Customer Reviews

Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To me, one of the best things to ever come out of the landmark Crisis on Infinite Earths was the debut of Superboy-Prime (DC COMICS PRESENTS #87). I was a kid back then in the '80s and this was before all the dime-a-dozen reboots and Elseworlds, and I remember that electrifying feeling of wish-fulfillment when I first read about this ordinary kid inhabiting our real world, whose unfortunate name was Clark Kent (his parents had a warped sense of humor), and who then suddenly developed the powers of the Boy of Steel. I don't recall his impact on that first Crisis, but he survived the death of the multiverse, safe in a reality bubble shared with the Earth-2 Superman and Lois Lane and young Alexander Luthor. At that time, we thought we'd seen the last of them.

52, Vol. 4 brought back the multiverse, and Infinite Crisis is when we meet Superboy-Prime again, but a twisted version of him. All those years of exile had embittered young Clark, his sanity compromised by the loss of his own world, Earth-Prime, and all that he's ever known and loved. From then on, it's a short step to hating all things Superman, that older alternate-world counterpart who's managed to keep intact his own reality and loved ones and it really grates on Superboy-Prime that this Superman is so universally revered. So imagine how cheesed off he gets when he's flung to the far future, to the 31st Century, and looks around and sees the Man of Steel's imprint everywhere and most specially on the Legion of Super-Heroes. Worse, he learns that a statue of him in the Superman museum has been relegated to a service closet, his legacy having pretty much amounted to diddly-squat. An enraged Superboy-Prime makes a vow: "Ill destroy everything Superman has ever inspired!". And that most definitely includes the Legion.

I remember when the Legion's far-flung future gleamed with shiny bright optimism and prosperity. But this is a 31st Century that's gotten dirtied up, bleak and bereft of that retro 1950's innocence and this is an Earth festering with xenophobia. We find the original Legion already under siege, already demoralized and with most of the United Planets Council proclaiming that "This galaxy has no more use for the Legion of Super-heroes." and calling for the team to disband. More, the Legion's roster is reduced, a significant number of its membership missing in action. Sun Boy now spends all his time alone and drinking and wallowing in self-pity. Superboy-Prime's arrival couldn't have come at a worse time.

LEGION OF 3 WORLDS is hellaciously epic, pulse-pounding stuff. The first issue does open with heaps of exposition as Superboy-Prime rages about in the Superman museum, and it's not helping that the tour guide is this endlessly cheery holographic Jimmy Olsen. Superboy-Prime had already made up his mind to tear $#!% up in the 31st Century. That the holo ends up filling him in on the Legion of Super-Villains just makes things that much easier. Soon the Legion finds itself facing a massive assault from the deranged Boy of Steel and from just about all the heavy hitters on the Legion's rogue gallery (Mordru, Universo, the Fatal Five, etc.). And, of course, the Time Trapper, perhaps the Legion's most implacable, most enigmatic adversary, is pulling the strings from behind the curtain.

Some time ago, one of Dream Girl's visions had warned Brainiac 5 of the possibility of Superboy-Prime's coming, and this has bought the arrogant Coluan enough time to apply his 12th level intellect and implement a desperate contingency plan. And the first stage of that plan is to recruit Legions from two other realities. Me, I'm old-school so I prefer the original Legionnaires (who, to clarify, are the key protagonists here, along with Superman). But for those who fancy the post-Zero Hour (cool!) or the Threeboot (ugh!) incarnations of the Legion, then here's a chance to catch up with them. Me, I'm pretty stoked that Ferro and Gates are back in action.

So, yeah, it's a huge, huge cast, and you can't really blame Johns for focusing mostly on Superboy-Prime and selected Legionnaires, specifically Superman, the three original Legion founders, and the original Brainiac 5. But also solidly featured are the original versions of Sun Boy, the White Witch, Dawnstar and Wildfire (and I'm glad we get a sort of resolution to their relationship), and my favorite Legionnaire Brek Bannin, a.k.a. Polar Boy.

Speaking of, there's a sequence in which Polar Boy makes a last-ditch stand against Superboy-Prime and this constitutes possibly the most awesome Polar Boy moment ever (okay, with the possible exception of when he was elected leader of the Legion). If Superman embodies the ideals upheld by the Legion, then Polar Boy is the one who most fervently embraces these ideals. Dude is unflagging, and when you factor in his underdog status and that he had to apply for membership in the Legion over and over and over before being accepted, and that for years he languished, uncomplainingly, in the Legion of Substitute Heroes, then you may see why this guy is so easy to root for. To me, Polar Boy is THE man.

Fifty years of dense, broken continuity and three iterations of the Legion (and that's not even counting L.E.G.I.O.N.). It's crazy convoluted, and it's a lot to take in. Somehow writer Geoff Johns makes the story accessible enough and lends enough clarity that even newbies to the mythos can sort of follow along. But there's no denying that even longtime fans may have to occasionally look hard twice to figure out just who is who and from which Legion. Having said that, there's a lot of fun in seeing three Ultra Boys getting on so famously, with three Phantom Girls mooning over them. And one outstanding little moment (out of many memorable ones) which really resonates is when the three original founders show up (I guess plucked from when they'd just founded the Legion - Cosmic Boy still sports that bubble helmet). The fresh-faced kids gaze in wonder at all the future and otherdimensional Legionnaires, and each has something to say to their counterparts:

- Young Cosmic Boy: "The dream! It all comes true, doesn't it?"
- Young Saturn Girl: "Mr. Brande is right. We actually help unite the universe."
- Young Lightning Lad: "I look awesome." (Hah!)

FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF 3 WORLDS (and, by the way, the FINAL CRISIS ties are tenuous, at best) collects the five issues of the mini-series, and features George Perez's stunning, lavishly detailed pencils. And, frankly, in reading this trade format, I'm almost convinced to give a pass to DC for being so late in putting out some of the issues (But I'm still cheesed). Geoff Johns is doing massive work in this series as he finally gives the lowdown on several plot threads that have been dangling for the past few years in the DC Universe. For those who've been wondering just what's up with that lightning rod from The Lightning Saga arc (chronicled in Justice League of America: Lightning Saga (Volume 2)), you find out here. We also learn who (or what) has been hiding beneath the Time Trapper's purply hood, and it actually makes sense. Back in the 21st Century, we finally learn Starman's mysterious mission. We get to see the last Green Lantern in action (and then, later, the really last Green Lantern). Also, deaths and resurrections. And, heck, Geoff Johns even delves into meta-fiction.

I'm still a bit put out that DC turned Superboy-Prime into a villain but, after seeing him be the featured Big Bad in INFINITE CRISIS and THE SINESTRO CORPS WAR, I guess I've come to terms. Evil Superboy touts this ridiculous combo of bratty entitlement, homicidal rage, and an enormous case of the wiggy, and yet his comments, so petulant and filtered thru a teenager's vocabulary, keep cracking me up. Johns must have a blast writing this crazy cat.

All along, Johns's storytelling gives us great character moments to go with the epic scale and the big crackling action. If you're a fan with any sort of expectations regarding this mini-series, then chances are that Geoff Johns will meet them. The guy loves the Legion of Super-Heroes and it shows in the care he puts in, in the attention to detail and the little fanboy treats he throws our way. It's titled LEGION OF 3 WORLDS, but I think that just about everyone who's ever been a Legionnaire pops up in this one. I think I even saw Proty somewhere. And I definitely glimpsed a headband-wearing, pre-CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS Supergirl. If nothing else, how could you pass up three Brainiac 5s squabbling with each other?

At the end of the day, Geoff Johns has also managed to introduce several new open-ended plot threads to entice you and me to pick up the spanking new ADVENTURE COMICS, which co-features the Legion of Super-Heroes. Now if only one of those future stories could somehow include a few panels of Reed Richards and Brainiac 5 competing in a Sudoku match, how cool would that be?

First off, the ties to the failure that was "Final Crisis" are almost nil. Second, it helps if you've read both "Superman and the Legion" as well as "The Lightning Saga" to fill in the backstory. But as it is, this is still a fantastic read. The plot is simple: With feelings against the Legion high, the Legion's old enemy, the Time Trapper brings the powerful and insane Superboy-Prime to the 30th century. Outraged at a future that worships Superman and treats Prime as a footnote, the man strikes back. He gets together just about every single Legion foe to form a massive Legion of Super-Villians and strike at Earth. Bringing Superman into the future, the Legion must still fight back and Brainac 5 calls upon Legions of two other worlds to fight back.

Geoff Johns is a master of DC history and is able to explain just why there are so many different Legions and gives each their unique voice. Sunboy's guilt over being used before, Polar Boy finally being the big-time hero he always wanted and why Cosmic Boy has been so hard-set on leading the team, all these characterizations shine. He also handles the confusion with so many Legions (no surprise that the three Brainacs instantly argue as to who's smarter) and, once more, shines with re-working continuity on how they form.

Along with "Crisis on Infinite Earths" and "JLA/Avengers," this is the story George Perez was born to draw. He makes it all work, the battle scenes, the clashes and more, and doesn't skimp on backgrounds through it all. Better is how he manages to make each character stand out and handles the daunting task of making each Legionaire stand out on thier own so you can tell who's who. From start to finish, Perez shows why he's still the undisputed master of the ultra-detailed crowd shot.

In one volume, the story holds up even better, even managing to restore two heroes whose ends were a bit marred (both of which play into the current "Blackest Night" storyline. If you're a Legion fan, this is a true must-own, the best Legion tale ever. And if you aren't, you can still enjoy a fantastic adventure that's brilliantly written and drawn and can entertain any comic fan.

No series was more affected by DC's mid-'80s Crisis on Infinite Earths than The Legion of Super-Heroes. Once one of DC's most popular series, it meandered for more than two decades through reboot after reboot. Muddled, hard to follow, and pretty much cut off from its long-standing origins even though it takes place 1,000 years in the future, the LSH seemed to be a Crisis casualty that would never recover.

Not so. DC writer Geoff Johns--who, perhaps more than any other current comics writer, has built a career by shrewdly adding on to the '80s works that inspired him--has combined the multiple Legion reboots into the sprawling series called Legion of 3 Worlds. It's a broad tale in which the Time Trapper (a seemingly all-powerful being who controls time itself) has assembled every single villain in the Legion's history into one mega Legion of Super-Villains. (You might think that a being who controls time and can do just about anything with it could figure out a way to eliminate his enemies on his own...then again, you might think Green Lantern would be all-powerful too, but that's quite obviously not the case here as well.)

Those of us who have waited to see our old Legion friends and find out what they've been up to don't get much satisfaction when it comes to personal details. The emphasis here is on action, and as such, it's a nice example of a well-written slugfest. That is to say, character development and emotional connections take a backseat to the task at hand, which is saving the universe from the LSV and their plans for total domination. It makes sense, but still, it would have been nice to see a little more reaction to the large number of deaths that take place.

Those deaths and lots and lots of violence ensure this is definitely for older readers. Those who haven't followed Legion history closely the past couple of decades may also find themselves a little out of touch with some of the story's details; even if you did follow them, it's hard to stay on top of it all. (A primer would have been very helpful, as would a foreword or afterword that would help solidify the Legion's place in the DC universe and explain where the team will be headed next.)

A word must be said about the art, of course. George Pérez is a comics legend best known for his '80s work on The New Teen Titans and the aforementioned Crisis. Back then, readers of the Titans and the Legion longed for a much-promised team-up that never actually came about. It's wonderful to see Pérez stake his claim on the team now--his work hasn't missed a beat over the years. He is, in fact, as wonderful an artist as ever. If you want to see how visually impressive and exciting the art in a superhero comic book can really be...look no further than here.

-- John Hogan

I enjoyed this book way more than Final Crisis and the funny thing is that it ties in very little and is not required reading. Legion of 3 worlds features the first incarnation of the Legion of Super-Heroes (from the fifties and the Levitz/Giffen era) all grown-up and having to deal with the menace of a pissed-off Superboy-Prime (from the Crisis books). I will not tell you why he becomes so incensed but I found it quite amusing. It also ties in with a plot by long-time Legion nemesis: the Time Trapper and practically all the most famous super-villains of the 31st century eventually get involved. It's all quite epic. Actually, the menace gets so big that this Legion has to get help from 2 other Legions: the 2 incarnations that were used in comic books after the reboot of the original Legion and before its return. This is why it's called Legion of Three Worlds. I've been a long-time fan of the Legion of Super-Heroes and I've read all incarnations. If you're the least bit interested in the Legion, this is an absolute must-read with plenty of great moments and momentous happenings. If you're a new reader, I think you'll enjoy it anyway but probably less. It does show small captions identifying characters along with their super-powers when they first appear. Something that most big comic book events should do.

I would suggest reading the trade "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" to get more out of this book but it's not a requirement. Legion of 3 worlds has something that has been forgotten in most recent major comic book events/crossovers: meaningful heroic moments and plenty of good character interactions as the existing relationships (especially existing or former couples) are not forgotten. When someone dies, you feel the emotion because it's built-up so well and it's not just a shocking one-panel affair. The returns of characters not seen for a long time are a delight. Those feats are even more amazing considering the sheer amount of characters portrayed. The sense of excitement grows as it goes along and I actually felt rather elated a few times (a personal favorite Polar Boy was great). Really exciting stuff that reminded me of Crisis on Infinite Earths. This is perhaps significant because it has the same penciller: George Perez that excels at drawing huge action scenes, dramatic emotion and splash pages with tons of characters. His style is similar to his Crisis and New Teen Titans glory days. You will get your very impressive full page and double-page spreads but most of the time, you'll get plenty of panels on the page packed with stuff. More than most modern comics. My only criticism of this book is that a couple of important dead characters return. It's handled relatively well but I'm extremely tired of this phenomenom that deflates any real sense of danger and sacrifice. Some might not like the ending but I found it clever and loved it. It had a weird meta-quality like some of the early Grant Morrison stuff. Overall, this trade was a fun surprise and I enjoyed reading it tremendously. It's a much better follow-up to Infinite Crisis than Final Crisis was, although it takes place in the 31st century.

P.S.: The cover on Amazon.ca with Saturn Girl is not the right one. The correct one has Superman front and center with lots of smaller of Legionnaires in the background.

Over the years, the Legion history has been rewritten and rewritten, and the reboots always seemed to result in a less satisfying result. I stopped buying the Legion but bought the occasional Graphic Novel to see what they were doing with the Legion. And then wonder upon wonders, they (mostly) restored the original legion history (complete with Superman's participation as Superboy) as the prime timeline. But how was this to be wired together? The answer was in 52 with the multiverse providing a place to house all the Legions we've seen. Like the typical Crisis story, Legion of Three Worlds has an epic story, panels with characters you haven't seen for years (the pre-crisis supergirl for instance as well as Andromeda!), great art, and a complex, but understandable story. We get back the Legion I grew up with as adults and we get the other more recent legions all working against just about every villian in Legion history with the prime Superboy at the head.

Frankly I think it makes a better Final Crisis than Final Crisis did. Especially as Superman, the prime Superboy, and Conner Kent are involved. I's a great read and it gives me hope for future Legion stories.

The limited series collected here has a lot going for it. The art by George Perez is just breathtaking. He poured everything he had into it. The script by Geoff Johns sparkles. He really gets the Legion as a concept and as individual characters. There are any number of interactions between Legionnaires that Legion fans really haven't seen since Paul Levitz left the Legion title 20 years ago. The Blok/White Witch, Sun Boy/Polar Boy, Wildfire/Dawnstar moments really hit on all cylinders. Further, Johns has used some of the best innovations of Levitz's successors to great effect like Brainiac 5's social ineptness, Lightning Lad's temper, Gates, and XS.

The plot is fairly gripping also. A classic Legion foe, the Time Trapper, unleashes a threat involving further Classic Legion foes (Mordru, Legion of Super-Villians) which requires three alternate Legions to stop.

Unfortunately, at the foundation this isn't really a Legion story at all. It's actually a Superman story that's part of a company wide crossover event with the Legion as supporting characters. This is how Johns sees the Legion - as Superman supporting characters. Or more accurately, he sees the classic Legion as supporting characters. The two reboot Legions he sees as somewhat expendable cannon fodder.

Although the book can be read standalone one can't help but feel you're missing a lot of nuances if you aren't familiar with a lot of DC story lines and crossovers that have happened over the past few years. For example, the dramatic appearance of Sodam Yat at the end of issue 2 was largely wasted on me because I had never heard of Sodam Yat before then.

In short, if this should be read as part of a larger story. If one comes in hoping for a classic Legion adventure, one will be slightly disappointed.

This might not be a Final Crisis tie-in perse, but is a better one. This has more relevance with things to come like Blackest Night and Flash: Rebirth.

I enjoyed this book a whole bunch, in fact, I founs the 3 tie-ins (Rogue's Revenge, revelations and this one) way cooler than the main book, Final Crisis. LOTW have many things and lots of surprises to leave you wanting more. Is not a perfect book but is still a very fun and informative read.

If you are a Legion savy you'll dance around this one, if not you'll enjoy it anyway.

Cheers!.

Most of the reviews already cast cover all that needs to be said. I'd only be duplicating. So will just say that I really enjoyed this story and though I hate the whole evil Superboy Prime and his lunatic homicidal killing schtick. The rest of the story is really good. I hope we never hear from evil superboy prime again. Yawwn. it's done played out and boring now.
I missed the original Legion and it is great to see them in action and to see the other 2 versions as guests. Well done.

If you aren't a fan of the Legion of Superheroes, this book might not be for you. If you don't know who "Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, and Cosmic Boy" are, you might have some trouble figuring out who is who, and just what exactly is going on.

Geoff Johns, the brilliant mind behind Infinite Crisis, and the guy who resurrected Green Lantern continues several of his own works in this installment set in the 30th Century.

Having little to do with Final Crisis itself, FC:Lo3W follows the newly restored pre crisis LOSH (albeit the not quite as middle-aged as they were in the late 80s/early 90s version)

As the title implies, this Legion (who might be confusing to some)has a run in with the Zero Hour (1994 Legion) and the continuity that came after that.

FC:Lo3W also serves as a DIRECT sequel to the following titles:

Infinite Crisis
Sinestro Corps War
Emerald Eclipse

As a long time Legion fan and a definite fan of Johns' work, I would dare say that this book was better than Infinite Crisis.

Things are looking bleak for the Legion of Super Heroes. A hatred of non-humans is sweeping across the Earth led by a bigot named Human-Man and the multi-planet roster of the Legion has left it an undesirable element on the verge of disbanding. The real problem, however, is the arrival of Superboy-Prime who, after being pulled to the 31st century by the Time Trapper, visits the Superman museum only to discover that he is considered a minor nuisance in the Superman pantheon of villains. This sends Superboy-Prime over the edge and he proceeds to free all the members of the Legion of Super Villains from prison and even hooks up with Mordru. His ultimate goal is to... um... kill everyone he can?

After the first twenty or so pages I was prepared to declare Legion of Three Worlds a rousing success. George Perez always gives a project like this that big event feel and he is in top form here. With Geoff Jones at the helm I was hoping they could recapture the magic of Infinite Crisis and The Sinestro Corps Wars. On the other hand everything tied in with Final Crisis has disappointed me so I was a little leery but in reality despite having Final Crisis prominently displayed on the cover there is actually nothing that I can think of that ties this series to Grant Morrison's train wreck. My all time favorite LOSH storyline was `Here's a Villain, There's a Villain' by Keith Giffen from way back in 1984. Three Worlds features an even larger gathering of villains but their release seems pointless since they have almost no real impact on the story. If Superboy-Prime had never released the Legion of Super Villains it would hardly have made a difference.

Another problem is the size of the Legion's roster. It's always been humongous and that's one of the fun features of the Legion but after contacting two Legions from alternate dimensions to help fight Superboy-Prime they literally triple the size of the Legion. Was there really a reason to have this many characters and why do the three Brainiac 5's fight like school children. This leads into my next issue. I am a big fan of Superboy-Prime but I'm worried the Geoff Jones is killing the character. I understand that Prime is emotionally stunted thanks to his universe being destroyed and being locked away for two decades but you can be emotionally immature without speaking like an impudent little brat. And when Prime was locked away he looked to be about 14 or 15 not 6 as his dialogue might imply here. Superboy-Prime has been reduced to one long childish tantrum and I'm sorry to say that he's become a very one dimensional character. I also have to wonder just how powerful he is. My understanding is that he is as strong as the Silver Age Superman but lacks his weaknesses to Kryptonite and magic. But is he really strong enough to defeat an endless wave of Legionnaires including the heavy hitters like Ultraboy (in triplicate) and the Daxamite Lantern Sadam Yat and of course Superman himself? Almost the entire series is devoted to one long battle against Superboy-Prime who now seems even more powerful than when he kicked the hell out of Sadam Yat in Sinestro Wars. I hate to see Prime used so poorly because he really is a character with huge potential.

The final problem I'll mention (although it is not the only other problem) is the return of two major characters who were quite clearly dead. I just think it really cheapens the death of any character when you know that a writer might just bring them back. Their resurrections didn't even make sense and the reaction of their friends seemed more akin to what one might give after seeing a good friend return from a five year trip not someone literally returning from the dead. I guess in the DCU characters come back so often that it's become business as usual. In the end the story is just too cumbersome and filled with plot holes. So why am I giving it four stars? It still managed to be a lot more fun than any other Final Crisis tie-in I've read although you may have to set your brain on neutral. I did like the eventual fate for Superboy-Prime although I think Johns could have executed it a bit better. This is a book I recommend despite its huge flaws although I wouldn't argue hard with someone who gives it a lower score.