REVIEW: Legion Of Superheroes #12
Legion Of Superheroes #12 acts as the epic conclusion to events that have been building since #1 of this new incarnation! Well, it’s #12, which can only mean this will cap off a graphic novel or two when the time comes as well!
Our main cover by Ryan Sook conveys just how epic this issue is going to be. The cover shows off a number of lesser featured Legion members charging the camera in attack mode, with some firing off various beams of fire and energy! Superimposed behind them is Superboy, with a very grim expression, steeling himself for the coming battle. In the background looms the shadow of Rogal Zarr, which is a great yet ominous touch! This is an epic blockbuster style cover if there ever was one!
The variant cover by Matt Taylor is a stunning people-mountain of Legionaries with Gold Lantern front and center. It’s rendered in a crazy red, blue, and gold stylized color pallet. The colors and background design evoke a feeling of Art Deco, but produced in the 1980s. A piece worthy of any pop art museum or 80’s shopping mall. Plus it features our hero Superboy and my personal hero, Triplicate Girl!
The plot picks up right where the last issue left off, with Superboy confronting Rogal Zarr as he invades New Krypton! It’s pretty much just an all out Avengers Endgame style final battle from there! We get some EPIC Superboy moments where he pulls some moves his dad would be proud of, battling Rogal Zarr in space and on Terra Firma.
Ryan Sook, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Jordie Bellaire do a magnificent job conveying the intensity and scope of the action. Bouncing Boy looked so great as he was battling, as did the very last page. Another moment that really stood out to me (art-wise) was a series of panels where Superboy is thrown from space back to the planet! Amazing! Speaking of which, that sequence contains one of two double page spreads in the issue, and both are just beautiful and action packed!
Brian Bendis has provided some great character moments here too! This book is his DC crown jewel, tied with Naomi as far as I’m concerned. I am loving all of these characters. Mon-El makes his return to the fray, a character moment that made me sad in the previous issue is reversed, and once again, Zod is hilariously out of character. Especially when you compare him to what we are used to 1,000 years in the past. The issue is very Saturn Girl centric and we get to see her deepening feelings for Superboy, as well as some of her motives for wanting him to come to the future in the first place.
I’ll take the last bit of this review to discuss how much I love the very last page of this issue. The art is beautifully rendered and conveys so much with zero dialogue. Romances are established, personalities are displayed and examined, camaraderie is felt, and a joke is even paid off from way back in Superman #15! If this was the last page of this run, I’d be a happy and satisfied customer, it’s a perfect send off. But thankfully there is more to come and I can’t wait!
Legion of Superheroes #12 is an epic and action packed issue, with beautiful art, great character moments, and payoffs that make this a fantastic wrap up for this arc of the story!
Haven’t picked up Legion Of Superheroes #12 yet? You can get the standard cover by Ryan Sook, you can get that here (UK), or here (US). Or if you prefer the variant cover by Matt Taylor, you can get that here.
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