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geoffwood's review
4.0
Kinda weird, I'd have laid money on this being produced in 2016 given the themes, but it seems positively prescient for 2008. I guess it's not stretching to do this with this Superman mythos tho.
dantastic's review
5.0
Way back in the day, the only place I ever got comics was right off the rack in the drug store. A chance purchase in the second grade made me switch my super hero loyalties from Batman & Robin to the Legion of Super Heroes. I don't remember the number of the issue, but it was somewhere in the 320's or 330's of Tales, the one where they find out the Dark Circle is really a crap ton of clones. How could a kid not like a super hero team composed of kids in the future? From there, I grabbed the Legion where ever I could find it, up until the last issue of Tales of the Legion.
Superman and the Legion of Super Heroes brings back fond memories of that time. Superman takes a Time Sphere to the 31st century where Earth has become xenophobic, the Legion are outlaws, and Superman's legend has been perverted by Earth-Man. To top it off, the sun has gone red. Superman teams with what's left of the Legion and goes about setting things right, all with the prospect of an intergalactic war looming in the background.
Geoff Johns shows why he's the most consistently good writer in comics today in this one. There are nods to the past without wallowing in it, the characters are consistent with their past incarnations (ie the Levitz/Giffen era Legion), and the story goes pretty smoothly. When the sun went back to yellow and Superman regained his powers and took the fight to Earth-Man, I felt like a kid again. I must have been grinning like a jackass. Gary Frank's art suited the story perfectly, detailed but not overwhelmingly so.
For fans of the silver age of DC comics, this is one not to miss.
Superman and the Legion of Super Heroes brings back fond memories of that time. Superman takes a Time Sphere to the 31st century where Earth has become xenophobic, the Legion are outlaws, and Superman's legend has been perverted by Earth-Man. To top it off, the sun has gone red. Superman teams with what's left of the Legion and goes about setting things right, all with the prospect of an intergalactic war looming in the background.
Geoff Johns shows why he's the most consistently good writer in comics today in this one. There are nods to the past without wallowing in it, the characters are consistent with their past incarnations (ie the Levitz/Giffen era Legion), and the story goes pretty smoothly. When the sun went back to yellow and Superman regained his powers and took the fight to Earth-Man, I felt like a kid again. I must have been grinning like a jackass. Gary Frank's art suited the story perfectly, detailed but not overwhelmingly so.
For fans of the silver age of DC comics, this is one not to miss.
gohawks's review
4.0
This one gets extra points for Superman's outsider status and also for a plot to change the sun red to weaken Superman. Not sure if that has been done before, but I loved it. The image of Kal-El witha bullet hole through his hand is priceless. Frank's art is actually not too bad though I resisted at the beginning because of the thicket of lines he can create. Bonus points to for the little bulbs that accompany all the Legion and Justice League characters detailing names and powers each time they re-enter the story. I wish Johns himself would have used this more often with some of his JSA titles. Too many characters make me lose the story entirely.
hskey's review
2.0
Going from Secret Identity to this was like going from top shelf Whiskey to stale beer. I feel like I came into this at a disadvantage, I had no idea what's going on, which timeline they're in, what happened to the Justice League or who the Legion are.
The art is really clean and I definitely read this quickly, but pretty disappointing and one of my least favorite Superman stories.
The art is really clean and I definitely read this quickly, but pretty disappointing and one of my least favorite Superman stories.
howattp's review
2.0
This was only OK. This showcases Geoff Johns' ability to bring back characters from the annals of DC history and incorporate them into the current history. The Legion of Superheroes ran around with a young Clark Kent. Now they need his help.
In the year 3008, the world is overrun by a xenophobic government using the name of Superman and the Justice League to push their agenda. He needs to stop them, along with his old pals.
I like this premise, but this borders on old crises where we just have every single character from yore coming back in a flood--at least here he gives us info boxes which lets us know who they are. However, the story was a bit convoluted and could have lasted only a few issues, rather than the whole length of the trade. It does, however, set up a lot of the themes we'll see later in the New Krypton arc.
In the year 3008, the world is overrun by a xenophobic government using the name of Superman and the Justice League to push their agenda. He needs to stop them, along with his old pals.
I like this premise, but this borders on old crises where we just have every single character from yore coming back in a flood--at least here he gives us info boxes which lets us know who they are. However, the story was a bit convoluted and could have lasted only a few issues, rather than the whole length of the trade. It does, however, set up a lot of the themes we'll see later in the New Krypton arc.
lindakat's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Superman goes into the year 3,000, after feeling bullied/leftout and has to save the day. The reason he was needed was because the doctrine of Superman had two conflicting views and a race war came from it - a lot of religious connotation here.
The reason for the conflicting views was because someone was excluded from the big superhero group and got pissy so he created a new group (or religion) and claimed he had the right of it. Felt very Syndrome like.
Was not a fan, was preachy and boring.
The reason for the conflicting views was because someone was excluded from the big superhero group and got pissy so he created a new group (or religion) and claimed he had the right of it. Felt very Syndrome like.
Was not a fan, was preachy and boring.
tmaluck's review
4.0
This is everything science-tastical about Superman stories and superhero stories in general. Superman goes to the future where his superhero buddies need him to fix a fractured timeline! Anything that happens within that premise is acceptable, especially when rendered through Gary Frank's facial expressions. It's a shame that the dress code of the future includes all of the "boob window" outfits for women that the present-day timeline ogles over, but I guess the battle for equality never ends... Geoff Johns captures a lot of Silver Age nuttiness in the details of everyone's superpowers and even manages to give Supes some moments of emotional honesty. And to think, I didn't have a single opinion about the Legion before this!
thelaurakremer's review
2.0
I'd give the story all the stars! But. The art killed me. Seriously, driving me insane! Frank's art is freaking my shit out! Every woman looks like a weird plastic person. They all have the same exact face. It's like he used a poorly embalmed corpse with a high cheekboned joker smile plastered on her face as a model and couldn't undo the creepy dead wide-eyed stare from their huge bug eyes. Creepiest fucking faces ever. I kinda want the Legion to get their faces beat off so I don't have to look at them anymore. I am avoiding all Gary Frank stuff after this, for my health. Ew. I would super love this story with any other art.
thekarpuk's review
5.0
In the last few years I've taken an interest in reading good Superman stories past and present, and Geoff Johns has solidified an idea I've had for a while now:
You can't be cool and write good Superman.
Which in the world of super hero comics is a surprisingly big ask. Comic writers love their clever dialogue, gritty cynicism, and their cheap irony. These things make bad Superman stories unless you're prepared to make him a joke or a fascist, both of which have been played out since the 80's. Seriously, go away with your bad Evil Superman story lines. It's played out.
This is a fitting book to bring this up with, because Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes is literally a story about a future where historical revisionism has erased Superman's true origins, painting him a nationalist figure appropriate for xenophobes. Superman is pulled forward into this world to try and assist in eliminating fascist super heroes.
Because that's what a Superman does. He fights fascists. It's kind of his thing. Most of us our limited in how much good we can do by our amount of energy and our social capital. Superman has endless energy and powers that exist entirely outside of societal influences. That's why it was such a potent fantasy in the era of its creation, and why I think it has just as much value now. Superman does good because it's very clear to him that he's capable of helping. When done right, it's genuinely endearing.
I hadn't really read much Geoff Johns prior to this, but I enjoy his very straightforward approach to storytelling. It's not flashy, it's not riddled with quips, it's just tight storytelling. His style captures the sort of excitement I felt for super hero stories when I was a child without embarrassing dialogue and the dumber tropes.
An excellent read, and its inspired me to hunt down more super hero books by Johns.
You can't be cool and write good Superman.
Which in the world of super hero comics is a surprisingly big ask. Comic writers love their clever dialogue, gritty cynicism, and their cheap irony. These things make bad Superman stories unless you're prepared to make him a joke or a fascist, both of which have been played out since the 80's. Seriously, go away with your bad Evil Superman story lines. It's played out.
This is a fitting book to bring this up with, because Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes is literally a story about a future where historical revisionism has erased Superman's true origins, painting him a nationalist figure appropriate for xenophobes. Superman is pulled forward into this world to try and assist in eliminating fascist super heroes.
Because that's what a Superman does. He fights fascists. It's kind of his thing. Most of us our limited in how much good we can do by our amount of energy and our social capital. Superman has endless energy and powers that exist entirely outside of societal influences. That's why it was such a potent fantasy in the era of its creation, and why I think it has just as much value now. Superman does good because it's very clear to him that he's capable of helping. When done right, it's genuinely endearing.
I hadn't really read much Geoff Johns prior to this, but I enjoy his very straightforward approach to storytelling. It's not flashy, it's not riddled with quips, it's just tight storytelling. His style captures the sort of excitement I felt for super hero stories when I was a child without embarrassing dialogue and the dumber tropes.
An excellent read, and its inspired me to hunt down more super hero books by Johns.
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