Legion Lost, Volume 1: Run From Tomorrow

Legion Lost (2011) #1

by Fabian Nicieza (Writer), Pete Woods (Illustrator)

Seven heroes from the 31st century have traveled back to the present day. Their mission: Save their future from annihilation. But when the future tech they brought with them fails, they find themselves trapped in a nightmarish world that, for them, is the ultimate struggle to survive!

The Legionnaires struggle to find the hulking bio-terrorist Alastor, who released the deadly virus that has nearly wiped out the present day DC Universe, but with teammate losses mounting and new enemies popping up at every turn, the Legionnaires may never be able to return home.

Collects: Legion Lost #1-7.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Science Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2012

About the author

Fabian Nicieza is a writer and editor who is best known as the co-creator of DEADPOOL and for his work on Marvel titles such as X-Men, X-Force, New Warriors, and Robin.

His first novel, the Edgar Award-nominated SUBURBAN DICKS, a sarcastic murder mystery, is on sale now from Putnam Books.

The Dicks will return in THE SELF-MADE WIDOW, coming June 21st.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(B+) 76% | Good
Notes: Hard to get invested in, though decently exciting, there's little "get-to-know," just status quo, strategery and fighting.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

More super powered kids with forgettable names and derivative abilities from of all places – the FUTURE. Thank goodness two of them bite the dust early on; less work for my addled mind to keep track of this menagerie.

Obligatory embellished plot synopsis for Anne: It seems that there was some sprocking* villain in the future who wanted revenge on humans so he plans to unleash some sort of pathogen to mess with all of humanity; however, bad guy gets on the wrong escalator and ends up in present day New 52 continuity. The regular Legion of Superheroes sent these scrubs to take care of the problem; however due to unsuccessfully trying to juggle too many plot threads they fail and the pathogen is released in North Dakota so nobody cares**. And because the time portal thing blew up, the kids are now stuck in present day New 52 continuity. Suckers!

Fabian Nicieza has been writing comics for a while, but it seems that everything he writes for DC comics is just horribly misguided (read Azreal, or better yet, don't). That said, if you stick with it (and it is oh so hard; so, so sprocking hard!) the last few issues, from Martian Manhunter's appearance on, are actually pretty good.

*this passes for harsh language in the future.

**Batman doesn’t do sprocking North Dakota

[Sans · Rating 2 out of 5]

It worked, just not really for me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one even though I hated "Legion of Super-Heroes, Vol. 1). The two books have a common thread, being that they are both about members of the LoSH and reading this one made me understand LSH better. LoSH starts with an accident and the loss (death) of some team members. This volume is the story of those members; they are not dead but stuck in the 21st century. There are five members and we get to know them pretty well with Timber Wolf and Wildfire getting the most attention. I really liked everyone, especially Tellus, even though I hadn't heard of any of them before. The story is pretty good and gives the team a mission to solve that they've brought with them to Earth. That arc ends and the last issue deals with them getting used to the fact that they are stuck on 21st-century earth. One issue involves the inclusion of a famous DCer who I always enjoy, so that brought a bit of familiarity for me. Pretty good team effort and I'd like to meet these guys again.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant surprise as I slowly catch up on some (because not of the titles interest me) DC Comics reboot. Legion Lost had previously been a group of LSH members lost in another galaxy trying to find their way home. With the reboot, we now have seven Legionaires lost in time, specifically 2012.

While I recall writer Fabian Niceza didn't finish the series before its cancellation after 12 issues, he does a very good of setting up long running story lines in this volume which encompasses issues 1-7. The major plot thread is the chase of another time traveler Alastor who is bringing a virus to the 21st century in revenge for his university student sister's death on Earth at the hands of xenophobes.

The small things are the best things about this TPB. Referencing the Flashpoint event (an event series produced by DC Comics)as the reason the history books know so little about 21st century earth. All of the Legionaires having minor health issues because of the environmental changes from the 31st century to the 21st century.

SPOILER



Years ago DC used its Valor series to explain why there are so many humanoid inhabited planets in the galaxy, and why humans developed superhuman/transhuman abilities over the centuries. Nicieza does the same thing here, or at least plants a seed for it, that is different than the Valor premise but arguably just as workable. A nice touch.

[Steve Chaput · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a long-time Legion fan I was interested to see this new take on something that had been tried before. The idea of trapping a handful of LoSH members in the 20th/21st century was interesting, as they knew what was in store for the current crop of heroes, but had to refrain from becoming involved. Thereby changing history. Of course, given the number of alternative universes it was always possible that these folks were from another future all together.

I've liked a lot of what Fabian Nicieza has written for both DC and Marvel in the past, so having him take on some Legion characters made it an easy sell for me. I was really enjoying the book for the most part, and recommend this TPB collection of the early issues. Sadly, as is usual for both DC & Marvel, writers always have to put a stop on any plot they are working on to make way for some event or other. This is what happened in the case of this title in later issues. Sad since the title had potential.

[Alex Sarll · Rating 1 out of 5]

If insanity is repeatedly doing the same thing while expecting different results, then my attempts to find a version of the Legion of Super-Heroes which lives up to the core concept definitely count. This feels like a comic from 30 years ago - characters explaining their powers to each other every issue, while using the caption boxes to narrate and emote.

[Tone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than the core Legion title. I'm glad I didn't have to completely give up on a life time of reading the Legion.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow plodding start, semi interesting end, and a frightful coda, considering the teased crossover has already been read and was terrible.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stuff...I liked it.
Don't love it...but like it

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad over all. I read the first couple of issues when this first came out in 2011, but it didn't grab me then. This time, I was fairly well involved in the story, and the art by Pete Woods was great.

I thought it was interesting that this team consisted of most of the non-white and non-humanoid Legionnaires, though. Ugh. But a lot of them are some of my favorite Legionnaires.

Still, the premise for this book never made sense for a monthly title, and it's no surprise it only lasted 16 issues or so. Worth checking out if you are a Legion fan, although I don't think it's in continuity any more, if it ever was.

[Jason O'Hagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm such a sucker for the Legion of Superheroes.

But, this was not the greatest Legionnaires story. It's not a BAD story... clearly it is going to tie in with a larger crossover event in the near-future, and it gives us a few clues to the post-Flashpoint universe that DC is trying to create; but, it leaves much, much more unexplained. Like, what happened to Gates? And, what does Tellus know that he won't tell us? (ha ha, see what I did there?)

I don't see much potential for this series, unfortunately. Even though it has some of my all-time favourite Legionnaires, I just don't think the crisis that they were sent back in time to correct will amount to anything. The sense of urgency just isn't there and the team is constantly remarking on how the mission was over before it even began.

One thing I will say for certain is that Fabian Nicieza is a better writer that Paul Levitz for these characters, so I would much prefer to read Legion stories coming from Nicieza in the future. DC, please stop Levitz from massacring the Legion of Superheroes any further.

3.5/5

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more than the main Legion of Super-heroes series. I think it was mostly due to less characters and a more streamlined plot. A group of Legionnaires from the future crash land in the present and must contend with a virus that morphs humans into aliens. It was a decent splash of super heroes and more of a volume one than its sister-title.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicieza has picked an interesting crew of legionnaires here, and he’s got some beautiful art to back him up. Unfortunately his personal travelogues from the various Legionnaires don’t give us any insight into their characters (as compared to the excellent use of the same trope in the original Legion Lost). Worse, the plot doesn’t seem to go anywhere in six full issues. The result is just OK.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Legion get stuck on current day Earth trying to track down an alien who really hates humans. I'd not read anything with these characters before, but by the end of the book they were like old friends. They are likable characters with fun powers, and the storyline is engaging. One of the better books in the New 52. A very good read.

[John Yelverton · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the stupidest books that DC has put out in a long time.

[Fizzgig76 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reprints Legion Lost #1-7 (November 2011-May 2012). Separated from the Legion and trapped in the past, Dawnstar, Wildfire, Timber Wolf, Gates, Chameleon Girl, Tellus, and Tyroc discover that the terrorist Alistor they were pursuing has released a virus that could alter humanity’s future! With limited resources and unable to reveal themselves with fears of altering the future, the Legion could be facing their toughest mission yet…and the Hypertaxis virus is spreading!

Written by Fabian Nicieza and Tom DeFalco, Legion Lost Volume 1: Run from Tomorrow was part of DC Comics New 52 relaunch after Flashpoint. Featuring art by Pete Woods with additional art by Matt Camp, the series was faced with critical reviews and struggled to find an audience.

The Legion of Super-Heroes combined with New Teen Titans could be my favorite DC series. The original Legion Lost mini-series was a great read, and I looked forward to a retooled, reimagining of the Legion for the New 52. Unfortunately, Legion Lost made itself too difficult for even fans of the series to follow.

Both Legion Lost and the New 52 Legion of Super-Heroes play with the relaunch by having actual Flashpoint affect the reality and separate the two teams. It is a little rocky to start out but it immediately launches into the hunt for Alistor. I felt that the Hypertaxis virus needed a little set-up however because it was kind of unclear how Hypertaxis spread and how dangerous it was…if it was as bad as the Legion perceived, it seems like they could have contacted other heroes (time travel isn’t a new thing to the Legion).

The series did a good job of picking Legionnaires for this volume but with its choices, it also kind of screwed Legion of Super-Heroes. A lot of the Legionnaires on this team are my favorites…making the flagship Legion less interesting to read for me. Also, the comic suffers the classic Legion problem of tons of characters and many with complex backstories. For new readers, this is a challenge, and New 52 was all about gaining new readers.

That doesn’t go to say that Legion Lost is all bad, but unfortunately for the title, it is extremely average. In a tough comic market, average can’t survive. I felt that DC did give the Legion a chance (both titles survived the first round of cancellations), but I also feel it didn’t get as much support as it could have. Legion Lost 1: Run from Tomorrow was followed by Legion Lost 2: The Culling which crossed over with Superboy and Teen Titans.

[Chad Cloman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disjointed start, good ending

Issue #8 continues from #7 but is a prequel issue for a crossover story called “The Culling”. Issue #9 is part three of the four-part crossover, and it’s quite jarring to start reading it. Everything has changed, and we’re dumped right into the middle of the action. The crossover includes issues from both the Teen Titans and Superboy series. I didn’t particularly like the crossover, and just skimmed through it to make sure I didn’t miss anything. You can just skip to issue #10 without missing much.

Once that’s over, the Legionnaires quickly finish up their mission from the first seven issues and move on to a new plot, which turns out to be pretty interesting and I enjoyed reading it.

I give it 3/5 stars.

[Sean Sexton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This first volume of Legion Lost stories, another entry in the New 52 series, tells the story of a group of unusual (alien or mutant) heroes who travel from the future back to the 21st century to prevent a disgruntled man from releasing a virus that will cause all humans to mutate into something else.

Despite that moderately silly tagline, these stories are actually quite good and the characters have a certain amount of humanity. As usual, characters give voice to their worries and insecurities, yet still manage to get the bad guy. This was a nice surprise of a series.

[C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes an entire book’s concept gives you all the information you need upfront. In the case of DC’s New 52 title LEGION LOST, they might as well have put “limited series” on the cover, because there’s nothing about this book that says it’s down for the long haul.

LEGION LOST concerns a group of 6 members of the 31st century team the Legion of Super-Heroes chasing a villain from their own time back to the 21st century and when their time bubble becomes damaged on their attempt to return to their own time, it appears they’re stuck 1000 years in the past. That right there tells me the book doesn’t have the makings of a long-lasting title. Why? Because the Legion of Super-Heroes is a 31st century team, plain and simple, and you can’t take some of their most popular characters, Timber Wolf, Dawnstar and Wildfire, and strand them 1000 years in the past, not for any real length of time, that is. As I suspected, LEGION LOST was canceled at issue #16. And while the first arc, at least, “Run From Tomorrow” was good, it wasn’t a Legion story.

Dawnstar, Wildfire, Timber Wolf, Tyroc, Chameleon Girl, Tellus and Gates are chasing Alastor, who has come to the 21st century to release the Hypertaxis pathogen and infect everyone on earth. What this pathogen does is combines human and alien DNA, effectively turning every human on earth into an alien. Why does he want to do this? In their own time, Alastor’s sister (Alastor and his sister are both aliens) was killed by a group of extreme xenophobes, and this is Alastor’s revenge.

I originally bought this book out of my loyalty to the Legion of Super-Heroes, my all-time favorite super hero team, but I knew from the first issue this probably wasn’t the title for me. Each issue is narrated by a different character, but none of these character really spoke to me. I’ve always dug Wildfire, but in previous Legion books, he seemed somewhat aloof to me, so I never knew a lot about his character. Timber Wolf always felt like a bad Wolverine imitator, while Tellus’s constant pausing every two or three words, as if he’s trying to talk on a respirator, just gets irritating after awhile. Tyroc is almost a non-entity, one of the least interesting characters I’ve ever encountered while Chameleon Girl feels to me like merely a plot device. I mean, the Legion has Chameleon Boy, he’s been a member since forever, we don’t need another Durlan unless there are aspects of the plot that may call for a Durlan but you don’t want to use the original character in case something bad happens to him--like maybe he gets blown up in the time bubble. Gates felt, to me, like Orko from the old He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoons, just small and in the way. And Dawnstar, I don’t know. I always liked her character in theory--Native American-looking woman with wings, awesome--but, much like Tyroc, she just didn’t do anything for me. At least, not within the confines of this story.

I liked the idea of this story, the Legionnaires trying to find an enemy who can change his shape, and trying to stop him before he infects all of humanity, while at the same time having to deal with the aftereffects of those he has already infected. The idea has the potential for a lot of action and character development, I just don’t feel as if all of that potential was paying off. That may be why original writer Fabian Nicieza was replaced by Tom DeFalco in issue #7, I don’t know. However, from what I know of DeFalco’s run for the short time he had it, the story didn’t get much better. I think that’s because, as I said, the idea had “limited series” written all over it from the beginning, and it should have been marketed as such.

The whole fish out of water thing is only going to work for so long. And unless there are plans to greatly alter the landscape of the established 31st century time line, and the main Legion of Super-Heroes book, really, how dire can the consequences of a book like LEGION LOST be? There’s only so much they can do without affecting things in a much bigger way, which they’re not going to do, and we know it. That’s like watching all of the Indiana Jones movies, then going back to watch “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles”, does anyone really think Young Indy is going to be in any mortal danger? Of course not; he’s got Nazis to defeat and whatnot in the future. It just doesn’t spell “suspense” to me, you know?

Now, none of this is to say LEGION LOST: “Run From Tomorrow” didn’t work. The book was okay, and it definitely had some good moments. I just think the concept of the book--as a long-running series--may not have been properly thought out, that’s all.

Pete Woods handled the art for the series, and his visuals definitely contributed to the best moments of the book. He handled the various alien races very well, and his actions scenes were highly energetic and easy to follow.

I have nothing but respect for both writer and artist on this book; Fabian Nicieza is responsible for one of my all-time favorite books, PSI-FORCE from the 1980s, so I’m always willing to read anything he puts his name on. This one was just a flawed concept from the beginning, that’s all there is to it. I’m not even curious to see how things played out in later issues, I’m totally content for “Run From Tomorrow” to be my only LEGION LOST exposure. Keep the Legionnaires in their own time, it’s where they work best. The 21st century has enough heroes of its own.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't reviewed very well and certainly isn't as good as the original but this was fun. We're introduced to a new Legion who get stranded in the present. They're attempting to stop a criminal from their time and hijinks ensue. The individual members each get their own time to shine and its good to see. I feel like this is a solid addition to The New 52 as it tells a good story but doesn't rely on the bigger universe. Pete Woods' art was very good. Overall, a very entertaining read.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not familiar with any of these characters, but I liked them and this first volume. The in-fighting was getting a little old by the end, but then there was a deep scene with a dying girl that was really cool. I'm left wondering if this "outbreak" will leak into other comics. I know "The Culling" has Teen Titans in it but maybe they solve it before it spreads.

[Eugenio · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5

Un equipo mucho más interesante que el otro de la legión (para mí), ya que siendo menos miembros es más fácil conocerlos, aun así la mitad me dan bastante igual.

El villano me ha gustado y cumple bastante bien. El dibujo es raro y en algunos momentos baja el nivel, aunque tiene algunos paneles muy potentes.

[Shep Harper · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not sure about the Legion, but my interest is Lost.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never know what to say for graphic novel reviews except that I liked it.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Rick Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

In October of 2011, DC launched 52 different series and rebranded their entire product line as the New 52. These books brought both Wildstorm and Vertigo characters into the main DC Universe. All of this happened due to the events in Flashpoint storyline. The Legion of Superheroes sent a group on an assignment that they had to time travel for. During the midst of their time travelling, the events of Flashpoint happened and caused some troubles with their time travelling device. This book starts just as the travelers from the 31st century enter our world in the year 2011. Since they are Legionnaires lost in time, that's where the title of the series comes from.

The book starts off in what seems to be the middle of the story, but it doesn't take long to get filled in on what has happened previous to the first page. The Legion was trying to stop a terrorist attack in their own time and the terrorist fled back in time with a virus that he planned on releasing upon the citizens of Earth. The majority of this book is about that mission and acts as an introduction to all of the main cast. This book is a lot more accessible than the other Legion of Superheroes book that came out at the same time. Part of the reason for that is this book has a much smaller cast. The other part is due to the writer of this series.

Writer Fabian Nicieza had a great run writing X-men for Marvel back in the 1990's. He showed way back then that he was highly adept at writing a team book that featured many different personalities. That skill is still evident today as he is writing this book. I had previously read the Culling crossover event that the Teen Titans, Superboy, and the Legion lost take part in. That crossover takes place after the events of this book, but having read it previously, I had some idea of who the main characters were. In that event and this book, the characters stay pretty consistent and Nicieza does a great job of distinguishing each character from the others. The final issue in this book is a standalone story that has some of the best writing of the series. The writing for this book gets 4 stars.

The series is illustrated by Pete Woods. I've never heard of him before but he has some extremely good art with thin, clean lines. All of the characters look great, but Dawnstar and Tellus stand out as the best of the bunch. I guess the fact that the artist is pretty much an unknown is the reason he got stuck on this series. His talent level suggests he should have been placed on a much better selling series though. His art looks better than majority of the New 52 books with Batman as a title character. Art gets a 4 star score.

If I wasn't trying to make my through all of the New 52 series, I probably would have never picked up this series. As mentioned earlier, I had read the crossover event that the characters take part in, but that didn't make me want to run out and grab more books with them in it. This ended up being really good though and I would have missed out had I not been trying to complete the nearly 5 year long run of New 52 books. With this series being checked off the list, I've now read 43 out the original 52 releases in the New 52.

[Joel · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Somehow, trying to do a review of Vol. 2 is impossible, it always counts as it being for Vol. 1, so here's my review of Vol. 2)


I have mixed feelings about this one, because I really liked the characters from the start of Vol. 1, especially Timber Wolf and Wildfire, but the plot in the final chapters becomes so unnecessarily convoluted, with an out-of-nowhere villain that doesn't seem to appear in any other comic or storyline in the whole continuity. I mean, we're talking about a planet-destroying villain with a talking dragon that is defeated by time travel shenanigans, and he doesn't even have a freaking wiki page on DC Database. Just an awful way to end a series with such likable characters overall.

[James Dunphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Legion Lost, a group of members from the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st century get displaced in time through the wonders of DC's Flashpoint event and get placed into the current time period with the rest of the new DC universe in The New 52.
I read this parallel with the other Legion series DC offered with the New 52. I loathed that one, and gave it a one. One of the biggest reasons I hated that series was that the Legion is like 25 members deep, and I can barely keep the member names straight let alone develop an attachment or see a sense of character in any of them. With that said, the squad of Legionaries that this title involves are an interesting team for someone reading them for the first time. I enjoyed a small team of members with a title that had time to highlight their interactions with one another, and provide a sense of development among it's members...sorta.
While I enjoyed the team more than I did the other Legion of Super-Heroes, the team is still a bit generic for me. Maybe it's because I was new to the party, and this title is in no shape or form a real reboot from the old DCU, but all of the character interaction and dialogue felt flat. Normally I can excuse that for the sake of cool powers, but even those feel weird and muted here. There's the two armor guys, the girl with wings, the mutated hive mind Ninja-Turtle knock off thing, and the holy polymerization of a cockroach and a bird (I think). All together they just feel like cheap Guardians of the Galaxy clones except on Earth instead of in space (and DC instead of Marvel). None of them stood out to me individually to form any sort of attachment to, and they really didn't do much for me as a team. They're just a more disappointment in a more concise from compared with the other DC Legion title.
As far as story goes, these guys get dumped on 21st century Earth as a result of the Flashpoint (darn Flash), and later find out through a cameo from Stormwatch's Martian Manhunter, that they won't be able to return to their 31st century time period. They spend all seven issues hunting down another 31st-centurian named Alastor who's also slipped back in time with the Legion. His plan releases a Hypertaxis (the hell is that?) virus thing that creates Hypersapians (evolved humans with alien DNA). The issues blend together in malaise. Hardly does anything important feel like it's actually happening. Most issues just feel like they're fighting random hypersapian alien monsters or numerous Black Razor government agents. It's all like bad generic video game. It sounds good on paper, and you may go through and experience all of it, but the end outcome leaves you wanting more. The final issue looks like it's setting up a tie-in with both the Superboy and Teen Titans series. Let's hope those are more interesting than the seven issues of bleh offered here.
Boring story, generic dialogue, and bland art gets this a two. I definitely preferred Legion Lost over the abysmal regular Legion of Super-Heroes title...but just barely. Go read any of the Justice League titles if you want a passable super-hero team series. If you want something in space go read the Green Lantern Corps. There are much better titles in DC's New 52 environment than this.