Legion of Super-Heroes #1: New Origin Story

Preview image of Legion of Super-Heroes #1.

Legion of Super-Heroes #1 is an origin of the Legion itself, narrated by journal entries that slowly thread the characters and their individual subplots together prior to their meeting. Each of those characters is introduced in their own way and in their own time throughout the issue’s 20+ page story.

A large portion of that story follows Brainy and Tenzil, aka Matter-Eater Lad, private detectives in Superlopolis, the capital of Earth. As these two private detectives investigate a high-profile murder, their discoveries run parallel to the origin stories of Garth Ranzz (aka Lightning Lad), Imra Ardeen (aka Saturn Girl), and Rokk Krinn (or Cosmic Boy).

The whole issue has this “ping-pong effect” where both the narrative and the art bounce back and forth between these characters and their unique locations with nearly every page, or even multiple times on the same page. The story goes from Superlopolis on Earth to Winath to Braal to Titan and back around again.

Hayden Sherman uses a geometric page layout with overlapping frames that vividly alternate scenes between several characters who haven’t interacted with each other yet. Sherman’s art is heavily detailed with unique facial expressions for each of the characters and small Easter eggs like an issue of Absolute Wonder Woman (also drawn by Sherman) on the floor of Lightning Lad’s room.

Tamara Bonvillain’s colors add a lot to Sherman’s already excellent line art and panel arrangement. DC’s future is brightly lit, with diverse alien planets and rampant superpower special effects. Every character has their own tones and color palette, giving them an iconic superhero look.