Adventure Comics volume 2 #0

This era of the Legion of Super-Heroes comic stars the original Legion, the same Legion that was brought back into the DCU in the pages of Justice League and JSA during the Lightning Saga by Geoff Johns. After the Lightning Saga, this same incarnation of the Legion of Super-Heroes would be seen again in the pages of the Geoff Johns penned Action Comics #858-863 published in 2007 & 2008.

After the Superman & the Legion of Super-Heroes arc in Action Comics concluded in March of 2008, this original incarnation of the Legion next appeared in the Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds five issue mini-series by Geoff Johns and George Perez. The series debuted in August of 2008 and concluded in July of 2009, with Adventure Comics volume 2 #1 hitting stands the following month. However, heralding the return of an ongoing Legion feature and the return of the historic Adventure Comics was a #0 that was released in February 2009 with a $1 price tag.  Adventure Comics volume 2 #0 reprinted the origin of the Legion of Super-Heroes from Adventure Comics #247. (For our LSB round-robin review of that issue go HERE)

When the second volume of  Adventure Comics launched, it embraced the historical role of the previous series, and carried two sets of issue numbers on the cover. In addition to the numbering for volume 2, the covers also carried the numbering of the first volume of Adventure, which had ended with issue #503 in 1983. So Adventure Comics vol 2 #1 also listed #504 on the cover. After issue #12 of the series, which also sported a #515 on the cover, the series fully embraced the original series' numbering, dropping the volume 2 numbering completely.



When Adventure Comics vol 2 made its debut, the main focus of the series was the recently resurrected Superboy (Conner Kent) and the Legion often, but not always, had a back-up feature. Eight page back-up stories featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes ran in issues #1-4, for example. Both the Superboy and Legion stories in these first four issues of Adventure were written by Geoff Johns, who also wrote the Superman: Secret Origin six issue mini-series that was being released at the same time. Superman: Secret Origin #2 guest-starred the Legion and reaffirmed that in the post-Infinite Crisis DCU Superman did in fact spend his youth as Superboy in Smallville (which had not been the case since 1986) and that the events in Adventure Comics #247 (which was reprinted in Adventure Comics #0), were now back IN continuity. Eventually, the Legion took over the lead feature of Adventure Comics vol 2  from Superboy, and told (or re-told) "Silver Age" early Legion adventures. We here at LSB look forward to covering these adventures starting next month! 

In addition to reprinting the first appearance of the Legion from the classic Adventure Comics #247, Adventure Comics #0 also had a six page story titled "Origins and Omens" written by Geoff Johns with art by Francis Manapul. This story set up some plot lines that would be explored in this second volume of Adventure. That story is reprinted in the Superboy: Boy of Steel HC and TPB.