Legion eras ranked

Now that I have finished analyzing all the pre-Reboot eras, I thought it would be interesting to give them some sort of personal ranking.I will
be following the way I divided them for the sake of my reviews, which is admittedly extremely arbitrary in a lot of cases.
To make things more interesting, I will rank the eras based on six categories:

Writing and artwork: self-explanatory, really.
Historical significance: how much this era impacts the Legion. Unlike what I typically do for the reviews, this will include both in-universe stuff AND how the Legion will be written afterwards.
Test of time: how much of this era could potentially be re-told today with minimal changes for pacing and dialogue. For consistency, this will be the score I gave for the Legion Awards unless noted.
Fun: while I do my best to be as objective as possible for the other categories, this is 100% personal and based on how much fun I had reading and reviewing.
Wildcard: anything worth noting that doesn’t fit properly without the other categories.

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If you’ve followed my reviews, you won’t be surprised by who is at the bottom.

#14: 5YL post-Giffen (LSH v4 #39-61)

Writing: 3/10
Thankfully there are some bright spots here and there because if it was only about Legionnaires and the “Legion on the run” saga, it would be a 0/10.
Artwork: 7/10
The only redeeming quality of this era.
Significance: 2/10
Test of time: 0/10
I stand by the Legion Awards.
Fun: 2/10
I had an awful, AWFUL time reviewing these. Only the occasional laugh at the incompetence helped me retain SOME sanity.
Wildcard: 1/10
I have to give credit for the amazing new Legionnaires costumes.
Final score: 2.5/10
At least the Legion won’t be this bad for a long, long time.

 

 

#13: 5YL Giffen (LSH v4 #1-38)

Writing: 5/10
Artwork: 4/10
As much as I hate this era, I have to admit it does have artistic merit. That being said, the incomprehensible nature of most of this run (looking at you in particular, Quiet Darkness) and The Grid are still too much of a mess for me.
Significance: 8/10
Test of time: 2/10
I stand by the Legion Awards for the test of time, but I’m increasing the significance from a 6 to an 8 because 90% of the reasons for why the series HAD to be rebooted can be traced back to this.
Fun: 4/10
This era came VERY close to making me reconsider continue reviewing it, just by how miserable it made me. There where, thankfully, a few issues here and there that were a lot of fun.
Wildcard: 3/10
The best version of Matter-Eater Lad ever.
Final score: 4.4/10
I will never like this era and I will never understand those who like it. The only reason it’s ranked above what follows is that at least I can see it wanted to say something… even if I absolutely hate what it had to say.

#12: Action Comics

Writing: 6/10
Jim Shooter is just about to leave DC and comics in general; both E.Nelson Bridwell and Cary Bates help out, but there’s just no focus.
Artwork: 5/10
Artist Win Mortimer is the only constant for most issues; he’s not at his best, and the comparison with Curt Swan is brutal.
Significance: 4/10
Test of time: 5/10
I’m slightly increasing the significance from the Legion Awards, because this is when the first hints at Duo Damsel’s duplicates having different personalities is introduced.
Fun: 4/10
If the Shooter era wasn’t so long, these issues would not have been separated into their own era. It’s the shortest of all and it has the misfortune to include more misses than hits.
Wildcard: 3/10
A Matter-Eater Lad story way ahead of its time.
Final score: 4.7/10

#11: Pre-Darkness era (LSH v2 #259-286)

Writing: 5/10
Gerry Conway seems out of place in the series. Roy Thomas delivers an incredible Wildfire story, but we also have the Reflecto mess.
Artwork: 4/10
Steve Ditko is definitely not at his best.
Significance: 6/10
Test of time: 4/10
Increasing the significance because FOR SOME REASON we can’t escape Reflecto.
Fun: 7/10
I had lots of fun until I had to detangle the Reflecto mess.
Wildcard: 3/10
Dr. Mayavale. That is all.
Final score: 4.9/10
This is clearly a transition era, stuck in-between two excellent eras and without a clear direction.

#10: Legion pre-history

Writing: 5/10
Artwork: 8/10
Curt Swan! Jim Mooney! Al Plastino! George Papp!
Significance: 7/10
Test of time: 4/10
Increasing the significance by 1 point from the Legion Awards, thanks to all the retellings.
Fun: 10/10
This is EXACTLY the kind of stuff this site exists to review.
Wildcard: 1/10
The earliest Supergirl is a treasure to be defended at all costs.
Final score: 5.9/10
I grouped in this era all the issues before the Legion gets its own series on Adventure Comics, back when they were just supporting characters to Superboy and Supergirl.
You can tell the potential of the franchise is already there, but it’s still in its infancy.

#9: Superboy era (Superboy #172 to #211)

Writing: 5/10
I’m not fond of the Cary Bates stories. Jim Shooter comes back towards the end with an amazing return, but it doesn’t help that much.
Artwork: 9/10
Dave Cockrum! Mike Grell!
Significance: 8/10
Test of time: 6/10
Increasing the significance from the Awards (that’s already a trend) because in retrospect this era really upgrades the tone of the Legion to something that will influence other eras.
Fun: 7/10
Too many short stories that don’t go anywhere, before the Legion gets a proper series again.
Wildcard: 6/10
The new costumes and the new look of the Legion.
Final score: 6.9/10
This is still a very solid era, if a bit irregular. The competition for good eras gets very tough from here.

#8: Hamilton era

Writing: 6/10
Only in this era you could find the most bonkers Silver Age insanity and solid character development… if you consider the standards of the time.
Artwork: 5/10
Look we all love John Forte, but you have to admit he’s not exactly the best at action or at drawing characters that don’t look like posed action figures.
Significance: 10/10
In-universe the significance was just a 7/10 in the Awards, but this is the era that defined what the Legion is. Without Hamilton, it’s likely the would never have grown out of Superboy’s shadow.
Test of time: 4/10
Fun: 10/10
I recently had the chance to re-read most of this run, since Italy FINALLY got a proper reprint. It was exactly as exhilarating as I remembered and exactly as old-fashioned.
Wildcard: 7/10
John Forte, the Subs and the general consistency brought by having a regular writer for the first time.
Final score: 7/10

#7: Volume 3 Endgame (LSH v3 #39-63)

Writing: 8/10
This is tough. It has some of my favorite Legion stories ever, but also the “Laurel Kent is a Manhunter” retcon and the abysmal “Magic Wars”. However those are mostly bad for unnecessary changes or atrocious artwork, and they’re not bad enough to overshadow the good parts.
Artwork: 7/10
The beginning of the Keith Giffen downfall, but that doesn’t happen until the end of the era.
Significance: 8/10
Test of time: 7/10
I stand by the Awards scores.
Fun: 8/10
Considering that I was at least partially aware of how bad things were going to get in the 5YL era, I still managed to have fun even with the bad issues.
Wildcard: 5/10
If Issue 50 is not my favorite Legion story of all time, it’s definitely on the podium.
Final score: 7.2/10
This was very close to losing against the Hamilton run. It’s ahead only because of the more modern storytelling and because I love issues 50 and 51 that much.

#6 Superboy & LSH era (LSH #222 to #258)

Writing: 8/10
This is where Paul Levits first works on the Legion, alternating with Gerry Conway and Jim Starlin. A lot of REALLY solid stories here, sometimes spoiled by editorial mandates.
Artwork: 9/10
Mike Grell! Jim Starlin! Jim Sherman! Joe Staton!
Significance: 8/10
Test of time: 6/10
Once again increasing the significance by 1 point (for the noticeable attempt to make things more grounded) and keeping the same test of time.
Fun: 8/10
So many classic stories, the Earthwar saga above all, were very fun to analyze and put into historical context.
Wildcard: 5/10
Wildfire being at his most Wildfire.
Final score: 7.4/10

#5: The Great Darkness Saga

Writing: 9/10
Artwork: 10/10
Significance: 10/10
Test of time: 9/10
What else is there to say?
Fun: 10/10
Finding new things to discuss and analyze about the most famous Legion storyline ever wasn’t easy, but it was incredibly satisfying.
Wildcard: 0/10
This era gets enough praise as it is.
Final score: 8/10
The only thing holding it back against the eras I’ve ranked above it is that this isn’t exactly a full era and therefore doesn’t have the advantage on focusing on as many characters or having as much variety. But this is still THE Legion saga for a reason.

#4: Post-Darkness era (LSH v2 #295-313)

Writing: 10/10
Artwork: 10/10
Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen at their absolute best.
Significance: 8/10
Test of time: 8/10
Standing by the Legion Awards.
Fun: 8/10
Having to go through the Omen storyline was not a pleasant experience.
Wildcard: 5/10
The best Legion mystery ever with Shrinking Violet’s impostor.
Final score: 8.2/10
Taking all the best parts of the Great Darkness Aga and pushing them to new heights.

#3: Volume 3 pre-Crisis (LSH v3 #1-18)

Writing: 10/10
Paul Levitz still at his best.
Artwork: 9/10
Steve Lighle! Greg LaRoque! Prevented from reaching a 10/10 just because Keith Giffen is not at his best.
Significance: 9/10
Test of time: 7/10
Increasing the significance from the Awards (shocking!) because I realize how much the new brutal ideas will influence the 5YL era, once Levitz is no longer there to restrain Giffen.
Fun: 10/10
Even the bad “Tales of the Legion” issues were a blast to review.
Wildcard: 5/10
The death of Karate Kid.
Final score: 8.4/10
Despite starting between Crisis, this really feels like a post-Crisis series for all the good reasons.

 #2: Jim Shooter era (Adventure Comics #346 to #380)

Writing: 8/10
For a series written by a 13 year old kid this is shockingly mature. Heck it’s more mature than what Shooter will write in his 40s.
Artwork: 9/10
Curt Swan! Even Win Mortimer is way better here than in Action Comics!
Significance: 10/10
Test of time: 7/10
I stand by the Awards.
Fun: 10/10
I don’t know which era I’ve re-read the most times, this one or the Hamilton one, but it’s close.
Wildcard: 7/10
Ferro Lad’s sacrifice, the Fatal Five and SO MANY fundamental aspects of the Legion.
Final score: 8.5/10
As I’ve said in the Awards: if the Hamilton era paved the way for future stories, Jim Shooter DEFINED the Legion. There is soooo much great stuff here!
The only reason this doesn’t get the top spot is that it’s so firmly in the Silver Age that some nonsense still manages to get through, but don’t get me wrong: this is still a masterpiece of a run.

#1: Volume 3 post-Crisis (LSH v3 #19-38)

Writing: 10/10
Paul Levitz still at the top of his game, with the Universo Project really stands out against an already great run.
Artwork: 10/10
Greg LaRoque! Steve Lighle!
Significance: 10/10
Test of time: 9/10
As per its Awards.
Fun: 10/10
This was one of the most complex eras, with so much to analyze.
Wildcard: 3/10
The Sensor Girl mystery is not as great as the Shrinking Violet impostor, but an incredible character development.
Final score: 8.7/10
Ask me another day and it might lose to the Shooter run, but I think this era has all the strengths of all the other Volume 3 ones and none of the weaknesses.

As you can see some of these are REALLY close; it’s really hard to pick a favorite!
The final results (click to enlarge) are:

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Bonus: what about the spinoff series?

#5: TIMBER WOLF

Writing: 1/10
Artwork: 2/10
And I’m being generous. It’s on par with the most generic slop of the early Image years but without the underlying talent.
Significance: 0/10
Besides taking Timber Wolf out of the main book for a while, something that he manages on his own at other points, this has no impact.
Test of time: 0/10
I often defend 90s comics for not being as awful as their reputation. This is the opposite: when people think of bad 90s comics, this is the kind of stuff they have in mind.
Fun: 5/10
That being said, it was moderately fun to review this trainwreck.
Wildcard: 2/10
One of the supporting characters is hinted as being the son of Lobo attempting to become a hero. It’s far more interesting than anything else done in the series, even if it’s not developed at all.
Final score: 1.7/10
I had not read this miniseries before reviewing it, but I was aware of its reputation as being the worst Legion spinoff. Now I can say it deserved that reputation.

#4: WANDERERS

Writing: 3/10
The first half of the series is a snoozefest and the latter half is either incomprehensible or insane.
Artwork: 6/10
Decent without any particular highs and lows.
Significance: 2/10
In-universe it’s nothing, but it does have the effect of effectively killing any potential use of the Wanderers. The name has been used again in other Legion continuities, but this debacle effectively removed the Wanderers as a viable concept.
Test of time: 3/10
There are some interesting concepts here and there, but you would need to rewrite the vast majority of the series for it to make any sense.
Fun: 3/10
The finale is one of the most hilarious things I’ve ever witnessed, but the rest was a slog to get through.
Wildcard: 5/10
I will never stop bringing up that they save a planet by having sex with a dinosaur.
Final score: 3.7/10
It managed to not be as awful as Timber Wolf. That’s just about as the highest praise I can give it.

#3: VALOR

Writing: 5/10
Incredibly inconsistent. There ARE a couple of decently written issues, but it’s downhill in the final stretch.
Artwork: 6/10
It’s surprisingly solid for the first batch but it seriously drops in the latter half.
Significance: 3/10
The issues with the pre-Legion Mon-El leave no impact, but the time travel shenanigans do influence the other Legion stories.
Test of time: 2/10
What would a modern version of this book be for? If it’s to introduce Mon-El to non-Legion fans, you would need to rewrite most of it from scratch.
Fun: 4/10
There are several issues where I struggled to find things to say.
Wildcard: 3/10
Doctor Bendorion. ‘Nuff Said.
Final score: 3.9/10
This might just be the most schizophrenic Legion spinoff, and I remind you that the previous entry featured saving a planet by having sex with a dinosaur.

#2: KARATE KID

Writing: 2/10
Talk about a series that has no clue what to do with its premise. Or its protagonist. Or anything really.
Artwork: 4/10
Unexpectedly solid at the very end, but dreadful for most of it.
Significance: 2/10
I have no basis for this idea, but I believe that this disappointment was a factor of DC being hesitant to give the Legion a spinoff.
Test of time: 3/10
I was too harsh on the test of time, giving it a -10/10 for completely butchering Karate Kid’s character. I didn’t know how bad things could get in the 5YL era. So without that penalty, I’m increasing the score to an extremely charitable 3/10 because there’s no way you could do this series like this without turning it into a parody.
Fun: 8/10
I had an absolute blast for most of this series. But the final issues were some of the most boring stuff I ever covered.
Wildcard: 5/10
One of the most ridiculous superhero moments I’ve ever seen.
Final score: 4/10
This was the first Legion spinoff, leading the way to a string of disappointments.

#1: COSMIC BOY

Writing: 4/10
Talk about uneven. Some issues are just dreadful, but the finale with the Time Trapper REALLY helps.
Artwork: 6/10
Mostly fine with the occasional drop in quality.
Significance: 5/10
One of the cornerstones of the Time Trapper’s role in Volume 3 and the formal establishment of how the timeline has been changed. But it’s referenced so rarely in the main series that it doesn’t get a higher score.
Test of time: 5/10
This is the second spinoff to attempt the “Legionnaire stuck in the past” route; while it doesn’t fumble it nearly as much as Karate Kid, it still doesn’t work.
Fun: 6/10
I had a great time laughing at how incompetent Cosmic Boy could get, plus a decent finale.
Wildcard: 5/10
An awesome Time Trapper.
Final score: 5.2/10
The fact that the highest rated spinoff doesn’t even get a passing grade really tells you how little luck this franchise has had with attempting to expand.

Here’s how the spinoffs are ranked:

And here’s how they stack up against the other eras (click to enlarge):

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And for the VAST majority of these eras, that was my last planned post… although a couple of extremely minor cameos of the Silver Age Legion will pop up in the Superman retrospective.

Only last question remains before the Reboot reviews can begin: was it really inevitable to reboot the franchise?
That will be the topic for the next Legion post.