Joshua Williamson – writer
Hayden Sherman – line artist
Tamra Bonvillain – color artist
Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou – lettering
#3.99 / DC

“If you look past the legend and instead look at the story itself you’ll find love. And you’ll see that at the heart of it all was a young man who chose to help people….I’m forever optimistic that I can find others to help bring about a return to the kind of heroes we used to have.”
– R J Brande

A new Legion series appeared in comics shops and online outlets this week. Having made their first appearance in the spring of 1958, these futuristic superheroes have been missed by their devoted fans. Like with many fandoms, Legion fans are often trepidatious about change and have no hesitation in speaking up about it. The Legion was my entry into the four color world of comics with a copy of Adventure #356 published in June 1967 when I was all of nine years old. Whichever version of the Legion there have been – and there’ve been a few – I’ve enjoyed them and this issue is no different.

Now that my Legion bona fides are out of the way let me you should please stop reading now and press your browser back button if you want to remain completely spoiler free before reading this issue.

Long

Live

The

Legion!

Alright, let’s get to it!

In their new series Williamson and Sherman honor the Legion’s history and traditions while also blending twists and new ideas to create a Legion that feels familiar and fresh yet full of questions to be answered. Once again Superboy serves as the inspiration for the Legion true to the spirit of Otto Binder and Al Plastino’s story in Adventure #247. As revealed a decade later in Superboy #147 Garth Ranzz, Imra Ardeen and Rokk Krinn rescued the incredibly wealthy R J Brande from an assassination attempt. In gratitude, Brande persuades the three teens to form a team which he’ll gladly bankroll. With this first issue we see that Brande is still among the wealthiest, most important, and most influential people in the United Planets. Here too Brande will play a role in the Legion’s formation despite being brutally murdered.

In a universe in which superheroes are outlawed and a vast army of deadly Persuaders keeps watch over all how will Brande’s murder be solved? This is a mystery that Brainiac 1 of 5 (or Brainy) and Tenzil Kim are determined to answer while doing their best to remain undetected by the deadly Persuaders. As unlikely a duo as they are Williamson and Sherman show just how well they work together as they go about their investigation proceeding from location to location. A clue hints at a power change for Brainy. Matter Eater Lad was often the butt of good natured jokes among fans. This Tenzil has an affable nature but also not someone to be dismissed as a gag. How the super intelligent Brainy and the totally omnivorous Tenzil met and what they’ve been up to is a story I look forward to reading. As for “Brainiac 1 of 5” and the connected circles seen on his head…the name is definitely awkward and of course it begs the question of why. Sherman may have planted a visual clue about the name on one specific page or it was simply an artistic choice.

Superpowers and fantastic adventures aside, the other strong throughline of the Legion are the relationships whether platonic, romantic, or familial as is the case with twin siblings Garth and Ayla Ranzz. Williamson’s script cuts between scenes of Brainy and Tenzil’s search and sequences focusing on Garth, Imra, and Rokk on their home worlds. Ayla is pragmatic and concerned about appearances. “We’re already the weird family in the neighborhood” she reminds her brother. Ayla’s tone makes me wonder if she’s possibly the older twin if only by a few minutes and that makes her the more responsible of the pair. Garth is daring, impulsive, and fascinated with the superheroes with a shrine to Superboy amongst the chaos of his bedroom. In Legion lore Braal has been famous for its metal mines and magno-ball competitions. The same is true still. A hard scrabble world makes for hard scrabble people with few opportunities in life. That’s the reality for the Krinn family who’ve pinned their hopes of a better life on Rokk winning the magno-ball competition. Why then would he pull such a dangerous stunt? A kingdom rules Titan making it the wealthiest of Saturn’s moons. While Titanians freely gather in public its greatest telepath Imra Ardeen lives in seclusion to be occasionally interrupted by an esteemed person. Are they a priest? A leader? Or is Imra held captive and this figure is a glorified guard?

Queer readers will be curious about representation. The Legion does have a history of queer characters including Ayla Ranzz and Salu Digby (Shrinking Violet) and Gravity Kid and Power Boy, allusions to relationships between Brainy and Condo Arlak (Chemical King) and Brainy and Lyle Norg (Invisible Kid) or maybe it was more a matter of Lyle crushing on Brainy. Recently the question of queer characters was brought up in one of my Facebook groups. My reply then was there are none. After some thought I think there is a possibility with one character and if Ayla immediately comes to mind then, yes, Ayla too is a possibility. You might want to wait until there is confirmation if your interest (and budget) demands on representation. Trades are great for catching up.

Hayden Sherman burst on the comics scene as the artist partnering with Kelly Thompson on the wildly successful Absolute Wonder Woman. A look at Sherman’s site traces a career dating back to 2017 with projects from several publishers. Wasted Spaces with Michael Moreci is the first that caught my attention but it was Dark Spaces Wildfire with Scott Snyder where Sherman’s composition and layout skills started to blow my mind. Sherman brings that same visual inventiveness seen in Absolute Wonder Woman to the Legion to craft a 31st century unlike anything in the Legion’s sixty eight year history.

The worlds visited in this first chapter – Earth, Winath, Braal, and Titan – are each distinctly crafted. Metropolis revels in its excess. Imagine a mashup of New York City, Tokyo, and Las Vegas but still falling short of the fictional reality. Presumably the central hub of the United Planets, Earth attracts sentient beings from across the galaxy to its sprawling and densely populated capitol. On Winath, the Ranzz family home is located in a quiet and respectable subdivision with tree lined streets and well designed homes with manicured lawns. An HOA neighborhood perfectly rendered by Sherman’s hand. Despite this polished look there are areas where danger and excitement happen. Just ask Garth. Vast expanses of Braal’s burnt orange land are pocked with open mines. A gigantic stadium filled with a cheering crowd could be interpreted as a holy site for magno-ball. In stark contrast to Braal’s bleakness is Titan with its fanciful and vibrant architecture.

A few words about the way Titanians communicate before it slips my mind. Unsurprisingly, they communicate telepathically. However, their language is a complex combination of words, meaning, thought, and images. Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou deserves credit for devising a series of pictograms to convey their language. Now how many readers will attempt to decipher it? Speaking of language, brush up on your Interlac because it’s back! Relax though. It’s used mainly here and there for signage.

Sherman’s wraparound cover art elicited much conversation following DC’s press release this summer. Some of the chatter zeroed in on the youthful faces of our protagonists. Truthfully, it did stand out to me as well but it makes sense to me now that I’ve read the story and understand that Williamson and Sherman’s starting point for their vision is before Garth, Imra, and Rokk even met on that space liner as told in Superboy #147.

Tamra Bonvillain started work as a colorist in 2005. There is a simple reason for her longevity in the business. She is just that damned good. Granted, it’s backed up with dedication, work, and skill which makes her one of the top colorists in American comics. Bonvillain is one of my favorite colorists and finding her name in the credits makes me even more excited for what will come.

This is not the Legion of Jim Shooter and Curt Swan that I first encountered. Or of Cary Bates, Mike Grell, and Dave Cockrum. This is not the Legion by Levitz and Giffen and The Magic Wars and the Great Darkness Saga. It is not Five Years Later or Legion Lost or any other iteration and to the relief of many certainly not the Bendis volume though who can’t appreciate Ryan Sook’s art?

This is a Legion that feels familiar and fresh. Williamson and Sherman have set about crafting a 31st century unlike anything seen in the Legion nearly seven decades span. Williamson’s plot and characterizations intrigue me. The world building in just one issue is impressive. Sherman and Bonvillain are a great match and I suspect my mind will continue wanting to decipher Otsmane-Elhaou’s Titanian pictograms.

This is a Legion that excites me and I will look forward to reading every month…especially the next issue after this jaw dropping cliffhanger!