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Legion of Superheroes #1
Publisher: DC
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Ryan Sook
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Inks: Wade Von Grawbadger
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Cover: Ryan Sook, Jim Cheung, & Romulo Fajardo Jr.

The Legion of Superheroes is one of those titles that’s just synonymous with DC Comics and has returned for another attempt to captivate readers. This time under the guidance of Brian Michael Bendis, Ryan Sook, and Jordie Bellaire who try to make this first issue as easy as possible to dive into given the history of this team.

Bendis immediately throws you into the action as a mysterious object is being fought over and we’re introduced to a few members of the Legion and the villain. At the same time Superboy (Jon Kent) has arrived 1000 years in the future to join the team and this is where things get a little hectic. While Bendis does well with not making things feel too overwhelming it still feels like you’re at a party where everyone knows everyone else and you’re just standing there looking clueless. The action buildup in the beginning are some of the best sequences in the book and when that plot point interrupts Superboy’s first day it helps to break up the meetings with the densely populated Legion. The feeling of being lost isn’t something that should take away from the book as it firmly places you in the shoes of Superboy and what it must be like for him meeting all of these people and finding out the state of the world 1000 years in the future.

Ryan Sook’s artwork is stellar from beginning to end and paired with Jordie Bellaire’s colors and Von Grawbadgers inks just know you’re getting one great looking story. Bellaire gives the chase in the beginning a completely different feel from the majority of the book as it’s a dark, tense, and foreboding action sequence. It sets the tone for the attack near the end and is a perfect bookend to how things start off visually. There’s plenty of eye candy and new character designs to take in for you longtime fans though I’m not too thrilled to see yet another Black character with electrical powers. Seriously, how many more do we actually need at this point? Aside from this, Legion of Superheroes #1 is a solid starting point for the new and seasoned fans of the team. 3.5/5