The Legion Returns... But, They Weren't Gone?!?!

The era we are calling "Superman And The Legion of Super-Heroes"  or "The Adult Legion" kicked off with a stealth reboot in the pages of a Justice League of America and Justice Society of America crossover "The Lightning Saga" which had no indication that The Legion would even be involved.

The Lightning Saga

This caused confusion, since Supergirl was hanging out with the Legion in an ongoing series. In fact, these Legionnaires looked nothing like their ongoing counterparts.  But, that confusion would quickly be compounded.

Action Comics, "Superman and the Legion of Superheroes"

Geoff Johns wrote Action Comics #858, which teamed The Legion up with an adult Superman to face the xenophobic villain Earth Man. The Legion in Action still didn't jive with The Legion in the ongoing, causing many fans to pull their hair out.

Thankfully (?!?!) the mini-series Legion of Three Worlds streamlined the continuity so that only the retro-Legion re-introduced in "The Lightning Saga" remained as the one, true Legion. This led to a new ongoing series.

The Legion revived for 2010

Paul Levitz returned to chronicle The Legion of Superheroes, in a series that took it's cues from the Pre-Crisis continuity, and pushed the ball forward from there. But, one series just wasn't quite enough for the rejuvenated Legion.

Adventure Comics #518

Adventure Comics had been relaunched as a vehicle for the recently resurrected Conner Kent Superboy, but The Legion wasn't content to let their old home go quietly, so the book shifted to cover The Legion Academy. New recruit characters were featured, expanding the universe even further.

Then, the universe ended. DC rebooted their entire line, but The Legion still had a place. In fact, they had two slots. 

Legion Lost #1 

Legion of Superheroes #1

The New 52 Legion of Super-Heroes launched in an all-new volume, picking up right where the previous volume left off (more or less) and a new title, Legion Lost, chronicled a group of Legionnaires who... well, were lost in time. 

Sadly, both series came to an end, leading to a period in which The Legion was not in continuous publication. A dark time for the team's fans. Hopefully, by the time we finish reviewing this series, they will be back...!

Long Live the Legion!