Legion of Super-Heroes: Paul Levitz, Francis Portela, Javier Mena
Woof…and I thought Legion Lost was confusing. So here, again, I thought I would invest in some new characters…characters I know about, but never really got into before. People I want to learn about. That is the whole point of the New 52, right? To be able to pick up new books, to invite new readers to titles relaunching with information to guide them along? Well…just like Legion Lost, this book is not “relaunching” beyond its shiny “#1” at the top-left. It’s really just a continuation of whatever happened just before “Flashpoint.” Well I didn’t read Legion before this, DC, so what now? I have 2 books that I wanted to read that I really don’t know I can follow now. It doesn’t even go into full detail of what happened to the part of the team that was “lost”…other than they believe them all to be dead. For a couple characters, that really means a lot…and has, apparently, changed them some (I don’t know, I’m guessing here). One is assuming leadership, one has stepped down and is involved in other aspects of Legion….stuff…. But for the rest of them…it’s business as usual. And it’s the usual business that has me super lost. More lost than that Legion that’s lost. There are a couple things that interest me, like this romance between Chemical Kid and Dragonwing…and how Mon-El is going to handle the stress of trying to lead. I mean…I guess that’s new to him. I really don’t know. Beyond that, I’m just confused and turned off. The art is good, and it definitely fits with the Legion’s look and feel. It’s very high-tech, and the characters look believable…even if a lot of the males look similar. And the coloring is pretty fantastic, I have to say. If not for story, then this book was a treat for the eyes.
Legion of Super-Heroes, the verdict: If you’re a pre-existing fan of the series, and can easily hop into a story-in-motion…then definitely check this out. It looks like it could be a cool book mixed with action, romance, drama, and politics. But for me? It’s just too much. There’s not enough explanation, and far too large a cast to remember. I can understand, now, why other DC “team” books so far have only shown two to three of the characters…so as not to completely overwhelm new readers. It makes sense. I won’t be continuing this book, sadly. I wanted to like it, very  much. I feel like there’s a “cool crowd” that hangs out in the 30th Century, and I was trying to get in. But, yikes, is that shoulder cold.