Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds #2, part 2

Welcome to the second part of  Final Crisis Legion of Three Worlds #2. 

This mini-series from writer Geoff Johns and artist George Perez has proven to be a bit of a challenge for me to review as Johns has stuffed the book with action, dialogue, and plot. It feels like a very heavy read, some pages filled with so much text that it feels more like a book than a comic book. And yet, there is a balancing act with unbelievable double page spreads. Perez must have had a migraine drawing it.

The back half of this issue shows just how dire the situation is for the main Legion, the team brought back by Johns in Action Comics. With death and destruction basically around the corner, Brainiac 5 has to finally give us the promise of the title. We get three Legions.

This series was one of the first I knew that had each issue come with two different covers. I saved this version of #2 for this review given the scene unfolds in this section of the issue. But I love how we see the two 'other' Legions in the swirling smoke of the crystal ball White Witch is using.

It has to be some homage to Justice League of America #21, the first JLA/JSA crossover. There is that crystal ball. And there is the 'other team'.

On to the story.

Last issue, we saw Rond Vidar push Mysa, Blok, Wildfire, and Dawnstar back to Earth through a star gate. It left him alone with the entirety of the LSV in front of him.

Johns does a nifty trick of giving us a couple of pages of Vidar skirmishing against this crew. In the pithiest of Who's Who we see Vidar pinwheel his way through the ranks. We get to see the villains' names. We get maybe an inkling of their powers. And we see him burning through power just trying to survive.

Remember, not everyone knows the Legion. This could be someone's first Legion comic (God bless those souls). So naming people had to be helpful for the uninitiated.

For those of us who know all these characters, it was great to see Vidar so effective.

But there is only so much one man can do.

Eventually his mind succumbs to Saturn Queen.

It is interesting to hear her thoughts about Vidar. She has such an awful view on humanity. Everyone is evil. Everyone has sick, twisted desires. Some just deny them.

Creepy.

And then, it happens.

I think we all know it would happen.

Superboy Prime, declaring his hate for Green Lanterns, snaps Vidar's head.

At least Universo didn't get his grubby hands on the ring. The GL ring flies off looking for a new soul worthy of it.

Amazingly, Mordru sees the potential of a short-lived alliance. In fact all the villains seem to agree that there is little utility in fighting Superboy. They all fall in line, all wearing rings branded with an S.

Without the guidance of Mogo, who has died, the ring cannot find a new wielder.

Instead we see it streak to Oa where it is tossed onto a pile of discarded rings.

Powerful image.

With the Superboy and his LSV streaking towards Earth, Brainy has to activate his emergency plan.

He heads to the JLA deserted headquarters and raids their trophies. Inside is the crystal ball that is the 'nexus of all Earths'.

I laughed at how Brainy curses Snapper Carr's organizational skills. But I also have to scratch my head how this place hasn't been picked clean or revamped. Who would let the JLA HQ sit in ruins for 1000 years?

Just like in that JLA/JSA teamup, smoke billows up from the crystal ball. Mysa can sense the Legions out there. One is lost. The other (the threeboot) is 'important'.

But the best part of this is Brainy's sheer delight that his plan is working!

He might as well be yelling 'IT'S ALIVE!! ALIVE!!!'

Just like that ... three Legions.

I forgot how much I liked the Gossamer look on Ayla!

And Laurel Gand!!

Regardless, that is a lot of Legionnaires!

If you thought giddy Brainy was fun, wait until you see three Brainys arguing.

Regardless of how the rest of this series turns out, these panels have made it worth its weight in gold. Grandpa! Time travel insults! Haircut insults! All good!

And then it's on!

Everyone joins in the melee.

But remember, there is someone pulling all the strings in the background.

Superboy Prime might think he is the big bad. He might think his S Ring is cool. But he is just a pawn in the Time Trapper's game.

Well, I should have said 'almost everyone' joins the fight. Turns out that Mon-El and Shady have headed to Oa themselves to try and recruit the true last remaining GL ... Sodom Yat.

Whew.

Well at least all the pieces are on the board. A huge Legion of Super-Villains. Three Legions of Super-Heroes. And the Time Trapper lurking in the shadows.

All that happened ... in the last half of one issue! Amazing!

So what did you all think!