How many members of a superhero group is too many? Too few?
WHAT’S THE STORY?
I was recently talking with a comics fan/friend of mine who saw Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix. He and I and often talked about comics teams and such, and he has strongly come down against the Legion of Super-Heroes because they have “too many members to keep track of.”
So, I was intrigued when he loved seeing “so many versions” of Spider-Man in the animated film that was up for best animated film in the recent Oscars. He was busily writing down each one so he could track them down in the comics after he watched it. He started telling me all the different ways he had found several of them in the books and that he still had a lot more to track down.
“Wait a minute,” I said, “don’t you find the number of Spider-people difficult to keep track of?” He responded, “Oh, no, they’re Spider-characters, so that makes them easier to follow.”
I pointed out that he had not liked the Legion, but the Spider-Verses were okay?
“See, they are all versions of Spider-Man. The Legion are way too different from each other. I still am glad they don’t have a comic with that group out anymore.”
I wanted to ask, “If they all wore Spider-Man-like costumes and had similar Spider-powers, that would be better?” but I knew the answer to that one.
By the way, this is the same guy who hates “all those Supermen” in DC. Ah, well! I can’t wait to see that Spider-Verse film so I can talk more intelligently about it!
WE FANS CAN BE SO FICKLE
The truth is, we fans like what we like, and we don’t like what we don’t like. That’s what makes comics company leaders pull their hair out at times.
If you can figure out what we’re going to enjoy, you’re better at this than I am!
It reminds me of the polling that the company producing Star Trek novels did a while back. They had an open slot in their schedule, so they asked fans, “Do you want a Klingon novel or a Trek romance one?”
The results came down almost exactly 50/50. Half the fans responding wanted a Klingon book, and the other half wanted a Trek romance story. By the way, each group said they better do what they wanted—or else!
What did that company do? They made a novel that focused on something else entirely!
It also fascinates me that, in an era where diversity is cherished, some of us prefer sameness. When a comic comes out monthly and it has a larger cast of characters, I actually like that! You can have some stories that focus on specific members of the group and others that involve many, if not all, of the team.
As of this writing, Stephen and Matthew (and others, I’m sure) here at MajorSpoilers.com have produced 160 episodes of The Legion Clubhouse (which you can listen to at this link). It started out as a run of 10 episodes, but it obviously has enough support to keep it going! They discuss the Legion on many levels, and I highly recommend it!
Interestingly enough, the people discussing the Legion there don’t seem to have problems “keeping track” of the various Legionnaires. I actually find their discussions very insightful.
WHAT ELSE?
The thing that I’m sure confuses my friend (and others, I’m sure) is that there have been several different incarnations of the Legion. The initial one went on for several years, but after a while, there was a “five years later” version to make changes in the characters and the line-up.
Then the Legion was “rebooted” in 1994 with a retelling of their origin and more changes to the characters. That lasted until 2004, when what is called a “Threeboot” took place. Mark Waid wrote that one, and I really liked it, frankly, but it only lasted until 2009.
There was also a “Post-Infinite Crisis” version from 2007-2011 and The New 52 era from 2011-2015. Then there was a series with the Legion that ran for 12 issues and was scripted by Brian Michael Bendis.
Since then, the Legion has made off-camera appearances with Jonathan Kent and the like, but no regular title has been around for quite a long time.
I can see where some people might find the different incarnations difficult to understand. However, if you have a grounded understanding of the original group (easily obtained by reading collections that seem to be readily available), I don’t think you’ll be too very mystified for very long.
It seems that personal preference makes the difference in whether there are too many or too few members in a comics group. It also may be the presentation that tickles fan fancy that changes our opinions on super-teams.
LET ME WAX ELOQUENT FOR A MINUTE
While I’m on the subject of the Legion, let me point out a few things/people I really liked and continue to like.
- “The Great Darkness Saga.” Wow, this story just floored me! I can’t spoil the big surprise in this tale, but if you are that rare Legion fan who has NOT read it, I strongly encourage you to do so and fast!
- My favorite Legionnaires. With so many heroes around, it’s inevitable that each of us will have ones they like and others they care for—not so much. I prefer to focus on the positive, so I want to point out that Ultra Boy is my favorite. I loved that he had to be quick on his feet to change powers as needed, which is why I didn’t care for that “less intelligent” version that showed up for a while. He’s got to think ahead or he’s dead! The other Legionnaire I really liked was Ferro Lad, the guy who actually wore a mask. I was really sad when he met an awful fate, which I won’t spoil here. Let’s just say that I still miss him!
- The Legion needs to come back. I don’t care if it is Supergirl or some version of Superboy that brings them back to the readers’ attention, but we need to have an LSH title on a regular basis again. They have a rich history, a terrific interaction among themselves, and a wonderful history, and many of us miss them! More, I saw, more!
I guess it can all boil down to personal preference whether you want a boatload of Spider-characters that resemble the comics or a more diverse team, but there is enough space in the comics universes for fans of both kinds of stories. However, I say, Long live the Legion!
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