Mark Waid and Barry Kitson again deliver a pretty strong issue this month. This issue focuses on the Invisible Kid and his involvement regarding a Science Police confrontation with the Legion. Without giving anything away, the easiest way to explain it is that the Invisible Kid has some pretty high connections in the Science Police and they want him pretty bad. This all ends up with the Legion facing a number of Science Police troops and with Invisible Kid coming to terms with himself and his past.
The main strength of this book comes out of the core concept of rebellion and fighting for ideals, which Mark Waid has renewed from previous incarnations and given a more in-depth view of than in most comics. Mark Waid has set-up a pretty tense environment for the Legion, and it is exciting to see how they deal with everything that’s going on around them, from the impending war that is being set-up to the conflict between the Legion and the United Planets and the personal interactions of Legion members. Each issue so far is more or less self-contained, spotlighting a select few members and delving into their character to make the reader better understand them. While some of Waid’s one-liners can get corny at times (the “Punchus Interruptus” line comes to mind), the depth he gives these characters is remarkable. One fine example of this is the characterization of Invisible Kid in this issue which gives the reader a better understanding of who he is, and makes the reader empathize with him.
Leonard Kirk has done some great issues of JSA and it’s good to see him doing futuristic stuff in this issue of Legion. Kirk has a good style but his pencils don’t seem to be as tight or have as much detail as that of Barry Kitson. The softer inks and colors work well with Kirk but not as well as they do with Kitson’s art as seen in previous issues. Kirk excels in simplicity, and the scenes dealing with Invisible Kid’s confrontation with his father is the best example of this. Through the use of shadows and great facial renderings, Kirk conveys the tension and grief between the father and son better than any words could have.
The addition of extra pages is genius on the part of DC. With a cast as big as the Legion, it’s great to have a few extra pages to get to know characters a bit more. This month’s little extra was a back-up story about Phantom Girl written by Mark Waid and with art by Dave Gibbons. This back-up story is also as much about Phantom Girl as it is Karate Kid, as it gives the reader some insight to Karate Kid’s origin and personality. Waid has also done a great thing with the explanation of Phantom Girl’s powers, which invokes a quirkier aspect to the Legion. Gibbon’s art is pretty strong too, and it would be nice to see him do a full issue sometime.
All in all, this is a pretty solid issue with good characterization and art. The strongest aspect of this book is its concept, which can easily draw a reader in. If you like rebellious teens, political tension, raging hormones, cool characters with even cooler powers or solid science-fiction, then pick up Legion of Super-Heroes.
