Comic Info
Comic Name: Legion of Super-Heroes (Volume 6)
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Paul Levitz/Walter Simonson
Artist: Francis Portela/Walter Simonson
# of Issues: 7
Release Date: 2012
Legion of Super-Heroes (6) #3
Reprints Legion of Super-Heroes (6) #1-7 (November 2011-May 2012). The Legion is shut off from the past due to Flashpoint and mourning the loss of many of their members. As the Legion works to rebuild itself, it finds a new threat from a Daxamite called Res-Vir…the Renegade! Questioning how the Renegade can even exist off of Daxam, the Legion learns that a bigger plot involving the Dominators could threaten the universe. New member Dragonwing also returns home to discover her sister has betrayed her and that she must turn to her friends in the Legion to stop Phoenix.
Written by Paul Levitz with co-plotting by Walter Simonson on Legion of Super-Heroes (6) #5 (March 2012), Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 1: Hostile World was part of DC Comics’ New 52 relaunch with its sister book Legion Lost. The series was met with a tepid reviews and sales.
The Legion is intimidating as hell to new readers. With a huge cast of characters (all with backstories) and hundreds of issues building them up, it is hard to just jump into the Legion. I love the Legion, but this book was no relaunch and not right for new readers as it was intended to be.
The Legion not only is a difficult series to pick up but it has relaunched so many times that it is hard for even veteran readers to keep up with what “Legion” they are reading about. Flashpoint reset the whole “present day” DC Universe, but here the series didn’t really reset. Instead you get somewhat older storylines mixed with new storylines and the Legion mourning the loss of many members (which might not be clear to some) and those member are really the Legionnaires who make up the other comic Legion Lost (and they are in the “present day” DC Universe).
Legion of Super-Heroes (6) #7
I found this collection quite confusing. The series doesn’t do a very good job establishing what has happened and the current missions aren’t very inspiring. It is pretty much divided up into the battle with Res-Vir…a Superman level Daxamite who now can fight his allergy to lead and a rather dull story of the generic Legion member Dragonwing (plus a stand-alone day-in-the-life issue between). I wish the whole collection had been a more progressive story that really showed the Legion’s base and gave it good direction. The Dominators storyline obviously is progressing, but it isn’t interesting enough to really make me want to return in a hurry.
The whole point of the New 52 was to get new readers and Legion of Super-Heroes 1: Hostile World doesn’t really do this. The Legion has struggled with so-so sales for years and this book is no different. I love the Legion, but I felt the Zero Hour relaunch of the characters was a much better version of the comic. Legion of Super-Heroes 1: Hostile World is followed by Legion of Super-Heroes 2: The Dominators.
Related Links:
Legion of Super-Heroes 2: The Dominators
Legion Lost 1: Run from Tomorrow
