Cool! Good concept, great execution, mostly good art and a lot of interesting stories and back-stories in extra-sized books that broadened the Reboot universe. It's that kind of stories that made up Legion Lore and that are currently missing in the Retroboot to make into a real experience.
I thought it was a great idea to get another penciller for every issue. Thus, each world did have its own flaire, its own identity. I especially liked Paul Rivoche in #3, the Braal issue.
#1 did a good job introducing new readers to the Legion universe. Mon-El was the feature character, but other Legionnaires kept popping up and the summary of "previously on Legion" was certainly a good jump-on point. The stories were mostly good, I liked Aylas return to Winath and Tinya escape to Rimbor most, though the issue on Steeple with Val and Ferro Lad also had a certain appeal.
All in all, I really enjoyed this mini again, especially due to the way it managed to use the Legion universe to its fullest, drawing a canvas of distant worlds and individual tragedies that made me care.
Now it's the regular series... and then, we're through with the Reboot reread!
From: Bamberg, Germany | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
I haven't read Legion Worlds since it was published, and I often think of it as an afterthought: something that marked time before the start of the new series.
Your post, however, reminded me that LW featured some very good stories. In addition, it expanded the Legion's universe (though few of those ideas were followed upon in the regular series) and took some compelling chances. Apparition's year-long pregnancy, for example, led to a spirited debate on the DC message board about who the father could be.
Today, I think of LW as a lot of wasted opportunities--particularly regarding said pregnancy and Jo's fatherhood. As stand-alone stories, however, they were quite good insofar as they showcased DnA's strengths as writers (though to a much lesser extent than Legion Lost did): developing individual characters and relationships among small groups of characters.
[ December 12, 2009, 07:31 PM: Message edited by: He Who Wanders ]
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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I especially liked how what the Legionnaires did after they disbanded reflected their personalities.
Kinetix joining the SPs made sense, since as early as her origin story she kept harping on about using her powers to help people and "be more than just a useless kid".
XS traveling around? Made sense too.
Karate Kid and Ferro seeking inner peace on Steeple? Ditto.
Cos, Vi, Invisible Kid, Chuck (who was always the Legion's biggest fan), Sensor and Triad staying with the Legion underground? Also made sense, these were among the most dedicated Legionnaires.
M'Onel becoming the only Legionnaire to remain officially active? We all know he'd rather explore space on his own, but it did make sense that he'd have a strong sense of duty.
I especially liked issue 4, the one on Xanthu. Great writing all throughout. And they made it exciting and poignant, rather than depressing.
This was still great entertainment. Ras Al Ghul as a villain certainly was a surprise (well, I remembered that much, but it was a surprise the first time around), but probably not the best choice for the Legion franchise. I found the basic Hypertaxis idea to be a little too "far out". The terrorforms being midwives to evolution, putting people into tiny ball cocoons to save them, and this is all supposed to be the natural cause of things? Come on... that's a little bit too much.
The return of the Legion, their reuinification with the rest of the team, Legion World, the interludes in Progeny space and on Xanthu, the lurking danger of Robotica already established in Legion Worlds, all those things that expanded the horizon of the reboot universe I liked. The artwork got even better, though it took Coipiel only four issues to make way for a guest artist in #5 (again in #9!). That's a little sad.
As for the characters, most of them had their moments with Kid Quantum and Mon-El being the ones who probably excelled the most. I liked the fact that that not every team member was back in the fold within the first eight issues, too: Tinya, Star Boy, XS, Karate Kid and Ferro were still lost or on their way to Earth. That's a realistic approach I very much support.
All in all, the first storyline of the regular Legion book was okay, though characterisation was better than the overall story, which to me was too far-fetched.
From: Bamberg, Germany | Registered: Feb 2007
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The Robotica Threat - and Computo was behind it. Well, that one was quite interesting, would it not have been the third death threat to Earth in a row after Blight and Hypertaxis. DnA planted Robotica early on (Legion Worlds #1), but it probably would not have hurt if they would have given the Legion a rest between those two invasions...
What I rather liked were the few slower moments, like the Tinya issue (#9) or the election (Kid Quantum, to Aylas displeasure). After such a long time, we finally got an overview who exactly was a member in #10: 20 people voted forthe leader, including Chuck Taine, excluding Tinya, Ferro and Karate Kid. Don't know why those latter two did not get rescued when XS and Star Boy were, but well. After that, Tinya rejoined, Umbra left, and Timber Wolf joined so we had 20 members plus Chuck. Still a large team after the deaths of Garth, Jan and Monstress.
Anyway, with the Robotica problem solved, Coipiel obviously left the book. I did not remember that, but he already missed #5, #9, #13 and large parts of #10. In my imagination, he was there for all of the DnA run, but that seems to be an incorrect memory. I have hardly any memory what happened after Robotica (Darkseid came up in the end...) - so I'm interested to see how this run turns out. Only about 20 issues to go!
From: Bamberg, Germany | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
Your reviews inspired me to re-read Legion # 1-8, CK. I agree: they were entertaining, particularly from # 5 on.
The first four issues have so much happening that I felt a bit overwhelmed; also, the storyline moved quickly up to this point but didn't quite pull me into it. While the plot is more than competent, there weren't many scenes of emotional significance until # 5. This lack of emotional impact is truly a letdown as, given the circumstances of the lost Legionnaires' return, the pages should have been dripping with emotion.
(Two exceptions and one particular letdown: Triad's rescue of Shikari from the government lab was a triumphant moment, and Imra hugging Ayla after the latter had just learned of her brother's death was touching. On the other hand, M'Onel being shot by Ra's al Ghul came off as perfunctory. Since Mon is used to being invulnerable, it would be understandable if he had showed fear in the face of imminent death--from a lead bullet, no less! If DnA had managed to convey Mon's sense of powerlessness, we could have felt for him. But on re-reading these scenes, I felt nothing.)
DnA must have had a mandate to hit the ground running, as they kept the formerly lost Legionnaires busy during the first four issues. The heroes go from arriving on earth to saving President McCauley from Corvan IV terrorist to an attempt on their lives to fighting the Oversight Watch to discovering the truth about McCauley to being rescued by the Bouncing Boy to being introduced to Legion World. This is a lot to take in without a breather.
M'Onel, too, is kept busy by the villains so he doesn't suspect what is really happening. I couldn't help but view that as a metaphor for us fans: Keeping the Legionnaires moving masked the fact that there wasn't much story here. There was a plot, yes, and a lot of stuff happening, but none of it seemed to carry much weight. It's a pity that DnA didn't observe the old adage about writing: less is more.
On the other hand, the highlight for me was # 5, where four Legionnaires visit Kwai space and first encounter the hatemongering group Credo. The issue stands out because of the very real emotions Saturn Girl feels toward the displaced Progeny and how those emotions cloud her judgment toward them. This is as real as the Legionnaires get, and her transformation in the end (after encountering a progeny child) was well handled. Invisible Kid is also used effectively as the one who tries to force Imra to see things rationally.
As for hypertaxis, I applaud DnA for trying to include some real science fiction in Legion stories. Most of what passes for sci fi in the Legion are merely super-hero stories set in the future (nothing wrong with that). This arc made me think of the science fiction in early Legion stories by Edmond Hamilton.
However, DnA were not as well versed in sci fi as Hamilton, and parts of story line came off as forced and unclear. After having just re-read the story, I'm still not sure how Legion World moving into earth's orbit defeated Ra's al Ghul's plan to force human evolution. I could read it again, but I always feel that the writers haven't done a good enough job if I'm left scratching my head.
All in all, a good story arc but not great.
[ December 31, 2009, 07:34 PM: Message edited by: He Who Wanders ]
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders: However, DnA were not as well versed in sci fi as Hamilton, and parts of story line came off as forced and unclear. After having just re-read the story, I'm still not sure how Legion World moving into earth's orbit defeated Ra's al Ghul's plan to force human evolution. I could read it again, but I always feel that the writers haven't done a good enough job if I'm left scratching my head.
It counterbalanced the Moon - the "hypertaxian" threat was the Moon being knocked out of orbit, and the gravity of Legion World stabilised matters. That's also why Brainiac 5 was moaning at the end that they can't move LW any more - if they did, the Moon would start "falling" again.
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
For me, Hypertaxis/Terrorforms was where DnA really started to run off the rails. I don't mind somewhat loose science in my science fiction, but that whole idea just stretched credibility too far. Plus in the context of the reboot Legion, it didn't make much sense... are we really supposed to believe that life on Earth was in more danger of mass extinction then than when, for example, rampaging Daxamites were running around killing everything in sight? Or any of eight billion incidents in the twentieth century when Earth was in danger?
I also hated the reveal of Mr. Venge as Computo, which I thought ruined one of the most potentially interesting new villains in years.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Plus in the context of the reboot Legion, it didn't make much sense... are we really supposed to believe that life on Earth was in more danger of mass extinction then than when, for example, rampaging Daxamites were running around killing everything in sight? Or any of eight billion incidents in the twentieth century when Earth was in danger?
Uh... the Moon was ripping the planet to bits (and was about to shatter and impact until the Terrorforms buffered it). So... yeah. Even Final Night had more of a margin for error, and the WT Daxamites never threatened to repeat The Trom Manouvre on Earth - what they did was orders of magnitude lesser.
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
The White Triangle were certainly in the process of exterminating life on Earth. They were intentionally doing it slower than they did with Trom. So, at what point would the magic evolution fairies have appeared to save everyone? Or do you circumvent them if you cause mass extinction slowly enough?
And it's a little strange that these things seem to be specific to Earth, and don't appear on Trom or any of the other numerous planets that got blown up every couple of months in the rebootverse.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders: However, DnA were not as well versed in sci fi as Hamilton, and parts of story line came off as forced and unclear. After having just re-read the story, I'm still not sure how Legion World moving into earth's orbit defeated Ra's al Ghul's plan to force human evolution. I could read it again, but I always feel that the writers haven't done a good enough job if I'm left scratching my head.
It counterbalanced the Moon - the "hypertaxian" threat was the Moon being knocked out of orbit, and the gravity of Legion World stabilised matters. That's also why Brainiac 5 was moaning at the end that they can't move LW any more - if they did, the Moon would start "falling" again.
Thanks for the clarification.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: The White Triangle were certainly in the process of exterminating life on Earth. They were intentionally doing it slower than they did with Trom. So, at what point would the magic evolution fairies have appeared to save everyone? Or do you circumvent them if you cause mass extinction slowly enough?
This is a good point, although I think it shows just how unclear DnA were in their explanations and how they overreached themselves.
As I understood it, the Terrorforms were supposed to serve as "midwives," helping to usher humanity into its next stage of evolution. If human beings are extinct, no evolution occurs and so the Terrorforms are not activated.
At least that's my take on it.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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Legion # 9 is one of my least favorite DnA issues. It starts off with a humorous Jetsons riff, then becomes a silly story about Timber Wolf trying to babysit the ultra Cub. Silly but not funny. Far from being the fierce, animalistic hero he's supposed to be, TW ends up looking like an inept boob. Also, his "Think fast!" catchphrase gets old very quickly.
Any humor in the story is also undercut by the horrific reveal of the Vyrgan used to pilot the footstep drive. Of course, we already knew that's how the footstep drives were powered, so it's not that big of a reveal. But the grotesque sight of the Carggite/Vyrgan and mercy killing are at odds with the rest of the story. Are DnA trying to tell a comedy or a tragedy or both? The story just doesn't work.
Then comes the Robotica arc (# 10-14), which was handled much better, I thought, than the Ra's al Ghul story. At least it's more compact and goes straight from beginning to middle to end without many digressions or extraneous ideas. Most issues propel the story forward--with the exception of # 13, which exists mostly so Computo can give a lengthy exposition for his actions.
In the end, though, the Robotica arc amounts to a re-telling of the tried and true science fiction premise of machines being oppressed by humans. DnA offer little new here.
I was somewhat touched, however, by Computo's desire for Brainy to recognize him as his offspring, and by Brainy's eventual decision to do so and to aid Computo in achieving evolution. Brainy takes a huge gamble here, though. He assumes that if Computo evolves into a higher lifeform, he'll put aside his "petty" bitterness and hatred (which, in fact, is what happens). However, if history is any indication, human beings do not put aside their hostility toward others as they "evolve." They just find more complicated rationales to justify aggression. There's no reason to assume that machines would be any different.
Another quibble I have with the story is that the introduction of Warworld gives us one more planetary body to keep track of. We already have Legion World, the Terrorforms, hypertaxis, and Robotica. The Legionnaires themselves seem dwarfed by objects that are taking over their book.
The ending of the story is a copout. Sharn Nux, revealing herself to be an assassin, tries to kill the evolved Computo, and both get sucked into a void. This is a typical comic-booky way of ending a story without really ending it. It leaves the door open for either villain to return--an approach that was tiresome twenty years ago.
In spite of the Legionnaires being dwarfed in their own comic, DnA do provide us with some important character moments. I liked the surprise of Jazmin becoming leader and Ayla and Imra's reactions to same. Tinya returns and thinks Jo is cheating on her in a well-handled scene. Lyle enjoys showing up the oh-so-superior Sharn Nux.
Though not perfect, the Robotica storyline showed that DnA could still spin a good yarn.
[ January 01, 2010, 01:03 PM: Message edited by: He Who Wanders ]
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
I agree about #9. While I give them credit for trying to do a comedy issue, it really just didn't work at all.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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