Legion Of Super-Heroes: The More Things Change by Paul Levitz and Steve Lightle (graphic novel review)
This volume, ‘Legion Of Super-Heroes: The More Things Change’, follows on with the next seven issues of the 1985 direct sales issues. Writer Paul Levitz took advantage of the extra pages showing more of the legionnaires social and home lives. Well, when they weren’t in the middle of fight or, as with five missing legionnaires trapped in another dimension on a planet where a Controller is manufacturing baby sun-eaters. An odd thought with that one is why didn’t they come up with a timing device to detonate on the planet?
Element Lad also has a nasty habit of turning things into mercury. Presumably, their micro-thin transuits probably protects them from mercury poisoning but you do have to wonder about other people. Then, again, LSH writers rarely understood the sciences. Ultra Boy also seems to have become a little more idiotic with his powers used one at a time and a fear of radiation, which is odd because that’s how he got his powers in the first place. Looking over this now, I’m surprised he can tolerate being around Wildfire, who is anti-energy in nature.
The election of the new Earth President isn’t exactly given to democracy but picked by computer. Even so, the Legion are given to protect the candidates. They also have a problem of only nineteen members with another three becoming reservists, as well as voting again for their own leader. Oddly, with the Legion, they do get to see who voted for who. So much for a secret vote in their future. Even though the setting is the Americas of the future for their headquarters, you do have to wonder at the change in any sort of voting procedure. Doesn’t sound like they don’t trust their population to make a selection. Maybe that’s prescient after all.
In many respects, the Legion works in tandem with the Science Police. They are also a United Worlds creation as they have members from its various planets who have developed super-powers.
As a DC Comic, it is one of the few until modern times, when realities diverged, that had its own continuity and hence its own fanbase, although this was stretched in the comicbook shops hence its limited run. For the record, if you’ve got hooked to these tales, the third and last book is called ‘Legion Of Super-Heroes: The Fatal Five’, which I reviewed some time ago. There are still some copies out there.
GF Willmetts
July 2026
(pub: DC Comics, 2008. 176 page graphic novel. Price: varies. ISBN: 978-1-4012-1944-4)
check out website: www.dc.com
