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Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds HC |  | Author: Geoff Johns
Creator: George Perez
Publisher: DC Comics
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $10.41
as of 11/25/2009 06:30 CST details
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Seller: a1books
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 7317
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 176
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 10.4 x 7 x 0.6
ISBN: 1401223249
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5973
EAN: 9781401223243
ASIN: 1401223249
Publication Date: October 27, 2009 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Superstar writer Geoff Johns and legendary artist George Perez deliver the Crisis of the 31st century as the Legion of Super-Heroes reaches out for help against a powerful foe they can't beat alone!
From the moment Superman landed on Earth until the end of time, the Time Trapper has sought to erase Superman's impact on the universe. But the Legion of Super-Heroes have always been there to stop the relentless villain. Now, one Legion isn't enough as the Time Trapper taps a twisted mirror image of The Boy of Steel from a parallel Earth long dead: Superboy-Prime! Who will answer the Legion's call for help? With ties to INFINITE CRISIS, FINAL CRISIS and the history of the DCU, this tremendous miniseries is not to be missed!
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| Customer Reviews:
 An epic failure November 15, 2009
Kid Kyoto (Beijing)
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
The Legion of Super-Heroes has always been a hard comic to get into. Set 1000 years in the future and with a cast of over two dozen Legionnaires plus supporting characters, villains and alien worlds being a Legion fan combines the worst elements of being an X-Men fan and a Trekie. To make matters worse the series was rebooted in 1994 with a new continuity and then again 2004 with another new one, and then in 2008 the Legion's 80s version came back, but with several differences.
So now we have Geoff Johns (creator of the 2008 reboot) and master artist George Perez trying to reconcile the many different versions of the Legion and relaunch it yet again.
The result is a confusing mess full of shouting and fighting but lacking any charm.
The plot (such as it is) is Superboy Prime (an insane, evil, and boring alternate version of Superman) arrives in the 31st century and starts killing people. For no real reason. Because he's evil. He soon frees all of the Legion's foes (adding another several dozen characters to the story). So the Legion brings in Superman from the 21st Century, the Green Lantern Corps and the 1994 and 2004 Legions to help them.
The scene when 3 Legions unite is almost funny as we see different attempts to make the characters look cool. Once the fighting starts several characters are killed but deaths have no impact when there are two carbon copies of the same character are standing right there. The simple fact is all 3 versions of the Legion are much too similar to make for interesting contrasts.
In the end more characters are dragged in, two minor characters from 90s are resurrected (after Geoff Johns killed them in a pervious crossover), a Legionnaire turns evil and Superboy Prime is temporarily defeated.
The worst thing is that this books uses several themes from the 90s Legion books like Legionnaires growing up, Earth turning xenophobic, even the adult Legion meeting their younger counterparts. But it lacks the subtly of that age and replaced it with cheap shock value.
Perez's art is as good as ever, but that's part of the problem. His futuristic designs have not changed since the 80s. It's hard to imagine what the world might look like 1000 years from now but Perez's designs do not even measure up to the futuristic visions of Keith Giffin in the 80s or Jeff Moy in the 90s.
Honestly I was a big Legion fan, I'm familiar with all 3 versions, I can identify every character in this book, I have long boxes full of Legion comics and... I was bored. There is no story here, no characters, just lots of noise without meaning. Stay away.
 The Entire LOSH Roster... Times Three November 4, 2009
E. David Swan (South Euclid, Ohio USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Things are looking bleak for the Legion of Super Heroes. A hatred of non-humans is sweeping across the Earth led by a bigot named Human-Man and the multi-planet roster of the Legion has left it an undesirable element on the verge of disbanding. The real problem, however, is the arrival of Superboy-Prime who, after being pulled to the 31st century by the Time Trapper, visits the Superman museum only to discover that he is considered a minor nuisance in the Superman pantheon of villains. This sends Superboy-Prime over the edge and he proceeds to free all the members of the Legion of Super Villains from prison and even hooks up with Mordru. His ultimate goal is to... um... kill everyone he can?
After the first twenty or so pages I was prepared to declare Legion of Three Worlds a rousing success. George Perez always gives a project like this that big event feel and he is in top form here. With Geoff Jones at the helm I was hoping they could recapture the magic of Infinite Crisis and The Sinestro Corps Wars. On the other hand everything tied in with Final Crisis has disappointed me so I was a little leery but in reality despite having Final Crisis prominently displayed on the cover there is actually nothing that I can think of that ties this series to Grant Morrison's train wreck. My all time favorite LOSH storyline was `Here's a Villain, There's a Villain' by Keith Giffen from way back in 1984. Three Worlds features an even larger gathering of villains but their release seems pointless since they have almost no real impact on the story. If Superboy-Prime had never released the Legion of Super Villains it would hardly have made a difference.
Another problem is the size of the Legion's roster. It's always been humongous and that's one of the fun features of the Legion but after contacting two Legions from alternate dimensions to help fight Superboy-Prime they literally triple the size of the Legion. Was there really a reason to have this many characters and why do the three Brainiac 5's fight like school children. This leads into my next issue. I am a big fan of Superboy-Prime but I'm worried the Geoff Jones is killing the character. I understand that Prime is emotionally stunted thanks to his universe being destroyed and being locked away for two decades but you can be emotionally immature without speaking like an impudent little brat. And when Prime was locked away he looked to be about 14 or 15 not 6 as his dialogue might imply here. Superboy-Prime has been reduced to one long childish tantrum and I'm sorry to say that he's become a very one dimensional character. I also have to wonder just how powerful he is. My understanding is that he is as strong as the Silver Age Superman but lacks his weaknesses to Kryptonite and magic. But is he really strong enough to defeat an endless wave of Legionnaires including the heavy hitters like Ultraboy (in triplicate) and the Daxamite Lantern Sadam Yat and of course Superman himself? Almost the entire series is devoted to one long battle against Superboy-Prime who now seems even more powerful than when he kicked the hell out of Sadam Yat in Sinestro Wars. I hate to see Prime used so poorly because he really is a character with huge potential.
The final problem I'll mention (although it is not the only other problem) is the return of two major characters who were quite clearly dead. I just think it really cheapens the death of any character when you know that a writer might just bring them back. Their resurrections didn't even make sense and the reaction of their friends seemed more akin to what one might give after seeing a good friend return from a five year trip not someone literally returning from the dead. I guess in the DCU characters come back so often that it's become business as usual. In the end the story is just too cumbersome and filled with plot holes. So why am I giving it four stars? It still managed to be a lot more fun than any other Final Crisis tie-in I've read although you may have to set your brain on neutral. I did like the eventual fate for Superboy-Prime although I think Johns could have executed it a bit better. This is a book I recommend despite its huge flaws although I wouldn't argue hard with someone who gives it a lower score.
 Superboy-Prime: "The robot. The buildings. Yeah. I'm in the stupid future." November 1, 2009
H. Bala (Carson - hey, we have an IKEA store! - CA USA)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
To me, one of the best things to ever come out of the landmark Crisis on Infinite Earths was the debut of Superboy-Prime (DC COMICS PRESENTS #87). I was a kid back then in the '80s and this was before all the dime-a-dozen reboots and Elseworlds, and I remember that electrifying feeling of wish-fulfillment when I first read about this ordinary kid inhabiting our real world, whose unfortunate name was Clark Kent (his parents had a warped sense of humor), and who then suddenly developed the powers of the Boy of Steel. I don't recall his impact on that first Crisis, but he survived the death of the multiverse, safe in a reality bubble shared with the Earth-2 Superman and Lois Lane and young Alexander Luthor. At that time, we thought we'd seen the last of them.
52, Vol. 4 brought back the multiverse, and Infinite Crisis is when we meet Superboy-Prime again, but a twisted version of him. All those years of exile had embittered young Clark, his sanity compromised by the loss of his own world, Earth-Prime, and all that he's ever known and loved. From then on, it's a short step to hating all things Superman, that older alternate-world counterpart who's managed to keep intact his own reality and loved ones and it really grates on Superboy-Prime that this Superman is so universally revered. So imagine how cheesed off he gets when he's flung to the far future, to the 31st Century, and looks around and sees the Man of Steel's imprint everywhere and most specially on the Legion of Super-Heroes. Worse, he learns that a statue of him in the Superman museum has been relegated to a service closet, his legacy having pretty much amounted to diddly-squat. An enraged Superboy-Prime makes a vow: "Ill destroy everything Superman has ever inspired!". And that most definitely includes the Legion.
I remember when the Legion's far-flung future gleamed with shiny bright optimism and prosperity. But this is a 31st Century that's gotten dirtied up, bleak and bereft of that retro 1950's innocence and this is an Earth festering with xenophobia. We find the original Legion already under siege, already demoralized and with most of the United Planets Council proclaiming that "This galaxy has no more use for the Legion of Super-heroes." and calling for the team to disband. More, the Legion's roster is reduced, a significant number of its membership missing in action. Sun Boy now spends all his time alone and drinking and wallowing in self-pity. Superboy-Prime's arrival couldn't have come at a worse time.
LEGION OF 3 WORLDS is hellaciously epic, pulse-pounding stuff. The first issue does open with heaps of exposition as Superboy-Prime rages about in the Superman museum, and it's not helping that the tour guide is this endlessly cheery holographic Jimmy Olsen. Superboy-Prime had already made up his mind to tear $#!% up in the 31st Century. That the holo ends up filling him in on the Legion of Super-Villains just makes things that much easier. Soon the Legion finds itself facing a massive assault from the deranged Boy of Steel and from just about all the heavy hitters on the Legion's rogue gallery (Mordru, Universo, the Fatal Five, etc.). And, of course, the Time Trapper, perhaps the Legion's most implacable, most enigmatic adversary, is pulling the strings from behind the curtain.
Some time ago, one of Dream Girl's visions had warned Brainiac 5 of the possibility of Superboy-Prime's coming, and this has bought the arrogant Coluan enough time to apply his 12th level intellect and implement a desperate contingency plan. And the first stage of that plan is to recruit Legions from two other realities. Me, I'm old-school so I prefer the original Legionnaires (who, to clarify, are the key protagonists here, along with Superman). But for those who fancy the post-Zero Hour (cool!) or the Threeboot (ugh!) incarnations of the Legion, then here's a chance to catch up with them. Me, I'm pretty stoked that Ferro and Gates are back in action.
So, yeah, it's a huge, huge cast, and you can't really blame Johns for focusing mostly on Superboy-Prime and selected Legionnaires, specifically Superman, the three original Legion founders, and the original Brainiac 5. But also solidly featured are the original versions of Sun Boy, the White Witch, Dawnstar and Wildfire (and I'm glad we get a sort of resolution to their relationship), and my favorite Legionnaire Brek Bannin, a.k.a. Polar Boy.
Speaking of, there's a sequence in which Polar Boy makes a last-ditch stand against Superboy-Prime and this constitutes possibly the most awesome Polar Boy moment ever (okay, with the possible exception of when he was elected leader of the Legion). If Superman embodies the ideals upheld by the Legion, then Polar Boy is the one who most fervently embraces these ideals. Dude is unflagging, and when you factor in his underdog status and that he had to apply for membership in the Legion over and over and over before being accepted, and that for years he languished, uncomplainingly, in the Legion of Substitute Heroes, then you may see why this guy is so easy to root for. To me, Polar Boy is THE man.
Fifty years of dense, broken continuity and three iterations of the Legion (and that's not even counting L.E.G.I.O.N.). It's crazy convoluted, and it's a lot to take in. Somehow writer Geoff Johns makes the story accessible enough and lends enough clarity that even newbies to the mythos can sort of follow along. But there's no denying that even longtime fans may have to occasionally look hard twice to figure out just who is who and from which Legion. Having said that, there's a lot of fun in seeing three Ultra Boys getting on so famously, with three Phantom Girls mooning over them. And one outstanding little moment (out of many memorable ones) which really resonates is when the three original founders show up (I guess plucked from when they'd just founded the Legion - Cosmic Boy still sports that bubble helmet). The fresh-faced kids gaze in wonder at all the future and otherdimensional Legionnaires, and each has something to say to their counterparts:
- Young Cosmic Boy: "The dream! It all comes true, doesn't it?"
- Young Saturn Girl: "Mr. Brande is right. We actually help unite the universe."
- Young Lightning Lad: "I look awesome." (Hah!)
FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF 3 WORLDS (and, by the way, the FINAL CRISIS ties are tenuous, at best) collects the five issues of the mini-series, and features George Perez's stunning, lavishly detailed pencils. And, frankly, in reading this trade format, I'm almost convinced to give a pass to DC for being so late in putting out some of the issues (But I'm still cheesed). Geoff Johns is doing massive work in this series as he finally gives the lowdown on several plot threads that have been dangling for the past few years in the DC Universe. For those who've been wondering just what's up with that lightning rod from The Lightning Saga arc (chronicled in Justice League of America: Lightning Saga (Volume 2)), you find out here. We also learn who (or what) has been hiding beneath the Time Trapper's purply hood, and it actually makes sense. Back in the 21st Century, we finally learn Starman's mysterious mission. We get to see the last Green Lantern in action (and then, later, the really last Green Lantern). Also, deaths and resurrections. And, heck, Geoff Johns even delves into meta-fiction.
I'm still a bit put out that DC turned Superboy-Prime into a villain but, after seeing him be the featured Big Bad in INFINITE CRISIS and THE SINESTRO CORPS WAR, I guess I've come to terms. Evil Superboy touts this ridiculous combo of bratty entitlement, homicidal rage, and an enormous case of the wiggy, and yet his comments, so petulant and filtered thru a teenager's vocabulary, keep cracking me up. Johns must have a blast writing this crazy cat.
All along, Johns's storytelling gives us great character moments to go with the epic scale and the big crackling action. If you're a fan with any sort of expectations regarding this mini-series, then chances are that Geoff Johns will meet them. The guy loves the Legion of Super-Heroes and it shows in the care he puts in, in the attention to detail and the little fanboy treats he throws our way. It's titled LEGION OF 3 WORLDS, but I think that just about everyone who's ever been a Legionnaire pops up in this one. I think I even saw Proty somewhere. And I definitely glimpsed a headband-wearing, pre-CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS Supergirl. If nothing else, how could you pass up three Brainiac 5s squabbling with each other?
At the end of the day, Geoff Johns has also managed to introduce several new open-ended plot threads to entice you and me to pick up the spanking new ADVENTURE COMICS, which co-features the Legion of Super-Heroes. Now if only one of those future stories could somehow include a few panels of Reed Richards and Brainiac 5 competing in a Sudoku match, how cool would that be?
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