Review: Justice League Vs. The Legion Of Super-Heroes #4

Justice League Vs. The Legion Of Super-Heroes #4 came out last week. 

But did it?

I have so desperately wanted to love this book. I am craving a Legion book to love. 

Not much happened this issue. Yes, this is a Brian Michael Bendis book. There are good character moments and snappy dialogue. But the big ending of last issue was to split the teams up and scatter them through time. This issue brings them back together with a sort of deus ex machina. 

We still don't know what The Great Darkness is. We still don't know any of the back story of Gold Lantern. I still don't really know what's going on. There are two issues left!!

Nothing wrong with the art. Scotty Godlewski brings great flair to the proceedings. Nice panels and page progression. He draws aliens well. 

This felt like an hors d'oeuvre when I am ready for a three course feast!!!

Maybe it'll end up fine. But I really felt this was a place holder. A month when nothing really happened.

On to the book.

We start with the traditional recap page as told by one of the Legionnaires.

This time it's Brainy.

We learn he has invented the best selling recording artist Scolosoco?

I have come to enjoy these pages as little intros to the new versions of these Legionnaires.

The Great Darkness is still eating time? Destroying time? Whatever it is doing, it is doing it throughout time. 

In the 31st century a group of the Legion and the League are trying to figure out the best thing to to.

Rose thinks they need to regroup and decide on a wise next step.

What I love is Bouncing Boy being so aggressive and wanting to fly up and face whatever is happening. He was nigh indestructible in this new Legion.

Meanwhile, the Gold Lantern is thrust back into the 1940's where he meets Alan Scott.

I like how Scott calls himself 'The' Green Lantern and how he is immediately friendly to the Gold Lantern.

But the Great Darkness is manifesting there too. We see a 1940's bi-plane fly into the Darkness and come out into the future.

You know things are dire when Batman doesn't want to solve things himself and wants to find help. That alone is noteworthy.

This scene does have my favorite line in the book. I love how Black Canary is trying to keep herself together. "I apologize if I'm reacting poorly to the end of all things." That's a great line. 

Bendis does know dialogue.

The decision is the head to the UP.

The UP President initially thinks the UP should try to bottle this up in Metropolis. Heck, she thinks the Legion's time traveling might be the cause of it. But Rose says this could be the end of all things and that is why the Legion was created. 

Hey. Long Live the Legion.

In the distant future, Brainy head into a Leviathan compound and figures out a way to use flight rings as a sort of temporal beacon to bring the team back together.

There is this interesting line from Mon-EL (whose ring Brainy wants to use). Mon is reluctant to give it up because it is 'more than a flight ring'. Is it his wedding ring?? Fascinating.

Somehow Computo also figures out the same thing and just like that the four teams scattered to the timeline prep to return to the 31st century.

I'm a Wildfire fan so I love seeing him stand up to Black Adam, even insulting him a little. That's my Wildfire.

Then, poof, that's it.

Both teams are reunited. Now Ollie is a teenager. And Black Adam is elderly.

But the teams are back together. So will anything that happened in the other time periods impact the plot in any way? Or was this just a way for Bendis to give us some fun little scenes? 

Turn the page and the issue is over with ... that's right ... the Great Darkness over Metropolis threatening time. We end the issue exactly where #3 started. We haven't really moved forward at all.

There is no new Legion book on the docket. When this mini ends, who knows when we'll see more. I truly hope we go out on a high note. But this series has been a sort of a let down. 

Solid art. Great dialogue. But really no plot progression. 

Overall grade: C-