Chris Batista’s Character Sketches for LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN

Landing in comic book stores today and in bookstores everywhere on Tuesday, LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN collects all six issues of the fan-favorite miniseries by writer Paul Levitz (LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES; WORLDS’ FINEST) and artists Chris Batista (Thunderbolts) and Marc Deering (SUPERGIRL).

 

In LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN, learn why the United Planets was formed, who tried to kill R.J. Brande the first time, what great power could leave entire planets desolate and lifeless, and more!

 

A must-have addition to the bookshelf of all LEGION fans, this special paperback collection also includes six pages of Batista’s character sketches. Below, take a first look at these designs and see how this 30th and 31st centuries superhero team looked the first time they came together to defend planetary colonies!

 

Exclusive Preview of LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #6

For the past six months, fans of the Legionairres have seen the team form and develop in the explosive LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN. Today, the miniseries comes to an end and we here at THE SOURCE chatted to its creative team about what it’s been like working on this title and its lasting implications for the Legionairres.

 

“It's been great fun to explore the Legion's beginnings with a new look and new revelations,” writer Paul Levitz told THE SOURCE. “With Chris and Marc's energy, and the combination of new characters and new elements, we've planted bits that will be back in the Legion for years to come!”

 

“It's always a pleasure to return to the Legion,” said co-artist Chris Batista. “Let's hope we get to do this dance again! I hope you all enjoy what we put together.”

 

“Being fairly new to the Legion of Superheroes, I was really most excited to be working with Chris Batista and Paul Levitz,” continued co-artist Marc Deering. “Chris is able to catch some really great acting with his facial features and body language. I loved getting the real emotional story across through the characters acting that Chris brought to every page. Working with those kinds of really confident lines was a dream for me. Then bringing my A-game to the mix was essential. This was a great foray into the Legion for me being aided and guided by two of the Legion’s most enduring creators. Let's do this again!”

 

Click here to see an exclusive preview of LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #6, on sale today.

Exclusive Preview of LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #5

Last we saw the Legionnaires, they decided that they needed to recruit the help of Superman to help defeat the evil attacking their homeworlds. In LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #5, the team finds themselves in the midst of war. And as if that wasn’t enough, they become frozen in both space and time. Will they be able to defeat the alien forces trapping them in time to find out for themselves if the legends about the Man of Steel are true? Or will the Legionnaires be doomed for good? On sale next Wednesday, don’t miss the penultimate issue of LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN, written by Paul Levitz and featuring art by Chris Batista and Marc Deering. [gallery link="file" order="DESC" columns="2"]

Exclusive preview of LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #4

The Legion continues to form as new members join the team. But will the addition of these new faces be enough to stop an army of marauding machines? And when the Legion is given a new mission, which member of the Justice League will they turn to for help?

LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #4 comes to you from the creative team of Paul Levitz, Chris Batista and Marc Deering, and arrives in stores next Wednesday.

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Exclusive Preview of LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #3

Time is running out for the Legionnaires to save the border worlds of the United Planets from an unknown alien menace. But to what extremes will a team that is so young need to go in order to stand a fighting chance against such a grave threat?

LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #3, in stores on Wednesday, is written by industry legend Paul Levitz and is illustrated by Chris Batista & Marc Deering.

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Exclusive Preview of LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #2

If each of the Legionnaires come from planets where all species have powers just like theirs, what are their distinguishing factors? In LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #2, fan-favorite creative team Paul Levitz, Chris Batista and Marc Deering explore what makes the Legionnaires stand out amongst the other super-powered members of their respective races.

When a businessman is targeted by an assassin, it’ll be up to a group of teenangers, all from different worlds, to come together to rescue him. But can they save R.J. Brande before it’s too late? And with the threat of dark premonitions turning into reality, can the United Planets rely on this new army of teenagers to be their last shot at survival?

LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #2 is in stores on Wednesday.

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From The Editor’s Desk: Kwanza Johnson on LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN

My background is in online and digital media, which folks are saying is the future of comic books. So perhaps my evangelization of new technology (i.e. not evil fax machines; bane of my existence), apprehension to papercuts and healthy diet of Millennial broadcastings are why I was assigned to edit LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN, a space saga that takes place in the 31st century of the DC Universe.

Note that I wrote space saga.

Despite the title LEGION often being followed by “of Super-Heroes” (always with a hyphen), this series has long been a galactic odyssey with a tapestry as vast as many other beloved sci-fi series. Looking at DC COMICS-THE NEW 52, it is clear that the line has diversified to embrace a number of other genres, but the LEGION have always been ahead of their time (pun intended) because in the future, puns are cool… unlike the word “cool,” which by three thousand--*cough cough cough*-- is insanely dated.

What is not dated is the killer squad of talent that I have the pleasure of working with on the series; grand maestro of all Legion lore, Paul Levitz, two of my all-time favorite artists, Chris Batista and Marc Deering, who should draw everything involving lasers, rounded out by our hombre of hues, Wes Hartman.

I am sure you’re thinking, why isn’t this jerk writing about the sprocking story? Uhm… “SECRET ORIGIN?” You may think you know how The Legion began but DC flipped the table back in August and it is still spinning in the air by the 31st century. I know because there is an app for seeing the future on my iPhone. It’s called iSee… Stuff and you can’t download it because in the future no one “downloads.”

But since I have wasted your time, on the Internet, where no one wastes time, like never, how about a look at some pages from Issue 2, where a lot of cool futurery (totally a word in the future) cool stuff happens and you can go, “Wow! Look at all those future teens with powers and future!”

[gallery link="file" order="DESC" columns="5"]Okay, one more sneaky bit of info; since each of the Legionnaires come from a planet where all their species have powers like theirs, what exactly makes them so special?

Ah?! Aaaah?! Find out by reading more LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN, the first issue of which hits stores tomorrow.

Exclusive Preview of LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN #1

Who attempted to assassinate R.J. Brande?

What threat brought together the United Planets?

What led to the creation of the Legion of Super Heroes?

In the new 6-issue miniseries, LEGION: SECRET ORIGIN, industry legend and LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES writer Paul Levitz and artists Chris Batista and Marc Deering answer these questions--and more.

The series, in stores next week, brings new insight into the world of the DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 in the 31st Century. Here's the very first look at the series.

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Inque’s Origins Revealed

Whether hero or villain, everyone has an origin story. In BATMAN BEYOND #8, writer Adam Beechen and artists Chris Batista and Rich Perotta weave together the never-before-told full tale of the misunderstood anti-hero Inque.

When a young girl is torn apart by personal tragedy, she does not turn onto the path of justice like her nemesis Batman once did. Instead, she channels her suffering into an involuntary transformation that results in her becoming a member of Gotham’s criminal underbelly.

BATMAN BEYOND #8 is the final issue of this run of the series. BATMAN BEYOND will return with an all-new #1 and story arc, “10,000 Clowns,” in 2012.

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The Beast That Ate A Thousand Power Rings

The events of “War of the Green Lanterns” has had more consequences than the Green Lantern Corps ever fathomed. As a result of the conflict, an ancient evil in the farthest reaches of the universe has broken free, consuming countless Green Lanterns in its wake, feeding on the vast energy of their power rings. To halt its path of raw destruction, the Guardians send an elite crew led by Guy Gardner to find it and halt it — permanently. Can Guy and his team stop this beast before it reaches Oa?

GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD WARRIORS #12 comes from the creative team of Peter J. Tomasi, Chris Batista, and John Dell, and is available in stores today.

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