The following is from The Source (04/10/12):

WRITER SCOTT LOBDELL ON “THE CULLING” CROSSOVER

“The Culling” crossover event is coming this May – but what  is  The Culling?  What is N.O.W.H.E.R.E., and how will it threaten the heroes and would-be heroes of DC COMICS-THE NEW 52?  You’ll find out in next month’s crossover, but in the meantime — stay tuned to The Source all this week for Culling insights from the creators.

Today, SUPERBOY and TEEN TITANS writer Scott Lobdell offers an enthusiastic glimpse into what’s to come:

“Imagine you are a comic book writer who is bound by 20 pages a month in which to tell a story.  Then you get a call... and you’re told that suddenly you get to work on a 60 page story (that is, your book is going to cross over with SUPERBOY and LEGION LOST)!  Suddenly more story possibilities open up as your telling a larger story with more characters and conflicts involved.  Suddenly you have the opportunity to deal with Kid Flash learning the first hints of his origin by talking with Superboy, a 16 year old without any past at all.

“Then you have Timber Wolf confronting Kid Flash for an explanation as to why Bart Allen is in the here-and-now instead of his place of origin in the 31st Century… and you wonder why at least one of the Legion Losters seems to be covering for Kid Flash?

“Okay, so here you are, working on a larger canvas than you get to work on from month to month, and you’re working with other writers and Editorial now and you’re starting to wonder how even 60 pages is going to be enough… when the clouds part and Editorial delivers another edict: you get an additional 32 pages in the form of a Teen Titans annual!

“That’s a 92-page story you get to tell!  Yowza!  Just think of the possibilities ! It’d be like taking an episode of your favorite television show and suddenly being given a 100 million dollar feature film budget where you can do all the things you want when you are no longer bound by episodic restraints!

“I admit to being a little frightened when Brett was assigned to do the art on the TEEN TITANS Annual – because we haven’t been split up since we re-launched TEEN TITANS last year. But as soon as he started turning in the pages, creating the Colony out of thin air, introducing the kids that N.O.W.H.E.R.E. has held captive for so long, bludgeoning us with his high octane action sequences as the Teen Titans battled the Legion Lost and then slamming on the brakes for moments of quiet poignancy, I understood why editorial knew it was so important for Brett to be the guy that established the world and the tone for the crossover.  Every time I open up my email box I am stunned by the level of detail and excitement and passion that Brett brings to the work.

“Everyone who knows R.B. Silva’s work from his Jimmy Olsen run last year as well as the first issues of SUPERBOY knows that he is without peer when it comes to those character-centric moments in any story — he is one of these guys who can take the ordinary and make it extraordinary.  Well, let me say that you should go out and buy a hat because you are going to want to have something to hold onto when you see him draw the epic action in SUPERBOY when Kon El goes toe-to-toe with Warblade  When you see this issue you’re going to know that R.B. is destined for greatness.  His Timber Wolf and Dawnstar are jus… gorgeous.  There’s no other word that comes to mind!

“And Ig Guara on TEEN TITANS?  After months of reading, green with envy, his work on BLUE BEETLE, I was so excited to learn that he’d be filling in for Brett on two issues (8 and the crossover itself in issue 9).  I had high hopes for him… and then he went and exceeded every one of them!  There have been so many pages where I didn’t even want to write dialogue and captions because it felt superfluous — everything was there on their faces and body language.  Truly, Ig is one of tomorrow’s superstars and I can’t wait to work with him again!

“Is there a sales element to all of it?  Sure, because comics is a business.  But Tom and Howard and I aren’t in sales, we’re writers who have been given the opportunity to create an epic comic book story over the course of one month — using some of the greatest characters in the medium.  Who wouldn’t be happy about that?!”

The following is from Newsarama (04/05/12) and Comic Book Resources (04/10/12):

Marketshare Stats For March 2012

QTY RANK	DOLLAR RANK	INDEX	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	EST. SALES	% CHANGE
94	91	15.47	LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #7	$2.99	19,707	-6.52%
112	--	12.87	LEGION LOST #7	$2.99	16,394	-6.32%
123	--	11.49	LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #6	$2.99	14,640	-4.36%
128	--	11.05	Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #6	$3.99	14,076	-2.11%

[With Legion Lost now below 17,000 copies, it is likely to be considered for a Wave 2 cancellation around issue #12, along with Fury of Firestorm, the Nuclear Me, Resurrection Man, Blue Beetle, and Grifter.  LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES is at risk of being a Third Wave causalty, too.  The change of writers is unlikely to make a difference for Legion Lost, but the crossover with the higher ranking Teen Titans (#24) and Superboy (#5668) will certainly result in a brief surge of orders.

The Star Trek cross-over mini did well both in sales and order retention, and was IDW’s fourth highest charting issue of the month (and it got within spiutting distance of beating out LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN!).]

Compare to February 2012:

QTY RANK	DOLLAR RANK	INDEX	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	EST. SALES	% CHANGE
3	2	75.19	Action Comics #6	$3.99	96,580	-8.11%
98	96	16.41	LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #6	$2.99	21,082	-8.60%
116	—	13.62	LEGION LOST #6	$2.99	17,500	-9.78%
131	—	11.92	LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #5	$2.99	15,308	-7.71%
134	—	11.20	Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #5	$3.99	14,379	-4.18%

Compare to January 2012:

QTY RANK	DOLLAR RANK	INDEX	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	EST. SALES	% CHANGE
3	—	80.53	Action Comics #5	$3.99	105.102	-6.86%
79	—	17.67	LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #5	$2.99	23,065	-7.92%
94	—	14.85	LEGION LOST #5	$2.99	19.397	-10.28%
115	—	12.71	LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #4	$2.99	16,587	-17.21%
122	—	11.50	Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #4	$3.99	15,006	-5.94%

Compare to November 2011:

QTY RANK	DOLLAR RANK	INDEX	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	EST. SALES	% CHANGE
71	—	20.85	LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #3	$2.99	31,479	-25.95%
80	—	18.61	LEGION LOST #3	$2.99	28,101	-26.80%
108	—	14.86	LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #2	$2.99	22,433	-41.35%
124	—	11.78	Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #2	$3.99	17,781	-15.13%

The following is from Comic Book Resources (04/09/12):

LEVITZ, ZEN & THE ART OF “LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES”

Legion of Super-Heroes, DC Comics’ long-running comic book series about super-powered teens fighting for truth and justice in the 31st Century, has never been what could be classified as a simple book.

With a literal cast of hundreds over the course of its fifty-four-year history, even with reboots, threeboots and New 52 relaunches, LoSH has remained a series with a rich and complex history, where anything is possible from team shakedowns to the deaths of the Legionnaires themselves.

But with current (and famous classic LoSH) writer Paul Levitz’s recent issues, the “future of the future” as he dubs it is even more uncertain than ever as Mon-El plans to throw Legion leadership open to elections while the alien Dominators scheme to use both Daxamite DNA and Brainiac 5 to further their own nefarious goals in what the writer terms a galactic “Cold War.”

With LoSH alumni Steve Lightle and Yildiray Cinar stepping into permanent LoSH artist Francis Portela’s shoes for issue #8, CBR decided to catch up with the universe-trotting Levitz about the ongoing series, including the joys of writing the Dominators, the complexities of the Legion and who Levitz would vote for if he were a Legionnaire!

CBR News: Besides dealing with the Multiverse in Worlds’ Finest, you’re continuing to work on the multi-character and multi-world Legion of Super-Heroes.  Do you ever take a step back and dream about writing a solo character ongoing?

Paul Levitz: [Laughs]  That was part of what I enjoyed about the Huntress miniseries a lot — not that there was no back story, but that the back story was relatively invisible.  It was definitely a continuity-light miniseries, a one-person-story and that’s the first chance I had to do something like that in a very long time!  [Laughs]  The nice thing about writing books with a lot of characters in them is it allows you different kinds of character development.  When you’re writing a book about a single character, you know they’re going to be alive at the end of it, and you’re pretty well assured they’re going to be well because they have to go on to do whatever the next issue is and roll the thing forward.  The status quo is much more locked in on most of the single characters.  When you’re writing a book that’s a mob scene, eh, somebody dies, somebody dies, somebody gets injured, somebody falls in love, out of love — you have more pieces you can work with.  That’s more reflective of human life because we’re going through things in our world all the time.

Speaking of changes, with issue #9 of LoSH, you’re starting a new arc featuring the election of a new leader, the possibility of a Legionnaire leaving and Brainiac 5 and Dream Girl being kidnapped by the Dominators.  What can you say about all these dangling threads?

I think it’s a great deal of visual fun!  [Artist] Francis [Portela’s] depiction of the Dominators was so cool that it drew me to make a major story arc largely set on the Dominators’ home world and to really extrapolate some of the science fiction concepts and science fiction horror that was implicit in how they looked and how they were behaving.  We bit by bit learn about the caste structure of the Dominators, how they make new castes and their bioengineering approach.  They’ve kidnapped Brainiac 5 because they really specifically want him for stuff, and there’s the political complexity of [the question of] can they get rescued when you’ve got essentially a frozen Cold War scenario that might prevent the Legion from charging in.

Is this chance to expand on the Dominators’ back story one of the reasons you really wanted to focus these first arcs of the New 52 LoSH on them?

When I first threw them in the book and saw what Francis did with them, he just had such a beautiful take on them.  The original Dominators story, God, when I was a kid had art by Jim Mooney, who’s a wonderfully talented artist, but they were pretty sedate creatures.  He tended to draw very humanoid, very nice aliens.  Some of the stories that have been done over the years since, I think Todd McFarlane did some work with them back in the Invasion! days, other talented artists have played with them a little more and had a little more fun with it, but when I saw Francis’ it was like, “Oh!  Ok!  I can imagine what those guys are like.  Boy, that’s an unfortunate world.”  I just wanted to dive in, take advantage of it.

In these last couple of issues we’ve seen different parts of 31st Century Earth with Dragonwing going back to China.  The planet seems like it could be classified as an “unfortunate world,” too.  Do you have more plans for action on Earth and in cities like Metropolis?  Is there a parallel comparison going on between our world and the Dominators’ planet?

Not in this arc.  There will certainly be some parts that are set on Earth and other places, but the bulk of the story takes place within the Dominators’ world for four issues.  I had a lot of fun playing with future China and raising the issue that the way China is [currently] dealing with its ecological problems that there is going to be a bill that might take a thousand years to pay off, depending on how long they keep doing this.  I enjoy planting little things like that within the stories that I do.  I don’t answer all the questions, but I hopefully get people thinking about them.

On the art side, in issue #8 you have Steve Lightle and Yildiray Cinar coming on -– will this be similar to what you did with Walt Simonson, where it’s essentially one big Legion slice-of-life story?

It’s a little bit different in structure.  What I did to Walt you can only do to someone you’ve been friendly with for decades, asking, “Could you just drop by and draw thirty of my characters, please?”  You have to really know the person’s a total pacifist and won’t pull their palette knife on you!  But it was great to get back together with Steve.  We haven’t worked together for a couple of decades now, and the story with him is, on some level, a very simple, self-contained story, but it’s also really a set-up for what will happen over time when you find out what exactly been stolen from the planet [in the issue].  You’ll know that has significant danger for the Legion for the long run.

The story with Yildiray sort of fulfills a promise I had to him that he got a chance to draw his native city of Istanbul in the future.  It seems only fair, so he’s getting to play with one of his favorite characters, Lightning Lad, in his own city in the future.

Legion Lost is crossing over with Teen Titans and Superboy in May for “The Culling.”  At this point, how much of an impact do the two Legion books have on each other?

Right now, the Legionnaires in the 31st Century believe their comrades are dead.  That’s had significant effect on them.  There’s kind of no middle ground, so if they are really going to be believed dead and they are really going to be lost in the 21st Century, we’ve got to keep that gap pretty wide.  I’d hope there will be some point in time when whoever survives the 21st Century could be back in contact with them, but for now, there are no signs of the return.

Your other LoSH miniseries, Legion: Secret Origin just finished, and speaking as a fan, it was fun to see Brainiac 5 and the others just starting out.  Are there any plans for more looks into the team’s past, either in another miniseries or in Legion Of Super-Heroes?

None, yet.  Some of it, I guess, will depend on what the final sales results were for the arc and what balance of miniseries DC is trying to integrate into the line; I think they do relatively few miniseries these days, so having just gotten one, I don’t think we’ll be due up for one of the next ones.  But it was fun!  I had a great time with Phantom Girl in particular.  I never really had a chance to explore her as a character, and Chris Batista gave a very distinct visualization to her personality.  I think she really came alive in the pages.

Speaking of individual characters, in this last LoSH arc, Chemical Kid was seen rapidly losing his confidence.  What’s going on in his mind right now?  Are we going to see his attitude negatively affect the Legion in issue #9 and beyond?

I think you’ve got a kid there who’s really going through the equivalent of having been the valedictorian of his school of a hundred kids in a small town and as a result getting into Princeton.  Then, you show up the first day of Princeton and go, “Ohhh, everybody here is smart and cool and some of them have done all this awesome stuff and maybe I’m not so damn special!”  That’s a very challenging moment in your life, and hopefully that’s come through a bit.  His confidence is definitely shaken — we’ll see where it goes from there.

We’ve got Mon-El and Brainiac 5 vying for power and the upcoming Legion elections.  When it comes to leadership, what does Mon-El have going for him that Brainiac 5 does not?

Well, I guess if you look at those two personalities, it’s kind of an argument for experience and temperament versus raw intelligence.  In Mon-El, you have someone who literally watched it all happen for a thousand years from the Phantom Zone.  He kind of has a more Zen approach — well, anyone has a more Zen approach than Brainiac 5.  On the other hand, you have Brainiac 5 with his outrageous intelligence and his nervous energy. Those are both useful qualities to have in a leader.  It would be nice if they could both be integrated into the same person, but often great qualities are out of balance.

Ok, so if you weren’t Paul Levitz the writer but were instead Paul Levitz the Legionnaire, whom would you vote for?

If I was a member of Legion of Super-Heroes, they’d have to lighten up the requirements for the Legion by an awful lot!  [Laughs]  You know, the most fun of the elections is when the readers surprise me and pull on somebody who I never would have planned into that role.  That gave me great chances to work with characters like Dream Girl and Polar Boy at different points in history.  [Ed: The leadership of the Legion used to be determined by reader votes.]  So I guess I would try to surprise me and make it someone who would be particularly challenging.  There are a number of Legionnaires that are underdeveloped at the moment that we haven’t had a lot of chances to do story material with.  I might grab one of them; it’d be fun to see what would happen with Invisible Kid.  It would be enormous fun to take someone like Ultra Boy who has a great deal of power but not a great deal of emotional leadership demonstrated in recent years, and put him in that kind of situation.  Having come off that great arc with Phantom Girl, it would be a hoot to play with her in a role like that, give me an excuse to do all sorts of neat stuff with her.  Lots of them would be something different to place them in a different kind of situation than they’ve been in previously. I haven’t had a chance to do much with Element Lad in the most recent run.  He’s had a very intriguing life, it’d be fun to have an excuse to explore him a little bit more. I can go on and on — there’s a lot of characters!  [Laughs]  Some of them I’ve had in that position, so I feel like I’ve explored the outcome on some level, but it’s always fun to examine the ones you really haven’t had a chance to work with as much.

Finally, I think one of the big points brought up in your last issues is that the Dominators are playing with Daxamite DNA — is this plot and the Dominator Cold War dynamic going to be the big conflict of the book for the foreseeable future?

I think they’ll definitely still be a part of things for the future of the future, but we’re planning something significantly different for the next arc after the Dominators because we want to do toss-ups — so we’ll be talking again when that breaks!

The following is from Newsarama (~04/02/11):

The 10 Greatest SUPERVILLAIN Teams of ALL TIME!

10. THE LEGION OF SUPER-VILLAINS

Weighing in at around 20 members at any given time, the Legion of Super-Heroes are one of the largest and greatest super-teams of all time.  Most of the members have been active as heroes since a very early age, and almost all of them have had their powers from birth.  Considering a force with that much power, it takes an equal or greater force to challenge them.  Enter the Legion of Super-Villains; in almost every way, the opposite number for their heroic counterpart.

The LoSV is composed of some of the greatest criminals of the 30th century, many of whom are possessed of the same, or similar powers of the Legionairres they challenge.  While their membership has varied through the years, just like the Legion of Super-Heroes, the Legion of Super-Villains revolve around a core membership of three villains, Lightning Lord, Cosmic King, and Saturn Queen, whose powers mirror those of the three founding Legionairres, Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy, and Saturn Girl.

The following is from Newsarama (~03/31/11):

Six Months In, Which NEW 52 Titles Might Be On the Bubble?

8. LEGION LOST

Sure, Tom DeFalco’s first issue is only out this month, but this book, one of three Legion titles including the also sub-100 mini-series Legion: Secret Origin does not seem long for this world.  These displaced heroes from another time do hope to get a boost from a closer relationship with the other teen heroes of the DC New 52, specifically Superboy, Teen Titans, and the upcoming series Ravagers.

What can it do to be saved?  Well, the hook of being lost in time apparently isn’t quite enough sales-wise.  Crossing more tightly into The New 52 may help it, but more likely than not, this book is in the next wave of cancellations, leaving Legion of Super-Heroes alone to carry on the legacy.

The following is from Comic Book Resources (03/25/12):

THE ABANDONED AN’ FORSAKED — WHO’S THAT ELEMENT LAD’S DATING?

Today, we examine Element Lad’s odd relationship with Shvaughn Erin…

Enjoy!

Ever since 1964′s Adventure Comics #326 (written by Jerry Siegel) had Element Lad say he was “out of his element” when it comes to girls, fans have speculated that Element Lad was gay.

The idea was picked up and developed by fans of the Legion, and it became a common topic for discussion at the Legion fan magazine, Interlac (which began life as LEAPA, LEgion Amateur Press Association).

In the second issue of the fanzine, there was a piece of fan fiction involving Element Lad’s homosexuality, and in the third issue, longtime Legion writer Jim Shooter gave his thoughts about different members of the Legion and for Element Lad, Shooter mentioned that he had always assumed that he was gay, partially for the aforementioned line from Adventure Comics #326, partially because he did not seem all that interested in repopulating his race (Element Lad was the lone survivor of a planet) and yes, partially because of the outfit Dave Cockrum gave him, where he had a giant arrow on his chest….

However, later writer Paul Levitz introduced a female love interest for Element Lad, the Science Officer Shvaughn Erin.

Well, Keith Giffen and longtime Interlac members Tom and Mary Bierbaum (who became the scripters for Giffen on Giffen’s “Five Years Later” Legion of Super-Heroes) did not agree with that idea, and in 1992′s Legion of Super-Heroes #32, they revealed that Shvaughn Erin was actually Sean Erin, and he had taken a drug that changes you into a woman, as he was under the impression that Element Lad was heterosexual.

Element Lad pretty plainly said that such a ruse was an unnecessary one…

So, through a pretty convoluted plot, the end result that Legion fans had been expecting for decades was finally the case!

This particular change went out the window with the end of this run of Legion.  When she has appeared since this time, Shvaughn has been a woman.

The following is from Newsarama (03/23/11):

WonderCon 2012: DC Comics NEW 52 Panel LIVE

4:18	Of The Ravagers, Harras calls it a fresh start from #1, though it also ties into what’s happened in Superboy, Teen Titans, and Legion Lost.
4:19	“A lot of stuff is happening, and these guys are just trying to survive,” Berganza says of Ravagers, pointing out Terra and Beast Boy in a double-page spread from the comic.

[…]

4:58	Return of old Legion characters?  Berganza says that Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen are teaming up again soon, and the fan may be pleased by both the heroes and villains involved.

The following is from Bleeding Cool (03/09/12) and Comic Book Resources (03/13/12):

Top 100 Comics And Graphic Novels With Full Marketshare Stats For February 2012

QTY RANK	DOLLAR RANK	INDEX	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	EST. SALES	% CHANGE
3	2	75.19	Action Comics #6	$3.99	96,580	-8.11%
98	96	16.41	LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #6	$2.99	21,082	-8.60%
116	—	13.62	LEGION LOST #6	$2.99	17,500	-9.78%
131	—	11.92	LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #5	$2.99	15,308	-7.71%
134	—	11.20	Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #5	$3.99	14,379	-4.18%

Compare to January 2012:

QTY RANK	DOLLAR RANK	INDEX	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	EST. SALES	% CHANGE
3	—	80.53	Action Comics #5	$3.99	105.102	-6.86%
79	—	17.67	LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #5	$2.99	23,065	-7.92%
94	—	14.85	LEGION LOST #5	$2.99	19.397	-10.28%
115	—	12.71	LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #4	$2.99	16,587	-17.21%
122	—	11.50	Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #4	$3.99	15,006	-5.94%

Compare to November 2011:

QTY RANK	DOLLAR RANK	INDEX	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	EST. SALES	% CHANGE
71	—	20.85	LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #3	$2.99	31,479	-25.95%
80	—	18.61	LEGION LOST #3	$2.99	28,101	-26.80%
108	—	14.86	LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #2	$2.99	22,433	-41.35%
124	—	11.78	Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #2	$3.99	17,781	-15.13%

The following is from The Buy Pile (03/09/11):

THE BUY PILE FOR FEBRUARY 8, 2012

Honorable Mentions: Stuff worth noting, even if it’s not good enough to buy

Tyroc takes the lead in Legion Lost #6 as Gates reveals a hatred for authority and Martian Manhunter moves what plot there is along.  Gates, Dawnstar, Wildfire, and the aforementioned Tyroc all have great character moments, but as for the plot?  Meh.

The following is from The Line It Is Drawn (03/08/12):

THE LINE IT IS DRAWN #80 – THE WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS, COMIC BOOK STYLE

Comic book characters playing sports!  Batman shooting hoops, Captain America throwing a touchdown pass, etc.

dc2omniverse suggested:

Matter Eater Lad vs. The Blob in a hot dog eating contest.

Josh Gowdy drew this one. His website is here.

 

 

 

ithinkyoureok suggested:

The Legion plays volleyball with Bouncing Boy as the ball.

Bill Walko drew this one. His website is here.

 

 

The following is from Comic Book Resources (03/02/12):

COMIC BOOK LEGENDS REVEALED #356

COMIC LEGEND: DC refused to publish the cover of an issue of Static because it showed sex.

STATUS: True

[…]

McDuffie, though, was not pleased.  He discussed the issue in the letter page of Static #25…

Here’s the sad part, if I had commissioned a cover where Daisy was wearing a thong and kicking one leg high in the air so everybody could get a really good look at her crotch, or if she had her back to the camera and her spine arched at an improbable angle to accentuate her ass, or if her enormous breasts, miraculously immune to the effects of gravity, were positioned so you couldn’t quite tell whether those shadows were her nipples, there would be no problem.  Problem?  Heck, we’d probably have a “hot book” on our hands.

Later on, he specifically mentions this Legionnaires cover by Adam Hughes from the previous year as an example of such a cover as he described…

It is too bad that two teens kissing was seen as too much.

The following is from Newsarama (02/29/12):

Might as Well Jump: Characters to Celebrate on LEAP DAY

Bouncing Boy.  Stifle the outraged comments — yes, Chuck Taine is more of a “bouncer” than a “leaper,” but what’s bouncing if not a branch on the leaping family tree?  One of the greatest examples of the zany creativity from DC’s Silver Age Legion of Super-Heroes comics, Bouncing Boy got his powers from accidentally drinking a formula that he thought was a soda; something that will probably be pretty common by the 30th century.

In recent years, his role among the Legion has been limited, perhaps due to the notion that a comic book character who can turn himself into a human version of the bouncy balls you get out of vending machines isn’t viable in our cynical modern times, but if there’s ever a time to embrace his wonderful wackiness, it’s Leap Day.

 

The following is from Comic Book Resources (02/17/12):

MACKIE EXPLORES N.O.W.H.E.R.E. AND ADOLESCENCE IN "THE RAVAGERS"

[…]

Similarly, since your main characters are basically escaping during the Superboy/Teen Titans/Legion Lost crossover, are you working with Scott Lobdell and Tom DeFalco as one of the architects of that event to set the stage for The Ravagers?

Architect?  Nah, I am more the irritating guy who comes in late and says to the actual architects, “You’re going to put a door there?  How about making it a window instead?  Or at least we should paint it black!”  Honestly, Scott and Tom have been very gracious in seeking out and listening to my input on the crossover — which is going to be awesome!  The funny thing about that is that Tom and Scott are very rarely gracious to anyone about anything!

Getting to the book itself, what can you tell us about the story at this point?

Harvest — the leader of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. — has been abducting metahuman teens from around the world.  Tortured, tested, and experimented on, these kids are tossed into a hellish environment called The Colony.  The only rule: survive.

Periodically there is a no holds barred thinning of the herd by Harvest known as “The Culling.”  From the thinned herd Harvest seeks the elite of his army, the most dangerous metahumans on earth: his Ravagers.

The crossover begins with the beginning of the latest Culling, and the introduction of many of the characters who will be in The Ravagers.

This is when the Teen Titans, Superboy, and Legion Lost enter the picture, and things don’t go exactly as Harvest seems to have planned.  The Ravagers series starts up minutes after the crossover ends.

[…]

The following is from The Buy Pile (02/16/12):

THE BUY PILE FOR FEBRUARY 15, 2012

Honorable Mentions: Stuff worth noting, even if it’s not good enough to buy

Despite having some truly beautiful art set in China of the 31st century, Legion of Super-Heroes #6 had jumbled execution that hampered its effectiveness as a heretofore often unexplored Legionnaire.  The sibling rivalry angle played out really quickly, but there were elements worth noticing.

If you like extreme monologuing, Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #5 delivers some decent examples from the man who’s apparently both Vandal Savage and Flint, but the last page reveals another character that fans will find pretty entertaining.  As far as actual plot, this is pretty thin, but there’s some stuff that wasn’t bad.

The following is from The Source (02/15/12):

BOB HARRAS ON WORLD-BUILDING IN DC COMICS-THE NEW 52

When we first started The New 52 one of the things we were most excited about was the limitless number of possibilities for new stories as we moved on through our first year and for years beyond that.  One of the most intriguing elements going forward was the potential to show that even though these were fresh takes on our characters, they all share the same universe.  This May we are taking the opportunity to show that The New 52 is a shared universe in a couple of different ways.  […]  Next up we have a game changing battle royal in “The Culling” which pits the Teen Titans and Legion Lost teams against N.O.W.H.E.R.E!  This is a tough fight for our heroes so they’re going to be sharing a lot of pain in addition to their universe. Follow the action in Teen Titans Annual #1, Teen Titans #9, Legion Lost #9, and the all-new Ravagers #1!   […]

The following is from The Source (02/14/12):

SPOILER ALERT!  LEGION LOST #6 DROPS BOMBSHELL!

Spoiler alert!  DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 fans learned, thanks to guest-star Martian Manhunter, that our lost Legionnaires of LEGION LOST #6are destined to die here in the 21st century!  Check out the page from the issue after the jump.  This bombshell plays out in the next issues of the series and leads us straight to “The Culling” crossover beginning in TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #1!  Reserve your copies now or risk missing out on the next catastrophe to befall all of DC’s teen heroes!

The following is from Comic Book Resources (02/04/12):

THE ABANDONED AN’ FORSAKED — LIGHTNING LAD’S A WHAT?!?

Every Saturday, we will be examining comic book stories and ideas that were not only abandoned, but also had the stories/plots specifically “overturned” by a later writer (as if they were a legal precedent).

Today we look at the death and “life” of Lightning Lad!

Enjoy!

In Adventure Comics #304, Lightning Lad sacrifices himself to save Saturn Girl’s life…

Over the next eight issues, a recurring sub plot was “can they bring him back to life?”  A lot of “finding a cure for seventeen stab wounds to the back” type of stuff.

Then, finally, in Adventure Comics #312, by Edmond Hamilton and John Forte, they succeed in bringing him back…

And so it went for over thirty years, until Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #3 (in a story by Tom and Mary Bierbaum and art from Brandon Peterson and Scott Hanna), when an adult Lightning Lad makes a stunning revelation to his “sister” (they are on their home planet of Winath, where clothing is optional, hence her attire)…

So yes, Proty had taken Garth’s place. He debates whether to tell her…

I suppose this has been re-retconned in the current Legion of Super-Heroes title, but it has not specifically been addressed.

The following is from Comic Book Resources (02/13/12):

MILLER TAKES “SMALLVILLE” TO NEW HEIGHTS IN SEASON 11

[…]

Fans of the series loved when classic DC characters like the aforementioned Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, JSA, and the Legion of Super-Heroes appeared on Smallville.  Are there any plans for such an introduction in Season 11?

Oh, sure.  Big time.  We’ll get a slightly new twist on a pretty big Superman villain from the comics in the premiere (which runs the first 12 weekly chapters).  After that, the second episode spends quite a bit of time introducing Superman to a very popular member of the DC family — something tells me it will (hopefully) go over well.  Beyond that, some returning allies and some new enemies, all around.

[…]

The following is from Newsrama (02/12/12):

HOWARD MACKIE Talks BEAST BOY, THE RAVAGERS Line-up

When writer Howard Mackie introduces his new superpowered Ravagers team to the DCU, a few familiar names will be part of it.

As readers found out Friday on Newsarama, the new Ravagers team will include a red Beast Boy and a new version of the character Terra.

Caitlin Fairchild is also part of the team, along with a brother and sister named Thunder and Lightning, and the “monstrous"” Ridge.

The new book spins out of a May event called “The Culling,” which runs through an oversized Teen Titans Annual #1 and then continues in the ninth issues of Superboy, Legion Lost, and Teen Titans.  The Ravagers #1will come out May 30th, with art by Ian Churchill.

“The Culling” crossover is the culmination of a plot that has been coursing through Superboy and Teen Titans since writer Scott Lobdell launched both comics in September.  An organization named N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and its leader, Harvest, is capturing superpowered teens, including the Legion Lost.

Many of the new and “revamped” characters that are being introduced during the crossover will emerge from N.O.W.H.E.R.E.’s “Colony,” the horrific place where the teens are imprisoned. And some of them will continue their adventures in the DCU within the pages of The Ravagers.

Newsarama spoke with Mackie to find out more about the premise of the book and what readers can expect from these new and not-so-new superpowered teens.  While some of what he said has been reported as part of our coverage of “The Culling”, what follows is a transcript of our entire discussion with the DC writer about his new Ravagers series.

Newsarama: Howard, we’re finally getting a look at the team you’ll be using for The Ravagers.  What can you tell us about the idea for the make-up of the team?

Howard Mackie: This series grew organically from the Teen Titans/Superboy/Legion Lost crossover.  I spent a lot of time on the sidelines of the crossover — lots e-mails, meetings, and conference calls with two of my favorite people on the planet, Scott Lobdell and Tom DeFalco.

At the end of this process, I learned that I really only liked one of the two of them as much as I thought I did — and that changed on a daily basis.

We discussed, planned, cajoled, nudged, bounced ideas, and harangued each other about every detail of the core elements at the foundation of N.O.W.H.E.R.E, The Colony, and “The Culling”.

We figured out some of the characters that Harvest would have thrown into hell known as The Colony — familiar and new — figured out who would play nice with each other, who would play poorly with each other, and that was the beginning of our group of Ravagers.

Nrama: We now know the team’s formation spins out of the invasion by the Teen Titans and Legion Lost on the Colony beneath the Antarctic.  What’s the emotional state of these teens as they break out of that experience?

Mackie: These kids have been living in hell for the past few years.  The Colony is basically a death camp combined with a boot camp.  Every day was a battle for survival.  Their youth was ripped from them.  Their bodies where tortured, enhanced, tortured again, and they knew that they had two choices… survive or die.

Once you read the crossover, once you see what their day-to-day existence was, you will quickly realize that escape was long ago beaten from the deepest corners of their minds.  Needless to say, they all learned to cope in their own ways, but emerging into the “real world” is going be a shock to their system.  There is no one “emotional state.”  The elation of freedom does not immediately supplant fear, anxiety, and the need to survive at any cost.

[…]

The following is from Newsarama (02/02/12):

Best Shots Rapid: ACTION COMICS, UNCANNY X-FORCE, More

Action Comics #6 (Published by DC Comics; Review by Erika D. Peterman; ’Rama Rating: 6 out of 10): I’ll admit that I had to read Action Comics #6 twice to (sort of) understand the story because, well, tesseract space was not covered in my high school math or science courses.  Unfortunately, the second reading was just as much of a slog as the first. The things I’ve enjoyed most about Action Comics are largely absent, including the scrappy, denim-wearing Clark Kent I’ve grown to love.  Instead, writer Grant Morrison serves up a confusing tale starring a slightly older Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes.  As Superman and the Legion work furiously to save the rocket that brought infant Kal-El to Earth, the Anti-Superman Army has hatched an admittedly innovative plan to kill him with Kryptonite.  Sounds exciting, but it felt like an assignment.  The thing I appreciate about Morrison is that he never dumbs it down but goes right for the teleport rifles and psychic keys.  But wasn’t the point of the DC relaunch to start fresh and make these comics more accessible to newer readers?  Here, you practically need footnotes to follow along.  This story in no way resembles the Action Comics I signed up to read, and I hope this isn’t indicative of what’s to come.  Andy Kubert’s classic, chiseled art is winning, though it doesn’t match the weird, sci-fi tone of the story.  However, the backup story written by Sholly Fisch is satisfying and wonderfully simple.  There are no grand, fate-of-the-world themes, just a touching look at Clark’s last day on the Kent family farm.  If you find yourself welling up at the end, rest assured that you’re not alone.

The following is from Newsrama (02/11/12):

TOM DeFALCO Preps LEGION LOST for THE CULLING Crossover

This week, readers got their first taste of what Tom DeFalco is bringing to Legion Lost, as he co-wrote the sixth issue with departing writer Fabian Nicieza.

In May, the writer will further entrench the comic in the present-day DCU as the Legion Lost crosses over with Teen Titans and Superboy in an event titled “The Culling.”

The crossover officially begins on May 2nd with the 48-page issue Teen Titans Annual #1.  Then the story continues through Superboy #9 and Legion Lost #9, with a conclusion in Teen Titans #9.  The new “Second Wave” title The Ravagers, by writer Howard Mackie and artist Ian Churchill, will be released on May 30th, spinning out of the event.

DeFalco, a former editor-in-chief at Marvel, will start his run as solitary writer on Legion Lost in March, working with artist Pete Woods.  As he does, he follows up on some surprising revelations that readers have seen in the title so far, then spins the story toward the crossover.

We asked him what’s coming up in the title. And while some of what DeFalco said has been reported as part of our coverage of “The Culling”, what follows is a transcript of our entire discussion with the DC writer about what’s coming up in Legion Lost.

Newsarama: Tom, for people who might be interested in picking up Legion Lost for the first time with issue #8, which is a lead-in for this crossover, what should they know before they pick up this series?

Tom DeFalco: They don’t have to know anything!  We tell them what goes on. In every issue, we tell them everything they need to know.

But right now?  Issue #6 is on the stands, and it’s Fabian Nicieza’s last issue.  And a major thing happens in that issue.  And I won’t spoil it, because it just came out this week.  But the Legion picks up a piece of information that shakes them up, a lot.  And it will have a big effect on their future, or lack thereof.

And then after issue #6, Legion Lost #7 is a nice done-in-one stand-alone which further gives hints as to some of the turmoil heading toward the Legion.  It also gives you an emotional kick in the head, because it’s going to foreshadow a lot of what’s about to happen.

When you see what happens later in the series, you’ll be able to go back to issue #7 and say, “Wow! Each of these things are mirrored!”

Nrama: And then in #8, the team encounters Rose Wilson and The Ravagers.  What can you tell us about what that’s going to bring to the series?

DeFalco: Our big bad guy sends a special ops team to pick up the Legion. And he’s got a very special reason for why he wants the Legion, which readers will eventually learn. And it’s going to surprise people!

So this issue shows how this special ops team is sent in, so we get to meet a bunch of really cool, new supervillains, some of which will be playing parts in Legion Lost, Teen Titans, and The Ravagers far into the future.

Nrama: When the crossover starts in May, what kind of things can we expect from the interaction between the kids from Teen Titans and Superboy with these Legion teens from the future?

DeFalco: The Legion Lost is a well-honed team with kind of paramilitary training, with a very set mission and very set goals, and they function very tightly as a team.  And they’re going to meet the Teen Titans, and there you’ve got a very sharp leader who’s basically herding cats!  Red Robin has his hands full keeping these guys focused, and keeping them on track and on mission.

And just imagine how Red Robin’s going to react when he finds a bunch of teens who claim to come from the future.

And just imagine how these guys are going to react when they look at a group that call themselves the Teen Titans, and they know something about the Teen Titans that the Titans don’t even know.

Nrama: Well, yeah, because they’re from the future.  Will they recognize some of the Teen Titans, I assume?

DeFalco: You know, therein lies a major story twist.

Nrama: So there are some interesting meetings between particular characters who might recognize each other?

DeFalco: Yeah, there’s a certain character in Teen Titans that people have been wondering about his origin.

And you know, one of our characters is going to recognize him.

Nrama: I think readers can guess who he is.

DeFalco: Yeah, and this could lead to some very interesting twists and turns.

Nrama: We’ve seen this villain Harvest.  Can you tell us anything about him?

DeFalco: I can tell you that, we all sat around and we said, what kind of individual things would we like out of this crossover to go forward?  And we came up with a bunch of really cool character bits and story bits and that sort of stuff.  And there’s a whole new title launching out of this.  So there’s all sorts of really cool stuff.

And then Scott and I got the idea, you know what we’d really like to do?  We’d like to introduce a new top-drawer supervillain.  You know?  A real A-list guy who could go toe-to-toe with Superman . Somebody who whose spans are so monumental that he’s got to know that at some point he’s going to be dealing with the Justice League.  And our feeling is, if you can’t at least take Superman, you couldn’t be thinking about the Justice League.

So we’re looking to shake up the whole DC Universe by introducing a major bad guy.

Nrama: We’ve been told that for “The Culling,” we’ll finally see the Colony that has been teased.  How does the Legion Lost team react to that?

DeFalco: Well, how do you think these guys will react when they discover that there’s a bunch of kids who are being captured and being programmed to become killing machines.

Nrama: Not well.

DeFalco: You have a flair for the understatement.

Nrama: How will “The Culling” impact the Legion Lost title after issue #9?

DeFalco: Yeah, this is going to be a major turning point.  They are going to discover a lot of things about their mission that the people who sent them on neglected to tell them.  They are going to discover that everybody on the team isn’t exactly on the same page.

They’re going to discover a way home.  And the big question is whether or not they’re going to take it.

The whole Legion Lost thing is going to — I always hate to say, “It will never be the same again!”  But from here on, it’s crazy town.

Nrama: Will the line-up of characters in the comic be changed at all?  Or would you rather not say?

DeFalco: No comment.

Nrama: After “The Culling” finishes, will we more interaction between these different teen teams, now that they all know each other?  Will those titles bump up against each other more often?

DeFalco: You know, occasionally.  They will certainly be aware of each other going forward.  The hassle is that at least three of the four titles spin off in weird directions after this.  And they’re not going to be in the position to interact with anybody else for awhile.

Nrama: Those three titles that spin off in weird directions — is Legion Lost one of them?

DeFalco: Yep.

Nrama: Then how would you describe what’s coming up for Legion Lost in 2012 overall?  We know a little bit about “The Culling,” but what’s going to happen with this title overall this year?

DeFalco: Things are going to fall into a deep chaos.  The team is going to have to be dealing with the fact that they were set up and sent on a mission that no one ever expected them to succeed in.  And they’ve basically been hung out to dry.  And like anybody else, they want to find out who set them up and why.  And what really is their real mission?  Who’s been pulling all the strings?

That all sounds very vague as I say it out loud.  But it’s going to pay off big.

Also, at the conclusion of Legion Lost #8, something big happens.  And the repercussions of that will be chasing our heroes for awhile.

After “The Culling,” starting with issue #10, we take a real left turn.  And we go in directions that nobody could have conceived us going in.  It started out with us saying, what if that happened?  And suddenly we realized, if that happened, it could ruin everything.  And the point that you say, “That could ruin everything,” you’re suddenly sitting up and saying, hey, that could be interesting.

Nrama: It’s great that you’re getting the freedom to shake things up like that.

DeFalco: We’re throwing a lot of ideas around and the editors are very supportive.  DC is rocking and rolling.

Nrama: You scripted the last issue of Superboy with a plot by Scott Lobdell. What brought about that collaboration and does it speak to the fact that you’re working together with him on this crossover?

DeFalco: The whole bunch of us — Scott and Howard and I — have racked up incredible phone bills and doing a parade of emails back and forth, collaborating, putting “The Culling” together for the last couple of months.

It’s been a great experience, although I have to say that sometimes I wish Scott wouldn’t call so early in the morning.  I’m sure he feels the same about me.

But we’ve been working so closely together that at one point, Scott was looking at all the stuff he had to do and he thought maybe he could use a rest on one issue of Superboy and thought, you know, we’ll get that other guy to help.

So I got tagged into doing an issue of Superboy, and it was a lot of fun.  I had so much fun working over Scott’s plot that I said, “You’ve got to work over one of mine now!”

Nrama: Sounds fair.

DeFalco: We’re just having a grand old time for ourselves working on this crossover.  Howard brings the gravitas to our collaboration, and Scott the creativity.  And I bring the beauty.  You know?  And anyone who’s seen me can understand how poorly that reflects on Howard and Scott.

But it’s been great, and we have a philosophy that, well, I guess it’s a kind of strange philosophy, but we believe that if the creative people are having a great time, that will translate to the readers.  And we are having a blast.

The following is from Newsrama (02/10/12):

TITANS, LEGION, SUPERBOY & RAVAGERS Cross for THE CULLING

“The Culling” crossover in May will return some fan-favorite Teen Titans characters and concepts to the DCnU, including Beast Boy, Terra, and the origin of Kid Flash.

And yes, that red, furry character is a new Beast Boy.

The crossover officially begins on May 2nd with the 48-page issue Teen Titans Annual #1.  Then the story continues through Superboy #9 and Legion Lost #9, with a conclusion in Teen Titans #9.

The new “Second Wave” title The Ravagers, by writer Howard Mackie and artist Ian Churchill, will be released on May 30th, spinning out of the event.

Ravagers writer Howard Mackie confirmed to Newsarama that the new team — revealed on the first issue’s cover — will include Caitlin Fairchild, a brother and sister named Thunder and Lightning, the “monstrous” Ridge, a red Beast Boy, and a new version of Terra.  While Mackie wouldn’t share details about the cover’s featured characters, he revealed to Newsarama that Beast Boy’s color change has something to do with Animal Man.

“The Culling” crossover and the subsequent Ravagers title is the culmination of a plot that has been coursing through Superboy and Teen Titans since writer Scott Lobdell launched both comics in September.  An organization named N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and its leader, Harvest, is capturing superpowered teens.

And in May, the Legion Lost heroes get involved when Harvest goes after them as well.

“So now you have two teams of teenagers meeting for the first time, under the very worst of circumstances,” Lobdell said.  “And it doesn’t go very well.”

Legion Lost writer Tom DeFalco said that because his team’s from the future, they will not only recognize the “Teen Titans” name, but they’ll also see a familiar face among its members.  “There’s a certain character in Teen Titans that people have been wondering about his origin,” DeFalco told Newsarama.  “And you know, one of our characters is going to recognize him… and this could lead to some very interesting twists and turns.”

“And remember, this is the New 52,” Lobdell added,“so Red Robin and the others are skeptical of the Legion’s claim that they are from the 31st Century — ‘Um, yeah.’  And the Legion wonder why the Teen Titans is being formed some 20 years before their history books claim there was a team by that name — ‘Teen Titans, huh?’  So yeah, off to a rocky start!”

“Just imagine how Red Robin’s going to react when he finds a bunch of teens who claim to come from the future,” DeFalco said.  “And just imagine how these guys are going to react when they look at a group that call themselves the Teen Titans, and they know something about the Teen Titans that the Titans don’t even know.”

Lobdell said the story will reveal many of the secrets behind the Teen Titans that readers have been asking since the DC relaunch.  He said DC Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras was the one who decided it was time to “start spilling all the secrets about N.O.W.H.E.R.E., Kid Flash, and the villain known as Harvest.”

“I have to say, though, as people start to read the story, I think they are going to be very surprised by the tone of this crossover,” Lobdell added.  “Usually when fans think of Teen Titans, they think of superheroes, and when they think of the Legion, I think people expect elements of sci-fi.  But instead, the ‘Culling’ has more of the tone of horror.”

Many of the new and “revamped” characters that are being introduced during the crossover will emerge from N.O.W.H.E.R.E.’s “Colony,” the horrific place where the teens are imprisoned.

“This is a sad and dirty place the Teen Titans and the Legion Lost and the all-new Ravagers are trapped in,” Lobdell said.  “So anyone that was thinking N.O.W.H.E.R.E. was little more than ‘a shadowy government agency’ is going to be in for a surprise.”

“These kids [who are part of The Ravagers] have been living in hell for the past few years,” Mackie said.  “The Colony is basically a death camp combined with a boot camp.  Every day was a battle for survival.  Their youth was ripped from them.  Their bodies where tortured, enhanced, tortured again, and they knew that they had two choices… survive or die.”

Some of the horror also lies in the portrayal of crossover’s villain, Harvest, whose dark, winged image was just revealed.  According to DeFalco, Harvest’s power levels will surprise readers, and the villain won’t be stopped easily.

“Scott and I got the idea, you know what we’d really like to do?  We’d like to introduce a new, top-drawer supervillain,” DeFalco explained of Harvest’s creation.  “A real A-list guy who could go toe-to-toe with Superman.  Somebody who whose spans are so monumental that he’s got to know that at some point he’s going to be dealing with the Justice League.  And our feeling is, if you can’t at least take Superman, you couldn’t be thinking about the Justice League.  So we’re looking to shake up the whole DC Universe by introducing a major bad guy.”

The story of “The Culling” begins when Red Robin and the rest of the Titans try to break into N.O.W.H.E.R.E.’s Antarctic base.  “The poor kids get their heads handed to them,” Lobdell said.

While the Titans end up as captives there, Harvest dispatches Rose Wilson and the Ravagers to also capture the Legion Lost members.  “And [Harvest has] a very special reason for why he wants the Legion, which readers will eventually learn,” DeFalco said.

According to Lobdell, it appears that the Hypertaxis virus — which originally lured the Legion Lost team into the 21st Century — was a “carefully planned disaster to bring these very Legionnaires into the here and now in order to help — against their will — Harvest with his long term goals.”

That battle will begin in April’s crossover prelude, Legion Lost #8.  “We get to meet a bunch of really cool, new supervillains, some of which will be playing parts in Legion Lost, Teen Titans, and The Ravagers far into the future,” DeFalco said of the issue.

Among the “new” characters that emerge from the crossover will be some that are familiar to readers of the former WildStorm universe, including Warblade.  “He isn’t much like the last Warblade,” Lobdell warned.  “Yes, he’s still Reno Bryce, but this is a guy who isn’t an homage to another famous character ‘with claws’ — this isn’t the berserker or the ronin.  This Warblade is a ‘surgeon’ of sorts, as cold and calculating as the razor sharp edge of a scalpel. Seriously, this is one scary dude.”

The characters that star in The Ravagers escape from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. during the crossover, but they’re pursued by Rose Wilson and Warblade, who become the team’s antagonists.  “Rose Wilson and Warblade will play a major role in future stories,” the writer said.  “In many ways the book is as much about them as it is about the [six characters on the cover].  I wouldn’t come to this book expecting to see typical heroes and villains.  The roles they all play in the book will remain fluid.”

As the first issue of Ravagers begins, the group is on the run, but Mackie said the book is much more character-focused than that premise implies.

“We do not want this book to be strictly about the action — though there will be plenty of that — or about characters on the run from one of the most powerful and ruthless organizations on the planet,” Mackie said.  “This book is about our characters trying to wrestle with their fate — their destiny — and trying to figure out if they can control it.  In order for the characters to figure out who they are going forward they will have a to take a real hard look at who they now, and who they have been in the past.”

And while the mysterious line-up for The Ravagers may cause a lot of guessing about the characters, readers should be forewarned that DC is teasing that “no one’s survival is certain each month” in the comic.

“Once you read the crossover, once you see what their day-to-day existence was, you will quickly realize that escape was long ago beaten from the deepest corners of their minds,” Mackie said.  “Needless to say, they all learned to cope in their own ways, but emerging into the ‘real world’ is going be a shock to their system.  There is no one ‘emotional state.’  The elation of freedom does not immediately supplant fear, anxiety, and the need to survive at any cost.”

After the events of the “Culling,” DeFalco said three of the four series involved in the crossover will “spin off in weird directions,” including Legion Lost.

“Things are going to fall into a deep chaos,” DeFalco said of the Legion Lost’s upcoming stories.  “The team is going to have to be dealing with the fact that they were set up and sent on a mission that no one ever expected them to succeed in.  And they’ve basically been hung out to dry.  And like anybody else, they want to find out who set them up and why.  And what really is their real mission?  Who’s been pulling all the strings?

“It’s going to pay off big.”

The following is from Comic Book Resources (02/09/12):

DC RELEASES FIRST LOOK AT IAN CHURCHILL’S “THE RAVAGERS”

Today, DC Comics via its blog The Source, released a new teaser image by Ian Churchill for the New 52’s “Second Wave” book The Ravagers written by Howard Mackie.  Likely the cover for The Ravagers #1, Churchill’s image features Caitlin “Red” Fairchild as the central figure, flanked by five other characters — including a powered-up individual on the right who bears a striking resemblance to the Legion of Super-Heroes’ Timber Wolf.

Earlier this week, the publisher announced Teen Titans Annual #1 as part of a crossover in May between Lobdell’s Teen Titans #9 and Superboy #9 and Tom DeFalco’s Legion Lost #9 and would help provide context for Lobdell and Churchill’s The Ravagers #1.  Lobdell expounded on the content of the annual issue, teasing the interaction between Superboy, the Titans, and the Legion.

“You know how comics used to have cover copy that read ‘This issue has it all’’… then you’d read the issue and, well, it had some but not all?  Well this Annual really does have it all!” Lobdell told The Source.  “We finally get to see the oft-mentioned Colony — where the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. leader named Harvest has been keeping the hundred or so teenagers (did I say hundred?!) for who-knows-how-long.  We get to see the Teen Titans in pitched battle against the Legion Lost.  (You can understand why Red Robin is skeptical about a team of teenagers claiming to come from the 30th Century, and why Tyroc is scratching his head over the existence of a team that — according to the history progs — is still some eight years away from being formed!)  Then there’s the introduction of half the roster of the new Ravagers series!  It has been eight issues since Red Robin threw down the gauntlet to Harvest, and now we’re going to see if the Teen Titans have what it takes to shut down N.O.W.H.E.R.E. once and for all!  Yes, there’s a reason why this story could only take place in an annual — because there is just too much story to be contained in one of the monthly books!”

The Ravagers #1 and the crossover between Teen Titans, Superboy, and Legion Lost launches in May.

[It has since been revealed the the character who bears a “striking resemblance” to Timber Wolf is the New 52 version of Beast Boy — now with a red coloring instead of green due to connections to The Red from Animal Man.]

The following is from The Buy Pile (02/09/12):

THE BUY PILE FOR FEBRUARY 8, 2012

Honorable Mentions: Stuff worth noting, even if it’s not good enough to buy

Tyroc takes the lead in Legion Lost #6 as Gates reveals a hatred for authority and Martian Manhunter moves what plot there is along.  Gates, Dawnstar, Wildfire, and the aforementioned Tyroc all have great character moments, but as for the plot?  Meh.

The following is from The Source (02/07/12):

TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #1 IS COMING IN MAY

Featuring a story too big for the regular monthly series, TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #1 launches the first set of giant-sized annuals from DC COMICS—THE NEW 52.  The story is written by Scott Lobdell (TEEN TITANS, SUPERBOY, RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS) and Tom Defalco (LEGION LOST), with art by TEEN TITANS’ regular illustrator, Brett Booth.

Coming this May, the expansive crossover story weaves through several ongoing series — including TEEN TITANS, SUPERBOY and LEGION LOST — and pits the heroes against one another in a chamber of horrors far beneath the surface of Antarctica.

“You know how comics used to have cover copy that read ‘This issue has it all!’… then you’d read the issue and, well, it had some but not all?  Well this Annual really does have it all!” promises Lobdell.  “We finally get to see the oft-mentioned Colony — where the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. leader named Harvest has been keeping the hundred or so teenagers (did I say hundred?!) for who-knows-how-long.  We get to see the Teen Titans in pitched battle against the Legion Lost.  (You can understand why Red Robin is skeptical about a team of teenagers claiming to come from the 30th Century, and why Tyroc is scratching his head over the existence of a team that — according to the history progs — is still some eight years away from being formed!)  Then there’s the introduction of half the roster of the new RAVAGERS series!  It has been eight issues since Red Robin threw down the gauntlet to Harvest, and now we’re going to see if the Teen Titans have what it takes to shut down N.O.W.H.E.R.E. once and for all!  Yes, there’s a reason why this story could only take place in an annual — because there is just too much story to be contained in one of the monthly books!

“Do I sound excited?!  It’s only because I am!  And if you think the story is fun — wait until you get a load of the artwork!  Brett and Norm and Andrew are firing on all cylinders — and if this isn’t the hottest looking Annual on sale this year, then I will eat my hat!  (Of course, I’ll have to buy one first.  Who wears hats any more?!)

“And finally, I’d have to say we couldn’t have gotten this Annual going — or the subsequent crossover — without the hard work and always insightful insights of Tom DeFalco, the writer of LEGION LOST.  The man has more talent in his little finger than he has in, well, his whole thumb!

“We’re both honored that we’re being entrusted with the first chapter of a story that is going to give birth to the new RAVAGERS series by Howard Mackie and Ian Churchill, and not only because it is bound to be the most talked about new series of 2012!  Its also because this is the best part of the DCNu, creators and characters coming together on myriad titles to create some really awesome comic stories!”

Check out TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #1, and follow the story through SUPERBOY #9, LEGION LOST #9, TEEN TITANS #9, and THE RAVAGERS #1.  It all starts this May, but in the meantime — check out the cover by Booth right here on The Source.

The following is from Comic Book Resources (02/07/12):

SALES ESTIMATES FOR JANUARY 2012 — “JUSTICE LEAGUE” REMAINS ON TOP

QTY RANK	DOLLAR RANK	INDEX	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	EST. SALES	% CHANGE
3	—	80.53	Action Comics #5	$3.99	105.102	-6.86%
79	—	17.67	LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #5	$2.99	23,065	-7.92%
94	—	14.85	LEGION LOST #5	$2.99	19.397	-10.28%
115	—	12.71	LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #4	$2.99	16,587	-17.21%
122	—	11.50	Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #4	$3.99	15,006	-5.94%

Compare to November 2011:

QTY RANK	DOLLAR RANK	INDEX	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	EST. SALES	% CHANGE
71	—	20.85	LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #3	$2.99	31,479	-25.95%
80	—	18.61	LEGION LOST #3	$2.99	28,101	-26.80%
108	—	14.86	LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #2	$2.99	22,433	-41.35%
124	—	11.78	Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #2	$3.99	17,781	-15.13%

[Most of the New 52 titles in the Top 50 saw drops in the 6–16% range, with the lower the chart ranking, the higher the drop-off.  The two continuing Legion titles are not unusual in that regard, keeping pace with their peers.

With Legion Lost now below 20,000 copies, it is likely to be considered for a Wave 2 cancellation around issue #12, along with Fury of Firestorm, the Nuclear Men and Resurrection Man, and likely Batwing and The Savage Hawkman.  The upcoming change of writers is unlikely to make a difference, but the crossover with the higher ranking Teen Titans (#19) and Superboy (#58) will certainly result in a brief surge of orders.

The continued huge drop for the Secret Origin mini-series is much more dramatic; in comparison, the Huntress and My Greatest Adventure mini-series only had 5% and 14% drops.  The Star Trek cross-over mini continues to to well both in sales and order retention, and was IDW’s second highest charting non-first issue for the month (so they are probably pretty happy with it).]

The following is from The Buy Pile (02/02/12):

THE BUY PILE FOR FEBRUARY 1, 2012

Honorable Mentions: Stuff worth noting, even if it’s not good enough to buy

Action Comics #6 was ambitious but flawed as the Legion (an older version) visited in the lead story, which used tesseracts and crazy future science to try and walk an All-Star Superman path but with everyday Superman execution.  The sentimental back up story about the end of Clark Kent’s time in Smallville was better written, giving answers about Jonathan Kent and fleshing out his story a little.  Not bad, but some execution problems in the lead’s plot kept this on the shelf.

The following is from Comic Book Resources (02/01/12):

ACTION COMICS #6

It’s not quite clear what’s going on with Grant Morrison’s Action Comics.  And I mean that in a very literal sense.  After turning in a stellar opening issue for the relaunch, the comic has quickly turned into a complete sludge of high concepts and abbreviated storytelling.  The problem, I suspect, is that there’s just too much going on.  All-Star Superman was serene, pacifistic, packed with ideas but clear as a Mediterranean sea.  This is not.  It’s like a tornado, its shape broadly visible but resisting any fine comprehension through sheer complexity.

The issue sees the “modern” Superman — armor and all — arriving in the past alongside members of the Legion to repair the rocket that brought him to Earth.  At the same time, they must face off against the anti-Superman army, who have gotten their hands on some Kryptonite.  There’s a lot more going on, including a sequence set on the Kent’s farm even further into Superman’s past, and a fight with Titano, the, er, Super-Ape — but that’s the bulk of it.

The issue has all the quirks (some might say flaws) of Morrison’s current style.  It’s about as far from decompression as you can get, with major story elements almost hidden away in secondary clauses of a speech bubble.  Nothing is throwaway, but despite the apparent pace, it’s not something you can read quickly.  If you don’t crawl through every word and image, you’ll miss something important.  In that sense, reading it becomes a chore.

Kubert’s art is enjoyable to look at, but with so many characters and so little room for concepts to breathe, it’s not a book that you’d describe as art-led.  Kubert seems to struggle to bend his natural style to fit Morrison’s demands, and the results aren’t working together well.  Morrison needs an artist who is subtle and detail-oriented.  Kubert needs a writer who is dramatic and cinematic, much as Morrison is on the final page.  Apart, they’re both fantastic, but I’m not convinced this is a team that works together.

Perhaps I’m just grumpy because of the focus on characters I’m emphatically not interested in.  The whole reason I bought Action Comics was because of the promise that it would focus on the “working class” Superman, disconnected from other books.  Issue #5 was set on Krypton’s past.  And this is set everywhere but the era that interested me, as in issues #1–4.  As someone with little interest in the wider DCU, I find myself unimpressed to read a story about Legion characters teaming up with a version of Superman I chose to avoid.

The back-up strip by Sholly Fisch and ChrisCross, at least, is the best yet, and the first that feels like it might have something approaching a point.  Examining the character’s final days in Smallville, it alludes to entire stories in single scenes, rendered in a tranquil and elegiac fashion by Cross.  A welcome palate-cleanser after a disappointing main course.

The following is from Bleeding Cool (02/01/12):

Eight Thoughts About Seven Of Today’s Comics

Once upon a time, a copy of Action Comics was pulped because it featured Clark Kent drinking a bottle of root beer with his dad.  In today’s time twisting issue featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, Clark seems to be taking a more violent approach to this beverage.  He’s doing Paul Levitz’ job for him!

The following is from Newsarama (01/30/12):

Wednesday Watch: MUST-READ New Releases For 2/1/12

2. ACTION COMICS #6

For the first time since Flashpoint, Andy Kubert is illustrating the interior of a DC Comics — and he’s picking an auspicious series to do so, filling in for Rags Morales on a couple of issues of the Grant Morrison-written Action Comics.

In the story, the battle armor-sporting Superman of today teams up with the Legion of Super-Heroes to save the jeans-clad past Superman that’s been depicted in Action thus far.  Whether or not there was a corduroy-wearing Supes in the interim may remain a mystery for a little longer.

The following is from Comic Book Resources (01/30/12):

LEVITZ DISCUSSES DOMINATORS AND THE “LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES”

When DC Comics rebooted its creative teams as part and parcel of last year’s New 52 company-wide relaunch, there were still a few creators who remained with their respective series.  Notable among them, writer Paul Levitz on Legion of Super-Heroes.

One of the most well known writers to tackle the Legion during the team’s decades-long history, Levitz rose to prominence in the ’70s and ’80s for his work on the title with artists Keith Giffen, Mike Grell, and more.  The one-time President of DC, Levitz returned to the book in 2010, joined by artist Yildiray Cinar.  Francis Portela took over as series artist in September, and together the two have been responsible for introducing the team to the newly-overhauled DC Universe, focusing on the world of the 31st Century as much as the individual Legion members.

While LoSH has dealt with some of the fallout from Flashpoint, the event miniseries that led to the rebooted continuity, Levitz joked with CBR that he did not think his new Huntress/Power Girl series World’s Finest or the reemergence of Earth 2 would affect the status quo of the Legionnaires, saying, “Oy!  Isn’t the world of the Legion complicated enough already?”

The first arc of Legion of Super-Heroes saw Levitz and Portela dive into the rebooted inaugural issues with a returning LoSH menace: the evil alien race known as the Dominators.  Focusing the alien bad guys and the world of the 31st Century in LoSH while Levitz and artist Chris Batista’s current miniseries Legion: Secret Origin feeds into the United Planets and the Legion’s background as well, the writer doesn’t believe readers should worry that Legion of Super-Heroes will get mired in 31st Century politics.  “I don’t think comics are particularly fun when they focus on politics,” he said.  “But exploring these questions in the background can be enriching and amusing.”

Though the first arc of LoSH has ended, Levitz confirmed that the Dominators will continue to be a presence in the book, continuing to plague the Legionnaires for the foreseeable future.

“Francis draws such wonderfully scary Dominators, we’re building out their world and their rules a bit: ‘rule the fourth’: we are all food’ is particularly charming,” Levitz said, adding, “A cycle starting in issue #9 has two Legionnaires kidnapped to the Dominator home world, and follows the events that ensue.”

Speaking about his second story arc, which begins with issue #6, Levitz told CBR that the book will take a good look at Dragonwing and Earth, following the relatively new Legionnaire as she returns home to China.

“The story — it’s just two issues long — has some interesting moments looking at some of the less-happy outcomes for portions of China in the 31st Century — the damage that pollution can cause, and a movement that combines a ‘return to greatness’ theme with the kind of body enhancement that will be possible in the future,” Levitz said.  “Lots of visual fun (and a bit of the Dominators’ home world, just as foreshadowing)!”

While some DC titles have committed to long arcs spanning seven or eight issues, Levitz is keeping things short with another single-issue story on the heels of the Dragonwing two-parter, though the veteran writer did not think his story lengths were that different from the rest of the DC line-up as a whole.

“I’m not sure my average arcs are shorter than a lot of DC titles,” Levitz said.  “Certainly in my ‘old school’ days, they might have been the longest DC had at the time — I think Sensor Girl ran over a year.  I just try to let them run their natural length.”

Touching on his single-issue story in Legion of Super-Heroes #5, which was penciled by legendary artist Walter Simonson, Levitz said he looks forward to having more chances to bring in big-name artists to do individual issues.  “I hope that we’ll be able to keep interesting artists dropping by for issues to ease Francis’ schedule as needed,” Levitz said.  “The complexity of the Legion’s world and cast makes it more fun to have different artists do different aspects occasionally.”

While the series’ eighth issue is another single-issue story, this time featuring classic LoSH artist Steve Lightle handling art duties, along with a second guest artist familiar with the futuristic super hero group.  “Issue #8 will also have a Yildiray Cinar story,” Levitz told CBR.  “I gave him his home city of Istanbul to play with for the future — and Lightning Lad, one of his favorite characters.”

Levitz praised series regular artist Portela, admitting that Portela’s skills in using computers to make 3D models of Legion Headquarters for art references was a bit beyond the writer.

“I’m amazed by what Francis can do.  I’ve seen some of the models, but I can’t claim to understand the technology enough to be able to ‘use’ them,” the writer confessed.

Looking at all the Legionnaires new and old in Legion of Super-Heroes, Levitz admits that after years of writing them, he still gets a thrill tackling the characters.  “There’s so much depth available to work with, they all still surprise me.  Recently, I’m having great fun with Phantom Girl, particularly in the Secret Origin tale, a character who I never spent much time with in the past.  And the story with Walter gave some nice moments to so many of the group.

The following is from The Source (01/30/12):

DC COMICS FALL 2012

DC Universe titles coming in October 2012:

LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN TP
Writer: Paul Levitz
Artists: Chris Batista, Rich Perotta and Marc Deering
Collects: LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

The following is from The Source (01/26/12):

DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 COLLECTED EDITIONS — AN UPDATED LOOK AT 2012

Coming in June 2012:

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES VOLUME 1: HOSTILE WORLD TP
Writer: Paul Levitz
Artists: Francis Portela, Walter Simonson and Dan Green
Collects: LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

Coming in July 2012:

DEMON KNIGHTS VOLUME 1: SEVEN AGAINST THE DARK  TP
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artists: Diogenes Neves, Oclair Albert and Mike Choi
Collects: DEMON KNIGHTS #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

Coming in September 2012:

LEGION LOST VOLUME 1: RUN FROM TOMORROW  TP
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Pete Woods
Collects: LEGION LOST #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

The following is from Comic Book Resources (01/24/12):

COMIC BOOK EASTER EGGS — ZOIDBERG IN ACTION AND JOKER IN SPIDER-MAN’S WEB!

Reader Chase G. suggested this one…

In Action Comics #863, Superman is in the future with the Legion of Super-Heroes as aliens are being rounded up on Earth.

One of the aliens might look familiar to viewers of Futurama…

Yep, Gary Frank drew Dr. Zoidberg!

The following is from Newsarama (01/19/12):

10 Frequently Relaunched Comic Book Series

In February 2011, the occasion of a new Alpha Flight series being announced prompted us to look at some of the most relaunched series in comic book history.  With the last issue of that series out next week, we’ve decided to revise and expand the list, and, well, it’s been a busy year for relaunches.

Several of the comics on our original list have been relaunched once more in the interim 11 months, and much of DC’s New 52 — especially the recently announced “second wave” — has consisted of revivals of existing concepts.  Marvel and DC have not backed away from relaunches, and likely won’t slow down anytime soon.

[…]

2. LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES

Publisher: DC Comics

Number of launches: Practically infinite.

Super-Heroes has a special place in relaunch history, since nearly every time not only do they see their numbering restarted, but their entire history rebooted.  (When a comic takes place a thousand years in the future, there’s some flexibility there.)

The original team debuted in Adventure Comics, but didn’t get their own title until 1973; a four-issue reprint miniseries.  That same year, Superboy was renamed Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, dropping the “Superboy” part seven years later.  New series followed in 1984 and 1989, then a reboot and another new series post-Zero Hour in 1994.  Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning revitalized the concept with the Legion Lost miniseries and a subsequent ongoing title, simply titled The Legion.  Then in 2004, the Empire team of Mark Waid and Barry Kitson started a new, sixth (?) series, which trailed another reboot.  That ended with #50, and the team is currently later starred in two ongoing series, Adventure Comics (launch #7?) and Legion of Super-Heroes (launch #8?), both penned by storied Legion writer Paul Levitz.

Of course, both were scrapped as part of DC’s September 2011 revamp, and were replaced by a new Legion of Super-Heroes(launch #9?) and a new Legion Lost (launch #10?).