Customer Reviews

Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 1: Teenage Revolution

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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.

This collection includes issues 1-6 of the Legion of Superheroes, a concept that has endured at DC for several years, and has seen several incarnations. This version is a brand new take, and is an excellent collection of smart, involving stories with likeable characters and excellent dialogue. The issues here do mainly two things; they introduce the concept of the legion and give the background on some select characters, while also laying the groundwork for a story that will have a pay-off in the second collection of the title. The work by Mark Waid is some of his smartest and most involving in recent years. The characters ring true and are mostly, each distinctly recognize personalities. Whatever one wants to say about Mark Waid, he's certainly the most cerebral writer working in comics today, showing that, instead of merely introducing arbitrary concepts that have no logic, some of the changes he makes are logical extensions or tweaks of given circumstances; Saturn Girl, a telepath, is mute because her race talks exclusively through telepathy. Colossal boy i a giant who can "shrink," and "Triplicate Girl" is the last survivor of a race who can replicate herself as a evolutionary defense measure. Sometimes it's all too cute for its own good, but for the most part, Waid shows his readers respect by at least taking time to think things through, a rarity in comics.

Barry Kitson does excellent work here. Creatively, the real villain in this set of issues is the colorist, who completely misjudged the tone of these issues, and who adopts a dark, muddy, pastel palette that hurts the optimistic, hopeful tone the series is striving for. Kitson also makes some odd choices with rendering a few too many scenes in dark, heavy tones. Whatever the creative team was going for, it doesn't quite "click" and jars the reader a bit. Overall though, Kitson does some brilliant work. He radically redesigns the costumes of some characters and they work for the most part. His redesign of Lightning Lad's costume is genius, as is his design for Star Boy. There are some complete misses though, such as his design for Element Lad, which just doesn't work. Kitson also manages to keep a balance between introducing new elements and giving nods to classic ones. In the earliest versions of the Legion, I was never really able to tell the facial difference between Ultra Boy, Timber Wolf, and Colossal Lad. It started because earliest artists for the series weren't that committed to distinguishing the characters with that level of detail. In keeping with that tradition, Kitson makes the characters look alike, but gives them just enough differences facially to keep them very separate. I have no doubt this is deliberate on his part.

I highly recommend this volume, but I also recommend getting it with the second volume in the series, Death of a Dream if you can afford it. Together, they make a whole and complete story that satisfies on several levels, between the generally excellent writing and very consistent, very competent art. Teenage Revolution is funny, engaging, exciting, and full of really cool characters.

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.

"Teenage Revolution" kicked off a reboot of the Legion of Superheroes. The names of the characters are familiar of course and so are some of their powers--but the personalities and the mission have changed. This collection of comics focuses more of character development and setting than in a coherent plot though the action certainly picks up at the end. One of the strengths of the work is how DC's team led by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson were able to pull the strings of so many characters--none of whom are truly a lead. Some of the characters are more memorable than others of course but they do an impressive job in playing puppet masters of so many heroes and heroines--most of whom are terribly flawed. A great work? By no means and I am not sure it will play well with die hard or longtime Legion fans. Still, this is an intriguing cast of characters trying to work together in a memorable futuristic society. It will keep your interest and make you think--but most of it will not keep you at the edge of your seat. I almost never say this about comics but "Teenage Revolution" is better on character development than plot. While not great, "Teenage Revolution" is a solid work and one that should appeal to most comic readers.

When I heard about this I thought, 'Oh no, not Again'. Reboot number 73. Mark Waid, however is a bastich, this is actually good. Let us hope they never have to try it again (wishful thinking, I guess). Or, if it fails, then just Showcase all the old Legion stories, so we can read those ones instead, rather than having to put up with another retcon.

The Legion of Super-Heroes is a simple concept. Teen heroes in the far future, think of it as Star Trek meets Justice League Unlimited. And it has proven pretty durable, in one version or another the Legion has lasted over 50 years.

But the problem with teens is sooner or later they grow up. The problem with science fiction is as the story goes on you add more and more concepts to keep track of. Plus you have to keep current, the future as seen in the 50s is not the future of the 1970s and is not the future we see today. So the Legion has been 'rebooted' several times, with new writers starting from scratch in 1989, 1994 and now in 2004 (and yet again in 2007).

In this version the Legion of Super-Heroes are a bizarre combination of superheroes, comic book fans, SCA re-enactors and cos-players trying to bring some youthful rebellion to a stogy and peaceful future.

But the result is they come off as arrogant, obnoxious and geeky, all the worst qualities of comic book and science fiction fans. Certainly not people the readers want to spend time with. The conflict is a fairly generic plot to plunge the galaxy into war so the villain can sell more weapons. Not only is it not resolved in this volume, the mysterious villain's superpower is that he is forgettable. No one can remember him. Ironically this sums up the whole book.

The art by Barry Kitson is as good as ever, but by issue 4 we have fill-in artists.

Overall it has some interesting ideas but does not hold together as a book and it not an appealing relaunch of the team.

I have had little to no exposure to the Legion of Superheroes but I have always enjoyed both creators work the past. Here, I thought Mark Waid was able to create a pretty complex storyline involving young heroes and possibly political ideologists. The team is pretty big and maybe unruly at times but I think he pulled it off well. Barry Kitson was able to do such a good job of making each character easily identifiable. Overall, it was a surprisingly fun read!!

The Legion of Super-Heroes is one of those concepts that eternally remains near and dear to, well, legions of comic book fans. First introduced in the pages of Adventure Comics starring Superboy, the Legion came from a hundred years in the future (the 30th century back in those days) to meet Superboy, who inspired them.

During the ensuing years, the Legion has been through a lot of changes, going from fun science fiction kinds of stories to the darker futures of the 1980s and 1990s. Mark Waid helms the revamp, but there's already new stories featuring other Legions written by Geoff Johns that reinterprets the future yet again.

In Teenage Revolution, Waid returns the Legion to their roots as teenagers, but this time he adds the twist of having them want to change the status quo of their world. It's a common teen theme, and it works well in this series. I enjoyed that ages-old struggle between youth and adult a lot. In this future, the United Planets has adopted an arms-length attitude toward developing problems. The Legion, under Cosmic Boy with Brainiac 5 serving as his aggressive second, wants to act. The Legion comes under fire from the United Planets and parents everywhere.

I've always loved Waid's ability to render character on comics pages. The combative nature of Cosmic Boy's relationship with Braniac 5 is fantastic, and I enjoy the two sides of an argument they present. I like the new edginess Braniac 5 has, and I think Waid has created a great version here to root for and find fault with.

Waid has also taken liberties, and poked a little fun at, normal Legion convention. Colossal Boy, as it turns out, is misnamed. He can't actually grow; he shrinks to a height of six feet. He claims his real name is Micro-Lad. Dream Girl's inability to separate present from future is a really understandable weakness and one I'd never considered before. Wonderful touch.

Maybe my favorite "origin" story of this version of the Legion is Triplicate Girl's. I'd always thought she had one of the weaker powers of the group, but her origin as relayed by Mark Waid is awesome, and laden with bittersweet touches. I loved the dating sequences and the eventual reveal, though I had guessed it before it all came together. I also got a kick out of Lyle Norg's (Invisible Kid) backstory and his compromise with the Science Police. That was pure art.

Barry Kitson's art is fantastic and makes the Legion's adventures a visual treat. He works well in standalone panels, group shots, and montages of action.

Waid's run on the Legion is going to stand out in the annals of the 31st century super-heroes. I can't wait to see what further adventures lie ahead, and I loved the cliffhanger Waid leaves readers with regarding the mysterious guy that can get into Braniac 5's mind without him knowing it.

For some of us The Legion was the first really interesting comic book We read. It was the first group that have discussions, arguments between them and some times even serious fights. It was the first comic book that killed some of the heroes (and They did several times trough the years) Although some of the names were really childish, I thought that the legion books were among the most interesting around. When They rebooted the first time in 1994 some of us felt lost and didnt really trusted the change (although need to admit it was seriously in need of change, cause the stories began to be somehow difficult to follow) But the new stories were really good and found their way around, so when DC announced this new reboot, I personally thought maybe it was going to be really for the best, even thinking that the stories in the running series were good and meaningful. I'm sorry to say that this was a step back. As another reviewer wrote this feels lik a flower power thing gotten in the future without a really good script. Yeah, right a galaxy needs to be ruled by hormonal, teenagers with superpowers. Now I'm terminating my 30 years allegiance to the book, I'm sad to say.