Legion of Super-Heroes #2 review

Posted on by martingray1

Hayden Sherman gives us an energy-packed cover and it’s the perfect representation of the second chapter of DC’s latest reboot of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Because every page of this comic is stuffed with excitement and interest as we watch the beginnings of what I hope will be the 31st Century’s greatest super team.

Brainiac 1 of 5 and Matter-Eater Lad continue their investigation into the death of billionaire mogul RJ Brande, and official law enforcers the Persuaders aren’t pleased.

‘A friend on Shwar’? You don’t need to know this planet from classic Legion continuity to enjoy what comes next, but it’s a nice sign that while this new series won’t be regurgitating old stories, it’s set in an updated version of the universe we know.

Elsewhere in that universe, on Winath, lightning twins Garth and Ayla have just been reunited with their big brother Mekt, hero worshipped by one, sniffed at by the other.

Mekt claims he’s been recruited by a team out to free the universe from the chains of the United Planets and Green Lantern Corporation.

And speaking of chains, when we catch up with Rokk Krinn, who last month got rather aggressive in a magno-ball game, he’s about to meet someone who used to be one of the classic Legion’s greatest – sorry, kinkiest – villains.

As for Imra Ardeen, the princess of Titan has an appointment with another royal.

While we don’t have a Legion of Super-Heroes yet, every few pages writer Joshua Williamson and artist Hayden Sherman bring in new versions of old characters and concepts. For example, we get a hint as to the identity of three rank and file Persuaders – I spot two members of the Legion of Substitute Heroes as was, and a favourite ‘proper’ Legionnaire. It all bodes well for the bigger picture.

I’m astonished by how capable Matter-Eater Lad is here, not only doing his food-combining trick, but shown to be faster and zippier than other humans – extra energy courtesy of his mad diet?

Emerald Empress’s Eye of Ekron has been linked to the Green Lantern Corps previously, but I never expected to see her running the organisation… is Mekt telling the truth that it’s a force for Bad? I’ve been working on the assumption he’s involved with a Legion of Super-Villains and the LSH will be a response to that, but maybe not. Perhaps evidence that he’s the killer of RJ Brande is part of a frame-up. I mean, here he’s a regular Batman.

Then again, he does act very skeevy, repulsing a woman he saves from bandits.

Williamson’s plotting is deeply impressive, I’d not be surprised to hear he’s using whatever the modern equivalent of spreadsheets is, like legendary Legion writer Paul Levitz. There’s so much first-rate character and plot juggling going on and I cannot wait to see where it goes… especially given the events of the final page.

And Sherman’s art, beautifully coloured by Tamra Bonvillain, tells the story in image after glorious image. The layouts are thoughtful, the characterisations spot on. Highlights include a near full-page image of Matter-Eater Lad in action, Mekt demonstrating just how powerful he is and that super-imposing Emerald Empress spotlight.

While Sherman conjures up the Titan conversations – the ‘thought plates’ – Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou looks after the regular lettering, controlling tone of voice with intelligence.

And kudos to editors Chris Rosa and Paul Kaminski for their benevolent rule.

Long Live This Legion!

Too early? On the basis of the first two issues, no, not at all.

LONG LIVE THE LEGION!

31 thoughts on “Legion of Super-Heroes #2 review”

  1. The art is terrific. Hayden Sherman’s doing great stuff. Did he also drawn the extended Batman miniseries in 2024/2025 set in the earlier part of Batman’s career? Was a visual blend of Sale and Mazzuchelli. I think he’s drawn “Absolute Wonder Woman”, too. Some trippy Kevin O’Neil type layouts and designs, too.

    I hope the writer and editor(s) aren’t changing LoSH history just to change it. There’s much that worked. The “lightning twins” have much redder hair. And instead of Garth co-founding the LoSH, his older brother did?

    I dislike the idea of Superman burning something into another person’s flesh. I just don’t see him doing that. Even if it’s consensual and is the logo of a team he’s friends with or even a part of.

    The Persuaders make some sense to me, at least visually. Always thought the original Persuader’s helmet invited comparisons to the headgear the Science Police wore. So that’s worthwhile new connection.

    I skipped the 1st issue, but the drawing & coloring look too good on #2 to pass it up.

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    1. Would that be Batman: Dark Patterns? To my shame, I’ve still not read that. Maybe this weekend…

      They’re certainly tweaking the details of Legion history’s but I’m OK with that, I’ve read and enjoyed the other versions.

      Did you read this year’s Superman Annual, at the end Cyborg Superman is in the future, working with Brainiac, and he vows to be the inspiration for a new Legion. That’ll be out heavy-handed tattoo artist.

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      1. Yeah, “Dark Patterns”! Thanks! Story was decent. Batman was written in a believable voice, true to the character. Interesting villains. Gordon was well done . Alfred, too.

        The art really popped. The colors weren’t as transcendent as they are here, but they fit perfectly for the tone of the story.

        Sherman’s drawings carried the book for me. Really took me back decades to when new comics were finding their own voices. Like witnessing the start of something great.

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  2. Love it, love it, love it!

    I’ve got one of those subs Persuaders (Pete) ID’d, but i’m not quite clear on the other yet, as it seems each of his hand holds a different power. Or maybe I’m just reading that wrong.

    Tim, I wouldn’t worry about those changes Mekt hints at. He’s almost certainly lying.

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  3. I loved this issue. I want each issue double-sized cuz there’s so much to explore in this version of the 30th century.
    Grimbor! I mean… dude! Grimbor!
    I’m a little worried that some of the Persuaders are killers. It’s gonna be hard to walk that back if we want to see characters like Dawnstar, Porcupine Pete or Polar Boy (I think that’s who the Persuader with the blue energy was) walking on the side of the angels anytime soon.
    We’ve seen Emerald Empress (and what a frickin’ cool design) and I feel like we’ve seen Mano. Surely Tharok and Validus are waiting in the wings and I can’t wait to see them.
    I’m loving that the main characters have such defined personalities. It’s going to be super fun when these characters’ stories start to connect.

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  4. So I’m the first dissenter? Cool. I think the visuals are a mess and hard to focus on. The Titan speak is a waste of space and moves nothing forward if it doesn’t click with you. The Emerald Empress is an eyesore, no pun intended. I do like Tenzil not being a joke and Brainy being less of a tool. That was about all I liked. I only ever dropped the Archie Legion and it looks like I won’t get as far into this run as I did that one.

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  5. Love this so far. I love that they are taking their time and offering a perfect jumping-on point to what I hope will be a long-lasting series.

    the art is beautiful and energetic in its display of action and manages to take a few breaths to show us characters we all know yet are getting to know again in ways that surprise us.

    I have always loved bed the Legion and this time around I am very enthusiastic in embracing this version. It feels great and new like the Absolute books do without being the same kind of grim.

    I admit to having felt a bit off about how the UP is presented here, but that was just me comparing them

    To the Star Trek-like utopia it was often shown to be back in the day. This time around I feel like the Legion will become the reason for that utopia to come into being.

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  6. So much great stuff here! The world building is impressive, and it is really setting the tone for why this particular future needs a Legion.

    My guess is that the Superman Mekt met is the one we see at the end of the Superman: Year One Thousand Annual. It makes sense that Mekt is the type of person he would recruit to his Legion.

    The list of species on the first page is a delight. Some deep cuts on there. Maybe some allusion to who may be coming to the team?

    So far, we have three known past Legionnaires in the Persuaders. I wonder if that organization is going to wind up being a read-made army of heroes when they find out the truth about who is running the show. Or at the very least, a split in the ranks with at least some breaking good.

    Speaking of which, am I correct that the big guy is another Fatal Five member? He talks about his hand as a source of destruction… That makes 3 accounted for.

    All in all, another great issue. I am really excited to see where this future leads.

    (Also, I hope that “regurgitating” pun was purposeful while talking about Tenzil, Martin.)

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    1. I didn’t notice the pun until I was typing it, would you be so kind as to assume unconscious cleverness?

      Yes to Cyborg Superman, and yes to Mano (but why were they hiding his head?)

      The army of ready-made heroes is a great idea, but they still can’t be excused for following orders if it means killing… I really hope there’s some mind control/moral compass weakening at work there.

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      1. Not only was my first ever Legion comic Emerald Empress’s first appearance (a very battered, secondhand copy of Adventure Comics #352, which I loved) but I think my first ever published letter in a DC Comic had Emerald Empress as the cover star–Legionnaires #4. I may be misremembering, I’d need to dig through the stacks for the latter.

        Legionnaires was kind of the beginning of the end for any coherence for the Legion, looking back on it.

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      2. Moy was no a good fit for that book. Had Zero Hour not happened, I doubt I’d have ever dropped the Legion books either. Andromeda was a head scratcher before and after though. First they kill her and then she’s made a nun?

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  8. After a first issue that was fairly interesting this 2nd leaves me feeling like it belongs in the Absolute U and is just trying too hard to be different from the classic Legion. In other words…pushing me away.

    None of the changes are exciting, and I don’t think Sherman’s art works on this book. It was fine on Absolute WW, but there’s too much softness in every character’s presentation.

    There’s no reason any of these heroes should start out as villains…it’s not cool or edgy…it’s just more of the overused “subverting expectations.”

    It’s going to be difficult to stay on this title.

    -Matthew Lloyd

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    1. That’s a shame, most people I’ve seen share opinions are enjoying the series. I hope you start liking it; how would you approach it as a writer, given we’re not going to get retelling of old stories or a continuation of the classics?

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  9. In reply to the point made by The Steve Who is Always Right (and everyone else),

    I never got as far as Moy’s art on Legionnaires, I bailed after about 8 issues. But the question of Zero Hour and all the weird character shenanigans you allude to hits at the core of the LSH problem—as soon as writers and editors take them too seriously they begin to lose their charm. They are at heart “heroes who have dramatic adventures” and not “heroes to whom drama happens”. That’s just my take on them, anyway.

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    1. Charm or not, we’ll be lucky if this volume lasts as long as JSA. Today’s market demands everything connects. The only exception would be Hickman with the current Hottest Artist or if they give Legion a split book shared with Batman. The next time the try again, they should just pick one of the first three versions of the Legion for the twelve or twenty issues it’ll last.

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      1. Absolutely agreed. It feels like each new creative team sees the Legion as a brand to reinterpret–I’m thinking especially of the Bendis-going-nowhere run. Why not just take what worked, then build from there, introducing new costumes and so on organically over a period of time once we know the set-up.

        To me, the Legion inhabits that same strange territory as Master of Kung Fu (and I suppose, these days, The Punisher)–characters who were insanely popular and could carry two monthly titles including a prestige book, but now feel like artefacts from another age that can’t get any traction. And of those three mentioned, Legion should be easiest to make work–it’s a super team book, just do the JLA or Ultimates or whatever you want with it.

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      2. Is it the writers wanting to reinterpret, or is that what DC wants? Mind, I do like your approach, take the classic stuff and build from there.

        I miss peak Shang-Chi. So many great Seventies characters have been dumped – Valkyrie, Man-Thing, Nick Fury, Nighthawk… bah!

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      4. Are Bendis (and his Superman run) and Hickman the only things we disagree on in any serious way?

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Published by martingray1

Journalist, comic reviewer, theatre critic, film lover, biscuit fan, cat indulger