false 5 104 80 true 5669467 read 4 true 4482930 currently-reading 20 true 4482929 to-read 42 false 4491307 comics-and-graphic-novels 15 false 4491593 fantasy 8 false 4491631 fiction 5 false 4491604 rpg 4 false 4491595 sci-fi 4 false 4491677 non-fiction 3 false 6094860 historical-fiction 2 false 5173462 teen 1 false 4869310 super-hero-fiction 1 false 4491712 history-music 1 false 4491644 history 1 false 5468300 thriller 1 false 6441882 biographies http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78476996 Powerless (Hardcover) by Matthew Cody
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78476951 Dawn of Empire (Hardcover) by Sam Barone
bookshelves: currently-reading, historical-fiction
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74512093 to: People of the Wolf (The First North Americans series, Book 1) by W. Michael Gear
bookshelves: historical-fiction
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76753671 The Drawing of the Three (Dark Tower 2) by Stephen King
bookshelves: currently-reading, fantasy
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76522809 to: The Gunslinger (Dark Tower 1) by Stephen King
bookshelves: fantasy
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75249956 to: Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds HC (Hardcover) by Geoff Johns
bookshelves: comics-and-graphic-novels
Before we get started, let’s get one thing straight: this series has nothing to do with Grant Morison’s controversial event, Final Crisis. My guess is that DC editorial decided to stamp Final Crisis on the covers of Legion of Three Worlds (LoTW) in an attempt to sell more books. So, do not let the taint of Final Crisis influence your judgment of LoTW, the two stories are entirely unrelated. In fact, the last issue of LoTW shipped months after Final Crisis had concluded. Whew, now let’s hop on the cosmic treadmill and get this review under way!

When it was announced that superstar writer, Geoff Johns and legendary artist, George Perez were teaming up for a 5 issue limited series involving the Legion, fans were ecstatic. This was the stuff of dreams… or at least the stuff of my dreams. Issue #1 hit the stands in August 2008. Eleven months later, issue #5 was published. It took close to a year for LoTW to run its course. Given the complexity of the story, this made reading it as it came out difficult. However, with the collected edition, this is a moot point.

Legion of Three Worlds reads like a follow up to some of Johns’ previous work, The Lightning Saga, Infinite Crisis, and his Superman: Legion of Superheroes story arc that ran through Action Comics. The Time Trapper, in his attempt to remove Superman from history, rescues a time-lost Superboy Prime and sends him to the 31st century. While there, he frees prisoners from the prison planet of Takron-Galtos, teams up with Mordru, and takes control of the Legion of Supervillains. To combat this threat, Brainiac summons the help of two alternate versions of the Legion to join the battle against Superboy Prime and the LoSV. The result is three different versions of the Legion of Superheroes consisting of hundreds and hundreds of characters.

Keeping track of all the characters that appear in this series is a formidable task. Hundreds of characters fill the panels, making George Perez the perfect choice for artist. His character designs are unique and he does not take any artistic shortcuts. Each page is brimming with vibrant color and life. One could easily spend hours dissecting the nuisances contained within each individual panel. It is no wonder this series was consistently late!

Geoff Johns demonstrates his superior knowledge of the DC Universe’s sprawling continuity and his uncanny ability to make sense of and correct continuity irregularities. The Legion has always represented a confusing aspect of the DCU, especially for new readers. With numerous iterations each composed of a veritable legion (no pun intended) of characters, understanding how it all fits together is an extremely difficult task. Johns does his best at making it all work, but I found some of his explanations convoluted and they left me even more confused. Specifically, the whole Bart Allen and XS lineage baffled me, even after repeated readings. However, the story is engaging and full of Johns’ trademark over-the-top superheroics. Superboy’s epilogue at the end of the series is brilliantly scripted. I do not want to spoil anything, but Johns breaks the fourth wall and pokes a little fun at DC fanboys.

Legion of Three Worlds has it all: alternate realities, parallel worlds, time travel, character resurrections, magic and more. The artwork is detailed and the story is dense. While reading, I found myself counting characters in some of Perez’s stunning splash pages and re-reading word balloons to make sure I fully understood what was happening. This is a slow read and you will definitely get your money’s worth. Johns breaths life into dead characters and sets up the Legion to become active players in the DCU once again. LoTW is not new reader friendly, but anybody with a basic understanding of the DCU (and maybe the DC Comics Encyclopedia) will get a lot of entertainment out of this story. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71999467 to: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (Paperback) by David Sedaris
bookshelves: non-fiction
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71336039 to: Me Talk Pretty One Day (Paperback) by David Sedaris
bookshelves: non-fiction
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69619818 to: Orbiter (Paperback) by Warren Ellis
bookshelves: comics-and-graphic-novels, sci-fi
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