Review: Legion Lost Vol. 1- Run From Tomorrow

Quick Summary

Pros: The storyline is interesting. The diversity of powers and villains keeps the action fresh and makes it very entertaining.

Cons: The introduction is a lot to take in, especially for newer readers. A number of plotlines are lost just when they start to become interesting.

Overall: This is an alright volume that brings plenty of potential to a new series. It has a solid cast of characters, a number of interesting battles, and a narrative that is compelling enough to keep most readers interested. There are a few problems preventing it from being a truly good volume, but it does a solid job in kicking off a new adventure for the Legion of Super-Heroes. This is a book for those interested in seeing how the Legion fare in the New 52 era of DC Comics.

Story

Legion Lost Vol. 1: Run From Tomorrow, by Fabian Nicieza and Tom DeFalco, is a decent volume featuring an entertaining main cast and a fun storyline. It follows a few members of the time-traveling Legion of Super-Heroes who are stuck in the past after trying to stop a terrorist from the future. These characters represent a diverse array of personalities and super-powers and go up against a compelling threat. The storyline has a few minor problems and is a bit bland at times, but is otherwise solid. Overall, this is a promising start to a new comic series.

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Run From Tomorrow begins by tossing readers right into the middle of the story. At first, this rapid introduction is a lot to process and could be especially trying for readers unfamiliar with the Legion. However, the fast pacing ensures that readers are not bored with typical introductory material or inundated with tons of exposition. As a result, I actually ended up preferring the book’s opening chapters, though I could see why some would be turned off because of it.

From here, the rest of the volume mostly follows the Legion as they try to track down a terrorist from the future and deal with the virus he released into the past. For the most part, this story is very fun. Readers get to see the different members of the Legion use a variety of powers and tactics to take on an equally diverse variety of enemies. Their approach can range from straightforward attacks to clever, mental manipulations. Because of this, each altercation is unique and fresh, instead of being a simple trading of blows every time.

In addition to being fun, the narrative also does a solid job with remaining interesting. The Legion’s mission is filled with questions that leave readers waiting to discover what happens next. The threat posed by Alastor, the solution to the spreading virus, and the Legion’s return home are all problems that the heroes must overcome. Each trial is at least moderately interesting and, together, they make the book easy to get involved with.

The biggest problem is how the volume brings up, and then immediately shies away from, multiple compelling story elements. For example, one of my favorite aspects of the book involved the debate on whether the powers, given by the virus, are a curse or a blessing. This plot point is brought up initially but never fully materializes as the story progresses. This happens again when the Legion temporarily debates the morality of their own actions and when they help a dying girl. It is possible some of these story elements will be continued in the future but others are left woefully underdeveloped as this volume concludes.

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Art

The artwork throughout Run From Tomorrow is pretty average through and through. Pencils and inks from Pete Woods give the Legion a bold style that helps them stand out at all times. This makes action sequences easy to understand and highlights the fun nature of the Legion’s powers. In addition, members of the Legion all look good on nearly every page, which helps establish them each as the distinct individuals that they are.

However, the decidedly average quality of the art makes some of the more intense splash pages feel a bit underwhelming. For example, one page, featuring an explosion, is almost devoid of detail and provides very little visual stimulus. Moments like these damage the visual appeal of the book, though the volume still maintains an average quality level.

Continuity

Legion Lost Vol. 1: Run From Tomorrow starts the Legion Lost New 52 series. This means that this is the first volume in a brand new continuity, so there are not many references to previous books or specific character histories.

The story started here is continued in Legion Lost Vol. 2: The Culling (Review) and in the crossover event The Culling: Rise of the Ravagers (Review).

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• The Legion’s technology malfunctions because of their travel through the “Flashpoint Breakwall.” This is a reference to the reality-shifting Flashpoint (Review) event.
• The Justice League International makes a brief appearance here. Their adventures are initially detailed in Justice League International Vol. 1: The Signal Masters.
• Martian Manhunter’s actions in this book are, presumably, done for Stormwatch, an organization he was revealed to be a part of in Stormwatch Vol. 1: The Dark Side (Review).