(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.
