August Can't Get Here Soon Enough

First, indulge me a little set-up:

For several years now, DC Comics has been systematically reviving their multiple earths concept, which will (allegedly) culminate in this summer's Final Crisis event. Part of these multiversal manuverings have involved the co-existence of several versions of the Legion of Superheroes, a 31st century team of super-powered teens and twenty-somethings.

The Legion concept dates back to Adventure Comics #247 (1958), in which the young Superboy met three time-traveling teens from a "super-hero club" 1000 years in the future. Superboy was soon granted membership in the Legion, which was somewhat ironic considering it was the Boy of Steel's ancient legend that inspired the club to form in the first place. After decades of adventures with his futuristic friends, a writer-artist named John Byrne decided to banish the Superboy concept when he rebooted the Superman titles in 1986, which effectively removed the Legion's entire reason for being (a move he later admitted was a mistake).

Superman and the Legion continued on, but like estranged friends trying not to notice each other, pretending to forget their shared past was an awkward experience for everyone involved.  After several retro-fixes and continuity patches, DC's legal loss of the term and concept of Superboy to the family of Jerry Siegel (co-creator of Superman) seemed to finish off any hope of there ever again being a Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes.

That grim assessment began to change when Geoff Johns and Kurt Busiek took over the Superman books in 2006.  As one of many welcome developments, it was briefly mentioned that a young Clark Kent had, indeed, met and befriended the Legion of Superheroes as a teenager (the term "Superboy" was conspicuously absent from that account).  Flash forward to 2007, as a series of stories cemented the link between Superman and the Legion...well, at least one version of the Legion that was published years ago. Another version of the Legion currently stars in a title rebooted a few years back (in case you haven't noticed yet, the comic biz loves rebooting and reimagining things), so the co-existence of these two divergent Legions has become quite an interesting mystery, obviously tying into the larger cosmos-warping events of recent years.

So all of this brings me up to a few days ago...as I read the final chapter of "Superman and the Legion of Superheroes" (Action Comics #863).  At the end of this highly recommended story, I came across this jaw-dropping ad (click on the image for a larger view):

Once again, Geoff Johns is the mastermind behind this one...the same guy who brought us "The Sinestro Corps War", the surprise hit of 2007 that stole the thunder of...well, whatever it was DC was doing at the time. Likewise, Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds has the potential to upstage the Final Crisis "parent" event, which will also be hitting the stands in August of this year.

Let's take the teaser ad from top to bottom:

1.  Top panel:  Formerly known as the Superboy of Earth-Prime (essentially "our" Earth during DC's multiple earths heyday), the lad flipped out a few years back and became one of their major bad guys (as well as a sly parody of fanboy entitlement).  Once again, since the term "Superboy" is now off limits, he's now known as "Superman Prime".

2.  Panels 2 and 3: There's our guy Superman, wearing a Legion flight ring (which he may be wearing more out of solidarity than for its flight-granting function).

3.  Panel 4:  Superman and...not one, not two, but three Legions of Superheroes...each representing different eras of their fifty year publishing history. As usual, artist George Perez goes crazy on the detail and little touches that have made him such a living legend. My favorite bit is Superman motioning "the troops" forward with his left hand.

4.  Panel 5:  This one's a little tricky if you haven't read last year's "Lightning Saga", co-starring one version of the Legion. The upraised hand within the "VS" energy/lightning blast belongs to Legion member Brainiac-5, who's holding the mysterious lightning rod from the Lightning Saga's final panel. The Legion of 3-Worlds story will apparently reveal who or what is trapped within the rod. I had my theory last summer....we'll see if it pans out (fingers crossed).

5. Panel 6:  In a deliciously evil twist on the classic "Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes" title, this panel features Superboy (okay....SuperMAN) Prime and the Legion of Super-Villains.  My assumption is that this group will also be a combination of three separate Legions of Super-Villains, all of whom will be lead by the Psycho-Superboy.

Like last summer's battle between the Green Lantern Corps and its Sinestro Corps opposite numbers, the August clash between the Supermen and their respective Legions is obviously a "must-buy" and a potential instant classic.

Comments

[Brian Disco Snell]

Ah, but before we get too enthusiastic, let's not forget how badly the Lightning Saga stunk. Somehow Meltzer got all the blame for that, but to me it was yet another example of much of Johns' work: great ideas, less than great execution. (Another Johns' hallmark: everything was better in 1982 than it is now, so let's undo everything of the past 25 years, but make it more violent)

I'm a HUGE Legion fan, so I am looking forward to it, but I also fear the sloppy execution of the Lightning Saga (don't get me started on how incorrect the continuity was if this was supposed to be the "original" Legion), and I especially fear yet another reboot for the 31st century...

[Mark Engblom]

Well, while I share your disappointment with John's occasional flirtation with R-rate violence, I've found the majority of his work very entertaining and wonderfully executed. With things like the Lightning Saga, I suspect more behind the scenes tomfoolery than Johns himself for the muffed ending. For fans of Wally West, the ending certainly didn't "undo everything of the past 25 years"...but rather upheld it. Plus, his work on Teen Titans pushed the team in new directions without any fall-back to the 1982 version (although Judd Winnick is writing a new series starring the "Class of 1980" Titans). I think in general, the pendulum is swinging back the other way at DC as they look for a more expansive and...yes, time-tested approach to their storytelling after trying the single-Earth model for a generation. I don't think anyone is pining for the storytelling style or aesthetics of comics from 25 years ago, but more the concepts and dynamics that defined DC Comics. DC's always been about tradition and legacy...much moreso than the Competition...and I don't mind them celebrating and embracing that more than they have in some time.

As for the Lightning Saga itself, I actually DO blame Meltzer more than Johns, the latter of whom probably just provided plot suggestions or whatever. Meltzer's underwhelming run on Justice League was rife with problems and disappointments, which were certainly present in The Lightning Saga (too much talkity-talk, confusing story flow, a poorly managed and differentiated cast, etc)....so I'm not sure why you're seeing Geoff Johns' fingerprints all over it.

So my enthusiasm remains undiminished.

[snell]

Well, considering that Johns scripted the half of Lightning Saga that ran in JSA, and that he's said he always intended to use that story as a springboard for the Action/Legion story and the upcoming Legion of 3 Worlds, it's hard NOT to see Geoff's fingerprints all over it. Meltzer was just a tourist, so it's hard to me to give him full blame for words that Johns put on the pages of his own books (I'll let history decide whom to blame for giving us an "original" Legion with Karate Kid a member at the same time as Sensor Girl...oy).

here's an interesting thought: why is pre-1982 DC history any more valid or worthy than post? Not necessarily in terms of quality of execution, but in terms of story and history? What percentage of today's DC readers weren't even born when Earth-2, Superboy's Legion, and Barry Allen were around? Is it any more fair to them to decide the comics they grew up with are no longer valid than it was to us when Crisis erased it?

I much prefer the method of Mark Waid in Brave & Bold: here's the history we've got right now, let's have fun with it. You don't have to re-write history (again) to recapture the concepts and dynamics of old DC...just write the bloody stories, without trying to undo everything, and have fun.

[Mark Engblom]

I don't see it as an "either-or" proposition. I think we can have everything we've had for the past twenty years or so AND some interesting concepts or characters that have fallen by the wayside. I'm not advocating replacement but enhancement when it comes to the DCU. For example, for years the Crime Syndicate of Earth-3 was essentially "banished" from every appearing in a story. I don't care who you are, but an evil Justice League from another universe is a cool concept, and it's a shame cool stuff like that was exiled for so long simply to maintain an artificial and arbitrary continuity model.

Is there going to be change and flux? Sure...but that can also be fun. As much as I dreaded the change of the original Crisis, I have to admit that the years following were an interesting journey, seeing how things shook out and the new directions that were taken. If, as you argue, that most of the modern audience has no experience with many of the the Silver Age concepts and characters, then what's the harm in bringing some of them back if they're essentially "new" to that audience?

[Joe Lewallen]

I will be happy if they bring back Saturn Girl's 1970's costume.

[Mark Engblom]

I'll bet that would make you happy! Wasn't that the Mike Grell "skimpy costume" era?

[Joe Lewallen]

Oh yeah. Love Grell (once he learned how to draw--see the Longbow Hunters and Jon Sable) and the Late Great Dave Cockrum. Shadow Lass and Storm. Pretty much the same costume. If you had asked lil Joe in the 70's what was his fav comic, it would be Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes. I saw the future in the 70's and it was a hot blonde with big..hair in a pink bathing suit. And for the record, I turned 13 in 1980 so either I was a horn dog from the begining or I had a thing for blondes. See also Debbie Harry of Blondie and Elizabeth Montgomery of Bewitched (I know it was a 60's show, but I saw it in re-runs.)

Back to the LSH. I don't always agree with Alex Ross but he had this great LSH painting in his Mythology book and he talked about how cool the 70's LSH was. I agree with him 100% on that.

I like what DC is doing with their history these days. It's better than what they did to some of their characters in the 80's and 90's. Dead, maimed, crazy, p****ed on and wiped from history. As messy as the Lightning Saga was, it was cool to see what was to me the "real" LSH again.

Honestly, I can't remember just what the stories were about, but the characters were cool, great costumes (uh, still have no idea what the hell Cosmic Boy was wearing).

[Mark Engblom]

" I don't always agree with Alex Ross but he had this great LSH painting in his Mythology book and he talked about how cool the 70's LSH was. I agree with him 100% on that."

That's a fantastic painting. Dynamic and undeniably sexy.

"I like what DC is doing with their history these days. It's better than what they did to some of their characters in the 80's and 90's. Dead, maimed, crazy, p****ed on and wiped from history.

That's an excellent point, Joe. The early-to-mid 90's represents a pretty low point for many DC fans, with very little to hold up as classic storytelling...so maybe importing various reimagined concepts that worked well in the past isn't such an encroachment.

"Honestly, I can't remember just what the stories were about, but the characters were cool, great costumes (uh, still have no idea what the hell Cosmic Boy was wearing)."

LOL! You must be talking about the skin-tight black vest thing, right? Yeah, I could never figure that out either....but it definitely looked "futuristic"...in a vaguely fetishistic kind of way.

[Joe Lewallen]

Thanks Mark. Also need to say that a lot of the LSH stories were drawn by Joe Staton. Another classic artist. Loved his post-Crisis run on Green Lantern in the 80's. I miss C'hp. BRING BACK C'HP!!

BTW, I love your blog, it celebrates every thing I love about comics. Please keep up the great work. Even when you do something like "worst cover ever" or bring on the really bad guys. Funny stuff.

[Mark Engblom]

Thanks, Joe. That means alot!

[Dr. Retro]

Mark,

In regard to Superman Prime, how is he a sly parody of fanboy entitlement? Is this officially documented somewhere? I was of the impression that he was a parody, and perhaps demonization, of nostalgia buffs who liked the pre-crisis multiverse when comics were fun and not quite so dark, as with the R-rated violence and all those maimed and killed characters in the 80s and 90s. Those like Superman Prime, who yearn for the "good ole days" (although as you said, not for the old story-telling styles or aesthetics) are caricatured as being the bad guys who want to coerce a world into their definition of perfection. Or maybe I'm way off base but that was my suspicious interpretation.

[Mark Engblom]

"In regard to Superman Prime, how is he a sly parody of fanboy entitlement? Is this officially documented somewhere? I was of the impression that he was a parody, and perhaps demonization, of nostalgia buffs who liked the pre-crisis multiverse when comics were fun and not quite so dark, as with the R-rated violence and all those maimed and killed characters in the 80s and 90s."

Well, while Superboy Prime is poking fun at the nostalgia crowd, I think the character is meant to be a parody of fanboy entitlement in general. Reading the character's dialogue is like reading a typical comic book message board, with the elevation of personal preference to an almost Scriptural importance and the accompanying temper tantrum when something comes along that goes against it. Here's a Superboy Prime quote from Countdown #23 (Nov. 2007) that seems to take the "post-Crisis" (anti-multiple Earths) side of fanboy entitlement:

(talking to a captive Mr. Mxyzptlk)

"Help me get rid of all these dumb Earths. I'm sick of trying to figure out which one sucks more."

So, as you can see, Superboy Prime covers all the bases of whiny fanboy griping...and sometimes it hits uncomfortably close to home (as all good parody should). It must be almost theraputic for comic book writers to write the Superboy Prime character, after all the griping they routinely hear from the admittedly demanding, fickle, myopic, and anti-change fan community.

[Dr. Retro]

Thanks. That makes a lot of sense. I suppose that Superman Prime is not picky about which fanboys he parodies, whether pre or post-crisis sympathizers. The quote from Countdown #23 makes it quite clear that any whiny fanboy is fair game. That indeed sounds too much like a comment from the message boards to be coincidental. The fact that this Superman is from Earth Prime makes the parody even more clever.

[Joe Lewallen]

So that makes the Earth 2 Superman old guys like me who want comics to go back to before EVERY THING had to be grim n grity and before things got Imagized.

[Marco Milone]

Neat!

[Chris]

Reading all of the above, I think that many of todays readers just don't get "it" with regards to older fans interest in pre crisis DC comics, and for that matter, Geoff Johns love of that period. Modern fans, are now getting a taste of what we old fans went through nearly 25 years ago. You're questioning, why we have to have what you've enjoyed changed, and why does wiping out what you like the right way to go. Maybe now you have a taste of what old school fans went through. I say this not to rub it in anyone's face, but as an explaination of where things are at.

What Pre-Crisis offered was the multiverse. if it was time for a newer modern universe, and you had the multiverse, writers and editors could have gradually introduced a new universe, and kept all the other worlds we had (Earth 1, Earth 2, etc.)...that way all fans could have had their version of the characters they wanted. It was the best of all concepts. New fans could have their EArth, and older fans could have had their universes, each with it's own continuity kept intact. The big problem over the past near 25 years, is the fact that everyone's toes are getting stepped on. Old fans had the continuity they liked continuously altered, now modern DC universe fans are seeing the things they liked altered.

What we are seeing now, what we saw over the past 25 years and what was the main problem at DC in its first 50 years, was only all about continuity (the lack of control over it) and lack of editorial control. Marvel in it's classic period, had great editorial leadership that co-ordinated it's various lines of comics. DC didn't have the same level of editorial leadership, continuously, through out its line of comics. Certainly, DC did need more modern or Marvel style of writers (of course, applied in a DC way) to it's series, but the biggest problem was never the multiverse or parallel universes and alternate future timelines (all extremely fun and interesting as well as traditional sci-fi concepts), but it was always a problem of continuity.

Now fans have to have a knowledge of pre crisis history, post crisis history, and the new multiverse/21st century dc history. There are so many variants of history, you really do need a score card to understand whats what and who's who.

What DC needs to do, is just bring back the original multiverse, get rid of the new multiverse, and add in the modern DC universe as a new Earth, in the catalog of classic multiverse universes. It will work too with the new addition of the MLJ/Archie Heroes too.....they can have their series given their own world as well. Get some good editors who will act as continuity cops, clean up only the elements of pre crisis history that need fixing, and have stronger, more unified editor leadership. that's what will work best, and give all fans the best of what they each want.