New 52 Legion Lost #16

Reviews of last issues of flawed series are often difficult to write. 

Re-reviewing them?? Even more so.

Legion Lost #16 ends the title. The current plot is expunged with little explanation. The subplots that have been brewing aren't resolved. The main problem of the team being in the past isn't taken care of. The villains motives are unexplained.

Yep. Sounds like the death of a New 52 title.

And it is a shame because the first couple of issues by writer Tom DeFalco actually had a little promise to them. The idea of a lost Legion, lost in time, lost to their own problems, lost to each other is kind of a good hook. 

But in the end, this book needed to have life support cut. The time was right to end. 

As I said then, at least I got Dawny hugging Wildfire.

New 52 Legion Lost #15

Legion Lost is running on fumes and so are my reviews.

In Legion Lost #15, the penultimate issue of the run, writer Tom DeFalco keeps things moving forward. He tries to inject important character moments into the meaningless fight that is happening around the team. But there isn't much else to report here.

After rereading this, I still love Wildfire's subtle goodbye and Dawny's tears. But the rest seems loud and unnecessary. The main villains are still unknowns. The fact that the all-powerful villains are using a robot dinosaur makes little sense. And why we need Superboy to be mistreated like this makes no sense.

Andres Guinaldo steps in on art with Pete Woods heading to Vibe (at the time). His work is workmanlike. Fine but nothing spectacular.

One more issue for all this to be wrapped up. I don't have high hopes.

New 52 Legion Lost #14

What do you do when you are a creator and your book is about to be cancelled?
Well, in theory you should reward the readers with a decent closure to all the arcs that have been percolating.
What you shouldn't do is add too much new stuff such that old stuff can't be resolved. What you shouldn't do is have a guest star dominate the issue.

Welcome to Legion Lost #14. There are two more books in the series. Each character has hinted at a dark secret they have been harboring. We have been learning about them, finally. But instead of spending time to wrap them up, writer Tom DeFalco brings in some 'Galactus Herald' type baddies from out of nowhere and then has Harvest, Superboy, and the Ravagers all come in and take up page space.

This is basically a brawl issue with a huge fight taking up almost all the space. We don't learn much more about secrets or move closer to resolutions. And it is presented with so many artists I can't list them here (I will below).

There is a panel in the middle which makes me happy. But outside of that, this issue made me sad. There was some potential in this book, ultimately wasted. How many New 52 original titles can we say that about? Too many.

New 52 Legion Lost #0

It's amazing what 6 years will do in revisiting a comic.

In the review below, from 2012, I bemoan the fact that Legion Lost #0 didn't have the impact that the Zero Month of the New 52 had otherwise brought. If you asked me now 'what impact did the Zero Month of the New 52 have?' I would reply none. It is funny, I remember the cape story of Action Comics. I remember the Supergirl/Robin adventure (with slick Maguire art) from Worlds' Finest. I even remember the revelations of Supergirl #0. But I don't think I would say that it was an event with merit.

In rereading this now, I like this issue very much as an updated Timber Wolf story. And that is what Zero Month was supposed to do, introduce readers who might be trying a book. Should it have been a look at the team as a whole to entice people to stay? Yes. Is the crime lord at the end of the book stupid? Yes. But to see Brin go from meek child to feral street fighter to hero in the span of one issue is pretty good. 

And, as always, Pete Woods brings it. On to the book. 

New 52 Legion Lost #12

Legion Lost #12 ended the first year of the book and essentially ended the premise that opened the book. The Hypertaxis plague storyline is ended. Finally.

The book has been changing with Tom DeFalco now writing. He has been switching the main thrust from this plague to one of the Legionnaires each harboring a secret. This new theme finally bubbles over in this issue with many of the secrets revealed to the rest of the team. 

Things happen fast. And secrets are revealed in the midst of battle. You could sense this was DeFalco trying to put his stamp on the book while removing all the old bits. The end heroic team shot feels like the ending of something with a bold new beginning about to happen.

I will say, again, that Pete Woods on art elevates everything that happens in the book. How I would love to see Woods on a Chameleon Boy or Chameleon Girl mini-series! He definitely brings out the creature in these shape-shifters.

New 52 Legion Lost #11

When I was first asked to reformat and reprint my New 52 Legion and Legion Lost reviews for the site, I sort of sighed. I hadn't revisited these runs since they were on the shelves. I had no real burning desire to reread them. I had labeled them as 'lousy' but kept them in my collection because ... well ... they're the Legion.

In particular, I thought the Legion Lost run would be the more onerous of the two to revisit. Between the vague memories of displaced Legionnaires, plagues, The Harvest, and creative upheavals, I remembered the book being an absolute mess.

And yet, somehow, I am enjoying this Legion Lost reread.

New 52 Legion Lost #10

Legion Lost #10 is an interesting turn in the road for the team. Fabian Nicieza is gone and his story with him. Tom DeFalco has tied all that off and is past The Culling crossover. So for me, this is DeFalco's first book when left to his own devices. And for that, it is a pretty decent issue. This team is lost both internally and temporally. The time bubble they stumbled on doesn't bring them home but to a new and sadder future. They all are dealing with secrets. And this includes Wildfire, someone I thought wasn't hiding anything. 

This issue is basically a 'done in one' cementing the idea that the team is going to remain stuck in the past. With so much secrecy, there could be enough plot to last several years ... had the book lasted.

One thing I do like, despite the fact it came out of The Culling, is the matching white color scheme of the team's uniforms, each unique but all linked. Gives the group a sort of team feel.

Onto the book.

New 52 Legion Lost #5

I guess I was a little bit desperate to like a Legion book because I keep opening my old reviews with how good Legion Lost is. I really liked the book back then it seemed. Meanwhile, the older Anj can't help but see the flaws.

I wonder though, perhaps what I like about this book is the details. I see the trees and I am ignoring the forest. Legion Lost #5 is just that sort of issue. The characterization of Dawnstar and Tellus is solid. I like Dawnstar's reluctance to wade into physical battle. I love how she counts on Wildfire's protection. I love Tellus' strategy and his way of defeating the villain. And, of course, I love Wildfire's personality and action. There is a 'boom' moment in this book. 

And Pete Woods' are continues to sparkle.

But the big plot. The Hypertaxis Virus, the defeat of Alastor, his motivations ... it all is off for me. And just like that it, and writer Fabian Nicieza's run on the book, is over. So things aren't great and they are changing. My gut tells me it is not for the better. Maybe we didn't know how good we had it until it was gone.

But rereading that Wildfire page ... oh so Vegeta ... made me smile once again. I had forgotten about it! BOOM!

New 52 Legion Lost #4

Welcome to the review of Legion Lost #4, an issue which I think encapsulates a lot of what was wrong with the New 52.

It is an okay issue. The art by Pete Woods is great. It continues the idea of rotating narrators which allows us to get a sense of what each character is thinking about themselves and the team members. But it also is still in the odd plot of stopping a plague in the past, a plot I don't like. And there are parts in the book that make sense. You'll see when you try to figure out what is going on with Yera.

But the biggest thing about this issue which is pure New 52 is the announcement that the writer is leaving. Fabian Nicieza is gone. Think about that. DC blew up their continuity. They announced 52 new titles based on the best pitches. And 4 issues in there is such dissonance between creator and company that they are going separate ways. The same thing happened with Hawk and Dove. The same thing happened with George Perez on Superman. How can DC have been so short sighted that they didn't realize that so many of their titles weren't going to work. 

Even worse than Nicieza leaving is the news that Tom DeFalco coming on. DeFalco is about as old school as you can get. Not exactly screaming 'bold new direction'. 

But let's not destroy this issue for editorial nonsense. The truth is that the Dawnstar aspect of the issue is really well done. And Pete Woods kills it. 

On to the book.

New 52 Legion Lost #3

I continue my look at 2011's Legion Lost book here on the blog.

This was an interesting reread for me as things I gloss over in the first review stuck out as more painful in my reread. And the things which I seemed to like a lot I think I liked a smidgen less. As a result, I have a slightly downgraded opinion of this. 

For one, the Legion deciding not to ask the other super-heroes, especially Superman, for help out of concern for infection control seems silly now. Humans are infected and milling about shopping malls. This isn't a contained situation. Second, the fact that Timber Wolf can drive a car with the skill of a stunt driver seems foolish. It would be akin to me knowing how to race a stage coach. Lastly, the idea of the Legionnaires being mutated by the virus such that Wolf can fire his finger nails is a bit cringe worthy in retrospect.

Things that do stand out. I like the pattern of writer Fabian Nicieza using a different team member as the narrator each issue. I like that Wolf's more animal nature is part of his life. And contrasting that to the savagery of humans was nice. And the art by Pete Woods continues to shine. That mall splash page below remains incredible. On to the review.

Legion Lost #3 came out 2 weeks ago making this a late review.

We are three months into the DCnU and it is funny how my responses to some books have changed since the opening issue. I really didn't like the first issue of Legion Lost. I put the book on life support saying it had a short period of time to grab me. I thought the second issue was better with a nice narration by Wildfire and smoother art by Pete Woods.I still wasn't fond of the idea of the stranded Legion fighting a plague in the past. But it was a nice improvement.

New 52 Legion Lost #2

Welcome back to my retro-review of Legion Lost. This week I take a look at Legion Lost #2.

As I said before, I have basically forgotten this whole series and so this issue, one you think I would remember, really felt fresh. Wildfire is my favorite Legionnaire and this issue is really something of a deep dive into his character. He is a tortured soul, a ball of energy anthropomorphized by a containment suit who cannot really interact with people in a personal way. And here, he tries to help someone similarly cursed.

The thing here is the new energy person seems a bit too comfortable with his new reality. And also, is the second issue the right time for a Wildfire character study. I suppose Nicieza has to introduce these character to potential new readers brought here by the lure of the New 52.

For me, the voice of Wildfire is dead on and that makes me happy. I still don't like the 'back in the past to fight an epidemic' which, per the Legion's history, didn't happen. Maybe the Legion should do nothing since, to them, it didn't happen. 

And I also have to say that Pete Woods is doing great stuff here. I love his work here.

On to the retro-review.

New 52 Legion Lost #1

Hey all, it's Anj again. 

Fridays for the next several months will be a look back at my New 52 Legion Lost title. I reviewed this over on Supergirl Comic Box Commentary when it came out in 2011. But I haven't thought about it much since then. My overarching feelings were one of disappointment. That much I do remember. But specifics? I don't recall many.

As a result, these reviews will be a bit retro, like my recent reviews of the New 52 Legion of Super-Heroes book. I will post the old review but I will open and close with new thoughts as I reread the book. I must admit, this will truly feel new to me. I don't remember it at all.

As I say in this review of Legion Lost #1, I am not a fan of the "Legion trapped in the present" storyline, whenever it happens. So to have a whole series based on that is already disappointing. To then hinder the characters by making them weakened just by the present day atmosphere is another downer. If I am reading Dawnstar, I want her to be Dawnstar. I want her to have her powers.

I am a bit harsh on Pete Woods art in this review. In retrospect, it is pretty slick. I like the look of the Legionnaires. Even Wildfire's new look is pretty cool. What I don't understand is this team's makeup. Lots of hotheads in this group.

Anyways, onto the book.

Legion Lost #1 came out last week, the second Legion book in the DCnU.

A look back ... And a look forward ... At Friday's With Anj

Hello all, it's Anj again.

It is hard to believe but in a couple of months I will be hitting my four year anniversary on this blog.

It was back in the spring of 2014 that The Irreedemable Shag asked me to be on the site and I had to say yes. The Legion has been a near constant in my comic book fandom. How could I say no?

I have been manning Fridays here since then. It is an interesting side truth that since this blog went live, no Legion book has been on the shelves. We have come close to a dramatic comeback. We have seen characters and heard hints of it since Rebirth. We even have a live action Legion on the Supergirl show.

But no comic.

And I recently had the (un)luck of covering the book that was the final nail in the coffin, the New 52 Legion. So what is next for the team? And what is next for Fridays? It is an interesting question. And I will try to answer both, in a way, by looking at what I have done before.

The New 52 Legion of Super-Heroes: A Eulogy

Hey all, it's Anj.

I have been manning Fridays for a while here on the blog, reviewing Legion books and reliving my fandom one issue at a time.

But sometimes it is a hard job.

Last week I finished my retrospective view of the New 52 Legion of Super-Heroes. And I can say, it wasn't easy. So allow me a brief post to sort of put together some overall thoughts about this volume. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts about it.

I had issues with the New 52 as a whole. I was not excited for a company wide reboot. I especially didn't like the fact that it was mostly company wide with Batman and ancillary books like the Legion basically unscathed. And I didn't like the darkening of the universe as a whole. This was not a fun or inspirational or uplifting universe at all.

As for the Legion? Well, as a New 52 book which was following its older continuity, it is neither fish nor fowl. Is it a new team? No. Is it a good jumping on point for new readers interested in sampling the New 52? Not really. Is it the Legion that old school fans wanted? I don't think so.

The whole run seemed to struggle with trying to find itself. Was it a darker Legion in a more dystopian future? Was it a new younger team with its rookie recruits leading the way? Was it a classic Legion? Was it trying to be all of those things, ultimately being none of them?

And looking at the book as a whole, did the pace of the run make sense? Were their 'fill-in' issues that seemed oddly placed? Were there arcs that made sense? It seemed to stop and start over the two years. And that sputtering hurt it as well.

On to some moments ...

New 52 Legion of Super-Heroes #23

On August 26, 2013, I posted this review of Legion of Super-Heroes #23, the final issue of this volume. That is just over four and a half years ago. That was the last time a new Legion book was on the shelves. Amazing.

And, looking back at this issue and this review, I have to agree with almost everything I said. In fact, at times I look almost prescient in my thoughts. 

This is a depressing ending for the team. I point that out throughout the review, characters saying how sad it is that the Legion is finished, wondering if a better version of themselves exists out there, and walking out of their now empty headquarters. It seems like Levitz realized that this was his last issue with the team and so decided to get a little metatextual. 

At least we get Kevin Maguire on art! Love seeing Maguire on anything. So seeing him drawing some of my favorite characters is a treat.

I would love to hear people's thoughts about this issue. Because it depressed me to read it again. How could we get here? And how could DC let it happen?

Legion of Super-Heroes #23 came out last week ... the end of the Legion.

There certainly have been blips and pauses in the Legion's history, some months without stories of this storied team. But somehow this one seems more final. In a New 52 world painted only grimy and gritty, an optimistic future and a team like the Legion seems out of place. Even some creators have talked about the Leigion as if it were toxic, Keith Giffen swearing that JLA3K will be nothing like the Legion and there won't  be visits to Braal (as if the planet's name is a dirty word).

That's right, a darker and grimmer JLA3K will take the place of the Legion.

Perhaps what is sadder is that this title tried to become rougher, filling the last story with meaningless death and destruction, trying to shove the square peg of the Legion into the round hole of the New 52. As a result, this last Legion story is about as un-Legion as you can get. It truly saddens me that this issue is the gravestone for the franchise because there is no optimism, no team spirit, no love in this issue. And for those Legion fans who have stuck it out, we at least deserved that. Instead we got death, despair, and disbanding.

Sure there are some familiar beats and one major continuity wrinkle but the thing that stuck out for me was some of the dialogue here. There are plenty of lines that sound like they could be coming from writer Paul Levitz or even long time readers, lamenting what has happened to this team and, metatextually, this book.

The art here is by one of my favorites Kevin Maguire and he brings his usual panache of facial expression and clean lines. I wonder if he got this gig because he was originally named as the artist for JLA3K before the title was considered too dark for him.

This book ended. The Legion are basically in comic limbo right now. And I didn't even get a 'Long Live the Legion!' Enough intro. On to the book.

New 52 Legion of Super-Heroes #22

The end is near.
It's not good I fear.

The New 52 Legion of Super-Heroes #22 is the penultimate issue for the title. The fight with the Fatal Five ends very quickly and rather neatly. Almost too easily. It made me wonder why the team would let the galaxy unravel so much if the answer to beating the villains was so quick to obtain. After all, a bunch of teammates have died! How could they let it happen.

There are some wrinkles here I liked. The use of Sensor Girl's power was nifty. Imra, Ayla, and Brek are big parts of the win. And how the hell is Val Armorr there??

But this was the death knell. The book and the team hasn't come back since. 

And I have to say, I am an easy grader. I think maybe I was feeling bad for the book back then.

Legion of Super-Heroes #22 came out last week, the penultimate chapter of this series which may spell the end of the Legion for some time. With no new Legion book being publicized, with JLA3K taking its place as a future team, and with all avenues of re-energizing the franchise explored (reboots, old boots, bringing the band back together) and having failed, it might be time for the Legion to take a breather.

It is sad for a Legion lifer like me to say that. I have been saying 'Long Live the Legion' since I was in elementary school, since Imra was in a pink bathing suit and Vi had an intricate green/black jumpsuit. But this book has been on a sort of treadmill for a while, probably since Waid's threeboot for me. I can't remember the last time I was excited to read a Legion comic. And that's depressing.

So we come to this issue where the Legion has to fight and defeat the Fatal Five in 20 pages in order to set up next issue's denouement, swan song, finale. As a result, the action is relatively fast with some quick defeats on the parts of the villains who have been destroying the universe unscathed for the last handful of issues. For an old-timer like me, it was great to see some of the original Legionnaires and the original Substitute Legionnaire playing such a big part.

That said, there is a fair amount of stuff left unsaid. Paul Levitz doesn't seem to have the space here to satisfactorily tell the tale of this final battle. And the art by Jeff Johnson is fine but it felt like an understudy playing the lead in a play. Shouldn't the end of the Legion get more than this?

New 52 Legion of Super-Heroes #21

The end is nigh.
The carnage is high!
Tinya said bye.
Tharok's powers are making me say 'how? why?
And I'm tired.

When the best I can do in an old review, and the best I can do in a newer review, is pick out panels as maybe showing character progression and continuity, you know things are rough.

And now I wonder why Giffen came and left so quickly here. And I wonder if DC told Levitz to just go bananas since this continuity, this Legion, was probably not coming back.

But it is bad. So bad I rant in the intro, so bear with me.

We are nearing the end aren't we.

New 52 Legion of Super-Heroes #20

We knew the end was coming. The feel of the story had that 'last ditch effort' feel to it. And now, around the release of New 52 Legion of Super-Heroes #20, the news was official. The book was cancelled.

Now all that was left was wrapping up the ongoing Fatal Five storyline. Unlike prior issues, Keith Giffen's name is nowhere on this. Was there a falling out between Levitz and Giffen? Did Giffen leave the sinking ship before it went down? Did he just have other things to do? On his own, Levitz does his best to keep the story moving along. I was very happy to see so much dedicated to the Black Witch, someone with great potential who was left a bit on the back burner.

That said, there is still the wonkiness of this arc that irks me. People dead are back. Powers that were gone are now back. Phantom Girl continues to not act like Phantom Girl. There are a few 'easy' answers to difficult problems. It just feels a bit slipshod, as if Levitz is careening down a hill.

Thankfully,. Francis Portela is back and the art is just stupendous. In particular, his Validus and Mysa are gorgeous. And the splash page where Mysa reveals the plot to the Legionnaires is just fantastic.

On to the old review.

New 52 Legion of Super-Heroes #19

Hoo boy.

We are approaching the end of the New 52 title and Legion of Super-Heroes #19 continues the funeral dirge of this series and these characters. All the problems I have been having since Keith Giffen rejoined the book - the odd characterization, the senseless killings, the grimy art - are all magnified here. The writing should have been on the wall that this was coming to an end.

My opening comments on the old review hold true. I don't know if DC gave the creative team the ultimatum to shake things up to save the series but it feels like it. And I wonder if Levitz and Giffen thought the easiest way to do that would be to sink into the grim, gross comics of the time. We have on screen deaths, off screen deaths, and on screen loss of limb. It all feels so 'Forever Evil'. It all screams New 52. And I don't mean that as a compliment. Add to that Phantom Girl acting like a coward and Emerald Empress acting like the Joker and you can understand why long time Legion fans were scratching their heads. It might say Legion on this gatefold 'WTF' cover, but that's not what it read like.

The art is a mix of Scott Kolins at his Kirby-est and Jeff Johnson. It is an odd mix of Kolins' rough look and smoother looking pages by Johnson. 

It still amazes me that this book was the last formal look we had at the Legion.

New 52 legion of Super-Heroes #18

Another month, another death, another crazy issue in the decaying orbit of the New 52 Legion of Super-Heroes. Like many, I have been clamoring for a new Legion book to hit the racks. But I want it to be the right book. I'd rather have no Legion than the wrong Legion. And when it is clear that people who understand the Legion as well as Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen were struggling, that worries me.

Legion of Super-Heroes #18 continues the insanity of last issue with the Fatal Five attacking, a team stranded on a Promethean Giant, and technology failing throughout the universe. In this older review, I call it the reverse Magic Wars and in many ways that feels appropriate. It is a universal threat with the infrastructure of the universe crumbling. There are Legion deaths that seem superfluous, a way to make the story 'feel' important. And, of course, it marks the end of the book. 

But this comes so out of nowhere, that in rereading (and, of course, knowing all that I know) it reads more as desperate. Sun Boy dying last issue felt like a stunt. Star Boy dying here (crushed by a collapsing door of all things) feels unnecessary. What purpose does it serve in the story?

The art is done by Scott Kolins and Tom Derenick. I have always found Derenick's art pretty plain. And Kolins does his best to bring a Giffen-esque feel to his pages. But it isn't pretty.

So one more step closer to the end ... On to the old review.