Would you recommend the current LOSH?

[pynchon1]

Would any of you recommend the current LOSH? I've been meaning to get into the book(I've never really read any Legion books). I held off because I sort of had a little cringey reaction to Bendis's dialogue over in Action and Superman. But, I recently heard he's been writing LOSH differently, and the characters have distinct voices. Has the run been fun so far?

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I've been enjoying it and I've never managed to get hooked by the Legion prior to this. Every other revamp, reboot and re-imagining left me cold, but this feels like what I can only assume what the LSH did for its most hardcore fans, a bunch of idealistic kids trying to their best to do good. However, unlike the previous attempts, it has captured how actual teenagers act in all their messy, hormonal, ill-advised glory. I would guess the seemingly countless number of kids in the Bendis household has a lot to do with that.

[manduck37]

I didn't enjoy it, personally. I found it very boring. If you had a cringy reaction to Bendis' dialogue, this is not the book for you.

[Adset]

I haven’t read #6 yet, but I would strongly disagree with the notion that the Legionnaires have been written with distinct voices. I would say it’s been exactly the opposite.

[Factor]

It had potential, but so far it's been pretty boring, directionless and decompressed.
Certainly not worth restarting LOSH continuity for the 20th time, sadly.

Johns's version of the team in his Action Comics runs remains one of the most viable takes on the team. It's a shame Levitz's last run was so mediocre compared to his previous ones and did that iteration no justice.

[Superlad93]

I recommend it. It's a book that gets stronger by the issue in my opinion. Things get a bit more distinctive between characters in the second half (4-6), but the world building and dedication to the world building is consistently strong throughout.

[Korath]

I definitively recommend it. For starter, like much of Bendis' books for me, his characters sounds like real characters, not idealized or "comics" versions of them. And while it's not in the reader's face, he's clearly slowly developing a whole cast of character, far larger than most team books. But it's really easy to distinguish between the characters he pushed the most (the big three of the LOSH, Jon, UltraBoy, Mon-El, mainly)

[manwhohaseverything]

I think the books work if you don't have preconceived notions or voices for the characters. Otherwise, you will struggle. Also, you are going to get lost going in if you have no idea about the characters. That might be the point. Bendis speak as they call it is not reduced. Books are full of long dialogues and repeated quips. So, if man of steel books are stinker for you. Well, i don't think it will be for you. It has great world building aspects as positive.

[Zero Hunter]

There are so many other better versions of the Legion out there I would not waste my time on this one. As soon as Bendis is done this version is going to fade away and never be seen again anyway just like the Threeboot Waid team.

[Flash Gordon]

There's a lot of superior LoSH material out there, and I'd recommend seeking that out.

Anything by Giffen is usually a win.

[Journey]

My main beef with legion is it's cluttered no one with the exception of Jon, Braniac, and the Big 3 is memorable in the slightest, way too cluttered, though the art is pretty so I'd give it a recommendation for that.

[M@Bowers2014]

I learned how to read by sneaking my older brother's Legion comics over 40 years ago and I love this Legion. So yeah I recommend it. I've tried every version of this team but I haven't been this interested or excited since the early 80's or when Oliver Coipel was the regular artist 20 years ago.

[Superlad93]

But it's really easy to distinguish between the characters he pushed the most (the big three of the LOSH, Jon, UltraBoy, Mon-El, mainly)

I'd also throw in Cosmic Boy, Brainiac 5, Lightning Lad, and Triplicate Girl as far as distinctive voices go. Honorable mentions go to Dawnstar, Blok, Light Lass, Wildfire, and Invisible Kid. They're having their personalities slowly come through and a lot of the opening pages with the supplementary interlac is shining more light on who they are.

So far I find Cosmic Boy's story to be the one I find the most interesting because of his upbringing and how he bounces of other characters. Mon, Ultra Boy, Dawnstar, and Triplicate Girl are next after that for me. Mon in particular seems to have some stuff he needs to eventually unpack, and it's one of my most anticipated storylines so far.

[Adekis]

I couldn't keep reading when I saw what Bendis did to Cosmic Boy.

Basically, Rokk Krinn classically is from a very impoverished background. His homeworld, Braal, has been going through a massive economic depression for years. Rokk's got a way out though, which is that he's a great athlete. Magno-Ball is like Braal's soccer, meaning anyone can play it, because everyone has magnetic powers. Rokk is such a great Magno-Ball player, it's his hope to lift his family out of poverty! So he goes to Earth to try and get success there - despite the fact that Magno-Ball is basically a game that only has a presence on Braal, because, well, only Braalians can play it. That's how basically desperate he is before he meets RJ Brande. He's looking for sports sponsorships on a planet that doesn't play his sport - because it's still better odds than trying on Braal, that's how poor Braal is. And through luck and hard work and an unexpected new opportunity as a founding member of the Legion, Rokk not only manages to lift his family out of poverty, but to improve Braal's standing overall!

In my opinion, to take a character so enmeshed in class struggle and to make him an elite, to strip away the egalitarian nature of Magno-Ball by making it so that only 1% of Braalians have magnetic powers, to literally make Rokk Krinn "one of the one percent", is an absolute disgrace to the name of Cosmic Boy!


So after the issue that started with a flashback to Cos' backstory, I stopped reading the book. Before that, I was... still skeptical, to be honest, but I was pushing through it. It wasn't bad, there were things I liked about it. Cosmic Boy just happens to be one of my favorites. I guess I didn't even realize how much until Bendis changed him from the ground up.

As for whether other versions of the Legion have that teenage hormonal instability or not - I honestly think they all do, except the ones where the Legion is adults. Even in the Silver Age, they've got a Silver Age version of that - remember that their first appearance involves hazing Superboy just to be dicks, basically. I think that's pretty real. Bendis is just good at believable dialogue for that kind of character, it doesn't mean they've never had that perspective before.

[poroto678]

Absolutely not. It goes nowhere. Dialog is stupid, as it is in every current Bendis book. The aging of Jon was the stupidest and most forced idea ever.
You can try really hard, but you will NOT find any character development in this book.
Sucks balls, as both Supes books and YJ.