Welcome to the second installment of ARTISTIC LICENSE. In this installment,
I take a turn at developing an outline for a Legion of Superheroes Animated Series, as a
way of doing "my" version of the characters.
For a start, the Legion of Superheroes has long been a favorite of mine. Not only is
it about a group of young heroes, it's in a futuristic setting that, a few minor
universal disasters aside, gives us a hopeful view of the future of humanity (and non-humanity).
First of all, I have to say, I like a lot of the elements of the current Legion series.
I like the overall look of the books, and would like to bring much of that to my version.
That is one of the reasons I chose to cast this as an animated series.
For those who haven't read any Legion books, the Legion of Superheroes is a teen
super-group, set in the late-30th Century. Sponsored by billionaire R.J. Brande and the
United Planets, a federation of several inhabited planets, and inspired by the legendary
heroes of the 20th Century, the Legion is designed to be a shining example of heroism and
interplanetary co-operation.
The origin of the Legion is classic. Three young people from diverse backgrounds and
different planets, each gifted with special powers, are travelling to Earth on the same ship.
Imra Ardeen, from Saturn's moon, Titan, a world of psychic adepts, she is a powerful
telepath and is coming ot Earth to join the Science Police, Earth's, and the UP's, elite
police force. Also aboard is Garth Ranzz, of Winath, who gained electrical powers in an
accident, and lastly, Magno-ball champion Rokk Krinn, from Braal, where everyone is gifted
with magnetic powers.
Another passenger onboard was the famous tycoon, R.J. Brande, whose vast business enterprises
include the development and operation of the Stargate technology that is making interstellar
travel economical and has revitalized the floundering UP.
Good times are not always good, for everyone, though. When their ship lands at Metropolis
Spaceport, three hired assassins attempt to kill Brande as he debarks the ship. Imra Ardeen
manages to catch the stray thoughts of one of the killers and shouts a warning, Rokk Krinn
and Garth Ranzz use their respective powers to disarm the thugs, and manage to save R.J.
Brande's life, into the bargain.
Humble to a fault, our three young heroes accept Brande's words of thanks and leave to go
about the business that brought them to Earth in the first place. Brande, being a fairly
generous guy, remains unsatisfied with merely thanking the three. Also, their co-operation in
capturing the thugs has planted the seeds for the solution to what he sees as the greatest
threat to the fledgling United Planets.
