Phase 1 complete: create buzz

Phase 1 of the push for the Legion's 50th anniversary celebration is complete: Jim Shooter announced as writer. Well that was certainly buzz-worthy!

Reading the various blogs and message boards, I'm seeing a surprising (and very pleasantly so) groundswell of support. People are saying that they hadn't considered reading the Legion but they'll pick it up now, people who had dropped the book picking it back up again, etc. As I suspected, many cite their fondness for his work on the Legion in his previous runs, and also for his Marvel and Valiant work, as the reason for their excitement.

Read Christopher "Mighty God King" Bird's take on the matter first. He's got a great non-fanboyish take on the matter.

Before I get to the list of discussion places, here's a new interview that Shooter did with Wizard:

Wizard: Is it tough not to play favorites with characters in a series such as Legion?

Shooter: The Legion is a true ensemble series. Every character has his or her moments center stage. I’ll be introducing a number of new characters, who will also have their time in the spotlight—including one “new” character who, if I tell you about, [DC Comics] will call in an air strike on my house.

Wizard: Now, did you keep up with Legion comics after leaving the book in the ’70s?

Shooter: I haven’t kept up with the Legion at all, but since I took the assignment, I’ve read all germane back issues, graciously provided by DC. I like Mark Waid’s writing—I think he’s terrific—though I don’t agree with every change he made in his “reimagining.” I like Barry Kitson’s beautiful art. My run follows the Waid and Tony Bedard runs.

Wizard: Is it strange to try to follow other writers’ continuity after setting so much of it yourself?

Shooter: I am doing my best to honor what they established, even things I wouldn’t have done—for instance, Colossal Boy being from a city of giants and insisting on being called “Micro Lad.” I’m keeping the established continuity going the best I can.

Wizard: Moving past the heroes, what kinds of villains will the Legion face? All new creations or new takes on old characters?

Shooter: Some old adversaries will turn up along the way, but I plan to introduce a lot of new enemies. As a reader, I loved seeing new bad guys often. And when “old” bad guys come back, it will be in new ways, with a fresh approach. And why stop there? Francis and I will be introducing all kinds of new environments, characters, concepts and worlds.

Message boards:
Newsarama (with the article that broke the news)
ComicBloc (here too)
Comic Book Resources
Legion World
DC Comics
Howling Curmudgeons
ComiXtreme
Wizard
Superman Thru the Ages
Revision3

Blogs
A Distant Soil
Occasional Superheroine
Mighty God King
MorganMinstrel's (Jonathan Miller) LJ
Central Comics Zone
Fascination Place
Yendi's LJ