Dc to Launch new Legion of Superheros Comic

[RedWhiteAndBlueSupes]

What do you guys think about the New upcoming legion of Superheros comic announced by DC?

As with the main "Rebirth" story, DC is playing the long game with the Legion of Super-Heroes. But plans are clearly set in place; at Baltimore Comic Con 2016, they revealed that one of the DC Rebirth panel would soon be writing Legion of Super-Heroes. That’s a choice of Dan DiDio, Tom King, Hope Larson, James Tynion IV, Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens and Yannick Paquette. While I'd highlight Paul Levitz and Tom King — Levitz has been associated with the Legion for decades, while King gave a nod to Saturn Girl in Batman #9

I'm all for it except Dan Didio better not be writing it lol.

[sifighter]

Well someone like Paul Levitz or Keith Giffen would probably be a good idea as someone who has a lot of history on writing the Legion so if they were planning on bringing them back having one of their more well known Legion writers on the book might work.

On the other hand I also believe that Tom King would probably release a very cool Legion book if given the chance.

[CRaymond]

Bleh isn't LoSH an archaic concept? Please don't use nostalgia in your arguments otherwise.

[LifeIsILL]

Didn't Hickman say LOSH is his favorite comic of all time?

Maybe DC should get that guy.

[Lee Stone]

Bleh isn't LoSH an archaic concept? Please don't use nostalgia in your arguments otherwise.

Superheroes are an archaic concept.
As are superhero teams.

Doesn't mean they're not good or can't be good, though.

[RedWhiteAndBlueSupes]

Superheroes are an archaic concept.
As are superhero teams.

Doesn't mean they're not good or can't be good, though.

yep no more archaic than a guy in cape and tights lol

[kcekada]

Bleh isn't LoSH an archaic concept? Please don't use nostalgia in your arguments otherwise.

No more so than any other super hero group. I think it did get a little stagnant -- and there was, perhaps to much reliance on Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl and Brainiac 5. But the core concept of a large group of superheroes as interplanetary peacekeepers is fine. Execution could be improved -- some of those names need improved and some of the original power sets need expanded -- especially for the girls. I mean look at Marvel's Darkstar compared to Shadow Lass.

[TimberWolf]

Please no writers that have previously written the Legion. The story really needs to move forward

[Lee Stone]

What do you guys think about the New upcoming legion of Superheros comic announced by DC? I'm all for it except Dan Didio better not be writing it lol.

My guesses:

Dan DiDio (highlights: Omac, Phantom Stranger, DC Comics co-publisher) - -if this were New52, I'd say yes. If only because he has given himself the image of being someone who likes to take credit for doing things 'right' and putting his own stamp on things. But in the Rebirth era, I would have to say no. I think he's thankfully being reined in a bit. At least for the duration that Rebirth is successful. Not likely.

Tom King (highlights: Grayson, Batman, Omega Men) -quickly became a buzz worthy writer, with works like Grayson, Omega Men and Vision. And working on Omega Men showed that he can do sci-fi, even though it was still slanted from a military/espionage angle. However, he is kinda busy with Batman. And I personally think he belongs on a new Checkmate, Nemesis or Spyral series. Something that plays to his strengths. Slimly Possible.

Hope Larson (highlights: Batgirl, Ignatz award winner) -even though she's a buzz worthy creator, she doesn't fit the profile of Legion when looking at her past works. And considering the age of Saturn Girl and the suspected background, from what we've seen so far, and the build up they've given both Legion and JSA, I'd say no. Doubtful.

James Tynion IV (highlights: Detective Comics, Batman, Talon) -another Batfamily writer. I just don't really see him branching out of the Bat-books. Especially on a title like Legion. Might not fit his style. Don't think so.

Paul Levitz (highlights: Legion, Huntress, former DC Comics president) -the writer that's most synonymous with 'Legion', being the one who was the most successful with the franchise, spawning Great Darkness Saga and an era of greatness that rivaled Wolfman's Titans and Claremont's X-Men. The highly skilled scriptwriter is the creator of the Levitz Paradigm that writers have studied regarding weaving subplots and juggling ensemble casts. Sounds great so far. Except new readers don't take too well to 'old school' writers, even if they write with a fresh style. And his last run didn't set the world on fire. His disconnect with the team for so long left him out of touch with who readers were most interested in and spent too much time on Brainiac-5 and (in the 2010 prelude series) Earth-Man.
On the flip-side, when the 2010 series was relaunched for New52, it was hijacked by editorial and stripped of several popular characters to launch Legion Lost and the New52 Preview book was suspiciously missing promotional info for both titles (the only two titles not to be featured in the free giveaway).
However, with the look of Saturn Girl and the push towards bringing the DCU back to familiar roots, Levitz becomes the most likely candidate. And a hot artist could easily overcome any stigma readers have over 'old school' writers. Very possible.

Keith Giffen (highlights: Legion, JLI, JL3000/3001, Ambush Bug) -another creator with strong ties to the Legion and a master plotter. He was one of the definitive artists during Levitz's celebrated run and even had his own strong period with the 5YL revival. With the recent JL3000/3001 series, he proved he could still do sci-fi. And just like Levitz, having a modern 'hip' artist that sells could bring in new readers, while his skill at plotting would keep their interest. Another very possible.

Dan Jurgens (highlights: Booster Gold, Superman, post-JLI League) -Jurgens has ties to the Legion, but not as profound as Levitz or Giffen. He had a good turn at doing art for Levitz's defining run on the team. Created Booster Gold, even tying his origin into the Legion slightly. He also had a brief run on the post-JLI League that culminated with the 'Death of Superman'. Panic in the Sky was a really good space storyline that utilized a large cast. So he has had experience with writing groups of heroes. However, Legion may be too large of a cast. And he falls into the 'old school' camp even though he's kept current by staying busy with various titles that involved Booster Gold. Has a strong grasp of time travel, which is a constant Legion trope. And Booster (or his sister) could easily be given a new home in Legion. Possible.

Yannick Paquette (highlights: Wonder Woman, Seven Soldiers, Swamp Thing) -very talented artist but no real experience writing. Legion may be too high-profile for him to cut his teeth on. Not likely.

My personal choice would be...

Keith Giffen on plots with Paul Levitz on scripts.
Maybe even with Jurgens or Paquette on art.

[Factor]

Talk about a misleading thread title :/ I thought they had finally announced it for real.

[Jim Kelly]

Bleh isn't LoSH an archaic concept? Please don't use nostalgia in your arguments otherwise.

From the early '60s to the late '80s, the Legion had a strong and loyal fanbase. They essentially got their own feature (on a few different occasions) because of fan pressure on DC. The organization of fandom and its role in comics history was partly due to that Legion following. Heck, two important Legion fans ended up in postitions of power at DC and Marvel (Paul Levitz and Jim Shooter).

Marvel's X-Men was able to monopolize on that fandom. And a lot of what made the X-Men great was borrowed from the Legion.

DC in the '80s had in the Legion a franchise that could easily have challenged the X-Men. But for whatever wrong-headed reasons, DC frittered away the Legion's value. The fanbase was abused and defeated.

It might be too late to refresh the Legion--they've suffered through so many restoration attempts that it’s left a stink of decay from all the rotting corpses. And if DC goes about their Rebirth the same way they handled all the other attempts, it's doomed to fail. However, there are a few things about the Legion that stand it in good stead:

• Set in the future--the Legion doesn’t have to be weighed down by present DC continuity; the future concept allows for creative new directions; the only limit is the writers’ imagination for what might be possible in such a distant time.
• 
  
• Always changing, always diverse--the Legion had more female members in their number before that was a thing (probably a reason it attracted so many female readers) and it continued to add characters of diversity as it progressed; with so many aliens and so many super-powers, the Legion can keep changing and still remain true to its concept; the Legion never stays still.
• 
  
• One big story--the Legion is epic in its proportions and includes hundreds of plot lines; there’s hundreds of supporting characters and locations, all kinds of tech; you can pick up that story at any place, any time; the focus can change to spotlight whatever type of adventure is popular with the current readership; the Legion isn’t one narrow thing, that’s why it’s legion--it’s literally very big, a multitude.

[LifeIsILL]

• Set in the future--the Legion doesn’t have to be weighed down by present DC continuity; the future concept allows for creative new directions; the only limit is the writers’ imagination for what might be possible in such a distant time.
• 
  
• Always changing, always diverse--the Legion had more female members in their number before that was a thing (probably a reason it attracted so many female readers) and it continued to add characters of diversity as it progressed; with so many aliens and so many super-powers, the Legion can keep changing and still remain true to its concept; the Legion never stays still.
• 
  
• One big story--the Legion is epic in its proportions and includes hundreds of plot lines; there’s hundreds of supporting characters and locations, all kinds of tech; you can pick up that story at any place, any time; the focus can change to spotlight whatever type of adventure is popular with the current readership; the Legion isn’t one narrow thing, that’s why it’s legion--it’s literally very big, a multitude.

The Legion just gives DC another whole new world to explore.

I hate it when cosmic DC is only limited to Green Lantern or Darkseid these days. There is way more than that in Legion.

[Jadeb]

[*]Set in the future--the Legion doesn’t have to be weighed down by present DC continuity; the future concept allows for creative new directions; the only limit is the writers’ imagination for what might be possible in such a distant time.

I think this is its greatest liability. It's isolated from the rest of the DC universe, so that what happens there doesn't really "matter." Same problem plagues books like Warlord or Batman Beyond. (Batman Beyond at least has the Batman connection to prop it up, but even it struggles.)

Look at Lois & Clark. That book starred the same Superman who is now selling gangbusters, but the title didn't sell well when it was self-contained.

Also, Legion's futuristic setting limits the opportunities to introduce people to that world. The Legion has been around all my life, but nothing has really convinced me to read it. It just seems like its own thing.

Legion made much more sense when it was launched as a Superboy spinoff. People cared about that character, so he served as the introduction to this new property. If they're going to relaunch it now, they need to find some kindling to start the fire. Maybe start it out in a book people are already reading. Give it some time to grow, and don't rush it into its own title right away.

[Jim Kelly]

I like Superboy/Superman having some connection to the LSH, but sometimes existing in its own continuity is a good thing. Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones--they all exist in their own universe.

DC has been too concerned with how the Legion fits into present DCU continuity--and trying to "fix" that keeps destroying the concept.

[Flash Gordon]

I like Superboy/Superman having some connection to the LSH, but sometimes existing in its own continuity is a good thing. Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones--they all exist in their own universe.

DC has been too concerned with how the Legion fits into present DCU continuity--and trying to "fix" that keeps destroying the concept.

Surely there's a way to give them their own universe and also tie it to Superman. Either Superman also existed in their past, or he crosses over and has adventures with them in their own reality.

I'm not sure it's a needed change, but it can be done.