The Legion story is a bit more problematic, though, as it's almost entirely about Lightning Lad. As always, Geoff Johns has a wonderful ear for dialogue, and Francis Manapul makes Wonder Girl so beautiful and expressive that the reader half falls for her as well. Ma Kent's sadness about the loss of her beloved husband as she watches the kids kiss is beautiful as well, making the first half of the issue pretty bittersweet. I especially like the fact that she sees right through his recent actions, telling him that he's obviously trying to grow up just like Superman. The Smallville half of this issue is very nicely handled, showing Kon's search for identity very neatly, and giving us a deeper glimpse into the relationship between Connor and Cassie. Good to see Kon back, good to have a Legion title again, good to have the ORIGINAL Legion back. This issue was pretty much a laying of groundwork on both fronts, with enough information to bring those unfamiliar into the stories, while giving those of us who have been following the characters in "Legion of 3 Worlds" something new and shiny to obsess over. Clay Henry nails the Legion portion of the issue, even giving life to some of those weird Gary Frank costume designs from Action Comics, while Francis Manapul tries out a softer, more "pencilly" style in the Kon portion of the title, creating a nostalgic feel for the kid's homecoming. We also get some interesting bits of Legionnaire business, in the coming attractions section that Geoff Johns seems to put in his #1's these days, including hints about Dream Girl, Mon-El, Element Lad, complications for Blok and a fist wearing both a Legion flight ring and a Green Lantern ring. It's a shame that DC chose not one, not two but THREE spectacularly unappealing covers, with David Finch's striking me as particularly misbegotten to look at. I am thankful that we have very little "Superman as Jesus" going on, a metaphor that has officially worn out it's welcome in my corner of Stately Spoilers Manor, and a couple of points in the issue (Superman arriving at a demonstration and standing silently in solidarity, the hero of a lost race commisserating with the Man of Steel about their status as outsider and protector) are quite unique and excellent. I've read the issue three times through and I'm still finding things that I missed in prior readings. It's good in that the amount of story content for the dollar is very strong, but not so much with the good that it's hard to remember the first story once you've gotten to the end. I am frankly overwhelmed by the amount of stuff going on in this issue, which is both a good thing and a bad thing.
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