Action Comics #861

We have reached part four of the "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" arc and the paces slows down a bit for some exposition. The pacing over the first four issues has run hot and cold with the feeling that Geoff Johns may be stretching this into six issues. As a stand alone issue, this issue provides more background and catching up than action. The cover is a bit misleading and doesn't really match what is happening inside the book. Johns really has Superman's voice down and the Legion's reaction when Superman steps into an argument is quite good. Of all of them, I like Johns' Polar Boy the best. Artist Gary Frank continues to do some good work here. The "dead eye" critique mentioned in my last review is somewhat addressed here. It is interesting that Frank's Braniac-5's eyes are full of life while his Superman sometimes get that dead/crack head stare going.

If you've been wondering what is going on with Braniac-5 and what the plan is, this issue begins to answer those questions. It looks like next issue may go into the background of the JLE with part six providing the action-packed climax.

Legion of Super-Heroes #38

I'm hooked! Jim Shooter's return to "Legion of Super-Heroes" has breathed new life into the book. After such a long absence from writing these characters combined with all the restarts and reboots, I thought it would take Shooter 4-6 issues to get back up to speed. This was not the case. Shooter has hit the ground running and has captured each member's characterization. The art by Francis Manapul is the cherry on top of the Shooter sundae. Manipul produces some nice pages giving a lot of detail. This first arc is moving forward quickly and is setting up new characters, new situations, and future plot lines along the way.

This is the way to come back to a title. Take note, Shooter is in full form here.

Action Comics #860

Part Three of the "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" story arc has writer Geoff Johns moving the plot forward at a fast pace. While last issue was a bit of a setup issue, this issue propels forward with lots of action and twists and turns. We are half way through this six part story and I am completely engrossed. This LOSH stands in stark contrast to the current monthly version and I'm hoping that Johns can clear this up.

I like Gary Frank's Superman a great deal, but there are times when his character's facial expressions border on mannequinesque. I believe it is in the eyes. There are a few panels where the characters look like they are looking directly at the "camera" and not where they should be. This gives them an almost dead/inanimate look.

Given that little nitpick, this story continues to be an very good read.

Legion of Super-Heroes #37

Wow! "Legion of Super-Heroes" writer Jim Shooter certainly makes a splash with his return to this title. I was cautiously optimistic at seeing Shooter return to the title that kicked off his comic's career, but after reading this first issue, I think the future looks good for the LOSH. When I was picking up my pull list from my LCS last week, the owner said that he was unhappy with DC pulling Supergirl out of the title and the book. He felt that the book would loose a lot of readers because of this. I hope that isn't the case. In my opinion Supergirl was a bit of a drag on this series. I don't mind the occasional visit from current day DC but the LOSH has enough characters to stand on its own.

Penciller Francis Manipul does a fantastic job of translating Shooter's script to the page. His interpretation of the Legion members is spot on.

This is an excellent jumping on point for new readers and for old LOSH fans that left during the Supergirl reign. Jim Shooter proves once again that he is a top-notch comics writer.

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #36

"Supergirl and teh Legion of Super-Heroes" #36 picks up the action right where #35 left off. From my last review I found the search for Cosmic Boy to be quite tedious, but this issue looks to resolve that issue. Writer Tony Bedard is wrapping up his run to turn over the reigns to returning Legion writer Jim Shooter. To that end, Bedard has a lot happening in this issue. This is the first issue of Legion that I have enjoyed in a long time. While Calero's art hasn't been to my liking, I really dug it here. Both Calero and colorist Nathan Eyring's art is spot on in this issue capturing the both the darkness presented and the hope for the future. I believe Bedard has left the Legion in a good spot for Shooter to start spinning his tales.

With all of the changes in the last few issues to the core group, Tony Bedard has provide an excellent jumping on point for new readers and for Jim Shooter.

Action Comics #859

The return of the Legion of Superheroes continues as Superman, trapped in the 31st century finds that his legacy has not held over time. With exception the short fight between the original three Legion members and Justice League Earth, writer Geoff Johns spends most of this issue setting up the new world order and Superman's place in it. I like his use of the rejected Legionnaires and the school scene where Earth children are shown being indoctrinated in the new world order. Penciller Gary Frank has another excellent outing. However, some of his shocked, open-eyed poses looked a bit mannequin-esque. I do like Frank's realistic depiction of the costumes that the heroes wear - wrinkles and all. He has very good layouts and keeps the story moving forward.

All in all, this issue serves the story well and sets the ground work for what I hope is an action packed climax to this story line. Both Kurt Busiek over in "Superman" and Geoff Johns here in "Action Comics" keep turning out what will be classic Superman stories. Both writers have a love for the Silver Age Superman and it shows in their work.

Supergirl & the Legion of Super-Heroes

"The Search for Cosmic Boy Grows Tedious!" would be the tag line for this series. I'm not sure I even care where he is now. I certainly don't get the motivations behind many of the players here - Braniac-5 in particular. Of course, he's a fifth level intellect and I wouldn't even consider that I could be made to understand his motivations. The only character that comes across interesting or exciting is Atom Girl. What started out 34 issues ago with great promise has settled into a muddled mess. The outgoing Tony Bedard has one more issue to tie up any loose ends on this "search" before Jim Shooter takes over the writing chores. Shooter has his work cut out for him if he has to take this version of the Legion forward. Dennis Calero's art is decent but the heavy handed inking and shadows highlight the aforementioned "muddled mess" presented here.

Jim Shooter on "Legion of Superheroes"

I just heard the news over at Occasional Superheroine that Jim Shooter is coming on as the new writer for "Legion of Superheroes" as of issue #37. As a long time legion fan I'm hoping for a great new era for the Legion. I think Shooter can bring the Legion back to greatness.