Legion of Super-Heroes #1

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Artist: Ryan Sook Publisher: DC Comics Release Date: November 6, 2019 Cover Price: $3.99 Critic Reviews: 27 User Reviews: 50
7.8Critic Rating
4.7User Rating

Welcome to the 31st century! Inspired by the acts of and lessons learned from the greatest heroes of all time, the Legion of Super-Heroes have gathered together to stop a galaxy from repeating its past mistakes. The greatest lineup of heroes in comic book history returns with new, fresh, and reader-friendly stories!
Eisner Award-winning writer Brian Michael Bendis reteams with master artist Ryan Sook (Action Comics) for one of the most ambitious mainstream comic books ever created! Why have the Legion of Super-Heroes broken the cardinal rule of the United Planets and inducted Jon Kent, a.k.a. Superboy, into the Legion? What are they hidi more

  • 10
    Comics: The Gathering - Olivier Roth Nov 7, 2019

    This comic was a treat to read and proves that the Legion still has a place in today’s comics culture and I really can’t wait to see where this team goes from here. Read Full Review

  • 10
    ComicBook.com - Chase Magnett Nov 6, 2019

    In leaving the past behind, Legion of Super-Heroes finally appears ready to enter the present. Read Full Review

  • 9.6
    Supergirl Comic Box Commentary - Anj Nov 11, 2019

    Maybe I am just eager for a Legion book so much that anything would have been good. But this felt right. I wonder what other Legion fans thought! Read Full Review

  • 9.6
    You Don't Read Comics - Jason A. Fleece Nov 7, 2019

    Bendis is smart to tie the Legion into more present-day DC mythology than just the world of Superman, and this issue sets up several new dilemmas that will undoubtedly plague the Legion in the future. Surprisingly, this issue does not continue the thread of the immortal Rose and Thorn and what she (they?) wants from the Legion, but certainly that will come into play soon as well. The Legion is no more. Long Live the Legion. Read Full Review

  • 9.6
    Chuck's Comic Of The Day - Chuck Nov 7, 2019

    With a fresh start, the future looks bright for the Legion! Read Full Review

  • 9.5
    Comic Book Bin - Deejay Dayton Nov 9, 2019

    There is a vast amount of potential here, and I am really excited to see how it gets developed. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    Dark Knight News - Carl Bryan Nov 6, 2019

    Buy Legion of Super-Heroes #1!!!!! This is ground floor “re-imagination” of the team. The only drawback of this issue is that it's not bigger, as there are so many characters that need to be highlighted. I hope that Bendis can balance all of these mainstay characters, while telling rich stories, issue after issue! Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    411Mania - Steve Gustafson Nov 14, 2019

    The Legion is back and looks better than ever. If you've ever been interested in seeing what the fuss is about, you won't have a better opportunity than now. Read Full Review

  • 8.8
    IGN - Jesse Schedeen Nov 8, 2019

    Legion of Super Heroes #1 makes a convoluted franchise accessible and inviting again. Read Full Review

  • 8.5
    AIPT - Frankie Sciulla Nov 6, 2019

    Beautiful, bold, and incredibly fresh, Legion of Super-Heroes #1 is a strong start to a whole new 31st Century. Read Full Review

  • 8.5
    Geek Dad - Ray Goldfield Nov 6, 2019

    The Legion has less focus than I would have expected in Legion of Super-Heroes #1, with many getting only a line or two in the first issue, but the key to a great Legion book is an epic scope. That Bendis and Sook absolutely get right in their first issue. Read Full Review

  • 8.5
    On Comics Ground - Ian Cameron Nov 8, 2019

    This relaunch is absolutely gorgeous to look at, with lots of thought put into grabbing readers' eyes, but whether the writing will be able to hold them is still in question. While not overflowing in exposition for each new character introduced, this does make connecting with this new Legion of Superheroes slightly more difficult. Read Full Review

  • 8.4
    The Fandom Post - Chris Beveridge Nov 12, 2019

    Bendis captures the tone of the young Legion well which is exactly what I want here and Sook's energy and enthusiasm as expressed through the artwork is great. I can't wait for more. Read Full Review

  • 8.4
    GWW - Deron Generally Nov 6, 2019

    Ryan Sook makes the world and the characters look fantastic in this first issue. Read Full Review

  • 8.4
    Forces Of Geek - Lenny Schwartz Nov 8, 2019

    Bendis writes a very compressed comic. Not a lot happens for my money. It feels like you just about open the book and then you find yourself at the end. Now, it is pretty decent overall. But it feels more like a snack and not a full meal. The best part is Ryan Sook's artwork. He makes the snack feel much more filling than it really is. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    Comic Watch - Matt Meyer Nov 6, 2019

    Although the characterization falls short (but predictably in Bendis comfort zone) and the plot is pretty thin, its hard not to fall in love with Jon Kents first trip to the 31st century. The art alone is worth the trip, but theres nothing at all present to bar a return trip for future issues. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    But Why Tho? - Charles Hartford Nov 6, 2019

    Legion of Super-Heroes #1 has perhaps started off a bit cautiously. While some may feel the approach to both story and art a bit too textbook, I think they serve the setting presented wonderfully. And while it's too early to tell if DC's latest trip to the 31st century will bear fruit, as of now I am very optimistic. Read Full Review

  • 7.8
    Word Of The Nerd - Brent Jackson Nov 6, 2019

    The more I read Legion of Super-Heroes #1 the more I enjoyed it. I am still not completely sold on it as a concept; Bendis's story has me interested for now. I enjoyed the artwork throughout the issue and there are some fantastic pages in it. Read Full Review

  • 7.8
    Multiversity Comics - Alexander Jones Nov 7, 2019

    "Legion of Super-Heroes" #1 is a solid introduction to a property brimming with characters. Read Full Review

  • 7.5
    Weird Science - Jim Werner Nov 6, 2019

    Bendis is literally and figuratively building a new world in this series and I found myself smiling along with the Legionnaires by the time I finished reading this premier issue.  My Frichtman tag says “Comic Boom!” and I approve this comic with a solid... Read Full Review

  • 7.5
    Sequential Planet - Ethan Maddux Nov 8, 2019

    Legion of Superheroes #1 is a strong start. Bendis and Sook do a mostly good job of building the world without too much exposition and info-dumping. While I don't know much about the characters besides Jon yet, I do look forward to finding out. The ending falls flat, but it's not enough to ruin a solid, incredibly well-drawn book. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Monkeys Fighting Robots - Jose "Jody" Cardona Nov 6, 2019

    While art and setting are fantastic, the first issue of The Legion of Superheroes suffers from too much information being forced in. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Henchman-4-Hire - Sean Ian Mills Nov 9, 2019

    This looks to be a bright and fun relaunch of the Legion of Super-Heroes, but this first issue is just a tad lacking in really meaningful content. Read Full Review

  • 5.0
    Comic Book Revolution - Rokk Nov 6, 2019

    Unfortunately, I can only recommend Legion of Super-Heroes #1 to loyal Legion fans and to die-hard Bendis fans. I just do not see where this issue does enough to distinguish itself from the myriad of super-hero titles already cluttering the market. Read Full Review

  • 5.0
    Newsarama - Justin Partridge Nov 6, 2019

    So while it looks beautiful the return of the Legion of Super-Heroes reads pretty thin. All the elements are there and it truly does look fantastic, but there is no spark behind the flight rings. At least right now at the opening. I really want the future to be bright for the Legion, and hopefully in later issues, it will get there again. Read Full Review

  • 3.0
    Lyles Movie Files - Jeffrey Lyles Nov 6, 2019

    This wasnt the most promising start for the Legion and Bendis critics will find a lot to dislike without much effort. Read Full Review

  • 2.0
    DC Comics News - Matthew Lloyd Nov 17, 2019

    Despite being an avowed dissenter of rebooting the Legion of Super-Heroes again, I entered this new #1 with a bit of hope, believing that some of the promise seen in Superman #14 & #15 might pay off. Unfortunately, Legion of Super-Heroes #1 reads like a mess. Instead of building on any characters or concepts, more ideas are introduced. Bendis has already proven he can channel some classic Brainiac as was seen in Superman #15, yet none of this comes through in this first issue. The Legion were hardly seen in Millennium, and unfortunately, this issue feels more disappointing. There's not a lot in this abysmal issue to bring the reader back for issue #2. Read Full Review

  • 10
    SloboSOY Nov 7, 2019

    I find you harsh. I was expecting something aweful béa que of the user notation.
    But in truth this wasn’t bad.
    I really love the Gotham world. I really love mordru been a strong foes as in JSA (I never licked the fool version).
    Ok the jon/Saturn girl part is long as for the metropolis part. And rose is a joke. But once in the space with the view of the world I really like it. I want to know more about earth doom.
    The end is a classic but funny cliffhanger, the epilogue is the part the less string.
    Bendis succeed for me more with this than with young justice. And I will take the secon issue without a doubt.
    I also plan to take the third to see Damian in the legion.

  • 9.0
    Walt's Comics & Books Nov 8, 2019

    Pure joy. Sooks art ist incredible.

  • 7.5
    KittyNone Nov 6, 2019

    Goodness I'm glad to be back in the 31st century, and this was worth picking up for the plastic flight ring alone. But Bendis tries to do a little too much and it gets muddled in the execution. That's a problem many writers have with the Legion with its enormous cast of characters, each of which comes with an entire planet's worth of culture to explain, but it's harder to justify here since he had a two-issue prequel that he could have used to set all this up. Ryan Sook does incredible work with the designs, though; the book is a visual feast, and if it's overstuffed, it's still a fun, kinetic ride. We'll see how I feel in a couple issues when the honeymoon is over, but right now I'm just glad to see the Legion back in action. LLL, y'all.

  • 7.0
    Simon DelMonte Nov 6, 2019

    Too many characters for a new comic, and not enough to distinguish them yet. But the art is great, there is some seriously weird world-building going on, and I came away happy. Definitely worth trying. Assuming you still like Bendis. Seems I still like Bendis.

  • 6.5

    It quickly became a problem when the whole Legion was thrown at you at once, and felt like they talked just to talk.

  • 6.0
    mrDovydas Nov 17, 2019

    The story is very messy, especially considering that this is meant to be a 'new incarnation' of the team, a la a 'perfect jumping-on point'. But there's barely any set-up, the characters are just thrown straight into the action without any setup. Is Bendis going to go the same route as he did in Young Justice, where he sacrificed a coherent story to spend half of each issue telling some backstory of each character? If so, I'll definitely be out very soon, especially with roster of this team being as big as it is.

  • 6.0
    Kreniigh Nov 7, 2019

    Happy to see the Legion back, but...

    The problem of too many character has been solved by giving everyone in the Legion the same speaking voice, making them a kind of hivemind that spouts exposition. Some money could be saved on word balloon tails because it doesn't really matter who said any given line.

  • 5.5
    Ofer Nov 7, 2019

    An okay start to Bendis's new series at DC. The art was great and there are a lot of great ideas there, but that's about it.
    The most jarring thing about this issue is the dialogue. It is so interchangeable. It feels like you could place anyone at anytime and they would still sound the same.
    Overall, it was a fine start, if you like Brian Bendis's writing, and a pretty obnoxious one if you are not a fan of his.

  • 4.5
    egonnn244 Nov 8, 2019

    "What did you do?"

    After the recent issues of Superman, Action Comics and Leviathan that were less than satisfying I was hoping that the relaunch of the Legion will score a win for Brian Bendis and well, it didn't.

    Dang it.

    It starts well, the opening was pretty fun and the artwork is pretty good, but when we jumped to Jon, Imra and other Legionaries it became... difficult. It's this thing than Bendis does, that gets very annoying and irritating very fast. He makes the dialogue feel like the characters are having multiple conversations on multiple topics at the same damn time. It's infuriating. Feels like every single person has some sort of attention span disorder.

    And then we have the dialogue g more

  • 4.5
    Nihilist Nov 6, 2019

    You know what pisses me off? The sheer fact we've got two meaningless comics intended to set up this series, but Bendis did nothing to really lay down any foundation that would prepare us, readers, for what's to come.
    It's a messy issue, and I expected it to be messy, considering how many characters is going to be featured in the series. I remember feeling the same back when I was first watching Justice League Unlimited, not being familiar with anybody but the main cast from the first season. And granted, the only two heroes that mattered so far, are Superboy and Saturn Girl, so I only focus on them.

    This i a pretty weak start of the series. It has some strengths, like art, the Earth twist, which may be used for climate chan more

    + LikeComments (4)
  • 4.0
    M1sf1r3 Dec 2, 2019

    Prelude:
    Oh great, it's time for Legion of Super-Heroes #1. Let's see how it goes shall we?

    The Good:
    I'm warming up to the idea of having Jon in the Legion and the 31st Century.

    Aquaman's trident is an interesting artifact to choose. It'll be interesting to see where things go from here.

    The art from Ryan Sook was great. Really well done and captures the Legion well.

    The Bad:
    Look I get it. Legion is generally a lot of information at once and there's no real good way of doing exposition unless you want to either dedicate an issue to it (boring) or slowly give it overtime (convenient information). It's just so overwhelming here, I don't feel like I can breathe.

    The Bendis more

  • 4.0
    waltgator93 Nov 6, 2019

    We are just thrown into the book and acting like we know these characters. The dialogue is very awful! The book does nothing that will make me want to keep reading!

  • 3.5
    Super-Adaptoid Nov 7, 2019

    So when Geoff Johns has to write Legion of 4 Worlds in a few years, maybe we will actually get a real LOSH back.

    I’m ambivalent about Bendis. I did like his All New X-Men a few years back (at least, in the beginning) and the guy can’t write (or end) an event comic to save his life. I’m a big Legion fan from my youth...I even loved the Legionairres reboot. But these characters have no personality in this first issue at all, with the exception of Wildfire. And even he’s very different. I will give this a couple more issues, but I don’t have high hopes of sticking around.

  • 2.0
    Spacey Medicine Nov 15, 2019

    Wow. I always thought that I hated the future, but now I see that that hatred was a pale thing, a mere reflection of the hatred I feel while reading this meaningless future drivel.

  • 2.0
    Amazing Psycamorean Nov 8, 2019

    Oh, this was a mistake.

    + LikeComments (3)
  • 2.0
    KFuqua Nov 7, 2019

    So disappointing. The Legion is my favorite group in comics and has been for many, many years. I was very happy when it was announced that they were finally coming back and now, I'm very disappointed in this mess that Bendis has delivered.

    I HATE the changes made to all of the characters (changing their race, etc.). It just makes no sense. The Legion has always been diverse, with characters of various colors, races, species, etc., so I just don't understand making these changes to characters who have existed for SO many years.

    Then, an odd, uninteresting story and so-so art on top of it. I have a feeling this one won't be around for long. Maybe we'll get a black label Legion comic starring the real thing?

  • 1.5
    hesfkshgf Nov 6, 2019

    Bendis just making stuff up to fit his own narrative. Awful dialogue as usual, but good art. Totally skippable

  • 1.0
    super_rex Feb 21, 2020

    Brian Bendis destroying Jon, kills me

  • 1.0
    RBL Nov 13, 2019

    Over a year of taking a veritable steaming dump on Superman and his mythos for this? We lost out on Super Sons for this?

    I’d take no Legion over this any day. This it bottom of the barrel writing and the art doesn’t exactly help make it any better.

  • 1.0
    Briton Nov 8, 2019

    Give us back the LSH.

  • 1.0
    Sup3rsa1yan1990 Nov 6, 2019

    Go to hell, bendis

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