Review: Adventure Comics #521

Hey everyone!

After a couple of weeks away Fridays with Anj continues on what may be my last review run here on the site.

Adventure Comics #521 starts a new direction for the title. Prior issues presented a bit of revisionist history, looking back at the very early days of the Legion. Starting in this issue, the book becomes a adjunct book to the main retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes book which was just hitting the stands.

I suppose, in retrospect, I should have reviewed this book when I was reviewing that book. But the best laid plans. To put this in some chronological sense, this book hit the shelves when Legion of Super-Heroes #8 came out.

This is in the midst of Earth Man being on the team. Saturn Queen is just starting to form her Legion of Super-Villains, seduced by the blue dharma. Harmonia Li has just refused the Green Lantern ring, and the Oan spirit Dyogene is looking for a replacement.

Paul Levitz is on as writer and, not surprisingly, there are some nice character moments amidst the action. In particular, we get some nice Wildfire/Dawnstar moments. I love those two.

Artist Geraldo Borges is on art and works in what felt like the DC House Style back then. His female Legionnaires are some of the curviest and bustiest I have seen in the book. I usually don't comment on that stuff but it is too obvious not to mention.

But overall, much like the Retroboot, I don't think this is a memorable run. Let's dive in.

Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes #10

Before I begin my review of Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes #10, an apology.

It has become clear to me that this review series, from a total experience and a chronological order, is going to forever be muddled. While this series was going on, the Legion was also headlining in a run of Adventure Comics. And while the tales there concentrated mostly on Legion Academy kids, there was some cross-pollination. Thus, the 'blue creature attacking Wildfire and Dawnstar', a plot which has impacted this run, took place there.

Let's add a bit more muddled timeline to this blog. Technically, the Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #1 took place between issues #9 and #10. And, even worse, the Legion of Super-Villains Special #1 takes place between this issue and #11. But to keep things on track and to keep the social media publicity going, the reviews through the thirteenth issue have been pre-posted.

It is too late to go back. So the plan will be to cover the Annual and the LSV Special after LSH #13. And maybe the Adventure Comics run will be covered here eventually.

Okay, apologies over.

Let's head to the book.

Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds #3, Part 2

Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds #3 finally gives us readers what we were clamoring for ... three Legions fighting side by side against an army of super-villains. You think it would be a giddy romp, a visual smorgasbord for Legion fans. Well ... it partly succeeds.

One of the issues that I have had with this issue is that writer Geoff Johns is trying to stuff so much story and plot into these 5 issues that at times it becomes an ultra-dense mess of dialogue boxes and leaps of plot faith. In this half of this issue, there is a two page spread with a lot of information about a prior adventure that the Legions have already had together. I don't know about this story. Did it happen? Is this Johns filling in some prior mystery? Either way, I don't think I follow what he is trying to tell me. And remember that I am splitting these reviews up into 2 per issue. This is a big info dump in the back half of one issue. If this is key info, I wish it was explained more.

That said, Johns is probably meting out his exposition in big chunks like this to allow him the space to task artist George Perez with numerous splash pages and double splash pages. Perez goes from many inset small panels to large spreads of grand scale. I have heard rumors that this series was exhausting for Perez and I'm not surprised. I am also not surprised that it shipped on time ... a rarity these days when you get books like this. (That's right ... I'm looking at you Doomsday Clock! You too, Young Animal Doom Patrol!

And all of this is happening without the emergence of the Time Trapper as the puppet master in this miniseries. Will all this wrapped up in a pleasing way? Honestly, I don't remember. So I'm going in fresh.

On to the book.

Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes #14

How can you be a critic when you are biased? 
How can you write objective looks at something when you are clearly subjective?
Or is the very nature of reviews subjective?

As I look back at these Retroboot Legion issues, I feel like I am so desperate to get a good Legion book that I am willing to give mediocre Legion books good grades. I love the Legion. I'll always try to see the best in the material. 

But this Retroboot book isn't very good. And when it came out I gave it a B/B+ grade. 

I think the biggest thing for me is the inconsistent characterization. We are over a year of this book seeing Harmonia Li being all serene wisdom. So seeing her enraged and aggressive seems way off. Had it been building, I might think differently. But suddenly acting different seems off.

And overall this plot of a maniacal Saturn Queen looking to destroy the 'World of Wisdom', a place we never heard of before? It just isn't clicking this reread.

But what did I think then?

Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes #7

Since beginning this review series of the Retroboot book, I have been wondering when it is going to go off the rails. I knew in my heart I overall didn't love this book. I knew I definitely didn't like the New 52 series which was basically a continuation. And yet in these early issues, I have been surprised by how much I liked what I was seeing.

Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes #7 might be the issue where the flaws are starting to show. It isn't as if the plots aren't moving forward. But there was a lot of padding here.  It isn't as if the characterization is too far off. But there are a couple of scenes here which just read odd for the characters I have grown up with. And it isn't as if the art isn't right. The book contains two stories, one by Yildiray Cinar and the other by Francis Portela. And both are lovely.

But this was the first issue where I felt I only needed 5 pages to get across what was said in 22.

Maybe the cracks are starting to show.

On to the book.

Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes #1

In 2008, Geoff Johns wrote Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes, an arc in Action Comics which brought back the classic incarnation of the Legion, picking up where Paul Levitz had left the team off in the Baxter series. It was tagged a 'retroboot', a reboot to an earlier continuity. Everything that had happened after the Magic Wars were sort of scrubbed away. No 5YL. No Archie Legion. No Threeboot. Instead we had Superman as a historic member of the Legion, fighting Earth Man.

For a Legion fan who prides himself on knowledge and continuity, it was a head scratcher. Was this *the* Legion? What about everything else? And was I ready to take a step back if it meant taking steps forward?

Then in 2009, Grant Morrison wrote Final Crisis, a wild, some might say incomprehensible, epic about the nature of story itself. Part of this crossover were a number of mini-series, spun out of Final Crisis but also separate. Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds was written by Geoff Johns with art by George Perez and was aimed at answering the continuity question: which Legion is 'real' or is it all of them?

About a year after Legion of 3 Worlds, DC finally put a new Legion book on the shelf. Legion of Super-Heroes #1 basically picked up right where the Action Comics story-line ended. A key character in this title is Earth-Man, the racist and xenophobic fascist. The story opens up with the fallout of his ouster as leader of Earth.

I was thrilled. Having Levitz back on scripts seemed reassuring to me. I thought we might be able to 'get the band back together' and recapture some of the magic of the '80s. But I don't know if we ever really get there.

We do get very solid art by Yildiray Cinar at the beginning of the title. Cinar brings a very solid approach to the proceedings. Nothing too flashy or stylized. But it works.

So welcome to the Retroboot!

Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #1

Hey all,
I think with the posting of this review of Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #1 from the retroboot Legion that I am finally caught up with my reviews. While my reviews have gone all the way up to Legion of Super-Heroes #13, this annual should have been snuggled up after LSH #8.  After all, this story picks up right after Ayla and Vi announce that they are heading off on vacation.

So, thankfully, moving forward, I think the timeline is now reset.

On to the book!

Who's Who: Legion Espionage Squad

Legion Espionage Squad
by Russell & Siskoid

Members: Chameleon Boy, Dawnstar, Duo Damsel, Invisible Kid I, Invisible Kid II, Karate Kid, Phantom Girl, Shadow Lass, Shrinking Violet
Members (Reboot): Apparition, Chameleon, Invisible Kid, Sensor, Triad, Violet
Members (Retroboot additions): Chameleon Girl, Element Lad, Matter-Eater Lad, Quislet, Sensor Girl, Starman, Tellus
Relationship to Legion: Sub-team

Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes #8

Legion of Super-Heroes #8 continues the 'faster than usual' pace for the title. And that is something that I think is giving me pause.

For those reading these reviews, you know that my memory of the Retroboot has been less than stellar. And yet, on these review rereads, I have been enjoying the title more than I anticipated. I have been wondering when it would turn the corner. My recollection couldn't be that off, could it?

Well, in the last few issues, writer Paul Levitz has been rushing through plots and as a result I haven't been getting that full experience. The 'cult of Darkseid' plot where the Ranzz twins were kidnapped was wrapped up in one issue. Earth Man becoming more sympathetic of other races happened very quickly. Shadow Lass falling for Earth Man happened in a panel. For those who read Levitz in the '80s, his style was much more to keep things simmering. Here we go from still waters to boil.

In this issue, we see that a Durlan conspiracy to infiltrate the UP and honor RJ Brande which could have been played out over years is suddenly revealed and out in the open. Compare that to something like 'The Universo Project' where we got our first hint of it in the Baxter series #10, had mysteries sprinkled through, to ultimately reveal it in #32. That's nearly 2 years!

Art is by Yildiray Cinar and once again he does a great job. Much of this issue is Legionnaires fighting Durlans and Cinar shines in those sequences.

Maybe this is the beginning of the downturn?

Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds #4, Part 1

There is more behind us than in front of us when it comes to Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds! Here we are at Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds #4! This issue is just as crazy as the prior ones. Lots of action! Lots of words! Some death! And finally the Time Trapper!

As has been the trend in this book, I feel more like I am riding the wave of this story. A lot is happening fast. I am on a shifting foundation, just trying to maintain my balance. And I am hoping not to fall. I am sure this all made perfect sense to writer Geoff Johns. But to me, it is like a series of quick interludes with not much solid story. Maybe it all comes together in the end.

The George Perez art has also been a constant on this book. His work here is as impressive as any book of his I have read. There is so much action. There are so many characters. The story is so bananas. I hope Perez got paid by the pen stroke. He'd be a millionaire! (Hmmm ... come to think of it, he is retiring!)

Still, this has been a bit too wild for me to say it is a great story. I wanted so much from this. But at times I feel lost. I suppose that makes perfect sense given it is linked to Final Crisis, the most inscrutable of the tent pole crossover events.

On to this half of the book.

Retroboot: Legion of Super-Heroes #16

The Retroboot Legion rushes to its finish line with Legion of Super-Heroes #16. The Legion of Super-Villains/Blue Entity story-line needed to end so the jumping on of the New 52 Legion of Super-Heroes #1 could happen. 

I didn't like this issue back then and I have the same complaints now. This whole arc has felt disjointed. And this 'hurry up and end it' vibe killed any redemption. Things are said. Things happen. Things end. But not in a satisfactory way. 

I would love to ask Paul Levitz his opinion of this run (and the New 52 run) because it seemed to limp along without cashing in on the fire of this Legion's reappearance in the Geoff Johns' Superman book. 

So this series is over. And I have to say, looking back at the arcs/runs I have covered on this site, it is certainly a mixed bag. There are some highs. And there are lows like this. Perhaps there is a blog post in that.

On to the review.

Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes #2

I am rather amazed and quite thrilled to be reviewing the Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes #2 issue. In some ways, there is a sort of cosmic serendipity to my going back to this series now. In my heart, I remembered being overall disappointed by this series. I would be much more likely to revisit the classic Levitz/Giffen books or the 5YL books than reading this run again. It was this blog assignment that led me here.

I don't want to make this a political blog but suffice it to say that America is pretty tense right now. Whether it is race or gender or sexuality or citizenship, the whole nation seems to be resting on a powder keg and the fuse has been lit.

And here, in the Legion, the main storyline revolves around immigration and culture wars. Some of the lines uttered by the mob here in the gleaming future sound remarkably familiar. And Earth Man, a fascist xenophobe, is both a villain the Legion is watching over but also a hero to those who agree with his opinions. It is eerie how much I see America today in this future world.

Writer Paul Levitz really ratchets things up here. Earth Man's regime has ended. The team has been re-instated. But things are hardly stable. As a team they are trying to figure out how to insert themselves into things again. And a more super-threat in the form of Saturn Queen is lurking on the edges.

The art is mostly done by Yildiray Cinar who continues to bring a very solid house style to the proceedings. Future Legion artist Francis Portela does a couple of pages in the middle, bringing his sleek style to one scene. I loved Portela's work.

On to the book!

Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes #6

Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes #6 is another of those issues that is surprising to me.

It has become something of a mantra of an introduction for these reviews but I find myself enjoying these issues more on this trip through them than when I first read them. I must have been generally displeased because I have never gone back and reread these. Nor do I have any specific memories of the run other than a general dislike. I keep waiting for the series to turn the corner and remind me why it is forgotten in my mind.

I thought for sure this was going to be the issue. I do remember strongly disliking the pairing of Shady and Earth Man. And this cover puts it front and center. Last issue we found them together in bed. Now we have this cover, presumably after that climax (pun intended).

Instead, I found this to be another interesting issue. This one didn't have a true main plot, instead keeping all the subplot balls in the air with some progression. It actually is split into three short stories. The first, 'Acceptance', has full Francis Portela art and is just gorgeous. The second, 'Leadership', is something of a backdoor pilot for the Legion Academy run in the rebooted Adventure Comics. It has standard hyper-detailed Phil Jimenez art. And the last is a single pager with art by Yildiray Cinar announcing an old school Legion Leader election.

On all fronts, writing, art, and even Legion nostalgia, this was a winner.

On to the particulars.

Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes #5

Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes #5 is another solid issue in the beginning of this new era of the team. At his peak, Paul Levitz was able to juggle a number of subplots in the LSH title, promoting ones to the A slot while keeping several B-plots percolating.

Last issue, we saw the mystery of the Ranzz Twins kidnapping essentially finished. So the Earth Man redemption arc takes the foreground here. In fact, I think Earth Man is basically the axle that this title has spun around so far. Even in scenes where he is absent, other members are talking about him or  the government is wooing him. Xenophobia is a powerful plot device. And now, maybe more than in 2010, it is good to read stories about it to inform opinion.

Unfortunately, we also get one of the weirder elements of the Earth Man story begun with a doozy of a closing panel.

But outside that, Levitz continues to enrich the mystery of Harmonia Li, the search for a new Green Lantern, and the Durlan conspiracy. All of these are slowly reaching a boil. This issue really nudged things along!

The art is still by the solid duo of Yildiray Cinar and Francis Portela. They split pages here but each covering a different locale so it doesn't seem to off-putting. Cinar does a good job with the battle sequences with a few panels worth looking at closely.

On to the book.

Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes #13

The stereotypical Legion fan is someone with an encyclopedic knowledge of that gleaming future and the team. They are usually well-read, even of older books. And they know their stuff. It is a double edged sword.

For example, if you set up a LSH vs. LSV storyline, the standard Legion fan will have at their mental finger-tips the past LSV arcs. In particular, I think the initial Baxter series opening arc would be the primary comparison. And that arc is both important and beloved. So you better be ready for people to hold those arcs next to each other.

All that is my way of saying that the Saturn Queen, blue flame entity, LSV arc running through this retroboot Legion title is going to suffer when compared to the Baxter arc. It doesn't help that both portend and end with a dead Legionnaire, making them similar enough to really contrast. 

That Baxter arc had all the classic Legion villains squaring off against the team. This LSV has people named Atta and Immortus. There isn't enough gravitas and history to make it seem memorable. And the underlying plot of Worlds of Wisdom and blue baby beings is too insubstantial, at least in the middle chapter of LSH #13, to grab me.

On the positive side, I do like how the Legionnaires interact with each other in the crisis, fighting well as teammates.

And yes, I know I am presenting a middle chapter first. I promise, the LSV Special review will happen soon. 

On to the book.

Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes #11

Hey folks, Anj here.

At some point over on my Supergirl blog, I began reviewing this run of Legion of Super-Heroes. So much like I did with the New 52 Legion and the New 52 Legion Lost books, I will be doing retro-reviews of the Retroboot book. What I mean by this is I will post my review from 2011 here. And then after, I will post what my current thoughts are after a re-read.

What strikes me immediately about this old review of Legion of Super-Heroes #11 is that I am far more forgiving of this book. When I re-read the issue, my enthusiasm was tepid. And yet in the first like of the older review I am glad the book is 'firing on all cylinders'. Different times and different hopes for an LSH book make these retro-reviews interesting time capsules. Let's see what 2011 Anj thought!

Legion of Super-Heroes #11 came out last week and picked up right where the Legion of Super-Villains One Shot ended. I have to say that I think this title is finally clicking on all cylinders. This just feels like the Legion I want to be reading. And as a long time Legion fan who has picked up some of the reboots and ignored others, I am happy to be enjoying the Legion again.

Of course, one the beauties of the Legion is the deep continuity of the characters and the series. In fact, in some ways I think that continuity might be a double edged sword. For old-timers like me, the history and legend of the Legion is really one of the draws. I think many long-time Legion fans pride themselves on a deep understanding of Legion lore. But that same deep history might make it difficult for a brand new reader to pick up the book. But if you reboot and lose that history, you probably will lose the core foundation of the Legion fanbase. It can't be easy for the folks at DC to figure out what to do.

In this issue, for example, there is great characterization throughout, as events hearken back to some personal moments in the Legionnaires lives. Writer Paul Levitz knows that adding that depth to the characters is what makes this book so special. And I know exactly what he's talking about. But do new readers? Does it frustrate them?

Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes #12

Welcome again to the retro-review of the Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes title.

Today I look at (and look back) at Legion of Super-Heroes #12, written by Paul Levitz with art by Yildiray Cinar. 

Looking back at my review, I find the grade of B/B+ a little inflated. There is nothing like an LSH/ LSV war to get the blood pumping, but this villainous team headed by Saturn Queen isn't exactly big enough to make me quiver. I also find this take on Saturn Queen, suddenly a murderous sadist, to be a bit off-putting. Yes, she is scary. But it seems so over the top that it takes me a little out of the story. And then, of course, when those murderous tendencies vanish when she is facing characters that 'matter', it is even more strange.

There are some high points. The battle against Lightning Lord, with Phantom Girl and Lightning Lass doing some serious lifting, is definitely worth the price of admission. And the Star Boy scene is a nice catalog of Legion reboots in a way.

But truly not much happened here. And after reading this it made me realize that the Durlan conspiracy story truly wrapped up too soon. On to the old review.

Retroboot Legion of Super-Heroes #15

Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate!

As you read this I am hopefully still nestled in a tryptophan coma!

Legion of Super-Heroes #15 from the Retroboot series is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. How can you both want a story to not end, to end, and to be aware that it is being forced to end? Well, Holy New52, we knew this arc was coming to an end as the wall of reboot was fast approaching.

In rereading this arc I realize that it isn't as tight as I would like it to be. Usually writer Paul Levitz is able to wrap up a story neatly. He often plants hints and threads early on that come to fruition later. Once the arc nears a wrap up, Levitz will reveal the cards so that all the plot points make sense. But we haven't seen that here. There are too many elements just happening here without any 'why' being attached to them. I feel like there are more details that needed to be embedded here for me to truly appreciate everything that has been happening.

And yet, despite more story, I am wanting this arc to be done. I feel if after this long ... multiple issues and a LSV special ... if I haven't loved the plotline, I am not going to love it. It is time to pull the plug.

Add to that the understanding (when this came out) that the New 52 was 2 months away. And I feel like this was undermined by the universal reboot decision. Despite the fact that the Legion continuiy was staying intact post New 52, I am sure everyone at DC wanted all number one issues to be a potential jumping on point. Levitz had to finish this.

This issue is dominated by action sequences and that is usually a good thing in a LSH vs LSV story. Yildiray Cinar lights up the pages with bold seqyences. 

But with so many plot threads still dangling, I was aching for exposition.

On to the book!

Retroboot Review: Legion of Super-Villains Special #1

Hey all,
I am continuing my retro-reviews of the Retroboot Legion series and I am finally starting to match up the internal chronology of the book with the reviews by covering two books which technically took place before the Legion of Super-Heroes #13 issue which I covered last week. 

The Legion of Super-Villains Special #1, written by Paul Levitz and drawn by Francis Portela came out the same month as LSH #11, setting up the ongoing plot of Saturn Queen and her team of evil-doers out to spread chaos throughout the galaxy.

We'll start with the obvious. I love Francis Portela's art. In this issue, we really get a sense of  Portela's style. He gives Saturn Queen, the lead character in this issue, a certain vibe. There is a sensuality to her without veering into cheesecake or over-sexualization. There is also madness in her, conveyed wonderfully in her eyes and expressions.

In retrospect the plot is a little off. It is clear that Saturn Queen is the leader of the LSV. But it is also clear that she herself is being manipulated by this Blue Flame creature. And since that being is an unknown, it feels like too much of a mystery. It also seems weird to see a group usually hell-bent on ruling and a fascistic order suddenly espousing chaos and anarchy.

I also have to applaud Levitz's attempt to broaden the Legion mythos by mixing in new villains like Akka, Sun Killer, and Immortus. 

Anyways, head back and reread my reviews for #12 and #13 to catch up with the LSV plot. Next week I'll finish my back-up recovery by reviewing LSH Annual #1.

Review: Adventure Comics #523

Adventure Comics #523 is a turning point in the Adventure Comics Legion relaunch. After months of New Krypton crossovers then months of flashbacks and then months of adjunct storytelling to the main book, the title morphs into a Legion Academy book. 

The Academy had always been, for me, an untapped Legion aspect. We occasionally would get an issue looking at the school (Legion of Super-Heroes #304 one of my favorite issues ever). But what happens on a day to day basis there? What classes do they take? Do they have down time? So having Adventure really scrutinize the Academy and the students thrilled me.

It also helps that writer Paul Levitz gets Phil Jimenez to come on board as a co-creator on the book. Jimenez is a well-known Legion fan so my guess is this was something of a dream project. I especially like that Jimenez got to play with some of the older Legion characters again, Night Girl, Duo Damsel, and Bouncing Boy.

But the draw here are the Academy students. These are, for the most part, new characters. Additions to the expansive Legion continuity is always welcomed!

On to the book.