Broken Frontier

Jim Shooter’s return continues to bring the magic back to the Legion of Super-Heroes… whatever that means.

Now, this is a comic book! Growing up a Marvel kid, I’d only heard stories about the Legion. I’d never *gotten* the "magic" that the Legion of Super-Heroes fans saw. The characters appeared generic, and lacked any kind of personality that would normally draw me into a series. Too many characters, not enough character. A common complaint when it comes to larger team-oriented books, to be sure... the Legion, especially, what with their interchangeable roster and simple (in my opinion, at the time) character design.

Jim Shooter’s heralded return was what led me to giving the Legion of Super-Heroes another chance, and I’m sure glad I did. Each page is packed with incredibly detailed characterization, which is aided perfectly by Francis Manapul’s beautiful pencils. My introduction to Manapul was through Aspen’s Iron and the Maiden, in which I felt that he was more interested in aping Joe Madureira rather than using his own style (which, if his work on Legion is any indication has more of a Pasqual Ferry-feel to it).

The story itself is broken between two scenes, serving as a fine balance between the Legion’s "talking head" bits and seeing the team in action. A wise decision in my opinion, as any newcomers to LSH fandom can see the team in both lights. The action scenes were intense and bore with them a sense of urgency. The "talking heads" scenes were a bit bi-polar, serving as both the issue’s comic relief as well as its heavy drama. I’m definitely happy to be back onboard with the Legion of Super-Heroes, and look forward to the next issue. Highest recommendation, truly the way a team book should be written. If only I’d known that this series could be so engaging while I was growing up (not to mention, had given it a chance), I’m sure I’d have seen the "magic."