3007: A Look Back (Part 3 of 3)

Wrapping up the review of last year with the top ten issues/episodes. Would you believe that there were over forty candidates to choose from? Great time to be a Legion fan.

Top Ten Legion Stories of 2007

10. Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century #8, "Three's a Crowd" (Briglio, Serra).

A very charming date between Bouncing Boy and Triplicate Girl goes wrong as Starfinger sticks his oar in. Starfinger’s always a lot of fun, and we may be starting to see the first hints of issue-to-issue continuity in this title.

9. Legion of Super-Heroes ep 2-2, "Man From the Edge of Tomorrow, Part 2" (Weisman)

The battle between Imperiex and the Legion spills over into the 31st century. Lots of tasty action, including one of those Matter-Eater Lad scenes that I don’t know why we never got it in the comic book. I confess that the real reason I included it here is for that one shot of Duo Damsel looking in the mirror, angling it so it looks like there’s three of her again.

8. Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century #3, "The Powers That Were" (Beatty, Greene)

The Khunds invade as Infectious Lass makes the Legion trade powers! Whee!

7. Justice Society of America #5, "Dreams and Fire" (Johns, Pasarin)

Not only is this the only issue of the Lightning Saga with any action at all (Batman, Starman, Geo-Force, Sandman and Dream Girl in Arkham Asylum), it’s the one where Superman explains the Legion to Cyclone and Stargirl, and gets all nostalgic.

6. Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #33, "The Quest for Cosmic Boy: Lord of Lightning (Part 2 of 2)" (Bedard, Calero)

This is the second Winath issue of Bedard’s run, and had many excellent qualities, including some good Calero art, some useful legerdemain from Brainy, and a story ending after only two issues… but what put it over the top was Tenzil biting Mekt’s finger off! Holy beans!

5. The Brave and the Bold #5, "The Lords of Luck, Chapter Five: The Batman of Tomorrow" (Waid, Perez)

Too often when the Legion are guest-stars in another comic, they’re cast as the opponents: it’s the most efficient way of using them all, providing antagonists for the regular hero of the comic, and keeping things from becoming overcrowded. That’s what the Lightning Saga did. It works better here, though, partly because Mark Waid is writing it and treats his characters well, and because the specific plot allowed both Batman and the Legion to be heroes while still working at cross purposes.

4. Legion of Super-Heroes ep 1-12, "Sundown, Part 1" (Hoegee/Slack/Wolfram)

A cascade of escalating battles to see if the Legion can stop the Sun-Eater before the Sun-Eater is too powerful to stop. The story doesn’t end here, but the buildup to the next episode’s climax was packed into this show with breathtaking efficiency and craft.

3. Legion of Super-Heroes #37, "EvilAdventus Part 1: Conflict" (Shooter, Manapul)

I didn’t think I’d like Manapul’s art quite as much as I like Calero’s, but it turns out I actually like it a little better. As for Shooter, he does exactly what I wanted Waid to do for thirty issues: puts the pedal to the metal.

2. Legion of Super-Heroes ep 2-8, "Message In a Bottle" (Kuhr)

The Superman/Brainiac 5 friendship gets a lot of issues out into the open here, and caps it off with two developments I totally didn’t expect: the return of Krypton, and the return of Brainiac! And it all dovetails into the overall Season 2 arc.

1. Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #28, no title (Waid, Kitson)

Cosmic Boy and Triplicate Girl go the distance to turn the tide in the war against the Dominators. Immensely satisfying. If only the next couple of issues hadn’t squandered all this momentum…

Here's hoping that this year will be so great that these ten fine stories wouldn't even make the cut for next year's list!