Review: Adventure Comics #507 *revised*

(In my initial version of this review, I accidentally credited Paul Levitz with writing this story. It is written by Michael Shoemaker. This is a terrible mistake on my part and I have no excuse. More importantly, Shoemaker's ability to write these characters this well, with both a look back and to the future is impressive. After all, I mistook him for Paul Levitz.

Apologies to Mr. Shoemaker.)
Adventure Comics #507 continued the re-reintroduction of the Legion of Super-Heroes to the DCU. With the original timeline back in play, writer Michael Shoemaker used the 'second feature' of Adventure Comics to check in on the team, catch up older fans on what has been happening with the members, but also giving some back story to readers who might not know the Legion at all.

It is a heavy lift. Satisfying old fans while engaging new fans in a continuity heavy franchise like the Legion can't be easy. But so far, Levitz is firing on all cylinders. We have had a story focused on Lightning Lad and the other original members. Last issue was Sun Boy and Polar Boy. This issue we 'meet' Blok, White Witch, Dawnstar, and Wildfire. We even get a nice little Brainiac 5 moment. And the story gives back story, personality beats, and advances longstanding plots. It really is that marriage of old school and introduction.

Clayton Henry remains on art and brings a smooth sensibility to the proceedings. There are some panels where he seems to be invoking some of the organic feel of early Legion Giffen.

So what happens when a Legionnaire makes a big sacrifice to save the universe? Can love survive?

Review: Adventure Comics #506 *revised*

(In my initial version of this review, I accidentally credited Paul Levitz with writing this story. It is written by Michael Shoemaker. This is a terrible mistake on my part and I have no excuse. More importantly, Shoemaker's ability to write these characters this well, with both a look back and to the future is impressive. After all, I mistook him for Paul Levitz.

Apologies to Mr. Shoemaker.)

Adventure Comics #506 continued the run of Legion as the 'second feature' in the book. In essence, this book was Superboy and The Legion of Super-Heroes. That smacks of history although the two properties don't interact.

This was an interesting time for the Legion as Geoff Johns reinsertion of the classic Legion timeline meant readers need to shrug off all the reboots and party like it was 1989. As a result, this back-up series has a couple of tall orders to fill.

One, it needs to provide solid stories for old-school Legion fans who want to pick up where things left off.

Two, it has to introduce the personalities and history of this timeline to new Legion readers who are used to ThreeBoot and Reboot timelines.

It can't be an easy task. Heck, it is that trying to please everyone that (I think) is the reason a Legion book isn't on the shelves now!

'Running Hot and Cold" was written by Michael Shoemaker with art by Clayton Henry. It is a buddy cop story with Sun Boy and Polar Boy, great foils for each from a power perspective. I also think this was something of a reclamation project for Levitz, giving Polar Boy a little more of a serious edge than we saw in the Johns story. Ultimately, these two become good friends in the New 52 era.

We start on Tharr, Polar Boy's home planet, so brutally hot that native Tharrians, like Polar Boy, have cold powers.

In a bit of a turn, Levitz makes it less of a 'so hot no one can live there' planet to a more hedonistic tropical paradise. We see swimming pools and scantily clad young partyers everywhere.

Unfortunately, Polar Boy is a joke to the locals, the Legion Sub.

Review: Adventure Comics #505

 Adventure Comics #505 (or Adventure Comics #2, depending on your numbering preference) carried a cover date of November 2009. That means that this book hit the shelves about 18 months after the end of the Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes story in Action Comics by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank.

The Legion was in a bit of a transition here. The new timeline, which basically was the old timeline, was being re-established here. Gone were 5YL. Gone was the Reboot. And gone was the Threeboot. We were back to the timeline of the Baxter series.

Adventure Comics at the time was a really a Superboy book with the Legion taking the 'second feature' slot. I suppose the hope was that the Geoff Johns/Francis Manapul Con stories would bring them in and thus expose them to Legion stuff. (You can see this issue is from my collection and signed by Manapul.)

"Long Live the Legion, pt 2" was written by Geoff Johns and Michael Shoemaker with art by Clayton Henry and puts us back into the world where Earthman has been deposed and the Legion are trying to re-establish themselves. This chapter focuses on the original three members, and Lightning Lad in particular.

Adventure Comics (v2) #1 (#504)

Adventure Comics (v2) #1
Long Live the Legion Part One
Written by Geoff Johns
Pencils & Inks by Clayton Henry
Colors by Brian Reber
Letters by Sal Cipriano
Standard & Variant Covers both by Francis Manapul
Cover Date October 2009
On Sale August 12th, 2009

Following the #0 introduction issue that reprinted the classic tale of the Legion of Super-Heroes first appearance from Adventure Comics #247, Volume Two of Adventure Comics launched with a new issue #1, which also carried a gray translucent 504 on the cover, continuing the numbering from Adventure Comics volume one (which had ended in 1983). The variant cover utilized more of the classic Silver Age DC panel design depicting multiple separate panels or “windows” into the story contents inside; this cover also featured the 504 numbering much more prominently. Issue #1 had two stories, the main story, a 22 page adventure starring the recently resurrected Superboy (Conner Kent) and the back-up feature, which ran 8 pages, and starred the Legion of Super-Heroes.

The first page gives a brief history of the Legion, emphasizing that Earth-One Clark Kent, Superman in the current DCU of the time, did in fact spend his younger years patrolling Smallville as Superboy and occasionally teamed up with the Legion of Super-Heroes. This was would be re-established and further elaborated on in Superman: Secret Origin #2, which would hit shelves two months later in October 2009. The third panel of this first page summarizes how the Legion was formed when Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad (Boy), and Saturn Girl came together and saved the life of R.J. Brande. The next panel then revisits the tale of the Legion’s first appearance in Adventure #247, which once again validated that the classic tale reprinted in Adventure Comics #0 was in the current Legion History continuity for Earth-One (the main DCU Earth). Pages two and three consist of a double page splash which starred Superboy (Clark Kent), Brainiac 5, Timber Wolf, Lightning Lass, Phantom Girl, Polar Boy, Sun Boy, Duplicate Damsel, Cosmic Boy, Wildfire, Dawnstar, Invisible Kid (not shown), Bouncing Boy, Lightning Lad, Ultra-Boy, Shrinking Violet, Night Girl, Saturn Girl, Chameleon Girl, Shadow Lass, & Colossal Boy.

Page four features the story title and credits, and we learn that the narrator on how the Legion formed is Starman (Thom Kallor) in present day, explaining the Legion history to three pigeons. This is our first hint that Starman is a currently a little off in the head. As he continues, he states that he is part of the Legion Espionage Squad and played a hand in resurrecting Conner Kent in the Legion of Three Worlds mini-series. While lost in his discussion with the pigeons, Starman crashes into a bowling alley where he terrifies the locals, before completely destroying the bowling alley and flying off to meet up with Tellus in a swamp. Tellus notes that Starman’s brain is suffering from a degenerative disease, and he attempts to use his telepathic abilities to stabilize Thom’s condition. It is too much for Tellus to handle, but he does restore temporary sanity to Starman. Thom cries out for Dream Girl, and shouts a warning that war is coming in the 31st Century and to be wary of the Black Witch. Starman pleads with Tellus to help him before his mind is completely gone, and the future of the 31st Century with it.

The final page serves as a teaser for six new story threads that will be picked up and continued in future issues of the run. First we see Element Lad as a chemistry teacher in the 21st Century. The next panel shows Superboy (Conner Kent) busting through a wall to save a hostage Dream Girl. The third panel depicts Morgan Edge making a deal with Despero. Fourth we see Brainiac 5 telling Blok that his wounds have healed, but there is a complication. The fifth panel shows a desperate X5 running on the Cosmic Treadmill, saying she has to get back and warn someone as she is getting sucked into the speed force. And finally the last panel teases that a Legionnaire will be joining the ranks of the Green Lantern Corps.

This story was collected/reprinted in the DC Comics Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes 100-Page Spectacular #2 prestige format book that hit stands December 28, 2011.