REVIEW: Justice League vs The Legion Of Super-Heroes #1

After their books untimely cancellation after only a meagre 12 issues, The Legion of Superheroes, as reimagined by Brian Michael Bendis, returns in Justice League vs. The Legion of Super-Heroes #1.

Joining Bendis is veteran Legion artist, Scott Godlewski, who mans the helm on the main cover and interior art. The main cover is an epic hero shot of the two teams flying into action together over a backdrop of the Gold Lantern Emblem. Everyone looks great here, especially our favorite superhero, who is posed front and center!

The variant cover by Travis Moore depicts Superman and the newly redesigned Lightning Lad flying together. The art is detailed here, but the posing on Superman does look a little awkward, trying to show off his entire costume while still having him fly directly toward the camera. Also, at first glance, the harsh shadows around Superman’s neck and cape led me to believe for a moment that mullet Superman had returned for this cover! However it was just an optical illusion.

Though I have to say that both covers are deceptive, because Superman appears nowhere in this issue, despite being featured very prominently on both covers. As we know, Superman is currently trapped on Warworld in the pages of Action Comics, and it appears this series will be taking that timing into account. Jon Kent’s Superman does appropriately appear however, as he is the current Superman on Earth and was the hero from the 21st century most closely tied to this iteration of The Legion. 

Now, I loved Bendis’ Legion series and it is so good to see them back on the page, with an added bonus of my favourite Legionnaire, Triplicate Girl, being a main focus of the story this time around! I think fans of time travel stories will be in for a treat, as the enigmatic nature of the threat looming over our heroes seems to be playing some paradoxical tricks, and I can’t wait to find out more.

Brian Michael Bendis’ writing, Scott Godlewski’s artwork and Ryan Cody’s colours doesn’t skip a beat from the last issue of Legion and it’s like we’re picking up right where we left off. For fans of the previous series, you’ll be pleased to know that this crossover seems to be focusing heavily on one of the very large dangling plot threads left by the cancellation. A plot thread with a namesake harkening back to a particularly epic arc of classic Legion comics which could have big ramifications for the present day heroes and the multiverse at large. It could perhaps even tie into the Infinite Frontier and its affiliated titles. A possibility made even more likely by Gold Lantern, a multiversal police officer, being central to the plot as well. But that’s speculation on my part, we’ll have to see.

But speaking of dangling plot threads, this was a bitter sweet read for me as I was so very much enjoying The Legion series, and in particular what they were doing with Jon Kent and his love interest Saturn Girl. It gives me a pit in my stomach to be back with the characters I love, knowing that some of the things I most enjoyed have been scrapped and taken into other directions. That being said, here’s hoping we’ll get answers about Jon, Imra, and even Damian Wayne as this new look at The Legion progresses.

Justice League vs The Legion of Super-Heroes #1 seamlessly continues Bendis’ amazing Legion run. It expertly picks up on plot points left dangling, and promises a thrilling time travel centered team up story!

Haven’t picked up Justice League vs The Legion Of Super-Heroes #1 yet? You can get the standard cover by Scott Godlewski here (UK) or here (US). Or if you prefer the variant cover by Travis Moore, you can get that here.

**The above links are affiliates, which mean I will earn commission from any products bought via these links**