Legion Lost
Encyclopedia
Legion Lost is a superhero
team published by DC Comics
.
It was originally published as a 12-issue comic book
limited series
starring the Legion of Super-Heroes
. The series was co-written by Dan Abnett
and Andy Lanning
, often collectively referred to and interviewed as "DnA", penciled primarily by Oliver Coipel, with Pascal Alixe filling in for some issues, inked by Lanning and colored by Tom McCraw.
The series ran for 12 issues and was collected in a hardcover collection series in 2011.
In September, 2011, DC Comics launched a new monthly series (Legion Lost, vol. 2 ). The series replaces "Adventure Comics" as the second Legion title published by DC Comics and focuses on a small group of the original incarnation of Legion of the Super-Heroes (and 1994 era Legion member Gates) as they are stranded in the present day 21st Century, having failed to stop a shape-shifting terrorist from Rimbor from infecting Earth with a deadly virus. The series follows the changing rules of time travel since the events of "Flashpoint", where time travel is more difficult.
, Brainiac 5.1
, Umbra
, Kid Quantum
, Saturn Girl
, Live Wire
, Apparition
, and Chameleon have found themselves banished to the far side of the universe following the destruction of the Legion Outpost base, at the hands of a tear in the fabric of space. They are joined by Shikari, a half-bug/half-humanoid alien who's people are being hunted by an alien race known as "The Progeny". They are soon join by the gestalt entity known as "ERG-1" (renamed Wildfire, having been sucked into the rift prior to the Legion being sucked into it) and begin the long journey home, with Shikari and her tracking power acting as their guide.
As they make their way across the galaxy they are stranded in, the Legion discover that the Progeny have been actively slaughting entire species in genocide inspired by their radical belief that they are the "perfect" life form. Meanwhile tensions flare up between the various Legion members: Umbra struggles from her previous possession at the hands of "The Blight", Monstress struggles to abide by the Legion's "no killing" rule when faced with the atrocities committed by the Progeny, while Ultra Boy rages about over being stranded millions of light years away from home and the rest of his friends and family. They also encounter a mysterious super-hero known as Singularity and the Omniphagos, a world destroying sentient pyramid who's teleportation powers the Legion attempt to use to return home.
Eventually, things come to a head when it is revealed that Saturn Girl has been repeatedly "manipulating" the minds of her fellow teammates with her psychic powers. While she claims to have done this in order to keep the team level headed and calm, the revelation that Apparition was really a psychic illusion designed to pacify Ultra Boy turn the group against Saturn Girl. Things come to a head when Saturn Girl forces herself into Umbra's head, unknowingly creating two psychic entities: one representing the totality of Umbra's darkest fears and one that represents Saturn Girl's own psyche run amuck. Both entities are defeated and Saturn Girl ultimately forgiven.
During the course of the series, two mysteries haunt the Legion: the fate of Element Lad (who went through the rift along with his teammates but ultimately vanished after placing them in crystals designed to protect them while traveling through the rift and the identity of "The Progenitor", the supreme leader of the murderous "Progeny". In the end, the Legion are captured and taken to the Proginator, who is revealed to be an insane Element Lad. It is revealed that Element Lad lived for over a billion years while looking after the crystallized Legion, as the rift had actually left the team billions of years in the past. To (unsuccessfully) try and stay sane, Element Lad used his powers to create life forms, culminating in him believing himself "God" and his creation the Progeny, his most perfect creation.
Realizing that their friend is insane, they confront Element Lad, who ultimately murders Monstress, after she proclaims that she is not one of his creations. A battle between the two sides erupts and in the end, the Legion escape by way of using a dimensional gateway Element Lad possesses. As they escape, Element Lad merges with the Omniphagos and attack the ship the Legion are in. Knowing that he will have to kill the creature to stop the murderous monster from killing his friends, Live Wire abandons the ship and kills Element Lad/Omniphagos. As he is consumed in the blast that kills his former friend, Live Wire watches his friends return home as the portal closes behind him.
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
team published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
.
It was originally published as a 12-issue comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
starring the Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
. The series was co-written by Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett is a British comic book writer and novelist. He is a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since the 1990s, including 2000 AD...
and Andy Lanning
Andy Lanning
Andy Lanning is a British comic book writer and inker, known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, and for his collaboration with Dan Abnett.-Career:Lanning works primarily at Marvel Comics and DC Comics as an inker...
, often collectively referred to and interviewed as "DnA", penciled primarily by Oliver Coipel, with Pascal Alixe filling in for some issues, inked by Lanning and colored by Tom McCraw.
Publication history
"Legion Lost" and its companion series "Legion Worlds", was designed mainly as a "jump on" point for the Legion franchise. Per this, the series revolves around a set number of Legion members and each issue being told from the point-of-view of a particular Legion member. It is the third story in the Abnett and Lanning Legion series, following the events of "Legion of the Damned" and "Widening Rifts". It was followed by "Legion Worlds" and a brand new Legion series, titled "The Legion".The series ran for 12 issues and was collected in a hardcover collection series in 2011.
In September, 2011, DC Comics launched a new monthly series (Legion Lost, vol. 2 ). The series replaces "Adventure Comics" as the second Legion title published by DC Comics and focuses on a small group of the original incarnation of Legion of the Super-Heroes (and 1994 era Legion member Gates) as they are stranded in the present day 21st Century, having failed to stop a shape-shifting terrorist from Rimbor from infecting Earth with a deadly virus. The series follows the changing rules of time travel since the events of "Flashpoint", where time travel is more difficult.
Plot
MonstressMonstress
Monstress is a fictional character, a superheroine in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Comics universe, and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the post-Zero Hour continuity.-Fictional character biography:...
, Brainiac 5.1
Brainiac 5
Brainiac 5 is a fictional character who exists in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Universe. He is a long standing member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Brainiac 5 is from the planet Colu...
, Umbra
Shadow Lass
Shadow Lass is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Adventure Comics vol. 1 #365 , and was created by Jim Shooter and Curt Swan.-Fictional character biography:...
, Kid Quantum
Kid Quantum
Kid Quantum is the name of three fictional superheroes that appear in comic books published by DC Comics, who were members of different incarnations of the Legion of Super-Heroes.-Original:...
, Saturn Girl
Saturn Girl
Saturn Girl is a fictional character appearing in DC comic books. A talented telepath from the 30th century, Imra first appeared in Adventure Comics #247 as a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes...
, Live Wire
Garth Ranzz
Lightning Lad , also known as Live Wire, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. He has the superhuman ability to generate electricity, usually in the form of lightning bolts. He is a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries...
, Apparition
Phantom Girl
Phantom Girl is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in books published by DC Comics. In the Post-Zero Hour continuity, she is known as Apparition, and is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries...
, and Chameleon have found themselves banished to the far side of the universe following the destruction of the Legion Outpost base, at the hands of a tear in the fabric of space. They are joined by Shikari, a half-bug/half-humanoid alien who's people are being hunted by an alien race known as "The Progeny". They are soon join by the gestalt entity known as "ERG-1" (renamed Wildfire, having been sucked into the rift prior to the Legion being sucked into it) and begin the long journey home, with Shikari and her tracking power acting as their guide.
As they make their way across the galaxy they are stranded in, the Legion discover that the Progeny have been actively slaughting entire species in genocide inspired by their radical belief that they are the "perfect" life form. Meanwhile tensions flare up between the various Legion members: Umbra struggles from her previous possession at the hands of "The Blight", Monstress struggles to abide by the Legion's "no killing" rule when faced with the atrocities committed by the Progeny, while Ultra Boy rages about over being stranded millions of light years away from home and the rest of his friends and family. They also encounter a mysterious super-hero known as Singularity and the Omniphagos, a world destroying sentient pyramid who's teleportation powers the Legion attempt to use to return home.
Eventually, things come to a head when it is revealed that Saturn Girl has been repeatedly "manipulating" the minds of her fellow teammates with her psychic powers. While she claims to have done this in order to keep the team level headed and calm, the revelation that Apparition was really a psychic illusion designed to pacify Ultra Boy turn the group against Saturn Girl. Things come to a head when Saturn Girl forces herself into Umbra's head, unknowingly creating two psychic entities: one representing the totality of Umbra's darkest fears and one that represents Saturn Girl's own psyche run amuck. Both entities are defeated and Saturn Girl ultimately forgiven.
During the course of the series, two mysteries haunt the Legion: the fate of Element Lad (who went through the rift along with his teammates but ultimately vanished after placing them in crystals designed to protect them while traveling through the rift and the identity of "The Progenitor", the supreme leader of the murderous "Progeny". In the end, the Legion are captured and taken to the Proginator, who is revealed to be an insane Element Lad. It is revealed that Element Lad lived for over a billion years while looking after the crystallized Legion, as the rift had actually left the team billions of years in the past. To (unsuccessfully) try and stay sane, Element Lad used his powers to create life forms, culminating in him believing himself "God" and his creation the Progeny, his most perfect creation.
Realizing that their friend is insane, they confront Element Lad, who ultimately murders Monstress, after she proclaims that she is not one of his creations. A battle between the two sides erupts and in the end, the Legion escape by way of using a dimensional gateway Element Lad possesses. As they escape, Element Lad merges with the Omniphagos and attack the ship the Legion are in. Knowing that he will have to kill the creature to stop the murderous monster from killing his friends, Live Wire abandons the ship and kills Element Lad/Omniphagos. As he is consumed in the blast that kills his former friend, Live Wire watches his friends return home as the portal closes behind him.