Legion of Superheroes (Saturday mornings on the CW) is returning on Sept. 22nd with it's second season.
It's a great show, and everyone should check it out.
I was very skeptical of the show when it first came out, I saw the new designs and wrote it off as kiddie anime that would undoubtedly do to Superman what The Batman did to Bats.
And I wasn't interested in seeing that in the slightest.
So I simply forgot about that show for the next several months, filing it away under the same category as Teen Titans and The Batman.
It wasn't until after the first season had already ended that the show came up in conversation with a friend.
He suggested I give the show a chance, telling me that it really was a thoroughly enjoyable show.
I was skeptical, but he pressed on, urging me to simply give it a chance.
I agreed and the next Saturday I found myself enjoying a show that I had written off months before.
From that first episode I was hooked, I watched every Saturday morning I could after that, until finally I had completed the first season.
And I can honestly say that I am now a bona fide fan of Legion of Superheroes.
Oh, don't get me wrong, I had a few complaints. But the gripes I had with the show were extremely few and almost all of them occurred within the first three episodes.
And that is quite a feat, considering the fact that my favorite comic book character ever is Superman and I am notoriously protective of him. Even going so far as to abstain from watching a certain animated program simply because I jump the gun and decide they will not do him justice.
Not to mention the fact that I am not that big of a fan of the Legion of Superheroes(the comic book incarnation).
AND the fact that I dislike the idea of Superman being taught the ropes by anyone.
See, I told you I was totally biased by my love of Superman.
And yet, I still very much enjoy Legion of Superheroes.
Why?
Because of all the things they do right.
All the characters (even Lightning Lad at his jerkiest) quickly endear themselves to you, even if you're like me and have never really been that big of a fan of The Legion.
The episodes are all well written, with definite care taken to ensure that all the characters remain in character and yet all grow up between the beginning of the season and the end.
The style of animation is in actuality(and much to my delight) not even in the anime style. There is no 'red x' of frustration, no teardrops on people's foreheads and no weird mad faces.
The character designs are actually quite attractive and not too different from what us old folks are used to seeing. Everyone looks really cool. Superman looks great from his clothing (Supersuit and civilian clothing) to his hair (in both civilian and in uniform). Not to mention a cool little plus; they remembered to give him his baby blues.
The voice cast is really great as well, and I must say that I am especially picky when it comes to Superman's voice, (I still haven't come around to Newbern's Superman voice from JL) so that is a high compliment. I really like Saturn Girl's, Bouncing Boy's and Timber Wolf's voices as well.
It's also a lot of fun to catch little things, like Booster Gold at the Superman Museum or Clark pulling one of those classic Superman poses.
But what's most important (to me anyway) is that they understood what it is that really makes Superman special.
What really makes him Superman.
It's not his powers, although they rarely miss a chance to showcase how truly powerful he is, and thus by extension, how profoundly powerful he will be when he reaches maturity.
And I love that, because lets face it, Supes is in a league of his own when it comes to power, but that's not what really makes him super.
What truly makes him super is his kindness, his compassion, his selflessness and, his courage.
All of which are showcased wonderfully in Legion of Superheroes. Superman is always the first to respond to a call for help, often in blatant disregard for his own safety, and is always the first one there to protect his comrades.
One episode in particular illustrates this point beautifully.
Spoilers ahead.
In "Fear Factory," episode 1.04, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5, Bouncing Boy and Superman find themselves on a very creepy space station that it turns out is sentient and uses fear as an energy source.
To accomplish this, the space station (Quavermass 12)terrifies all those who are unfortunate enough to enter it and freezes them in a state of suspended terror, feeding off their energies.
And the station is quite adept at what it does, it has scanners that identify what exactly it's victims are most frightened of and then puts that scenario into play.
One by one the heroes are picked off, despite Superman's best efforts, until finally only Brainiac 5 and Superman remain. Brainiac then integrates with Quavermass' system in order to discover a way to defeat it.
What he discovers is frightening; to free the victims, Quavermass must be destroyed, unfortunately there is no way to disentangle Brainiac from Quavermass and to destroy Quavermass is to destroy Brainiac 5.
That's the choice, his friend's life or the life of countless victims. Can Superman kill his friend to save others?
The dilemma is a tough one and it is here that we finally discover what Superman's greatest fear is; to lose those he loves, to be incapable of protecting those nearest him.
This is what makes Superman so super.
Lightning Lad feared the 'lightning monster' that attacked him in his youth, Saturn Girl feared roller coasters, Bouncing Boy, the horror movies he watched, and Brainiac 5 feared his reintegration with the 'hive mind' of his native world.
All justifiable fears to be sure, and yet none so altruistic as Superman's. He fears not for himself, but rather for others. Indeed, throughout the entire episode as the heroes are picked off, it is always Superman who arrives first to help them, Superman who is most active in their defense and Superman who is clearly the most desperate to save them.
And yet when the time comes for him to choose between killing his friend and protecting countless innocents, he makes a choice. He destroys the evil space station, and kills Brainiac 5. But in doing so, he saves so many more. (Don't worry, it is revealed at the conclusion of the episode that Brainiac 5 created a backup disk of himself, just in case and all is well)
Thus illustrating yet another facet of Superman's character, his ability to make the hard choices. His ability to do what hurts him the most, for the greater good. Be it physical, emotional or mental pain, Superman is willing to put himself through any and all of these things if it means he can protect someone else.
That takes courage. And Superman has courage in spades, and the folks at Legion of Superheroes got that right too.
On a few occasions throughout the season, Superman's powers are compromised or altogether eliminated.
For those who are unaware, Superman's powers are nonexistent under a red sun, and he is actually vulnerable to magic, so there are ways to render him powerless.
Now, when his powers are eliminated or compromised it would not be unreasonable to assume that he bows out of the action, takes a breather and lets the rest of the Legion handle the problem.
But that's the exact opposite of what he does. In these scenarios, Clark does what he always does; he fights on, protects those that need protection and helps those who need assistance.
It's not as easy as when he has his powers, but he presses on nonetheless. It is clear that his concept of responsibility is not contingent on possessing powers.
And it is also made clear that he is not brave because he has powers, for he displays exemplary courage without them time and again.
Superman is also shown as being slow to anger and quick to forgive. And thank goodness they remembered to do so, for it is that compassion that often sets Superman apart from even other heroes.
The fact that they got all these things right over at Legion of Superheroes was enough to make me an instant fan, but they didn't stop there.
No, they continued to break down every reservation I had about the concept as a whole.
Remember how I said that I didn't like the idea of anyone teaching Supes the ropes about being a hero? Well, it was almost like they read my mind and set about to changing it.
In Legion of Superheroes, Superman is learning the ropes of being a superhero, but he is doing so under the tutelage (so to speak) of young superheroes who were weaned on his legend. The other members of the Legion, with perhaps one exception (Lighting Lad) think of Superman with a certain amount of awe (more than likely the reason for Lightning Lad's jealousy). This dynamic creates a very interesting relationship between Superman and the rest of the Legion. He is not technically the leader, and yet the others look to him for leadership, and he is often the representative of the Legion.
It is truly awesome to see the farm boy Clark, step into the shoes of the legend he will one day become.
And he does so beautifully.
As the series progresses, it becomes clear that although the Legion is supposedly teaching Superman the super heroic ropes, they are actually for the most part, only really teaching him the finer, logistical aspects of the job.
The stuff that truly makes heroes is already within Clark.
The idea that Superman's powers are what makes him super is clearly the idea the folks at Legion of Superheroes want to dispel.
As many people are guilty of that thinking, so too are many of the members of the Legion.
In fact when they first meet Clark (who is looking anything but extraordinary in his white button down shirt, red sweater, jeans and respectably combed back hair) they are skeptical of his identity. Many even expressing disappointment when they first see him, that is of course until they witness a display of his power.
After that most are convinced he is Superman, but it is not until later when they witness his true strength, in his refusal to give up, even when the odds are hopelessly against him, that they, and the audience begin to understand that it is not his powers that make him Superman.
In adventure after adventure, the Legion, and the audience see time and again that what made Superman a legend in their time and ours was his kindness, his compassion, his selflessness and his courage.
And in this way, it turns out that Superman is teaching them more than they are teaching him.
