The most beautiful line of Panini Comics returns with a work that takes us to the most classic legion of superheroes
THE Legion of Superheroes It is a group that has a large number of convinced followers, but paradoxically the sales of their stories have never been enough to have a regular series that extends over time. Now thanks to Panini Comics We can enjoy a volume that includes a series of stories from this group originally published in the late sixties and early 70s with which readers more than coffee will appreciate a lot. Is under the title of DC Finest Legion of Superheroes – Destroy the Legion!
What is the legion of superheroes?
The legion of the superhero is a formation that acts in the century XXXthat is a thousand years in the future of Universe DCWhere earth is part of a sort of galactic federation with planets of all colors and flavors. In this context like this Star Trek This group of young heroes symbolizes unity, hope and direct action against evil.
The first to have the idea is Rock crownA child from a planet Path With magnetic powers (yes, like Magnetobut good people) better known as Cosmic guy. Together with Imra Agea telepathic of Saturn (And therefore called Girl of Saturn), y Garth Ranzzan electric type of Winath (Lightning lad), found the group inspired by some legends of the past, specifically by Superboy. Yes, the young man Clark Kent Before being Superman (We are taking into account the “continuity” of DC Comics much earlier Infinite terrestrial crisisSince from there everything would change) is an almost mythical figure for them, a kind of symbol of what should be a hero. Why was the adolescent Superman more mythical than the adult? This is an unanswered question, but the fact is that the legion of the superhero goes to the past to invite you to join the group. While the young Clark worked on the farm of Smallville Three children of the future appear and offer him part of an intergalactic supergroup. Impossible to say no.
From that moment, the Legion becomes something much bigger. The members of all the corners of the universe begin to arrive, boys and girls with skill ranging from speaking with animals to the division into three different bodies. They have a base, statutes, internal elections (vote for their leader!) And a fairly rigid list of rules, how not to kill, do not lie on missions and even rules on who can enter.
The most curious thing is that, although the premise is very naif sounds, the stories of the legion have always had a point of maturity that contrasts with the theoretical public of their adventures: internal betrayals, impossible novels, unexpected deaths and difficult decisions. From the beginning, their adventures mix a futuristic action with the typical dramas of teenagers who are still discovering who they are, as if a series of Chris Claremont many years before their work X-Men Would be.
Over time, the group has ended up becoming a symbol of the optimism of the future, in which different races, cultures and powers come together to make the universe a better place. And although they have had a thousand reset and versions over the years, the essence is always the same: teenagers with great powers and great ideals (and uniforms that sometimes give a lot of laughter) face threats of galactic proportions.
Simpler time
The stories contained in this volume, with almost seven decades of seniority, remind us of the times when the adventures narrated in the comics were much simpler (not necessarily using this word as something negative) than they are today. On the one hand it is undeniable that the younger audience approaches these stories without getting lost in them, but it is also true that reading this volume gives the feeling that the managers do not save efforts when developing much more adult plots than their apparent simplicity allows you to wander. Jim ShooterResponsible for the scripts of a good part of the numbers included here, he was a teenager when he wrote these stories, and perhaps this is part of the secret of his success: a teenager who writes stories with teenagers can do it in a more adult and less condescending way than his colleagues as professional parents.
When these comics are published, the group already has more than a decade of history, so mythology is already more than developed, but at no time we will find a stable alignment. Throughout the volume we will have fun with different formations of the group, starting from one in which we find Supergirl, Element Lad, Ultra Boy, Dream Girl y Boy of the Matter Eater. That is, without the founding members. Gradually we will meet other mythical legionaries such as Superboy, Brainiac 5, Wolf of timber, Chalaleon Boy, Light Ilala, Mon-El, Karate Kid (Much earlier Daniel Larusso) oa Princess Projectra Among many other names.
Among the multitude of stories that we find in this volume, all the daughters a lot of their time (an era after the explosion of the most classic science fiction but still drinks a lot), it could be highlighted as a similar one Catastrophic five that have changed time (which appeared in the normal Superboy series with the script of Cary Bates), Where a group of bad guys (Emerald Empress, Persuader, Tharok, Strong y Thousand) Appear in Smallville, in our present, with the idea of reprogramming the time line so that the Legion never exists. Perhaps with today’s eyes it is a very trivial discussion, but seventy years ago this could fly to the most experienced reader. It should also be mentioned The impossible whitedespite its reduced extension, in which we are presented a solo adventure of Bouncing guy This will have anyone’s smile.
Dave Cockrum which makes a very simple complex
Among the artists who are in this volume, the use of a very simple style (once again, do not necessarily use this word as something negative) predominates that refuses the complexities to offer a very clear design and a direct narrative in which the greatest bold is that of not doing all the perfectly rectangular cartoons. Win Mortimer y George Tusk They would be good examples of this style that we could call Chiara American line.
But then the great comes Dave Cockrum To make the Superboy numbers, and although it follows the same guidelines as its predecessors, it is obvious that in their work we find a significant qualitative leap. It maintains a clear narrative, but it is already allowed to play much more with the composition of the page and with more ambitious cartoons, especially when they show action scenes. Without a doubt Cockrum is the name that stands out above the other authors present in this volume, and perhaps the main reason why this volume applies to anyone who needs some reason other than the archeology of the ninth art.
Him Volume Posted by Panini Comics In soft coverage it contains 576 color pages with a size of 17 x 26 cm. and includes the translation of the American edition of numbers Action comics 378-387 Y 389-392, Adventure Comics 374-380 and 403 and Superboy 172, 173, 176, 183, 184, 188, 190, 191, 193, 195 and 197-203 as well as an introduction written by Santiago García. The recommended sale price is € 49.95 and was offered for sale in July 2025.
DC Finest Legion of Superheroes – Destroy the Legion!
The most beautiful line hosts this compilation with the greatest heroes of the twentieth century, teenage superheroes of all the world of the United planets, collected to combat evil in these stories that date back to decades ago, between 1968 and 1974, like the war of the ghostly couple, the catastrophic five that have changed time and the impossible white.
AUTORAres: E. Nelson Bridwell, Cary Bates, Win Mortimer, George Tuska, Jim Shooter Y Dave Cockrum
