Legion of Super Heroes - the Levitz/Giffen Era Reviews

[caj]

This thread will post links to reviews on the Paul Levitz / Keith Giffen era of the Legion that began back in 1982. The first couple issues featured art by Pat Broderick before Giffen came on.

Legion of Super Bloggers review of Legion of Super Heroes #284 - Medicus One is attacked, two Legionnaires resign, and Timber Wolf gets a facelift.

http://legionofsuperbloggers.blogspo...oul-thief.html

[kcekada]

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes was the first title to become a favorite during the Dave Cockrum era. Eventually, I lost interest in the title and all-things DC (especially after finding Dave Cockrum again over at Marvel's X-Men).

I slowly started picking up DC titles again when New Teen Titans #1 debuted. A cover from Levitz/Giffen LSH was displayed in one of the Comic magazines -- probably 'Comics Scene' showing a group of Legionnaires stranded on an icy planet. That made me interested in giving the title another try. I didn't actually pick up an issue until the Great Darkness finale -- and then was hooked all over again.

I don't think I actually lost interest again until the Abnett and Lanning era. I couldn't stand Copiel's art in those days. He's come a long way since! But I've supported all of the Legion titles that followed. I'm still on board with the Bendis/Sook series -- though it pales in comparison to the Cockrum run and early Levtiz/Giffen run.

[caj]

A cover from Levitz/Giffen LSH was displayed in one of the Comic magazines -- probably 'Comics Scene' showing a group of Legionnaires stranded on an icy planet. That made me interested in giving the title another try. I didn't actually pick up an issue until the Great Darkness finale -- and then was hooked all over again.

That was issue #289, which will be posted on here in a few weeks. The issue before it was the first I had bought. I had seen LSH guesting in some other DC books so I was familiar with some of the characters, but like you, I became hooked with the Levitz/Giffen team.

[Sutekh]

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes was the first title to become a favorite during the Dave Cockrum era. Eventually, I lost interest in the title and all-things DC (especially after finding Dave Cockrum again over at Marvel's X-Men).

I had a similar arc. I'd buy the occasional issue of just about anything, Marvel or DC, off the spinner-rack at the supermarket if the cover caught my eye, but the Legion of Superheroes was the only title I actively hunted down and followed. And soon I found myself reading X-Men as well, having followed Dave Cockrum from company to company, apparently. And yeah Teen Titans 1 was the rebirth of my love for DC, as well! (Although I never stopped loving the Legion.)

The team was just amazing, it had something for everyone, it seemed, magic and tech, aliens and 'metahumans,' detective types and bare-knuckle brawlers and romance and interpersonal drama aplenty. It was a smorgasboard.

And, best of all, it was set in it's own far-flung future, centuries away from the annual summer crossover nonsense that would interrupt every other title for two to three months a year and steal the momentum of any long-form storytelling they were attempting.

With twenty plus members, Levitz was a master at having some minor character bits simmering in the background of every issue, with a dozen threads running at a time, behind the bigger story of the day. I was in awe of that, as a wannabe writer, and I am not at all surprised that so few Legion writers since have been able to handle that as deftly. (IMO)

[caj]

With twenty plus members, Levitz was a master at having some minor character bits simmering in the background of every issue, with a dozen threads running at a time, behind the bigger story of the day. I was in awe of that, as a wannabe writer, and I am not at all surprised that so few Legion writers since have been able to handle that as deftly. (IMO)

I read an interview with Levitz - and I think someone posted something similar on one of these Legion threads - where he would literally draw four or five lines down on a piece of loose leaf paper. The first column would have the main story idea for the current issue on top. Underneath it, he would write all the upcoming story ideas. In the next column, he would basically move everything up with the next major storyline on top and the remaining upcoming storylines underneath. And he would keep adding to the upcoming list. He said it helped him keep up with all the story ideas and would help ensure that every Legion member would be included at least every few issues.

[kcekada]

All of the issues leading up to Great Darkness Sage were read after the conclusion. Some, I didn't read until recently (past 10 years) when they were collected in the most recent hardcover, so some came across a little dated. There was a little more suspension of belief back then. There are places in the stories where the Legionnaire should have been hurt more than they were, but that was typical of the Bronze Age. I think Broderick worked best as a Firestorm artist, but he wasn't bad here. Patterson was a very heavy inker, who added definitive look to the finishes. Tanghal was also a heavy inker, but maybe a little less stylized than Patterson.

I'll be able to comment more when we get to the issues that I read in the 80s -- because I've reread those -- and will have greater callback to my reactions.

[SJNeal]

This thread has inspired me to pull out my Great Darkness Saga and The Curse Deluxe Editions, and hopefully find time to re-read along with the reviews.

Now if only I can find which box they're in...

[Nomads1]

This thread will post links to reviews on the Paul Levitz / Keith Giffen era of the Legion that began back in 1982. The first couple issues featured art by Pat Broderick before Giffen came on.

Legion of Super Bloggers review of Legion of Super Heroes #284 - Medicus One is attacked, two Legionnaires resign, and Timber Wolf gets a facelift.

http://legionofsuperbloggers.blogspo...oul-thief.html

I always thought Broderick's short stint at LSH was greatly underappreciated. True, Giffen came in already completly revamping the 30th century's general look, which justly earned him his status as one of the LSH all-time greatest artists (though Cockrum is still my favorite), but Broderick's take was also very good, and a quantum leap in quality over his redecessor, Jimmy Janes, which had a solid figure work, but seemed to lack the imagination to work on a Sci-fi book. I actually wouldn't have minded seeing more of his work on the book.

Peace

[Nomads1]

One of my biggest gripes about DC is just how much of the Legion is not collected in any form. For being such a big book is has very few collections with issues 259-283, 314-325, and issues 14-63 of the "Baxter" series never being collected. That is 84 issues not counting annuals with most of them being by Levitz. If nothing else the "Baxter" series should be collected in full.

I would love to see the Sensor Girl saga collected in full. Laroque was another greatly underappreciated writer, and he really rocked in his LSH stint.

#260-271 are being collected in Before the Darkness, a trade scheduled for release next month.

Not sure why they skipped #259; that would've bookended it nicely with the Superboy and the LoSH HC Vol. 2... but who knows with DC. Maybe it'll actually show up in the final product.

If I'm not mistaken, Before Darkness will be a HC, not a TPB. I really didn't like that phase of the Legion (some things, some concepts, had potential, such as the away team with Brande, and Ultra Boy's death, but the execution was, IMHO, VERY poor), and I have it all in floppy, so I won't get it.

Sad news people: Steve Lightle, penciller of the Legion and regular cover artist of several eras passed away.

https://www.cbr.com/steve-lightle-le...tist-obituary/

That was really sad news.

Peace

[caj]

I have to say, I'm kind of shocked that we're 2 issues into The Great Darkness Saga and no one is even talking about it.

Maybe the subject has been all talked out, who knows.

There was some great dialogue in this issue:

Wildfire: "You're really serious about running, Dream Girl? Next thing you know, Krypto the super-dog will be running."

Star Boy: "Stop campaigning Element Lad. Besides, do you think Nura would have run for leader if she hadn't foresaw herself winning?"
Timber Wolf: "Oh no, I never thought of that."

Dream Girl: "Being early comes naturally when you can see the future."
Sun Boy: "I'm not even going to try to understand that."

[SJNeal]

I have to say, I'm kind of shocked that we're 2 issues into The Great Darkness Saga and no one is even talking about it.

Sadly, I'm not there yet. It took me a few days to dig my collections out of storage, and I'm only on #287 in my re-read.

[kcekada]

Sadly, I'm not there yet. It took me a few days to dig my collections out of storage, and I'm only on #287 in my re-read.

Yeah, I'm reserving GDS comments for the finale -- which is the issue where I started collecting Legion again after a 7-year absence. I have read the stories leading up that issue -- but am not as familiar, so it's more difficult to comment.

[SJNeal]

If I'm not mistaken, Before Darkness will be a HC, not a TPB. I really didn't like that phase of the Legion (some things, some concepts, had potential, such as the away team with Brande, and Ultra Boy's death, but the execution was, IMHO, VERY poor), and I have it all in floppy, so I won't get it.

Yeah, I noticed Amazon has it listed as a HC, but IST/DCBS shows TPB. I'm hoping for the former, as it'll look better on the shelf next to my Superboy and the LoSH HC's.