Reviewer: Iain Burnside
Story Title: N/A
Written by: Mark Waid
Penciled by: Barry Kitson
Inked by: Art Thibert
Colored by: Chris Blythe
Lettered by: Phil Balsman
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Publisher: DC
The Legion of Super-Heroes has continuity as impenetrable as Jennifer Garner’s underwear. Apologies to Ms. Garner for that rather tasteless sentence but I was in dire need of a direction to take that directionless analogy and, hey, any excuse to write about such a lovely lady is always welcome so, really, take it as a compliment. The bottom line is that LOSH had become a four-letter word among comic enthusiasts. Hell, even the majority of DC enthusiasts just didn’t have the energy required to keep up with the constant reinventions, replacements and rewrites that plagued the ever-expanding cast, and we all know that a DC enthusiast is as unyielding as Jennifer Garner’s underwear.
Wait…
Dammit.
Okay, so we’ve established that the Legion has a torrid history, that Jennifer Garner is exceptionally adorable and that DC enthusiasts are easier targets than drunk Irishmen. We’ve also managed to insult a very vocal racial group. So, what’s next Iain?
Uh, I don’t know. Why don’t you try actually talking about the comic?
Huh. Interesting idea. Okay then, five issues down the road from the launch of the latest Legion title and it’s clear to see that this incarnation has a great deal to offer. Mark Waid and Barry Kitson, rather charmingly billed as joint ‘storytellers’ on the credits page, knew what the secret to success with these kids was – just pretend it never happened. None of it happened. The Legion you once knew? Never happened. The Legion that made your brain scream in horrid anticipation of being overworked trying to figure out just what the hell was going on if you even so much as glanced at the latest issue in the store? Never happened. Instead, they went for the rip-it-up approach and it’s worked wonders.
Essentially, this new book is modeled on a MMORPG. There is a grand, over-arching, This Issue Everything Changes storyline going on, but it is quite firmly left on the back-burner the majority of the time. The ‘storytellers’ (aww, get a room) have instead created a world where they can take us to meet any imaginable super-powered being from any imaginable planet and conjure up any imaginable story with any imaginable characteristics their creations are best suited to. Should they so desire, they could leave behind the meta-plot at any chosen point to explore something completely random, such as last issue’s back-up strip detailing the broken romance of Karate Kid and Phantom Girl, which was not only truly touching but very realistic considering those horrible names.
They’ve done this by turning the Legion into a youth movement that has spiraled from being a wannabe Justice League tribute band into a near revolution. In a galaxy completely at peace, there is nothing for the kids to do. With boredom the #1 threat to kids the world over; it’s quite scary to think of how bad things could get in a galaxy where they had no outlet for their frustrations, their hopes, their dreams and desires for something different. The Legion offered them all of that and more. No, not Jennifer Garner’s underwear; the chance to proverbially stick it to The Man (or, more accurately, the inescapable United Planets). And so more of these super-powered kids joined. And more. And more. Camped outside of the Legion HQ in a shanty-town of their own building, they became even more important than Brainiac 5 and Cosmic Boy and all of the other main players. They became the flames of the fire.
Unfortunately, since this is in essence still a mainstream super-hero book, we do need to pay attention to the Main Event plot from time-to-time. Over the past 4 issues tensions have risen between the Legion, eager to grab control of their own destinies whilst protecting the right of others to do the same thing, and the United Planets, scared of the Legionaries becoming revolutionaries and forcing them out of control. What Waid and Kitson have wasted remarkably little time in adding to the basic youth vs. authority story, however, is the fact that not all of the youth team is playing by the same rules. Hell, they’re not even playing the same game.
Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl are sent to explore Rimworld-19 on the edge of the United Planet’s territories, which as recently been all but entirely evacuated following a mysterious attack that destroyed several villages in one fell swoop. Whilst seeking answers and trying to ease the fears of the few who have been left behind, they meet the people responsible for the attack – a group of kids their own age in something called Terror Firma. Some people may feel more comfortable in calling them the Legion of Super-Villains, but let’s just wait and see on that front. Sure, they don’t want any part of the United Planets – but they don’t want any part of the Legion either. What do they want? Everything and anything, so long as they don’t have to get trapped in the quicksand diplomacy and handcuffed morality plaguing the Legion. We’re in line for a real triple threat now, folks. Screw the adults, the kids are alright and they’re more distracted with one another anyway. It’s mods versus rockers. Let it rip.
Yes, Iain. That’s all very well and good but you’re still not talking about this particular issue in particular, are you?
Fine, fine, whatever. Let’s pick out some brief specifics to shut you the hell up…
The characterization is great – in particular Ultra Boy’s stubborn refusal to admit he needs help with his fluctuating power levels.
The dialogue is great – such as “bad guy” leader Elysion demanding to know “am I turning blue in the face arguing with practical men… or idealistic corpses?”
The artwork is great – just take a look at the splash page of Lightning Lad’s powers getting cranked all the way up to eleven (and particular kudos cookies to colorist Chris Blythe for that one).
So you see Iain, there is a lot that is great about this one issue in particular. However, what makes it smoking hot is that it makes you feel like strutting until the world changes to your beat. That the future is not merely something you’re going to get – it’s something that you’re actually going to want. That is the fire that sparks those character flames to life. So swallow your pride, set aside your apprehension, and get out there and read this series. It ain’t your daddy’s Legion, and that’s the point.
