Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #16
SUPERGIRL AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #16
Originally Presented at Comixtreme.com
Review by: Blake M. Petit Blake@comixtreme.com
Quick Rating: Very Good
1001 Years Later - the Legion’s newest member!
Writer: Mark Waid
Pencils: Barry Kitson
Inks: Mick Gray
Colors: Nathan Eyring
Letters: Phil Balsman
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Cover Art: Barry Kitson
Publisher: DC Comics
Review: As much as I’ve enjoyed the new Legion of Super-Heroes since Mark Waid and Barry Kitson took over, I was initially skeptical about the name change and the new member. I can’t argue, however, with Mark Waid’s contention that this is a title that should have a link to the Superman family.
The good news? The addition of Supergirl to the title doesn’t detract from the Legion in the slightest. In fact, while her appearance is the impetus for most of this issue, the focus is clearly on the characters we’ve gotten to know over the past 15 issues and on the new world that they’re trying to build in the aftermath of the war. Cosmic Boy makes an important decision this issue, and the team continues to reel from Lightning Lad’s actions, making them a branch of the United Planets.
Waid has declared that the mystery of how Supergirl winds up in the 31st century isn’t a mystery specifically about her, but about the very nature of this future, and the final few pages of this issue seem to bear that out. Waid obviously has something rather inventive in mind, and while I doubt that the final statement in this issue should be taken at face value, it’s certain to be important to how this story resolves itself.
Kitson and Gray are firing on all cylinders here - the artwork is great, the Legion is beautiful.
The only criticism I really could give here is that I don’t know that changing the title of the series was necessary - although adding Supergirl will certainly make for an interesting change for the book, and I can’t wait to see where it goes. If there’s any statement to be made by changing the title it’s that they’re behind this new addition to the cast for the long haul, and that’s just fine with me.
Story: 8/10