The Legion #25

Dec 2003 · DC · 3.95 USD; 6.00 CAD

📊 ~27,956 copies sold its debut month

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“Foundations”

★ 1st appearance — Babbage

About this Issue

The Legion #25 is the opening chapter of 'Foundations,' a six-part arc deliberately timed to celebrate the team's 45th anniversary, making it a structurally significant milestone within Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning's stewardship of the Reboot-era Legion. It reintroduces Superboy (Kon-El) to the 31st century after a long absence, a narrative pivot that reconnects this version of the team to its oldest creative tradition — the idea that a super-powered teen from the past inspires the far future. The issue also inaugurates the Legion Cadet Program, debuting several new characters (Amp Girl, Retro, Babbage) who expand the bench of that continuity's supporting cast. Framing the opening sequence as a deliberate homage to Adventure Comics #247, the Legion's very first story, the creative team signals that this arc is as much an act of historical reclamation as it is forward momentum.

In "Foundations," the Legion of Super-Heroes prepares for Foundation Day in the 31st century, marking the anniversary of their founding, while a younger generation of cadets looks on. As Cosmic Boy leads a mission on Braal to stabilize a failing stargate, the team uncovers a surprising link to the past—Apparition reunites with her mother, President Wazzo, who has recovered Superboy, while Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy face an unexpected confrontation with Element Lad. Meanwhile, in the 20th century, Clark Kent is taken to Apokolips, setting the stage for a pivotal moment in the Legion's history. Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, with art by Chris Batista, Eric Wight, Tony Harris, Tom Feister, and others, and a striking cover by Tony Harris and Tom Feister, this issue blends legacy, mystery, and the weight of origins.

writer Dan Abnett · writer Andy Lanning · artist Chris Batista · artist, inker, colorist Eric Wight · artist, inker, colorist Tony Harris · artist, inker, colorist Tom Feister · artist Dave Cockrum · artist, inker, colorist Paul Rivoche · inker Robin Riggs · inker Chip Wallace · inker Doug Hazlewood · inker Al Milgrom · colorist Sno Cone · letterer Jared Fletcher · cover Tony Harris, Tom Feister

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MINT $4 NM $4.5 DC Comics Legion #25 (Dec 2003) $1 LEGION #25 $1.95 DC COMICS THE LEGION #25! (2001) $2.99 THE LEGION #25 7.0 DC COMIC BOOK TS66-191 $6.99 Comic Book The Legion #25 DC Comics Superman $13.23

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History

Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning — the British writing duo who had revitalized the franchise beginning with the Legion Lost and Legion Worlds miniseries — the issue was edited by Stephen Wacker and published on October 29, 2003, with a December 2003 cover date. As an oversized anniversary special, it assembled an unusually large art team: primary penciller Chris Batista was joined by Tony Harris and Tom Feister (who co-operatively handled all three aspects of their pages), Eric Wight, Paul Rivoche, and — in a pointed anniversary gesture — Dave Cockrum, the Hall-of-Fame artist most associated with the Bronze Age Legion. The issue was dedicated explicitly to Otto Binder and Al Plastino, the writer and artist credited with creating the Legion of Super-Heroes in 1958.

Trivia · 8 facts

Cover-dated December 2003, published October 29, 2003; the story is titled 'Foundations' and serves as Part 1 of a six-part arc.
Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning; cover art by Tony Harris and Tom Feister; interior art by Chris Batista, Dave Cockrum, Paul Rivoche, Tony Harris, Tom Feister, and Eric Wight.
Edited by Stephen Wacker at DC Comics.
Marks the first appearance of the Legion Cadet Program in Reboot continuity, introducing new cadets Amp Girl, Retro, and Babbage; one unnamed cadet was confirmed in interviews as a rebooted version of classic Legionnaire Kent Shakespeare.
Superboy (Kon-El) is found drifting in space near Braal, setting up his return to the team — a central thread of the 'Foundations' arc.
The resurrection of Live Wire is revealed: his consciousness has imprinted onto the crystalline body once belonging to Element Lad, a major payoff from long-running storylines.
The opening sequence — Servants of Darkness posing as the original Legion founders to lure a teenage Clark Kent to Apokolips — is an in-story homage to Adventure Comics #247 (April 1958), the Legion's first published appearance.
The issue was reprinted, along with The Legion #26–30 and material from The Legion Secret Files 2003, in the 176-page trade paperback The Legion: Foundations (DC, August 2004).