I've already read the next issue of Legion, so I have some idea where this is going, but even those without that knowledge will probably be impressed with "Dream Crime." The story centers on a visit to Titan that offers the promise of a dangerous foe rearing his head, but it also skips around to other Legion stories in an expert way not seen since Paul Levitz was on the book, and if there was any doubt that Abnett and Lanning have ushered in a new golden age for the book, I doubt it will remain when "Dream Crime" is done. Especially when you factor in the artwork by Batista and Farmer, which is simply amazing in its ability to convey the alien worlds and expansive cast that is so important to The Legion.
What Abnett and Lanning have brought to the Legion is an approach that blends more smoothly the science-fiction and super-hero nature of the setting. The exploration of what it's like on a telepath world, often used for gags at Nura Nal's expense but also generally exploring what a world of telepaths might be like, is a nice bit of world-building, and I love seeing the portals that are now the way that the people in the 30th century travel. Little things like Saturn Girl thanking their navigator for the trip or the silence on Titan help to establish the fantastic nature of the setting, which really sets it apart from other super-hero books.
Which doesn't mean that the super-hero trappings are gone entirely. Abnett and Lanning have also captured the angst and characterization that has long defined the Legion, whether it's the impending doom of Nura Nal's dream flashes, the quest for lost friends, the solution to a baby with strange aging problems or a personal transformation that is causing psychological harm. I'm particularly interested in the latter, as the creators have changed the somewhat cartoony and borderline goofy Sensor into someone who looks more alien instead.
Of course, part of the credit there must go to new artist Chris Batista, who is quite frankly spectacular in this issue. There are strong visuals for the characters, such as the new look for Sensor or the jacket-accessory costume of Saturn Girl. There are amazing detailed backgrounds, such as the shots of the seas of Titan or the Titanet tower. There's the nifty effect of Nura's vision, depicted by use of silhouettes for a truly creepy effect. And there are strong, realistic faces with plenty of capacity for emotion in each shot. Basically, Batista has leaped for the high bar set by Olivier Coipel's work on the title and cleared it with plenty of room to spare.
With impressive juggling of a large cast, several subplots and an intriguing main plot with a popular classic villain developing, the first issue of "Dream Crime" is one of the strongest Legion issues to come down the pike in a while. Though DC still hasn't really given this book the support it deserves with trade paperbacks of the early Abnett/Lanning work, that doesn't mean readers shouldn't take this chance to jump on, because the book hasn't been this good in quite some time.
