Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 1: Teenage Revolution (Paperback)

by Mark Waid (Author), Barry Kitson (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
This latest reboot of the Legion of Super-Heroes, by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson, is an interesting and amusing one. It doesn't worry about the many decades of Legion history, freely using characters that were killed off long ago, and while the characters generally have the same powers and names (Princess Projectra is one of the notable exceptions), it offers some intriguing explanations of just how those powers work. The title of the volume refers to the Legion's status as cult heroes to a generation of young people, to the dismay of their parents, including those of the Legionnaires themselves. And it seems that internal strife is as much of a threat to the organization as are the earth-moving Elysion and Terror Firma. The 2004-2005 run (encompassing Teen Titans/Legion Special 1 and Legion of Super-Heroes 1-6) is funny and sexy, but the art isn't the most attractive that's ever graced the LSH. --David Horiuchi

From Publishers Weekly
The Legion of Superheroes has been around since the '60s and has been rebooted more times than Windows 98. This version, by Waid and Kitson (Empire), showcases the teenage supergroup of the future as a genuine youth movement, rebelling against their parents' stultifyingly utopian government. In the process, they face off against runaway robots, planetary governments, ruthless mercenaries and, best of all, one another. Superhero guru Waid pulls out all the stops for this revamp. He does have a few moments of being a little too inside-joke cute: the character Colossal Boy, for example, insists on being called Micro-Lad because he's a giant who can shrink to six feet tall. But for the most part Waid strikes a nice balance between social-minded science fiction, manga-fied teenage soap opera and all-out action. Most of the story is character-driven, focusing on internal conflicts among team members rather than just the supervillain of the month. Kitson's art is top-notch: realistic enough to ground the more fantastic elements without ever losing sight of the fact that comic-book futures work best when they're sleek and colorful. This is a Legion that could attract that ever-elusive mainstream audience. (Nov.)
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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (December 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401204821
• ISBN-13: 978-1401204822
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #479,927 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome to the World of Tomorrow, February 10, 2006

By	Strategos "The Guardian of Time" (In Space above Planet Earth) - See all my reviews

Call me crazy, but in a world of entertainment full of "Chosen Ones", "anti-heroes", and enough teen angst to make you keel over and cry uncle, it feels wonderfully refreshing to read a graphic novel that concentrates on interesting characters, an interesting world, and leads into...a fantastic story.

First of all, I'm no veteran of the series. This is the first time I've ever read any of the Legion Comics. I don't know anything about the previous installations and "reboots" of the series, so I won't even try to guess what they were like. What I will do is tell you this: if you love great comic books you owe it to yourself to check this series out.

You don't have to know anything about the Legion to start reading this story. It's totally self-contained and explains the characters from the ground up. To some this could seem a daunting task given the sheer number of members of the Legion. So, the writer Mark Waid did sometime you might not have expected. He focuses on the feelings of one or two characters at a time, letting their actions and words define them even more than their fights or homeworld.

The first issue defines the Legion. The second defines Dream Girl. The third defines (haha) Triplicate Girl. The fourth defines Invisible Kid and Phantom Girl. From there...the real story begins. The wonderful thing about the way the story is told is that we continually gets surprises and insights into the characters (and see that the same powers that give them strength can also be their weaknesses). And once the characters have been clearly defined, (something that a lot of comics seem to toss out the window) we feel much more strongly about them when they are in danger. This made all the better by every character being a a unique individual with good and bad points (Brainiac 5 argues with Cosmic Boy, Cosmic Boy is spying on the other Legion members, Ultra Boy is out of control, and Invisible Kid really needs to assert himself more).

If this series trade has one low point it's definitely the art. Not that it's exactly bad. It's just that with the incredible story and dialog, the Sunday Funnies looking artwork seems rather lackluster (kind of like how Benes' excellent pencils were ruined in the Birds of Prey Trades by a lackluster inkist and colorist). If anything, this trade is proof that you don't have to have good artwork to have a great graphic novel (although that seems rather contradictory when I stop to think...).

The story that begins in the fifth installment gets a nice plot twist in the final issue of this trade, but you'll have to keep reading right up through issue 13 to get the full story arc. And that's something that you're either going to love or hate. Personally, after reading a single issue of this comic I was totally hooked on the story and fantastic writing. I bought every back issue up to issue 1 and followed each new installment with breathless anticipation. In the end all I can say is if you like this book you'd better keep reading, because from here things only get more dramatic, more intense, more epic, and more entertaining (and starting in issue number 9 the artwork seems to get a bit of an upgrade). In fact, I'd say issues 9, 10 and 11 are three of the best comic books I've ever read. Read this book. You enjoy a good story, you won't be disappointed. It only gets better from here. Long live the Legion!

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Call me Legion Lover Lad, December 7, 2005

By	M. Castro "Spacebutler" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was always rather intimidated by the Legion of Superheroes. I always felt like I had not anchor, no point at which to start out with them. I also have to admit, the names always seemed irredeemably hokey to me.

Well, that was then, this is now.

Mark Waid has made a convert out of me.

I cannot wait for Matter Eater Lad.

Someday I will need to look up the Legion stories that came before, but I was content to start out with Teenage Revolution. I was not dissapointed with the read. The book lays out the foundation for an all new Legion legend, requiring no prior knowledge to enjoy the book, but it still seems to lovingly respect what came before it. All the elemets of the old Legion seem there, just revitalized, but what is most appealing about the book is that is just a great teen superhero book.

The Legion taps into the energy of youth and idealism we so often lose as we grow older. This energy is perfectly presented here, it makes the legionaires idealistic, uncompromising and at times brash and a bit foolish. The characters are complex but fun. No mindwipes or crippling self doubt. These are old school superheroes. :)

The book comes highly recommended, and I cannot wait until Waid brings back Matter Eater Lad.

And...

um...

"Eat it, grandpa!"

Hee. I said it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "He's not a super-villain.", May 5, 2008

By	Sam Thursday (APO, AE United States) - See all my reviews

Mark Waid is one of the most consistently solid writers around; his Legion gets the job done in quick strokes, with meaty characterizations, densely plotted arcs, and some wonderful dialogue to keep the story going. Nobody likes seeing their favorite characters redone, of course, and this incarnation of the Legion (the "threeboot," some fans have christened it) is pretty unpopular with the older set. But then, nobody likes running on a treadmill, either.

As far as Waid's work is concerned, this book is among the best things he's done, up there with "Tower of Babel" from JLA or his final Fantastic Four story arc.

Barry Kitson's art is pretty standard super-hero fare with a tendency toward neat-looking technical gadgets. The characters are mostly distinct from one another by hairstyle, gender, and costume, rather than facial construction, but Kitson isn't lazy and the battle scenes in the book are appropriately huge-looking.

The multi-character stories keep things moving at all times, and Waid seeds the action with some truly clever cliffhangers. Added to that, he has a grand old time coming up with unbeatable villains, some of whom have a Dickensian mean streak. It's never in doubt whether good will triumph over evil, but Waid and Kitson do a good and slightly subversive job of finding evil in places where it should never have been, and good in people who seem terminally unwilling to change.

Please, read it - it's great for teens who aren't that keen on reading, and it's pure brain candy for comics fans or sci-fi geeks.