Legion of Super-Heroes Appreciation 2023

[Lucas 35]

SUPERMAN: THE LAST DAYS OF LEX LUTHOR #2

Written by MARK WAID

Art and cover by BRYAN HITCH
Variant cover by CHRIS SAMNEE
1:25 variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
$6.99 US | 48 pages | 2 of 3 | Prestige Plus | 8 1/2″ x 10 7/8″
(all covers are card stock)
ON SALE 9/26/23

Superman continues his mission to find a cure for what’s killing Lex Luthor. When the present has no answers, maybe the future will! But will the Legion of Super-Heroes help Clark find a cure for a man like Luthor?

By the way, regarding this Waid story, do you believe this rumour? And what do you think of this?

https://www.reddit.com/r/DCcomics/co...rm=1&context=3

[Kaine322]

By the way, regarding this Waid story, do you believe this rumour? And what do you think of this?

https://www.reddit.com/r/DCcomics/co...rm=1&context=3

What does “retroboot” refer to? I’m soooo confused.

[Timber Wolf-By-Night]

What does “retroboot” refer to? I’m soooo confused.

"Retroboot" is the name given to the version of the Legion that Geoff Johns introduced in his "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" story that ran in Action Comics in the 2000's. It's based on or supposed to be the original continuity's LSH but with certain Johns-typical tweaks and minor edits or changes, as it's supposed to be, essentially, the Legion's adventures continuing sometime after the final storyline of the 80's Baxter series, "The Magic Wars."

[Doctor Know]

What does “retroboot” refer to? I’m soooo confused.

I did a break down of the Legion publication history yesterday.

This should help. The Retroboot Legion is the Pre-Crisis Legion Geoff Johns reintroduced in his 2006 story JLA The Lightning Saga.

Johns made them the Pre-Crisis Legion, because after COIE, Legion continuity got royally screwed up. See details below.


1. Pre-Crisis (1959-1985): Levitz's powerhouse years starting in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes vol 1 #234 (1978). Standout stories from this time would be: Earth War, Great Darkness Saga, the Curse, Legion of Super-Villains/Death of Karate Kid and COIE.


2. Post Crisis (1985-1994): Levitz ends his 11-year run with Legion of Superheroes vol 3 #63; with the Magic Wars (1989). All technology across the United Federation of Planets has been destroyed and the Legion have eaten losses in defending the galaxy. This is period covers the Five Years Later, Batch SW6, Mon-El being recast as the inspiration for the Legion with the name Valor (a name Superman gave him in the 20th Century), and Zero Hour.


A lot of tangled webs were weaved here.

Editorial 'fixing' post-COIE. Pocket Universe Superboy, Mon-El is now the inspiration for the Legion. Etc

The villainous Time Trapper's manipulations on the timeline before and after his death by Mon-El.

Time Trapper’s assistant Glorith made her own alterations to the timeline after her master died.

Add in the time displaced Legionnaires from the now adult Legion's past (the Batch SW6 cast). Interacting and supplanting their older counterparts in some cases. Killing off more of the older Legionnaires.

There was no unf*cking this mess. So, TPTB used Zero Hour as a chance to reboot and get a clean slate.


3. Zero Hour: Reboot Legion (1994-2004): Clean slate thanks to Zero Hour, with somethings sticking around. Like Mon-El/Valor still being the inspiration for the Legion instead of Superman. Characters occupying the same roles they did previously. Standard reboot/jumping on point for new readers. Standout out stories would be Tom McGraw and Mark Waid's early run and Dan Abnett's (Marvel Comics Annihilation, Annihilation Conquest, GOTG 2008) 2000 Legion Lost run.



4. Threeboot (2005-2009): Mark Waid helps relaunch the Legion again. This time to mixed reception. The character designs were cool but not everyone jived with the new direction. Teenagers rebelling against conformity and performing as vigilante actors across the galaxy. Under the banner of the Legion. All the while still fighting crime and combating terrorism. The first two volumes were good, Teenage Revolution and Death of a Dream. After that, Waid added Supergirl to the book and all the stories seemed to revolve around Kara in the future. The book was even renamed to being Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes.


5. Post-Infinite Crisis Legion (2006-2013): Geoff Johns revives the Pre-Crisis Legion for his JLA story Lightning Saga in 2006. All events after COIE didn't happen to the Legion. John's applying the same retcon fixes he applied to Hawkman, GL and Flash. Other stories from this time would be Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes, Legion of 3 Worlds, Superman Secret Origin, Last Stand of New Krypton and Levitz's return to the Legion with The Choice and Consequences. There was a collective 'meh' with these stories. The stories that focused on the Legion weren't memorable and their appearances on the Superman books left them as glorified guest stars.


This Legion would presumably continue into the New 52. The two books Legion of Super-Heroes and Legion Lost 2011 didn't last long and were cancelled early into the New 52. Johns would again revive the Legion for his 2016 Rebirth event, with an appearance of Saturn Girl. However, nothing was done with them. In 2017 Johns would begin his much-delayed series Doomsday Clock. Saturn Girl plays a role early on in the story, but ends up lost in the sauce of story and wider alterations of DC at the time. As you know, Doomsday Clock was supposed to ride the wave of Rebirth and cap off the event. Frequent delays saw Doomsday Clock miss the wave of Rebirth and not finish until late 2019. By this point Scott Snyder's Dark Knights Metal had brought it's own changes to the DCU. And Bendis was signed on to DC to put his own spin on Superman and the LOSH. Doomsday Clark ends with Post-Infinite Crisis Saturn Girl and her Legion being erased from his history. They just fade away. Leading to the debut of Bendis' Legion.


6. Bendis' Legion (2020-2021) This one I know the least about. I'm sure someone would be willing to fill you in.

[Kaine322]

"Retroboot" is the name given to the version of the Legion that Geoff Johns introduced in his "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" story that ran in Action Comics in the 2000's. It's based on or supposed to be the original continuity's LSH but with certain Johns-typical tweaks and minor edits or changes, as it's supposed to be, essentially, the Legion's adventures continuing sometime after the final storyline of the 80's Baxter series, "The Magic Wars."

Thanks much. I know Reboot and Threeboot, but Retroboot threw me for a loss.

[Kaine322]

Thanks much. Like I said above, the term Retroboot threw me for a loss.

[signalman112]

Ladies of LSH by Fred Hembeck.

HembeckLSH.jpg

[Sutekh]

Ladies of LSH by Fred Hembeck.

HembeckLSH.jpg

Inspired by that, what do folks prefer for Ayla? Light Lass, or Lightning Lass?

I feel like Light Lass has more potential for cool feats and versatile and creative uses of power.

BUT, I feel like Ayla really shines and is just more pro-active and *fun* as Lightning Lass (perhaps at least partially because writers seem more inclined to use her as Lightning Lass, and less inclined to come up with those versatile and creative uses for her weight-negating / anti-gravity power). It may be a dirt-common power, easily matched by any idiot with a future ray-gun blaster, but she seems to have so much fun and be so dynamic as a blaster!

So I'd tend to go with Lightning Lass, since it never disappoints, IMO, even if I would love it if a writer wanted to really go wild with her Light Lass powers.

[kcekada]

It would have been cool if Levitz had retained her gravity powers when she regained her electrical powers -- making her a double-threat. If she can have only one -- I think electrical is my preference since her brothers also have that power.

[Thirteen]

Inspired by that, what do folks prefer for Ayla? Light Lass, or Lightning Lass?

The group pic of the Legion Ladies underscores the visually passive nature of the gals powers in the old days. Did they faint a lot too?

I guess the blurb on the cover influenced me in my preference for Ayla as Lightning Lass


I do like the costume transition for the most recent Light/Lightning Ayla from the Bendisboot.

[Sutekh]

It would have been cool if Levitz had retained her gravity powers when she regained her electrical powers -- making her a double-threat. If she can have only one -- I think electrical is my preference since her brothers also have that power.

I don't recall it ever being explicitly said when her lightning powers returned (due to Mekt's barrage / torture in the dungeons of Orando) that her weight-nullifying / anti-gravity powers were lost or replaced, although she obviously seemed to enjoy zapping the heck out of things, after the more cerebral 'make people float' power.

[Zero Hunter]

The group pic of the Legion Ladies underscores the visually passive nature of the gals powers in the old days. Did they faint a lot too?

I guess the blurb on the cover influenced me in my preference for Ayla as Lightning Lass


I do like the costume transition for the most recent Light/Lightning Ayla from the Bendisboot.

To me that is a perfect example of why I hate most of Sook's redesigns. All those lines. It just makes it look gaudy and overly complicated for no reason. That and the googles.

[Zero Hunter]

I just realized that this year is the Legions 65th anniversary. Lets hope DC can get their heads out of their butts and give us something good in a few years for their 70th since they skipped right over this one.

[Vordan]

Johns gave the Retroboot a cameo in today’s JSA issue (taken from Twitter since I’m no longer reading):



If he actually sticks around to do those New Golden Age books he’s teased, odds are one of them is a Retroboot book.

[Frontier]

Not the most flattering return .