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DC Finest: Legion of Super-Heroes: Zap Goes the Legion
576 pages, Paperback
Published December 10, 2024
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44 people want to read
About the author
Jim Shooter
1,028 books85 followersJames Charles Shooter was an American writer, editor and publisher in the comics industry. Beginning his career writing for DC Comics at the age of 14, he had a successful but controversial run as editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics, and launched comics publishers Valiant, Defiant, and Broadway.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 8, 2025
tfw u want to maintain ur tax free status but u have 24 friends
December 22, 2024
Long Live the Legion.
December 21, 2024
This is not well titled: This is actually from the new line of DC graphic novels "DC Finest" and is entitled "Zap Goes the Legion".
Its contents (see below) overlap with the 3rd Legion of Super-Heroes Omnibus (sadly) but the last third has only been reprinted in the Archive line or the black and white Showcase line. As a LoSH fan I am very happy to get this collection and am really hoping the next volume continues along this time line so I can finally get the Mike Grell stories in a colored collection. We only get one in this collection - right st the end as a tease.
The highlight of this collection are the last third with Dave Cockrum doing a lot of the art and Cary Bates doing a lot of the writing. They aren't classics but they are fun self-contained Legion adventures. Some of them don't make much sense (why did Timber Wolf go from looking like a human to looking like a wolf) but we also get the intro of one of my fav Legionaires - Wildfire (named ERG-1 when he first appears - also with waaay too many powers). I also like how Cary pays homage to past stories by revisiting some past villains.
The first half is a lot of Jim Shooter writing and Win Mortimer doing the art. Both are good but the stories too often focus on one or two legionaires and we don't see them working as a team. Do I really need to see Chameleon Boy trying to get a date - whom we never see again. Yeah the continuity was weak - Jim (who I feel is over rated as a writer) didn't take advantage of the team and the sci fi setting.
I will be honest - this is more a 2.5 star book for non-Legion fans, but for someone who loves the team - warts and all - this collection is a lot of fun. If someone was to ask me "the Legion stories to read" it would easily be the starts of the Paul Levtiz Keith Giffen era. Those stories work so well because a) they developed the personalities of the members b) had them interact together and have different relationships c) could build interesting stories that took advantage of the futuristic setting. Also - unlike this collection - the literal deux ex machina of the Miracle Machine was never used. I swear - every time there was a jam out popped the Miracle Machine which could do anything you wished it to do. Yikes. Bad idea Jim Shooter.
So - for some late silver age and early bronze age LoSH goodness you can't go wrong with this collection. Which is finely presented at a great price for the number of stories you get. Recommended for all LoSH fans. For "non-fans" the stories that follow (chronologically) this collection are some of my favs with my fav artist Mike Grell going the art chores.
SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
This first collection starring the greatest heroes of the 30th century features long out-of-print tales from November 1968 to July 1974, pulled from the pages of ACTION COMICS #378-387 and #389-392, ADVENTURE COMICS #374-380 and #403, and SUPERBOY #172-173, #176, #183-184, #188, #190-191, #193, #195, and #197-203.
Its contents (see below) overlap with the 3rd Legion of Super-Heroes Omnibus (sadly) but the last third has only been reprinted in the Archive line or the black and white Showcase line. As a LoSH fan I am very happy to get this collection and am really hoping the next volume continues along this time line so I can finally get the Mike Grell stories in a colored collection. We only get one in this collection - right st the end as a tease.
The highlight of this collection are the last third with Dave Cockrum doing a lot of the art and Cary Bates doing a lot of the writing. They aren't classics but they are fun self-contained Legion adventures. Some of them don't make much sense (why did Timber Wolf go from looking like a human to looking like a wolf) but we also get the intro of one of my fav Legionaires - Wildfire (named ERG-1 when he first appears - also with waaay too many powers). I also like how Cary pays homage to past stories by revisiting some past villains.
The first half is a lot of Jim Shooter writing and Win Mortimer doing the art. Both are good but the stories too often focus on one or two legionaires and we don't see them working as a team. Do I really need to see Chameleon Boy trying to get a date - whom we never see again. Yeah the continuity was weak - Jim (who I feel is over rated as a writer) didn't take advantage of the team and the sci fi setting.
I will be honest - this is more a 2.5 star book for non-Legion fans, but for someone who loves the team - warts and all - this collection is a lot of fun. If someone was to ask me "the Legion stories to read" it would easily be the starts of the Paul Levtiz Keith Giffen era. Those stories work so well because a) they developed the personalities of the members b) had them interact together and have different relationships c) could build interesting stories that took advantage of the futuristic setting. Also - unlike this collection - the literal deux ex machina of the Miracle Machine was never used. I swear - every time there was a jam out popped the Miracle Machine which could do anything you wished it to do. Yikes. Bad idea Jim Shooter.
So - for some late silver age and early bronze age LoSH goodness you can't go wrong with this collection. Which is finely presented at a great price for the number of stories you get. Recommended for all LoSH fans. For "non-fans" the stories that follow (chronologically) this collection are some of my favs with my fav artist Mike Grell going the art chores.
SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
This first collection starring the greatest heroes of the 30th century features long out-of-print tales from November 1968 to July 1974, pulled from the pages of ACTION COMICS #378-387 and #389-392, ADVENTURE COMICS #374-380 and #403, and SUPERBOY #172-173, #176, #183-184, #188, #190-191, #193, #195, and #197-203.
January 28, 2025
Eh... es un poco indefendible el cuatro este que le he puesto, ¿eh? Los primeros números tienen un dibujo infumable, y los siguientes, hasta que llega Cockrum, no pasan de normalitos. Los guiones son tontorrones, puro naif, y no del bueno, y la caracterización de personajes, inexistente: Ultra Boy se comporta de la misma manera que Mon-El, Sombra se diferencia de Phantom Girl en que una es azul oscuro y la otra viste de blanco, y Lobo Gris y Karate Kid son dos tipos clónicos que pegan buenos zurriagazos. Tan solo Dream Girl, Fuego Salvaje, Bouncing Boy y Duo Damsel se escapan un poco (tampoco mucho) de esta homogeneidad. Total, que casi las dos terceras partes del volumen está compuesta por historias un tanto mierder. Hasta que llega Cockrum.
Pero amigos, es que Cockrum es una maravilla. En su plenitud como artista, rediseña los anodinos uniformes de los legionarios y revoluciona la serie, dotándola de escenarios verdaderamente futuristas, con máquinas impresionantes a lo Kirby, naves espaciales fantásticas y demás convenciones de la ciencia-ficción prodigiosamente plasmadas sobre el papel. El Cockrum de los X-Men no será sino un triste remedo de este grandísimo dibujante. Por las razones que sean, en la Legión da el do de pecho, y todo lo que haría posteriormente solo sería una pálida sombra de su titánica labor en la Legión.
Y no solo mejora el dibujo: probablemente impulsado por el estallido de creatividad de su partenaire, Cary Bates realiza historias mucho más interesantes que las dibujadas por Mortimer. Resucita a Lobo Gris sin que hubiera muerto antes, por ejemplo, lo que me parece... cuanto menos sorprendente. Luego, se carga al tontarra de Invisible Kid de un plumazo, sin mayores fanfarrias. Casa a Bouncing Boy y Duo Damsel (lo que mola mucho, la verdad). En fin, hace avanzar la mitología de la Legión, preparando el terreno para la era de magnificencia que presidiría el añorado Paul Levitz.
¿Y esto justifica las cuatro estrellas? Rotundamente, no. Tres, como mucho. Pero, amigos, hablamos de la Legión, un cómic con una magia única y especial fuera del alcance de gañanes como Bendis, artífice del último y desgraciadísimo intento de resurrección de esta mítica cabecera. A ver, Mark Waid, ¿cómo te lo diría? Deja todo lo que estés haciendo y ponte ¡pero ya! a hacer cómics de la Legión con tu compinche Dan Mora. Estás tardando.
¡Long live the Legion!
Pero amigos, es que Cockrum es una maravilla. En su plenitud como artista, rediseña los anodinos uniformes de los legionarios y revoluciona la serie, dotándola de escenarios verdaderamente futuristas, con máquinas impresionantes a lo Kirby, naves espaciales fantásticas y demás convenciones de la ciencia-ficción prodigiosamente plasmadas sobre el papel. El Cockrum de los X-Men no será sino un triste remedo de este grandísimo dibujante. Por las razones que sean, en la Legión da el do de pecho, y todo lo que haría posteriormente solo sería una pálida sombra de su titánica labor en la Legión.
Y no solo mejora el dibujo: probablemente impulsado por el estallido de creatividad de su partenaire, Cary Bates realiza historias mucho más interesantes que las dibujadas por Mortimer. Resucita a Lobo Gris sin que hubiera muerto antes, por ejemplo, lo que me parece... cuanto menos sorprendente. Luego, se carga al tontarra de Invisible Kid de un plumazo, sin mayores fanfarrias. Casa a Bouncing Boy y Duo Damsel (lo que mola mucho, la verdad). En fin, hace avanzar la mitología de la Legión, preparando el terreno para la era de magnificencia que presidiría el añorado Paul Levitz.
¿Y esto justifica las cuatro estrellas? Rotundamente, no. Tres, como mucho. Pero, amigos, hablamos de la Legión, un cómic con una magia única y especial fuera del alcance de gañanes como Bendis, artífice del último y desgraciadísimo intento de resurrección de esta mítica cabecera. A ver, Mark Waid, ¿cómo te lo diría? Deja todo lo que estés haciendo y ponte ¡pero ya! a hacer cómics de la Legión con tu compinche Dan Mora. Estás tardando.
¡Long live the Legion!
April 3, 2025
Este Finest recopila muchos complementos de los cómics clásicos de Superboys de finales de los 60 a los 70. La primera parte son historias bastante ingenuas, que empiezan copn un gancho super potente que acaba desmantelado al final de la historieta porque la Legión se anticipa siempre a los criminales a los que se enfrentan. En la segunda parte se vuelve ligeramente más maduros y sobre todo sale a relucir el gran genio de Dave Cockrum a la hora de dibujar y diseñar personajes. Tanto que la Legión sería la base para la Guardia Imperial Shi’Ar en X-Men. Muy entretenido como capsula del tiempo y testamento a la imaginación de Jim Shooter y Cockrum. Si no conoces los personajes y te apetece como curiosidad ok, si te encantan los personajes, es increíble.
February 16, 2025
The first half has some of Jim Shooters first writing credits. Not awful for a 14 year old, but these stories didn't really grab me. Once we got to the issues with Cary Bates writing and Dave Cockrum on pencils, it became much better. Cockrum already has a wonderful bombastic art style.
For an ensemble cast, there doesn't feel like much differentiating the characters. Outside of who is dating who and their powers, I can't really think of any strong personalities. Timber Wolf is the closest, with his strong independent streak, but that is the best we get. All of the women in the cast are unsure if they belong. Maybe later comics change this up more.
For an ensemble cast, there doesn't feel like much differentiating the characters. Outside of who is dating who and their powers, I can't really think of any strong personalities. Timber Wolf is the closest, with his strong independent streak, but that is the best we get. All of the women in the cast are unsure if they belong. Maybe later comics change this up more.
August 10, 2025
I love the Legion and have for decades, but some of the earlier stories in this are straight up dumb. I know Jim Shooter was just a kid when he wrote these, but the suspension of disbelief was a little too hard for me to handle at times. Still, enough fun later on that more than makes up for it. Long live the Legion!
December 22, 2024
I really can't get into older DC. Storytelling compared to Marvel at this time is apples and oranges to me. One star for stories bit the Cockrum art holds a place in my heart. It's absolutely wonderful.
December 12, 2025
This is my first time reading Legion and it did not disappoint. The amount of characters was overwhelming at first but they show up enough to get to know how distinct they are. Great sci-fi in here. Covers 1968-1974. 9/10
March 10, 2025
These stories are all a lot of fun, but it really picks up when Cary Bates/Dave Cockrum start their run
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews