Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 2: The Trial of the Legion

Bendis’ first volume of this series was impressive in that it was kind of a mess that still managed to hold itself together and deliver a satisfying climax at its end.  Vol. 2 is more of the same as the Legion faces the fallout from the events of vol. 1 as the team makes not one, but two visits to the Great Hall of the United Planets.  The first is to explain their actions in fighting against Crav, the superpowered barbarian leader of the planet of Rimbor, and the second is for the actual trial when he comes looking for some payback.  Alongside all of this is the kind of superpowered drama that you’d expect from a team made up of teenagers.  Which is how we get subplots like Cosmic Boy running off in a huff after Brainiac usurps his leadership, Mon-El running back to Krypton because he can’t deal with having his great (to the tenth power) grandfather on the team, and said great (to the tenth power) grandfather — Jon Kent — hooking up with Saturn Girl.  This is in addition to more serious subplots involving a lord of chaos showing up to cause problems for the team, a villain from the writer’s “Superman” run looking to put down the House of El again, and a lot of talk about a “Great Darkness” that’s looking to enshroud the universe.

It is a disappointment that this volume is called “The Trial of the Legion” and then have the title event spread out haphazardly over the course of three issues.  Not helping matters is the fact that two of these issues are “jam issues” where each page is illustrated by a different artist.  All of these pages look great, individually, but it doesn’t help the story flow all that well.  Better are the final three Ryan Sook-illustrated issues as the team splits up to deal with the problems mentioned above and the story is able to build up some momentum as it builds towards a big throw-down on Krypton.

Much of this feels like Bendis was setting things up for a longer-term story.  You don’t mention stuff like “A Great Darkness” in a “Legion” title casually since it implies you’re taking a shot at the title’s best-known story.  Whatever those long-term plans are, we’ll only get a hint of them as the volume ends with a tease to check out the “Future State” issues of this title.  I’ll be doing that, not just for a sense of closure to Bendis’ truncated run, but because his chaotic approach still had its charms, which were further enlivened by some quality art.