Legion Of Super-Heroes: An Eye For An Eye by Paul Levitz, Keith Giffin, Steve Lightle and Joe Orlando (graphic novel review)
Checking to see I hadn’t missed any of the runs of the Legion Of Super-Heroes, I came across this one, ‘An Eye For An Eye’ and I’m back to square one and have the original issues, both sets.
In his introduction, writer Paul Levitz explains that with the comicbook shop market opening up in 1984. DC Comics opted to do prestige titles on quality paper with no adverts of the LSH and Teen Titans, they’re top selling titles 12 issues later than their regular monthly titles and you had to read both for the year or not read the new ones until the original caught up. There was a significant gap in the timeline by the way as the LSH had one of the longest continuities in the DC Universe. Having followed both, it was a sort of catch-up between the two titles, before the original literally became reprints. Oddly, this graphic novel reprint isn’t on the same fancy paper but the quality used in the original comic. Ironic, huh?
Anyway, what we have here is the Legion going about their normal lives with a few missions thrown in and the discovery that the Legion Of Super-Villains is not only reforming but many more members and with a purpose. If you need a team scorecard, there are four pages at the back of this book showing them all, although they are all named within the six issues in this book. The LSH is also run ragged simply because their members are spread out wide and then some are captured and with the planet Orando, flung into a different dimension. If this was done today, it would probably be classed as a mini-series.
Some of the results of these six issues fulfils Dream Girl’s premonition, although why she didn’t pick up on what Queen Projectra did next beats me but her power was always a little fickle. Dreamy not Projectra.
Instead, I want to pick up on a couple topics that the Legion can’t have members with the same powers yet they had powerhouses with similar powers in Superboy, Supergirl, Mon-el and even Ultra Boy, so why qualms over the Winath twins with lightning abilities? You want powerful legionnaires, not kick them out into the wilderness. If you look at the standards and rejections of applicants from the 1960s, there were several, like Animal Lad, who deserved a second chance.
The other is legionnaires not being allowed to kill. Star Boy did and was ousted from the Legion, although later came back in. There has to be some circumstances to save lives has to be seen as extraordinary circumstances. Like with modern police forces, they should certainly have some therapy because its against their normal mindset but it shouldn’t be exempt when there are facing an enemy who has no qualms.
GF Willmetts
July 2026
(pub: DC Comics, 2007. 160 page graphic novel. Price: varies. ISBN: 978-1-4012-1569-9)
check out website: www.dc.com
