Bleeding Cool is reporting:

Keith Giffen Leaves Legion Of Superheroes After Two Issues?

"...he has walked off the book with the previous issue."

That .. is kind of awesome ... Liefeld-esque!

Cue Lash Explosion.... 3, 2, 1....

Really disappointed by this, if true.

I know some will be quite thrilled, too!!!

If true, then forget everything I said in the other thread about feeling optimistic for the future of this title.

That optimism was misguided my friends. DC editorial can ruin anything--and usually does these days.

If true this is a disappointment but if we get Portela back sooner not necessarily a huge one. Also there is still room for optimism as, even though it would be good to have Giffen back, the book has been getting steadily better without him so there is no reason to believe that wont continue.

>sad face<

Somebody probably wanted to use Karate Kid in a crossover.

Perhaps DC has cancelled Legion and Giffen just walked away early like Pete Woods did with Legion Lost.

Ooouuuuucchhh. Two issues and he abandons ship?! Either the book has been cancelled, something happened in his personal life, or the storyline really was that bad. Why else would you hype it up the way he has? Maybe it's not true? Though if this leaves an opening for Portela to return, I am all for it.

It always seems like Giffen and Levitz are at odds just under thr surface in interviews. I suspect that has something to do with it.

True. Maybe he doesn't agree with the direction of the book? Or wasn't getting enough creative input.

I, for one, don't care that Giffen has left the book. I liked his earlier clear drawing style, but really really disliked his dark, gritty, experimental art style.

Plus his Bwah-ha-ha writing in Justice League got very tiresome very quickly to me.

Yipes, I hadn't thought of possible cancellation!

Legion's sales are definitely near the bottom of the not-yet-canceled new 52 titles, but I think there are still about 6-8 such titles which are selling fewer numbers.

Man, Legion just really can't seem to catch a break these days.

Well, fuck!

What is up with DC lately with all these insanely fast creative shake-ups?? I'm not sure how to feel about Giffen's departure yet. I think Levitz's writing benefited from Giffen's influence, but I won't know to be worried about the Legion until we find out who the replacement is.

I see on the Bleeding Cool comments section someone suggesting that Giffen fell out with Didio over his wanting to bring in Tom Bierbaum as co-plotter.

That would have been interesting.

Okay, It's bad enough I have to hear Giffen is out. But Tom Beirbaum was also a possibility? Damn.

If you can't recapture the magic, time for something new to be done with the Legion. Though I fear with the new DCU, that it would comprise of a futuristic Justice League (Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman). They can't seem to focus on anything but those three and Green Lantern.

Giff has been known to put up with heavy editorial interference in the past... of course he then destroyed Planet Earth.

The Tom Bierbaum thing fits in with DC's current 90s fetish but "feels" unlikely to me.

Whatever the case, I think this combined with current LSH sales is nothing but a bad omen for the future of the book.

Thing is, the book isn't written badly, really. It just focuses to much on people that are new or have become the constant focal point (brainy) and doesn't give us enough of the others that we do want to see (the 'real' legionnaires).

My perspective, anyway.

And if didio and crew are at it again...man, they really want me to leave DC all together, don't they.

I've always felt that the Legion title of the whole DC universe that should beyond editorial intervention. Being a thousand years in the future, the Legion can chart it's own course without effecting the outcome of other DC titles. Unfortunately it seems editorial mandates keep getting in the way of things. I just hope Levitz is allowed the freedom to tell his stories his way, but with Giffen's sudden departure you must wonder what major Harvest crossover the Legion is soon going to be forced to endure, especially if Levitz has to get the Legion Lost team home.

I think the best thing that could happen now is for the New 52 to fail so DC can fire Dan Didio & hire Jim Shooter as Editor in chief.

That's what I'd been hoping would happen from the start but ohhhhhhhh no - all of YOU people had to keep buying all those comics and thereby make the DCnU such a success and now we're never going to be rid of them.

This just makes me sad and concerned for the Legion.

Regardless of the reason (unless Giffen has to leave for some external/health issue), it is a bad omen for the book. Is the Legion such a problem for DC? Maybe the Legion's problems with Earthgov were just a parable for every writer's problems with editorial.

Giffen and Levitz should get on the LMB bandwagon and insist everything Legionney be moved to one of those other DC brands, the names of which I've forgotten but wherever Fables is.

This is not good news. Not just that we will be denied Giff's madcap ideas but also what or who could replace him? I've really felt things were improving in the last year or so but this rings alarm bells. Editorial interference is something that's been mentioned, does anyone actually know what that really means?


Well if no-one else wants it I'd love to write it

Here's a cut and pasted quote from my secret "in" with Giff over on Facebook:

"Ok: disputes with piss poor editorial staff. Diluting his impact. You will see in his first Legion how many gaps there are..."

No mention of the Tom Bierbaum thing, although I did ask about it.

So DC editorial does it again. They're like the Anti-Monitor of the DCnU, just consuming one creative team after another.

Why does anyone agree to work with them anymore? Seriously, with the way they act, they're becoming a 2nd tier company despite having top tier characters.

I don't know if it's so much "them" as it is "him." Diddy-Yo seems to be the problem. I think the power has gone to his head.

Well Giffen has publically come to Didio's defense a number of times and just collaborated with him on OMAC, so for Giffen to walk for editorial reasons is pretty big news.

The inside scoop from Lash (thanks for that!) is juicy, for the reasons Mr. Hackett states above... suggesting, as it does, that editorial is so out of control that even Company man Giffen, who generally seems to have handled editorial interference rather well in the past, is done with it.

We don't know what is going on behind the DC doors, but the sheer volume of rumours (editorial versus the creatives!) and small number of confirmed items really aren't painting a pretty picture right now.

The best thing they can do at the rumored DC Creative Retreat in NC is to have a giant super-battle between the editors and the creative types... let'em work out some of the tension. Jeez!

I suspect it's a numbers game. As sales have gone down, tensions, backstabbery and general running-around-like-headless-chickens has risen. It would not be the first time Giffen severed ties with a former close collaborator (one such former collaborator tells me to this day he doesn't know why Keith will no longer speak to him).

I'm personally kinda over it. Except for a very few titles, the New 52 has become a washout. PLEASE bring on Morrison's MULTIVERSITY and push re-set on this hot-ass mess again.

I don't recommend holding your breath for Multiversity.

I think part of the problem with DC is that there are some creative types who get too much free rein from editorial and run amok, while others get constant interference and can't tell a decent story due to it. After reading Liefeld's Deathstroke 0, I was shocked anyone at DC editorial allowed that to be published. And it seems like Morrison and Johns pretty much get to run roughshod over other writers, even when it cripples other books (ala Johns' Legion retroboot hurting Shooter's attempt to revive the Threeboot). So I don't know how a "creative" versus "editorial" battle will work, because there seem to be two very distinct categories of "creatives" at DC.

One thing that does need to be addressed is how best to let the lesser-known titles can develop their audiences. Unfortunately, editorial does not seem to be willing to let writers and artists develop their own books to see if they will attract audiences. Instead, it seems like there must be a crossover every 6 or 7 issues, which effectively disrupts the main narrative. I think what really hurt Legion Lost the most were the Harvest crossovers. They seemed to alter the main storyline and gave us multiple issues where the Legionnaires were secondary characters in their own book.

Oh, I've learned that about the comics biz for sure. But as recently as October 2012, Morrison said MULTIVERSITY *is* happening...

Morrison's quit for now (Multiversity is written, his Action Comics run and Batman Inc are ending and he has nothing else upcoming with them) and Johns has a "suit" job ("Chief Creative Officer" - which, coinki-dink-ily, is Quesada's current job title at Marvel).

I'm pumped that Portela is returning to the Legion as regular artist. At least there will be good art. Hopefully Levitz has some good stories upcoming for Portela to draw.

I'm excited too. I was really not looking forward to the next few months, but now at least it will be PRETTY.

I just hope Portela isn't coming back just to end the series with the next round of cancellations.

I hope so too. I think I would genuinely cry.

I do like that George Perez cover they showed on CBR yesterday in the article where they announced Portela was back.

I'm a huge Giffen fan but was worried about his joining. At first I was very excited until I read the small print and it sounded like a soft-boot.

One of my fave Legion stories is the recruitment of a new Fatal Five by the Empress. Not sure why the original story would have to be retold. Marvel keeps replinishing the Masters of Evil over and over...and still tell good stories with them.

My first reaction of the news was sadness but then also wondered is this a Giffen/Levitz thing or a Giffen/editorial thing?

I think Giffen needs to jump back to the Marvel cosmic stuff. He did awesome there and has more freedom it seems.

That is a nice Perez cover and its great to, presumably, see Mysa back.

All she needs now is to ditch Mordru and (hopefully Kinetix) and become the White Witch again.

Black just does not seem to suit her.

Mysa will pull it out. Archmage, Mordru, Khunds, ... Validus will be a snap of her fingers.

Black does not suit her at all!

That IS a gorgeous cover.

It don't get much more bad-ass than standing in lava. Or is it magma? Googling is too much work.

Wonderful cover!
With Mysa's return still I have hopes of the return of Jeckie and Imra.

Anybody ever wonder what those metal shoulder thingies are for? You think he hangs himself up at night?

^ Must be a pretty strong hook....

Does Mysa have little glowing horns there instead of antennae? Shades of Evillo. It will be great to see her in action again.

Portela seems like a decent artist for the Legion. I can't seem to find any team-shots by him. Has he actually done any team pin-ups or poster art for the Legion?