Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! Adventure Comics starring the Legion of Super-Heroes

Rest easy, CK. I'm with you. I don't even especially like the story. In fact I think it's pretty lame. There's no way anyone who isn't a total Legion geek is going to buy it.

Don't know if it's Adventure Comics related (which Didio said would feature Mon-El and the Legionnaires, but it doesn't seem to be permanent), but there were more Legion references in this week's Action Comics...

Tellus reappears (and it appears he's going to be needed) and Supergirl's mother reveals that they want to free the other bottled cities... which include the last remnants of the planets of Braal, Winath and Tharr...

Well, I know it's another AR question and I know that this is the Adventure Comics thread, but... which Action issues should I be looking for next to the Legion six-parter? #850 had Mon-El, I missed that one, but I heard there was more of them meanwhile...

The one right after the Legion six-parter, definitely. Had a lot of Lightning Lad in it.

which issues do LL appear in it? I must have missed it and also I read that Tellus also re-appears...is it in Action Comics or New Krypton series? which part?

I don't consider Adventure Comics #247 to be a particularly great story...but evidentally a good many people did, which is what lead to the story(and the Legion itself) being more than just the throwaway/oneoff it was intended to be.

It's not very good story...


That said, to me it's the most important story in Legion history. There would be no Legion without it.


You know how Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, and Cosmic Boy saving RJ Brande is supposed to be some essential element of the Legion? "Oh we've got to have that or else it won't truly be the Legion" say the writers...

Poppycock.

Saving RJ Brande isn't an important story...it was more or less a retcon or untold tale finally told. In fact that story wasn't added until the team had been around nearly a decade...it was never important or essential to the Legion, and the Legion certainly got no boost in popularity because of it.


Adventure Comics #247 OTOH...was and is important. More important than the in continuity origin of the team. Why? Because it was the real first appearance of the team.


Did you guys know that at one point prior to the Crisis in the 80's, Adventure Comics #247 was the most valuable comic of the Silver Age?

More valuable than the first appearance of Flash, the JLA, Spiderman and the FF...and the early appearances of the Legion were comparable in price and desirability to the early Marvels as well...

That Superman retcon(which eliminated Adv #247 from continuity) was a killer and it litrerally destroyed the collector value of the early Legion stories in a way and to a level I've never seen duplicated in the comic collecting market.

It is an important story, if not a great one...and it's also probably one of the most oft homaged covers in comics history along with Action Comics #1.

Tellus appears in one drawing of Action Comics 872, part of the New Krypton storyline, so not worth buying the issue for that, but it's definitely setting up something, so is the mention of Winath, Braal and Tharr.

Lightning Lad was in Action Comics 864, the epilogue to the Superman and Legion storyline, where he meets Batman and where they get the bodies of Una and Karate Kid back.

Oh my god! And I don't have that one! They didn't give a hint in the Previews that there is so much Legion in #864.... oh my, I got the whole Countdown series but not that rather significant issue...

Of course it is important. My question was: Will it make a new reader get interested in the Legion TODAY? And I doubt that. A new reader won't care if this story was important because it put the Legion on the map. He just will read the story and say... "wow that's cheesy" or something like that
I sincerely doubt that a new reader will say "hey that's so cooool, I have to dig up all the other Legion appearances, starting with the 12 Legion archives".

And why would they do this reprint thing if not to get new readers? Every fan already should have some version of #247, there have been enough reprints since 1958...

Lightning Lad is in the whole issue. I almost missed buying it too at the time.

That is truly weird. I knew of specific events causing comics to rise in value (recent example: Spider-Man 3 caused the value of the first black costume issue to increase), but the other way round is strange. Then again, I'm not a collector.

Well I agree with you on some of that. I don't think the story is a particularly good choice to entice new readers to the book. Then again, they already have a bunch of new readers from LO3W(at least when compared to other Legion series) that are pretty much unfamiliar with the beginnings of the team.

I personally get no thrill out of reading the story since I have read it many times and have many reprints of it, but I am excited about Lopresti's reinterpretation of the cover.


As for what will grab new fans, I am sure DC would love to know that...


You know what would excite me?

A comic under 2 bucks. That would excite me a great deal. And if not that...one that is actually worth the 3 dollar price tag most of them have.

Ya...that sort of stuff tends to happen much more often with Marvel than DC...


If you are ever in a comic or book store and come across an early 80's edition of the Overstreet Price Guide, check out the price on ADV 247 and compare it to the other key Silver Age titles...chances are it will be the most valuable one.

Basically, Pre Crisis, the most valuable comic of the Silver Age contest was a 3 book race between the Showcase issue that introduced Barry Allen, the Amazing Adult Fantasy issue that intrduced Spiderman, and the Adventure issue that introduced the Legion. Those 3 books took turns holding the title of the most valuable, but more often than not it was Adventure Comics #247 that held that title in the early 80's.

And yes it is unheard of for a key comic to just fall off the collector map like that, but that is indicative of the destruction wreaked upon the Legion continuity IMHO. Adventure Comics #247 is still basically at it's early 80's price level, while the others have gone up with the price of inflation(although Spiderman is now far and away the most valuable)...

And I'm not a collector anymore either...but I was back then, that's how I know Adv 247 was so sought after. DC even placed an add once in their comics pointing out that Adventure 247 was the most valuable of the Silver Age, or maybe it was an "Ask the Answer Man" column...either way, I know they did it with Action 1 being the most valuable of the Golden Age and I'm pretty sure they did it with the Adv 247 and the Silver Age as well.

After the Crisis, the demand just wasn't the same for those old issues anymore because they were untethered from any relevant continuity.

Barry Allen being dead also probably contributed to Spidey taking the lead he now has...but back before the Crisis DC held their own and usually won, the prized issues of the Silver Age competition.

Actually, it seems there is an extra 8-page story with an unknown team of creators that sets up the ADV #1 stories from then on.
I'd bet that Johns is taking the idea (from way back then - Giffen on Invasion or is it from before that?) that Mon-El is going to be the "seeder" of planets.
And, yes, nobody is buying ADV #0 if not for being a Legion geek. Sales were absolutely in line with the average sales of Legion books of nowadays.

So do you guys think this new version of Adventure Comics (to be launched by #0) be ala Brave and the Bold where the stories are broken down or done in arcs (presumably for the TP)? Basing it on Didio's comment it appears that Mon-el & the LSH kick it off then...somebody else (new character/s, new creative team) takes over?

Taking a step back it seems that the Legion is playing a key role everywhere else but their own title in what looks to be a momentum-building exercise. What prompted me to say that are their past appearances in...

- JLA & JSA (Lightning Saga)
- JSA (...by keeping Starman around)
- Countdown (albeit just KK & Una in that pointless weakly)
- the Action Comics arc (...what are they calling that one?)

...then...

- currently in Lo3W
- Superman: Secret Origins (?) mini-series by Johns-Frank
- Adventure Comics

Guess the even bigger question is what happens after Adventure? Didio seemed to hint in an interview that the LSH will float around when he said to watch our for the team in their next "appearances" after Lo3W, not in their own book or even an ongoing monthly/mini-series. I think they're trying to weave the LSH back into the Superman tapestry in the hope of restoring the magic that it had in the past.

Y'know, in reading Igee's comments and questions, several things occurred to me.

First, although we as Legion fans did lose a lot this year (the animated show and comic, the Legion monthly's cancellation was announced), in looking at Igee's list, things could be worse.

When the cancellation of the Threeboot was announced, it looked as the Legionnaires would be on indefinite hiatus until DC decided IF they would reboot once again. I know we speculated here that they MIGHT get another book by summer. I assume (yeah, I know) that Adventure will be an ongoing monthly as a tryout for the Johnsboot Legion to see how they sell. In today's economy, they probably won't stay with a sinking ship too long. Also, for the Legion to be in so many books, like him or loathe him, Johns is putting them out there.

Second, at least Lo3W is generating some buzz. I know DiDio said they are trying to coordinate it with the end of the Final Crisis monthly, but it's almost like a TV show no one cares about, that is on Sunday at 10 pm. No wait, Wednesday at 11pm. No, Friday at 9pm. Oh, wait, baseball playoffs-we'll pre-empt it for 3 weeks. If it still manages to hang on to a fan basis by the last issue (supposedly) in March, there may be some hope.

Third, even though the stories have been disruptive (Lightning Saga), at least there was an appearance, and I have enjoyed watching the Star Man character in JSA. They have kept me guessing as to why he is there, besides the sloppy joes on Wednesdays, I mean.

Was it a great anniversary year? No. Could it have been better? Absolutely. Could it have been worse? Believe it or not, yes. At least the team(s) is generating some buzz and attention.

Where do we go from here? To the future, on month at a time.

The problem with this approach is that only people who buy the Superman titles will get to see the Legion and - If the Tellus appearances are anything to go by - even then you have to know who the characters are to get excited.

In the late 50s/early 60s when this approach was first used, the dialogue was very simple and able to announce the presence of the Legion as they flew in to save the day at the last minute. Such story-telling doesn't work today.

A good run in their own series, with a top rank writer and artist is the only way to restore the Legion to anything like its former glory.

Didio has done another flip-flop. The Legion is *not* going to launch Adventure Comics. They won't appear until later.

Newsarama

"Oh – and one last thing that I wanted to mention before we go – the content for Adventure Comics #1 has changed – I think it might be out there that Mon-el is in issue #1. The reality is, that the storyline that we were going to put in as the launch of Adventure Comics has actually moved into Superman comics. While the Legionaries will be appearing in Adventure, it won’t be until the second arc of the series."

I wish everyone -- except Dan Didio -- a Merry Christmas.

When you've been beaten and bruised so badly even the lightest kick hurts.

Pretty lame. They release Adventure #0 as a teaser, reprinting #247 and including an Origins and Omens backup, since the Legion are supposed to be starring in the first arc, and now DC's pushed them back again??? How patient are we supposed to be here?

You all realize with the delays in FC:Lo3W and Final Crisis, DC could have had Shooter finish his 16 issue arc with the current series before canceling it?

Reminder to DiDio: My expendable income is getting smaller and smaller each month. I really want to give you my money, but you've got to be putting out the books I want to read...

At the current rate of pushing-stuff-back, Shooter could be writing a book about the grown up children of the current Legionnaires, aging them in real-time, before the vaporware from Didio materializes in the real world.

They say you can't go back. If you're Dan Didio, apparently you've got some problems going *forward,* too...

Well, I read through Newsarama's "20 Questions for Didiot" article and from the looks of it "Adventure Comics" isn't going to be a home for the Legionnaires. It rather looks like a comic that'll serve as a department store window where characters will have their 6 issues in the sun then they'll probably decide if there's merit in pursuing either...

a) another 6-issue arc somewhere
b) a mini-series
c) a 1-shot
d) euthanasia

Also, love it or hate it, the only thing that seems to be keeping the Legion afloat right now is Geoff Johns...who seems to have kept the Didio torpedo away from completely sinking the LSH.

Personally, I don't mind him handling the Legion. Heck, the guy seems enamored with them with his use of Starman-Thom in JSA, his involvement in both the Lightning Saga & Legion-Action Arc as well as Lo3W. He's even writing (if I'm not mistaken) the Legion appearance in Smallville-TV.

>sigh<

As AFOB wrote, love it or hate it, it seems we will be taking it one month at a time from here on out. :-\

Legion in Superman, isn't that a GOOD thing?

Won't they get more exposure in that book? Of course, there's nothing wrong with being in a #1 issue and it does kind of make the Adv #0 think a big "huh???" but still, Monel will be in the first arc, correct?

I'm thinking that the LSH in Adventure delay is due to FC and L3W delays. Adventure is already listed on DC's subscription page, so it seems like its launch is already scheduled. Perhaps the 1st Legion arc in Adventure is dependant on the ends of both FC and L3W and those series won't be finished before Adventure #1 comes out, hence the push back.

On a tangent, one thing I find curious as I get back into regular comic reading after 20 years is the sheerly massive number of issue delays. Back in the day, montly comics came out MONTHLY like clockwork. There was none of this "oh, we're not putting it out this month because it's not ready". Well, geez, people. It's called a schedule and they're called deadlines. In any other business, if you can't meet your deadlines, you don't have a job. Someone needs to start cracking the whip on these people.

What's really stupid is that they are putting out Adventure #0 with a reprint of the Legion's first appearance, and then following it up with...something other than the Legion! Brilliant! What losers they are. All of DiDio's efforts to coordinate and sync up the DCU have been utter failures.