REVIEW: ‘Legion of Super-Heroes,’ #3

Legion of Super-Heroes #3 is published by DC Comics, written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Ryan Sook and Travis Moore, inks by Wade Von Grawbadger and Travis Moore, colors by Jordie Bellaire, and letters by Troy Peteri. As the Legion moves to unravel who is behind the reappearance of Aquaman’s trident, Superboy takes it upon himself to recruit the best detective he knows, even if that means bringing him all the way from the 21st century.

This issue, while an entertaining read, also left me with feelings of frustration by its end. The story sees the Legion splitting up to investigate different leads surrounding Aquaman’s trident. While this is the obvious path to take to advance the plot, my frustration comes in how little is actually achieved with the forwarding of said plot. In fact, I’d have to say no forward progress is achieved. The Legion spends this issue alternating between being stumped and screwing up. This is hard for me to accept, as this is supposed to be the premier superhero team of their age. Thus far, all they’ve done is manage to lurch from one failure to another. Not exactly inspiring, to say the least.

The rest of Legion of Super-Heroes #3’s time is spent with Superboy. Bringing Damian Wayne to the future to aid in the investigation seemed like a solid plan. He has skills the Legion seems sorely lacking and his no-nonsense attitude could create interesting interactions with the chipper Legion members. Instead, this plot point comes to naught and feels like simply more time wasted. While there are some fun moments had with Robin, it ultimately falls far short of its potential.

While the lack of story progression disappointed me, I continue to greatly enjoy the individuals within this story. Competency issues aside, the Legion offers an interesting blend of personalities. As a newcomer to these characters, I find every new grouping filled with surprises. I hope some of the glimpses of characters we are given here continue to be explored in future issues.

The art of Legion of Super-Heroes #3 continues to provide a great visual for its story. There are several wonderful double-page spreads that are both eye-catching and serve as nice breakpoints between different pieces of the story. This, combined with top-notch backgrounds that keep every locale looking unique, keep the visual side of this book interesting and varied.

The colorwork here is also expertly realized. Every portion of this book is given its own unique color palette. This, combined with the aforementioned design work, culminates in an extremely attractive presentation.

When all is said and done, Legion of Super-Heroes #3 is a solid story with some elements landing better than others. With promises of some questions being answered next issue, I’m hopeful the book will find its way to being an exceptional read.

Legion of Super-Heroes #3 is available January 15th wherever comics are sold.