R.E.B.E.L. yell

Tony Bedard has an interview on CBR about the upcoming R.E.B.E.L.S. book.

Why bring the concept back as “R.E.B.E.L.S.” and not “L.E.G.I.O.N.”?

To be honest, I first pitched this as “L.E.G.I.O.N.,” but a couple of things became apparent as the series took shape. The first is that, on the heels of the cancellation of the regular “Legion of Super-Heroes” series, we didn’t want anyone confused that this might be a re-launch of “LSH,” or a sequel, or prequel, or whatever. There may be aspects of R.E.B.E.L.S. that were inspired by Legion, but “R.E.B.E.L.S.” is its own book set in the present-day DC Universe.

The other reason we went with “R.E.B.E.L.S.” has to do with our new premise. Brainiac 2 has been deposed from command of L.E.G.I.O.N., and his interplanetary police force has been turned into an army of occupation. Dox and his new strike team must fight an insurgent campaign, a guerilla war to free the people who paid good money for Dox’s protection. A situation like this happened once before, when Dox’s evil son stole his organization, and the series changed its name from “L.E.G.I.O.N.” to “R.E.B.E.L.S.” We figured that title is a better fit for the tone of our new series.

Set up the series for us, how does it open?

Brainiac 2 arrives on Earth with a crew of alien bounty hunters chasing him. His vast robotic police force has been usurped by an unknown adversary who, in one fell swoop, conquered all the worlds L.E.G.I.O.N. was supposed to protect. But Dox knows that Supergirl has what he needs – the key to winning back his command. Exactly what that “key” is will be a surprise, and it will require him to gather a new team which includes one former teammate, Strata, and four new allies who will be a whole lot of trouble for him. And a whole lot of crazy fun for us.

...Fill out the roster for us. Who else is on the team and what can you share about them?

I mentioned Strata, who hails from the same rocky race that gave us the classic Legionnaire, Blok. Strata was in the original “L.E.G.I.O.N.” series, and she provides a voice of reason and strong moral core to counterbalance Brainiac 2’s more excessive tendencies. We’ll also see Vril Dox recruit Wildstar, Tribulus, Bounder and the Emerald Princess, all of whom are reminiscent of some of my favorite LSH heroes and villains.

There’s a story reason why he chooses this group, and a logic to where they come from, but you’ll have to read the book to find out more. At the end of the day, this is an immensely powerful strike team, which Dox will need if he has any hope of defeating the new enemy who stole L.E.G.I.O.N. away from him, and now threatens the rest of the DCU.