KC Carlson by former Legion of Super-Heroes artist, Stuart Immonen

A KC COLUMN by KC Carlson

Assuming there still are some out there (the LSH has been in mothballs for a very long time!), Legion of Super-Heroes fans were recently stunned by DC Comics’ announcement that the LSH were returning (as a group) after many years in virtual limbo (except for the odd appearance of a character or two in Doomsday Clock or something similar). Coming in September (but being solicited for pre-orders NOW) is Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium, a two-part prelude to what one hopes will be the reinstatement of the Legion of Super-Heroes as an ongoing presence in the DC Universe.

Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium #1 cover by Ryan Sook

Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium is being produced by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artists including Jim Lee, Dustin Nguyen, Andrea Sorrentino, Andre Araujo, and most likely several others. The two 40-page issues will, according to DC, be the lead-in to a new ongoing Legion of Super-Heroes series written by Bendis with art by Ryan Sook.

Ryan Sook drew the future in the past with this cover for the DC: One Million Omnibus

Sook appears to be an excellent (and quirky) choice to be the LSH artist. His previous comics work includes The Spectre, X-Factor, Seven Soldiers: Zatanna, and perhaps his most notable comics work: the Kamandi story in Wednesday Comics, which was written by Dave Gibbons. Sook’s comic book work has been compared to Mike Mignola, Adam Hughes, and Kevin Nowlan, and he draws inspiration from classical artists including Alphonse Mucha, JC Leyendecker, and Norman Rockwell, among many others. He’s been working in comics since 1998 and also produces many covers for many different publishers. (But mostly DC.)

Legion of Super-Heroes #78 cover by Alan Davis & Mark Farmer

I’m especially excited to see the Legion of Super-Heroes return — mostly because I was a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes Editors for several years at DC Comics (beginning in 1992). The series also is important to me personally, as my wife Johanna is also a big LSH fan, and it’s one of the major reasons why we bonded when we first met — at a comics convention in Atlanta — which otherwise was one of the worst cons I ever worked at. J’s other claim to LSH fandom is that she cosplayed as Shrinking Violet back in the day.

Back to Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium: These two issues span 1,000 years and (for the first time) connect all of DC’s future timelines! It stars “the unlikeliest of DC heroes” (who? we don’t know yet!) as she attempts to cope with immortality while roaming the DC Universe — which leads to a special launch on the millennium!

The Legion also makes an appearance in Superman #15, available for pre-order now

In some of DC’s publicity for the LSH relaunch, Bendis asserts that working with both Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes “was a big, big reason for me to come over here.”

There’s a not-yet-revealed character at the heart of Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium, who, according to Bendis, “had been through a lot of mysterious, weird stuff in the DC Universe. We’re going to have her walk us through every single future in the DC Universe, and connect them all together.” Bendis also hints that there’s a character from the 21st century in the 31st century with a perspective that is “different from everyone else’s.”

Wow. September is a really long time away! Well, not as long as September 3019, but you know what I mean… Hmmm… Can I re-read the entire LSH canon before September? Hey, Roger… I might need a couple weeks off…

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Legion of Super-Heroes #38

KC CARLSON edited Legion of Super-Heroes and Legionnaires (and other LSH-related stuff) from 1992 to 1998. I still think that it’s funny that the cover of the first issue that I worked on (#38, Late December 1992) has the words THE END in giant letters on it.

WESTFIELD COMICS is not responsible for the stupid things that KC says. Especially that thing that really irritated you. I’m irritated today because I used to have all this stuff memorized. And now I have to look stuff up… Just call me Elder Lad… or Befuddled Boy…