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Original Legion of Super-Heroes #19
Legion of Super-Heroes: The Curse
It's a new helping of 1980s Legion epics from LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #297-313 and ANNUAL #2-3, including the return of the seemingly dead Invisible Kid, the showdown between the heroic Lightning Lad and the evil Lightning Lord and more.
544 pages, Hardcover
First published September 6, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
December 28, 2018
First, this book weighs in at 544 pages. That’s more than a lot of the “Essential” or “Showcase” collections. At least this one is in color.
Second, I’ve never been much of a fan of The Legion of Super Heroes. Reading and reviewing any previous titles was basically an exercise in coming up with goofy made-up Legionnaires names (Libido Lass, Simian Girl, Vivisector Boy, Lascivious Lad, Kid Marinade)
Third, my eyes were hurting just thinking about reading it.
Jeff, this begs the obvious question, “Why did you read it?”
I’m cheap, Random Goodreader. This was in a bargain bin, all spanking-new, for only a couple of bucks, so I bought it. After I write this review, I’m going to pick up a case of slightly dented cans of Great Value Potted Meat.
What’s not to like:
Not being a regular reader of this title, I had no idea what most of the Legion’s individual powers were until they actually used them. I’m still not sure about a few of them.
Some are obvious: Colossal Boy – he’s colossal, Shrinking Violet – She shrinks, Invisible Kid (duh), Karate Kid – he beats up snot assed blonde fascist teen-aged boys in martial arts tournaments.
Ferro Lad? Star Boy? Element Lad? Cosmic Boy? Uh, still not sure.
And what the hell’s with the diminutive names. Take a look at this guy, Star Boy:
It brings to mind that quote from Elf:
The dude sports a beard and he’s doing the cosmic hoedown with Dream Girl. Why does he still go by the name Star Boy?
And how many heavy hitters with similar abilities do you need? The occasional Super Boy appearance? Super Girl (who gets Brainiac’s glands working in overdrive)? Mon El? Laurel Kent? Laurel needs to realize that wearing a thong uniform in deep space might not be the most protective of attire.
The plotting – Levitz and Giffen were in it for the long game. There are stories that get spread out over dozens of issues. Each individual issue interweaves multiple plots. If you didn’t read the previous volume, things can get confusing. There was a tendency to abruptly start up story lines with no previous continuity anchor (Saturn Girl is pregnant?) and some moments were referenced outside this volume. The titled Curse? It doesn’t kick in until the final issue and its “see-ya-in-the-next-mega-volume-kids”!
On the plus side, this takes place in the future and therefore the stories weren’t weighed down by DC continuity in the ‘80’s.
What’s to like:
The 300th issue of the title included here involved the wedding of Karate Kid (meh) and exploration of alternate reality Legions – each done by a guest artist who had drawn the title in the past.
The art work: Giffen does a decent job and as the book moves along, he gets creative with the page design.
Gene Colan contributes the artwork on a story too.
Some of the stories have game.
Chameleon Boy who’s from Durla has to get his powers back. Durlans are DC’s Skrulls.
Dawnstar comes of age and needs to find herself a man…
…but ends up with a dude who’s a bunch of energy held together by a special suit.
Brainiac, a twelfth level intellect, screws up a lot.
Shrinking Violet gets kidnapped and replaced by a Durlan.
Colossal Boy gets big.
The Omen was a villain on a cosmic scale. Something the Legion hadn’t dealt with before in this book.
Sadly, the story ended in a perfunctory way. Kind of like how I’ll end this review.
Bottom Line: This would not be a recommended gateway for anyone interested in the Legion of Superheroes; there’s just too much to catch up on. It’s got some of Giffen’s trademark wit and holds together fairly well and it does offer some spotlight issues and a few origin stories, still it should only have interest for 80’s comic book connoisseurs or Legion fanatics.
August 3, 2018
DC collects a huge run of Legion stories here. I'm not sure why they called this The Curse when that story is the very last story in the book and it feels out of place as it fell later in the LSH timeline. All in all a great collection of Legion stories. Very space operatic in nature. Lots of pairing offs of the Legionnaires amidst battling the Evil Empress, Khunds, the Omen and more.
July 10, 2018
The first two thirds of this book are a joy to read. It continues the historic run of Levitz (writer) and Giffen (co-plotter and artist). It - in my mind - was the finest run of the LoSH ever. Managing to balance all of those heroes is an impossible task to begin with but Levitz does it and every character gets their own voice and the stories are a platform for these characters to shine. Giffen's art is amazing and I still don't think anyone has come close to the beauty of those colour overlays to create a unique vision of the future.
But the last third? Well Giffen 's art CHANGED mid comic (307) and it became comedic and silly and didn't match the tone of the stories being written AT ALL. Apparently Giffen just decided he liked an artist from South America (Argentina?) and copied his style. What a loss for the comic book world. His art went from sharp and crisp and detailed to Ambush Bug zany mad-cap. Not a style suited for what Levitz was writing and it really hurt the book moving forward. How can you build drama when it looks like a Bugs Bunny cartoon? This style worked well when Giffen did his comedic turns with Ambush Bug and the funny offshoot Legion of Substitute heroes but it killed this run.
Still - well worth the read. Even though it was loved by fans at the time I don't think the Levitz/Giffen run of LoSH ever got the acclaim it deserved. It was up there in the 80's With Claremont/Byrne's X-Men and Wolfman/Perez's New Teen Titans in terms of quality runs of a super hero book.
But the last third? Well Giffen 's art CHANGED mid comic (307) and it became comedic and silly and didn't match the tone of the stories being written AT ALL. Apparently Giffen just decided he liked an artist from South America (Argentina?) and copied his style. What a loss for the comic book world. His art went from sharp and crisp and detailed to Ambush Bug zany mad-cap. Not a style suited for what Levitz was writing and it really hurt the book moving forward. How can you build drama when it looks like a Bugs Bunny cartoon? This style worked well when Giffen did his comedic turns with Ambush Bug and the funny offshoot Legion of Substitute heroes but it killed this run.
Still - well worth the read. Even though it was loved by fans at the time I don't think the Levitz/Giffen run of LoSH ever got the acclaim it deserved. It was up there in the 80's With Claremont/Byrne's X-Men and Wolfman/Perez's New Teen Titans in terms of quality runs of a super hero book.
April 25, 2025
As I said below in my original review of this volume, I hoped DC would collect Paul's earlier Legion stories. They did. I reread this book as part of a long-term Legion reread that went from ARCHIVES 13 to this book - a run of ninety comics across ~seven years.
(I have two subsequent trade paperbacks and the entire "Baxter" series in individual issues, buy maybe now DC will finally collect the LATER Levitz stories into proper books! Including those twelve non-reprint TALES OF THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES issues!)
Most of what I said below stands - excepting Cosmic Boy, I really don't have any FAVORITE characters. Some shine more than others at times. I rather like Wildfire when he's NOT anywhere near Dawnstar. His attitude is fresh against the rest of the team, but that tiresome romance (with a character who's never done a thing for me) has always bored me. Not, it's not any specific character that makes the Legion hum - it's the whole universe of potential, the world-building, the diverse cultures, the constant sense of exploration. It's the not-the-end-of-the-world bits like Legionnaires terraforming Daxam to repair the planet, a few pages that linger months and months after THE GREAT DARKNESS, a reminder how devastating Darkseid's attack truly was. It's Encyclopedia Galactica excerpts and Shrinking Violet's return and Blok learning about humanity. It's not a specific character, but the relationships between them - Timberwolf and Blok, the original three, Chuck and Luornu, Brainy and failure (oh, and Kara too!).
Such good comics. DC really needs to finish off that Baxter series. Basically everything from the beginning to Zero Hour is collected except that run, so there's really nothing else left. It's time, DC!
+++++++
As a trade paperback-centric comics reader, I have certain preferences - large page counts being a big one. Even when they're doing something I want, DC manages to mess it up. The Curse collects LoSH #297-313, and two Annuals. Nineteen comics under one cover, sounds awesome. Too bad they didn't press the book binder to put it together properly, because the pages weren't glued into the spine correctly. The top of the pages line up with the top of the cover, while there's a huge gap between the bottom of the cover and the bottom of the pages.
Book binding problems aside, the stories are pretty great. Oddly, rereading these, I'm reminded how indifferent I am to nearly the entire Legion cast. It's how Paul and Keith juggle their immense cast (along with a gaggle of plotlines) that always impressed me about Levitz's run on this series. The Omen/Prophet storyline that makes up a chunk of this one, four issues, is pretty blah, and so is the "Durlans as Greek Gods" time-travel bit in Annual 2, but the rest of the stories hold up very well. Totally forgot about Lyle Norg reappearing at the end of the Omen story (that's how forgettable the story is). The rest of it - there's no real moment or storyline that stands out to me - but I love how they explore different cultures and keep so many balls in the air. It's a fun, engrossing comic series, and I'm glad it's finally collected. Hopefully we'll see more of Paul's earlier Legion stories collected soon.
(I have two subsequent trade paperbacks and the entire "Baxter" series in individual issues, buy maybe now DC will finally collect the LATER Levitz stories into proper books! Including those twelve non-reprint TALES OF THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES issues!)
Most of what I said below stands - excepting Cosmic Boy, I really don't have any FAVORITE characters. Some shine more than others at times. I rather like Wildfire when he's NOT anywhere near Dawnstar. His attitude is fresh against the rest of the team, but that tiresome romance (with a character who's never done a thing for me) has always bored me. Not, it's not any specific character that makes the Legion hum - it's the whole universe of potential, the world-building, the diverse cultures, the constant sense of exploration. It's the not-the-end-of-the-world bits like Legionnaires terraforming Daxam to repair the planet, a few pages that linger months and months after THE GREAT DARKNESS, a reminder how devastating Darkseid's attack truly was. It's Encyclopedia Galactica excerpts and Shrinking Violet's return and Blok learning about humanity. It's not a specific character, but the relationships between them - Timberwolf and Blok, the original three, Chuck and Luornu, Brainy and failure (oh, and Kara too!).
Such good comics. DC really needs to finish off that Baxter series. Basically everything from the beginning to Zero Hour is collected except that run, so there's really nothing else left. It's time, DC!
+++++++
As a trade paperback-centric comics reader, I have certain preferences - large page counts being a big one. Even when they're doing something I want, DC manages to mess it up. The Curse collects LoSH #297-313, and two Annuals. Nineteen comics under one cover, sounds awesome. Too bad they didn't press the book binder to put it together properly, because the pages weren't glued into the spine correctly. The top of the pages line up with the top of the cover, while there's a huge gap between the bottom of the cover and the bottom of the pages.
Book binding problems aside, the stories are pretty great. Oddly, rereading these, I'm reminded how indifferent I am to nearly the entire Legion cast. It's how Paul and Keith juggle their immense cast (along with a gaggle of plotlines) that always impressed me about Levitz's run on this series. The Omen/Prophet storyline that makes up a chunk of this one, four issues, is pretty blah, and so is the "Durlans as Greek Gods" time-travel bit in Annual 2, but the rest of the stories hold up very well. Totally forgot about Lyle Norg reappearing at the end of the Omen story (that's how forgettable the story is). The rest of it - there's no real moment or storyline that stands out to me - but I love how they explore different cultures and keep so many balls in the air. It's a fun, engrossing comic series, and I'm glad it's finally collected. Hopefully we'll see more of Paul's earlier Legion stories collected soon.
May 30, 2024
Colossal Boy: Well--what's the story? Solved all our problems?
Phantom Girl: Colossal Boy! Hush! Can't you see she's exhausted?
Colossal Boy: Yeah. But from what?
White Witch: Unravelling the acts of a mage is never simple, Colossal Boy--but I have done it...I believe. But it is truly strange. It is as though Mordru himself was not free...for the powers at work are far weaker than he was, even at his weakest when we were both young. Yet he stands on The Sorcerers' World, waiting...waiting for us.
This collection continues the Legion of Super-Heroes run collected in The Great Darkness Saga. Though it resolves a few threads from those issues, this collection meanders between mediocre drama and anti-climatic battles with villains who are built up as universe shattering yet crumble quickly when confronted by Legionnaires. In 1983-1984, comics were still written issue by issue--there was no vision of creating a solid story arc which would be played out in a collected trade-paperback edition.
Though there's a definite lack of consistency in story-telling and plotting, this collection provides a unique glimpse into the world of comics before the advent of TPB publishing. The Legion of Super-Heroes have always been about character, and there's plenty of character examination and development in these pages. If you accept the soap opera elements and cheesy dialogue, there's enough here to warrant a quick reading.
Brainiac 5: Colossal Boy seems almost out of control, Element Lad.
Element Lad: Can you blame him, Brainy? I'm just glad your idea for tracing Cham worked out so well.
Brainiac 5: Using your power to transform a part of his "Violet" disguise into a radioactive mineral whose emissions we could detect was a simple tactic. We'll soon see if the results are equally satisfying. Hmmm...excuse me. I see some gentlemen trying to escape our notice.
Element Lad: We'll handle things here, Brainy. Go ahead.
KKKRAAKK
Colossal Boy: ARRRAGHHHH!
Element Lad:Hey--go easy, Big Guy! We're here to stop them, not kill them.
Phantom Girl: Colossal Boy! Hush! Can't you see she's exhausted?
Colossal Boy: Yeah. But from what?
White Witch: Unravelling the acts of a mage is never simple, Colossal Boy--but I have done it...I believe. But it is truly strange. It is as though Mordru himself was not free...for the powers at work are far weaker than he was, even at his weakest when we were both young. Yet he stands on The Sorcerers' World, waiting...waiting for us.
This collection continues the Legion of Super-Heroes run collected in The Great Darkness Saga. Though it resolves a few threads from those issues, this collection meanders between mediocre drama and anti-climatic battles with villains who are built up as universe shattering yet crumble quickly when confronted by Legionnaires. In 1983-1984, comics were still written issue by issue--there was no vision of creating a solid story arc which would be played out in a collected trade-paperback edition.
Though there's a definite lack of consistency in story-telling and plotting, this collection provides a unique glimpse into the world of comics before the advent of TPB publishing. The Legion of Super-Heroes have always been about character, and there's plenty of character examination and development in these pages. If you accept the soap opera elements and cheesy dialogue, there's enough here to warrant a quick reading.
Brainiac 5: Colossal Boy seems almost out of control, Element Lad.
Element Lad: Can you blame him, Brainy? I'm just glad your idea for tracing Cham worked out so well.
Brainiac 5: Using your power to transform a part of his "Violet" disguise into a radioactive mineral whose emissions we could detect was a simple tactic. We'll soon see if the results are equally satisfying. Hmmm...excuse me. I see some gentlemen trying to escape our notice.
Element Lad: We'll handle things here, Brainy. Go ahead.
KKKRAAKK
Colossal Boy: ARRRAGHHHH!
Element Lad:Hey--go easy, Big Guy! We're here to stop them, not kill them.
June 5, 2023
idek if this was good or not it was just so fucking long and i am a person who despises the legion of superheroes. to be fair i’m the one who made myself read all of this.
October 28, 2021
Eu sou fã da Legião.
Uma das minhas primeiras lembranças como leitor foi com a Saga da Grande Escuridão, num SuperPowers no finado formatinho da Abril, eu achei aquilo fantástico, eu já conhecia de um ou outro gibizinho do Superboy, mas ali tinha uma história completa com, sei lá, vinte e poucos heróis contra, putamerda, o Darkseid.
Aqui nós temos quinhentas páginas de aventuras da Legião lá por '83/84, logo depois da tal Grande Escuridão. E é bem tri, minhas memórias dessa época diriam "é afuzel".
Bom, obviamente, em quinhentas páginas, acontece toda sorte de coisa:
Tem uma recapitulação da origem da legião;
Tem triângulos amorosos;
Tem mistérios em asteróides distantes;
Tem quebra-pau com Khúndios, aliás é o que mais tem;
Tem mistérios e segredos em Durla;
Tem amor proibido;
Tem casamento;
Tem o retorno de um legionário há muito perdido;
Tem a Legião Substituta;
Tem a Escolinha da Legião;
Tem o Quinteto Fatal, quem nunca se apaixonou pela Imperatriz Esmeralda?
Tem o vilão com o chapéuzinho mais idiota de todos os tempos, Mordru;
Tem um quebra-pau pegado entre o Guri-Relâmpago e o Lorde Relâmpago, sempre tem quebra-pau entre irmãos;
Tem eleição pra líder da Legião;
Tem gravidez;
Tem viagem no tempo e um quebra-pau com os deuses do Olimpo, ou não;
Tem o Profeta e o Presságio, uma história que eu não entendi muito bem pra que serve, mas vai saber, né?
Tem o Computo;
Tem o novo HQ da Legião;
E, bem, no finalzinho, tem a tal da Maldição.
Claro, é um título numa ressaca dos anos 70 muito forte; todo mundo tem cabelinho de capacete no melhor estilo The Monkees, todo mundo usa as cores do uniforme mesmo no pijama, melodrama, amores bandidos, traições, revelações dantescas e tudo mais naquele clima série adolescente que, lá no fundo, todo mundo curte, né?
E o Levitz e o Giffen, mais uma cambada de artistas, fazem funcionar muito bem todos os vinte e tantos ou quase trinta legionários, todos tem um momentinho mais tri, claro, com tanta gente e tantas histórias algumas pontas não são amarradas aqui e devem seguir adiante.
E gurizada, quinhentas, eu disse, quinhentas páginas de Legião dos Super-Heróis na Teoria do Vintão, não tem como não ler.
Long Live the Legion!
Uma das minhas primeiras lembranças como leitor foi com a Saga da Grande Escuridão, num SuperPowers no finado formatinho da Abril, eu achei aquilo fantástico, eu já conhecia de um ou outro gibizinho do Superboy, mas ali tinha uma história completa com, sei lá, vinte e poucos heróis contra, putamerda, o Darkseid.
Aqui nós temos quinhentas páginas de aventuras da Legião lá por '83/84, logo depois da tal Grande Escuridão. E é bem tri, minhas memórias dessa época diriam "é afuzel".
Bom, obviamente, em quinhentas páginas, acontece toda sorte de coisa:
Tem uma recapitulação da origem da legião;
Tem triângulos amorosos;
Tem mistérios em asteróides distantes;
Tem quebra-pau com Khúndios, aliás é o que mais tem;
Tem mistérios e segredos em Durla;
Tem amor proibido;
Tem casamento;
Tem o retorno de um legionário há muito perdido;
Tem a Legião Substituta;
Tem a Escolinha da Legião;
Tem o Quinteto Fatal, quem nunca se apaixonou pela Imperatriz Esmeralda?
Tem o vilão com o chapéuzinho mais idiota de todos os tempos, Mordru;
Tem um quebra-pau pegado entre o Guri-Relâmpago e o Lorde Relâmpago, sempre tem quebra-pau entre irmãos;
Tem eleição pra líder da Legião;
Tem gravidez;
Tem viagem no tempo e um quebra-pau com os deuses do Olimpo, ou não;
Tem o Profeta e o Presságio, uma história que eu não entendi muito bem pra que serve, mas vai saber, né?
Tem o Computo;
Tem o novo HQ da Legião;
E, bem, no finalzinho, tem a tal da Maldição.
Claro, é um título numa ressaca dos anos 70 muito forte; todo mundo tem cabelinho de capacete no melhor estilo The Monkees, todo mundo usa as cores do uniforme mesmo no pijama, melodrama, amores bandidos, traições, revelações dantescas e tudo mais naquele clima série adolescente que, lá no fundo, todo mundo curte, né?
E o Levitz e o Giffen, mais uma cambada de artistas, fazem funcionar muito bem todos os vinte e tantos ou quase trinta legionários, todos tem um momentinho mais tri, claro, com tanta gente e tantas histórias algumas pontas não são amarradas aqui e devem seguir adiante.
E gurizada, quinhentas, eu disse, quinhentas páginas de Legião dos Super-Heróis na Teoria do Vintão, não tem como não ler.
Long Live the Legion!
May 20, 2013
Single Issues (297-300.) The single issues stories that lead this volume off are quite good, particularly the Cosmic Boy story (#297), which is a great character piece, and the anniversary issue (#300), which is a terrific look at the history of the comic [8/10].
More Single Issues (301-303 + Annual.) The short pieces that follow are likewise strong, particularly the Chameleon and Emerald Empress issues [8/10], but the Wedding Annual is just OK … because essentially nothing happens [6.5/10], making it the first weak issue in this volume.
The Academy (304.) As soon as we’re back to the one-offs, the quality lifts again. This Academy issue is one of my favorites, both for its attention to the members of the Academy and for its sober look at the dangers of the Legion [8/10].
Shrinking Violet (305.) The Shrinking Violet story is excellent for its mystery, its repercussions, and its characterization of Gim [9/10].
Star Man. (306.) The Star Man origin is nice, though there’s not a lot new here other than his “bad” luck [7/10].
Omen (307-310.) I’ve never been fond of this story because it feels derivative of the Great Darkness Saga, but not nearly as good. It’s also quite slow. The only really interesting element is the interaction with the Khunds [6.5/10].
Computo & Dawnstar (311.) A pair of strong stories for their great focus on individual characters [7.5/10]
SP Blackmail (312-313.) The final story before the LoSH split is nice mainly for its focus on the Science Police and a few of their members. There’s also (again) some nice mystery [7/10].
The Curse (Annual 3). The final story is a great story for its attention to some of the Legion’s greatest foes and for its conclusion. Of course, it’s also way out of chronology in this volume. It should have gone deep in the *next* hardcover, covering the Tales of the Legion year, which sadly DC doesn’t seem interested in publishing. [8/10]
Overall, this volume isn’t quite as great as the Great Darkness, mainly because it doesn’t have any major arcs other than the so-so Omen story, but it’s still a fine read that’s well deserving of this hardcover publication.
More Single Issues (301-303 + Annual.) The short pieces that follow are likewise strong, particularly the Chameleon and Emerald Empress issues [8/10], but the Wedding Annual is just OK … because essentially nothing happens [6.5/10], making it the first weak issue in this volume.
The Academy (304.) As soon as we’re back to the one-offs, the quality lifts again. This Academy issue is one of my favorites, both for its attention to the members of the Academy and for its sober look at the dangers of the Legion [8/10].
Shrinking Violet (305.) The Shrinking Violet story is excellent for its mystery, its repercussions, and its characterization of Gim [9/10].
Star Man. (306.) The Star Man origin is nice, though there’s not a lot new here other than his “bad” luck [7/10].
Omen (307-310.) I’ve never been fond of this story because it feels derivative of the Great Darkness Saga, but not nearly as good. It’s also quite slow. The only really interesting element is the interaction with the Khunds [6.5/10].
Computo & Dawnstar (311.) A pair of strong stories for their great focus on individual characters [7.5/10]
SP Blackmail (312-313.) The final story before the LoSH split is nice mainly for its focus on the Science Police and a few of their members. There’s also (again) some nice mystery [7/10].
The Curse (Annual 3). The final story is a great story for its attention to some of the Legion’s greatest foes and for its conclusion. Of course, it’s also way out of chronology in this volume. It should have gone deep in the *next* hardcover, covering the Tales of the Legion year, which sadly DC doesn’t seem interested in publishing. [8/10]
Overall, this volume isn’t quite as great as the Great Darkness, mainly because it doesn’t have any major arcs other than the so-so Omen story, but it’s still a fine read that’s well deserving of this hardcover publication.
January 24, 2021
This volumes collects rather a lot of issues of the "Legion of Super Heroes" comic from the 80s, so it has up and downs. Coming off the rather epic "Great Darkness Saga" of the previous collection, many of the conflicts facing the team are tame by comparison. It's most interesting to see the writers experiment with different story types (even dipping into mystery and detective fiction), and there are some very bold, memorable page layouts and art shifts throughout. As always, this has the classic problem of just having too many characters; as soon as things get interesting in a star-crossed romance, a grudge, or some other character plot arc, the story has shifted to something else.
September 26, 2020
This volume picks up after The Great Darkness and has a wide range of stories and subplots. I remember this era, but maybe not quite as well as the previous volume. In fact, I marveled Keith Giffen's inventive layouts, something I know I didn't appreciate at 12 and 13. Rereading these comics has cemented my love for the Legion all over again - it's not all nostalgia either. These are great comics that anyone can enjoy.
Read
May 4, 2021Recopila LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #297-313 y LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ANNUAL #2-3, más ilustraciones extra de Dave Gibbons, Curt Swan, George Tuska, Pat Broderick y Gene Colan.
November 9, 2015
Reading the two books Legion on Super-Heroes The Great Darkness Saga and The Curse is like reading a a soap opera set in the future, about superheroes. Which is a good thing because in Paul Levitz's hands the turns into an exciting and gripping story. The kind of story that is not something that is easily come upon in comics. I mean, when do you get to read a space opera about superheroes. Maybe a Green Lantern comic but most of the time it lacks the humour, the wonder and excitement of having an adventure and the friends you get to share it. Something that you can find a lot more in older superhero comics. Published in the 70s, the art by Keith Giffen feels more nostalgic than dated.
Due to the publishing nature when the stories were made, this is an episodic graphic novel where storylines focus on certain characters of the Legion. Herein lies it's strenghts, almost every character gets a leading role in an chapter or two, in the process the reader gets to know every characters personalities, dreams and heartaches. This would not have happened if the comic only focused in a single story, say the battle with Darkseid. Sadly those kinds of stories are the norm in today's crossover laden industry, we get a single event with bigger and bigger fights, shallow character developments and uninteresting plots.
The two books adds up to a total of almost a thousand pages. In itself this might seem a lot but the roster of the Legion number to a dozen or more, so it's still a bit lacking, as if there's still many more Legion stories to tell and I would definitely read that story if it's made by Levitz and Giffen.
Due to the publishing nature when the stories were made, this is an episodic graphic novel where storylines focus on certain characters of the Legion. Herein lies it's strenghts, almost every character gets a leading role in an chapter or two, in the process the reader gets to know every characters personalities, dreams and heartaches. This would not have happened if the comic only focused in a single story, say the battle with Darkseid. Sadly those kinds of stories are the norm in today's crossover laden industry, we get a single event with bigger and bigger fights, shallow character developments and uninteresting plots.
The two books adds up to a total of almost a thousand pages. In itself this might seem a lot but the roster of the Legion number to a dozen or more, so it's still a bit lacking, as if there's still many more Legion stories to tell and I would definitely read that story if it's made by Levitz and Giffen.
May 22, 2020
There are a lot of stories in this collection of 17 issues and two annuals and events with major consequences for the Legion and lots of early 80's comic book drama. These stories are for me a feel good combination of the Legion's optimistic outlook on the future as well as complex and darker challenges faced by the team (parents killed, members secretly replaced, children kidnapped) while facing the usual plots and attacks by foes both old and new. I enjoyed Giffen's art the most but there are a great number of great guest artists as there are two annuals and the special 300th issue in this run. I have always enjoyed the Legion and it's large cast of members and these stories do a great job of utilizing all of them. Collecting Legion of Super-Heroes #297-313 & Annual #2-3.
April 5, 2012
This volume has the issues following up on the Great Darkness Saga, including the double-sized anniversary issue with an all-star lineup of guest artists. It also has the annuals featuring the wedding of Karate Kid and Princess Projectra, and the birth of Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl's offspring, and a couple of my favorite stand-alone issues: one in which a de-powered Chameleon Boy and his father R.J. Brande return to their homeworld in hopes of finding a cure, and one in which the death of Cosmic Boy's mother tests the limits of his commitment to the Legion's principles. Paging through the issues, the gradual evolution of Giffen's art style becomes apparent.
April 18, 2019
The Legion was in its prime and then it got distracted.
Maybe they started making too many plans, maybe they were dwelling too long on their success and their upcoming title, and their minds started to wander.
Truth is they had some stories that didn't deliver at all, like the Omen's, some other easily forgettable ones, like the attempts on the President of Earth, and it went up to a point where subplots were more interesting than the main stories. And what with Vi's resolution? It should have been mind shattering, but it wasn't.
The characters were perfect, as in a perfectly crafted soap opera, but their adventures were lacking.
Staying at the top is hard.
Maybe they started making too many plans, maybe they were dwelling too long on their success and their upcoming title, and their minds started to wander.
Truth is they had some stories that didn't deliver at all, like the Omen's, some other easily forgettable ones, like the attempts on the President of Earth, and it went up to a point where subplots were more interesting than the main stories. And what with Vi's resolution? It should have been mind shattering, but it wasn't.
The characters were perfect, as in a perfectly crafted soap opera, but their adventures were lacking.
Staying at the top is hard.
June 9, 2020
Classic Legion tales from Paul Levitz--this is still about as good as it gets for juggling the Legion's big cast of super-powered teens, giving everyone their own talents and personality traits. The Omen/Prophet arc is a bit of a dud; it feels like a long-winded attempt to recapture "The Great Darkness Saga" without the spark that Darkseid provides. But overall we have an enjoyable ensemble cast jetting through space and fighting bad guys, all with iconic art from Keith Giffin and Larry Mahlstedt.
January 14, 2019
The era of LSH that hooked me as a kid. Bold storylines that were interwoven with some subtle moments of character interaction, the book impressed just as much this time around as when it did the first time I read it as individual issues. This collection is probably the best blueprint anyone thinking of relaunching the series for DC could have.
August 26, 2020
Awesome
Levitz. Giffen. Legion. This was a tale with a twist. Very well done. Love how the various subplots advance at their own pace.
Levitz. Giffen. Legion. This was a tale with a twist. Very well done. Love how the various subplots advance at their own pace.
January 1, 2026
Collects Legion of Super-Heroes #297-313 plus Annuals #2-3, picking up after The Great Darkness Saga. It brings a modern sensibility to the title, containing a wide variety of stories and subplots that carry over long arcs, sometimes years long (e.g., Shrinking Violet's subplot). Co-plotters Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen clearly had a good handle on the characters and Giffen's artwork (inked by Larry Mahlstedt) is excellent (with some A-list fill-ins by the likes of Dave Gibbons, Curt Swan, Gene Colan, and Pat Broderick). In some of the later issues they experiment with some novel panel layouts that sometimes work and sometimes don't. Perhaps it's the editing of Karen Berger, though, that is the key to the success of this run. Berger later went on to found and manage the Vertigo line and is still a major force in comics editing. Certainly, having a stable creative team over this long helps make this one of the better runs in Legion history.
November 17, 2017
My first few LSH issues when I started collecting comics more than 30 years ago are included in this edition. Dealing with the aftermath of Darkseid's attack, an impostor in the Legion, leadership woes, and much more. I miss this classic storytelling.
January 6, 2019
A decent enough collection, but it's hardly any sort of cohesive saga. It's not even clear why it's entitled 'The Curse' until the last included issue (Annual #3). What a reveal on the last page though!
July 10, 2019
Again I was a regular monthly fan of the title back in the day. I drop a star only because Giffen’s art was going through changes in the latter part of this run, and not in a way I liked them and again now.
November 27, 2023
Quite the shocking conclusion to this run of the Legion of Super-Heroes. I was not expecting that. The legendary Keith Giffen passed away while I was in the midst of reading this volume. You could really see his later Giffen art style start to develop near the end of this run. Recommended.
August 26, 2019
Always have enjoyed comics with multiple characters.
June 12, 2024
Reprints of the last 15 or so LSH vol 2, ending with Darkseid taking LL/SGs twin son to become Valdius of the Fatal Five
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2018
Gems include "Future Is Forever!", "Those Emerald Eyes Are Shining", "Whatever Gods there Be", "Destruction by Design", "Good Cop, Bad Cop?" 2parter, & the eponymous tale.
September 8, 2015
The text description here is incorrect- this is prime Legion from the Levitz/Giffen days of the early 80s, and so there is no real connection to the Geoff Johns stories or the Green Lantern Corps, aside from this era being a key reference point for Johns' later work.
There's no big story here, unlike The Great Darkness collection- The Omen plot runs for 4 issues (and not full issues) which is the closest to a long form story here. Although collections often focus on the large storylines, this collection of single issues plays to the strengths of the Legion at that time- an almost soap opera style approach to storytelling, that allows threads to be introduced, teased, and picked up again when this suited the creative team, rather than focussing on one plot point per issue or issues. This is the ideal approach to a team as large as the Legion, as it lets the characters move in and out of the spotlight as required, so we have issues focussing on Cosmic Boy, Chameleon Kid and his father, RJ Brande, Star Boy, Dawnstar, the Legion Academy, and so on, while other plots simmer and come in and out of focus (a traitor in the Legion, various romances, old enemies plotting their return, etc.) until resolved.
There's a variety of great artists making appearances here, due to their connections with Legion history, in addition to the regular art of Keith Giffen, which you can see evolve here. By the time of the Omen story, you can see the distinctive style forming that Giffen would use to great effect some time later in the post-Levitz Five Years Later issues of the Legion (which continued to pick up on plot threads seen here).
All in all, this is an excellent introduction to what made the Legion a great title in the 80s, the need to experience the comic through multiple issues to appreciate the scope of the storytelling justifying its large page count. If you're taken by these stories, there's always the Legion archive editions to cover the early years (adventures which are referenced here) and hopefully at some point DC will see fit to collect the subsequent issues of Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes and the two volumes of The Legion of Super-Heroes so that both Levitz and Giffen's work gets the audience it still deserves in these sad days of no Legion comic being published at all.
There's no big story here, unlike The Great Darkness collection- The Omen plot runs for 4 issues (and not full issues) which is the closest to a long form story here. Although collections often focus on the large storylines, this collection of single issues plays to the strengths of the Legion at that time- an almost soap opera style approach to storytelling, that allows threads to be introduced, teased, and picked up again when this suited the creative team, rather than focussing on one plot point per issue or issues. This is the ideal approach to a team as large as the Legion, as it lets the characters move in and out of the spotlight as required, so we have issues focussing on Cosmic Boy, Chameleon Kid and his father, RJ Brande, Star Boy, Dawnstar, the Legion Academy, and so on, while other plots simmer and come in and out of focus (a traitor in the Legion, various romances, old enemies plotting their return, etc.) until resolved.
There's a variety of great artists making appearances here, due to their connections with Legion history, in addition to the regular art of Keith Giffen, which you can see evolve here. By the time of the Omen story, you can see the distinctive style forming that Giffen would use to great effect some time later in the post-Levitz Five Years Later issues of the Legion (which continued to pick up on plot threads seen here).
All in all, this is an excellent introduction to what made the Legion a great title in the 80s, the need to experience the comic through multiple issues to appreciate the scope of the storytelling justifying its large page count. If you're taken by these stories, there's always the Legion archive editions to cover the early years (adventures which are referenced here) and hopefully at some point DC will see fit to collect the subsequent issues of Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes and the two volumes of The Legion of Super-Heroes so that both Levitz and Giffen's work gets the audience it still deserves in these sad days of no Legion comic being published at all.
May 6, 2018
Great period for the Legion. Totally fell in love with the team of the future yet again. It's been way too long since we've had a decent, new LSH story. It's been all too many failed reboots and weak series. The only good ones were Superman and the Legion by Johns and the Abnett and Lanning series. So many disappointments Legion-wise for the last 20 years. So it's a delight to go back and read the wonderful Legion books of the past.
March 20, 2024
Great big 80's superhero excitement - 2980's that is! This book covers a good chunk of the early 80's Levitz/Giffin run and it's just as much big galaxy-spanning fun that I remember it being when I was a kid!
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