THE LEGION #12

By: Tony Whitt
Review Date: Monday, October 14, 2002

The Legion have discovered an artifact out on the edge of the solar system which they hope will help them defeat the ongoing Robotican threat on Earth: a vast dormant computer called Warworld. But when they find the JLA aboard, ready to defend Warworld from any pesky intruders (such as the Legion itself), they realize it's not quite as dormant as they'd thought. Meanwhile, Brainiac 5.1 attempts to talk some sense into his creation Computo, the source of the Robotican menace, but when your child wants to achieve true evolution, what's a father to do?

If you're well and truly sick of the lengthy JLA "Hunt for Aquaman" storyline (as most right-minded people should be), you may feel the slightest prickle of trepidation upon seeing the Justice League so prominently displayed on this month's cover of THE LEGION. But have no worries - this issue has absolutely nothing to do with Aquaman, Atlanteans, time-jumps, and all that other silly business the League has been up to lately. Consider it one of those stories that asks the burning question (that is, if you're in a schoolyard or at a comics convention): "If the Justice League of America fought the Legion of Super-Heroes, who would win?"

No point in keeping you in suspense: that question never gets satisfactorily answered (though, as big a Legion fan as I am, my money would be on the League, unless the whole Legion came down on them like...well, like a legion). Some may feel cheated by the reason why that question is never answered, but to my mind it's far better to explain away the League's presence in the way that Abnett and Lanning very interestingly do than to have the team show up in some semi-permanent way in yet another book. Besides, Abnett and Lanning do a great job of depicting them, especially the Batman. Perhaps having them guest-star again someday wouldn't be such a bad idea after all...


Sadly, the whole JLA-LSH thing distracts from the true main plot, that of the Robotican invasion, a storyline which has been going on for over a year and a half now (if you count the LEGION WORLDS series in which Robotica was introduced). One has to wonder if the distraction has been placed here to keep us from thinking about just how long it's been, and how much longer it's likely to be before the story draws to a satisfying conclusion. I'm all for lengthy story arcs, and I'm especially for anything that allows the Legion to be used to their best advantage...but I'll also be quite happy to see this story finally end. Whew.

One thing I'm glad has not ended, however, is Olivier Coipel's continued growth as an artist, ably assisted by Andy Lanning's inkwork. I'll admit, Coipel's artwork used to set my teeth on edge, but over the past three years he's developed one of the most distinctive artistic styles out there, one which I hope we'll get to see more often in other titles besides LEGION. There are still the odd panel or two that catch the attention for a reason other than sheer brilliance, of course, but when these are balanced against the depiction of the League themselves and the amazing view of the Warworld Dreadnought, those odd panels can easily be forgiven. Now, if only the end of this story arc is equally as forgivable...

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