The new future of the DC Universe continues as the Persuaders are hot on the trail of RJ Brande’s murderer. Will Brainiac 1 of 5 and Matter-Eater Lad solve the case before they’re forced to join the ranks of the enemy? Lightning Lad takes on a new trainer in his quest to be a superhero…but what happens when he learns that in order to be a great superhero, you must have a great super-villain?! Witness the unexpected creation of a new kind of Legion…and be prepared to get shocked! Legion of Super-Heroes #2 begins to create a clearer picture of what’s going on as it narrows its focus a bit and connects some dots.

At the heart of the new Legion of Super-Heroes is a muder mystery. Written by Joshua Williamson, the muder of RJ Brande seems to be the thread that’s connected to key individuals from the classic Legion of Super-Heroes. My knowledge of those characters and history is sparse, which made me appreciate the first issue but not totally love it. Legion of Super-Heroes #2 narrows the focus in some ways by primarily dealing with the murder but also the connections to everything else set up.

Williamson does a good job of both making things clear and not at the same time. There’s the murder mystery which is pretty clear in the story. Then there’s Lightning Lad who takes on a trainer and it’s hard to tell how much bullshit is being spewed. It’s a nice balance to make it clear that not everything is as it seems and leaves space to guess how straightforward what’s being presented is. Goals and beliefs feel like they my be exaggerated but it’s also easier to figure out who clearly the villains are here. It puts that first issue more in focus but not completely clear.

Hayden Sherman‘s art continues to be fantastic. With color by Tamra Bonvillain and lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, the comic has a great style about it with fantastic layouts and solid settings that feel alien but not distracting. The character designs are solid as well. But, as usual, Sherman’s page layouts is where things really shine. Sherman has shone over and over again its a comic where the art is great but is taken to the next level in how it’s presented. This isn’t an artist who sticks to boxes to tell a story with the flow of the page helping add to the narrative.

Legion of Super-Heroes #2 is an entertaining issue that does a good job of building off of the debut. While the first issue might have been a little confusing for new readers, this second issue lays things out a bit easier and allowing the dots to be connected. It’s slowly building to the classic Legion it feels like while teasing at an even bigger story to come.

Story: Joshua Williamson Art: Hayden Sherman
Color: Tamra Bonvillain Letters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.35 Overall: 8.3 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle