Legion of Super-Heroes Appreciation 2019 [Long Live the Legion!]

[Lee Stone]

Thank you very much.

If I could trouble you a bit further, can I ask how the Superboy/Legion comics of the time described how Clark split his time between home and the Legion? Was he some sort of known part-timer where he wouldn't stay long, or did it function largely like the Legion cartoon where he'd stay for extended periods of time, but return home around the time he left?

Thanks in advance.

It was more like the second, but he'd sometimes just make a quick visit.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

It was more like the second, but he'd sometimes just make a quick visit.

Most of the time, once the Legion took over Superboy's comic in the 1970s, they didn't even bother to talk about it, and they didn't even show Superboy arriving or departing the 30th Century. He was just always there.

Readers would have to make assumptions as to how this worked if they wanted to. Given that there had been some prior stories showing Superboy traveling back and forth, we just assumed he would leave sometime after the issue's story was done even if they didn't show it, which mostly they didn't.

For myself, once I got old enough to think about it, I assumed that he would arrive back in Smallville to a time matching the span of time he spent in the 30th Century. So, if he spent a week with the Legion, he would go back to Smallville a week after he left rather than just seconds later. This way his age would be consistent.

[Superlad93]

It was more like the second, but he'd sometimes just make a quick visit.

Most of the time, once the Legion took over Superboy's comic in the 1970s, they didn't even bother to talk about it, and they didn't even show Superboy arriving or departing the 30th Century. He was just always there.

Readers would have to make assumptions as to how this worked if they wanted to. Given that there had been some prior stories showing Superboy traveling back and forth, we just assumed he would leave sometime after the issue's story was done even if they didn't show it, which mostly they didn't.

For myself, once I got old enough to think about it, I assumed that he would arrive back in Smallville to a time matching the span of time he spent in the 30th Century. So, if he spent a week with the Legion, he would go back to Smallville a week after he left rather than just seconds later. This way his age would be consistent.

Thank you very much, both of you. It's always been something I wondered, and I just wanted to confirm. I particularly like the theory that he had the option to come back to Smallville at the equivalent time he was away.

[Frontier]

I mean the symbol in his 2019 tease and the frequent tweets of particular panels of Kon with the Legion were big enough hints for me but yeah this seems like confirmation.

Attachment 77050

The circled tweet is the one Bendis liked, it might not mean anything but I can see Jon being the supe character that's a part of the relaunched team.

Honestly, the best way I could see a Bendis written Legion book with Jon in the lead is to handle it like the cartoon and have Jon be the vocal character and vehicle for re-introducing the Legion characters and concepts to audiences instead of just wholesale trying to write a Legion book (which I don't think he could pull off).

Treat it less like a team book and more like a team-up/DC Showcase book. Then it'll live and die by how Bendis characterizes and depicts the Legion.

Heck, aged-up Jon looks more like Clark as Superboy anyways.

Probably in non speaking roles.

Mon-El, Shadow Lass, and Dawnstar are shown fighting the Fatal Five during the Sneak Peek for the movie, but they probably don't have any lines...

[Comic-Reader Lad]

By the way, here's the Sneak Peek to the August 2019 animated film, Justice League vs. The Fatal Five. It will feature the Legion to some degree.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

Here's the first trailer:



You can see Star Boy seems to have a major part. The only thing I'm confused about is that it appears that the JL has never had an encounter with the Fatal Five or the Legion, but in Justice League Unlimited animated series, they do as shown below.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

In Justice League Unlimited, Supergirl leaves the present to live in the future with the Legion full time.

The below is from Justice League Unlimited episode 3.10, "Far from Home." Have they explained whether this movie is a continuation of the JLU series? If not, Bruce Timm maybe should have redesigned the Leaguers to avoid confusion.

[Lee Stone]

This was a prototype image for Mego's Hall of Justice playset, featured in an ad...
And the concept artist had put the Legion logo on it instead of the JLA logo.

An obvious goof by the concept artist...
Or maybe the concept artist was secretly a Legion fan...

[Anthony Shaw]

I always assumed Kal spent no more than a week in the future before returning home. I assumed he went back to his own time shortly around the time he initially left. As a teen, he would have a tough time explaining extended absences. His parents would have a tough time, too.

It reminds me of Doctor Who where Rose first started time traveling. She thought the Doctor would return her from the time she first left. Instead, she had been gone a year, and her boyfriend was suspected of having harmed her.

[Anthony Shaw]

I would put down cash for animated versions of Earth War, and the Great Darkness Saga.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

I would put down cash for animated versions of Earth War, and the Great Darkness Saga.

I would, too, and maybe if JL vs. Fatal Five sells well, someone over at DC Animated will suggest they do a Legion solo movie as a test. I think they should start with an origin/introduction movie first to establish the characters and their world, and then down the road do the big events.

Say, in a series of 5 movies:
1. Intro/Origin - maybe including Kal-El as Superboy
2. vs. Mordru
3. Earthwar
4. Great Darkness Saga
5. vs. Time Trapper/End

Of course, I think the Legion's universe is so expansive that it would work better as an animated series for the DC Universe Streaming Service. Have it done by the same team that does Young Justice, and I'd bet that the Legion would be a fan favorite by the end of the first season.



So, had you read Earthwar before or did you just read it for the first time in S/LSH vol. 2? What did you think of it? I think it's one of the most underrated Legion stories ever since it came before the golden period of Levitz+Giffen.

[Lee Stone]

If the new DCAU Justice League/Legion movie does good, it could serve as the Intro/Origin.

[Anthony Shaw]

I would, too, and maybe if JL vs. Fatal Five sells well, someone over at DC Animated will suggest they do a Legion solo movie as a test. I think they should start with an origin/introduction movie first to establish the characters and their world, and then down the road do the big events.

Say, in a series of 5 movies:
1. Intro/Origin - maybe including Kal-El as Superboy
2. vs. Mordru
3. Earthwar
4. Great Darkness Saga
5. vs. Time Trapper/End

Of course, I think the Legion's universe is so expansive that it would work better as an animated series for the DC Universe Streaming Service. Have it done by the same team that does Young Justice, and I'd bet that the Legion would be a fan favorite by the end of the first season.



So, had you read Earthwar before or did you just read it for the first time in S/LSH vol. 2? What did you think of it? I think it's one of the most underrated Legion stories ever since it came before the golden period of Levitz+Giffen.

The five movie plan works for me. I'm only worried about Timber Wolf, and the peculiar connections to Wolverine. But writers can follow the animated series route for TW.

I read Earth War last year when I finally went digital. I think it was the first series of issues I downloaded. I enjoyed it. I really enjoy bronze age Legion. I slipped up a few times, and purchased some Gerry Conway stuff.

I think the death of Chemical King story is also very underrated.

[bearman]

Dirk Morgna has a cameo in the new Green Lantern, with a snazzy, updated uniform.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

Dirk Morgna has a cameo in the new Green Lantern, with a snazzy, updated uniform.

Yes, CBR has an article about it on the home page.

With Tellus also appearing recently, it does seem as though the Legion is trapped in the present and maybe scattered about the galaxy with amnesia.

Unfortunately, with more delays on Doomsday Clock, it will be that much longer before the Legion can really be used.

I'm still hoping for Ivan Reis to be the artist on the relaunch. The Legion needs a great artist with a bright outlook to its art, but not cartoony. I think Reis would fit the bill perfectly.