The Future of Legion of Super Heroes Franchise & The Bendis Problem

[Thor-Ul]

This thread feels like the crypto 2021 "appreciation" thread since we're a quarter of the way into 2021 and there is no official LoSH appreciation thread yet...except not a lot of appreciation happening since we're mostly mad about the current state of the Legion.

Fans of the Legion still are there, but after waiting for years to be dissapointing in such measure. Most fans of this last iteration seems to be Bendis unconditionals who thinks everything Bendis does is gold.

Anyway I got one of those DCU Infinite subscriptions--this might be the thing that finally cures me of collecting floppies--and I read the 8 available issues of the Bendis Legion and, I mean, it's Bendis, you're going to get pages and pages of dialogue where everyone sounds the same and it's really glib and weightless. That's, well, whatever; you hire Bendis, you're going to get a Bendis comic book. But I just don't understand making this yet another reboot and not, like, the next generation of Legionnaires encountering Jon Kent, the next generation of Superman. To have these very off model characters be presented as THE Legion...it's very hard to take.

You know, I would accepted more Bendis and his (to my taste) irritating dialogues in a Legion series, if there would not had been another cursed reboot again. A new generation of Legionnaires more diverse is not a problem either. Even reclycling names and retiring characters would not had be a problem. It is the reboot what irks me more, specially after the whole work to fix the previous reboots with Legion of three worlds.

[Factor]

This thread feels like the crypto 2021 "appreciation" thread since we're a quarter of the way into 2021 and there is no official LoSH appreciation thread yet...except not a lot of appreciation happening since we're mostly mad about the current state of the Legion.

Anyway I got one of those DCU Infinite subscriptions--this might be the thing that finally cures me of collecting floppies--and I read the 8 available issues of the Bendis Legion and, I mean, it's Bendis, you're going to get pages and pages of dialogue where everyone sounds the same and it's really glib and weightless. That's, well, whatever; you hire Bendis, you're going to get a Bendis comic book. But I just don't understand making this yet another reboot and not, like, the next generation of Legionnaires encountering Jon Kent, the next generation of Superman. To have these very off model characters be presented as THE Legion...it's very hard to take.

Yes, having them as LOSH legacies would have been the best way to go if they really wanted another fresh start. Have it set XX years after the last ongoing and go from there.
No need to invalidate all the team's history and Superman's interactions with them yet again for a reboot they don't even seem committed too.

[Thor-Ul]

Yes, having them as LOSH legacies would have been the best way to go if they really wanted another fresh start. Have it set XX years after the last ongoing and go from there.
No need to invalidate all the team's history and Superman's interactions with them yet again for a reboot they don't even seem committed too.

That would had been even better: you would had years of "secret years" to explore.

[kcekada]

Fans usually have better ideas that comic book editors/publishers.

Maybe someone did consider making this a new generation of Legion, but they decided it wouldn't fly. I don't know why they keeping thinking a reboot will work when it never has before.

[Dreaded Porcupine]

Is there plans for another Legion in the very near future now that Bendis is on the Justice League? Or are they going to limbo with the JSA? I’m starting to wonder if DC has any idea what to do at this point. Putting Bendis on the Justice League after his LOSH run might be a bad decision. I’m wondering if Bendis is a double agent for Marvel taking DC down from the inside.

[Thor-Ul]

Right now, there is nothing announced. Last thing Bendis said is they where waiting for the right creative team. I am skeptikal of anything he would say, they would need a new editor first. It is ppossible than something could came out, but until some official announcement, the future is uncertain. But is not only the Justice League where the attiention of Bendis goes now. He also have the Leviathan project, and the live action of Naomi. I think his attention goes to concepts he handles better.

And this whole reboot, for me, smells more like a strategy of DiDio than something coming from Bendis himself. Yes, with a new Legion Bendis had not to work trying to keep coherence and inventing anything he would want ("Mon-el? Ah, he must be a descend of Superman!"), but DiDio was the man who wanted to make the characters simple and easly adaptable to other media, and in his mind, the Legion should be teenagers, not adults or even have a developted history. Under his management the Legion rebooted 3 times. (Threeboot, retroboot and Bendisboot). Honestly, I think Bendis would had continued in the Legion if DiDio still was the boss.

[Dreaded Porcupine]

Right now, there is nothing announced. Last thing Bendis said is they where waiting for the right creative team. I am skeptikal of anything he would say, they would need a new editor first. It is ppossible than something could came out, but until some official announcement, the future is uncertain. But is not only the Justice League where the attiention of Bendis goes now. He also have the Leviathan project, and the live action of Naomi. I think his attention goes to concepts he handles better.

And this whole reboot, for me, smells more like a strategy of DiDio than something coming from Bendis himself. Yes, with a new Legion Bendis had not to work trying to keep coherence and inventing anything he would want ("Mon-el? Ah, he must be a descend of Superman!"), but DiDio was the man who wanted to make the characters simple and easly adaptable to other media, and in his mind, the Legion should be teenagers, not adults or even have a developted history. Under his management the Legion rebooted 3 times. (Threeboot, retroboot and Bendisboot). Honestly, I think Bendis would had continued in the Legion if DiDio still was the boss.

Why was there even a Future State Legion then? Bouncing Boy looked kick ass in this. Dark but kick ass. I read every issue of LOSH that Bendis wrote. This coming from someone who does not like Bendis at all. I did it because it’s a Legion book. If Bendis wrote the JSA I would not be happy but would still read it because it’s the JSA. That being said Bendis is the last person I would want writing the JSA. He does not do team books well. His Avengers had Spidey and Wolverine. He knew damn well with those two the book would sell because of them. Pretty smart on his part. The problem was they all had the same personality so I eventually dropped it. I’m skipping his Justice League. Not even going there. So now we are waiting for the right creative team for both the LOSH and the JSA? Unbelievable! DC is dropping the ball big time.

[Thor-Ul]

Why was there even a Future State Legion then? Bouncing Boy looked kick ass in this. Dark but kick ass.

Honestly, I have no idea. It was already written? Bendis wanted to go in that direction? It was his own try to do a 5YL Legion, dark and deppressed? He was out of ideas? It was the final send-off of this reboot and they don't want to tell us? Any guess is as good as other.

I read every issue of LOSH that Bendis wrote. This coming from someone who does not like Bendis at all. I did it because it’s a Legion book. If Bendis wrote the JSA I would not be happy but would still read it because it’s the JSA.

That is an strategy I don't agree with, but it is your choice.

That being said Bendis is the last person I would want writing the JSA. He does not do team books well.

The guy can handle small teams and slow narration. The noir is a genre he knows how to handle. But his resolutions don't close satisfactory.

His Avengers had Spidey and Wolverine. He knew damn well with those two the book would sell because of them. Pretty smart on his part. The problem was they all had the same personality so I eventually dropped it. I’m skipping his Justice League. Not even going there.

I think that was part of the success of Bendis' Avengers: he put the higher sellers on the team. Even if they all acted and talked the same. But you can't repeat that trick everywhere. I think he even would tried to put Batman or at least Robin on the Legion to repeat that move.

So now we are waiting for the right creative team for both the LOSH and the JSA? Unbelievable! DC is dropping the ball big time.

At least teh JSA will have certain presence in Infinite Frontier. From Legion, nothing.

[Hypo]

https://www.instagram.com/p/COht05yBFAL/

[EmeraldGladiator]

Dear Lord I prayed this was over, the last thing I want is Bendis' take on the Great Darkness Saga.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

If Bendis couldn't make LSH successful with Ryan Sook, I don't really see how it's going to more successful without him.

[CaptCleghorn]

If Bendis couldn't make LSH successful with Ryan Sook, I don't really see how it's going to more successful without him.

Was Bendis' Legion a sales loser? I really don't know and am legitimately asking.

As for non-judgmental speculation, if the Bleeding Cool published rumors about DC doing another major event in 2022 leading into a BIGGER event in 2023 are true, the Legion (and historic JSA) would seem to be part of an overall Crisis level revamping of past and future history. I can see DC publishing the book to add importance to this. I'd like to see the Bendis-LSH used as cannon-fodder for a more traditional Legion's return in 2023. However, who knows?

[Vordan]

I don’t see a “traditional” Legion ever returning honestly. Bendis’ more diverse revamp is exactly what WB would want to do with the property were they to ever adapt it. That said it wasn’t a huge sales success so I don’t know what the long term prospects for the property comics-wise is.

[Sutekh]

Fans usually have better ideas that comic book editors/publishers.

Maybe someone did consider making this a new generation of Legion, but they decided it wouldn't fly. I don't know why they keeping thinking a reboot will work when it never has before.

The definition of insanity.

"The kids hate these maggot-burgers we've been trying to get them to eat..."

"I know, let's paint them blue! They like blue, right?"

As for non-judgmental speculation, if the Bleeding Cool published rumors about DC doing another major event in 2022 leading into a BIGGER event in 2023 are true, the Legion (and historic JSA) would seem to be part of an overall Crisis level revamping of past and future history. I can see DC publishing the book to add importance to this. I'd like to see the Bendis-LSH used as cannon-fodder for a more traditional Legion's return in 2023. However, who knows?

And, right on schedule.

"It's still not working!" "Quick, to the Reboot-Mobile! Let's turn this puppy around!" "But we didn't even get out of the driveway this time?"

[CaptCleghorn]

I don’t see a “traditional” Legion ever returning honestly. Bendis’ more diverse revamp is exactly what WB would want to do with the property were they to ever adapt it. That said it wasn’t a huge sales success so I don’t know what the long term prospects for the property comics-wise is.

The added diversification is a point that DC will probably want to stick with. You make an excellent point and I agree with you there. I also liked seeing the different graphics used on the Sook pages and would like to see that continue as well. Legion needs to look different and stick out occurring 1000 years in the future. But these are all really cosmetic changes. With characters who have blue and green skins, what difference should brown or yellow make?

By more traditional, I'd like to see much of the original personalities and relationships return. The only change I really liked was Cosmic Boy's turning into a cocky jock. Granted, I'd rather he had come up with much of the maturity he had in the earlier series since he is a founder, but the personality is one that follows from the character's history.

Now having no idea of what DC is looking at for each book's "success", I wonder why Bendis would be given more issues of Legion to do. Does Bendis have a condition in his contract that this fulfills? Is the book necessary to DC's linewide storytelling? And how will this fir in with developments in the Superman line?

Generally, I'd rather see a Bendis Legion than none at all. His last series was good enough for me to buy and read. I know others here may disagree but I'm not unhappy with this.