Legion of Super-Heroes (1980) #259

The Legion of Super Heroes 259

I actually did a quick Google, and nothing came up (despite the image results showing the very obvious covers side-by-side), so I’m going to assume this detail isn’t an undeniable fact: Legion of Super-Heroes #259 looks ridiculously like Whatever Happened to the Man on Tomorrow a couple of times.

I didn’t even realize the covers until after reading it; I was thinking more about the last page, which has a sad Superboy flying away from his future pals. It’s time for him to go back to Smallville and stay. And his reasoning is so goofy I’m going to spoil it.

Superboy is quitting the Legion of Super-Heroes because he came across Ma and Pa Kent’s gravesite in the future. He imagines they die from some weird tropical disease, and he’s not there to save them. He realizes it’s not real and doesn’t know how they died, which sets him straight enough to fight the bad guy, Psycho-Warrior.

Psycho-Warrior is writer Gerry Conway bringing his late seventies laziness to Legion of Super-Heroes. Last issue, Conway established P-W is from the same mental hospital as Brainiac-5 but not the connection. The connection is P-W saw the Legion going and visiting Brainy and being nice to him, and P-W hates friendly people, so he decided to kill Legionaries. Or at least render them comatose.

P-W’s got a surprisingly bad secret origin too, but he’s basically just a done-in-two super-villain who can move the story along.

After the bad guy’s defeated, Superboy tells his Legion friends he’s going to the past to stay because he can’t forget death’s serious business, and he’s been having too much fun in the future. Or something. It makes no sense, and it’s poorly written, with Conway apparently trying to do a Silver Age homage—an even more gracious interpretation than when I opined he might be trying camp—and it’s more about the spectacle. They’re really doing this nothing-burger of a farewell.

The Legion all waves, knowing they’ll never see Superboy again and whatnot, but none of them are particularly affected. “We all knew this day would come,” one says.

None of the Legionnaires mention they’ve been doing body modification to appear young to Superboy before he leaves, so it’s more like he’s their pet. They’re secretly mentally abusive to him.

Whatever. Conway never used Superboy enough for it to matter he’s leaving, and Conway’s been so disappointing it doesn’t matter if Conway’s not stuck with Superboy anymore.

The Joe Staton and Dave Hunt art tries a little harder than usual. Fails but tries. Staton’s at least got the Silver Age composition down.

Why the heck did they put Conway on this book he’s clearly not interested in doing.

Anyway. Farewell, Boy of Tomorrow.

P-W’s got a surprisingly bad secret origin too, but he’s basically just a done-in-two super-villain who can move the story along.

The Legion all waves, knowing they’ll never see Superboy again and whatnot, but none of them are particularly affected. “We all knew this day would come,” one says.

None of the Legionnaires mention they’ve been doing body modification to appear young to Superboy before he leaves, so it’s more like he’s their pet. They’re secretly mentally abusive to him.

Whatever. Conway never used Superboy enough for it to matter he’s leaving, and Conway’s been so disappointing it doesn’t matter if Conway’s not stuck with Superboy anymore.

The Joe Staton and Dave Hunt art tries a little harder than usual. Fails but tries. Staton’s at least got the Silver Age composition down.

Why the heck did they put Conway on this book he’s clearly not interested in doing.

Anyway. Farewell, Boy of Tomorrow.

Legion of Super-Heroes 3 (January 2012)

This issue resolves way too cute. Levitz sets up a complicated, timed ending and then doesn’t deliver. The issue doesn’t even have a cliffhanger… it just has a happy, wink wink ending about Brainiac having to give Mon-El a compliment.

It’s too passive; it’s almost like a Saturday morning cartoon.

Otherwise, the issue is often a decent action issue. While some Legionnaires head to investigate the bad guy (who’s barely in the issue, since the aliens from Invasion! are here too), the others are fighting spaceships.

As usual, there are action problems from Portela. He never manages to convey the size of the battle and is much better suited for the Legionnaires investigation scenes. The close-ups are also odd this issue, with Portela’s faces looking far too amateurish and manga influenced for a mainstream sci-fi book.

It’s okay, but Levitz is definitely making some awkwardly bad choices.

CREDITS

Shadow War; writer, Paul Levitz; artist, Francis Portela; colorist, Javier Mena; letterer, Pat Brosseau; editor, Chris Conroy; publisher, DC Comics.

Legion Lost 3 (January 2012)

Nicieza keeps going with the Timber Wolf narration. Sure, he’s the only character doing much for this issue, but it doesn’t excuse the lousy narration. I wish third person exposition hadn’t gone out of style in mainstream comics. Writers were much better at it.

Otherwise, this inoffensive series continues to be inoffensive. Nicieza doesn’t concentrate on the “stranger in a strange world” possibilities (and why should he–the new DC has like six series of that type). Instead, it’s a mix of investigation and action. Timber Wolf doing both, of course. Nicieza positions him as the only Legionnaire who gets the gravity of the situation.

Nicieza is covering about a day per issue (this issue is day three and the third issue). If he keeps up that arrangement, Legion Lost might be really interesting. Not exactly real time, but close enough.

Once again, it’s harmless.

What else should one ask?

CREDITS

Red Rage; writer, Fabian Nicieza; artist, Pete Woods; colorist, Brad Anderson; letterer, Travis Lanham; editors, Darren Shan and Brian Cunningham; publisher, DC Comics.

Legion of Super-Heroes 2 (December 2011)

Legion continues to be fine. Levitz is preaching to his choir though; he’s got cute little jokes between boy and girl Legionnaires I’m sure he was doing back in the eighties. He’s having fun and he clearly likes the characters.

It makes the comic entertaining to read, but not necessarily entertaining overall. Levitz makes some odd narrative choices, like treating Mon-El as a mute. Everyone talks about him, like he’s the comic’s de facto star, which I’d never thought was the case. Levitz exaggerates it.

Maybe for the new readers? He’s making a central figure, one easy to identify.

The more impressive thing this issue has to be Portela. He draws the action scenes here a lot better than last time. He still has problems with the comic’s visual pacing overall though.

Once again, I find myself without a lot to say about Legion.

It is what it is.

CREDITS

Hostile World; writer, Paul Levitz; artist, Francis Portela; colorist, Javier Mena; letterer, Pat Brosseau; editor, Chris Conroy; publisher, DC Comics.

Legion Lost 2 (December 2011)

Reading Legion Lost feels like reading a nineties comic someone told you was really, really good… only for you to go back and read it to discover it’s okay, but painfully endemic of the period. I mean, where Woods came up with the hairstyles is beyond me….

It’s not a bad issue, it’s just a terribly mediocre one (with some bad elements). First and foremost, Nicieza uses first person narration and it’s rather bad. He’s not able to make it a distinguishable personality among the lost Legionaries. Even though there’s a little logo telling me who it is, I’m not familiar enough with the logos. I think it’s Timber Wolf. Pretty sure.

The content seems, like much of the new DC, a rehash of recent Marvel stuff. A little Civil War, a little of Bendis’s energy guy. Nicieza’s not even feigning originality.

Lost is pointless and passable. It’s totally harmless.

CREDITS

The Dawn of the Hypersapiens; writer, Fabian Nicieza; artist, Pete Woods; colorist, Brad Anderson; letterer, Travis Lanham; editors, Darren Shan and Brian Cunningham; publisher, DC Comics.

Legion of Super-Heroes 1 (November 2011)

My issue with Legion of Super-Heroes—to some degree, with all the incarnations in the last five or so years—is it’s just a refresh of the Paul Levitz, pre-Crisis Legion. Notice I didn’t say rehash. I said refresh. Even here—with Levitz relaunching the title for the big DC line-wide relaunch—it plays on the good memories of his previous work.

DC can’t get it in their head (and never has been able to)… certain comics don’t need to be relaunched.

Levitz does a fine job scripting and I’m reasonably engaged. But he’s playing off readers’ existing affections.

If I have any problems with this comic book, it’s with artist Francis Portela. He has a real problem with cause and effect. He can’t tie visuals together (whether landing craft launching or guys punching).

But the comic’s good. It’s just… It’s not “new.”

And probably shouldn’t be.

CREDITS

Renegade World; writer, Paul Levitz; artist, Francis Portela; colorist, Javier Mena; letterer, Pat Brosseau; editors, Chris Conroy; publisher, DC Comics.

Legion Lost 1 (November 2011)

Legion Lost looks a lot more like old, nineties Pete Woods than the Woods I’d gotten used to a few years ago. He’s looser. Maybe it’s supposed to be more “fun.”

But Legion Lost isn’t fun. It’s a TV pilot about young superheroes trapped in a past they didn’t make. In a lot of ways, it’s totally fine. It’s nothing I’d ever read if it weren’t part of a publisher’s major relaunch—and I can’t imagine anyone else getting excited based on the content, Fabian Nicieza does nothing to characterize the time traveling superheroes.

But still… it’s not terrible.

Nicieza can write thoroughly mediocre superhero books and apparently Woods can draw them.

In a lot of ways, the comic’s utter lack of ambition makes it a diverting read. There’s no “weight” to it. It’s not trying to be fun or serious. It’s just a commercial gesture for its brand.

Whatever.

CREDITS

Run from Tomorrow, Part One: Present Tense; writer, Fabian Nicieza; artist, Pete Woods; colorist, Brad Anderson; letterer, Travis Lanham; editors, Darren Shan and Brian Cunningham; publisher, DC Comics.