THE LEGION #1
"No Place Like Home"
Recommended (8/10)
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DC Comics
Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Pencils: Olivier Coipel
Inks: Andy Lanning
Colors: Tom McCraw & Digital Chameleon
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN |
And so, after the cancellation of two regular series, and the publication of two follow-up limited series, a new ongoing Legion of Super-Heroes book launches. This opening chapter in the characters' lives back on Earth is about the strongest Legion story I've seen from this team of creators, and I find I'm looking forward to what they have in store.
After an extended absence, the Legion finds its way back to Earth from the distant galaxy in which they were trapped. The world welcomes them with open arms, their status as its most beloved heroes apparently intact. Not everyone is as happy to see them, though. Aside from former Legionnaire M'Onel, the members of Earth's new protectors -- the Oversight Watch -- don't look forward to sharing the spotlight, while the new President of the United Planets, Leland McCauley, worries his precarious political control will be upset.
Coipiel's style has developed considerably since he debuted at the tail end of the runs of Legion of Super-Heroes and Legionnaires. His work here is much more polished, and it captures the hope and youth of the title characters wonderfully. However, he still brings a darkness and maturity to the book as well, reinforcing a balance established in Abnett and Lanning's script. Coipiel's art here reminds me a little of the work of Travis Charest, and I detect a hint of the influence of former Legionnaires artist and current Tom Strong penciller Chris Sprouse as well. Not bad company at all.
Now this is the Legion I know and love. The darker takes on the characters that we saw in Legion Lost (and the preceeding story arc in the two regular titles) just didn't work for me. The shift from a tone of hope to a more desperate mission to survive was jarring for me. Here, Abnett and Lanning seem to recognize the need to present the title characters as something of a beacon.
Mind you, there's still a more mature tone to the script. Though not that much happens in this issue, the seeds for an interesting political story are certainly planted (of course, I suppose they were actually planted in the Legion Worlds mini-series). The adjustments the young heroes must make to a world they don't completely recognize offer plenty of storytelling potential. I also like the fact that they'll be in conflict with the U.P. government, an entity the team once trusted and to which it owed its existence.
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