SDCC: Legion Panel

Immediately following the Timm retrospective, Warner Bros. Animation presented a sneak peek at Legion of Super Heroes, a new Superman-themed half-hour adventure series inspired by the DC Comics series and set to air Saturdays this fall at 11:00 AM ET/PT in the Kids’ WB! programming block on the new CW.

Pictured in the large pic, from left to right: Producer James Tucker (Justice League Unlimited), story editor Rob Hoegee (Teen Titans), Shawn Harrison (Timber Wolf), Kari Wahlgren (Saturn Girl and Triplicate Girl), Michael Cornaccia (Bouncing Boy), Yuri Lowenthal (voice of Superman), and Andy Milder (Lightning Lad).

Tucker and Hoegee described the show; In the 31st century, super-heroes havent been around for awhile, so a group of teenagers gather together and form their own club. And yep, they've got a clubhouse and flight rings, just like in the comics. Stylistically, they described the show as a "middle ground between Teen Titans and Justice League Unlimited."

The show owes a lot to the Silver Age version of the team. When asked why they used old names like "Lightning Lad" instead of "Livewire," James Tucker said simply, "Classic. Old School. It works." And Rob Hoegee talked about capturing the fun and adventure of those comics. Both agreed the original code names worked best for those very reasons.

When battling the Fatal Five, The Legion needs some serious help. So Brainiac 5 tries to pluck Superman from the timestream, but gets a much younger version instead. In fact, it's before Clark even BECOMES Superman.

As for Superman, Rob Hoegee noted, "The Legion teaches Clark how to use his powers - and Clark teaches the Legion how to be heroes." Yuri Lowenthal (voice of Superman), stated that this job seemed "too good to be true." He loves playing Superman and also said that one of his favorite moments is when Clark discovers the museum in his honor.

Saturn Girl is described as the mature one in the group. Kari Wahlgren (voice of Saturn Girl) delighted in that aspect of the character. Lightning Lad is the hothead. And Timber Wolf "likes to pick stuff up and maul people." James Tucker described Timber Wolf as very much like "The Fonz" of Happy Days. Shawn Harrison's (Timber Wolf) deep baratone growl sure sounds spot-on.

Brainiac 5 is the biggest departure from his comic book counterpart; Although descended from the evil Brainiac, Brainiac 5 is very much learning what it means to be a real boy. The creators likened him to Pinnoccio.

Andy Milder (Lightning Lad) said it was a thrill to work on Legion and said he's been a fan of Legion since he was a kid. He even admitted he had a cat named Streaky.

As for the use of members, the team said it was like casting a TV show; You look for the right mix of characters. But this IS teh Legion - and you will see a bunch of fun cameos in the first season. One fan asked, "Supergirl, Mon-El or Ultra Boy?" James Tucker said one of those three characters will appear in season one. We were also assured the Legion wouldnt be the Legion without Matter Eater Lad. "Just beause you don't see them in the line-up, doesn't mean they aren't in Legion," Tucker assured us.

As for villains, look for the Fatal Five to be a major thorn in their side. The team also seemed very excited about their take on the classic Legion foe, Starfinger. The 2-part season finale would be very "menacing" and is an adaption of a classic Legion story.

The 31st century is looking pretty cool, judging from the panel. Long Live Legion!