Some familiar faces from the Legion of Super-Heroes can be found in this title, while the rest will appear next week. It’s very difficult to discuss without spoilers, so I’ll try to keep them as vague as possible.
General Information
Title: Legion Lost #1
Author: Fabian Nicieza
Illustrator(s): Pete Woods (art) and Brad Anderson (colours)
Cover Date: November 2011
Cover Price: $2.99
Buy the digital edition.
Premise
Seven members of the Legion of Super-Heroes travel through the Flashpoint Breakwall to prevent a fugitive from releasing a pathogen that would wipe out the Earth. Unfortunately, the trip through said breakwall (or some other unidentified effect) has had adverse effects on their technology, delaying their arrival and interfering with their mission.
High Point
Punches are not pulled. There are seven legionnaires at the beginning of the issue, but not at the end.
Low Point
It’s great to have this much action and this many characters, but the side effect of packing all of that into a first issue where not everybody survives is that new readers to the title (such as myself) don’t have time to get attached and feel the emotional resonance we should when they don’t all make it through.
The Scores
This seems like an original take on the characters, as far as my limited knowledge of the franchise goes. It’s also a different tone and premise than the rest of DC’s line thus far. I give it 5 out of 6.
The artwork is nice and clear, with vibrant colours. We have no problems telling the characters apart or reading their emotions. I give it 5 out of 6.
The story is off to a rapid start. There’s a lot of plot packed into 20 pages, and we can follow it. There’s definitely a history to the characters that I’m entirely unfamiliar with, but there’s enough information on these pages that I don’t have a problem following along. I give it 5 out of 6.
The characterization isn’t as well developed as it could be. With this much plot, there’s not a lot of room for character development, which has some negative implications in the next category. I give it 3 out of 6.
The emotional response was hampered by the lack of familiarity with characters. This type of roster change should feel more significant than it does. I can imagine long time fans would have audibly reacted to the change, but a Legion newbie like myself was unaffected. I give it 3 out of 6.
The flow is rapid. These characters are scrambling when they arrive, and they never get the chance to regroup. I give it 5 out of 6.
Overall, this was well structured, and certainly not bad, but didn’t grip this newbie as it could have. In my experience, writer Fabian Nicieza will do a great job with this type of book, but it feels more like a “next chapter” than a “new chapter” and didn’t grab me as a first issue. I give it 4 out of 6.
In total, Legion Lost receives 30 out of 42.
The New 52
Here are handy links for the reviews of all 52 new #1 issues:
- Action Comics
- All-Star Western
- Animal Man
- Aquaman
- Batgirl
- Batman
- Batman and Robin
- Batman: The Dark Knight
- Batwing
- Batwoman
- Birds of Prey
- Blackhawks
- Blue Beetle
- Captain Atom
- Catwoman
- DC Universe Presents
- Deathstroke
- Demon Knights
- Detective Comics
- The Flash
- Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.
- The Fury of Firestorm
- Green Arrow
- Green Lantern
- Green Lantern Corps
- Green Lantern: New Guardians
- Grifter
- Hawk and Dove
- I, Vampire
- Justice League
- Justice League Dark
- Justice League International
- Legion Lost
- Legion of Super-Heroes
- Men of War
- Mister Terrific
- Nightwing
- O.M.A.C.
- Red Hood and the Outlaws
- Red Lanterns
- Resurrection Man
- The Savage Hawkman
- Static Shock
- Stormwatch
- Suicide Squad
- Superboy
- Supergirl
- Superman
- Swamp Thing
- Teen Titans
- Voodoo
- Wonder Woman