Legion Lost
| Legion Lost | |
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 Cover for Legion Lost, vol. 2, #1 (Sep, 2011). Art by Pete Woods and Brad Anderson. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | , science fiction, superhero |
| Publication date | (vol. 1) May 2000 - April 2001 (vol. 2) September 2011 - Present |
| Number of issues | (vol. 1): 12 (vol. 2): 4 (as of February 2012) |
| Main character(s) | Legion of Super-Heroes Kwai |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | (vol. 1) Dan Abnett Andy Lanning (vol. 2) Fabian Nicieza |
| Penciller(s) | (vol. 1) Oliver Coipel Pascal Alike (vol. 2) Pete Woods |
| Inker(s) | Andy Lanning |
| Letterer(s) | Comicraft |
| Colorist(s) | (vol. 1) Tom McCraw (vol. 2) Brad Anderson |
| Editor(s) | Mike McAvennie |
Legion Lost is a superhero team published by DC Comics. It was originally published as a 12-issue comic book limited series starring the Legion of Super-Heroes. The series was co-written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, often collectively referred to and interviewed as "DnA", penciled primarily by Oliver Coipel, with Pascal Alixe filling in for some issues, inked by Lanning and colored by Tom McCraw.
Contents |
[edit] Publication history
"Legion Lost" and its companion series "Legion Worlds", was designed mainly as a "jump on" point for the Legion franchise. Per this, the series revolves around a set number of Legion members and each issue being told from the point-of-view of a particular Legion member. It is the third story in the Abnett and Lanning Legion series, following the events of "Legion of the Damned" and "Widening Rifts". It was followed by "Legion Worlds" and a brand new Legion series, titled "The Legion". The series ran for 12 issues and was collected in a hardcover collection series in 2011.
In September, 2011, DC Comics launched a new monthly series (Legion Lost, vol. 2 [1]). The series replaces "Adventure Comics" as the second Legion title published by DC Comics and focuses on a small group of the original incarnation of Legion of the Super-Heroes (and 1994 era Legion member Gates) as they are stranded in the present day 21st Century, having failed to stop a shape-shifting terrorist from Rimbor from infecting Earth with a deadly virus. The series follows the changing rules of time travel since the events of "Flashpoint", where time travel is more difficult.
[edit] Plot (first series)
Monstress, Brainiac 5.1, Umbra, Kid Quantum, Saturn Girl, Live Wire, Apparition, and Chameleon have found themselves banished to the far side of the universe following the destruction of the Legion Outpost base, at the hands of a tear in the fabric of space.[2] They are joined by Shikari, a half-bug/half-humanoid alien whose people are being hunted by an alien race known as "The Progeny". Later on, the group is also joined by the gestalt entity known as "ERG-1" (renamed Wildfire, having been sucked into the rift prior to the Legion being sucked into it) and begin the long journey home, with Shikari and her tracking power acting as their guide.[3][4]
As they make their way across the galaxy they are stranded in, the Legion discover that the Progeny have been actively slaughting entire species in genocide inspired by their radical belief that they are the "perfect" life form.[3][5] Meanwhile tensions flare up between the various Legion members: Umbra struggles from her previous possession at the hands of "The Blight",[6] Monstress struggles to abide by the Legion's "no killing" rule when faced with the atrocities committed by the Progeny,[6] while Ultra Boy rages about over being stranded millions of light years away from home and the rest of his friends and family.[3][6] They also encounter a mysterious super-hero known as Singularity and the Omniphagos, a world destroying sentient pyramid who's teleportation powers the Legion attempt to use to return home.[7][8][9]
Eventually, things come to a head when it is revealed that Saturn Girl has been repeatedly "manipulating" the minds of her fellow teammates with her psychic powers. While she claims to have done this in order to keep the team level headed and calm, the revelation that Apparition was really a psychic illusion designed to pacify Ultra Boy turn the group against Saturn Girl. Things come to a head when Saturn Girl forces herself into Umbra's head, unknowingly creating two psychic entities: one representing the totality of Umbra's darkest fears and one that represents Saturn Girl's own psyche run amuck. Both entities are defeated and Saturn Girl ultimately forgiven.[8][9][10]
During the course of the series, two mysteries haunt the Legion: the fate of Element Lad (who went through the rift along with his teammates but ultimately vanished after placing them in crystals designed to protect them while traveling through the rift[3] and the identity of "The Progenitor", the supreme leader of the murderous "Progeny".[3][5][9][11] In the end, the Legion are captured and taken to the Proginator, who is revealed to be an insane Element Lad.[11] It is revealed that Element Lad lived for over a billion years while looking after the crystallized Legion, as the rift had actually left the team billions of years in the past. To (unsuccessfully) try and stay sane, Element Lad used his powers to create life forms, culminating in him believing himself "God" and his creation the Progeny, his most perfect creation.[12]
Realizing that their friend is insane, they confront Element Lad, who ultimately murders Monstress, after she proclaims that she is not one of his creations.[12] A battle between the two sides erupts and in the end, the Legion escape by way of using a dimensional gateway Element Lad possesses. As they escape, Element Lad merges with the Omniphagos and attack the ship the Legion are in. Knowing that he will have to kill the creature to stop the murderous monster from killing his friends, Live Wire abandons the ship and kills Element Lad/Omniphagos. As he is consumed in the blast that kills his former friend, Live Wire watches his friends return home as the portal closes behind him.[13]
The second series has several Legionaires (Dawnstar, Gates, Timber Wolf, Tellus, Tyroc, and Wildfire) trapped in the twenty-first century pursuing a villain releasing biological weapons, and is ongoing.
[edit] Point of View Aspect
Each issue of Legion Lost (vol. 1) was narrated by a particular Legion member: #1 Shikari, #2 Monstress, #3 Kid Quantum, #4 Apparition, #5 Brainiac 5, #6 Umbra, #7 Ultra Boy, #8 Chameleon, #9 Saturn Girl, #10 Wildfire, #11 Element Lad, #12 Live Wire. This was largely done to help new fans get to know the Legion members better. This gimmick would be repeated with the follow-up mini-series "Legion Worlds".
[edit] Aftermath
Fall-out from the events of Legion Lost would ultimately be felt in The Legion #30-33, Abnett and Lanning's final three issues on the series. Singularity would ultimately rally the entire galaxy against the remaining members of the Progeny, who would find themselves on the receiving end of genocide as their former victims systematically went about wiping them out. The surviving members of the species would find a shocking ally though: Live Wire, who ended up merging with a dying Element Lad, transforming him into a crystalized entity that was an exact doppleganger of Element Lad. Live Wire contacted the Legion, who ultimately convinced Singularity to spare the Progeny and stop the cycle of violence. Ultimately, with help from the original Earth 0 Legion and the Earth Prime Legion, Live Wire would ultimately have his face and body restored during the events of "Legion of Three Worlds".
[edit] References
- ^ Legion Lost in DC Comics official site
- ^ Legion of the Super-Heroes (vol. 4) #125 (March 2000)
- ^ a b c d e Legion Lost (vol. 1) #1 (May 2000)
- ^ Legion Lost (vol. 1) #3 (July 2000)
- ^ a b Legion Lost (vol. 1) #2 (June 2000)
- ^ a b c Legion Lost (vol. 1) #4 (August 2000)
- ^ Legion Lost (vol. 1) #5 (September 2000)
- ^ a b Legion Lost (vol. 1) #6 (October 2000)
- ^ a b c Legion Lost (vol. 1) #7 (November 2000)
- ^ Legion Lost (vol. 1) #8-9 (December 2000-January 2001)
- ^ a b Legion Lost (vol. 1) #10 (February 2001)
- ^ a b Legion Lost (vol. 1) #11 (March 2001)
- ^ Legion Lost (vol. 1) #12 (April 2001)
[edit] External links
- Legion Lost at the Grand Comics Database
- Legion Lost at the Comic Book DB
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