This post is Filed Under:

Home page Highlights,
Interviews and Columns

KC – no, wait. That’s Bouncing Boy. funny how you never see the two of them together…

A KC COLUMN by KC Carlson

It’s gotten to the point that I don’t even notice when DC Comics collects some of the work I edited for them in the 1990s. (It happens so infrequently these days.) It was Roger who first pointed out to me that there was a “new” legion of Super-Heroes trade paperback collection in the current diamond Previews for books shipping in April, reprinting stories from my run as editor.

Legionnaires book One

“New” is in quotes because this book is based on an earlier TPB from 1999 titled The legion of Super-Heroes: The beginning of Tomorrow. That volume collected stories from both of the legion titles of the era — the core book legion of Super-Heroes and the then- (relatively) brand-spanking new Legionnaires spin-off title, confusingly starring a younger version of the original team. A lot of us LSH folk back then hoped this TPB would be the first of a series eventually collecting all of that seemingly beloved run. (LSH fans swarmed the creators at comic conventions for years while the series ran, topped off by a congregation of over 100 fans in a Chicago hotel lobby late into the night. I left around 1 AM and it was still going strong.)

But it was not to be. To date, that book was the only collection of that era of the LSH. nearly every other run was eventually collected, a lot of notably the first (and best !?!?) Mort Weisinger-edited 1960s series as hardcover archives. That was famously one of the better-selling Archive Editions along with the Superman and Batman Archives.

IS book ONE just THE BEGINNING?

Luckily, this new volume (encouragingly titled Legionnaires book One) is a a lot more fortified collection than the original 1999 TPB, using up a lot more stories and featuring a a lot more famous cover (from the 1993 legion of Super-Heroes #0) than the original collection. For the record, it collects legion of Super-Heroes #0 and #62-68 and Legionnaires #0 and #19-24 (that’s five a lot more issues of comics beyond the 1999 TPB). I hope that the current collected book editors take a little a lot more care this time around. They must include ALL the covers (without overlapping them) and tone down the garish background color choices a bit from the original front-and-back matter.

Legionnaires #23 cover by Jeffy Moy & Wade Von Grawbadger

A pretty great lineup of talent is included here, including writers mark Waid, Tom Peyer, and Tom McCraw (moonlighting as writer/idea-guy when he wasn’t coloring ALL the LSH stories of this era)! artists include Stuart Immonen, Jeffrey Moy, Lee Moder, Ron Boyd, W.C. (Cory!) Carani, and a few others (but these were the main guys)! Our long-suffering letterers were Pat Brosseau and Bob Pinaha, and the assistant to the stars was (and in lots of ways still is!) Mike McAvennie. I don’t know what I would have done without him. It feels great to type all their names again after so lots of great memories (and stories!).

MORE hidden gems STILL LOCKED AWAY

I’m not really sure why the volume starts here, other than it’s pretty tempting to start a book with a #0 issue. but I have to tell you (and remind DC if they’re reading this) that a lot of the earlier issues of both titles are pretty cool as well. Those early stories have lots of future superstar artists lurking in them. I’m very pleased of the fact that the earliest issues of Legionnaires were illustrated by Chris Sprouse and Adam Hughes, all held together by inker supreme Karl Story.

Legion of Super-Heroes #63 cover by Stuart Immonen & Ron Boyd

Stuart Immonen fans must seek out his earlier issues of LSH to see the evolution of a superstar artist (especially considering that there’s just the one story, his last on the Legion, by him in this TPB). Stu was on the book for a long time before he got the call to pencil Superman (both Adventures of and action Comics), which is a job you just don’t turn down when asked. Colleen Doran was also a great LSH fan, and she illustrated lots of terrific (and occasionally controversial) LSH tales during this era, whenever she had a break in her always-very-busy schedule.

WHY THE WHAT?

Legion of Super-Heroes #2 variant cover by Jim Lee

So why is DC unexpectedly producing a new collection of the legion of Super-Heroes during a time where those characters have barely been seen for at least a year? Hmmm… would it have anything to make with a certain co-publisher/artist at DC thinking that it would be fun to draw the LSH for a bit? seeing as how he and his wife have nine children, it sounds like he’d have plenty of reference for drawing youthful characters. In space. In the future.

Expect a lot more LSH news in the coming months… I hope I hope I hope…

Long live the Legion!

LEGIONNAIRES book ONE is 384 pages of LSH goodness from a lot of of thefolks pointed out above. It’s scheduled to be in comics stores on April 12. but don’t forget to pre-order it THIS month!

____________________________________

KC (Editor Lad) CARLSON edited the legion of Super-Heroes “franchise” from late 1992 to 1998 for DC Comics. He has been reading and loving the series considering that about 1966. and it has been a looooooooooooooong several years without a regular series. hopefully not too much longer before news of a new revival of the series! My flight ring is getting twitchy for some action!

P.S. The column title this time doesn’t indicate anything. Or does it…? LLL!

Legion of Super-Heroes #64 cover by Lee Moder

WESTFIELD COMICS is not responsible for the silly things that KC says. especially that thing that really irritated you. Yay! It’s finally a new Year. Hey, 2017 — nobody dies this year, okay!?!

Purchase

Legionnaires book One