posted
Hmm. I'd have to reread them, but I recall the first 6-8 or so issues being such an awesome rollercoaster ride of action and cliffhanger endings... I remember it being probably the last time I was really excited while reading the postboot.
posted
Coipel is hit or miss with me. I like his long shots of planets and space, but some of his faces and figures take getting used to. Some have said that he had a manga influence, but, to me, the artwork just looks cartoony in places and stiff and awkward in others.
-------------------- 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
quote:Originally posted by MLLASH: Hmm. I'd have to reread them, but I recall the first 6-8 or so issues being such an awesome rollercoaster ride of action and cliffhanger endings... I remember it being probably the last time I was really excited while reading the postboot.
They were pretty exciting as they were coming out, not in the least becasue of the feeling that DnA were "fixing" the problems with the reboot, but I think HWW is right that, in retrospect, there's a lot more flash than real substance.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Coipel definitely was working on finding his groove when he was on the Legion.
Even more flash than substance was more appealing after the several years of absolutely nothing of any real interest happening. I have not reread this version lately, but I remember loving DnA's run because it gave a feel that things were actually happening again.
From: Turn around... | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I wasn't reading when Legion during DNA's run but I have gotten it all in back issues. I just felt that they did a great job with smaller groups of Legionnaires, but when they reunited the Lost Legionnaires with the rest of the team the book seemed to flounder. I think the cast ended up being too big for DNA.
I enjoyed their run well enough (before Foundations, I thought that was awful). However, I don't like the Terrarformers or the Hyperaxis idea. I thought that that concept derailed the first few issues where we see the new UP status quo through the Legionnaires eyes which I found interesting and exciting, but the ending was weak and not very strong motivation wise. And I agree with many on the board who think Ra's was a poor villain for the Legion.
Robitica arc was ok, it was written very solidly and had it's nice moments, but ended up being so utterly predictable that I really don't ever have the desire to reread it unless I'm rereading their entire run. And having reread the DNA issues I have (most of Blight, Legion Lost, etc) I get to Robitica real burnt out by the imminent threat to Earth scenario. So in the end Robitica actually gets a 'meh' to 'thumbs down' from me for being nothing that I haven't seen before.
As for issue #9, I think DNA needed one more plot point in it. "Think Fast" does get old and the humor scenes were stretched out way too long. If they had cut those pages down and instead showed us what other Legionnaires were doing or something else I think it would have been a much stronger issue, as it is it is a comedy issue where the joke went on too long and not worth much reread. However, I did like the reveal at the end in that I don't mind there being some strong emotional stuff in a mostly humorous issue. However, I do feel the pacing of the issue was a bit off and even the reveal at the end took too long.
Still, of the recent Legion stuff I own their run is one that I tend to reread most often and is some of the best (minus the very beginning of the reboot which I think was pretty good).
-------------------- Long Live the Legion!
Registered: Mar 2007
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quote:Originally posted by stephbarton: I wasn't reading when Legion during DNA's run but I have gotten it all in back issues. I just felt that they did a great job with smaller groups of Legionnaires, but when they reunited the Lost Legionnaires with the rest of the team the book seemed to flounder. I think the cast ended up being too big for DNA.
That sums up my assessment, as well.
One thing I credit DnA with is taking chances. Even though some of their chances were bound to be unpopular (Garth's death, Jan becoming Progenitor), they at least tried to take the Legion (pun not intended) where no one had gone before. However, this approach seemed to work best with a smaller team of characters.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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After Robotica, the Legion had to fight two "smaller" menaces, which was a definitely necessary change of pace. Timber Wolf got introduced into the team and his first fight was against the Fatal Five, after that Ras al Ghul escaped and helped to save Sneckie. Two decent stories, with average artwork by fill-in artists. The way DnA tried to make Sneckie into a less annoying character was noticed, I really thought her new look was less cheesy. Her change of appearance was well sewn into the next big storyline "Dreamcrime", another five-parter which was okay. I just don't like the constant portrayal of mental warfare, that happened too often during the Reboot. I liked the way Karate Kid and Ferro Lad were brought back to the fold during the storyline - reminded me a little bit of good old "Earthwar" - but apart from that, I was glad that the story was over, though it certainly was not that bad.
I was a little sad to see Coipile go. Certainly he did not really manage to keep up with a monthly book, but his artwork was special. Chris Batistas was not. It looked okay, reminding me a little bit of Moders stuff, but no longer special, especially lacking the certain "darker" style Coipiel brought to the book.
As for the team, with Timber Wolf and Dream Girl joining, the group got larger and larger, in the end reaching "legion" numbers like in Levitzs days. That I really liked, even though we already saw with Dreamcrime that it's easier to focus on a smaller group of members.
From: Bamberg, Germany | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
My reaction to the Timber Wolf story is that it's good, but should have been a one-shot. Just everything about that story screams 'this should be a one shot' so I think it suffers from being stretched into two issues.
Also this is another example of most of my exposure of the Fatal Five being when they are less than formidable. I hear so much about how the original Fatal Five are the Legion's deadliest villains, but I haven't seen in their post-ZH appearances (of course I might have missed some of their appearances as I do not own the entire reboot). There is an "oh crap" moment when the FF show up, but they are more like typical one shot villains, all fury and sound signifying nothing (is that the quote?).
As for the Ra's Al Ghul two parter, man when I got to this I was still sick of him from the opening of the book. Downside to reading a book in one sitting is that sometimes having many many months between one's last appearance helps make it less annoying when they pop up again. Not a bad story as I recall, paced well, decent twists and moments, nice move on Sneckie (but she is still a great example of what is wrong with the reboot) but still wished it hadn't been Ra's.
-------------------- Long Live the Legion!
Registered: Mar 2007
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DnAs final issues - and it shows. They seemed to run out of ideas. This was especially obvious during the Darkseid story, which started as a mediocre retelling of Great Darkness and ended as annoying time travel gibberish. To throw in Superboy and TWO Darkseids seems like a desperate marketing ploy to me - as history shows, it failed, and ten issues later, the reboot was over.
This was probably DnAs worst storyline, whereas I could enjoy the one-parters with Umbra (drawn by Lightle) and Chuck/Gear (drawn by Giffen) and the finale picking up the loose threads with the Credo story. The latter one would have been a decent end to the reboot. Considering how they permaturely ended Shooters run on the Threeboot years later, one has to wonder why they dragged on the Reboot with the last four issues by Champagne and Simone. Was there a draft among DC writers asking, "hey, anyone got some thow-away Legion story to tell"?
As for the art, Batista did a solid job, but his work lacked something special. It really showed when DnA lost Coipiel. All the more enjoyable were the guest stints by Lightle and Giffen - what a pleasurable exception that guest artists are NOT some no-name newcomers...
So it took me some time to end my Reboot reread, but I'm, getting close now - it's the least I can do after this whole thread went so long...
From: Bamberg, Germany | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
wow, I had forgotten about this thread. I didn't realize the last section was for issues 15 through 23 (emphasis on the 23).
I do agree that the Darkseid storyline fails on a lot of levels, the thing that bugs me the most is how they portrayed Superboy. First, they act like Superboy had never met this Legion, been their friend and earned their respect. That confused the heck out of me when I got this story (in trade). it was the second Legion trade I got (I think, as great Darkness was the only other trade and it was hard to come by) and I thought that I had ventured into yet another reboot of the Legion from what I had read in their first trade and the Superboy series.
So not only was Conner completely written OOC and his history with the team completely ignored, but the plot was convoluted and it felt like the Legion didn't really do much.
However, will come back to this thread (because it is fun to review era's after the fact) and post my thoughts on Dream Crime, more on Foundations (that's the name of the arc, right?), and the actual end.
But yeah, DC put in a bunch of fill-ins for their Legion and then cut Shooter early(and they had to know Lo3W would not end on time). Did a Legion fan kill TPTB at DC's cat or something.
-------------------- Long Live the Legion!
Registered: Mar 2007
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quote:Originally posted by Chemical King: The latter one would have been a decent end to the reboot. Considering how they permaturely ended Shooters run on the Threeboot years later, one has to wonder why they dragged on the Reboot with the last four issues by Champagne and Simone. Was there a draft among DC writers asking, "hey, anyone got some thow-away Legion story to tell"?
They cut DnA early.
quote:http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=2927 "Before you ask...the story we didn't get to finish was the one involving Tinya and Jo's son, Cub. There'll be a lot of things left dangling when we go, lots of unresolved subplots and character arcs, that's just the way it works. But the only story we had a definite ending and resolution worked out for was Cub. Originally, DC allowed us to stay on as long as we wanted to finish up what we were doing, so we had planned on leaving with #36 after telling the Cub story. Sadly, they had to pull three issues off us to make things fit with the incoming team, and we realised we wouldn't have room to do the Cub story after all. It's our only regret. Our last, great Legion story, never to be told."
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
posted
"Incoming team"? So Simone was considered the new regular?
I really don't get this - the Champagne one-shot was totally neglectable, and Simones four-parter (not yet through with it) was entertaining, but I don't think that it's a story that just BEGGED to be told... why not letting DnA tell their last story and leaving the Simone story out?
From: Bamberg, Germany | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
The Champagne/Lightle issue was a pre-existing inventory story they had to use up.
And, no, Simone was clear from the start that she was just filling in - she actually referred to it as "a goodbye to the postboot - and preboot as well (!)". Exactly WTF DnA weren't allowed their last three issues to tie up the Cub plot is a mystery which hasn't been answered with time.
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
posted
Wish they would spill with their plans...at this point, it isn't really spoiling anything since those characters are pretty much gone.
From: Turn around... | Registered: Jul 2003
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