I defy any long-time fan to read DC Universe Legacies without smiling often.The first two issues of this series gave us a look at the Golden Age of super-heroes, as seen through the eyes of a regular guy named Paul Lincoln, who finds himself a witness to some of the most pivotal moments in DC history.
This issue begins with the aftermath of the "retirement" of the Justice Society of America, and manages to tie in some familiar western heroes and the science fiction "invasion" from comics such as Strange Adventures and Mystery in Space.
It also links to some of the non-super teams of the '50s and '60s, including Blackhawk, Challengers of the Unknown, Cave Carson and the Sea Devils (all old favorites of mine).
But the real focus is on the first appearance of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the other members of the Justice League of America.
The story by Len Wein ties it all together in a clever way and manages to be both a great nostalgic trip for long-time fans and a great primer for new fans. Everyone wins!
The art is by the incredibly talented Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez with inks by Dave Gibbons, and the end result is outstanding. They're two of the best in the business, and if anyone can follow an act like the Kuberts, this is the team to do it. Great stuff!
The issue also includes a back-up feature teaming up those non-super teams from the '60s, also drawn by Dave Gibbons and written by Wein. Heck, I would have picked this issue up for this story alone!
I can't imagine any DC fan not loving this comic. Highly recommended!
Grade: A
6 comments:
Chuck, your reviews of this title
persuaded me to pick up each issue and I have greatly enjoyed all three
so far! Thanks.
Sam Kujava
Sam, you're welcome! That's why we're here - to point out the good stuff and warn you away from the bad stuff!
I was hoping this series would focus on the golden age. We've already seen The Silver age redone, to great effect, in New Frontier. The Golden Age needs the same treatment. Still, this is a great series.
Dwayne, thats a good point, and maybe if this series does well enough they could revisit it and focus more on specific eras.
I have to admit that I (almost always) like the man-on-the-street perspective of "Legacies." Getting the story from an eyewitness makes for a fun way to revisit events from a fresh angle. I really enjoyed the reenactment of Superman first-ever encounter with Lois Lane, for example.
This series a badly-written copy of "Marvels." The art is nice at times, the story is awful. Far too many pages are totally wasted on "Paul Lincoln," a new character no one cares about. It's too bad Kurt Busiek couldn't have written this. As it stands, it's simply a DC version of "Marvels" with bad writing. Yes, I am aware who "legendary" Len Wein is. I can't think of a single thing he's ever written that was any good, even back in the day.
Robby, sorry you didn't enjoy the issue as much as I did. While the use of the impartial observer is a tried-and-true story device (Eisner was using it long before Busiek, who also uses it with great skill), I don't think any writer has a corner on that market, as long as it's done well - and I think Wein certainly has the skill to manage it.
Of course, I've been a Wein fan for a long time - he had stellar runs on books like the JLA, the Hulk and Thor, but of course he's most famous for writing the first issue of the "New" X-Men and Wolverine's first appearance. Not too shabby.
But, as someone once said, your mileage may vary. If everyone liked the same stuff, the world would be a boring place!
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