Legion of Super-Heroes #4 Hands Lightning Lad His First Big Loss as a Hero

Garth Ranzz is still getting used to being a hero, and DC isn't making it easy on him. Legion of Super-Heroes #4, from writer Joshua Williamson and artist Hayden Sherman, hits shelves and digital November 11 as part of the publisher's Next Level banner, and it throws the newly-dubbed Lightning Lad up against his first real threats: Brainiac 1 of 5 and Matter-Eater Lad. Training under a new mentor was one thing; surviving an actual fight against two Legion-caliber opponents is another, and the issue promises Garth comes out of it with the first genuine defeat of his young heroic career.

The loss lands against the backdrop of the series' larger mystery: the Persuaders are still hunting down whoever murdered R.J. Brande, and a strange, unexpected new version of the Legion is starting to take shape around that investigation. Williamson and Sherman have been building the team's reboot slowly since issue #1's "New Origin Story," and a stumble this early for one of its newest members suggests the book isn't interested in letting its young cast coast into instant competence.

Collectors get plenty to chase on the cover side too, with variants from Chris Samnee, Nathan Szerdy, Yasmine Putri, and Sherman himself, plus a Rafael Grampá homage marking Watchmen's 40th anniversary. It's a packed lineup for a title that's quickly becoming one of the steadier reads in DC's Next Level lineup alongside Teen Titans and Doom Patrol.

Source: Comic Watch