In a scramble for metahuman supremacy, the self-styled Legion of Justice is the first to make an alliance, and they’ve got the would-be members of the Crime Syndicate in their sights. Are they truly ready to go up against their world’s most powerful supervillains, though? Given how quickly their first mission unravels…it’s safe to say that no one’s ready for what’s happening here. Crime Syndicate #5 is written by Andy Schmidt, penciled by Kieran McKeown, inked by Dexter Vine, colored by Steve Oliff and lettered by Rob Leigh. Back-up story written by Schmidt, drawn by Bryan Hitch, colored by Alex Sinclair, and lettered by Leigh.
I like seeing DC’s most iconic villains as an incompetent group of screw-ups. It’s what makes every classic Legion of Doom meeting so much fun (something we got a delightful reminder of in the latest issue of The Flash). Put enough villains in a room together for enough time and you don’t even need heroes; they’ll tear themselves apart. Whether it’s their egos, their fears, or the simple lack of a united agenda, these are not people who work together well.
As it turns out, this still holds true even when they’re on the side of the angels.
It’s easy to take for granted the importance of teamwork for a super-team, no matter which side they’re on. Most creative teams never really have to think about how easy it is for things to fall apart, so I’m glad the team behind Crime Syndicate continues to embrace chaos in the best of ways. There’s something to the idea that on Earth-3, everyone is too selfish to see past their own needs to come together as one – and that, ultimately, is why the villains win.
How Emerald Knight Thoroughly Kills the Vibe
So now that the Legion of Justice has the Emerald Knight on their side, it’s time to take the fight to the potential members of the not yet formed Crime Syndicate, nipping the threat in the bud. Their first target is the home of speedster Johnny Quick and his size-changing girlfriend, Atomica. The trouble is, this is the Legion’s first outing as a team – and some of them are bringing their own problems to the table.
Emerald Knight’s ring is beyond frustrated to be on a team of goody two-shoes, continually trying to convince the Knight to let loose, and kill. Power Tower – Earth-3’s version of Giganta – seems the most inexperienced of all of them, and is quick to panic. Whatever plan they may have had spins wildly out of control the moment she sees the corpses of Johnny Quick’s family (murdered by Quick himself for their abusive ways, as shown in the back-up origin story).
While I have not been enjoying this art team’s somewhat jarring and inconsistent work on faces, one thing that they absolutely nail is the chaos. Panels that would seem overcrowded clearly capture the action of a fight scene where everything’s happening at once. I’m also really enjoying the character designs for our new Legion – familiar enough for you to be able to identify which Earth-Prime character they’re reflections of, with just enough changes to imply a fascinating history. There’s a lot of thought that’s gone into a world that doesn’t take itself seriously at all, and I feel like that’s the best way an Earth-3 comic can be done.
The end result? Atomica manages to kill one of the heroes before shrinking to escape, and Emerald Knight, overreacting on reflex, kills Johnny Quick. Not the Legion’s finest hour.
Broken, in Any Universe
In the Morning After, we get just enough quiet to see that neither the Syndicate nor the Legion are at their best yet. Ultraman’s only teaming up for fun, power and getting to kill people he really dislikes. Emerald Knight’s switched teams, Johnny Quick’s dead, and Atomica’s out for revenge – only Owlman and Superwoman seem to have their eye on the big picture, and even then, they have their own visions of what that might look like.
Back in Alexander Luthor’s Watchtower, however, it’s clear that the Legion of Justice has things even worse. As Red Hood – our Harley Quinn equivalent – points out, the team has a number of untreated issues that make them all severely unfit for combat. Luthor doesn’t care though – he’s determined to see it through. To fight for a better world, no matter who it hurts.
It’s a little heartbreaking to see. The people that make up the Legion of Justice are, for the most part, people destined to be on the losing side of stories. In most worlds, they’re the bad guys, people whose existence depends on losing to superheroes. On the one world where evil wins, they’re the heroes – and they’re just as bad at it there. Lex Luthor will always stand in opposition to Superman, he will use everyone around him as disposable tools, he will use them clumsily, and for all his intelligence, he will never, never understand why none of it ever works.
On Earth-Prime, the story of Lex Luthor is one of satisfying comeuppance for the villain, time and time again. The story of Earth-3’s Alexander Luthor, however – that’s always been one of despair.
The not-quite-yet Syndicate smashes back through the Watchtower, chaos reigning once again as the villains take the Legion apart embarrassingly fast. While they may not be a cohesive unit, they’re certainly more battle-ready, and not even the Emerald Knight can slow them down. There’s a last-minute reveal that may turn the tide – but is the appearance of Ultragirl merely delaying the inevitable?
I find more to enjoy in this series with each month that passes by. Earth-3 is a concept that’s never going to make complete sense, but once you embrace the chaos, there’s a lot to explore in the twisted reflections of familiar characters. It’s silly, it’s convoluted, but it’s grounded in some compelling concepts – and more often than not, that’s comics at its best.
