CBR Ranks the Legion of Super-Heroes Teams Through the Ages

[kcekada]

No way the Waid/Kitson run should be number 5. It should be dropped back to at least number 7 if not all the way back to number 9. There was not one really great story that stand out of that whole run, and it is mostly remembered for Waid beating you over the head with his "message" than actual good stories.

Can anyone recall on decent villain from that run?

[kcekada]

This is probably pretty close to my feelings as well. But I'd like to make a couple of points, Some of these eras are pretty easily identifiable and memorable. Thus, they normally get pushed to one end of the scale or the other.

Yeah, I think you could divide Bronze Age into Cockrum/Grell and everything else. I know there were some good issues and art after Grell left, but over all -- the latter part of the 70s weren't great for Legion or DC Comics in general. It's a shame because DC was really firing on all cylinders in the early 70s.

[Adekis]

I just got the second Bronze Age Legion book for Christmas, and yeah, I seriously love this stuff. To me, this is almost Peak Legion, er, setting aside Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl's weird stripper costumes. I do like a lot of the 81-89 stuff, but I kind of lump half that stuff together. To me the real end of the era is Superboy's death, which happens in 87, though that arc doesn't really conclude until well into the controversial 5YL arc... Maybe you could argue the era ends when Mon-El kills the Time Trapper at the start of the 5YL arc, but there's still a lot dangling there.

Which I like the 5YL arc, by the way, aside from it finishing the disgusting character assassination (already in progress) of my poor friend Sun Boy. But I'd say the pre-ZH "Legionnaires" stuff feels more like the post-ZH stuff than it does like its contemporary parts of the 5YL arc. I can see why 5YL ranked so low. It's interesting, but it's rarely "fun" or scratches that Super-Heroes in Space itch.

[Adset]

Can anyone recall on decent villain from that run?

The only villain I remember at all is Praetor Lumos (sp?). And Terror Firma, I guess?

My lasting memory of the Threeboot is that I wish Waid and Kitson would have just taken over The Legion. I would have liked to have seen Waid’s take on the post-DnA Legion, without the need to reboot everything and give us the EAT IT, GRANDPA angle.

[Zero Hunter]

Can anyone recall on decent villain from that run?

About the only thing I recall from that run is them fighting the Dominators and in the end they sent the whole race into the phantom zone or something. Most of the team just thought they had killed them all and they all seemed to be perfectly ok with committing Genocide on and entire race of beings. Only 4 members of the team knew the truth and the other 20 some plus were fine with being massmurders. Screw Waid for that.

[Adekis]

About the only thing I recall from that run is them fighting the Dominators and in the end they sent the whole race into the phantom zone or something. Most of the team just thought they had killed them all and they all seemed to be perfectly ok with committing Genocide on and entire race of beings. Only 4 members of the team knew the truth and the other 20 some plus were fine with being massmurders. Screw Waid for that.

That's really weird. Waid's usually such a stickler for the "no kill rule," to the extent that I've heard him say that Zack Snyder's Man of Steel features and I quote, "a Superman who murders." Now leaving aside whether Waid considers killing to be justified in literally any situation, even if genocidal, un-containable super-Nazis are involved, it seems weird that he'd feel that way, but also write a story where the Legionnaires considered themselves party to (by his definition) murder and are just okay with it.

Then again, I guess I thought the ending of Kingdom Come was pretty strange too. Eh, whatever. He's a good writer overall.

[caj]

1. The Paul Levitz Era (1981-1989)
2. The Adventure Comics Era (1959-1969)
3. Five Years Later Era Giffen/Bierbaums (1989-1994)
4. The Bronze Age Era (1973-1981)
5. Infinite Crisis Era (2007-2011)
6. Dark Era Legion Lost/Legion Worlds (1999-2004)
7. New 52 Era (2011-2014)
8. Zero Hour Era (1994-2000)
9. Threeboot Era Waid/Kitson (2004-2009)
10. Bendis Era (current)

I would swap 7 & 9 but you're right on the mark IMO for the rest of them. And I have to admit I only like the Threeboot for Kitson's art. I thought he drew the best Legion since Giffen during The Great Darkness Saga days. I never did care for Waid's writing of the book, especially after he killed off Dream Girl.