The Legion of Super-Heroes Online Companion Volume 5: House Ads

The fourth volume of the Legion of Super-Heroes was no exception. A house ad appeared in DC's New Format comics which were cover dated October, 1989. This is significant because although the Legion would not appear in DC's New Format (it would appear a notch above, in their Deluxe Format), the same ads appeared in both lines, and the publisher was hopeful that individuals who were already buying such comics as Animal Man and Doom Patrol would give the Legion a try. In the same issue, Jenette Kahn's "Don't Call Me Chief!" column also focused on the relaunch of the title, an article which can be read in its entirety here.

From all appearances, it was the intention of the Legion creators to appeal to the same audience as DC's other, pre-Vertigo titles. Unfortunately for the Legion, the approach caused a mixed reaction in fans. Some went along with it, and others considered it blasphemy. Still, all things considered, the title lasted about as long (preboot) as the other comics mentioned above, so whether it could be called a success or a failure depends upon one's perspective.

Next came the ad announcing the sweeping changes which had been made to Legion continuity. A few months earlier, as a result of the infamous "Superboy Edict," the Legion of Super-Heroes was no longer permitted to make any references to its past history with Superboy. A questionable decision which was later reversed due to the fact that the Superman writers had themselves not been made aware of it (and had thus included the Legion and Superboy in one of their stories), changes needed to be made in order to keep Legion continuity whole. In the Legion of Super-Heroes # 8 the Legion's new history was told, with Valor (the former Mon-El) in the place of Superboy. Since not even the Kryptonian surname El was allowed to be used, Mon-El had to be renamed.

The next Legion ad was featured in a more prominent position on the inside front cover of New Format and Deluxe comics cover dated July, 1991. It advertised the "thematic sequel" to the most successful Legion story, "The Great Darkness Saga," in the form of "The Quiet Darkness." Appearing in black and white, it showed Legion readers the job which Tom McCraw was faced with every month as Legion colorist. Difficult to see at first, the ad featured Timber Wolf in his "Furball" persona protecting Aria and Lori from the bounty hunter Lobo as an artistic interpretation of Darkseid looks on. Whether the ad boosted sales is uncertain, but given DC's placement of it in a prominent position, it is fair to theorize that they hoped that a sequel to the critically acclaimed and financially successful "Great Darkness Saga," asked for by readers for years would draw in those fans who had left the title in the intervening period. Unlike the previous two Legion ads, this one also appeared in the Legion of Super-Heroes itself, in the issue preceeding the saga.

Next up are the ads for the Legion spinoff series Valor. While technically a spinoff of the crossover series Eclipso: The Darkness Within, it featured the 20th Century adventures of the former Mon-El before he joined the Legion of Super-Heroes. Curiously enough, not a single ad for the launch of the series ever appeared in a Legion comic. While one would assume that would be Valor's target audience, apparently the brass at DC felt otherwise. The ads are taken from, of all places, Valor # 1. The logic of advertising a comic to someone who has already purchased said comic aside, Valor was eventually brought back into the Legion fold with guest appearances of Legionnaires and the crossover event, "End of an Era." In order to see the second ad, simply place your mouse over the picture to the right.

In direct response to the dark tone of the adult Legion series was Legionnaires, a comic featuring the SW6 Batch Legionnaires in new names and new costumes. Advertised in the Legion issue in which they debuted their new look, the series was also backed by a poster and a t-shirt. Lasting less than two years before the Zero Hour reboot, Legionnaires was a throwback to the style of previous Legion eras, complete with headshots of all the featured characters of each issue on the splash page. After the reboot, the title continued without characters such as Computo, Catspaw, and Dragonmage, who were removed from continuity during Zero Hour.

Just before the "Legion on the Run" storyline was introduced, the Legion faced Glorith in a battle in which various characters were either aged or deaged beyond their years. Leading directly into the "1st Issue of a Brand New Era" which appeared the following month (which included a die-cut cover), the advertisement prominently featured Glorith in an apparent attempt to tap into the "bad girl" market which existed at the time. The ad was displayed in all of DC's newsstand comics that month for maximum exposure.

DC's attempt to market the Legion at this late stage of its preboot may be considered puzzling when it is considered that the decision had already been made to revamp it following Zero Hour. As controversial as the entire "Five Years Later" Legion had been, the decision to erase all of Legion continuity up to that point and replace it with a rebooted Legion of Super-Heroes was even more controversial. "End of an Era" sought to tie up all of the loose ends which had found their way into the Legion due to the various "continuity patches" which had been applied in the past. Ironically enough, it was John Byrne's reboot of Superman which removed Superboy from the Man of Steel's past which had begun the erosion of the Legion's history. When it was all over, both the Legion of Super-Heroes and Legionnaires had been relaunched with zero issues, and a new continuity had replaced the old.

The image to the right is not a bumper sticker. Instead, it was the last Legion ad. Featured on the letters page of Valor # 23, it warned of the upcoming changes to the Legion of Super-Heroes and was the last time an effort was made by DC Comics to persuade readers to purchase the preboot Legion of Super-Heroes. Presumably the ad was designed to entice those who bought Valor and Valor alone to buy the Legion, if they were not already doing so. Since # 23 was the final issue of Valor, no effort was spared to ensure that its readers would know where to look for the next issue of its storyline.

Did they work? Although DC Comics does not release sales figures, the general consensus has been that it was not sales, but continuity problems, as well as a general dislike of the direction which the fourth volume of the Legion had taken which were responsible for its demise. It's no secret that higher-ups at DC did not like the title, and that the creative crews which worked on it were continually plagued by interference from above. Still, had the comic been a best-seller, it is unlikely that it would have been changed. It's fair to say that while the Legion of Super-Heroes was in no danger of cancellation, neither was it living up to its expectations. Whether the drastic measure of a complete and total reboot was necessary is something for Legion fans to debate, but whether the advertisements in its favor helped the fourth volume of the Legion of Super-Heroes saleswise is arguable. Until the day when such figures become available (if they ever do), Legion fans are left to only wonder at the success - or lack thereof - of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Volume Four.