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Legion of Super-Heroes: Five Years Later #Omnibus
Legion of Super Heroes: Five Years Later Omnibus Vol. 1
It's the Legion of Super-Heroes like you've never seen them before, as the heroes of the 30th-century face one of their boldest and most controversial eras!
As DC's 30th century super-team, the Legion of Super-Heroes had always stood as a shining example of futuristic optimism--but that changed in 1989 with a new Legion of Super-Heroes series that brought the timeline forward five years. In this even further future, the United Planets became a darker place, with familiar characters changed and the Earth overtaken by alien invaders--and the team reunited to take on these dangerous new threats.
Now this bold and controversial part of DC history is finally collected in an omnibus edition, from the creative team of DC legend Keith Giffen and Tom and Mary Bierbaum!
Collects Adventures of Superman #478, Legion of Super-Heroes #1-39, Who's Who #1-11, #13, #14, #16, Timber Wolf #1-5, and Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #1-3.
As DC's 30th century super-team, the Legion of Super-Heroes had always stood as a shining example of futuristic optimism--but that changed in 1989 with a new Legion of Super-Heroes series that brought the timeline forward five years. In this even further future, the United Planets became a darker place, with familiar characters changed and the Earth overtaken by alien invaders--and the team reunited to take on these dangerous new threats.
Now this bold and controversial part of DC history is finally collected in an omnibus edition, from the creative team of DC legend Keith Giffen and Tom and Mary Bierbaum!
Collects Adventures of Superman #478, Legion of Super-Heroes #1-39, Who's Who #1-11, #13, #14, #16, Timber Wolf #1-5, and Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #1-3.
1424 pages, Hardcover
First published September 22, 2020
11 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Keith Giffen
1,931 books216 followersKeith Ian Giffen was an American comic book illustrator and writer. He is possibly best-known for his long runs illustrating, and later writing the Legion of Super-Heroes title in the 1980s and 1990s. He also created the alien mercenary character Lobo (with Roger Slifer), and the irreverent "want-to-be" hero, Ambush Bug. Giffen is known for having an unorthodox writing style, often using characters in ways not seen before. His dialogue is usually characterized by a biting wit that is seen as much less zany than dialogue provided by longtime collaborators DeMatteis and Robert Loren Fleming. That approach has brought him both criticism and admiration, as perhaps best illustrated by the mixed (although commercially successful) response to his work in DC Comics' Justice League International (1987-1992). He also plotted and was breakdown artist for an Aquaman limited series and one-shot special in 1989 with writer Robert Loren Fleming and artist Curt Swan for DC Comics.
Giffen's first published work was "The Sword and The Star", a black-and-white series featured in Marvel Preview, with writer Bill Mantlo. He has worked on titles (owned by several different companies) including Woodgod, All Star Comics, Doctor Fate, Drax the Destroyer, Heckler, Nick Fury's Howling Commandos, Reign of the Zodiac, Suicide Squad, Trencher (to be re-released in a collected edition by Boom! Studios)., T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and Vext. He was also responsible for the English adaptation of the Battle Royale and Ikki Tousen manga, as well as creating "I Luv Halloween" for Tokyopop. He also worked for Dark Horse from 1994-95 on their Comics Greatest World/Dark Horse Heroes line, as the writer of two short lived series, Division 13 and co-author, with Lovern Kindzierski, of Agents of Law. For Valiant Comics, Giffen wrote XO-Manowar, Magnus, Robot Fighter, Punx and the final issue of Solar, Man of the Atom.
He took a break from the comic industry for several years, working on storyboards for television and film, including shows such as The Real Ghostbusters and Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy.
He is also the lead writer for Marvel Comics's Annihilation event, having written the one-shot prologue, the lead-in stories in Thanos and Drax, the Silver Surfer as well as the main six issues mini-series. He also wrote the Star-Lord mini-series for the follow-up story Annihilation: Conquest. He currently writes Doom Patrol for DC, and is also completing an abandoned Grant Morrison plot in The Authority: the Lost Year for Wildstorm.
Giffen's first published work was "The Sword and The Star", a black-and-white series featured in Marvel Preview, with writer Bill Mantlo. He has worked on titles (owned by several different companies) including Woodgod, All Star Comics, Doctor Fate, Drax the Destroyer, Heckler, Nick Fury's Howling Commandos, Reign of the Zodiac, Suicide Squad, Trencher (to be re-released in a collected edition by Boom! Studios)., T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and Vext. He was also responsible for the English adaptation of the Battle Royale and Ikki Tousen manga, as well as creating "I Luv Halloween" for Tokyopop. He also worked for Dark Horse from 1994-95 on their Comics Greatest World/Dark Horse Heroes line, as the writer of two short lived series, Division 13 and co-author, with Lovern Kindzierski, of Agents of Law. For Valiant Comics, Giffen wrote XO-Manowar, Magnus, Robot Fighter, Punx and the final issue of Solar, Man of the Atom.
He took a break from the comic industry for several years, working on storyboards for television and film, including shows such as The Real Ghostbusters and Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy.
He is also the lead writer for Marvel Comics's Annihilation event, having written the one-shot prologue, the lead-in stories in Thanos and Drax, the Silver Surfer as well as the main six issues mini-series. He also wrote the Star-Lord mini-series for the follow-up story Annihilation: Conquest. He currently writes Doom Patrol for DC, and is also completing an abandoned Grant Morrison plot in The Authority: the Lost Year for Wildstorm.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 12, 2020
The late '80s brought a considerable maturation of the comic-book medium, with Watchmen and The Dark Knight being the best-known standouts, but Swamp Thing and The Sandman being no less important. But there's one other member of the club who's too often forgotten Legion of Super-Heroes: Five Years Later.
This is the dark-and-gritty story of the Legion with five years gone by and the club scattered and lost. The first years worth of issues, mostly with Giffen on plots and pencils, the Bierbaums on dialogue, and Al Gordon on inks, is one of the most pitch-perfect comic runs ever. Giffen does a brilliant job of using the time gap to both generate mystery and plot momentum. We the readers absolutely delight in what we learn about the future (and how it ain't what it used to be) and there are shockingly dramatic confrontations with Glorith and Roxxas. It's a getting-the-band-back together plot, and it soars.
The other two years are still quite enjoyable, though they never reach the height of the first, in large part because Giffen steps back.
So in year two we get a Khund War plot that should have been terrific, but the pacing is really awkward. That's by the Bierbaums. Then we get a battle with Darkseid over some genetic experiment, which is OK other than the fact that it places most of its focus on two little girls to the detriment of long-running plots. That's by Gordon.
The Terra Mosaic takes up most of year three, and it's somewhat of a return to form, except it becomes increasingly scattered as time goes on. Part of that is due to the very questionable decision to introduce SW-6, young Legionnaires. It was clearly intended to reach out to fans who didn't like the darker, older Legion, but it muddied the storyline and made the cast so big that the plot slowed to a crawl. Still, it's an enjoyable and interesting read with more of the shocking drama that made year one great.
In that last year are also the Bierbaum's weirdest retcons, involving Lighting Lad and Shvaughn Erin, neither of which felt true to the original stories.
Unfortunately, the volume ends with Al Gordon's Timber Wolf mini-series, which is horrible in the worst '90s ways you could imagine. But, I suppose it's good DC put this in, and it can just be skipped.
Despite complaints, Five Years Later is a wonderful storyline, particularly the first third of the volume, which is brilliant. I'm hoping for a volume 2, to complete this apocryphal run, even if those later stories never were as good as when Giffen was involved.
This is the dark-and-gritty story of the Legion with five years gone by and the club scattered and lost. The first years worth of issues, mostly with Giffen on plots and pencils, the Bierbaums on dialogue, and Al Gordon on inks, is one of the most pitch-perfect comic runs ever. Giffen does a brilliant job of using the time gap to both generate mystery and plot momentum. We the readers absolutely delight in what we learn about the future (and how it ain't what it used to be) and there are shockingly dramatic confrontations with Glorith and Roxxas. It's a getting-the-band-back together plot, and it soars.
The other two years are still quite enjoyable, though they never reach the height of the first, in large part because Giffen steps back.
So in year two we get a Khund War plot that should have been terrific, but the pacing is really awkward. That's by the Bierbaums. Then we get a battle with Darkseid over some genetic experiment, which is OK other than the fact that it places most of its focus on two little girls to the detriment of long-running plots. That's by Gordon.
The Terra Mosaic takes up most of year three, and it's somewhat of a return to form, except it becomes increasingly scattered as time goes on. Part of that is due to the very questionable decision to introduce SW-6, young Legionnaires. It was clearly intended to reach out to fans who didn't like the darker, older Legion, but it muddied the storyline and made the cast so big that the plot slowed to a crawl. Still, it's an enjoyable and interesting read with more of the shocking drama that made year one great.
In that last year are also the Bierbaum's weirdest retcons, involving Lighting Lad and Shvaughn Erin, neither of which felt true to the original stories.
Unfortunately, the volume ends with Al Gordon's Timber Wolf mini-series, which is horrible in the worst '90s ways you could imagine. But, I suppose it's good DC put this in, and it can just be skipped.
Despite complaints, Five Years Later is a wonderful storyline, particularly the first third of the volume, which is brilliant. I'm hoping for a volume 2, to complete this apocryphal run, even if those later stories never were as good as when Giffen was involved.
September 27, 2020
Issues 1-12 and annual 1: This was one of the strangest, densest, most convoluted, least accessible superhero comics I've ever read. But it's also one of the most engaging, complex, rewarding comics I've ever read. It asks a lot of the reader, but I genuinely think it was worth it.
By all means, this comic shouldn't work, and yet there's a specific collaborative magic with Giffen on plot and pencils, the Bierbaums on dialogue, Gordon on inks, and all four co-plotting to tell the best story they can. Each issue, it seems like a new editorial problem was thrown their way, and somehow they were able to turn each of those problems into story potential. Truly, this is the kind of story that could only exist as a comic book.
The story itself probably doesn't deserve five stars. About half is a typical getting-the-band-back-together story, while the other half is a ridiculously convoluted series of retcons that might not even mean much in the long run. However, the execution and the experience as a reader are so unique that I had no hesitation giving it that rating (when I first reviewed these 12 issues).
--
Issues 13-25 and annual 2: This block of issues was far less successful than the first dozen. It's pretty clear that the only great stories are the ones where Giffen is plotting, which was only four of these (13-14 and 19-20). The rest is basic sci-fi stuff that I don't care about. The four-part "Quiet Darkness," written by inker Al Gordon, was particularly mediocre, as his use of the 9-panel grid only showed how inexperienced a writer he was, especially compared to how much of a master Giffen was.
--
Issues 26-39 and annual 3: Much better than the second year of this title, but still largely lacks the wild surprises of the first year. I had fun with it -- I read this entire group of issues in a little over 24 hours -- but at a certain point I felt bored. There are too many groups each inching their plans forward bit by bit, and the points where things come together are not executed as effectively as I would want. We end up having hundreds of pages of setup with a mildly anticlimactic payoff. Still, the Giffen-plotted issues are compulsively readable and there's some good character work along the way (even if it does focus too much on the SW6 and underground resistance characters).
I had fun with the Legion, but I think I'm done with this version seeing as how the quality supposedly takes an even greater nosedive after this.
By all means, this comic shouldn't work, and yet there's a specific collaborative magic with Giffen on plot and pencils, the Bierbaums on dialogue, Gordon on inks, and all four co-plotting to tell the best story they can. Each issue, it seems like a new editorial problem was thrown their way, and somehow they were able to turn each of those problems into story potential. Truly, this is the kind of story that could only exist as a comic book.
The story itself probably doesn't deserve five stars. About half is a typical getting-the-band-back-together story, while the other half is a ridiculously convoluted series of retcons that might not even mean much in the long run. However, the execution and the experience as a reader are so unique that I had no hesitation giving it that rating (when I first reviewed these 12 issues).
--
Issues 13-25 and annual 2: This block of issues was far less successful than the first dozen. It's pretty clear that the only great stories are the ones where Giffen is plotting, which was only four of these (13-14 and 19-20). The rest is basic sci-fi stuff that I don't care about. The four-part "Quiet Darkness," written by inker Al Gordon, was particularly mediocre, as his use of the 9-panel grid only showed how inexperienced a writer he was, especially compared to how much of a master Giffen was.
--
Issues 26-39 and annual 3: Much better than the second year of this title, but still largely lacks the wild surprises of the first year. I had fun with it -- I read this entire group of issues in a little over 24 hours -- but at a certain point I felt bored. There are too many groups each inching their plans forward bit by bit, and the points where things come together are not executed as effectively as I would want. We end up having hundreds of pages of setup with a mildly anticlimactic payoff. Still, the Giffen-plotted issues are compulsively readable and there's some good character work along the way (even if it does focus too much on the SW6 and underground resistance characters).
I had fun with the Legion, but I think I'm done with this version seeing as how the quality supposedly takes an even greater nosedive after this.
December 25, 2025
I think the Giffen/Bierbaum run on the Legion is the best and most impactful one in comics. That's the hill I'm going to die on. Fight me.
It's exciting and mature, even heart-breaking at times. It features older versions of the silver age classics coming together in a universe that isn't black and white. They see the conquest of Earth and later its destruction. It dealt with PTSD, abuse and transgender issues in the early 90s.
It's a great love letter to these characters. They managed to distill and magnify the different members of the Legion, which is difficult when you consider the sheer number of characters. Every page has 20 Easter eggs for long-term fans.
The only real caution is that the first few issues are a little dense for first-timers. It's worth the effort though
It's exciting and mature, even heart-breaking at times. It features older versions of the silver age classics coming together in a universe that isn't black and white. They see the conquest of Earth and later its destruction. It dealt with PTSD, abuse and transgender issues in the early 90s.
It's a great love letter to these characters. They managed to distill and magnify the different members of the Legion, which is difficult when you consider the sheer number of characters. Every page has 20 Easter eggs for long-term fans.
The only real caution is that the first few issues are a little dense for first-timers. It's worth the effort though
December 21, 2025
(Zero spoiler review)
I might have enjoyed it more, if I had even the slightest Scooby Doo what the hell was going on. Painfully vague and damn near impenetrable. The art was pretty cool, though. 2/5
I might have enjoyed it more, if I had even the slightest Scooby Doo what the hell was going on. Painfully vague and damn near impenetrable. The art was pretty cool, though. 2/5
May 2, 2022
I'm one of those people that read and loved FIVE YEARS LATER as a series in '89. A LEGION fan since the Adventure Comics days, if anybody was the intended audience for this story, it was me. I know the writing team worked hard to make sure new readers could enter the fray, but honestly, I don't know how (or if) something this dense could be read by someone who didn't know every single detail of Legion trivia ever.
In a lot of ways, this was fanfic that made it to the actual comic book.
It was challenging -- it was hard to read, the art wasn't always clear, there were pages of text only -- it was unconventional, weird and fun. I'm not sure the highs always matched the lows, but certainly when the Dominators lost Earth, I cheered.
Upon rereading, I see how much of it is revisionist as well. The poor LEGION, the original CRISIS (COIE) really screwed with their history, removing Superboy from continuity. So the FIVE YEARS LATER writing team was saddled with the task of making it all "work"... somehow. I applaud them for their creativity and thoughtfulness -- it's a shame they had to do SO MUCH of it...
I liked what came out of this, specifically the SW6 Batch (The LEGIONNAIRES, slick and shiny and young), but the "adult" LEGION never really survived the departure of Giffen. And therein should be the lesson for all writers: what works about the LEGION is the hopeful dreams of young people working together -- they're "boys" and "girls" and "lads" and "lasses"... and they need to be.
In a lot of ways, this was fanfic that made it to the actual comic book.
It was challenging -- it was hard to read, the art wasn't always clear, there were pages of text only -- it was unconventional, weird and fun. I'm not sure the highs always matched the lows, but certainly when the Dominators lost Earth, I cheered.
Upon rereading, I see how much of it is revisionist as well. The poor LEGION, the original CRISIS (COIE) really screwed with their history, removing Superboy from continuity. So the FIVE YEARS LATER writing team was saddled with the task of making it all "work"... somehow. I applaud them for their creativity and thoughtfulness -- it's a shame they had to do SO MUCH of it...
I liked what came out of this, specifically the SW6 Batch (The LEGIONNAIRES, slick and shiny and young), but the "adult" LEGION never really survived the departure of Giffen. And therein should be the lesson for all writers: what works about the LEGION is the hopeful dreams of young people working together -- they're "boys" and "girls" and "lads" and "lasses"... and they need to be.
April 5, 2023
Oh my friends, I'm running against the grain of other people who have reviewed this but... Wow is this not good. At multiple points it veers directly into vandalism.
If you're encountering this now, in this omnibus edition, you are so much better off than those of us who read these as they came out. At that time they were all but incomprehensible. The writing team essentially abrogated the duty of the monthly storyteller that each issue give grounding to the reader, as well as issues flow from one to the next. There's none of that in here.
Every character decision is based on what's the most "edgy", "adult" (read, pointlessly cruel) thing possible for maximum impact, and almost all of them are cliche and boring.
"Timber Wolf" has the word "Wolf" in his name? Make him a werewolf! No wait, a reverse werewolf so he's only himself during a full moon and none of the other Legionnaires know its him!
Dawnstar has wings? CUT THEM OFF! That's edgy!
Lets randomly kill Blok (no seriously, the creative team drew his name out of a hat) to show how badass the bad guy is!
Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl may be a couple but we really want Jo to be a lone wolf badass so lets kill Phantom Girl off screen and have Jo be a lone wolf takin' down the man in his leather jacket and hooker with a heart of gold side piece he sometimes shacks up with who we kill 2 pages after introducing her, and whose mourning we skip so Jo can mourn over his stuff getting blown up!
Oh, did we say we killed Phantom Girl? Actually we sent her back in time to be part of our totally wicked cool L.E.G.I.O.N. book... You know the one that lasted 6 years and was meant to explain, along with the Valor book to explain all the insane continuity shenanigans we're doing! But she's got amnesia!
We don't like that Element Lad, who had been hinted at being gay because he was very shy with girls and wore pink, was in a hetero relationship... OK, so you're going to have him come out of the... Oh. His wife was actually male but taking ProFem sex changing drugs from before her first appearance because she thought she needed them to trap Element Lad in a relationship... But said wife ran out of drugs and forcibly de-transitioned... but Element Lad knew and... Oh fuck it, how can someone even follow this.
I'd be tempted to cut some slack on the Valor/Glorinth stuff due to the "you can't even mention Superboy" edict of the time, but it was entirely in their power to just never bring it up. Instead we have a massive, total continuity rewrite that upends all the prior Legion history for no good reason.
None of this is clever. Again, vandalism is the word that comes to mind. This is the only book that makes John Byrne's usual "Burn down everything that occurred after the first creative team".
If you're a fan of the classic Legion, avoid at all costs.
If you're encountering this now, in this omnibus edition, you are so much better off than those of us who read these as they came out. At that time they were all but incomprehensible. The writing team essentially abrogated the duty of the monthly storyteller that each issue give grounding to the reader, as well as issues flow from one to the next. There's none of that in here.
Every character decision is based on what's the most "edgy", "adult" (read, pointlessly cruel) thing possible for maximum impact, and almost all of them are cliche and boring.
"Timber Wolf" has the word "Wolf" in his name? Make him a werewolf! No wait, a reverse werewolf so he's only himself during a full moon and none of the other Legionnaires know its him!
Dawnstar has wings? CUT THEM OFF! That's edgy!
Lets randomly kill Blok (no seriously, the creative team drew his name out of a hat) to show how badass the bad guy is!
Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl may be a couple but we really want Jo to be a lone wolf badass so lets kill Phantom Girl off screen and have Jo be a lone wolf takin' down the man in his leather jacket and hooker with a heart of gold side piece he sometimes shacks up with who we kill 2 pages after introducing her, and whose mourning we skip so Jo can mourn over his stuff getting blown up!
Oh, did we say we killed Phantom Girl? Actually we sent her back in time to be part of our totally wicked cool L.E.G.I.O.N. book... You know the one that lasted 6 years and was meant to explain, along with the Valor book to explain all the insane continuity shenanigans we're doing! But she's got amnesia!
We don't like that Element Lad, who had been hinted at being gay because he was very shy with girls and wore pink, was in a hetero relationship... OK, so you're going to have him come out of the... Oh. His wife was actually male but taking ProFem sex changing drugs from before her first appearance because she thought she needed them to trap Element Lad in a relationship... But said wife ran out of drugs and forcibly de-transitioned... but Element Lad knew and... Oh fuck it, how can someone even follow this.
I'd be tempted to cut some slack on the Valor/Glorinth stuff due to the "you can't even mention Superboy" edict of the time, but it was entirely in their power to just never bring it up. Instead we have a massive, total continuity rewrite that upends all the prior Legion history for no good reason.
None of this is clever. Again, vandalism is the word that comes to mind. This is the only book that makes John Byrne's usual "Burn down everything that occurred after the first creative team".
If you're a fan of the classic Legion, avoid at all costs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2022
The Legion of Super-Heroes was the comic that ignited my love for the medium back in 1980 and remained my favorite title throughout the 80s. It was relaunched in 1989 (the year I graduated high school and started college) with a 5 year gap in the story, a different art style from Keith Giffen, and a much darker vibe. I was a fan, but lost track when I wandered away from comics for a couple years. The story had progressed quite a bit and I bought some back issues, but never was able to read it in order until now. And yes, it took me 2 years to get through the 1400 plus pages contained within, but that's a problem with me and not the story. It's dense, complex, overly grim at times, but with heart and humor. I've already gotten the second omnibus, so I'm committed to the story, and I don't regret that decision.
March 25, 2024
Echoing most of these reviews - the first year is just masterful. It's dense and challenging, and it asks you to commit yourself to what you're reading. It's powerful and emotional and magnificent. There are hits and misses beyond the first year, but it's good more often than not, even when the plots (rebellion against the Dominion) have a few too many players and get a little drawn out. I have to admit, even those moments read better in this omnibus volume, when you can dive right into the next chapter rather than waiting 30 days for it. The first two Annuals are masterpieces of retroactive history. The only real dog in the book is that dreadful Timber Wolf miniseries.
October 3, 2020
This was my favorite series in my teens and reading it again now it’s even better than I remembered. Thoughtful characterization, realistic examinations of complex issues like war, politics and their resultant traumas. Emotionally mature. And the art? Keith Giffen, Jason Pearson, Joe Phillips, Brandon Peterson, Colleen Doran, Dusty Abell, Stuart Immonen, Chris Sprouse...it’s rather an embarrassment of riches how wonderfully drawn this volume is.
June 14, 2023
I love the Legion of Super-Heroes. They are my favorite superhero team, even though their heyday was long before I was even born. When I read Paul Levitz’s legendary run on the DC Universe app I was blown away by how much I came to care about the legionaries and their struggles. Like X-Men fans, Legion fans are (for the most part) pretty passionate about the characters. That means some runs can be pretty divisive. Look no further than the Five Years Later era. When I had finished my aforementioned read-through of Paul Levitz’s run I decided to skip this era entirely. I had heard that it was a darker and grittier take on the legion that made some drastic changes, which turned a lot of old fans off the book. However, when this omnibus came back in stock at one of my favorite online comic shops, I decided to bite the bullet. Boy am I glad I did. Keith Giffen’s world building is like nothing I’ve ever read before in a comic. I love me some good sci-fi and it seems Giffen does too. Together with the Bierbaums, he weaves a grand epic that takes the Legion through its darkest chapter yet. Yes, it can be confusing at times, especially with the editorially mandated Superboy retcon. Yes, there are some changes that work better than others. But, at the end of the day, the good FAR outweighs the bad in this omnibus.
January 4, 2024
Despite having one of the worst reissues from DC ever, like reusing cover artwork not from Keith Giffen (like having Frank Miller's Daredevil Omnibus with someone else's artwork), no liner notes explaining the context of the book, the impact it had when released, the backstory with Superman's editorial over 'there's no Superboy'.. Having said that, you have the best sci-fi book Vertigo never produced.
October 19, 2024
2.5, The beginning is good, then the editorial retcons start and it gets a bit more wobbly. I really only sought this out due to its out of print status driving my desire to read it (my copy was digital from the high seas).
March 4, 2023
Was a bit of a pain to get through. Too many characters and parallel stories that are difficult to keep track of unless ok ne reads all 50+ issues in one go
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews