Wizard interviews Johns & Perez on L3W
Wizard Magazine apparently has (or will have) a story on "Legion of 3 Worlds", interviewing Geoff Johns and George Perez. What looks like an excerpt of the story is on their website. Here's the last question asked of the two:
New Legion ongoing?In one of my early posts here (slightly amended to remove the Mordruverse as a whole number upgrade), I created a software-type naming system for the various Legions:JOHNS: I'd love to do it. It's just a matter of the right person to do it with and the time. But I'd absolutely love to write a monthly Legion of Super-Heroes book. I really want to write a Superman the Legion of Super-Heroes book. I don't know if it'll be a reality or not, but it's definitely something I want to do.
PÉREZ: In my case, probably unlikely. If nothing else, the ability to do that kind of a book on a monthly basis may be getting beyond my years. And by doing this where I get to draw all the Legions, what really is there left for me to do with [the team]? Revisiting past glories is not something I can easily do. Although, I would love to do at least one issue of Wonder Woman just so I can work with Gail Simone! [Laughs]
1.0 = pre-Crisis
1.1 = post-Crisis
1.2 = Glorithverse
2.0 = post-Zero Hour
3.0 = post-Infinite Crisis
I guess that would make the "Lightning Saga" Legion to be version 1.3, though it appears to be intended to replace 1.1 and 1.2 completely and not be added on to the end of 1.2.
So let's suppose for the sake of argument that the new series that comes out of L3W stars the Legion 1.3 only, with the 2.0 and 3.0 Legions appearing from time to time as guest stars (think of the old JLA/JSA teamups of the 1970s and 1980s, the only place the JSA appeared at the time). Given what you've seen with the JLA/JSA/LSH teamup and the Action storyline, what would you think of a new Legion series written by Geoff Johns?
Posts
5 comments:
Given the way they are trying to push the Lightning Saga ( and the Supes books in general ), I'd say that sticking to your numbering system, it should be Legion 1.0.1
Given what you've seen with the JLA/JSA/LSH teamup and the Action storyline, what would you think of a new Legion series written by Geoff Johns?
Too early to tell. Both of the stories you mention are, by their very nature, introductory. (For that matter, so is FC:L3W.) And there hasn't been an introductory Legion story in decades that hasn't been well-regarded. So Johns hasn't proven anything about how much potential his vision of the Legion has in the long run, or even if he has a vision of the Legion for the long run.
I don't know. I'm not going to sit here and say that Johns isn't a good writer, but he's rubbed me the wrong way with his recent Legion work. I imagine he'd do just fine if he was the Legion's regular writer, but... I don't relish the prospect anyway.
I would be mightly afraid that, in the "Superman an the legion" book that he "really" wants to write, Superman would end up dominating. Say what you will, but removing Superboy as an everyday member really opened up the book for a lot of other legionairres, and I'd hate to see that progress reversed.
Also, while I likes Johns' JSA, it does not inspire confidence in me for his Legion potential. In JSA he's brought in so many damn members that virtually none of them actually get anything to say or do, and they all end up as guest stars in their own mag. I'm not 100% sold on his ability to work a sprwaling team dynamic. (Q: But you said you liked his JSA A: Yes, but I hold Legion to a higher standard).
Finally, I'm not thrilled with his demonstrated abilities to handle Legion continuity. If the Lightning Saga showed us Karate Kid and Sensor Girl as Legion members at the same time, well, that either makes this Legion 4.0, or Johns is winging his continuity. L3W may sort this out, but right now i don't have a lot of faith that Johns actually knows what he's doing (or he's just doing what he wants, continuity be damned, and he's using L3W to construct his ultimate fantasy Legion).
@snell: Your last comment could, with much more justice, apply to Keith Giffen (Five Years Later et seq.). And to Abnett and Lanning. And to Mark Waid, on both his stints. What's at all new about "doing what he wants" as to continuity?
Johns is trying to explicitly connect threads to, and within, the pre-first-Crisis past. This makes me give him a lot of room for character changes. Who says that this Legion didn't have Jeckie's self-makeover precede Val's death?
I'm not at all sure Johns's stitchery will be followed up with an ongoing series, but if L3W sells well, such a series will clearly replace the current Threeboot.
Only one "adult"-audience Legion title can sell in reliable numbers. I think v3-vs.-Tales and v4-vs.-Legionnaires have proved that by now. (A mini-series, or a side dish such as the animated-series spin-off, can thrive for a while.)
If Johns writes it, I'm there. At least for now. I reserve the right to amend this if, say, too many meet an ignominious "hat trick" demise in L3W. But I don't expect that.
Generally, there's not a Johns written book that I have disliked, and I do love his take on certain Legion characters (like Brainy). I think I can understand his desire to pen an Adult Legion series because then you're dealing with a bunch of adults who have worked together since they were kids -- and the dynamics that come with those kinds of intimate relationships. I can see the potential in those stories, as opposed to telling more teenage stories (and, truth be told, unlike the Silver Age, the modern comic book reading audience of DC's main line is older than their teen years, so you'd think that they'd want to reflect that).
As for Johns and his take on continuity, I will venture to guess that with the Time Trapper being the main villian of L3W, the 1.3 or 1.0.1 Legion will be explained away as being the same as the Pre-Crisis Legion, just with some Time Trapper meddling. Many of Johns' stories lately (the current Brainiac in Action, the Toyman story also in Action, the Green Lantern "Secret origin") have a strong sense of "the continuity you thought you knew is not the whole story"
Post a Comment