J. TORRES ON THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES IN THE 31ST CENTURY

[MattBrady]

In April, another title is slated to join Johnny DC’s collection of titles based on DC’s animated versions of their characters. Joining The Batman Strikes!, Justice League Unlimited and Teen Titans Go! will be The Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century with a kickoff coming from J. (Teen Titans Go!) Torres and Chynna Clugston-Flores.

The series will be, like the other titles, based on the animated version of the properties (showing on Cartoon Network and KidsWB/CW), but will not be a monthly re-telling of episodes.

As the solicitation copy for the first issue reads:

An all-new series spinning out of the smash-hit TV show, written by J. Torres (TEEN TITANS GO, Sidekicks, Alison Dare: Little Miss Adventures) and drawn by the creator of the indie favorite Blue Monday, Chynna Clugston-Flores!

To stop the Fatal Five from destroying Metropolis, the Legion of Super-Heroes travel back in time for reinforcements, because this looks like a job for…Clark Kent?! Can six teenagers from the future help a mild-mannered reporter become the Man of Steel, or will the Fatal Five determine his destiny before it’s even begun?

On sale April 18 • 32 pg, FC, $2.25 US

We spoke with Torres for more about the new series.

Newsarama: Obviously, in the Johnny DC offices, you're a known quantity thanks to Teen Titans Go! and your other works, but was this a done deal before it even got rolling, or did you have to pitch, beg, plead, and threaten people with those pictures?

J. Torres: New Teen Titans and Legion of Super-Heroes were among my favorites comics as a kid, so when I heard there was a Legion cartoon in development I knew there would eventually be a Johnny DC comic book series. Ever since then, I've been letting every DC editor I know that I wanted to contribute to said series, and here I am. But I'm not the only writer on the book and there will be rotating creative teams. I did write #1 and 2, plus a story that I believe will be #4 or 5, and I'm working on another story right now. I'm going to write as many of these as they let me.

NRAMA: Got it. So - for those who may have missed or not yet seen the animated series - what is this "Legion" and how is it related or unrelated to the Legion of Super-Heroes?

JT: The show looks like a cross between Teen Titans and Justice League Unlimited. And its storytelling sensibilities are somewhere in between those two series as well. The setup is that the Legion needs Superman's help to battle the Fatal Five so they travel back in time to recruit him, but they end going too far back and meeting a young Clark Kent as he's about to leave Smallville to work as a copyboy at the Daily Planet in Metropolis.

The main cast consists of Brainiac 5, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl, and Bouncing Boy but we'll also see the likes of Timber Wolf, Cosmic Boy, the Legion of Substitute Heroes, and others. So, we're getting the old and the new a in a great Saturday morning package. With this show, The Batman, and Teen Titans reruns I feel like a kid again on Saturday mornings - it's great!

NRAMA: And just for continuity buffs - that guy with the S on his chest – Superboy, or a young Superman?

JT: They started off calling him Superboy in the scripts and other show material I was given for reference, but somewhere along the way it was changed to Superman. I'm assuming it's a legal thing. Or they wanted to tie it into the new movie franchise. Or both.

NRAMA: Overall, what's your approach to this series? Is it similar to say, Teen Titans Go!, that is, not tied to the series' continuity but not "not" tied to it either? Or will this series be a little closer to the source?

JT: We're skewing it "older" than Teen Titans Go! but it's still all-ages. Jeanine [Schaefer, editor] also wants to take some risks and do "big" stories so we've talked about really cool guest stars and some unlikely villains. The story I'm working on right now is one of these "big" tales with surprise guest stars. So, I guess you can see we'll be going off the show's path a little bit, but there will also be some definite "in continuity" issues, like #1 and #2, which are follow-ups to the pilot episode and Timber Wolf episode respectively.

NRAMA: Are you in communication with the series' writers to know where you can and can't go, or do you have pretty much a clear path? Anything you've been told not to touch?

JT: Actually, I haven’t talked to any of the show's writers and producers the way I did for Teen Titans Go!. This book is coming together rather quickly so there just hasn't been any time. Also, it switched editors from Mike Siglain to Jeanine when Mike took over 52. So, we had to hit the ground running to get the book out a.s.a.p.

NRAMA: That said – if you do have a blank slate to play with, is there anything you're itching to get into? Any versions of Legion characters that you want to lay claim to in the series?

JT: Oh, yeah. The show is bringing in the Legion of Substitute Heroes. I'd love to use them in an issue or two. They're also adapting some classic Legion tales and I'd love to do the same with anything they're not planning to use. I'd also love to get into the romantic relationships a bit, which they seem to only want to hint at on the show. And I'd love to do a Legion of Super-Heroes/Teen Titans Go! crossover if they'd let me! Oh, and a Supergirl story!

NRAMA: Back to the approach you’re taking - a lot of readers will see both the animated series and this book as "kiddie"… but do you write that way? Do you gear to any specific audience in particular?

JT: Well, it has to be "all-ages." The Johnny DC books are designed to be "gateway" comics and from my experience that approach is working and we're helping create a new generation of comic fans. Just check out the letters pages and see how the kids are not only sending in drawings but "discussing" the stories and even responding to each other. But I think there's still a lot there for older readers, and I think this will be especially true of the new Legion of Super-Heroes book which, as I said, will be skewed a bit older. They'll still be "kid tested and mother approved" like the other Johnny DC books I've worked on, but old school Legion fans can expect a bit more I think.

NRAMA: With skewing older, will you be writing muti-part stories or single issue stories?

JT: Right now, we're only doing single-issue stories. The powers that be think it's the best way to make the books accessible to younger readers and repackage them for other markets and formats.

NRAMA: Wrapping things up, how’s about a tgease for your first issue…you said it was tied to the debut episode?

JT: Right - #1 takes the pilot episode and kind of turns it on its head for a different kind of recap and introduction to the series and characters. Chynna Clugston, who is deservedly getting raves for her Teen Titans Go! #38 fill-in, drew Legion of Super-Heroes #1. I think it's Sanford Greene who's drawing #2. That story picks up where the Timber Wolf episode left off as the team is en route back home after leaving Raal. And in my third story, Lightning Lad and Superman kick the crap out of each other.

[khuxford]

I might consider giving this a shot. At the least, I'll give Timber Wolf focused issues a shot.

[nietoperz]

It's the Legion, so I'll be giving it a shot.

[Mike Hayden]

Well i was not too thrilled with Teen Titans. I saw Legion of Super-Heroes it was mildly amusing. I will give this book a shot.

[kitamu re]

so there are no black people in the 31st century...interesting novelty, but I'll pass

[Korvac]

I will buy it. I hope that Triplicate Girl actually shows up, unlike in the show.

[cyberv]

...There's already more of Triplicate Girl in this comic than there's been in the entire ruddy series so far.

[Korvac]

Originally Posted by kitamu re

so there are no black people in the 31st century...interesting novelty, but I'll pass

I'm a huge Legion fan but that's one of my major beefs with the Legion as a whole. The group was so, so white/green/etc until the early 80s (and I'm skipping Tyroc because the character concept was so bad). Even then it wasn't until Kid Quantum II became a major character that I felt the writers were addressing the issue much.

[Uchiha_Prodigy]

Out of curiosity, does anyone actually buy the Johnny DC books?

[IvCNuB4]

Originally Posted by kitamu re

so there are no black people in the 31st century...interesting novelty, but I'll pass

And you're basing this on preliminary sketches of six characters ?

[StevieCool]

Originally Posted by Uchiha_Prodigy

Out of curiosity, does anyone actually buy the Johnny DC books?

I buy them for the little kids in my extended family.

[OM]

Originally Posted by nietoperz

It's the Legion

...And that's the important point this book and the cartoon it's based on happen to make. It's the closest thing we've had to the true Legion of Super-Heroes since the first unnecessary reboot, and especially since the latest one. Which begs the following question:

Q: If Mark Waid's rebooted Legion was so great, why did the animators go with the Cockrum/Giffen eras as their basis?

I recommend buying this book, kids, over the current main Legion title.

[pop monkey]

I haven't even had a chance to watch the cartoon yet, but I'll be picking this up, at least for Chynna's art. Hope she is still able to produce new BLUE MONDAY on the side.

[silverbolt]

ive been looking for this show for MONTHS on my DVD and havent found it. I assumed this along with Fantastic Four was canceled. Is this still on?

[puckett]

Originally Posted by kitamu re

so there are no black people in the 31st century...interesting novelty, but I'll pass

*ahem* jetsons *ahem*

[AirDave817]

Before there was a Johnny DC I was buying The Batman Adventures in all of it's incarnations.
I still read Justice League Unlimited and The Batman Strikes! I bailed on Teen Titans Go! the issue Wonder Girl appeared. I understand the whole licensing thing, but to me the Teen Titans include Kid Flash and Wonder Girl. That was my only disappointment. Now that Teen Titans is history, Speedy seems to be cross-licensed for Titans and JLU and Robin can appear in The Batman? And Batgirl is introduced before Robin...
I didn't see Cosmic Boy included in Legion. I haven't seen any of the episodes. I'm ambivalent to The Legion. I kinda liked the '90's re-boot. But after a while The Legion tends to get re-booted a lot. According to Justice League Unlimited Supergirl stays in the future. And, what that reflects what's going on in the current Legion title? Is that because of what's happening legally with Superboy?

[puckett]

Originally Posted by Uchiha_Prodigy

Out of curiosity, does anyone actually buy the Johnny DC books?

i only buy trades and johnny dc puts out few trades... but i have picked up ones they have.

[puckett]

Originally Posted by silverbolt

ive been looking for this show for MONTHS on my DVD and havent found it. I assumed this along with Fantastic Four was canceled. Is this still on?

wait. fantastic four was on?

[Amoebas]

Originally Posted by OM

I recommend buying this book, kids, over the current main Legion title.

Even tho I still don't like the show's take on Qwerl, imo, until they get around to a Levitz or Shooter All Star Legion - this is going to be the closest thing to a real LSH book there'll be (far more than what Waid is doing).

[DaVeO]

I'll try the first two issues, since Johnny DC is cheaper anyways. Haven't seen the show yet here, just hoping that my fave kid Ultra Boy will appear.

[Ace]

Originally Posted by OM

...And that's the important point this book and the cartoon it's based on happen to make. It's the closest thing we've had to the true Legion of Super-Heroes since the first unnecessary reboot, and especially since the latest one. Which begs the following question:

Q: If Mark Waid's rebooted Legion was so great, why did the animators go with the Cockrum/Giffen eras as their basis?

I recommend buying this book, kids, over the current main Legion title.

It's sure not my Legion. Speak for yourself, pal. Everyone's favorite legion is generally the first that they read, or at least the one they grew up with and I grew up with the post-ZH, pre DnA one, and I can name off 30 things that makes it better than even the Levitz era (and I've read them all) easily, if you'd like me to (most of all being the complete and utter lack of Superboy).

Still, as a general LSH fan, this seems like a good sign that the show will get another season.

[Robert_B]

Originally Posted by Korvac

I'm a huge Legion fan but that's one of my major beefs with the Legion as a whole. The group was so, so white/green/etc until the early 80s (and I'm skipping Tyroc because the character concept was so bad). Even then it wasn't until Kid Quantum II became a major character that I felt the writers were addressing the issue much.

Invisible Kid II was in the early 80s and throughout the Levitz run as a pretty major player. I think he was elected leader as well.

[Mr. Kayak]

Originally Posted by OM

...And that's the important point this book and the cartoon it's based on happen to make. It's the closest thing we've had to the true Legion of Super-Heroes since the first unnecessary reboot, and especially since the latest one. Which begs the following question:

Q: If Mark Waid's rebooted Legion was so great, why did the animators go with the Cockrum/Giffen eras as their basis?

I recommend buying this book, kids, over the current main Legion title.

i agree with everything you said, even if i think the first reboot was fine since DnA came onboard.

i can't wait for this new title, at least i could come back reading the legion!

[khuxford]

I buy the occasional issue of JLU. I think the books can be fine for the older crowd because, as we often forget, super-heroes used to be easily entertaining for both adults and kids...then they went to being predominantly for kids. Now it is predominantly for adults.

The Johnny DC books tell stories that are good for adults and kids. Their main difference with the mainstream books:

1. Done-in-one stories that are, generally, in keeping with the animated shows they are based on (largely because they are attempting to reach an audience through newstand-type venues where readers can't be promised a chance to grab all X issues of an X part story).

2. Less reliance on continuity (which, for me, translates into less need to buy the books with regularity).

I pick up JLU issues that focus on some of my favorite B-list-or-lower characters. I'll pick up this book occasionally...and definitely when Timber Wolf is a feature, I think.

[Uchiha_Prodigy]

Originally Posted by silverbolt

ive been looking for this show for MONTHS on my DVD and havent found it. I assumed this along with Fantastic Four was canceled. Is this still on?

Fantastic Four is due back when the movie comes out I believe.