L’esordio della nuova collana legionaria ha alimentato sul web un fermento cui francamente il franchise futuribile DC Comics non era certo abituato. A partire dal privilegio di occupare l’homepage del sito ufficiale DC Comics, come è possibile ammirare nello screenshot in basso.

Ma a ridosso del fatidico 19 maggio scorso, data di battesimo del nuovo titolo di Paul Levitz e Yildiray Cinar, sono stati soprattutto alcuni dei più visitati siti di settore a sventolare in qualche modo bandiera legionaria, tra articoli di vario tenore e un vero e proprio fiume di recensioni: di seguito, ecco un ragionata sintesi dei più interessanti tra questi interventi.

L’esigenza principale nel promuovere un fumetto dalla storia editoriale articolata come quella della Legione è dissipare gli eventuali timori da parte di neofiti intimoriti da tanta complessità. Per fortuna c’è il blog Techland, che ha pubblicato a questo link un esaustivo riassunto delle passate vicissitudini di Saturn Girl e soci.
Inoltre, Per rinfrescare la memoria dei lettori sullo sterminato cast della serie, i ragazzi di Comics Alliance hanno stilato una simpatica classifica (parti uno e due) dei loro personaggi più amati tra gli eroi del XXXI secolo DC.
Comics Should Be Good, invece, ha preferito scandire il conto alla rovescia al “volume six” a mo’ di amarcord rispolverando “Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes” #314-315, coppia di episodi della Legione sceneggiati dallo stesso Levitz nel corso del suo celebrato “second run” degli anni Ottanta: trovate l’articolo cliccando qui.

A ridosso della prima, il ritorno della Legione sugli scaffali è stato commentato persino dal noto critico Tom Spurgeon, che si è così espresso sul suo blog, The Comics Reporter:

MAR100210 LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #1 $3.99
If nothing else, Paul Levitz’s return points out how much more fun the Legion and mainstream comics in general were back in the days when an issue of teen superheros cost $.40 rather than $4.00. You know what they should do? Just declare these characters open source.

Il Collector Times ha invece pensato di celebrare il “Legion day” con un’intervista al disegnatore Yildiray Cinar, che pur non sbottonandosi gran che ha comunque saputo comunicare un grande entusiasmo per l’attuale incarico. Tra i tanti botta e risposta fra Cinar e il suo intervistatore Jason Bourgeois, ho trovato particolarmente utile questo recap del giovane curriculum del penciler di Istanbul, una manna per i fan che avessero conosciuto solo ora questo artista:

Jason Bourgeois: Your name probably isn’t that familiar to many fans, can you tell us a little about yourself and your previous comics work before starting up on LSH?

Yildiray Cinar: Sure. My first work for the US industry, which was a six page Nothingface short was published in Digital Webbing Presents’ 5th issue in 2002. After that in 2004, I drew the Nothingface graphic novel which opened me more doors and led me to Image Comics. I did quite a long run on Noble Causes at Image between issues 27 thru 40. Also there were several pin-ups and cover works on several books plus a back-up story for Savage Dragon.
My first DC gig was a 3 page fill-in in Teen Titans #69 and I started to draw regularly on the book with #72 with the Ravager co-feature.
Also I drew complete issues for Teen Titans #71 and #76.

Ad albo ormai sugli scaffali, è stato infine il tempo delle recensioni – tra le quali anche la mia, che trovate a questo indirizzo – tutte pressocchè unanimemente positive:

• Blog@Newsarama:

A promising debut, but too early for any firm statements.

• Broken Frontier:

Known for his impeccable plotting, Levitz quickly introduces a number of key events and sub plots […] It’s actually quite exceptional how Levitz gets back into the groove so easily, transitioning back and forth between characters with confident dexterity. […] Now, if only the art displayed something of the same easy familiarity permeating Levitz’s contribution.

• Comic Book Resources:

Longtime Legion fans will almost certainly be thrilled with this first issue, and for neophytes, this is a decent jumping on point. It wasn’t enough to have me overly anxious for more, or set me to counting down days until issue #2, but there are some bits of this story I am curious to see play out. The Green Lantern ring on the cover isn’t a throwaway, either, as the legacy of Oa appears to play a major role in the course of this series.

• Comic Book Revolution:

Legion of Super Heroes #1 was a fantastic read. Levitz blew me away with an incredibly strong debut issue to this new title. I strongly urge readers to give this title a try. Legion of Super Heroes #1 offers the biggest bang for the buck that you can find on the market. Seriously.

• Comic Related:

Whether you’re a first time Legion reader or a longtime fan, this is comic gold as far as I’m concerned and I invite you to check out the newest fashion statement in cool ring wear.

• Comics Bulletin:

While all this history/continuity is something that appeals to longtime Legion readers like myself, Levitz is very a “Old School” comic book writer in that he actually scripts stories that are meant to be accessible to new readers. While there are references that will mean more to people who are very familiar with DC lore in general and Legion lore in particular, everything in the story is basic enough for new readers to grasp–with exposition provided when necessary–so, if you are new to the Legion, I don’t think you should shy away from Levitz’s work here. Anything you need to know is either provided or is something you will be able to quickly figure out as you read along.

• Get-a-Life Boy’s LSH Blog:

This is storytelling. This is characterization. This is a good Legion comic.

• HeroPress:

Fingers crossed that (a) DC allows this title, with Levitz at the helm, to run and run and (b) it can become as epic as his storylines two decades ago that still stand up as classics today.

• IGN Comics:

Besides the exciting Green Lantern wrinkle, so much of what made Levitz’s Legion work so beloved by so many is present in these pages. The characters are all introduced and voiced in a concise, instantly relatable manner, then given strong dilemmas with which to deal. Levitz also announces himself back onto the scene by taking a sledgehammer to an important corner of the Legion property, ushering in the type of bold change the series is known for. With vibrant, crisp Yildiray Cinar art that takes more than a few cues from Gary Frank’s work with the characters, this is one Legion book any fan – new or old – can sink their teeth into.

• Legion Abstract:

First, it didn’t really seem like a first issue; it seemed like a middle issue that didn’t happen to have any storylines that we were already in the midst of. Second, Levitz’s style is to play the long game in which his titles don’t break down easily into distinct arcs; his Legion will simmer for a long time before he lets it boil over. It can get frustrating, because you want closure and he won’t give it to you, but if you look past that you’ll see that a lot of interesting stuff is happening.

• Newsarama:

Despite the #1 on the cover, this is very much geared towards the people who read Geoff Johns’s “Superman and the Legion of Superheroes” arc from 2008 and his later Legion of Three Worlds story arc. […] I don’t know if this is necessarily a great jumping-on point for new Legion readers, but for those who are rock-solid fans of the franchise, you will want to check this book out.

• Panels on Pages:

The Legion of Super Heroes is one of the most-loved teams in the entire DCU, and this new series will no doubt please long-time fans. […] So far, I’m intrigued and want to read more, which is what every first issue should accomplish.

• Scoop:

[Levitz] seems plugged into what needs to be done with this team, and he makes us believe that he and artists Yidiray Cinar and Wayne Faucher are going to be allowed to fix it. That would be a great thing.

• Think Hero:

I am excited to go back for more next month and see just where Levitz words and Cinar’s art will take this story in the coming months.

Gli anglofoni meno arrugginiti potranno divertirsi ad ascoltare anche le review in versione podcast di Major Spoiler e Legion of Substitute Podcasters.

Curiosamente, ben due siti hanno inoltre sviluppato l’idea di confrontare “Legion of Super-Heroes” #1 con un altro comic uscito lo stesso giorno, “Avengers” #1 (Marvel Comics), di B. M. Bendis e John Romita Jr. Per molti versi, le storie di questi due albi sono quasi antitetiche: a dividerle, in primis, il rimo della narrazione, uber-compresso nel primo caso e uber-diluito nel secondo. L’argomento è approfondito su CBR, nella rubrica When worlds collide, e nel The Comic Book Club di Comics Alliance.

Tags: Interviste, Legion of Super-Heroes (vol.VI), Marvel Comics, Paul Levitz, Podcast, Yildiray Cinar

This entry was posted on giovedì, maggio 27th, 2010 at 09:00 and is filed under Curiosità. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.