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 The Legion of Super-Heroes has seen several incarnations. In its complex history, the title has been started, stopped, revamped, gone edgy and dark, gone pre-L.E.G.I.O.N. (Yeah, you don’t go a more tangled continuity, in the name of pleasing old fans while creating a jump on point for new ones, than going pre-your original self. Hello, Star Trek: Enterprise.) Luckily, you need to know none of that continuity to pick up and enjoy the latest incarnation of The Legion of Super-Heroes.
 The title has a simple premise: it takes place 1,000 years from now, during a new age of heroes. After a millennium of utopian peace, there is a security, stability, and order to our united world. (Yes, for all of the Left Behind brand of theology fans, it’s literally a thousand years of peace followed by the return of an evil). But, this newfound peace is at the cost of freedom and individuality (read: it’s boring).
 The young are held in suspicion. They are tracked genetically via a system known as the “public service” that also filters what under-agers (those under the age of 18) see and hear. The peace is maintained by a global “science police” and the planet is a member of the “United Planets”. All the while, the society has grown so impersonal that two people in the same room talk to one another via video screen. Okay, maybe it’s not so simple, but it’s easy to get into the swing of things.
 One of the daunting tasks about writing the Legion of Super-Heroes is that you have over 30 characters to juggle. Focusing on only the most popular characters misses the point of a book like the Legion (emphasis on Legion) of Super-Heroes. Mark Waid has fleshed out their individual personalities, since with so many characters, many became generic or interchangeable. This changed the team dynamic as not all the members get along, or for that matter, like each other. We get more of a sense of the alien-ness of the members. He went so far as to re-imagined how some of their powers work.
The members of the Legion, look back on the age of heroes (Batman, Superman, etc.) through a romantic lens (since, in the eyes of the law, they were costumed vigilantes). Inspired by them (they even generate their codes of conduct from them), the members retain a lot of the charmingly retro names from earlier incarnations of the Legion,  in keeping with their emulation of the old heroes (or as they put it: adjective + gender = names). Ultra Boy. Colossal Boy. Dream Girl. Sun Boy. Star Boy. Light Lass. Phantom Girl. Invisible Kid. And they invite all young people to subscribe to their philosophy of reclaiming their individuality and standing against wrong. Since this is a movement created on the backs of the young, some adults view the Legion as a (super-powered) cult.
The Legion of Super-Heroes for all intents and purposes is a church. The membership is made up of different races, with different gifts, with differing personalities and temperaments, yet they are one body. As a “church”, they struggle with this question: what does it mean to be missional? Often churches are mission-minded, that is, they put on shows or do outreach along the lines of getting the community to go to the church. This idea the idea that the church is an attraction for the world to come see needs to be jettisoned, or at least re-thought, in light of a missional mindset. With a missional mindset, one is concerned more with getting the church to go to the community.  To incarnate Christ and the Bible puts a new light on how Christians should see themselves, since lives modeled on the Bible may be the only Bible that people may know.
However, even this “church” has to deal with fragmented ideology that needs to be integrated, as different members pursue their own agenda and competing visions. In other words, their gospel message, their uniting vision needs to be re-thought and figured out.
 Boiled down, the gospel is about re-learning what it means to be free and fully human. To enjoy community, acceptance, while reviving the concepts of socialization and interaction. To be transformed and in so doing be a part of a generational revolution that frees people from being prisoners to the bondage of society, and the tyranny of their selfish ways. And as they grow, they realize that there is a lot to learn from history and tradition that has been forsaken in the name of expediency and progress.  In so doing, they are swept up into a greater mission: to be a blessing to the world. Even the galaxy.
This book hasn’t forgotten its sense of fun, a fun not seen since the Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen--even the Jim Shooter--era of the book. Yes, it is a book featuring kids coming together in defiance of adults, emulating the vigilantes and highly individualistic “cowboy” super-heroes of the past. Basically, rebelling against a society that controls every aspect of their life. Yes, those themes have a particular appeal to a new generation of readers. However, they leave room for the “older” generation of fans to enjoy this run also.
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Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #1 (August 1984): "Here a Villain, There a Villain"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #2 (September 1984): "Where a Villain?"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #3 (October 1984): "Everywhere a Villain?"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #4 (November 1984): "Lest Villainy Triumph"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #6 (January 1985): "Silver Linings"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #7 (February 1985): "A Choice of Dooms"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #8 (March 1985): "To Destroy a World"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #9 (April 1985): "Reunion"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #10 (May 1985): "Election Day"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #11 (June 1985): "Taking Care of Business: Old Business"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #11/2 (June 1985): "New Business"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #12 (July 1985): "The More Things Change"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #12/2 (July 1985): "The More Things Stay the Same"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #14 (September 1985): "Unto the New Generation"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #15 (October 1985): "Hostage on a Hostile Star"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #16 (November 1985): "Baptism"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #17 (December 1985): "A New Beginning"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #18 (January 1986): "Has Anyone Noticed a Crisis Going On?"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #19 (February 1986): "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #20 (March 1986): "To Control a World"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #21 (April 1986): "Obsession"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #22 (May 1986): "Dead End"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #23 (June 1986): "Back Home in Hell"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #24 (July 1986): "Suspicion"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #25 (August 1986): "Revelation"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #26 (September 1986): "Illusion"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #27 (October 1986): "Going Home"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #28 (November 1986): "The Lost Hero"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #29 (December 1986): "No Star Shall Shine!"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #30 (January 1987): "Brainy's Lucky Day"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #31 (February 1987): "Knights in Shining Armor"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #32 (March 1987): "The Universo Project, Chapter 1: Forgotten Heroes"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #33 (April 1987): "The Universo Project, Chapter 2: Forgotten Planet"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #34 (May 1987): "The Universo Project, Chapter 3: Forgotten Foe"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #35 (June 1987): "The Universo Project, Chapter 4: Forgotten Friends"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #36 (July 1987): "Peace, Quiet and Impending Doom"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #37 (August 1987): "A Twist In Time"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #38 (September 1987): "The Greatest Hero of Them All"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #39 (October 1987): "The One That Got Away"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #40 (November 1987): "What Starfinger Touches..."
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #41 (December 1987): "Shall Ne'er Burn So Bright..."
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #42 (January 1988): "To Sleep a Thousand Years..."
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #43 (February 1988): "And Wake to Find a Dream"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #44 (March 1988): "Quislet's Story"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #45 (April 1988): "Unlucky Streak"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #46 (May 1988): "On the Fourth Hand"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #47 (June 1988): "Conspiracy Theory"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #48 (July 1988): "A Time to Die"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #49 (August 1988): "A Time to Live"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #50 (September 1988): "Life and Death and the End of Time"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #51 (October 1988): "The Trial of Brainiac Five"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #52 (November 1988): "Rites of Passage"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #53 (December 1988): "Hunters and Hunted"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #54 (Winter 1988): "Strength in Numbers"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #55 (Holiday 1989): "Different Paths"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #56 (January 1989): "By Hope Ensnared"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #57 (February 1989): "Under a Watchful Eye"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #58 (March 1989): "If Thine Eye Offend Thee"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #59 (April 1989): "Ghosts in the Club-House"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #60 (May 1989): "When Magic Shall Return"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #61 (June 1989): "Will Magic or Science Prevail?"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #62 (July 1989): "Why Must Magic Triumph?"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #63 (August 1989): "Where Has All the Magic Gone"
Legionnaires 3 #1 (February 1986): "Future Shock"
Legionnaires 3 #2 (March 1986): "From Hell to Eternity"
Legionnaires 3 #3 (April 1986): "And Then There Were Two"
Legionnaires 3 #4 (May 1986): "Countdown"
Cosmic Boy #1 (December 1986): "Those Who Will Not Learn the Lessons of History..."
Cosmic Boy #2 (January 1987): "Is History Destiny?"
Cosmic Boy #3 (February 1987): "Past, Present... and Future"
Cosmic Boy #4 (March 1987): "Time Without End"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #1 (November 1989): "Five Years Later..."
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #2 (December 1989): [No Title]
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #3 (January 1990): [No Title]
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #4 (February 1990): [No Title]
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #5 (March 1990): [No Title]
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #6 (April 1990): [No Title]
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #7 (May 1990): [No Title]
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #8 (June 1990): "The Origin of the Legion of Super-Heroes"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #9 (July 1990): "Laurel's Story"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #10 (August 1990): "Roxxas Strikes"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #11 (September 1990): "Tenzil Kem Takes a Bite Out of Crime"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #12 (October 1990): "Rebirth"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #13 (November 1990): "State of the Universe"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #14 (January 1991): [No Title]
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #15 (February 1991): [No Title]
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #16 (March 1991): [No Title]
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #17 (April 1991): "The Last Battle"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #18 (May 1991): [Dark Circle]
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #19 (June 1991): [No Title]
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #20 (July 1991): "Venado Bay"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #21 (August 1991): "The Quiet Darkness, Part 1"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #22 (September 1991): "The Quiet Darkness, Part 2"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #23 (October 1991): "The Quiet Darkness, Part 3"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #24 (December 1991): "The Quiet Darkness, Part 4"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #25 (January 1992): [No Title]
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #26 (February 1992): "Battered by B.I.O.N. "
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #27 (March 1992): "Showdown"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #28 (April 1992): "The Sizzling Story of Sun Boy"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #29 (May 1992): [No Title]
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #30 (June 1992): "Ambush"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #31 (July 1992): "The Elements of Heartbreak"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #32 (August 1992): "The First to Fall"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #33 (September 1992): "Whatever Happened To Kid Quantum? "
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #34 (October 1992): [No Title]
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #35 (early November 1992): "Sun Boy Meets Sun Boy"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #36 (late November 1992): "Terra Mosaic"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #37 (early December 1992): "A League of His Own"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #38 (late December 1992): "Requiem"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #39 (January 1993): "Beginnings"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #40 (February 1993): "Guess Who’s Back? "
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #41 (March 1993): "Introducing the Legionnaires"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #42 (April 1993): "The Enemy Within"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #43 (May 1993): "The Witch is Back"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #44 (June 1993): "Projectra Returns"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #45 (July 1993): "New Members? New Problems! "
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #46 (August 1993): [No Title]
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #47 (September 1993): "Last Rites"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #48 (October 1993): "Mordru Triumphant"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #49 (early November 1993): "All Matter-Eater Lad Issue"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #50 (late November 1993): "A Transcendence"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #51 (early December 1993): "A Li’l Legion Adventure"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #52 (late December 1993): "Broken Dreams, Fuzzy Memories"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #53 (January 1994): "A Moment in Time"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #54 (February 1994): "Time’s Change"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #55 (March 1994): "Tough Turf"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #56 (April 1994): "Dragon’s Fury"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #57 (May 1994): "Friends and Foes"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #58 (June 1994): "Deadly Encounter"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #59 (July 1994): "A Time of Loss"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #60 (August 1994): [End of an Era 3] "Infinite Possibilities"
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #61 (September 1994): [End of an Era 6] "Borrowed Time" |
