by
      Sean
      McQuaid
     
    

    
     
      nyone
      out
      there
      remember
      the
      original
     
     
      A
      Legion
      of
      Super
      Heroes?
      You
      know,
      the
     
    

    
     
      30th
      century
      group
      of
      teen
      heroes
      who
     
     
      formed
      a
      club
      dedicated
      to
      battling
      evil
      and
     
     
      upholding
      truth
      and
      justice
      and
      all
      that
      good
     
     
      stuff.
      They
      wore
      colorful
      costumes,
      sported
     
     
      names
      like
      ‘‘Cosmic
      Boy’’
      and
      ‘‘Saturn
     
     
      Girl’’,
      and
      were
      headquartered
      in
      this
      cute-
     
     
      as-a-button
      clubhouse
      that
      looked
      like
      an
     
     
      upside-downrocket
      ship.
      Somehow
      the
      team
     
    
   
   
    
     
      developed
      a
      loyal
      fan
      following
      that
      has
      \
      \‘
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      persisted
      for
      decades,
      but
      many
      fans
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      expressed
      concern
      that
      the
      Legion
      just
      ain’t
      ,\\
     
     
      )
     
    
   
   
    
     
      3
      Bar
      ‘
      2
      “Te
      a
      t
     
     
      members
      are
      in
      their
      thirties,
      with
      various
      =]
      PS
      ¥
      LZ)
      9
     
    
   
   
    
     
      what
      it
      used
      to
      be.
      The
      problem
      is,
      they’
      ve
     
     
      grown
      up.
      By
      the
      time
      of
      the
      current
      Legion
     
    
   
   
    
     
      realities
      as
      career
      moves,
      marriage,
      and
      death.
     
     
      Gone
      are
      the
      bright
      costumes,
      the
      silly
     
    
   
   
    
     
      codenames
      and
      the
      goofy
      clubhouse.
      The
      >
     
    
   
   
    
     
      current
      Legion
      book
      deals
      with
      adult
      charac-
      <
     
     
      ters
      who
      face
      rather
      sobering
      adult
      issues
      .
      (‘zt
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      challenges
      against
      the
      backdrop
      of
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      war-scarred
      future
      that
      isn’t
      as
      bright
      as
      it
      &
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ve
     
    
   
   
    
     
      once
      was.
      Many
      old
      and
      new
      fans
      have
      .
     
     
      embraced
      the
      Legion’s
      sophisticated
      new
     
     
      direction,
      but
      many
      fans
      also
      continue
      to
      g
     
     
      wistfully
      recall
      the
      old
      Legion
      with
      its
      col-
     
     
      ourful
      spirit
      and
      youthful
      idealism.
      It’s
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      satisf
      aa
      «
     
     
      y
      those
      fans
      that
      DC
      has
      produced
      the
      3
      Ca
     
    
   
   
    
     
      new
      Legionnaires
      ongoing
      monthly
      series.
     
     
      Ina
      book
      thick
      with
      deja
      vu
      we
      are
      presented
     
     
      with
      a
      new
      team
      of
      strangely
      familiar
      super-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      istic-as-all-get-out...they’ve
      even
      managed
     
     
      to
      dig
      up
      that
      absurd
      rocket
      ship
      clubhouse.
     
     
      Before
      you
      think
      we’ve
      stepped
      into
      a
     
     
      timewarp,
      think
      again.
      The
      new
      Legionnaires
     
     
      series
      is
      not
      the
      most
      original
      creation
      to
      come
     
     
      down
      the
      pike
      but
      it’s
      also
      not
      a
      reprint,
      a
     
     
      flashback,
      or
      an
      imaginary
      story.
      There
      really
      is
     
     
      ateen
      version
      of
      the
      Legion
      running
      loose
      in
      the
     
     
      thirtieth
      century
      again.
      How,
      you
      may
      ask?
     
     
      Well,
      nothing’s
      ever
      simple
      in
      the
      decades-
     
     
      long,
      character-cluttered
      continuity
      of
      the
      Le-
     
     
      gion
      of
      Super
      Heroes,
      but
      here’s
      a
      stab
      at
      a
     
     
      capsule
      explanation:
      Earth,
      as
      shown
      in
      the
     
     
      Legion
      of
      Superheroes
      series
      of
      recent
      years,
     
     
      had
      secretly
      fallen
      under
      the
      control
      of
      the
      alien
     
     
      Dominators,
      whose
      hidden
      activities
      included
     
    
   
   
    
     
      teens,
      the
      Legion
      as
      they
      were
      in
      their
      youth:
     
     
      eager,
      exuberan:,,
      brightly
      costumed,
      ideal-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      14
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      use
      of
      humans
      in
      bizarre
      genetic
      experi-
     
     
      ments.
      During
      the
      subsequent
      war
      to
      free
      Earth,
     
     
      one
      of
      the
      Dominators’
      underground
      experi-
     
     
      mental
      chambers
      was
      accidentally
      opened,
      re-
     
     
      leasing
      from
      stasis
      a
      batch
      of
      teen-aged
      ver-
     
     
      sions
      of
      most
      of
      the
      early
      Legion
      of
      Super
     
     
      Heroes
      members.
      Whether
      these
      new
      Legion-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      i,
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Yel
     
     
      e
     
    
   
   
    
     
      rae
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
          
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (
     
    

    
     
      i
      J
     
     
      /
      LZ
     
     
      naires
      are
      clones
      of
      the
      original
      or
      if
      the
      adult
     
     
      originals
      are
      clones
      who
      at
      some
      point
      replaced
     
     
      the
      kids
      who
      were
      then
      placed
      in
      suspended
     
     
      animation
      is
      a
      question
      the
      two
      Legions
      have
     
     
      been
      batting
      around
      ever
      since,
      and
      it’s
      also
      not
     
     
      known
      for
      what
      purpose
      the
      Dominators
      hoped
     
     
      to
      use
      acloned
      Legion
      in
      the
      first
      place.
      Regard-
     
     
      less,
      the
      end
      result
      is
      that
      there
      are
      now
      two
     
     
      Legions
      on
      the
      go,
      and
      it’s
      a
      good
      thing
      too
     
     
      since
      Earth
      was
      blown
      to
      bits
      at
      the
      conclusion
     
     
      of
      the
      war
      to
      liberate
      the
      planet.
      The
      two
      legions
     
     
      helped
      evacuate
      the
      bulk
      of
      Earth’s
      population,
     
     
      and
      the
      planet’s
      major
      cities
      survived
      by
      being
     
    
   
   
    
     
      '
     
    
   
   
    
     
      J
      es
      concept
      was
      pretty
      silly
      to
      begin
      with.
      It
     
    
   
   
    
     
      //
      seems
      rather
      confusing
      and
      unoriginal
      to
     
     
      (Pam,
      ave
      two
      age
      versions
      of
      the
      same
      charac-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Re
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Xe
     
    
   
   
    
     
          
     
    
   
   
    
     
      RQ
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      @e
      7
      ?
     
     
      pn
      clus
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘launched
      into
      space
      where
      they
      linked
      to
      form
     
    
   
   
    
     
      New
      Earth,
      a
      massive
      collection
      of
      domed
      cities
     
     
      in
      which
      the
      culture
      and
      institutions
      of
      earth
     
     
      survive.
      Still,
      the
      surviving
      populace
      has
      a
      lot
      of
     
     
      work
      ahead
      to
      restore
      order
      and
      prosperity
      to
      its
     
     
      society,
      and
      it’s
      more
      than
      conventional
      au-
     
     
      thorities
      can
      handle
      alone.
      So,
      with
      the
      adult
     
    

    
     
      Legion
      now
      headquartered
      in
      deep
      space,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      what
      do
      you
      do?
      Send
      in
      the
      clones.
      The
     
     
      ’
      Y
      young
      Legion,
      known
      simply
      as
      the
      Legion-
     
     
      FY
      naires,
      set
      up
      shop
      on
      New
      Earth
      to
      serve
      as
     
     
      Paes
      Li
      asource
      of
      protection
      and
      inspiration
      for
      the
     
     
      rs
      Yj
      embattled
      populace...and
      that’s
      where
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      new
      Legionnaires
      series
      begins.
      There’s
      a
     
     
      few
      unavoidably
      annoying
      things
      about
      this
     
     
      te
      new
      series.
      For
      one
      thing,
      this
      whole
      clone
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ters
      running
      about
      within
      the
      same
      continu-
     
     
      ity,
      and
      it’s
      a
      rather
      unoriginally
      contrived
     
     
      move
      designed
      to
      pander
      to
      the
      fandom
     
     
      2
      faction
      that
      cringes
      at
      the
      presence
      of
      de-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sa)
      Pressing
      realism
      in
      comics,
      the
      segment
      of
     
     
      ‘==
      the
      reading
      populace
      that
      has
      been
      most
     
    
   
   
    
     
      vocally
      critical
      of
      the
      recent
      Legion
      of
      Super
     
     
      Heroes
      series.
      A
      better
      move
      might
      have
     
     
      been,
      say,
      having
      the
      Dominators
      create
      an
     
    
   
   
    
     
      gz.
      entirely
      new
      batch
      of
      teen
      heroes
      with
      pow-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ers
      based
      on
      the
      Legion’s,
      thereby
      creating
     
     
      an
      original
      cast
      still
      in
      keeping
      with
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      readers:
      recapturing
      the
      exuberant
      spirit
      of
     
     
      the
      early
      Legion.
      Confusing
      duplication
      and
     
     
      :
      silly
      concept
      aside,
      though,
      the
      book
      has
     
     
      shown
      some
      promise.
     
    

    
     
      While
      the
      characters
      are
      out-and-out
     
     
      clones
      of
      the
      adult
      Legion
      in
      both
      power
      and
     
     
      personality,
      the
      writers
      have
      managed
      to
     
     
      make
      them
      distinctive
      to
      some
      extent,
      giv-
     
     
      ing
      them
      new
      costumes
      and
      new
      codenames
     
     
      (i.e.
      the
      new
      Sun
      Boy
      calling
      himself
      ‘‘In-
     
     
      ferno’’
      and
      the
      new
      Element
      Lad
      calling
      him-
     
     
      self
      ‘‘Alchemist’’)
      and
      stressing
      the
      sometimes
     
     
      considerable
      differences
      in
      character
      between
     
     
      the
      mature
      Legionnaires
      and
      their
      youthful
      coun-
     
     
      terparts.
      Some
      of
      the
      youngsters
      are
      especially
     
     
      unique
      in
      that
      their
      adult
      counterparts
      are
      de-
     
     
      ceased:
      for
      example,
      Sun
      Boy,
      Ferro
      Lad,
      and
     
     
      Invisible
      Kid,
      all
      of
      whom
      have
      long
      been
     
     
      absent
      from
      the
      Legion,
      and
      it’s
      refreshing
      in
     
     
      the
      cases
      of
      Ferro
      Lad
      and
      Invisible
      Kid
      to
      see
     
     
      these
      obscure,
      long-dead
      characters
      given
      a