I received my copy of this graphic novel in the mail last week, and was surprised and disappointed to see that it is missing Legion issue #15. I never read this issue when it came out, but I understand it is a break from the regular storyline that features Legionnaire fans telling stories around a campfire about previous versions of the Legion. What fun! It gives us a tantalizing look back at Legionnaires who have not yet appeared in this series, or for many years at all (e.g. Dawnstar, Wildfire, Blok, Sensor Girl, Quislet, White Witch). Legion Abstract has a review. I cannot fathom why they chose not to include what must have been, for long time fans, an enjoyable bit of nostalgia. And as a new fan, I would have very much enjoyed seeing cameos of characters from previous eras. I can see why they wouldn’t want to include the issue in order of publication, because it definitely would have broken up the story, but why didn’t they publish it at the back along with the illustrated letters section? I hope they choose to publish this issue in a future compilation, but for now I’ll have to try hunting down the issue online, because my LCS has a very poor selection of back issue LoSH (they had already sold out of the October 25th issue when I came in two weeks later).
I was going to pick this up because I heard that Kara was better written(and drawn) in the Legion series, but the guy at my LCS said I wouldn’t be able to follow it because it continues an ongoing Legion storyline. Is it worth picking up, or will I be confused?
I recommend picking up the Legion trade paperbacks before diving into this series. That’s what I did. You *will* be confused if you jump in at issue 24 or 25, and there are lots of spoilers for previous arcs if you go back later. I was very glad I started reading Legion because it’s a great series, but Supergirl is *not* the focus of the Legion series and (so far) the story has had no effect or insight into the ongoing SUPERGIRL series. Which doesn’t mean there isn’t a storyline for Supergirl in Legion – I just can’t see it how it will EVER dovetail with what’s happening in her self-titled series. But’s a reflection of that series, not Legion. Legion actually has a plot and character development that make sense. What I’m trying to say is, Supergirl is not the star of Legion so if you’re hoping for a better series to replace the Joe Kelly series, Legion is not it. It’s a really nice series, but it’s about the Legionnaires and their world, and Supergirl is just one of many players in that tapestry.