Unfortunately, this is not a bad thing, imo. Mid-Volume 6 thru Volume 7 has been the most lifeless LSH run I can ever remember. Even Threeboot had more going for it at times. If there is a next incarnation already planned, I hope Paul is not involved. Hate to say this, as his long run in the '80s was one of my very favorites.
I agree with Paladin. The bigger problem seems to be that the Legion has been primarily about apocalyptic endings, and only that, for a LONNNG time. Maybe since Levitz's anniversary adult Legion story, certainly since Magic Wars/5 Years Later, then the reboots, which started out young and lively but decayed even more rapidly to self-destruction, then Johns brought back the "originals," but only in a "grim future" sort of vein (though not as grim as it could have been), and Levitz has done little or nothing to give us anything that feels viable for the long run. I'm tired of reading about the end of the future. But maybe this is just what comics IS now, in general?
...but you don't have a moment where you're sitting there staring at a table full of twenty-five characters with little name signs that say, "Hi, my superpower is confusing you!"
I agree with Paladin. The bigger problem seems to be that the Legion has been primarily about apocalyptic endings, and only that, for a LONNNG time.
Agreed. Since it's introduction, the Legion has had a distinctly hopeful feel. Not only does humanity still exist 1000 years later, but things are better, and young idealistic heroes take inspiration from Superman (and the heroic age) of the 20th century.
Hope has gone out of favor, and for decades, it seems, it's been all about despair and death and deconstruction. Every single big arc is about tearing everything down, and pissing on the hopeful idealism of the Silver Age.
I also agree with the apocalyptic ending meme taking precedence over the traditional bright future that once was the Legion's hallmark.
For me, a hardcore Legion fan since S/LSH #218, the Legion hasn't been very much fun to read since the end of the Emerald Vi storyline in the reboot, leading to the T20/T30 split. I held out great hope for the threeboot, but it crashed and burned quickly.
Levitz' return has been damn disappointing as hell, both from the storytelling in individual issues and the overall editorial direction. But then, so was Shooter's.
And "Justice Legion?" I dunno. Total meh here. I'll give it a try, of course, but I fear something that is so NOT the Legion written and edited by people with no conception of what made the Legion what it was.
Really, I'm to the point where I'd almost rather DC let the Legion rest in peace. After all, there's a good 50 years worth of great stories for me and my Legion World pals to discuss, debate, deconstruct and otherwise relive over and over without diluting the pool with more of the same crap we've had for most of fhe past 15 years.
I've already decided to treat everything with "new 52" on it as part of a huge elseworlds event. As such, these "deaths" mean nothing.
Someday, someone will revive the real Legion of Super-Heroes, at which point we will all agree that everything from Crisis On Infinite Earths on was just a bad dream.
First comic books ever bought: A DC four-for-47-cents grab bag that included Adventure #331. The rest is history.
True, but when Levitz tried to return the Legion to a more positive, hopeful future akin to his run from the 1980's, everyone complained that it had no life and no one bought it. I guess folks like a darker, deadlier future.
Congratulations, DC, you've destroyed what used to be my favorite intellectual property. I will not be buying any more DC comics for the foreseeable future.
True, but when Levitz tried to return the Legion to a more positive, hopeful future akin to his run from the 1980's, everyone complained that it had no life and no one bought it.
Well, if you call blowing up a Legion homeworld and having the Legion forced by the government to add a murdering racist to the team in the first issue returning to a positive, hopeful future, then, yeah, I guess that's not what I'm looking for!
It'll all be worth it when they launch the Justice Legion, with Batman 3013 and Wolverine (yeah, I know he's Marvel, but they've run out of books to put him in over there).
Although I'm sad that this book didn't make it, it really comes as no surprise. Francis' artwork is really the only good thing to have come out of this interpretation of the Legion. Paul's original run will go down in history as some of the best stuff ever written, but unfortunately he seemed to have lost his feel for the characters during his absence. Watching the team slowly butchered in more ways than one has been a painful process.
I can only hope that whatever comes next will be better, but I'm not overly optimistic.
Some people are like slinkys: not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when you knock them down a flight of stairs
I said this over in facebook, but I'm so relieved. This run has been painful to watch, and if i have my choice of seeing my favorite comic be put through the ringer or let it be canceled I choose the latter. Long live the Legion.
The really sad part is that the series is going to end which the complete destruction of the team. No they couldn't just cancel it, they had kill or maim half the members (many of whom have been brought back just to kill) and destroy the 31st century universe.
Well at least we have beautiful artwork by Frances this week
The really sad part is that the series is going to end which the complete destruction of the team. No they couldn't just cancel it, they had kill or maim half the members (many of whom have been brought back just to kill) and destroy the 31st century universe.
Well at least we have beautiful artwork by Frances this week
Agreed. It's one thing if they simply cancelled the title, it's quite another to slaughter most of the team in doing so. It's disrespectful to a degree.
*HUGE sigh*
"I have a ticket to the moon....but I'd rather see the sunrise...in your eyes"
I think this may be just the push I needed to stop buying comics completely.
I used to feel that the Legion being cancelled would be what would do it for me as well. But that was before I discovered the best comics were mostly published outside the Big Two and that many of those were outside the superhero genre.