Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century

Publisher
DC Comics
Writer
J. Torres
Artist
Chynna Clugston-Flores
Country of origin
US
Year
2007

Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #3

By David Rasmussen
27th Aug 07

I wish I had a ten-spot everytime this happens.
You review a title, pray and hope it’s future is bright and suck free… only to realize it’s slowly but surely slipping down the path of suck right before you’re eyes.
It’s not yet 1 out of 5 time for Legion… yet… but it does have the potential to roll that way if this keeps up.
At least this isn’t an instant 1 out of 5 suck that highlighted the launch of Justice League Adventures (the comic made to make money off of Justice League the Animated Series).

Yet another title meant to milk the worth of DC’s long milked line of superior animations (MARVEL at times had worthy animations… I just don’t know what they’re doing now that is worth talking about), Legion is the latest title to get the comic-tie-in slash milk for all it’s worth treatment.
Based, of course, on the long long running Legion of Super Heroes franchise (without the “in the 31st Century” adder on on it’s title), we tune into a Legion that is Teen Titan (animation)-ized with a spunky young Legion experiencing it’s growth spurts out of the gates of it’s foundation.

The gang is young, Saturn Girl is the “it” girl of the title, and Superboy is “Superman” despite the fact he’s not “Superman” because of that court case which meant DC could no longer use the Superboy character (which also haunts Smallville to this very day).

In this issue the Legion is out recruiting people they have no intention of recruiting, mostly to just get a good laugh off of the powers (and the misery said powers cause) of others. The last person auditioning on this special episode of Legion of Super Heroes Idol, end up infecting the entire Legion with a virus that makes them switch powers. They are then captured by the Khunds (remember them?) only to realize that the Khunds are behind Jupiter on present info about the Legion’s powers (thanks to the power swap) which helps them break free of their captors and smack them around like a red-headed assistant editor before “infecting“ them with a bad stomach ache.

Much like the ache you’re feeling as you realize this title seems to have no inclination to actually be more than a money making cash cow meant to draw in money until people realized the title is filled with so-so artwork, sloppy been there done that weak writing, and that’s about it.
Nothing about this issue will make you remember the glory days of the Legion.
In fact you’d be lucky if you remember the worst (yet original) days of the Legion from this.
Slowly but surely the lack of desire to evolve from this title begins to show.
It’s not completely doomed yet, but it has the potential to be sucking down 1 out of 5’s before the end of the year if this keeps up.
For now, however, Legion #3 gets 3 calls for more sexy female Legion members out of 5.

-- David Rasmussen 27th Aug 07