By: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Pete Woods (artist), Brad Anderson (colorist)
The Story: Seems like everyone’s going retro these days.
The Review: Paul Levitz’s at best uninspired run on Legion of Super-Heroes almost continuously dragged its heels from the day it relaunched and only rarely delivered any goods worth staying on for. Adventure Comics, its youthful counterpart, bore some promise, but eventually slipped into the same lifeless pattern. While too jaded to give Levitz’s go at the umpteenth relaunch of the title a try, Nicieza’s merits always earns his work a perusal, I’d say.
Frankly, what he gives us is everything the Legion should be. First off, he sets them up young—not quite as baby-faced as their original portrayals, but significantly less thirtyish than the exhausted, grim-looking folks we got the last couple years. But more than appearance, the tone of the characters has liveliness again. They still retain a gloss of experienced professionalism, but mostly they sound energetic, focused, and open to adventure, which is as it should be.
Then, too, Nicieza gives us a very potent mix of Legionnaires, including a few fan favorites and also some interesting, unexpected choices. Of course you have Timber Wolf (“Wolverine Lite,” as I like to call him) and Wildfire and Dawnstar, the 31st Century’s Ross and Rachel (or, for you more current readers, the 31st Century’s Sammy and Ronnie). But you also have helpful amphibian Tellus, actress Chameleon Girl, surprisingly foul-mouthed Gates, and Tyrok, who’s gained quite a bit of stature as of late, playing leader here.
Their sheer diversity alone had no guarantee of assuring rich interplay (see Justice League International #1). Nicieza’s strong character writing puts all their personalities and powers in the forefront without having to spell it our right to you—for the most part, anyway. With any luck, once this introductory issue gets out of the way, Nicieza from now on has the freedom to just play and not worry about the initial logistical stuff.
Anyway, as it stands, our heroes already have a lot on their plate. Already facing the prospects of getting left stranded in the past (our present), they also have to deal with malfunctioning flight rights and fritzing powers. And while our villain may have a howling rage for humankind (Earth’s future xenophobia is literally coming back—in time, that is—to bite us in the butt), by issue’s end, his presence becomes moot, though the damage has already been done.
We leave with the team already suffering serious casualties, and realizing that even if they manage to save the world, they have no guarantee of getting out unscathed. This is what’s been missing from Legion: a genuine sense of peril. With both their staple equipment out of whack and even their own abilities undependable, the Legionnaires can’t rely solely on experience and raw power to win the day. They’ll have to put all their wits to bear just to survive.
You may have seen Woods’ gorgeous, all-purpose work on his hit run with Paul Cornell on Action Comics, but here he takes on almost a completely different, but equally tremendous style. His figures retain all their remarkable depth, but he plays more freely with proportion and line, adding an exuberant youth to the characters. Anderson’s bold, neon colors also do much to make the issue look eye-catching, wild, and hip. The Legion hasn’t looked this good in a long time.
Conclusion: A must read for Legion fans who’d like a more current take on the characters. The issue sings with action and humor, and promises even more to come.
Grade: B+
– Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: – Poor Yera. Her acting career has to be in a rough patch, considering she’s doing gigs for the Time Institute now, hardly what you call a big break. Then she winds up getting dragged into the past to track down some fatal terrorist. One heck of a Monday.
– I don’t know if Woods or letterer Travis Lanham put this in, but when Dawnstar’s blorching in the background of one panel, you can see a scribbled “Yarf!” sound effect. Thanks for making my day.
Grade
Conclusion