REVIEW: ‘Legion of Super-Heroes’ Issue 1

Legion of Super-Heroes Issue 1 is published by DC Comics. Written by Joshua Williamson, art by Hayden Sherman, colors by Tamra Bonvillain and letters by Hassan Otsmane Elhaou.

In a future where heroes have been outlawed, a selection of metahumans are starting to surface in Legion of Super-Heroes Issue 1. The Legion of Super-Heroes have been figures of evil for a while. Darkseid had corrupted the futuristic team of heroes, right up until DC K.O. But after a recent one-shot, the whole future was reset.

So, in Legion of Super-Heroes Issue 1, there is as clean an origin story for the Legion as we’re ever going to get. The start of this issue even predates the birth of the team itself, with scattered heroes all over the solar system and beyond. It’s a dark galaxy, and starting the series with a murder is the best way of establishing that.

Legion of Super-Heroes Issue 1 bounces between planets, showing the founding members of the Legion in various places and very far apart from each other. Seeing the group in its infancy is the best way for newcomers to truly understand what it is and who built it.

There is a lot of story within this opening comic, but the pacing is fantastic too. Legion of Super-Heroes Issue 1 spends a lot of time with each character, creating individual settings for them because they are in truly different societies and worlds. And the murder mystery creates a streamlined thread that cuts through the entire world.

Legion of Super-Heroes Issue 1 establishes its characters as not just Legionnaires, but people. Superheroes aren’t just outlawed; they’re long gone. Many of these figures embody defiance, strength, and an authoritarian boot on their necks. Many of these characters have been entirely recreated, cut back right to the roots. Brainiac 1 of 5, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl and more appear in very early versions of themselves. This means that this series isn’t just replaying the events of the Legion’s origin. It’s telling new ones.

And even with a huge cast, Williamson finds time to dig into each of them through long conversations and by establishing connections. Some are close to royalty, others are just young kids, and Brainiac is a private investigator. And all of these strands are just waiting to come together.

The art is spectacular as Sherman has free rein to rebuild multiple worlds and civilizations. Each planet has an individual design, with its own class system and, therefore, structures and cities. Some are prosperous, others are fuelled by mining. There are many pages in which there are huge throngs of people, crowds of aliens from different species.

The planets are lived in, with their own stories ready to be told, even if they never are. Many of the upcoming Legionnaires look young and small, not yet the fully fledged versions of themselves. They’re recognizable from what they wear and their powers, but there are also changes.

Brainiac 1 to 5 is closer in design to the original version than how he usually appears in Legion of Superheroes, especially with a bald head. There are many action scenes in Legion of Superheroes Issue 1, notably with Lightning Lad and Matter-Eating Lad, and the feeling of movement is incredible. Lightning Lad makes his first appearance on a vehicle, and the speed is beautifully illustrated.

Throughout Legion of Super-Heroes Issue 1, Sherman never uses a standard square panel. Each one has obscure, often rounded borders. It means that every page has a unique geometry. It means the pages can’t be skimmed. They require focus and attention, and that’s how the extensive new story gets absorbed.

The one thing that is disappointing in Legion of Super-Heroes Issue 1 is the lack of genuine diversity. The characters may come from different planets, but they all end up looking human. And whilst these designs are understandable considering the wider story, the whole Legion has always felt overly white, as if people of color completely disappear 1000 years in the future.

The colors carry the vibrancy of resurgent heroes. The shades are gorgeously intense, with almost every primary and secondary colour represented. It’s a sign of the brightness the Legionnaires are trying to bring to their worlds before they even don a Legion Ring. With such a creative comic, it is fitting that it also features the most creative letterer in the business, bringing energy to the very words being spoken.

The Legion of Super-Heroes Issue 1 is the freshest of fresh starts. The Legion is a complex set of stories, and has been mired in darkness for a while. This series opens with positivity, energy, and a fantastic jumping-on point for newer readers. The past hasn’t been entirely forgotten; there are echoes of something broken and dark. Williamson, Sherman, Bonvillain and Otsmane-Elhaou are tasked with rebuilding a future and are the perfect creative team to do it.

Legion of Super-Heroes Issue 1 is available where comics are sold.