Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century #11 Review

What Happened That You Have To Know About:

We move into the between-seasons-one-and-two stage this issue, as Superman has returned to the 21st century, and the Legion reminisces about one of his early escapades as a Legionnaire--he blunders through a transmatter gate and ends up on Mars, where he runs afoul of the Hyperclan, a bunch of Martian isolationist extremists who revere J'onn J'onzz. The Legion shows up to help Superman, and there's a bit of fighting that's cut short when the Hyperclan accidentally trashes a statue of J'onn and freaks out.

Review:

Only 20 pages this issue. That's not normal, right? I presume it's because of that Super Friends preview in the back of the book.

It's hard to know what the point of this story was. The Hyperclan learned a lesson, I guess, but Superman and the Legion didn't, and the conflict wasn't resolved so much as it coasted to a halt. That, plus the flashback nature of the story, makes it seem like a fill-in. The creative team was Torres and Serra, though, so that ain't it. I guess they're just playing around with some in-between stuff until the season-two status quo has completely settled in.

Of course, the visit to Mars is very much in the tradition of earlier stories, like the visit to planet Themyscira or the Green Lantern Corps story. The idea is, I guess, that just seeing the 31st-century versions of present-day stuff is enough of an attraction that the books don't need as much story. Not an idea I subscribe to.

Basically this issue felt like a trifle. It seems that that's what happens when an issue or episode of this version of the Legion doesn't work: it's not bad; it's just really minor. Better luck next month!

Notes:
- I have now officially heard as much about scrapbooking as I ever want to in my life. I have topped out. Any further mentions of scrapbooking will be too many
- Last time I make this joke: I hope the admission fee at the Metropolis Tree Museum is a dollar and a half
- I wonder if DC is going to actually give us a 'Great Reconstruction' on Mars in the next few years
- I liked Serra's rendition of Phantom Girl's face in the last panel of the book