Review: Legion Lost #1-12 (reboot legion)
And this, friends, is why the current Legion Lost series sucks. How the hell do they expect to get home without Brainiac 5 to do all the heavy thinking? To be honest, it was actually a shock to me upon picking up the new 52 Legion Lost that Brainiac 5 had not been thrown back in time with them. It had always been my experience that any time the legion is cast adrift, Brainy is inevitably going to be along for the ride to think them home.
It also surprised me that they'd used that title again, already having done so ten years ago. But no one ever said DC was known for originality.
It also surprised me that they'd used that title again, already having done so ten years ago. But no one ever said DC was known for originality.
However, I'm not here to discuss the current Legion Lost title. No. I'm here to discuss something good. I'm here to discuss the original Legion Lost maxi-series, back in 2000 when Dan and Andy weren't big names yet and Coipel was still working out his artistic style.
This is my legion.
First out, let me say that this is not a good starting point for new readers. If you haven't read the Blight and Widening Rifts storylines, you are most likely not going to have a freaking clue what's going on. And that's a real shame, because Legion Lost was some of the best storytelling that the rebooted legion ever saw. However, to aide the hapless reader, the Blight storyline was complied into something like a trade paperback last year and is sold at Amazon. I've yet to find a collection of Widening Rifts, but you should be able to find it on Ebay if you're patient enough.
This series was gritty (I don't just mean Coipel's art), creative, and a little heartbreaking. The Blight storyline had forced our young heroes to do some quick growing up, but this cemented them in my mind as full-fledged adults. This was not a group of starry-eyed kids protecting the United Planets anymore. This was a small, slowly fragmenting group of scared individuals fighting to survive while trying to hold on to the ideals that made them who they were.
And that was a huge step forward in this series and for these characters. Many of whom had not seem significant growth in many years.
Admittedly, some grew more than others. Live Wire, for example, pretty much did nothing but bitch and moan most of the series. Despite him being a founder, and therefore a character with the a lot of potential, I couldn't help but feel that his part easily could have been filled by any other legionnaire. It was clear he was really only in the group to be a sounding board for Imra's angst and to make the heroic sacrifice at the end. Likewise, poor Ultra Boy was also a tool, quietly relegated to the background as
though he was barely there once his part in the plot had been exposed. A shame, considering Jo was desperately in need of some development. Monstress especially, a character whom I was under the impression no one in the fanbase really liked, existed for a singular purpose. Despite having quite a few touching scenes, I easily got the impression that the writers were only spotlighting her so that when they killed her off we'd give a shit about it. Which was disappointing, as she had quickly become a well-rounded, likable person whom I would have liked to see more of in The Legion series.
Other legionnaires fared better. Saturn Girl, as previously mentioned, bloomed well despite the writers using her telepathy in a slightly cliched way. We'd seen her animate Rokk's comatose body in the past without her own knowledge, but this deliberate deception, creating a telepathic projection of Tinya, was a step past that. It made me re-examine Imra, rethink her motivations and the strength of her character. Was she right or wrong to do what she did? Is full disclosure, the hard truth, really what people want? Or is it easier to give and believe the small lies, the small untruths, to give us purpose and save our communal peace of mind?
It's a question that would be explored far more darkly when the legion is rebooted again.
Brainiac 5, my favorite legionnaire, really shines in this series. Not only does he shed his annoying name "upgrade", but he also sheds the tired misconception that he is completely infallible. That he can think his way out of anything. There's always been a feeling throughout the legion's history that Brainy can pretty much solve any problem in the known universe, so it was refreshing to see him almost completely fail, to admit to those failings and his own limitations. This more vulnerable, emotional character was what his "upgrade" had originally promised us but had up until this point not delivered.
I think i'm going to be one of the few who say that I really liked Shikari. Now, I know that some fans think her to be a strange version of Dawnstar, but you know what? I never read any legion comics with Dawnstar in them, so Shikari was and still is an entirely separate character to me. I like her sweet, sensitive nature with a warrior's heart underneath. I like that she's bold and says what she's thinking. I thought she was a great addition to the team, as pathfinding abilities are always useful. So, say what you will, but I like her.
On the whole, the plot is tightly woven and surprisingly dense considering it was only twelve issues. There are a few little gaps here and there, such as how on earth Spark was "helping" pilot a cruiser when she's a figment of Chameleon's imagination or how exactly Element Lad became immortal, but most of them are pretty nitpicky. Like the Blight storyline, there is a real sense of fear to the narrative, a desperation that I didn't feel when the legionnaires were cast back into the 20th century. Unlike with the Blight though, this time the writers had more time to develop the characters along with making a compelling story, which meant things could develop more slowly. For instance, Tinya had been part of the group for so long that when she turned out to be a figment of everyone's imagination I was just as genuinely shocked as the legionnaires. It had been built up so that I'd simply come to accept that she was there and she was real. I love plot twists that actually fool me.
The art. Okay, i've read that a lot of people didn't really care for Coipel's art style at the time. They thought it too rough and unrefined, but I think that's what I like about it. The series itself is gritty and raw, and so this sort of scratchy artistic style suits the narrative. That and Coipel draws facial expression adorably. There were a few scenes of Brainy where I laughed out loud at the goofy look on his face. I could also see a definite progression of quality in the issues, even in such a short run. Issue twelve is much cleaner and well put together than issue one, though I don't know if it has anything to do with the inker or colorist. Regardless, the very fact that I can see such a vast improvement in such a limited run speaks volumes for Coipel's craft. Not to mention the fact that now, ten years later, I can see what a beautiful style it has progressed into.
So! All in all? I loved it. I loved it enough that while I originally bought the hardback compilation, i've since gone back and bought the original run. I liked it that much. It reminded me of why I loved the legion back in my teenage years, and it gave me that sweet, nostalgic feeling in my gut. It also made me a bit sad upon remembering that these legionnaires are now wandering the multiverse without a home. To me, that's a terrible fate for characters that I loved and still love so much. But I guess this is how fans of the original run felt when it was rebooted in the 90's.
Up next will be the new Legion of Superheros #0 issue and then onto The Legion series! I'm looking forward to it! So, until next time, dear readers (all five of you)...
IF YOU DREAM IT, YOU CAN DO IT!
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