I remember the heyday of Legion of Super-Heroes
Even before it exploded in the eighties and spawned a direct sales version, I cut my comic teeth on the legion. Back in the day (If I can say that) when Superboy was their hero and a reoccurring member, I was just getting into the comics medium. It was some of the first I had ever picked up. The strange alien planets, the myriad of powers and the youthful, hopeful look to the future drew me in. In fact, as a writer, if asked what DC comic I would most like to write, it would be Legion (hint, hint, DC!). But ever since the continuity shattering CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, the Legion of Super-Heroes have floundered as a title. I can't count the number of reboots that have happened since. It just seems that it never hit its stride again, no matter how much I rooted for it.
DC's New52 made another vain attempt to bring them back.
The seventh volume of the Legion sees them at the brink of their greatest disaster unable to travel in time thanks to the 'Flashpoint' effect. This series ended with another near destruction at the hands of the ever present Fateful Five. This left some dead, some disillusioned and others still willing to fight for the Legion's future. How this leads into Convergence, we're not sure. But they do find themselves one of the many cities under a dome on a strange world.
In my humble opinion, DC owes it to themselves to have them survive and make a huge comeback. But which version?
In Convergence #0, we see that there are two versions of the Legion being held by Brainiac under the domes. One reaches back to the beginning which debuted in Adventure Comics #247 in 1958. This is the group I grew up with as a child. They had reached out to their hero in the past, Super Boy, and even inducted him into the membership. This draws back to a day before the gritty 70s and 80s where comics were more fun and adventuresome. The other version reaches past this just before the Crisis. This was a high point that the comic never recovered from. The eighties had seen Keith Giffen bring his powerful artwork to the comic and galaxy spanning stories that drew us in, once again. We even got to see the 31st century get the Darkseid treatment.
I'm not sure which version (the 50s or 90s version) I would most like to see return. But one of them must. Especially with rumblings at Warner Brothers about movie opportunities, it's a great time to introduce the Legion to a whole new audience. I think the main problem with the reboots is their constant need to rethink the story. Maybe with them reaching back before the Crisis, we will get a chance to just see the stories and characters that made the Legion a fan favorite for decades.
We will get that first look in Convergence: Legion of Super-Heroes coming out next week. The bright future of the Legion will come into conflict with another futuristic world. The post apocalyptic world of the Atomic Knights will come into direct confrontation with the Legion. Brainiac has set up a winner takes all war between the captured cities that will set our favorite realities against each other. Where that will lead the Legion is still unclear. But I will be there with bated anticipation waiting and reading.
