Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! Why I Love The Legion...

Thought I'd ask you guys why you love this group so much.

For me, it's hard to describe, but I definitely enjoy the variety of characters. It was always a huge surprise reading an issue of Legion to see if my favorites got any face time.

I do believe there would never have been a New X-men if not for the Legion coming up with many of those ideas first.

Just a great concept. I like that the future is bright, but not perfect.

Anyway, those are a couple thoughts. What about you guys?

Gail

I have to concur with some of your reasons, Gail! There are so many different members...both in powers and personalities...that it's easy to find several Legionnaires to relate to or idolize.

I also enjoy the group dynamic, seeing these people interact and become friends in an environment not quite like our own. There are so many personalities that there is always going to be camraderie, drama, and support all rolled into one. Campy as it sounds, I like how the Legion seems to still be a 'club' even without the title, with standards and equipment (flight rings!) to match. I enjoy that there are binding concepts, like that, which can hold even the two most vastly different Legionnaires together in time of crisis.

The Legion also has the advantage of the future on their side. Dozens of races, tech, or galactic threats can exist, entertain, or threaten as it's a time far away from ours...with different problems and events for a much larger existance. If you can suspend your belief, the possibilites and outrageous concepts to come from the Legion's pages are endless (and to me, enjoyable)!

Loving the Legion is almost beyond description... either you "get it" or you don't.

One thing is for certain... those that do "get it" are very special folk indeed!

There's no other comics fan quite like a Legion fan!

My own theory for why I became a fan is probably the plethora of characters, both hero and villain, presented in reprints of those old ADVENTURE issues. More bang for the buck! The Curt Swan artwork didn't hurt, either.

The Legion of Super Heroes (plus Superboy) epitomizes everything I think we all would strive for in a perfect world (well at least the folks that have a heart and soul). Youthful spirit embodying strength, vitality, a sense of fairness mixed in with goodness, kindness and thoughtfulness. We find these qualities all within a group of very diverse individuals working and loving together for the purpose of keeping things running as they should.

In our real world we have much of this but currently it seems that we are barraged with so much reports of violence and injustice and for those of us in the USA our own rights and democracy being put on the line with our current "leader" so for me books like the Legion of Super Heroes and the Uncanny X-Men are escapes into worlds where the good always wins in the end. It's a nice story and it's good to dream about things working out here in the real world in the end.............

Some times dreams come true!

What's been said so far! After four decades, the characters have taken on a life of their own. Like real people, they change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse; new people join the group and others leave... some histories may be contradictory, but it all works together to make a rich, diverse and detailed fiction.

The Legion has always had girls playing a role equal to that of the boys (apart from the occasional "too dangerous for a girl" comment) and it has struck me as less overtly oriented to the teenage boy - or more universally appealing - this was important to me as a younger female and it is certainly part of the appeal today.

Another reason I love the Legion is the fandom! Don't think I'd enjoy the book half as much without everybody here, in the Klordny and Interlac APAs and on the other Legion websites.

I'll probably think of a hundred more reasons throughout the day...

Can't really say it any better than you guys have. One thing I'd like to emphasize is the youth and camaraderie. That really stood out to me when I was just starting with the Legion.

I liked the fact that this was a club. (maybe a bit like the boy scouts or something)To belong you had to join, people could and did get rejected, but those who got in were, generally, the best people. not necessarily the most powerful, or with the most useful, but they had something that would make them want to work with and be a part of the legion.

I like the fact that this was the future and to us stuck in the 20th century, it seemed a "perfect" future. No one was hungry, they could fly to the stars, they had flight belts and rings and the nine planets ice cream parlour

Yet the future was not as rosy as it first looked, there were still criminals, there were still wars and there were still groups trying to force one intolerant viewpoint on others.

In short there was still a need for the Legion. And who better than a group of idealistic youth to counter the world cynicism of the "adults" who ran the UP.

I love the legion because it is bright, optimistic and (in the long run) it argues for a brighter better future.

Another function of the large roster is that the comic is rarely long overwhelmed by one character's angst.

The future and space travel are two great parts of the comic. Just being able to take the team and regularly put them in situations and environments that don't need to be explained in modern terms. It's all great fun.

All of the above! For me I think what I found most appealing were the diverse characters. With so many members there was bound to be someone with whom you could identify. Be it the shy Shrinking Violet, or the (extremely) large Buncing Boy, or the gregarious Sun Boy. There was someone for everyone. You could also see many of your various friends reflected in this group as well.

Another appealing aspect was that they were kids...teens, and yet together they were able to contribute immensely to the well being and happiness of the world(s) in which they lived.

They weren't all the all powerful Superman or the dark night detective, some had rather silly powers, yet they put them to good use for the betterment of society (I mean, come on...Matter-Eater Lad! Sheesh!)

They were true heroes, giving their all (in some cases their lives!) to help others. Just look at some of those that died in the line of duty:

Ferro Lad ~ a misfigured mutant, shunned by humanity, who had to cover his face with a mask. Yet he sacrificed himself to save that humanity from the Sun-Eater;

Chemical King ~ another mutant who parents turned him over to scientist for experimetation because they didn't know what to make of him. Full of insecurities and self doubt, he still found inside himself that extra measure we call heroism and saved the world and its people from a madman's dream of starting a new World War.

Similar stories abound with the others as well ~ Lyle, Pol, Val.

The Legion appeals to the goodness that is in all of us and makes us see that everyone has something unique and special to offer. That sometimes it's the weakest or least likely person in the group that finds it in himself or herself to be a hero.

It's all been well said, and I have to agree. The optomistic future, the youthful idealism, the extremely large, diverse cast that can make room for almost anyone (as Chuck and Tenzil could prove time and again), the bonds of friendship that prevailed over politics or racism (Imsk or Durla, for example). The fact that these kids thought they could make a difference, and were willing to give their lives for the cause (and many did).

And Imra's pink bikini and disco boots didn't hurt either!!

I also agree that there is a great bond within Legion fandom. Anyone can be a comic book fan, but to love the Legion takes an extraordinary human being. (ego alert, ego alert!) The Legion fan base is one of the earliest examples of the comics industry actually listening to the readers. After the Legion's first appearance, fans wrote in asking for more. And again after their second appearance, and the third. They eventually booted Superboy out of two of his books (Adventure and then even his own solo title) in response to the demand. Fans would suggest new heroes to join the Legion, or even submit designs for costumes that were used. What a voice we have had over the decades!

We are one reason I love the Legion!

I was first hooked on the Legion when I saw the different colored costumes and found out that there could be a wide range of super hero characters beyond Superboy and Batman.

I was read Adventure Comics by my neighbor (he was retired, I was three or four). Almost 40 years later, my kids read the Legion. The appeal across generations is why I love it.

They young!*hic*
They sexy!*hic*
They gots supa-powers!
*hic*

I like the idea of a large group working together. It's sort of the Hill Street Blues (that's a tv drama to folks younger than me) of comic books. A legion of characters to work with, make us like and hate and pine for and despise, allows for so many stories. With such a diverse cast, you can tell all kinds of tales, mix and match numerous characters, and really have fun with it. There's no overwhelming cause (avenging parents, mutant hysteria) or general theme to this book. It was at it's best (from what I gather) when it had stories of wild action and low ball comedy, character stories and outlandish adventures. Of the current crop of cape-and-cowl comics, the LSH has the most potential for truly incredible storytelling.

DETAILS* DETAILS* DETAILS!!!!

That's what I like about the Legion. So many little obscure things to focus on, within a grand scheme. The 30th/31st century universe is VAST and within it are jillions and jillions of interesting people, places and things to learn about.

I'm absolutely in love with each of the Legionnaires. They're my babies, my children. They're each different and sometimes aggravating, but they're mine. Their friends and enemies always interest me, despite what I may think of them.

I've always had the Legion in my life and I always will. This is why I don't get too worried about things like reboots or relaunches. I have an archive of the past and a, so far, steady line-up of Legion products to come.

Thanks for asking Ms. Gail Simone!

For me the hook has always been the huge sense of hope... even during the 5YG there is a passion about doing something with your life that is so alluring...

And the boys are all cute too... it's so NOT Aberdeen

The Legion always represented my ultimate super-hero fantasy: a combination of family, friends, school, and the world outside just waiting to be explored. It was a metaphor for my life, hopes and dreams, and more.

The Legion was a place of belonging, where anyone with a special talent could feel special, even if they weren't Superboy or Mon-El (or even if they were). They were the best aspects of high school activities without the bullying, unfair competition and pressure.

They were a place where young people made a difference, and where "young" merely meant that one wasn't closed to possibilities; where the silly interacted with the cool in ways that neither could be ashamed of.

The Legion defied all sorts of comic book and story telling traditions ... the cast was too large, it was set in an improbable future, they embodied both '50s conservativism and '70s liberalism ... yet somehow it worked. It worked BECAUSE the Legion took those traditions and redefined them, asking the reader to suspend judgment, and to just ACCEPT. At the same time, it respected the reader's intelligence (Edmond Hamilton, one of the classic Legion scribes, was a science fiction author; Jim Shooter, another scribe, wrote about what he learned in high school), and asked us to move beyond simple definitions of what super-heroes, science fiction and fantasy were supposed to be. It also asked us to ask ourselves what more is life supposed to be ... what is our potential ... what kind of future do we want?

The Legion is the best of the ideals of Superman and Star Trek, with everything else thrown in for fun.

my reasons:
-- WILDFIRE!!
-- Diversity of cast: There are so many members, there's always something interesting going on. And of course the cast represents the hope that those of different races can ban together to make the universe a better place.
-- Team dynamics: with so many members, the range of team interactions run the gamut. Levitz did it best -- there were cliques within the team and they made sense. I liked that not everyone had to be friends on their downtime, but could pull together when it counted. It just gave an added sense of realism without it being blatant "conflict" for the sake of drama (i.e. Cyclops/Wolverine)
-- The fact that the Legion was a part of the DCU but had their own self-contained playground of the future meant that their exploits could affect the entire world or the entire universe. And the little bits of DCU that would show up (like Darkseid) gave it enough of a connection that it was fun to play around with the toys in the DCU chest.

No fair.

everyone else took my answer.

(pouts).

What drew me into the Legion was the chance to explore such a vast and curious universe. Every new issue introduced something new to explore as well as provide a link to a long and storied past. Getting the chance to explore all of the different characters and settings of the 30th century was challenging but extrememly rewarding. I already knew all I needed about Superman, Baatman, and the Justice League. I could come and go as I pleased and they would never change (so I thought!). But missing even one issue of the Legion meant missing a piece of a puzzle.

I love the humor of the situation - Arms Fall of Lad, Matter Eater Lad, Calorie Queen, Plaid Lad?!? I also love the relationships and interactions between 'all my children' 'as the world turn's. Its about all 'the young and the restless' and the 'bold and the beautiful.'

1) I love the Legion's 31st century setting. A place where pretty much everyone has the capacity to be a god. There's a planetful of Supermen, a (former) planetful of people who can turn steel into air...and if the natural powers of your species aren't enough, you can always ask your scientist dad to hook you up, or go touch strange meteors, or go digging for mystic artifacts, or simply exploit the miracles of publicly-available 31st-century technology.

The implication is that personal power is limited more or less only by your determination to focus and increase it. People make the choice to become a planetary-level hero or villain--or, conversely, choose to have an "ordinary" life, because in this universe of wonders even Daxamites get to be considered ordinary people if they want to be. This almost infinite power of self-determination makes for a very interesting cosmos.

2) I love the Legion's development as a reaction to such a universe. They embody the philosophy that self-improvement is a good thing, but that the aim should be to enhance uniqueness rather than raw power. Hence they'd rather have a Daxamite and a highly-trained Bismollian than two Daxamites.

The really interesting thing about this attitude is that it doesn't always turn out to be "right" in the stories. There are plenty of times when the team could use more raw power instead of a diverse array of not-very-impressive abilities. The White Triangle did an immense amount of damage because, even though they all had exactly the same powers, they were really really impressive powers.

Yet the Legion persists in their philosophy, because--unlike most A-list superteams--they're not really trying to be the most powerful paramilitary force for justice in the universe. They're trying to be role models to a galaxy, and it so happens that they can do a lot of good along the way.

3) I love the fact that they're kids. I don't necessarily think this is morally defensible or whatnot within the storyline itself, but I find it endlessly fascinating that the 31st century is happy to hide behind a bunch of kids when Mordru or Darkseid shows up--while all the adults with similar powers are going to work as usual and hoping the Legion takes care of things before everyone dies. Is it such a confident and optimistic world that the threats aren't taken seriously, and nobody worries about their Legionnaire kiddies getting hurt? Or is it so hopeless and desperate, and the threats so dire, that nobody can afford to care whether Legionnaires die?

Either way, it's very bizarre and makes for a very cool story.

4) I love the cast-of-thousands and the attendant possibilities for character interaction. If you ever wanted to know how an upbeat lesbian farm girl would get along with a large ball of anti-energy with self-esteem issues--when they're both trapped on the event horizon of a black hole--LSH is probably the book for you. (Note: I don't actually know of an issue in which this happened. I just made it up.)

5) I love the (sometime) existence of stable gay relationships involving fairly important characters. It's a big thing for me, I gotta say.

6. I love a much higher proportion of its writers than I have on any other long-running book. The Legion seems to attract writers who are funny, character-focused and have seriously overdeveloped imaginations.

That's all I can think of for now. Oh, and I love T. Catt, but I *ahem* only look at his Legion work for the articles.