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Read Online Legion of SuperHeroes The Silver Age Omnibus Vol 2 Various Books

Product details Series Legion of Super-Heroes the Silver Age Omnibus Hardcover 680 pages Publisher DC Comics (July 3, 2018) Language English ISBN-10 1401280552

Legion of SuperHeroes The Silver Age Omnibus Vol 2 Various Books Reviews

• There are countless superhero teams in comics but to me there is something uniquely awesome about the Legion of Super Heroes. For one thing, they are physically removed from the rest of the DCU due to their existence in the future so you rarely see them interacting with current day heroes besides Superboy and Supergirl. For another thing, the Legion’s roster is absolutely huge and filled with unique and interesting characters. Perhaps the biggest difference is that the massive size of their roster and frequency of roster changes allow writers the flexibility to make profound alterations that includes killing characters. The Legion has seen far more tragedies than a group like the JLA that is basically an all-star team of established characters. Writers HAVE more flexibility and they USE that flexibility to create more compelling stories and you really never know what might happen next.
  
  Volume 2 includes all the LoSH stories from February 1965 to September 1967. Most of the stories were written by Jerry Siegel and Edmond Hamilton up until July 1966 when Jim Shooter took over writing duties almost entirely. Shooter was famously just 14 years old when he started writing the Legion. Shooter definitely did NOT have the skills of a veteran writer and I’m somewhat surprised they allowed someone so green to write one of DC’s more popular titles. His first story arc, about a traitor in the Legion, had already been done to death. On the other hand, he managed to create Princess Projectra, Ferro Lad, Karate Kid and Nemesis Kid in the very first issue he wrote. Karate Kid seems exactly like something a 14-year old boy would create but KK ended up having a long, popular career. During Shooters run, E. Nelson Bridwell wrote a two-part story and the quality of the craftsmanship of the writing improves significantly. However, Bridwell’s villain for the story was the forgettable Evillo. Meanwhile, the amateurish Shooter created Dr. Regulus, The Fatal Five and the Sun Eater in this volume alone. He may not have had the skills of a veteran writer but Shooter knew how to create fun and when he killed one of his own creations Shooter handled the death very well.
  
  There are a lot of silly Silver Age type stories and repetitive plots but there is also some really good stuff. Perhaps my favorite in this volume is ‘The Legionnaire Who Killed’ by Edmond Hamilton. Star Boy kills an assassin who was attempting to murder him and is put on trial for breaking Legion laws. This isn’t some kind of misunderstanding. Star Boy legitimately kills the man and admits it. Superboy’s defense is that the Legion rules should be changed to allow killing in the case where a member’s life is in danger and there is a very serious discussion about the topic. In the end, the Legion votes to expel Star Boy and the story ends with him joining the Legion of Substitute Heroes. Hamilton can be a bit inconsistent but this story is handled very well up to and including the end where all the Legionnaires vote on Star Boy’s fate.
  
  The Silver Age was perhaps the most creative age in the history of comics and it reveled in its fun and silliness. Volume 2 continues to fill out the incredibly rich world of the Legion with introductions of villains like Computo and all the ones I mentioned previously. I also give credit to DC for presenting a very complete history of the Legion. Nearly all the stories are from Adventure Comics but there are a few from Superboy because they contain some tie in to the Legion. This book contains Superboy issue #124 which features the introduction of Lana Lang as Insect Queen but not a single mention of the LoSH. She does, however, apply for the Legion a couple of years later and it’s nice that DC cared enough to include her first tale. The Archive Editions also included this story so the Omnibus isn’t breaking new ground. All in all a fantastic presentation of one of the great Silver Age series featuring a team that has remained relevant up to this day.
• These LSH Omnibus hardbacks are wonderful! Really brings back memories.
  
  My one complaint...is how bloody HEAVY each volume is! That, and since they are not "perfect" bound, one must guard against breaking the spines.
• This is a great book. Takes me back to the sixties when these were originally published. It was great to read these stories again and reminded me what made the Legion of superheroes my favorite comic when growing up. Can't wait for volume 3.
• Eighteen issues (over half) of this giant book are drawn by CURT SWAN. His collaborations with Sweet Baby James Shooter ( Ferro Lad, Fatal Five, grown-up Legion) are here too. The best of the best of this series. Did I mention Curt Swan? Silver Age Splendor!
• I've always loved the Legion of Superheroes. Buying the Omnibus was a no-brainer for me.
• What prevent me from giving it a better review is the smallish format. It would have been better with a larger format.
• 'LONG LIVE the LEGION'.
• What every Legion fan needs.