Adventure Comics 523-525

LEGIONNAIRES FROM FAME!

Twenty-two years ago, in the previous ‘hardcopy’ incarnation of this illustrious publication, I concluded a dismissal of the first issue of the 1989 Legion of Super-Heroes series with a phrase along the lines of, “Legion fans have long memories, and endless patience. We can wait.”

Well, we have, and we do, and we did, and after several failed revamps, reboots, and Nothing-Will-Ever-Be-The-Same-Agains, here we are again. Back at the characters we loved – aged a few years, sure, but ostensibly, and recognisably, the heroes we grew up with.

Over in the main Legion of Super-Heroes title, Levitz made a bit of a shaky start, at first reading like someone trying to write like Paul Levitz, but as the years of rust fall off, he’s developing strong stories with engaging characterisation.

His companion run on Adventure Comics, set in a cycle of pointless and inappropriate ‘continuity implants’, seemed less promising, but from # 523, he wisely threw out both baby and the bathwater, and is giving us contemporary tales of the Legion Academy, the institute designed to train metahuman beings from all over the galaxy for their roles in law enforcement and disaster relief.

We have the senior class – who, since they’ve been studying since 1981 our time, are some slow learners, even given the discrepancy between comic-book and real-life chronology; the freshman year, giving us the required p.o.v. from which to receive the needed information; and the faculty, super-heroes retired from active Legion service who devote themselves to training the next generation.

I’ll confess that ‘super-heroes in training’ is one of my favourite sub-genres, and while Legion Academy so far lacks the depth or bite of Marvel’s excellent Avengers Initiative or its successor Avengers Academy, it’s still a fine, fun read, with the newer heroes’ attitudes and actions propelled by adolescent contrariness and energy, favouring instant gratification over the wiser course of action. We’ve seen anticipation, disappointment, budding romances, fledgling missions, late-night booze & chips sprees, and drill-sergeant attititude from the former Duo Damsel, now Dean of the Academy (who would have thought the Legion’s sweetheart would be turn out such a hard-ass?). Also on staff are DD’s tubby hubby, Bouncing Boy, and a revamped (with the emphasis on vamp!) Night Girl, working her Mad Men inspired nouveau-retro chic like nobody’s business.

Right now, the junior class are curfew-busting to investigate what’s happened to Chemical Kid’s dad (as an old Legion foe emerges from the shadows), while the senior class are facing their finals and wondering which – if any – of them will graduate to become members of the Legion proper.

Phil Jimenez’s artwork is detailed and lovely, as one has come to expect, but possesses more mobility and flow than previously – the characters move, rather then just hanging there in decorative poses. Whether this is due to the influence of inker Andy Lanning, or simply because Jimenez is having more fun with the subject matter, remains open to conjecture.

Personally, I’m enjoying this series so much that even the threat of a solo spotlight on Comet Queen (whose gnarly ‘surfer-speak’ was creakingly outdated in 1986, and has improved not one iota since) fails to dampen my enthusiasm.

And it’s good that DC’s oldest title has a starring feature that might actually allow it to succeed (if sales at my store are any indication) and survive, rather than suffer yet another ignominious cancellation…