Takes you right back, 28 May 2007
This is a cracking book. The legion of super heroes was always a big favourite of mine in the past with the same thought pattern as getting the Justice League of America in that you got a whole lot of heros for the price of one. You will either love this or be indifferent.
Well the series does not fail to entertain. You can see how the origin of the Legion started and gradually refined over a few guest appearances in Superboy and Superman. Finally the Legion gets into it's stride and we start to see a little of life in the far distant future whioch is a major draw along with the super powers. The stories start out a little tame but are not as naive nor as childish as say Green Lantern. They have aged very well. Now to the quality. You get a lot for your money well over 538 pages for under a tenner. All in black and white and on cheap paper BUT hey this is disposable nostalgia for the over 50s. So cheap as the chips which would be right at home in this quality of paper.
NOW bring on the LEX Luthor showcase!!!

Takes you right back, 28 May 2007
This is a cracking book. The legion of super heroes was always a big favourite of mine in the past with the same thought pattern as getting the Justice League of America in that you got a whole lot of heros for the price of one. You will either love this or be indifferent.
Well the series does not fail to entertain. You can see how the origin of the Legion started and gradually refined over a few guest appearances in Superboy and Superman. Finally the Legion gets into it's stride and we start to see a little of life in the far distant future whioch is a major draw along with the super powers. The stories start out a little tame but are not as naive nor as childish as say Green Lantern. They have aged very well. Now to the quality. You get a lot for your money well over 538 pages for under a tenner. All in black and white and on cheap paper BUT hey this is disposable nostalgia for the over 50s. So cheap as the chips which would be right at home in this quality of paper.
NOW bring on the LEX Luthor showcase!!!

Brilliant just as I remember., 18 May 2008
The second in the League of super heroes and the best. The stories were a success with the league finally being freed from the Superboy comic as a second story to their own book. The characters, setup and ethos had all been sorted out along with names and origins.
The stories are good, just what I remembered from my youth. Whilst not having the angst of say Marvel's X men the super heroes are an entertaining read. Sure the DC vision of the future is humorous for some of the 'future devices' but hey this was the age BEFORE video recorders sinclair computers, 'cell phones' and you've only got to watch a programme such as Space 1999 with the scientists using slide rules (ask your Granddad!!) to appreciate we all can't get it right??
This is a wonderful value book. Black and white but American comics always had writers, drawers and inkers. (the guys who colored the things in like the old paint by numbers sets we used to get,
(ask your Gran!) And no one bought a book for the inking did they???
Why 4 stars?? Well the book is not as good as the BATMAN showcases which are standout 5s for story and plot. But worth a punt. Cheap as chips (Not micro)

Takes you right back, 28 May 2007
This is a cracking book. The legion of super heroes was always a big favourite of mine in the past with the same thought pattern as getting the Justice League of America in that you got a whole lot of heros for the price of one. You will either love this or be indifferent.
Well the series does not fail to entertain. You can see how the origin of the Legion started and gradually refined over a few guest appearances in Superboy and Superman. Finally the Legion gets into it's stride and we start to see a little of life in the far distant future whioch is a major draw along with the super powers. The stories start out a little tame but are not as naive nor as childish as say Green Lantern. They have aged very well. Now to the quality. You get a lot for your money well over 538 pages for under a tenner. All in black and white and on cheap paper BUT hey this is disposable nostalgia for the over 50s. So cheap as the chips which would be right at home in this quality of paper.
NOW bring on the LEX Luthor showcase!!!

Brilliant just as I remember., 18 May 2008
The second in the League of super heroes and the best. The stories were a success with the league finally being freed from the Superboy comic as a second story to their own book. The characters, setup and ethos had all been sorted out along with names and origins.
The stories are good, just what I remembered from my youth. Whilst not having the angst of say Marvel's X men the super heroes are an entertaining read. Sure the DC vision of the future is humorous for some of the 'future devices' but hey this was the age BEFORE video recorders sinclair computers, 'cell phones' and you've only got to watch a programme such as Space 1999 with the scientists using slide rules (ask your Granddad!!) to appreciate we all can't get it right??
This is a wonderful value book. Black and white but American comics always had writers, drawers and inkers. (the guys who colored the things in like the old paint by numbers sets we used to get,
(ask your Gran!) And no one bought a book for the inking did they???
Why 4 stars?? Well the book is not as good as the BATMAN showcases which are standout 5s for story and plot. But worth a punt. Cheap as chips (Not micro)


End of an Era, 15 May 2007
In volume 9 of DC's 12 volume run charting the Silver Age adventures of the Legion of Superheroes, the end of an era is documented. Not only had Curt Swan, the Legion's greatest artist, left the title, this was the point, around 1970, when their unbroken run in `Adventure' comics was curtailed in favour of Supergirl and they were unceremoniously dumped into the back-up slot in `Action' comics. A crime us Legion fans never forgave and which eventually resulted in their resurrection in `Superboy' a few years later.

For a team of 26 or so heroes, the back half of a comic book was not really enough space to stretch out and give us the epic battles of yore, so writer Jim Shooter offered us a series of short stories, featuring a cast of 3 or 4 rather than the whole crowd. This allowed him to concentrate on developing the personality of each member, something that DC had failed to do, but which Marvel were already adept.

At the time, I hated the fact that my favourite bunch of characters had been treated so shabbily, but in retrospect, these are interesting stories, different from the usual hero defeats villain type and which show a development in comic book story telling that would continue into the 1970s.

For this reason, this volume is different from the remainder of the Archives series, but is no less fascinating. The story telling is compulsive and the characterisation gives real insight to a set of erstwhile cardboard creations. If you're a Legion fan, you can't really afford to miss this one.