed that. Good eye B.

I missed it as well. Nice touch!

I woulda liked it more if it were a yellow upside-down rocket ship, but hey...

I'm pretty groved by the preivew. I like the banter between the characters, and the visuals are great. I know I've been cautiously optomistic, and I will remain that way for the first year or so, but there's definatly something awsome here.

I still wish there was away for the other two Legions to still be around in some offical capacity, other than lost in Hyper-Time (or on a parallel earth, or whatever you prefer to call the Multiverse that is the DCU). But I guess I will have to be content with them living on in back issues and in my sketch books.

Long Live the Legion!

I must say, it gave me a little thrill to see the SP refer to the LSH as "the Core Team." And Star Boy's costume is sweet.

Much more than cautiously optimistic, meself.

Love the upside down rocket ship.

I heard about it before I saw it, and couldn't imagine how they'd make it work - but they did. really beautifully.

Waid and Kitson have far exceeded my every expectation thus far.

Maybe they can work it in as a story point. The Legion recruiting a few of their 75,000 followers to paint the old HQ!

Oh! And don't forget to make the fins red!

or they could just get Color Kid to do it in one fell swoop without paint...

Colossal Boy - big puppy wanting to please. I'm going to like him.

It's so thrilling to see the Legion written as real, individual characters again. Levitz was a master at incorporating exposition into dialogue. It looks like Waid is perfecting that trick, as well. This is key to making the Legion "accessible" to the new reader. In a few short pages we learn about almost every character's power and a lot about their personalities and relationships with each other. Just outstanding!

Barry's characters just LOOK like Legionnaires again. I can't think of another way to express it. I don't think I had realized my dislike for the homogenous uniforms of the last 10 years until I saw Barry draw the Legionnaires as individuals again.

I was shocked, actually, by the drab gray upside-down rocket HQ. I can understand why everything is drab and gray, given the society Waid and Kitson have imagined, but it just seems wrong to an old-timer like me. I might have preferred an all-new club-house style.

Another interesting twist! The Legion is actually endorsed by the United Planets, even though the majority of the society seems to disapprove. That should make for an interesting story! Does the Legion have friends in high places? Did the Legion save the lives of some UP bigwigs? Is the UP trying to shake up the society that presumably put it in power? Stay tuned!

Some rather adult dialogue between Ultra Boy and Light Lass ... 31st Century innuendo seems rather akin to our own ....

I am actually excited about the Legion again...and it's been a long time since that's happened. I picked up on the "adult dialogue" as well...great stuff! Great art as well. Could this be a sign of greatness from the 1980's Giffen/Levitz era?!? I hope so!

I'm also excited. I remember _not_ being excited about the last reboot. It's saying something that I'm so interested this time around.

Updated!

With images from a new interview with Mark Waid by Arune Singh of CBR. The interview can be found here .

This was an awesome article, but I already commented on it Here , so I won't repeat myself. I'll just say that it makes me even more excited!