TheJustice League.The Teen Titans.
Heck, even the Outsiders.
The basic premise of the Legion of Super-Heroes is simple.
But actually reading the Legion can be a bit daunting.
The team also has a massive line-up, sometimes with more than 25 members at one time.
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But dont worry, were here to save the day!
The Legion became a regular fixture inAdventure Comics, and its ranks soon began to fill out.
But eventually, the tone grew more complex and rich.
The Legion expels Star Boy for killing in self-defense in 1966sAdventure Comics#342.
Ferro Lad sacrificed himself to reignite the sun inAdventure Comics#352-353 (1967).
The stories really kicked into gear once Paul Levitz and eventually Keith Giffen came on board.
However, it builds to a fantastic climax, which reaffirms the hopeful nature of the Legion of Super-Heroes.
Lightning Lad became Live Wire.
Shadow Lass became Umbra.
Chameleon Boy just dropped the Boy because its cleaner.
As this description suggests, the Legion had a more adversarial attitude than its predecessors.
The book really jumped into high gear whenSupergirltraveled to the 30th century after theInfinite Crisiscrossover in 2006.
But it wasnt enough to save this Legion and, after 50 issues, the book was canceled.
In 2006, writerGeoff Johnsadded a new character calledStarmanto theJustice Society of America.
And this one kept talking about his friends in the future.
Thats because this Starman was actually Thom Kallor, Star Boy of the original Legion of Super-Heroes.
His appearance raised a few questions.
These stories re-established Superboys involvement in the Legion and the original continuity, minus the FYL stories.
Well, with some adjustments.
Despite this vote of confidence,Legion Lostended soon after andLegion of Super-Heroesdidnt even make it to 25 issues.
They should have known better.
They would drop by Superman stories and even played a major role in the short-lived ongoingJustice League United.
But for the most part, they were forgotten.
In fact, the seriesJustice League 3000by Giffen and his formerJustice League Internationalpartner J.M.
DeMatteis gave viewers a totally different look at the 31st century, one without the Legion.
But then cameBrian Michael Bendis.
When Bendis jumped ship from Marvel to DC, he got a lot of creative leeway.
So when he wanted to do his ownLegion of Super-Heroesbook, DC let him reboot the team.
The fourth version of theLegion of Super-Heroesdoes have its strong points.
Ryan Sooks art is fantastic throughout the series.
However, Bendiss writing on the book is simply terrible.
The team has a membership of almost 30 members and Bendis writes them all with the exact same voice.
The Teens of Tomorrow, Today?
Since the end of Bendiss run, the status of the Legion has been up in the air.
The Saturn Girl foDoomsday Clockseemed to be the Retroboot version, so perhaps theyre out there still?
In other words, DC hasnt forgotten about the Legion of Super-Heroes as a concept.
The team will surely return again, either as another reboot or a continuation of an existing version.
The easiest place to jump is during either of the first two reboots.
Every Legionnaire gets a moment, using the huge cast to increase the storys stakes.
The first story traces the founding of the Legion and its early conflicts.
After a disaster, a small contingent of Legionnaires finds themselves hurled into deep space.
However,Legion Lostearns its heightened drama with a compelling, and ultimately hopeful, tale.
That playfulness came to the fore after the DC Comics Infinite Crisis crossover sent Supergirl into the far future.
Finally, there are the animated appearances of the Legion.
The team had some great appearances in classic DC animated seriesSupermanandJustice League Unlimited.
And DC readers wouldnt keep asking for these comebacks.
But the Legionisthat good and the initial difficulty is worth it.
So check out one of the reboots or the classic trades.
Soon, you too will start shouting, Long Live the Legion!
