‘Heh, I love evil monologues’, cackles Superboy Prime in part three of ‘Legion of Darkseid’. And that’s certainly what we get as this issue opens, with the corrupt Saturn Girl relaying her backstory for several pages.
And whose voice did she hear? The dark god of Apokolips himself, it seemed, and he showed her a vision of a supremely evil Superboy at the end of all things, inspiring her to gather further powered acolytes of Darkseid and form a Legion of Super-Heroes. And now, in Superboy Prime, it seems Saturn Girl has found her man. Tapping into the chronal energy of a time-lost Booster Gold, evil Imra and friends have been travelling the Multiverse, murdering other Legions. But a few heroes survive in this twisted 31st century, chained by the darker versions of Colossal Boy, Lightning Lad and co, alongside the one, true Superman.
Imra believes Booster’s connection to Darkseid – he was present when the Apokolips dictator seemingly died on the Justice League Watchtower, has filled him with ‘Omega Energy. And she has a plan.
And after Booster has been bled?
‘Dan Jurgens is going to be pissed.’ What a glorious line, reminding us that Superboy Prime is one of us, an Earth Prime comics fan… heck, he subscribes to this very blog. He never comments, though…
Things are looking bleak, and it’s not even as if all the bad Legionnaires are on hand – back in 2025 a version of Karate Kid springs a surprise on Lex Luthor, last seen approaching one of the many Himalayan retreats dotted around DC Earth.
Sounds painful! I’m sure you can guess who wins the Battle of the Baldies… but (relatively) meanwhile, is Prime going to going along with Saturn Girl’s orders?
Remember he says he’s there to do something Superman never could?
Yesssss! I indicated last time I was not delighted to see Prime back after he got his happy ending, and hoped his heel turn towards the Legion of Super-Stinkers was a feint. And here’s Prime, making like a red and blue tornado, his innate Clark Kent ensuring he stands up for what’s right. He even makes one heck of an inspirational speech.
Writer Joshua Williamson is having huge fun with Superboy Prime; whichever side of the street he’s playing, he really brings the maniacal glee to proceedings. Saturn Girl, though, is revelling in pure evil, describing how mercilessly she dealt with her jailers on Titan. As for Booster Gold, having been captured and tortured a couple of years previously, he’s in awful shape – no, not the skinniness, the awful beard.
As for the book’s title character, Superman, on being freed he uses one of his lesser-seen powers to devastating effect.
Also, he’s really rather cool towards the, shall we say, mercurial Superboy Prime.
The issue ends with a pointer toward forthcoming comics and events, but that doesn’t stop this chapter being thoroughly satisfying in terms of plot movement. As well as the compelling script there’s the spectacular art of Dan Mora, page after page of excellent compositions, each panel containing characters full of power and emotion. I’ve shown some of them here, but there are still several standout moments in the 22 pages. And wonderful nuance, such as the very particular face of the monk listening to the attack on Lex. Also, am I imagining that the dark Legionnaires’ bodies bear patches of Darkseid-tastic skin bumps?
The colours of Alexander Sánchez are a blaze of eye-popping hues, but the subtle skin-tones are as praiseworthy as the power blasts and Spandex suits. The storytelling in Ariana Maher’s lettering also shouldn’t be underestimated, with drama in the choice of fonts.
Mora’s self-coloured cover is a winner, showing just how scary a giant can be.
I enjoyed this issue more than Superboy Prime enjoys ripping off arms. How about you?
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
I have this arc but I won’t read it until one of the heroic Legions appear in print and fully alive. Mostly. ‘Cause, I want a continuation from where Giffen and Levitz left off. Maybe a Legion: The Next Generation?
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That could be rather great!
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I’m curious about the “fade to white” that seems to wipe out the Legion? Or does it just act as a scene shift until the next time they show up. There’s lots of talk about how the future has been destroyed… there isn’t a future anymore, etc. etc.
Seems like the stage is certainly set for a giant Legion rebooting/resetting when this is all over. But I also feel like that’s still a ways off.
And now… we slide right into DC K/O. Bring it out. I’m curious about how it’s gonna play.
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I’m on the fence about even sampling KO. Not my cup of tea at all based on what we know.
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Maybe that’s the end of the nasty Legion and Prime for now, or maybe it is the future ceasing to exist for awhile… one way or another I expect a shiny new Legion soon.
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I coincidentally just re-read “Zero Hour” for the first time in a few decades and the whole “the future is vanishing” was a major part of that storyline. That’s the problem with being a long time comicbook fan. After a while storylines seem to repeat themselves or aspects of them do, whether unintentionally or as an homage by the creative teams. “Zero Hour” also had the then-villainous Hal Jordan tapping into time travelers’ powers/disposing of them, a key one being the Time Trapper. Hasn’t that also been happening in the current DCU, between “Superman” and “Justice League Unlimited”? Maybe this is all meant as kind of an homage to prior DC crises. Having Superboy Prime back, for example. As is Darkseid. I know Scott Snyder in an interview talked about how Marvel has done heroes vs. heroes for years but DC never really has, and that was one of the inspirations for “DC KO.” And he’s right. And there are fans who will obviously eat that up. But I can’t say I’m excited for that very same reason – even if it’s just Marvel characters, I feel like “been there, done that.” Heck, Jason Aaron a few years back had a similar fight club-style storyline in his “Avengers” run in which various Marvel heroes competed to become the next Phoenix. – Brian
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I’ve never liked Heroes Vs Heroes en masse, though I’m fine with three pages when heroes meet for the first time. I’m really not looking forward to this, given it’s from the writers who gave us The Batman Who Bores.
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I’m looking forward to reading this, but also likely to stop picking up the book until KO is over, due to my self-imposed no crossovers rule (and I’m not really bothered about heroes fighting heroes). Has DC really not done heroes fighting before because I remember a little book called Countdown Arena, not to mention a few Jim Lee illustrated books with Batman fighting Superman, and Superman fighting the whole Justice League?
Stu
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My way of dealing with crossovers with events I’m skipping is to still get a series that crosses over if it’s the same creative team as usual. Peter David was especially good when encumbered with a crossover, moving his own plots along while doing exemplary work on what was dumped on him. JLU might be an exception because it’s already too entwined with the metatstory at times as it is.
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I think Snyder meant things like “Civil War” and “Contest of Champions” and “Avengers vs. X-Men” – entire storylines/mini series built around a large group of Marvel heroes battling it out. You’re right about “Countdown: Arena” though I’d argue that’s a deep cut that doesn’t quite match Marvel’s output :). – Brian
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I don’t blame you Stu, I wish I had your determination, but I am weak, WEAK.
I have given up on Mr Terrific, mind, what a bore that is.
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Chapter 2 had the best Legion stuff overall, but this was still a terrific conclusion to this little arc. I’m glad to see some Legionnaires from other times/universes up and running, and hope to see more of them soon. For the first time since the Bendis/Sook run ended, I’ve got hope for the Legion’s future. I think by the time DC reintroduces the team, the readership will be hungry for them.
As for DC KO, I’ll be eagerly reading it a month late on the DCUI site (aside from JLU and Flash, which I’ll keep up with). It looks like it’ll be sprawling, and hopefully it’ll be as fun as the creators intend. But I’ve never been a fan of pro wrestling, so I’ll be crossing my fingers that the charm doesn’t leak out of this series once the winners of the bouts are inevitably spoiled after their initial release.
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Yeah, I’ve never followed wrestling, and the bracket business is something I can’t get my head around. I’ve read enough comics to know that who can KO who depends on the needs of the story.
It’s about six months since I gave up on Flash, I was finding it ever more unreadable… maybe I should have a look at DC Unlimited.
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DON’T! I picked up part one of the Eclipso mess and my old completism reared its ugly head. I stayed to the conclusion despite hating every single thing on page by the end.
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