Legion Of Super-Heroes
RELEASED OUT NOW! Publisher DC Comics
Writer Brian Michael Bendis
Artists Ryan Sook,
Wade Von Grawbadger
After juggling a cast of thousands in both the Avengers and X-Men during his Marvel days, Brian Michael Bendis was an obvious candidate to revive DC’s own super-sized team book.
Missing in action since their last monthly title ended in 2013, The Legion of Super-Heroes’ long overdue return was preceded by mini-series Millennium, which saw the now-immortal Rose
Forrest journeying through the centuries. But beyond showcasing some of the DC Universe’s interesting dystopian futures, with some fabulous art from the likes of Jim Lee and Jimmy Cheung, that two-parter didn’t add much to the overall saga, as Rose only crossed paths with the 31st century super-team in the final few pages.
While it might have made a refreshing change for the reborn Legion to stand on their own far-future feet, the new series proper also boasts several callbacks to modern-day DC continuity. Not least of these is the presence of Superman and Lois Lane’s son and current Superboy,
Jon Kent, who also fetches up in the 31st century, becoming an integral part of the Legion – just as his father did during the original series’ ’50s and ’60s heyday.
Ominously, the action of the first three issues centres around the battle for Aquaman’s long-lost Trident, which inexplicably appears to act as a portal for the now-devastated Earth’s oceans. Most intriguingly of all, Bendis hints at some Bat Family-related secrets with the introduction of Planet Gotham, demonstrated in the Legion’s panicked reaction to Jon summoning his erstwhile Super Sons partner, Damian Wayne – the more malevolent of the Robins – in issue three.
With a core cast of about 25 characters to work with, Bendis does a deft job of balancing all the different heroes. Although it’s inevitable that certain familiar faces such as Saturn Girl, Brainiac, Ultra Boy, Wildfire, Cosmic Boy and Karate Kid should stand out from the pack, hopefully other fan favourites will get their chance to shine later on.
The dense script is well served by Ryan Sook’s dynamic layouts and sleek linework, though his art might not be as flashy as some of Millennium’s big-name contributors. Channelling both Dave Gibbons and Mike Mignola, Sook emphasises the Legion’s science fiction elements, creating a futuristic world that’s closer to Star Trek than your typical comic book metropolis and highlighting the awe-inspiring scale of the surroundings. It all makes for a comic that deserves your attention – the reasons why are literally legion. Stephen Jewell