Bits of L3W Business

Grife, that was both fun and tough. It took me a few hours to do the writeup for L3W #1, with lots of Googling, lots of looking stuff up at the Grand Comics Database, and frantically thumbing through my copies of "Who's Who in the LSH" and Mark Waid's "Legion Index". I'll make more corrections and additions in the next day or so.

In the meantime, if you want to read about what the rest of the comicsblogosphere thinks, here are some places to go (in the order that I received the Google Alert):

• Doug Wolk's Final Crisis Annotations
  
  
• Tim Callahan's Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #1 Annotations
  
  
• Diamondrock at Title Undetermined:
  

  This could be the beginning of the greatest comic story I have ever read. I say that with absolutely no irony.

  
  
• Blog@Newsarama
  

  The Legion of Super-Heroes, with its reboots, threeboots and sprawling cast, can be a little confusing — even for longtime fans. So, how can a new reader expect to untangle all the characters and references in Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds? ... It’s Annotations of Three Worlds!

  
  
• Todd Seavey:
  

  Look, I want off the stuff as much as any addict, but all this happening in the same month is the sci-fi-leaning, continuity-obsessed, reality-warp-examining comic fanboy’s equivalent of delivering all the crack in the world to one crack addict’s doorstep in a single morning — and unlike the members of the Legion, I’m only human.

  
  
• Matthew's Legion Abstract reviewing L3W #1:
  

  I'll make another prediction: Chameleon Boy, one of the missing Legionnaires, is not exactly missing. He's deep undercover. And he's going to reveal himself at a key moment in issue #3 or #4 of this series, in the best Chameleon Boy tradition.
  
  ...It's easy to imagine that Superboy-Prime, unlike Luthor, is achievably redeemable. He was a hero, after all. Sure, he's crazy, and he's killed Frith knows how many people, but he's got the seeds of Superman in him. It can be done.
  
  ...Let's keep our expectations in check for the second issue. First issues are notorious crowd-pleasers; second issues are trickier. There could be a bit of consolidation but that's okay. Perspective.
  
  This was a good start. If the rest of the story can live up to it, FC:L3W will be one to remember for a long time.

  
  
• IGN's review of issue 1:
  

  Frankly, the only connection I can form between Final Crisis and Legion of Three Worlds is that both books are packed with characters and not overly accessible to new readers. Both are rewarding experiences to those with a reasonable knowledge of the DCU, however, and that should be enough for most readers. Rating: 7.4 (out of 10)

  
  
• Comic Book Catacombs reviews issue 1:
  

  I recommend this series to all who enjoy good superhero slug fests.

  
  
• Kimota94:
  

  And as cool as it's going to be to have three different versions of the Legion in subsequent issues - representing the 50-year history of the team, which has been rife with reboots and retcons - it seems a bit convenient that the main group's knowing about the other teams, and bringing them into their universe, are going to prove to be about as complicated as ordering a pizza. And finally, I've yet to figure out exactly why this is a Final Crisis series. There doesn't seem to be any tie to the events of the main series, even tangentially (like having Superman be plucked from some Final Crisis moment). Right now it smells like more of a marketing move than a story-driven one.

  
  
• Newsarama's review:
  

  Granted, a good portion of this is set-up, and we already know what a big story point is going to be from the very title of the thing. Still, this is a top-notch start. I’m actually excited to see the Legions interact, and I’m eagerly waiting to see how Perez makes it all look. That dovetails into this strange feeling I had the entire time I was reading . . . what is that? Oh, yeah. It’s called fun.

  
  

Plus other stuff:

• Jim Deitz talks about when he first read the first Legion tabloid, the Limited Collector's Edition story reprinting the Shooter/Swan Mordru story.
  
  
• Tim Callahan tells readers at CBR "Don't Fear the Legion" as he lists ten stories for Legion newbies:
  

  I'm sure DC hopes that you'll be fascinated enough by the appearance of the characters to seek out more Legion comics. But where do you start? The Legion is the largest super-team in history, and there are three versions to choose from? It can be intimidating, but if you can overcome your fear, I have some suggestions about where you might want to look for more of your Legion fix. Because once you get hooked, like I did, there's nothing to do but give in to the pleasure of the Legion of Super-Heroes.
  
  Because you probably don't have infinite resources, I'll restrict myself to ten essential Legion stories. If you can track these down, you'll have the beginnings of a Lifetime Legion Reading Plan. And these ten stories will give you perspective on each of the three Legions. You won't need these comics to understand what Johns and Perez are doing in their series, but reading these stories might help you appreciate why the Legion has such a special place in so many hearts. (Either that, or you'll think Legion fans are crazy, and you'll steer clear of us at conventions. Whatever.)

  
  
• Tim Callahan (him again?), this time at Newsarama, talks about his books on Grant Morrison and the Legion.
  

  NRAMA: The Legion has proven to be one of the most enduring concepts in DC's stable, despite its many incarnations. Why do you feel it has such a following, and what is unique about this following?
  
  TC: I'm definitely on the periphery of Legion fandom, and even though I've read every single Legion story, I still can't answer most of the trivia questions Michael Grabois posts on his Legion Omnicom site. But I think there's definitely a hardcore Legion base in fandom who care more about the team than they care about anything else in pop culture, and I think that's awesome.
  
  But here's the thing—almost all the hardcore Legion fans I've met are only hardcore about one particular era—usually the era from Edmund Hamilton in the 1960s to Paul Levitz in the 1980s. They aren't insanely devoted to the Legion as a concept, no matter the version.
  
  They are insanely (and I mean this only in the most positive way) devoted to the Legion when it was at its best. When it was one of the few comics in the world that had fantastic ideas, complex subplots, and actual, real character arcs. People in the Legion died. And sometimes even stayed dead! That just didn't happen, and still doesn't happen, in superhero comics.
  
  The Legion in many ways—at its best—fulfills the potential of the superhero genre by blending the wish fulfillment with the science fiction and the operatic emotional heights.