Long Live The Legion!!! Legion of Superheroes: Millenium with Bendis and Sook An

[Korath]

"Too much history" is such a poor excuse. The hay day of the LSH, the 80s, was pre-Internet, pre-Comixology, and local comic book shops were rare. You found what you could in spinner racks at the grocery store, pharmacy, mini-mart, etc. You actually wanted to check out garage sales and flea markets, because you might find old issues or digests containing reprints of multiple issues. It was fun, it was rewarding, and the mystery and wonder enhanced your enjoyment.

Today? You've got local comic book shops, Comixology, and the Internet making it very easy to get caught up at least somewhat. So, if it wasnt a problem when it took serious effort to catch up, why is it a problem when it takes practically no effort at all? Either way, it has never been much of a problem or complaint about Marvel, and they don't have a big Crisis reboot or continuity tweak every so often. Everything they've published more or less happened and more or less counts. Heck, there are countless resources to be found just to help understand the Summers/Grey family tree, and that is easily the most confusing thing Marvel has.

It was FORTY years ago. Time changes.

And I definitively can't get into Marvel because of how complex and ever-shifting their history is. Without the New 52, I wouldn't even have bought a comic, ever, because it is too much of a hurdle to be forced to read books I have no interest in, either because of the way characters are portrayed or the simple designs for whom I have zero prior attachment, just because "If you want to understand issue 624, you just have to read the 54, 67-83 and 222-402, noob!" mentality which i dislike. I did it to read All-Star Superman, hated and was physically repulsed by this atrocious story and the supreme assholic depiction of this "Superman" and swore to never force myself to do that again to "get" a character or a story. This is NOT how you entice new readers. Doing so may satisfy a dying branch of the fandom, who did that as a kid, and grew attached to this kind of things, but that's all it does.

I also find those new designs far superior because they aren't all "Humans but just in funny clothes". Blok is especially great, because he is a living stone, and shouldn't have to follow human standards of beauty or even anatomy. He's a freaking alien ! Same for Chameleon Boy, and I hope other characters will also be more than just color(swapped teens.

[Montressor]

I don't mind the re-designs but I'm bothered by the fact that, from what I gather, Clark now has no history with the team whatsoever and now their entire interaction is with Jon? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

As a kid I found a lot of Superman's pre-Crisis history corny but as an adult I truly appreciate it now. The fact that his high school friends were cool kids from 1,000 years in the future was a cool part of his history to me.

EDIT: Just saw the updated look for Mon El--LOVE IT. Huge fan of the simplicity of his classic look, from what I saw (tiny image) it looks as though they've mostly retained it.

[Lee Stone]

I think the new designs go too far out of the way to look 'alien', myself.

[Robanker]

I don't mind the re-designs but I'm bothered by the fact that, from what I gather, Clark now has no history with the team whatsoever and now their entire interaction is with Jon? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

As a kid I found a lot of Superman's pre-Crisis history corny but as an adult I truly appreciate it now. The fact that his high school friends were cool kids from 1,000 years in the future was a cool part of his history to me.

This is my primary frustration as well. I love the idea of Clark's old buddies getting into mischief with his son, but for him to be taken out of the equation kind of sucks. There's that bit about them being from the 32nd century, but it's still Garth, Imra and Rokk. Feels wrong, man.

Of all the redesigns, I think Element Lad and Dream Girl are the only ones I don't care too much for, the former looking a bit like the undead and the latter... I get that she's to look like sand to remind of, well, the sandman, but I feel it's visually a touch boring. That said, I can also see artists (especially one of Sook's caliber) doing a ton of fun things with that on panel so jury's out on Nura.

Am I partial to the old designs for a lot of Legionaries? Sure. I grew up on them, but I think a lot of these can work. Dawnstar looks pretty cool if a bit overdesigned and I'm eager to see more artists draw her. Superboy? I think it's a great compromise between his original design and the first costume he wore when he was aged up; it also works pretty well for an "ultimate Superman" vibe. Don't love the collar, but I'll live.

[Lee Stone]

This is my primary frustration as well. I love the idea of Clark's old buddies getting into mischief with his son, but for him to be taken out of the equation kind of sucks. There's that bit about them being from the 32nd century, but it's still Garth, Imra and Rokk. Feels wrong, man.

Maybe they're clones.

[Robanker]

Maybe they're clones.

I don't know if they'll go that route considering Bendis wants to use this to be a jumping on point, but who knows?

To be honest, I'm just glad we're getting the Legion back and the team behind it seems to be very excited to be involved. It's been too long. Clark's involvement can always be retconned back in. I really hope this sells well enough. I love the idea of Sook on Legion.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

I don't mind the re-designs but I'm bothered by the fact that, from what I gather, Clark now has no history with the team whatsoever and now their entire interaction is with Jon? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

We'll find out soon enough, but right now my sense of things is that the Legion we all grew up with is the 31st Century Legion, and the Legion that Jon will soon join is the 32nd Century Legion.

This allows DC to have its cake and eat it, too. They're relaunching the team, but not rebooting the continuity. It's simply a new Legion existing 100 years after the one we knew. The (or "an") original Legion history is still intact. This is how OG Saturn Girl can be in DC Rebirth and Doomsday Clock.

If this is the case, we have yet to find out how Legion-32 is related to Legion-31 since so far all the Bendis members are counterparts of the original Legion.

[Robanker]

We'll find out soon enough, but right now my sense of things is that the Legion we all grew up with is the 31st Century Legion, and the Legion that Jon will soon join is the 32nd Century Legion.

This allows DC to have its cake and eat it, too. They're relaunching the team, but not rebooting the continuity. It's simply a new Legion existing 100 years after the one we knew. The (or "an") original Legion history is still intact. This is how OG Saturn Girl can be in DC Rebirth and Doomsday Clock.

If this is the case, we have yet to find out how Legion-32 is related to Legion-31 since so far all the Bendis members are counterparts of the original Legion.

If that were really the case, frankly it's a bit weird that the big three are still Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy and that they largely look similar. I dunno, man. I think it's just the same kids jumped forward and not remembering Clark.

[Superlad93]

I just read a really fascinating theory as to why Matter Eater Lad is so big and muscular: he essentially has Calorie Queen's power. Instated of just gaining super strength with no change in appearance like CQ had, Matter Eater Lad now puts on muscle. So, he's kind of like a super version of the modern day bodybuilding fascination.

It's also possible that to add a bit of texture to his character, and to present a male character with this issue, Matter Eater Lad may have body dysmorphia? Maybe because of his powers he burns through the calories quickly, and thus goes down in muscle mass quickly over time? Maybe he actually does look pretty similar to his more classic look, but he'd rather be fully fed with a pump always going?

Just a theory.

[Montressor]

It's also a bit bothersome that Saturn Girl's appearances throughout Doomsday Clock as well as leading up to it will likely be ignored and not referenced at all.

[joebleau]

OK, it's compare and contrast time again.

Here are the new designs by Ryan Sook below the classic originals. Which ones of these do you like better?

oh i get it .... it's the Bizarro Legion

[DragonsChi]

"Too much history" is such a poor excuse. The hay day of the LSH, the 80s, was pre-Internet, pre-Comixology, and local comic book shops were rare. You found what you could in spinner racks at the grocery store, pharmacy, mini-mart, etc. You actually wanted to check out garage sales and flea markets, because you might find old issues or digests containing reprints of multiple issues. It was fun, it was rewarding, and the mystery and wonder enhanced your enjoyment.

Today? You've got local comic book shops, Comixology, and the Internet making it very easy to get caught up at least somewhat. So, if it wasnt a problem when it took serious effort to catch up, why is it a problem when it takes practically no effort at all? Either way, it has never been much of a problem or complaint about Marvel, and they don't have a big Crisis reboot or continuity tweak every so often. Everything they've published more or less happened and more or less counts. Heck, there are countless resources to be found just to help understand the Summers/Grey family tree, and that is easily the most confusing thing Marvel has.

In truth the people who actually enjoy the medium also enjoy going out and finding more about the characters. I'm in the "younger" generation and finding comics/info is the easiest and best part about a lot of Marvel and DC characters.

I envy the old heads because they actually got better characterization, more in-depth story telling, and most of all their stories were just fun. Today's books are more of needle in a haystack type market. Where when you find actual good books your surprised and grateful. The old heads had stuff like that all the time it seems.

[Starter Set]

And I definitively can't get into Marvel because of how complex and ever-shifting their history is

Oh please, they relaunch their titles every two years or so, with nice and simple jump in points for newcomers.

Don't tell me you need to know every single panel of the last 40 years of spider-man to follow one of his comic today.

[Korath]

Oh please, they relaunch their titles every two years or so, with nice and simple jump in points for newcomers.

Don't tell me you need to know every single panel of the last 40 years of spider-man to follow one of his comic today.

Yes. I do.

Because I like stories, not never ending sentences which is basically what Marvel and most of DC Comics offer. Never-ending, auto-editing and correcting sentences. Not stories.

Stories have a beginning, a middle and an end. Marvel's have a start, a never-ending middle and no end in sight. Love it or hate it but Batman's New 52, Superman New 52, Wonder Woman new 52 had a beginning, a middle and an end. They are stories. All-Star Superman, no matter how much I hate it and wish it had never been written is a story. Iron Man in the MCU has a story. Same with Captain America.

[DragonsChi]

Nvm

10 char