Rayboy's Review: Adventure Comics #523

Former DC Comics Vice President and former Legion of Super-Heroes writer Paul Levitz kicks things up in the 31st Century for a second consecutive week in Adventure Comics #523, from DC Comics.

Joining Levitz on art duties is the "super" team of penciller Phil Jimenez and inker Andy Lanning. For $2.99 you get twenty wonderfully illustrated pages that live up to the high water mark established by past Legion artists Swan, Cockrum, Grell and some guy called Giffen. There were others of course, but the nice work by Jimenez adds a hefty push to DC's upsurge in Legion activity on this book.

The Legion Academy begins its run by introducing a new group of potential candidates for the main team. Gravity Lad, Chemical Kid, Comet Queen, Variable Lad, Dragonwing and Glorith are a mixed bag of characters. Some are truly brand new, but at least a couple of them seem to incorporate elements from Legion history, and that is not a bad thing for readers of all stripes. It is also great seeing the established supporting cast members on hand who will serve as mentors or instructors to this group of wannabes. Bouncing Boy, Night Girl, Duo Damsel and a few others will certainly help whip these youngsters into shape for the perils that lie ahead. (Hint) For longtime Legion fans, look for an early cameo by a pair of classic Legionnaires.

I actually don't mind receiving the slightly reduced page count, if that's what it takes to get the reduced cover price in DC's "Drawing the Line" campaign, but shoehorning in four pages of "Road to Flashpoint" previews somewhat defeats the purpose of shortening the main story sequence in my estimation. That is four pages wasted on something I have no interest in, at the expense of more Jimenez Legion artwork. I mean somebody gets paid for drawing those Flash pages, and this is a Legion book after all, so come on DC. Cut this kind of bullshit out! Take the example of last weeks Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #1 as a better way to utilize the remaining page count. Use those four pages for guest pin-ups or features related to this series. You've already hawked Flashpoint all over the map as it is.

End of rant!

This is an excellent jumping on point for Adventure Comics, and while Jimenez is around, the 31st Century will definitely be worth visiting. Recommended!