[Legion Fan Club] Weekly Reader Week 25: October 9th 2019: New 52 Legion Begins!

For this week’s portioned Legion-reading treat, we tune in to 2011 just after Flashpoint for the beginning of the New 52 Levitz run (with Francis Portela on art), featuring the Legion Academy that was introduced around a year earlier in Adventure. We’ll read 5 issues this time around, since this is after all the New 52 era of the $2.99 super-thin DC comic book!

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES (2011-) #1 -5

Bonus reading if desired: CONVERGENCE: SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES (2015-) #1 and 2

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES (2011-) #1 (9/2011) The Legion of Super-Heroes has been decimated by the worst disaster in its history. Now, the students of the Legion Academy must rise to the challenge of helping the team rebuild: DC Universe

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES (2011-) #2 (10/2011) Taken hostage on a hostile world, the Espionage Squad is outmatched by a rebel leader that only one Legionnaire could possibly stand against! DC Universe

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES (2011-) #3 (11/2011) The strongest man in the universe is rampaging on the surface of Panoptes, and the Dominators are massing in the skies above—and naturally, the Legion is stuck between the two! DC Universe

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES (2011-) #4 (12/2011) With time running out for the Legionnaire in the hands of the Dominators, it’s down to Cosmic Boy to crack the riddle of how the all-powerful Daxamite Renegade made it through an impenetrable blockade. DC Universe

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES (2011-) #5 (1/2012) Legendary artist Walter Simonson comes on board for an ambitious single-issue story that walks you through a day in the life of the Legion, checking in with every single member along the way! DC Universe

Extra Credit reading: Look what I found in the DCU Digital Library in some dark forgotten corner:

CONVERGENCE: SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES (2015-) #1 STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS!! While Brainiac 5 struggles to break through the dome, Superboy tries to keep the Legion of Super-Heroes’ spirits up – until the Atomic Knights ride into town to cause mass destruction! (hmm. Sounds like the plot of what we are reading above this week, lol…)
https://www.dcuniverse.com/comics/book/convergence-superboy-and-the-legion-of-super-heroes-2015-1/46e0f625-d166-4c02-96b6-810639b9a4fb/

CONVERGENCE: SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES (2015-) #2 Brainiac 5 and Superboy are from one of the most advanced worlds under the Convergence dome, but nothing can prepare them for the all-out war they now find themselves in against the Atomic Knights! DC Universe

Hmmm. I guess it’s inaccurate to claim that there were NO Legion comics for 6 years…there was this little oasis in the Legion drought…thoughts?

Next time: Let’s take another dip into the early Levitz’ years!!!

@Jay_Kay note from 10/12 on another platform: "Just finished the first issue and man, can you imagine someone who has never read comics before, going into the New 52 because they had been told how new reader friendly this was, picking this up for the first time? I’m pretty well versed in this corner of the universe and I’m not even sure what all happened. "

@Jay_Kay 10/16 note from another platform on this run: "Finished the first five issues of the New 52 run. The first four issues are decent enough, though the plot did make me wonder just why it is that Daxam doesn’t let it’s people have the cure that allows Mon-El fly around, like this random revolutionary guy might have a point.

I did really like the last issue with Walt Simonson on art. His art was great, of course, and all the characters they touch on were well done. Interestingly, I think this is the first issue I’ve seen where they’ve been explicit about Lightning Lass and Shrinking Violet’s relationship, which I think is very cool – it’s nice to see some more diversity in a group that’s supposed to be a thousand years in the future."