There is no franchise I love more than the Legion of Super-Heroes. There is also no franchise that has been more poorly handled over the decades. It seems that every time DC Comics does something with the Legion of Super-Heroes, they end up getting it wrong. The last incarnation that DC Comics foisted on us was the Brian Bendis Legion, which went over about as well as a turd in a punchbowl.
This is why, when DC Comics announced that they were going to be rolling out a brand-new Legion of Super-Heroes comic book, I was hesitant, to say the least. You can only be burned so many times before you lose all trust in a publisher. That is where I was with DC Comics. I made my trepidation clear when I unveiled my advice for Joshua Williamson and his new Legion of Super-Heroes. But, in the end, I want my beloved Legion to do well and, selfishly, I want to enjoy a Legion comic again.
So, here we are. The moment has finally arrived. I have a crisp new issue of Legion of Super-Heroes in my hands. Let’s not waste any time. Let’s go ahead and hit this review for Legion of Super-Heroes #1.
Words: Joshua Williamson
Art: Hayden Sherman
Colors: Tamra Bonvillain
Synopsis: R.J. Brande’s journal serves as the spine and narration for this entire issue. We begin with Brande narrating that the truth about the Age of Superheroes has been lost for too long. It never began with destruction and death. Instead, it began with love. At its heart was a young man who chose to help people: Superboy. We see Superboy in action, saving some people in Smallville.
We then cut to a thousand years later in Superlopolis, the capital of Earth. The news is reporting that R.J. Brande has been killed. We see Brainiac 5 (No, I am not using that idiotic and clunky Brainiac 1 of 5 codename. Sorry, not sorry.) and Matter-Eater Lad investigating the murder. The two are private investigators. Brainiac 5 notices that the Persuaders are involved in the investigation, which is highly unusual. The Persuaders are usually assigned the role of rounding up people using their superpowers in public.
Brainy states that the United Planets is a joke and on the verge of collapse. R.J. Brande was attempting to broker a new deal between worlds within the UP to maintain peace. The authorities don’t want the public to know about Brande and what he was up to.
At the crime scene, we see an L spray-painted on a wall. (It’s the Legion logo.) Brainiac 5 says that the Science Police believe Brande was researching superheroes. Matter-Eater Lad comments that, after the great disaster, the United Planets made it illegal for anyone to use their powers for any kind of crime-fighting.
We shift to Winath, where Lightning Lad is chasing down three criminals who stole a car. Lightning Lad takes out the criminals and then takes off. The police arrive to arrest them.
We cut to Garth’s home. Ayla enters Garth’s room and comments that she can’t believe he is trying to play superhero again. Ayla makes fun of Garth for being a nerd, not having any friends, and being weird.
Garth responds that they should be using their superpowers to be superheroes and help people, and that their lightning powers were a gift. Ayla says that Garth sounds like Mekt. Garth says that Mekt is standing up to the dumb anti-superhero laws, using his powers to help people and save lives. Ayla responds that Garth is going to get them all in trouble.
We see that Garth has a secret shrine to Superboy with all sorts of memorabilia. Ayla comments that Superboy was not even real. She says that they’re not going to be saving anything or anyone and storms out of the room. Garth talks to himself about how he wishes someone else understood that he’s meant for so much more.
We then cut to Braal, where a magnoball tournament is underway. Rokk has the ball. He’s about to score for the win when he gets fouled for the fifth time. The refs are allowing the other teams to really go after him and hurt him. We see Rokk powering up to an insane level, creating armor around himself and attacking the opposing team.
We shift to the locker room at the end of the game, where Rokk looks sad. His parents are yelling at him. He’s an idiot. He could have cost them everything. His winning the championship was their ticket off this planet, and now he’s going to have to go back to work in the mines. They’re lucky no one died, and they want to know where he learned to use his powers like that. His career could be over.
We then cut to Earth, where Brainiac 5 and Matter-Eater Lad are in R.J. Brande’s office, looking for more clues.
We zip to Titan, where Imra is learning to harness her powers. She is a princess with the greatest telepathic abilities of anyone who has ever lived. We see Imra suddenly receiving thoughts from the original Brainiac about the once-infinite Earths falling, a world without Legion, the future belonging to him, and there being no future for the son of Krypton.
We cut back to R.J. Brande’s office, where Matter-Eater Lad eats his way through Brande’s safe to find a journal. This is the journal that has provided the narration for the entire issue. We see that Brande has been keeping a list of people with superpowers. Brainiac 5 says that Brande wore a surveillance suit that monitored his every move and interaction for security reasons. If Brainy can hack into it, it should show them the last person Brande saw before he was killed.
Suddenly, the Persuaders bust into the room and attack our heroes. We cut to Winath, where Garth and Ayla are walking to school. Ayla runs on ahead, and Garth slumps along slowly, all sad. Suddenly, Garth is cornered by the three criminals from earlier, who proceed to beat the hell out of him.
We cut back to Brainiac 5, loading up the final image of who was near R.J. Brande when he was killed. We cut back to Winath and see Mekt arriving on the scene to blast the three criminals and save his baby brother. We cut back to Brainiac 5, saying that Mekt Ranzz killed R.J. Brande. End of issue.
The Good: This is what I was hoping for. This is what I have been waiting for ever since Jim Shooter’s second run on the Legion of Super-Heroes was canceled. It’s a feeling that’s hard to explain, but when it hits you just right, you know you are reading an authentic Legion of Super-Heroes story.
That’s what I felt when I finished Williamson’s Legion of Super-Heroes #1. I wasn’t asking Williamson to become the second coming of Paul Levitz or Jim Shooter. What I was hoping for was that Williamson would finally deliver a Legion of Super-Heroes comic that felt authentic to the franchise. This is something we have not gotten in a long time.
As much as I loved that Geoff Johns returned the one-true Legion in the Levitz pre-Crisis Legion of Super-Heroes, the fact is that his run on the Legion never felt quite right. And, of course, we had the abject disaster that was the Bendis Legion. That felt like a serial killer who had skinned my beloved franchise and was wearing its face as a mask. It felt like a bad joke from a DC Comics editorial team that was completely and utterly out of touch with the Legion franchise. It felt like Bendis went out of his way to insult Legion fans. It felt like a blunt middle finger.
Given how horrendously awful Bendis’s Legion was, I had practically no hope that DC Comics’ current editorial staff would be able to put together a proper Legion of Super-Heroes comic.
And what I was hoping for was not simply nostalgia. The last thing I want to read is someone else regurgitating Paul Levitz’s stories with a “modern” twist. What I wanted, and have always wanted, is a new Legion of Super-Heroes story that is true to the values, the core themes, and the standards of the franchise.
I wanted to read new Legion stories involving Legionnaires who felt and acted like the Legionnaires we have always known and loved. I still remember the feeling I got in the early 1980s, reading Paul Levitz’s Legion of Super-Heroes and falling madly in love with this franchise. That is the same feeling Joshua Williamson gave me while reading Legion of Super-Heroes #1. To be honest, that’s a feeling I never thought I would get again while reading a Legion comic.
But as I turned the pages, I could feel it welling up in me. I felt that old feeling again. I was reading a real, true Legion of Super-Heroes comic book. I was seeing my beloved Legionnaires, and I could recognize them.
What made Legion of Super-Heroes #1 all that much more impressive is that it would be equally enjoyable to a reader who is a complete novice to the franchise. I was concerned that Williamson would have a nearly impossible task delivering a new Legion of Super-Heroes that appealed both to longtime fans such as myself and to brand-new readers. Attracting new readers was of paramount importance to keeping my beloved Legion franchise alive. After all, longtime Legion fans like myself are not getting any younger. Bringing in new readers is vital to the franchise’s long-term health and growth.
Williamson was able to thread the needle and make Legion of Super-Heroes #1 new-reader-friendly while still gearing it straight toward longtime readers. This new world was familiar enough to make longtime fans smile and yet still incredibly accessible to new readers.
Debut issues always have a tough task. They have to welcome new readers without boring longtime fans, quickly establish the setting, introduce the main characters, develop the main plot and hopefully a few subplots, and introduce or hint at the big bad threat. The writer must also clearly establish the new comic’s mission statement, why it exists in the market, and why readers should come back for more.
A debut issue should deliver enough continuity for longtime readers while remaining accessible to those unfamiliar with the franchise’s history. This task becomes even more daunting with a franchise like the Legion of Super-Heroes. The Legion is highly unique: it is incredibly old, has phenomenally dense and confusing continuity, and has a very small but extremely rabid and vocal fan base.
Williamson must have felt like a batter stepping up to the plate to face Shohei Ohtani when it came to delivering this debut issue. Well, Williamson absolutely crushed this one way out of the ballpark.
Williamson checked off every single box on the checklist for a debut issue. Legion of Super-Heroes #1 is new-reader-friendly without boring longtime readers. Do not let the Legion’s long and daunting continuity scare you away from reading this issue. New readers are given all the information they need to fully understand and enjoy Legion of Super-Heroes #1.
Williamson wastes no time establishing the Legion’s world in a clear and concise fashion. He introduces the three Legion founders: Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, and Saturn Girl. We also get several other Legionnaires: Lightning Lass, Brainiac 5, and Matter-Eater Lad. That is plenty of Legionnaires for a debut issue.
Williamson develops the main plotline and a few subplots. We also get several villains in Lightning Lord and Brainiac. Williamson ends the issue with a good hook that makes the reader want to come back for more.
Most importantly, Williamson delivers the mission statement for this new Legion of Super-Heroes comic. This is going to be a classic superhero story fused with plenty of strong science fiction elements to deliver a fun action-adventure story. We are going to see our young heroes assemble and establish themselves as a beacon of hope in a universe that has lost its way.
Williamson delivers a wonderfully paced and plotted issue with Legion of Super-Heroes #1. While I vehemently oppose the decision to kill off Brande in the debut of this newest version of the Legion, I will admit that I adored how Williamson constructed this issue. I love the use of Brande’s journal as its spine. It gives the reader deep insight into Brande’s character, his beliefs, and his motivations. It also gives Williamson the perfect vehicle to convey a large amount of backstory and world-building. This avoids having characters deliver exposition dumps that seem unnatural and can bore the reader.
Brande’s journal is also the perfect method of introducing the reader to the Legion’s setting and clearly establishing the world they inhabit. I appreciate how well-paced and plotted Legion of Super-Heroes #1 is. Williamson balances the necessary world-building, the assembly of the main characters, and the establishment of the central story arc while still delivering action scenes to keep the story lively. The issue flows pleasantly. The reader never gets bored or feels like the story is dragging.
The main story arc revolves around Brande’s murder because of his plan to collect superpowered people together to form a group of superheroes. We also get several interesting subplots. The first concerns the main suspect, Mekt, aka Lightning Lord. I have a feeling that this might be a head fake by Williamson. However, Lightning Lord’s history of always being a member of the Legion of Super-Villains is enough to get readers to believe he truly is the killer. I am curious to see how Williamson handles Mekt’s character. Are we in store for a pure villain, or is Mekt going to be more of a gray character?
The second subplot concerns Brainiac and his cryptic statements. Williamson appears to be positioning Brainiac as the big bad for the opening story arc. This is a fine enough selection. It is not the villain I would have chosen. I would have given that honor to a more classic or iconic Legion villain like the Fatal Five, Mordru, Darkseid, the Dominators, the Khunds, or the Dark Circle. But Brainiac is okay. There is the obvious connection between Brainiac 5 and Brainiac. There is also the old Legion villain Pulsar Stargrave, who claimed to be the future incarnation of Brainiac.
At any rate, it appears that Brainiac is trying to erase Superman from Earth’s history to prevent a new age of superheroes from arising.
We have the additional mystery of Mekt, who has always operated as Lightning Lord and has always been affiliated with the Legion of Super-Villains. It remains to be seen if he is truly Brande’s killer or if that is a false memory placed in Brande’s security system by Brainiac. It also remains to be seen if Mekt is actually adventuring in the universe and using his powers for good, or if he has been using them for evil and his own personal gain.
This makes the reader wonder if Brainiac is pulling all the strings and using Mekt as his puppet, or if Brainiac is part of some greater plan that goes beyond Brande’s murder.
It is worth examining Brainiac’s cryptic lines that are delivered in Saturn Girl’s scene. “Hello Kal-El” and “Give my regards to Mr. and Mrs. Kent…” sound like menacing lines Brainiac would deliver to Superman to let him know that he knows Superman’s secret identity.
“The future belongs to me…” and “There is no future for the last son of Krypton…” would play off Brande’s statement that the historians are wrong about the age of superheroes beginning with destruction and death. The truth has been lost for too long. It began with love and Superboy’s desire to help people. We also get Ayla’s line about Superboy not even being real. Taken together, these lines would offer evidence that Brainiac is the one who has corrupted the timeline to erase Superboy from history and change the history of the age of superheroes.
We get the statement “Without a Legion…” This would also play into Brainiac’s desire to create a future that belongs to him and not superheroes.
“We wanted to meet you, and we wanted to thank you.” This is an interesting teaser about another person Brainiac would like to thank. Could that indicate another villain? The statement also uses the word “we,” which indicates that Brainiac is working with someone else.
Then we get the statement “Once the infinite Earths fall…” This references the multiverse. I guess this refers to the original Crisis on Infinite Earths from 1986, when DC Comics trashed the multiverse. This was also a moment that wiped away Superman’s history as Superboy. The unintended fallout of getting rid of the multiverse and retconning Superman’s history in Crisis on Infinite Earths was the irrevocable breaking of the Legion’s foundation. This statement also fits with the fact that Lightning Lad has Superboy comic books and merchandise. On this Legion’s Earth, Superboy was not real.
The last line we get from Brainiac is “Welcome to the future.” I am sure this is Brainiac’s future and no place where superheroes are welcome or allowed.
The third subplot is Lightning Lad’s desire to be a superhero and his storyline with Mekt. The fourth subplot is Rokk’s troubles on Braal. All in all, Williamson delivers plenty of content with this issue and gets multiple plotlines moving in a logical, orderly, and quick fashion.
The Persuaders are an interesting creation. Now, I would far prefer that we get the real Persuader, a member of the iconic Fatal Five, easily one of the greatest Legion villains of all time. However, that ship has sailed, and I am going to move on from my strong objection to handling the Persuader mantle in this manner. Williamson does a good job of using the Persuaders as faceless heavies designed to clamp down on any superpowered people acting as superheroes.
I guess that these various Persuaders might be revealed as Legionnaires under some sort of mind control that turns them into the brutal enforcers of the UP. Part of the evidence is that the female Persuader we see in this issue has wings. That sure indicates Dawnstar to me.
Williamson also serves up some excellent character work. The reader gets a clear sense of each character’s personality. Brainy is his usual computer-like self. Tenzil is hilarious. The two pair up perfectly and have strong chemistry. Brainy plays the straight man, which allows Tenzil to mix in some comedy. Having said that, Williamson wisely restrains the comedy. At no point does Tenzil start spouting off “witty” dialogue that feels incongruous with the scene or undercuts the drama of the story.
I loved the little bit that we got with both Rokk and Imra. Williamson properly taps into Rokk’s tough blue-collar background. He also has an excellent feel for Rokk’s superstar jock background, which serves as his key to escaping the tough blue-collar world of Braal. It is a story we see many times in American sports.
Williamson also hints at Rokk’s natural tendency to exert control over his emotions and his powers. Having Rokk’s parents berate him so severely shows that this outburst was unexpected and unusual. Even though Rokk has no dialogue at all in this issue, Williamson gives the reader a strong sense of his character.
Williamson also does a fine job with Imra’s character. The reader understands her power level and the unusual structure of Titan. Imra is also the perfect literary tool to introduce some teasers concerning Brainiac and his plans.
I also liked how Williamson handled Ayla’s character. Ayla plays the role of the “mean” sister. While Ayla and Garth are twins, Ayla comes across with plenty of big sister vibes. Anyone with a big sister will immediately recognize this in Ayla. I dig this approach, as it makes Garth more sympathetic and adds some tension between the siblings.
Of course, the star of the show in Legion of Super-Heroes #1 is Garth. I love how Williamson handles his character. Garth is the perfect embodiment of what young boys go through when growing up. Young boys center on power fantasies like no other. Garth certainly has that power fantasy, but unlike most boys, he has actually been gifted the power to do something about it. However, he is frustrated by the fact that he is prevented from using his powers.
I love the wistful hopefulness that fuels Garth’s desire to become a superhero. His desire to become something more than someone living a “normal” life on Winath is palpable. Williamson manages to make Garth the most childlike of all the Legionnaires introduced in this issue, while also making him the most hopeful and the most willing to rebel against the Persuaders in his quest to be a superhero. It is a fascinating dichotomy.
Sherman’s landscapes, cityscapes, and backgrounds are amazing. Truly breathtaking. Sherman brings the Legion’s world to life in a vibrant and immersive fashion. I love the different styles of architecture he employs depending on the city and world we are in. From the outlandish architecture of Superlopolis to the more Usonian-style houses on Winath, Sherman does an amazing job making the Legion’s world visually striking.
I also loved Sherman’s panel layouts. They are incredibly creative and dynamic, which helps make Legion of Super-Heroes #1 exciting to read. This is evident in so many scenes. When Brainiac 5 is looking for clues about Brande’s killing, Sherman has the panels swirling around him to emphasize Brainy going down a rabbit hole of clues.
My other favorite example is the scene with Rokk’s parents yelling at him in the locker room. Sherman’s panel layouts help convey the emotional moment in Williamson’s dialogue. Sherman does a masterful job of having the negative space close in on Rokk as he hits a low moment in his life.
The Bad: There are a few little details here and there that are a tad annoying. One example is that Superlopolis is now the capital of Earth. Before now, Metropolis or New Metropolis has always been the capital of Earth. I see no reason to change that to Superlopolis. First, Superlopolis sounds stupid. Second, it seems to be a change for change’s sake, without any logical or interesting reason.
My only other criticism of Legion of Super-Heroes #1 would be Sherman’s artwork. As I mentioned above, Sherman’s cityscapes, architecture, landscapes, backgrounds, and panel layouts are fantastic. However, I am not a fan of his people or his costume designs.
Sherman’s costumes are all way too busy, and they look too clownish. His people are unappealing and not at all what I think fits the superhero genre. I cannot stand the effeminate style of male characters, and we get that with Sherman’s male characters. I am still not too sure if Matter-Eater Lad is even a guy. Garth looks effeminate. Rokk looks effeminate. Soft and effeminate men are just not what I am looking for in a superhero comic book. The androgynous look for the Legionnaires in general is a big turn-off for me.
Story Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Overall: Legion of Super-Heroes #1 was an excellent debut issue. Fans of the Legion are loyal for a reason, and we have been burned enough times to be wary. But the ingredients here are right: a clear mission, a murder mystery at the center, a United Planets that feels dangerous, and a creative team that understands what makes the heart of the Legion of Super-Heroes franchise beat. If you have been waiting for a doorway back into the Legion, this is the issue to walk through.
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