It has been a long time since a Legion of Super-Heroes book has been on the rack. We just saw the actual team pop into the Superman books at the end of the Unity Saga.
Before a new, true Legion of Super-Heroes book hits the stores, DC has released a two part mini-series to bridge the gap and define the timeline. Legion of Super-Heroes:Millenium #1, the first part, came out last week. It is written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Jim Lee, Dustin Nguyen, Andrea Sorrentino, and Andre Lima Araujo.
There are interesting aspects to the book.
The idea of Rose and Thorn being immortal and walking through the timeline of the DCU is a decent hook. How did she become immortal? And what does it mean for someone with a tenuous grip on reality to live forever?
I very much like the idea of there being a defined order of the different eras in the DCU. What came first? At the very least we have a timeline. That works for me.
And the respect Supergirl gets shown here is wonderful. Kudos to Bendis!
What is missing is the Legion! I suppose their name in the title is a draw.
I'll concentrate on the Supergirl section but I'll briefly touch on two other moments in the book.
We start with Rose talking to someone about how she used to be Thorn, a violent vigilante. And she needs to person listening to her to believe her story.
The unseen person is Supergirl ... and not just Supergirl but an older Supergirl, and actually an older Kara who also is President. President of the US? Or the UP? Judging by the background.
Regardless, Kara is an important leader in the future.
And given how mature Kara looks, she is much older. I loved the somewhat regal look Supergirl is sporting. And she looks a bit like Power Girl, which makes a bit of sense.
Somehow Rose is there, and continues to look young and fine. Too young.
The big problem is that Rose has run out of her psych meds. As Psychiatric problems like her Dissociative Identity is now cured, there is no need for meds to be made. Kara describes the pharmaceutical industry as small! So different from today. It's so small that even the president doesn't have a contact.
And without her meds, Thorn might come out.
And then there is the question of Rose's age.
She has outlived her husband. She still looks young. And even Kara is sporting wrinkles.
There is no good explanation.
Hmmm ...
Rose is clearly frightened about what Thorn will do if she finally breaks loose.
Supergirl promises her that things will be okay.
It fits so well with the 'hope, help, and compassion for all mantra Supergirl says. I just loved this.
Unfortunately, everything isn't okay.
Our next time jump is a very violent Thorn, killing her way through the criminals of Batman Beyond's time.
She captures Terry and wonders if things are better or worse than before.
I do like how she seems to comment on the nature of comic histories. There are reboots and crises and resets. And she even talks about Rebirths.
How odd it must be to walk through times and perhaps walk through different timelines.
Hmmm ...
After Batman Beyond we see Kamandi's time.
And after Kamandi's time we see the future of Tommy Tomorrow.
This feels like a little bit of a sterile time. Perhaps that is a natural response to a disaster time like Kamandi's.
I did laugh at this little exchange which seems like an homage to Leon's Voigt-Kampff test in Blade Runner.
At the very least we know know that Kamandi isn't the end of time. Tommy Tomorrow isn't the end of time.
And now knowing Rose is immortal, maybe she'll join the Legion?
I look forward to next month and meeting the Legion. I love the art and art styles in this book.
And Supergirl as President. That's a win!
Wasn't this a fascinating, good-looking comic? I just wish the LSH had been in there, but next time, for sure.
ReplyDeleteRed Cloud asked Thorn, sarcastically, if she wanted powers. Either Rose and Thorn was already immortal and survived Red Cloud's attack, or maybe whatever Red Cloud did to her made her that way. Maybe Red Cloud is also immortal. (What being do we think is possessing her?)
ReplyDeleteEither way I mentioned somewhere that I liked the character, and had a feeling we hadn't seen the last of her. They invested so much in decorating the panels Thorn appeared in with woodsy stuff.
Back (that is, here) in the present, Rose and Thorn will still be alive, so perhaps we will learn more about her deal.
T.N.
If they never reveal what made Rose immortal than no future writer can definitively undo it.
ReplyDeleteOld Supergirl, normally you never see that, usually she dies young...I guess this is the consolation prize for being cheated out of a berth with the legion and turned into a zombified Patsy in the latest Batman-Superman hatefest.
ReplyDelete:)
JF
Do we know Kara won't be joining the Legion down the line?
ReplyDeleteThat's a very odd cover, but I see it's a variant - tiny title, a mix of Legionnaires and other characters, Kara front & center. The flying tableau is very traditional, though.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the published and preview material, I see that several of the costumes will take getting used to - Ayla and Tinya, for example, and I don't think I'll ever like Brin's. (Ayla shows a feather on this cover, so it's Light Lass.) I wondered about Imra's costume, but I see that it has a silhouette of Saturn on it when she's in just the right pose. That doesn't work from all angles, though; we'll see how the artists handle it.
Dr. Fate and maybe a Lantern??? It was hard enough writing stories with 3 Superboys. We'll see how the writers handle it.
Long live this version of the Legion!
Right now she is joining "The Walking Dead" after that who knows? The Inferior Five? Her local insurance brokerage? The Sky is the Limit!
ReplyDelete:)
JF