Dc to Launch new Legion of Superheros Comic

[Jim Kelly]

Jim Shooter was screwed over by DC the last time he worked for them, so I doubt he'd come back. Also, it seems like some people at DC are afraid of Shooter.

I think that Levitz and Giffen have had their chance.

[Flash Gordon]

Tom King.

Somebody could easily do a book set in whatever status quo King builds, but King should be the architect.

I want bold new frontiers for these characters and concepts though, nothing admittedly "old school".

[Lee Stone]

No love for Jim Shooter, one of the best Legion writers of all times (along with Levitz), in my opinion?

Sandy Hausler

I only used the writers the OP stated were (supposedly) in the running.

[MajorHoy]

Tom King.

Somebody could easily do a book set in whatever status quo King builds, but King should be the architect.

I'd love Tom King to take over a LoSH project.

Then maybe they'll put a writer I would be happy to read on Batman.

[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.

[Timber Wolf-By-Night]

No to Levitz. Even he has admitted he'll never return to writing the Legion because he has no more ideas for it.

Don't get me wrong. After discovering the LSH in a digest-sized book of reprints from mostly the Shooter&Swan era of Adventure Comics in '81, it was picking up the Legion's book just in time for the beginning of the Great Darkness Saga when I was in the fourth or fifth grade that not only made me a lifelong fan of the Legion but a comics fan in general. I owe that to Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen's work. But when Levitz returned to writing after nearly 20 years as an executive, his writing for the Legion was plagued by the fact that he clearly had no new ideas and wasn't even willing to explore/follow up on the new ideas of others. From using a throwaway line of dialogue to establish that Matter-Eater Lad, fresh from the Legion's mission back in time helping Mon-El in ACTION COMICS, had been immediately shipped back to Bismoll and off-panel, to rehashing the introduction of the second Invisible Kid by introducing Chemical Kid; to his established pattern of assuming that any Legion Academy student he didn't create was simply not good enough to join the Legion; to walking back or flat out ignoring any and all plot ideas Geoff Johns had introduced, either in the "Superman & the Legion of Super-Heroes" story in Action Comics or the series of back-up stories Johns did on the Legion when Adventure Comics was re-launched, from the idea that Lightning Lord possibly had a twin out there to the joining of the Legion of Yera "Chameleon Girl" Allon and Jenni "XS" Ognatz*; to freaking rehashing "The Magic Wars," his final story for the LSH back in '89, for his final story for the Legion with the cancellation of their New 52 title. (Seriously, take a look at the similarities between the two stories, both in what happened and the far-reaching implications of those events.)

Heck, look at the few "new" ideas he had. Harmonia Li? A poorly introduced, thinly characterized, character with barely-established or explained powers (what were they again) or an explanation of who she was. The new Legion Academy students? The most alien-looking one dies in battle with Cosmic King (but takes CK with him); the openly gay one turns down Legion membership because the Legion turned down his not-Levitz-created boyfriend; leaving a rehash of Chemical King, a will-she-or-won't-she-turn-evil rehash of a previous run's villain in Glorith, and...Dragonwing. His relationship developments? Shadow Lass breaks up with Mon-El for poorly explained reasons, then takes up with Earth-Man, the xenophobic former rejected applicant that worked against the Legion but now has been forced upon the Legion by Earthgov to appease the millions of humans who have bought into his xenophobia, because he's a "warrior" or something. Night Girl breaks up with Cosmic Boy without any explanation given by Levitz, leaves Legion membership established by Johns and becomes an Academy instructor because Levitz still insists she's not quite good enough to be a Legionnaire, snipes at Cosmic Boy during his judging of not-created-by-Levitz Academy students as not worthy of joining the Legion; and then reconciles with him at a dance without Levitz so much as sharing a single word of the conversation they had.** Killing Chief Zendak was a second-rate version of Johns killing off RJ Brande in Lo3W. The only things he did that were positive surprises were re-establishing the romantic relationship between Lightning Lass and Shrinking Violet after Johns tried to imply that Lightning Lass was back with Timber Wolf, and the reintroduction of Tyroc, whom Levits had made clear in the past he didn't care for.

*Lately I can't help but wonder if editorial ordered him not to use XS, given both her ties to the non-Barry-Allen-centric Flash Family established while Barry was dead and her role as Barry's time-travelling granddaughter from another century.
**Despite his reputation for giving the Legion greater and more diverse characterization, his poor handling of the break-ups of Mon-El & Shadow Lass and of Cosmic Boy & Night Girl, as well as his previous treatment of the birth of Graym Ranzz and the wedding of Karate Kid & Projectra as mere MacGuffins/framing devices for super-hero stories, reinforced the notion that while writing these characters as super-heroes is something he's competent at, he's less competent (or less interested in) writing the human moments that make these super-heroes people.

[RedWhiteAndBlueSupes]

You're citing something that was said at a comic book convention back in September, which is now four months ago?

Geez, the title of this thread made it sound like they FINALLY had it scheduled, rather than continuing vague promises for things like LoSH, JSA, and Shazam to get new titles.

Until DC actually gives us specifics as to what, when, and who's involved, there's no point bothering to even think about it.
(Deciding what to order for lunch would be a better use of your time, unfortunately.)

There definitely planning a Relaunch of the title, no ones misleading here, yeah I don't know if there doing it at 8 o clock on a Wednesday in Spring on Autumn, who the hell cares? It's clear there launching a book around it at some point, so chill.

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.

Johns about had it fixed before Flashpoint, as that was the only real readable Legion since maybe like the early post crisis era. He fixed most of the continuity issues and hopefully Rebirth will restore that so that the legion makes sense, IDK have Jon travel with the legion like his dad used to(Superdad was a legion member back in the day), or heck bring in Kon-El to travel with them for awhile, But I agree with Jim in the fact that editorial mandates and just being to try hard in regard to the overall DCU have ultimately done in the Legion for while. And just when Johns starts to fix it and make it cool again, more editorial meddling ruins it(again)

[Godlike13]

DC tried relaunching LoSH under Paul Levitz again with the new 52. It was not very good and it didn't do very well. Legion needs a new voice to user in a new era for the LoSH.

[Disraeli Gears]

The creative team should be Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta

or Tom King and Cliff Chiang

The art style should be progressive and look like it's from the future

AND: Geoff Johns and Jim Lee need to stay away, as do anyone who's written or drawn the book before. This property demands new blood.

[HandofPrometheus]

DC tried relaunching LoSH under Paul Levitz again with the new 52. It was not very good and it didn't do very well. Legion needs a new voice to user in a new era for the LoSH.

Yep. Also they need to make the rebirth run easy for newcomers cause old runs are hard to get into since u need some form of knowledge from past runs.

[RedWhiteAndBlueSupes]

DC tried relaunching LoSH under Paul Levitz again with the new 52. It was not very good and it didn't do very well. Legion needs a new voice to user in a new era for the LoSH.

I have tried to erase that from my collective consciousness

[MajorHoy]

There definitely planning a Relaunch of the title, no ones misleading here, yeah I don't know if there doing it at 8 o clock on a Wednesday in Spring on Autumn, who the hell cares? It's clear there launching a book around it at some point, so chill.

I don't think I said DC was "misleading" anybody, but until it's actually on the schedule, it's only talk as far as I'm concerned.

I want more than just vague assurances before I think about getting interested in anything.

[Jim Kelly]

Yep. Also they need to make the rebirth run easy for newcomers cause old runs are hard to get into since u need some form of knowledge from past runs.

I think that they can start, with all the old stories behind them, but with a new team of super-heroes. The Legion's secret origin was never the most interesting thing about them--they didn't even get an origin story until ten years after they were created. When they first showed up in ADVENTURE COMICS No. 247, they just already existed.

What was always most interesting was being in the middle of their adventures. If a creative team has to waste time setting up the Legion, the Science Police, supporting characters--it will be a couple of years before they can finally get into the really cool stories.

I believe that in media res is a better story-telling device than linear development.

Maybe some new readers want to go through the origins of Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad and Cosmic Boy all over again--but for others it will be the second, third, fourth, fifth or sixth time these origins have been rehashed.

Punt the ball down the field and let anouther group of heroes carry the ball. They can be Academy graduates, new recruits, a second generation.

[GreenLanternRanger]

I really hope Legion is in the April Solicitations. That would help justify delaying them by a week.