The Legion of Superheroes

[Mr Light]

What do you guys think about the Legion, just in general, I mean?

It's a funny thing. I love comic books. I love science fiction. Yet somehow, this futuristic science fiction comic book is utterly uninteresting to me. I've sampled a lot of over the years, and I just never cared about the setting, the story, or the characters.

The only Legion story I really liked was "Legion of 3 Worlds" because it was really just a sequel to Infinite Crisis with Superboy Prime, Connor Kent, and Bart Allen.

 

[Jetfire]

"Legion" on Smallville was a great ep & with Brainiac 5 in "Homecoming" it was one of the best eps. I really enjoyed the Saturday morning cartoon a few years back and I think L* is more interesting than the JL or JSA.

 

[Davros]

They seem a little silly to me. At least the Silver Age Legion was.

 

[theenglish]

In the early to mid eighties, the Legion was absolutely, hands-down the best mainstream comic on the market.

With the new run, I hope it will be again.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I love the Legion, Long Live the Legion!!! Seriously though the new retconned Legion is among my favorite books right now. Paul Levitz is a master writing them both in Adventures and in their new ongoing series. I love the depth and history they have, so much richness (both the silly and the cool) and their connection to Superman. In fact they exist because of Superman. I didn't really become such a big fan of them (they'd been a moderate interest of mine) until Superman and the Legion of Superheroes by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, after reading that arc I fell in love with them. Saturn Girl and Brainiac 5 are my favorite characters.

 

[Myasishchev]

I know absolutely nothing about the Legion of Super-Heroes, except their characters tend to end with "Lad" or "Lass." I never fully understood why they were all kids.

Well, I do know three Legion facts:

Fact One: Brainiac 5 is like Vril Dox, and hence awesome by association.

Fact Two: Cosmic Boy has had the most daring costume in comics since Magnus Robot Fighter stopped being published.

Fact Three: They all have flight rings, which is a neat touch, and avoids those awkward scenes where some flightless dude is being carried on a super-chick's back and you just know he's fighting the boner reflex.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Fact Four: Those Flight Rings were designed and created by Brainiac 5 shortly after he joined the Legion, replacing the previously used Flight Belts which I believe were donated by R.J. Brande.

 

[timelord1010]

I always like Wildfire. Also, the WB animated show Superboy and the Legion of Superheros was pretty good.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I loved the late-80s/early-90s Legion -- the Giffen/Bierbaum "Five Years Later" era. The Legionnaires were grown up -- and grown apart -- and the galaxy was a darker, nastier place. To me, that's the Legion.

 

[Admiral_Young]

One of the great things about the Legion of 3 Worlds is that we get to see all three versions of them interact. The three Brainy's are awesome.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The Legion has been rebooted so damn many times that it's hard to keep track. What version are they on now, the all-sombrero Legion?

 

[Captain Mike]

The Legion has been rebooted so damn many times that it's hard to keep track. What version are they on now, the all-sombrero Legion?

I know what you mean..
I followed the Legion i'd say up to just right before Zero Hour and their attempt to "RECON" or "fine tune" the history. I'll stick with the late 80's early 90's version in my head for memory. Although I ABSOLUTELY loved the LoSH animated series that was on a few years back explaining that there was no "Superboy" rather having Clark find his "destiny" through their adventures. I haven't really read any comics lately, since anything DC does since the "Didio Era" I totally disagree with how they are going back and retconning everything that has been done since COIE.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I enjoyed the Levitz run back in the 80s. Legion was blessed with a lot of great artists: Cockrum, Grell, Giffen, Lightle and LaRocque.

 

[Jack Bauer]

I enjoyed the Levitz run back in the 80s. Legion was blessed with a lot of great artists: Cockrum, Grell, Giffen, Lightle and LaRocque.

That was great great stuff back then. I just ate up the Great Darkness Saga. The LSH versus Darkseid. Epic shit that was.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Levitz has been writing some excellent stuff.

 

[Myasishchev]

With reservations about the mild thread necromancy, I figured this would be an appropriate place to post that I finally read some Legion, namely the Levitz/Giffen story Eye for an Eye. Apparently taking place directly after The Great Darkness Saga, it was pretty neat.

A list, in no particular order of importance (as none of them have any), of my thoughts:

Nemesis Kid has pretty much the best power (and about the best name) ever.

Lightning Lord is creepy as shit, talking to storms, binding himself in blood. It's great. However, I must say that his personal damage wears thin by the end. I actually thought he'd killed Light(ning) Lass at one point, and rather wish he had because 1)the panel sequence and dialogue where she refuses his final offer to get brainwashed by Future Zatanna is dynamite, 2)his interactions with her were entirely repetitive and dull afterwards, 3)redundant powers are against the constitution, and under LSH law Lightning Lass does not deserve to live. Hey, I don't make the rules, okay?

The Legion of Super-Villains dramatis personae panel by Giffen which riffs on the Last Supper was, alone, worth the price of admission. Have you welcomed Lightning Lord into your heart? I know I have.

It did not have nearly enough Brainiac 5. Like, about 1% the amount of Brainiac 5 I was hoping for.

I was disappointed that legendarily racist caricature Tyroc was not to be found in this volume (but presumable comrade from Black Person Island, Invisible Kid II, was present, and whiney).

Wildfire is kind of a dick. And a useless dick at that.

Are there two Cosmic Boys? Maybe he's just a sidekick or protege, which prompts the question of what you might call the sidekick of someone already named "Cosmic Boy." Cosmic Fetus? (Thanks Marv Wolfman!)

Which reminds me, I really like how the 30th century culture sort of reflects, probably unintentionally on the part of the writers, the vain and youth-obsessed culture of today, with these very obvious late-twenties adults still referring themselves as "Barely Legal Lass" and such despite having marriages (Karate Kid), children (Saturn Girl), and unflattering beards (Star Boy). It's interesting how many of the LSV members apparently consider themselves to be more mature than their heroic counterparts, and have no problems with titles like "Lord," "Chief," and "Roy." ("Roy"?)

There's a guy with the eyepatch and red pigtails? The 30th century isn't for squares, man.

Finally, it occurred to me that Alan Moore's Top Ten is, in essence, very much a Legion of Super-Heroes story. Which is kind of cool.

 

[Psylent1]

Yes, Nemesis Kid is one of the best and most underused villain in comics.

To understand Lightning Lord you have to remember that almost every birth on Winath is Twins, and he has no twin. Think about it, everything is based on you and your twin; school, video games, birthdays and twins probably marry twins on that world. And he has been all alone all his life.

Tyroc was created in response to the fact that a golden age LSH artist used every color in the Skittles rainbow for skin tones, but had a problem with licorice.

Yes, Wildfire is a dick but if you were an impotent ball of energy, you might be too. And his powers change a little with each suit he wears, so you never know what to expect.

Magnetic Kid was Cosmic Boy's little brother, and yes I said WAS

The Great Darkness Saga is possible the greatest comic story I have ever read. There is so much going on there is barely room for Darkseid. In fact this is where he became the badass villain he is today.

 

[Stevil2001]

The Great Darkness Saga is possible the greatest comic story I have ever read. There is so much going on there is barely room for Darkseid. In fact this is where he became the badass villain he is today.

Other than scattered issues, I've never really read any of The Legion, but I am a sucker for Darkseid, so I actually picked up the new Deluxe Edition of The Great Darkness Saga. I am looking forward to it...

 

[Myasishchev]

Yes, Nemesis Kid is one of the best and most underused villain in comics.

To understand Lightning Lord you have to remember that almost every birth on Winath is Twins, and he has no twin. Think about it, everything is based on you and your twin; school, video games, birthdays and twins probably marry twins on that world. And he has been all alone all his life.

Yeah, I thought that bit was pretty cool. I'm not sure how it squares with human biology, but then again I'm not sure how shrinking or projecting illusions squares with human biology either. And twin marriage? That's hot. Ha, no one wants Mekt because he's only half a person. That's actually a really good SF device.

But I do miss the little Mr. Lynch mustache Curt Swan drew on him, from my only previous exposure to the character in Alan Moore's Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow. That was truly the ribbon on the package.

Tyroc was created in response to the fact that a golden age LSH artist used every color in the Skittles rainbow for skin tones, but had a problem with licorice.

My impression that he was essentially Black Manta In Space. But I actually sort of like Black Manta, because injecting race politics into Aquaman is probably the most ludicrous idea in comics.

Yes, Wildfire is a dick but if you were an impotent ball of energy, you might be too.

Fair enough, but there's precious little more grating than a guy complaining about the previously established chain of command while people are dying all around him--and not even for any principled opposition to a particular plan, but only because he's mildly annoyed by the person exercising authority. And this after he's established how keen his judgment is by being neutralized by Cosmic King in the space of two panels.

Magnetic Kid was Cosmic Boy's little brother, and yes I said WAS

They executed him for duplicate powers, too?

The Great Darkness Saga is possible the greatest comic story I have ever read. There is so much going on there is barely room for Darkseid. In fact this is where he became the badass villain he is today.

I've been wanting to read the Great Darkness Saga since I read about it on a trading card twenty years ago, but it's also slipped my mind... plus, iirc, it's rather recent that it's been collected.

 

[Stevil2001]

^ The Great Darkness Saga was collected many years ago in TPB (out of print, now), and recently re-collected with more issues as a deluxe edition hardcover.