Legion of Super-Heroes #2: Lightning in a Bottle

It’s been a long time since a comic book has captured that feeling of a Saturday morning cartoon just right. Joshua Williamson and Hayden Sherman’s Legion of Super-Heroes has that same addictive sensation because of its use of characters and plot promises.

The second issue finally introduces the Legion of Super-Heroes, or at least one of its members. Mekt Ranzz, the murderer of R. J. Brande and the older brother of Garth Ranzz, aka Lightning Lad, appeared at the end of the last issue wearing the iconic L logo of the Legion. The contrast between potential villainy and apparent roguish heroism quickly makes Mekt an incredibly interesting character without the need for a complete character arc in one issue.

Mekt is also one of the ways the issue likes to introduce its expansive world building. A lot of world-building is done in issue 2, but all of the Legion-centric lore comes from Mekt giving exposition to his two siblings, Garth and Ayla. Cut away scenes to Imra Ardeen, the princess of Titan and “Saturn Girl” in most runs, and introduce two more parts of the 31st Century’s world: telepathy and the Green Lantern Corporation.

The spinwheel-like telepathy patterns are alien enough that it’s not “easy” to read, but the reader does get the gist, which is a good way of handling a science-fiction language. On the other end, the Green Lantern Corporation is one of the first times DC has committed to putting multiple Green Lanterns in the Legion of Super-Heroes timeline. As a group they are immediately imposing, floating in the air above Titan and donning one of the best looking GL uniforms yet.

Hayden Sherman’s retro-futuristic artwork is spliced across geometric panels that break down the action moment to moment. Each page turn shifts the focus of a scene from one character to another or to a plot twist. A lot of the exposition is supported by the art to cut down on word count, performing a bit of show and tell at the same time rather than leaning too much on one or the other.

Bonvillain’s colors dash the art with a pale, plastic texture. High brightness gradients and hues fill the issue with a sense of the unfamiliar, dragging readers further into the strange setting.

The letters occupy a very specific role in this issue as well, with the color-coded letters for Brainiac One of Five and for the Persuaders. There is a hefty amount of dialogue that is able to be read smoothly because it’s broken up well across the many panels Sherman is able to put on a single page using.