LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES
Legion 1: Earth-0
From Adventure Comics #1 (2009). Art by Clayton Henry.
The Legion of Earth-0 is based on the original Legion. The original Legion's publishing history spanned 1958-1994. However, the current (Earth-0) Legion's publishing history only concerns 1958-1986: the year of the first Crisis (Crisis on Infinite Earths). Original Legion events from 1986-1994 are no longer in continuity.
The Earth-0 Chronology
+ Assumptions
This chronology is edited assuming:
- The history of the Legion of Earth-0 is largely the same as DC's original Silver Age Legion. With the changes to the DC multiverse wrought by the Infinite Crisis, some fundamental differences must occur.
- After the first Crisis, the 30th century became a place hostile to aliens and Superman did not see his Legion friends again for years.
- Relevant tales from original Legion continuity end somewhere
around Legion v.3
#27 (1986), but contains some fragments of events after that
point. Notes on that:
- Right after this Legion v.3 #27, Saturn Girl learned that Validus was her son and saved him. But Validus is a villain in Legion of Three Worlds.
- Star Boy resigned in #28 but he is clearly an active Legionnaire in Earth-0 continuity.
- Much of the story from Legion v.3 #36-50 lead toward the Pocket Universe Superboy, and the secret conspiracy of four Legionnaires against the Time Trapper in retaliation for the Superboy's death. In current continuity, the Pocket Universe does not exist. However, the conspiracy against the Time Trapper still happened, as shown in Legion of Three Worlds #4. Perhaps in current continuity, the Time Trapper succeeded in killing Superman and the Legion were able to reverse that. Regardless, Duo Damsel did not lose her second self in current continuity, as she did originally.
- Legion v.3 Annual #3 (1987, Cosmic Boy's new Legion of Substitute Heroes) also remains in continuity. It was also depcited in Legion of Three Worlds #4.
Geoff Johns, in a podcast Interview at Newsarama clarified their timeframe in these ways:
- "We're really looking at the Baxter series that Paul [Levitz] did as our end point where we pick them up,"
- "Basically, Crisis on Infinite Earths is our cut-off point." He was also quoted saying "right around Crisis… a little bit afterward" (official DC Podcast, 26 July 2008).
- [We're at a point] "back before Superboy was taken away from its history, basically."
- Passage of time: I use the calendar established in Tom and Mary Bierbaum's 2995: Legion Sourcebook (1995) to mark the passage of years. In this book, a timeline was established in which Legion leader elections happened at the turn of each year. If that principle holds in current continuity, the original Legionnaires — if admitted around age 14 — would now be around 30 years old and the Legion has been around for about 15 years. Years such as "2973" have been changed to "Year 1," etc.
- All events from Legion v.4 (aka "Five Years Later" or "Legion 1.5") are not considered part of current Legion continuity. This includes the characters Valor, Laurel Gand and Kid Quantum, and Garth Ranzz's identity as Proty II. In some instances, however, I have kept "harmless" details concerning Legionnaires' origins that were revealed in this series. The Time Trapper did not create the "SW6" Legion and store them beneath Metropolis. Writers Tom and Mary Bierbaum took extensive pains to construct timelines for the entire Legion and some of this remains useful despite the elimination of their tales from continuity.
- Mon-El never used the name "Valor" and was not a member of the L.E.G.I.O.N. (this happened in Legion 2, Earth-247)
- Superboy (Conner Kent) of Earth-0 was not a members of this Legion, but did join the Legion of Earth-247.
- "Deep" Silver Age tales: Many of the original Legion tales remain intact, but tales of the Legion's interaction with the 20th century have been largely eliminated.
- Lana Lang, Pete Ross and Jimmy Olsen never developed powers or alter egos, or became honorary Legionnaires.
- Karate Kid may have spent a brief time in the 20th century during his quest to win Projectra's hand in marriage, but his presence was probably largely unnoticed by other heroes.
- There was never a Pocket Universe created by the Time Trapper, although the Matrix Supergirl who originated from it is still in continuity. That hasn't been explained.
- Phase of the L.E.G.I.O.N. is assumed to be one of Apparition's bodies, from Earth-247.
- The identity of R.J. Brande as the L.E.G.I.O.N.'s Durlan is unclear. Perhaps the Durlan became the Brande of Earth-247 (in which case, he no longer exists).
+ Behind the Restoration
This excerpt from a Newsarama interivew with Geoff Johns reveals some of his thoughts behind restoring the original Legion:
NRAMA: When you do say something like you want to use everything and not leave anything by the wayside from their history as things move forward… that kind of thing carries some serious meaning in the modern-day DCU where there are some larger legacies and “families” that are missing members and other elements…or have been for some time…
GJ: Sure. Take Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes.
NRAMA: Which you’re putting back together in Action after years of having been separated…
GJ: I believe that Superman’s connection with the Legion makes both concepts stronger, which is why I’m doing the story in Action right now. Clark Kent didn’t have a group of friends when he was growing up in Smallville. Sure there was Lana, but he didn’t have a group of friends where he felt like he was one of them. He had great parents and wonderful people he knew, it was tough for him. But when the Legion showed up, and he went to the future with them as a kid…a lot of them were aliens who looked human that came to earth. Suddenly, Clark was just “one of the kids” after being so different. I think that helped him relate to other heroes.
Even though people really look up to him, he sees himself as part of the community. His experience with the Legion – being a member of a group of heroes – helped teach him a lot of that. And on the flipside, the Legion was built off of what Superman did – this alien who came to Earth, and the Earth giving something to him, and him wanting to give back to the Earth. It’s the same kind of thing – the Legion is stronger for having interacted with him. They helped to make Superman who he is, and as a result, they’re stronger.
Also, in the Mega Con '09: DC Nation Panel, Dan DiDio answered:
QUESTION: Why does it seem like the re-introduction of the same ideas?
DD: They are the same ideas but shown in a new light. Take the Legion for example. They are important to DC, and Legion always worked best when it appeared with Superboy. Superboy & the Legion of Super-Heroes was the most successful, so that’s what we want to get back to.
At the Toronto Fan Expo in August, 2009, DiDio said:
“The problem with Legion of Superheroes is the big cast and my biggest personal problem was the lack of Superboy and the inspiration for the team. That was so key to the origin and so key to so much going on there that without that, without Superboy to inspire the team, it lost its own purpose and just became a team. It was something set in the future, but it didn’t have a real tether to what was going on in the DC Universe currently. What we are trying to do is rebuild that time, rebuild that sensibility, and hopefully rebuild a Legion that is a strong powerful set of characters in the DC U again.”
+ Conventions
- Color Codes:
A new member joins the Legion. A Legionnaire dies. Major storyline. - Issue information in parentheses indicates one of two things: (a) the tale was retold/corroborated in additional stories, and/or (b) the tale was told as a flashback. Certain events that have never been fully chronicled in print use asterisks (*) in place of issue numbers and cover dates.
- Characters' first appearance IN PRINT is bolded. This often differs from their first chronological appearance.
- When the placement of a tale within continuity is in question, the event is usually placed in the most recent possible time.
- Most 30th Century dates come from 2995: The Legion of Super-Heroes Sourcebook and/or Legion of Super-Heroes (volume 4).
- Only the inheritors to a title display the level of succession. Example: "Invisible Kid II" (for Jacques Foccart), but just "Invisible Kid" (no "I" for Lyle Norg).
- Consideration for inclusion is based on an event's relevancy to the Legion, its members and their legacy. This includes major Legion series and key issues from other DCU series.
- Comics book titles have been abbreviated:
Legion v.1 = Legion of Super-Heroes, 4-issue limited series (reprint only, 1973) Legion v.2 = Legion of Super-Heroes, 2nd series (#259-313; continues numbering of Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, 1980-84) Legion v.3 = Legion of Super-Heroes, 3rd series, 55 issues (1984-88) Legion v.4 = Legion of Super-Heroes, 4th series, 125 issues (1989-2000) Legion v.5 = Legion of Super-Heroes, 5th series, current (2005-) Superboy v.1 = Superboy, 1st series, #172,173, 176, 178, 183, 184, 188, 190, 191, 193, 195 (1971-73) Superboy & the Legion = Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes (#197-258; continues numbering of Superboy, 1st series, 1973-79) Tales of the Legion = Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes (#314-354; continues numbering of Legion of Super-Heroes, 2nd series; 1984-87)
Jump to It!