In the mid-1980s, Crisis on Infinite Earths hit, and it allowed DC to make changes to their history. One of those changes was that Superman started his heroic career as an adult, and never became Superboy. Naturally, this caused problems for the Legion as they were tied to Superboy. John Byrne and Paul Levitz tried to patch it up by saying the Superboy the Legion knew was actually one from a pocket universe. Despite this, the 1994 story Zero Hour would cause the Legion's history to be rebooted, and they would get another reboot in 2004.
Then, Infinite Crisis hit. Much like CoIE, it made alterations to the DC Universe's history. One of them was restoring Superman's time in the Legion as Superboy to canon, and restoring his place as the hero that inspired the Legion to form in the first place. Yeah, DC loves messing with its own history.
Geoff Johns had been writing Action Comics on and off for a couple of years at this point, having written Superman tales alongside Kurt Busiek and Richard Donner. Yes, that Richard Donner. The man who directed the 1977 Superman movie. In fact, Johns was an assistant of his in the 1990s. This storyline would be his first solo work on the Man of Steel, and was also part of a plan to reinvigorate and bring back the original Legion, who were restored to canon in "The Lightning Saga", a crossover between the Justice League and the Justice Society.
So, with all of that setup out of the way, let's take a look at Action Comics #858!
The cover is really cool. It's a simple cover, Superman flying over a futuristic city-scape and showing his fist, which has the Legion ring on it. But the simplicity here works, because the message of the cover is simple. Superman's ties with the Legion are being re-established.
"Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes Part I (of VI) - Alien World"
Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciler: Gary Frank
Inker: Jon Sibal
Colorist: Dave McCaig
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Editors: Nachie Castro, Matt Idelson
Executive Editor: Dan Didio
The year is 3008. An alien world is ravaged by civil war. Destruction and death are everywhere, and the warring factions are getting ready to unleash their full arsenals. But there is hope. A couple is putting their baby in a rocket ship, hoping to reach the world known as Earth. Sound familiar?
The male outright states that he was inspired by the legend of Superman. The last survivor of a doomed world taken in by Earth and becoming its greatest hero, his legend even living on a thousand years later. He hopes his baby will continue that tradition. The mother loads the baby into the ship and it lifts off as the planet explodes.
The baby's ship rockets through space, heading on course to Earth. Much like Superman himself, the rocket heads towards the fields of 31st century Kansas, landing near Smallville. Two people driving nearby in their hover pickup truck nearly get knocked off the road by the ship's backwash, and they go check it out, assuming the ship is some sort of meteor or crashed satellite. Much to their surprise, it's a rocket with a baby in it. The woman asks what they should do, and the man responds they do what all good law-abiding citizens do.
Yeah, there's a point to this. But I do like this scene as it's a really twisted take on Superman's arrival. We go back in time to the modern day, at the Daily Planet in Metropolis. Clark Kent is rushing to catch the elevator, but he's unable to make it. Jimmy Olsen tells him that it happens to him all the time, and asks if he wants to grab a soda with him. But Perry White has other plans.
You see, Perry is a bit annoyed with Jimmy. He wants those pictures of General Zod that Jimmy took, and Jimmy reminds him they were on his desk. But Perry's none too happy with the photos.
Yeah, that take on Zod is from the Superman: Last Son storyline, that was co-written by Richard Donner. That storyline introduced not just a Kryptonian Zod, but also Ursa and Non from Superman II. As can be seen in the panel, the picture has a big white line through it, so it's useless as a cover photo. Jimmy explains that Non broke his camera when he threw a building at Superman. Perry just growls at Jimmy to get him a coffee, two sugars. Hopefully Jimmy will not screw THAT up.
Perry also had a problem with Clark today, but it's not about his work. Clark thinks that maybe there's some mustard on his tie. Perry notes that he and Jimmy had lunch again that day. Clark explains that he had cheeseburgers, with no onions in his. They give him indigestion. Perry thinks Clark needs to make some friends his own age. Clark has been with the Planet for ten years, and according to Perry, Clark hasn't made any real friends there. Yeah, keep in mind, at this point, Clark was married to Lois Lane, who was one of his co-workers.
Perry thinks that Clark lacks self-confidence. As he rants, Clark's super senses pick up what looks like Brainiac on the rampage. Clark excuses himself, and leaps out a window, changing into Superman. The Brainiac robot stomps on some trees, which annoys the Man of Steel as he had just planted them. The Man of Tomorrow gives the giant Brainiac robot a Mighty Punch, rips off its face, and he gets a surprise.
Inside the robot is a screen that has a green-skinned blond man who insists he means no harm. He just wanted to get Superman's attention, because he needs his help. He calculated that Superman is the only one who can help stop this big problem the man has, despite the "others" saying that it was too dangerous. The Man of Steel is confused. Who is this guy?
The man explains that he's a friend. The robot zaps Superman with a rainbow beam, and it causes him to have a flashback. We see a young Clark Kent in Smallville, his Kryptonian powers starting to come in. He can hear the other kids whispering about him clear as a bell despite his being some distance away. A big football player is taunting him, but spots the future Superman. He asks loudly if Clark has a problem. Clark quietly says no and walks away, feeling dejected and lonely.
As he walks away, he sees a bird flying, and he grins. The boy takes a running start and leaps into the air. "Guess it's just you and me, huh?" He asks the bird. As he lands, the bird joins a flock. He then hears some people talking a strange language. He turns his head.
Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and Lightning Lad in their original Silver Age outfits, greeting the future Man of Steel. Clark is amazed. The three Legionnaires introduce themselves, and they wanted to thank him. Clark is confused by this, as he hasn't done anything for them. Saturn Girl hints at his future greatness by telling him that things may seem rough now, but it does get better. The world will accept him eventually. The three give the future hero a little gift.
A Legion Flight Ring. Saturn Girl gives him some last bit of encouragement, and the three get ready to leave. They have to go home in their Time Sphere. Clark asks to come along with the future. Cosmic Boy is reluctant, as they have already broken the rules by meeting Clark like this. Lightning Lad convinces Cosmic Boy to let him come, as the kid could use a laugh. Cosmic Boy relents, and agrees, much to Clark's joy. And from this, the future's greatest superhero team is born.
I love that spread. The flashback ends, and Superman remembers again. When he was a teenager, he and the Legion had adventures together. With his move to Metropolis and the Crisis on Infinite Earths hitting, he never saw them again...until about a month previous. Several Legionnaires came back in time during The Lightning Saga, but didn't say anything about why they were there.
Brainiac 5 reminds that the Legion did agree not to get Superman involved, but now...there's no choice. They need him. The Brainiac robot has a Time Sphere inside, the coordinates to the future pre-programmed. Superman is also given a Legion Flight Ring. Brainiac 5 warns that there are some new dangers in the future, but Superman won't turn his old friends away. If they need him, he'll be there. As Superman heads to the future, with Brainiac 5 briefing him, the Brainiac robot explodes.
Superman arrives in the future, but Brainiac 5 is not there to greet him. He wonders what is going on, and sees a defaced stature of the Legion. A group of Science Police officers spot the Man of Steel and demand his surrender. At this point, Colossal Boy smashes his way in.
He announces he's got the Flight Rings, and he's surprised to see Superman there. Superman wants to know what is going on. Dawnstar and Wildfire arrive, and are shocked by Supes' being here. Superman explains Brainiac 5 brought him here, as he said the Legion needed his help. Dawnstar explains that the Legion haven't seen or heard from Brainiac 5 in six months. Superman explains that he met several Legionnaires back in his own time, but they didn't tell him anything. According to Dawnstar, it was because they didn't want the Metropolis Marvel to follow them back to the 31st century.
Wildfire moves to take Superman back to the Time Sphere, but a blast from a Science Police officer destroys the time-travelling device. The SP officers call for backup. One of them notices Superman with them, and screams that it's blasphemous. He says they need the Justice League. Superman overhears it, and holds out his hand to stop a blast to prove his identity. However...
Superman is shocked, likely too shocked to even feel the pain of the blast going through his hand. Dawnstar tells him to activate his Flight Ring, reiterating it's too dangerous for him here. His symbol has been warped and twisted. And as for his powers, well...
Earth's sun has been turned red. And under a red sun...Superman is powerless.
This comic is really good. It does have a bit of a old-school feel, with Brainiac 5's dialogue towards Superman in Metropolis, and Clark Kent's portrayal here. We also get a bit more depth regarding young Clark Kent's joining the Legion in the post-Infinite Crisis DCU, learning that as a boy, Superman felt like an outcast due to his developing fantastic powers beyond mortal men while still a child. Meeting peers like him helped him feel less alone, and in a brilliant bit of full circle, it can be argued the Legion inspired Clark Kent to become Superman...who would in turn, inspire the Legion to form a thousand years into the future. I think this idea of Clark only being Superboy in the future was an attempt to establish a compromise between the Silver/Bronze Age Superboy mythos and the Post-Crisis take on Superman's teenage years established in John Byrne's Man of Steel. It's a nice compromise, allowing Superman to maintain his teenage connection to the Legion while not "officially" starting his superhero career until his adulthood.
I love Gary Frank's art in this issue and storyline. Admittedly, his smiles can seem a bit wonky, but it's not a dealbreaker. Also, during this storyline, there are times when Frank's take on Superman strongly resembles Christopher Reeve. That's not a complaint, I actually think it's really cool. I also liked his redesigns of many of the Legion's costumes. He really did a great job taking the Silver/Bronze Age-era costumes and updating many of them in a way that still makes them recognizable.
Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes is one of my favorite Superman storylines, and I highly recommend it. Some things in it are sadly reflective of our current times, and I would recommend giving it a read. I got the trade for about 15 dollars, so it's a good deal.
Next time, it's July, the month of America's birth, so what better way to celebrate it by looking at t he birth of Captain America...
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