David Atwell reviewed Legion of Super-Heroes by Various
Review of 'Legion of Super-Heroes' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
⚞ gulp! ⚟ These stories are totally campy and goofy! As you know, all of the characters have a horrible case of expositionite poisoning, which affects them like Kryptonite affects Superboy--except that instead of becoming weakened, they suddenly have the unavoidable urge to spout off random exposition that everyone around them already knows! And instead of being killed, it kills all tension!
They also incessantly narrate themselves, which means everything is a wall of text! I'll write most of this review in self-describing prose so the readers get the feel for it! I'll even add way more exclamation points than are merited by the story!
One--er--"highlight" is a Lex Luthor robot saying "well, since you are destroying me, I'll tell you everything!" Another is Superman becoming a real creepazoid about Supergirl, basically saying "I'd marry you if we weren't cousins! It's legal in some places on Earth! But I wouldn't …
⚞ gulp! ⚟ These stories are totally campy and goofy! As you know, all of the characters have a horrible case of expositionite poisoning, which affects them like Kryptonite affects Superboy--except that instead of becoming weakened, they suddenly have the unavoidable urge to spout off random exposition that everyone around them already knows! And instead of being killed, it kills all tension!
They also incessantly narrate themselves, which means everything is a wall of text! I'll write most of this review in self-describing prose so the readers get the feel for it! I'll even add way more exclamation points than are merited by the story!
One--er--"highlight" is a Lex Luthor robot saying "well, since you are destroying me, I'll tell you everything!" Another is Superman becoming a real creepazoid about Supergirl, basically saying "I'd marry you if we weren't cousins! It's legal in some places on Earth! But I wouldn't do it, not because that's creepy, but because it's illegal on Krypton! Stupid arbitrary legal jurisdictions! Anyway, thanks for trying to set me up with historical figures and married women and playing into like a half dozen teen girl stereotypes." Plus, keep an eye out for Cosmic Boy sidelining Saturn Girl on one random mission because it's "too dangerous for a girl," even though she's been on a bunch already without so much as an objection!
Plot holes abound. Character motivations are almost as malleable and inconsistent as character powers. They return to the "impersonating a superhero" or the "spurned potential member vows revenge" story well way too many times.
And yet, it was very nostalgic. I read several of these when I was a kid, and rereading them reminded of a nerdy fourth grader hanging off the bed at a weird angle to read a Legion of Superheroes job. They're fun, sometimes because of the flaws but usually in spite of them.