title: "...And Then"
writer: Brian Michael Bendis
credited on the cover (but not in the issue):
Scott, Cheung, Dekal, Sook, Morey, Bellaire
covers: Ryan Sook (main); Ivan Reis/Joe Prado (variant)
reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage
Mission Monitor Board:
Thirty-two members if I counted correctly (not counting the triplets individually). I didn't notice a Dr. Fate type character appearing before. And there is a Dr. Phosphorus type character in the rear on the left as well. And Invisible Kid seems to be a member, although we don't (ahem) see him.
Opponent:
Time-travel glitches, stupid human decisions that lead to Great Disasters, stupid corporate decisions that lead to $4.99 comic books not being worth the price of admission
Summary:
Rose and the Thorn, a Bronze Age Superman Family character, is jumping through different time periods until she arrives on the day the Legion of Super-Heroes has formed. She asks for their help. The end.
Here are the three pages that have anything to do with the Legion. Click on them to Colossalize them:
Random Thoughts From Bilingual Boy:
I hate that there are no credits anywhere in this book.
I hate that there is no real plot here. Although Rose and the Thorn are *literally* moving through time, nothing happens story-wise. These chapters are clearly "winks" at older DC fans who will recognize Booster Gold, and OMAC, and whatever that space-girl bit is supposed to be, and, oh yeah, the stars of the book, finally, the Legion.
....on their first day!?!?
The Legion formed with 20-plus members and went back in time to recruit Superboy all on their first day!?!?!? Suuuuuuure.
I'm not a fan that the first Legion adventure we get to see is going to be some Rose and the Thorn time-hopping thing. Way to establish these characters as their own. Ho-effin' hum. I can't believe that Bendis has succeeded in making the future BORING.
I look forward to *something* actually happening in Legion of Super-Heroes #1 besides Superboy joining the team (Spoiler Alert!). And hopefully Rose and the Thorn's story will be wrapped up quickly. But who here really thinks THAT is going to happen?
By the way, I never noticed that Booster Gold had such a great ass, haha! Could his suit BE any tighter?!
Science Police Notes:
- There is an Invisible Kid and his name is Lyle.
- The woman in the front of the "mem" has a feather icon on her chest. Assumedly, she is Light Lass. Hopefully, she is Lightning Lad's sister.
This issue has been not yet been reprinted. Wait six months.
It's funny how this came out at the same time as another super-hyped event, House of X/Powers of X - yet that event not only lives up to the hype, it exceeded it.
ReplyDeleteThis, on the other hand, was nothing but a let down. What was the whole point of this? What does Thorn (a character never affiliated with the LOSH or the future) have to do with this? No one cares about her, of OAC or Kamandi (especially since DC keeps flip flopping on making them canon).
As much as I like Booster Gold (who does have ties to the LOSH mythology), did we need so many pages devoted to him acting like Chandler Bing and whiffing at trying to get pricked by Thorn (there is a dirty joke here that I will leave up to others to complete)?
This was all just a wank fest by Bendis, who has become so enamored of the smell of his own farts that he expects people to shell out over $10 on a book that promised to be a major introduction to the newest LOSH reboot, and delivered nothing but a fleeting glimpse of the team at the end and nothing of substance. This is the equivalent of paying full price to see a movie only for the headline star to make a brief cameo at the end.
Worst comic of the the year.
To Bendis, if you somehow manage to stumble upon this - go read the Great Darkness Saga or the Death of Ferro Lad again so you can learn how a LOSH event should be handled.
Damn typos! I meant to say "or OMAC or Kamandi"
DeleteYeah, I don't know if this the worst of the year but it certainly is the most disappointing. Bleh.
ReplyDeleteSo if this is all first day does that mean the iconic(and most known by non legion superfans) story of the three founders saving R.J. Brande not part of the new history?
ReplyDeleteIt's certainly a lot easier to say #NotMyLegion if this is the case. I'll check the book out, but my enthusiasm level keeps dropping with every new info dump.
DeleteI will say that the cityscape image above is fantastic!
If only it had been RJ Brande (or a Durlan/J'ohn) who walked through time - then I could have excused this whole waste of a setup. So many members will be wasted - so I hope Bendis keeps the relationships intact - who wants to see Wildfire together with the White Witch or Lightning Lass with Blok.
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe it will happen that a new book will inspire a broader interest in the Legion. Like the Doom Patrol appearances Teen Titans had people scrounging for back issues.
ReplyDeleteOne other comment I was going to make but decided to hold off until the actual first issue....for all this talk of variety and inclusion, the two non humanoid Legionnaires are not included. I'm talking about Tellus and Quislet, or their updated versions. How can they be left out?
ReplyDeleteI haven't gotten it. I'm concerned about the loss of the non-human members Russell mentioned (plus Gates). I am worried about the what I have seen so far. It appears Dawnstar was talking to Lyle. She should have been one of the few members to be aware of his presence. Hopefully that oversight will be addressed at some point.
ReplyDeleteThere are only 4 Legionnaires pictured above that I don't know, or can't figure out based on their costume/character design:
ReplyDelete1) The skeleton in a green & yellow containment suit
2) The one wearing a Dr Fate style helmet
3) The one behind Superboy who's wearing a gold mask with no eyes
4) The one sitting on Colossal Boy's shoulder
Any ideas? Also, does anyone know when this new Legion book is supposedly coming out? Thanks.
The skelleton in green and yellow? Those were the colors of Chemical King, isn't?
DeleteUPDATE: It only took 12 issues (and an commissioned art piece featured on this blog) but I finally figured out who these 4 Legionnaires are:
Delete1) X-Ray Girl
2) Dr. Fate
3) Gold Lantern
3) Monster Boy
Were they worth all that effort/wait?
NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And after that amazing run, he is giving his followers a xxx months hiatus because, obviously, that Legion was such a success than it needed to stop being published for sometime. Great work Bendis!!
DeleteIs it just me, or does Rose Forrest on that final splash page look a helluva lot like Rachel Nichols from the Continuum tv show?
ReplyDelete