Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl -- these are the brave young adventurers that dared to bring about a new age of heroes! Set in the far-flung future of the 30th century, and representing planets throughout the cosmos, these young heroes must band together to protect the galaxy from space-born threats as great as the universe itself. This beautiful collection brings together the early issues of SUPERBOY, SUPERMAN, ADVENTURE and ACTION COMICS for a definitive Legion compendium.
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28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Coloring gaffes distract from fantastic content,
By
This review is from: Legion of Super-Heroes Archives, Vol. 1 (DC Archive Editions) (Hardcover)
As a collection of essential comic book classics this can't be beat. Each one of these stories is a winner. Unfortunately, as one of the first editions in DC's Archive series it suffers from a number of production missteps that too often distract. 1.) Although like all DC Archive Editions this is printed on sturdy archival paper designed to last for ages, the dust jacket was not produced with logevity in mind. I have had my copy for ten years now and the dust jacket has already become very yellow. So yellow in fact that the Super-Hero Clubhouse on the cover has become the exact same color as the once-white background. 2.) A lot of noise was made by DC when these editions were first released regarding an extensive color reconstruction that, theoretically, was to remain faithful to the original material with the exception of minor corrections where neccessary. Sadly, the colorists involved in this edition took great liberties. Comparing the original comics with the Archive edition can be a real shock as some stories, for example the story introducing Ultra-Boy, seem to be colored without consulting the originals at all. Another annoying choice made by the colorists involves alterations of a 'retroactive continuity' sort. In the early stories there was always a scene near the end that showwed a handful of anonymous members of the Legion. In the Archive edition the colorists have changed the coloring on these unnamed characters to make them appear to be characters who would be introduced later (e.g. coloring a character green with yellow hair to make it appear Brainiac Five had been there from the first story). These coloring changes now become editorial decisions that do more harm than good. As for color corrections where neccessary, the Archive edition manages to make many mistakes that were never in the originals. Just witness the inconsistant all-yellow and sometimes yellow-and-red of Supergirl's "S" insignia on her cape. These mistakes are not present in the original comic. 3.) The coloring is made up of very large pixels that don't conform to any shapes other than rectangles. This was an early attempt at using the computer to color a comic, it didn't work that well and it's painful to behold. At the price these books are listed, one would have hoped DC would've worked out the kinks in their coloring software before using it on such a project. Another glaringly anachronistic coloring gaffe is made by continious use of an airbrush or spray paint effect (it honestly looks like it was applied using a mouse in an old MacPaint program). Airbrushing effects were simply impossible using the 4-color printing process of the late fifties and early sixties, and it really looks awful besides. Now the good news: DC has had ten years to get it right and I can report that they have indeed. A comparison of this edition with Volume 11 will reveal all these issues have been corrected in later editions. But the mistakes in these early editions were never corrected...
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting Start for the Legion,
By
This review is from: Legion of Super-Heroes Archives, Vol. 1 (DC Archive Editions) (Hardcover)
Volume 1 of the Legion of Super-Heroes is an interesting look at their earliest appearances. The team grows in fits and starts as seen through other series (Superboy, Supergirl, and Superman) as a strange assortment of teens from the future appear in Smallville and Midvale for a wide variety of odd reasons. It is hard to keep track of the growing membership as many appear only in the background and main plot points often revolve around a new member appearing for the sake of the story, such as the rather odd Star Boy and the more interesting Ultra Boy storylines. Only near the end of the volume does the Legion itself get its own storylines and the early issues begin with a bang as the Legion suffers its first death, Lightning Lad. The promise of greatness is apparent in a few of the stories, if not quite delivered, but this volume is still essential for any Legion fan.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hokey but fun,
By Cultural Production (Los Angeles, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Legion of Super-Heroes Archives, Vol. 1 (DC Archive Editions) (Hardcover)
Legion of Super-Heroes Archives, vol. 1 collects Legion-related stories originally appearing in Adventure Comics #247, 267, 282, 290, 293, 300-305, Action Comics #267, 276, 287, Superboy #86, 89, 98, and Superman #147. Original publication dates range between 1958 and 1963. Like most of DC's Archive Editions, production quality is very high. The collection features low-gloss archival pages, bright remastered colors, and boards in marbled blue leather with silver foil-stamping. An earlier reviewer noted problems with the coloring, but I can detect none (though I have not compared the contents of this edition to that of the original comics). Bonus material, however, is minimal: a 5-page foreword by former DC Editor Mike Gold (written in 1991), very brief creator biographies, and a limited cover gallery.
As for the stories, they are charming, though--by today's standards--terribly hokey. One issue revolves around Lana Lang's efforts to make Superboy jealous by dating a Legionnaire. Another sees Supergirl traveling across time in order to find a girl for Superman to marry. In one issue we are even introduced to Super-Monkey and Super-Horse. Amidst all the silliness, however, readers will find a number of stories that are key to the future development of the Superman mythos: the induction of Superboy into the Legion, Mon-El's exile into the Phantom Zone, and the death of Lightning Lad. The art for all of these is standard late '50s stuff. Though 5 different artists contribute pencils, I'm unable to distinguish individual styles. Overall, this volume is an excellent addition to any collector's library. Older adults will no doubt enjoy a lot of nostalgic pleasure in re-reading these stories. Younger readers, like myself, will probably find them cheesy but fun to read.
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