Broken Frontier

Jim Shooter makes his return to the Legion of Super-Heroes!

I grew up a Marvel Comics fan, the X-Men mostly. I didn’t really pay too much attention to DC. The Legion of Super-Heroes pretty much encompasses why. I always saw DC’s books (outside of the big few) as rather generic interchangeable heroes fighting indistinguishable foes.

The Legion of Super-Heroes was a title that always intrigued me, as it seemed to have an incredibly passionate fan base. Several years ago, I found myself in the odd position of “New Reader” when I started integrating DC titles into my pull-list. The Legion (I believe the Abnett/Lanning run) was my first foray into the Legion of Super-Heroes… and try as I might, I just couldn’t get into it.

I later sampled the recent Waid/Peyer Legion run… and, once more, despite sticking with it for over a year, I just didn’t dig it.

With a bit of trepidation, I picked up the latest Legion of Super-Heroes “jump-on” point, and was quite pleasantly surprised. Shooter begins a tale that will be satisfying for long-time Legionnaires as well as new ones. An easily accessible story both introducing and showcasing the team members… not only saying “This is Karate Kid”, but actually showing him in his element and providing him with CHARACTER. After reading this issue, I will actually remember the characters. That is something I couldn’t say about any past runs I’d tried to get into.

I am optimistic about the future of the Legion of Super-Heroes, as it seems Jim Shooter has really found a way to make this floundering franchise click. Highly recommended.