So as I was sorting some back issues, I came across this series and realized I have forgotten what it was about. Legion Secret Origins ran concurrently with volume 7, starting one month after. I'm not 100% why it came about unless Paul Levitz was under some type of contract for 2 series and this somehow fulfilled the contract. We've been told the Legion's history countless times so I may have glossed over this, but still picked it up. The art is by Chris Batista, one of the best artists from the Reboot IMO.
Issue 1 shows the Brande incident with the founders being monitored by 3 other people, an Earthling, a Coluan and a Naltorian called the security directorate. I'm not sure what role this people really serve to the story; they are new characters. What this also sets up that Phantom Girl met Brainiac 5 prior to the Legion while he was working as a contractor for the UP. Admiral Allon also makes an appearance.
Issue 2 starts up with new member Triplicate Girl and the introduction of the Headquarters. Phantom Girl is set up as having a rare gift among her people. We also see Gim Allon express and interest in the Legion as well. We get a small cameo from Marla Latham. The mysterious security directorate know something is coming.
Issue 3 has Brainy investigating a world for the UP and interacting with Admiral Allon. Phantom Girl meets the security directorate. They note she does not disrupt electrical functions but she says she probably could if she tried. The one thing I'm noticing here is there is a lot of youthfulness in the new and prospective Legionnaires. Levitz primarily had them as adults so interesting to see his writing it here. Brande appear to try to get Chameleon Boy in and we find that Brande has Invisible Kid in his employ. The thing I don't understand about this issue is the lack of diplomacy attempts to a perceived hostile enemy. Sure they just killed a world but one would think that they wouldn't just shoot first, knowing that they may have more advanced tech.
A side note here the costumes depicted are interesting with Rokk, Imra and Garth also sporting versions of their more modern costumes, with Phantom Girl and Colossal Boy in costumes more like their originals, and Lyle in his Legionnaires/Reboot costume and Triplicate Girl's looks nothing like any of her costumes.
Issue 4 introduces Circadia Senius. Seems like Levitz is trying to introduce all of the Legion's cast of supporting characters. There seems to be some sort of mutual attraction here between Phantom Girl and Brainy. We see new members formally introduced and Tinya clearly has the ability to disrupt electrical systems if she tries. I still am not sure why Levitz is doing this now as he always wanted to keep Tinya separate from Shadowcat. This series does seem to be focused on her and Brainy a lot but they are usually Levitz favorites.
Issue 5 we see Shrinking Violet and Ultra Boy on the cover but Vi does not appear in this issue. The founders try to go to Superboy but some some shadowy creature sends them back. More alien menace from a wormhole that the Legionnaires assist with.
Issue 6 does hint that Bgztl is something more than may have been previously we thought of in the past. Phantom Girl is pretty useful here. Her intangibility is treated like invulnerability. Why can't Levitz write her like this all the time? We see Chameleon Boy with one of the security counsel members who tried to assassinate Brande. We see more of the shadowy figure which starts to assume a form similar to the Time Trapper. Meanwhile, the Legion closes this wormhole and at the same instant this figure disappears, sucked through a portal. The security counsel Naltorian confirms that is exactly who it is. The visuals here remind me of JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time. Nevertheless, the Trapper does not appear to be the seemingly omnipotent creature we had seen in many Legion adventures.
So I wonder what purpose does this series actually serve? It doesn't set up any new continuity in the post-Flashpoint DCU or make it clear up continuity that Kal El was a member. To retcon in the security directorate and then do nothing with them in vol 7 is wasted. The attacking alien race could have been used as a new villain but we learn nothing about them, who or why they are. Maybe we could have returned to Bgtzl and explored that society again for the modern comic reader. The 0 issue that appears in volume 7 plays into some of this retold origin but nothing really that would have been earth-shattering if this limited series wasn't published. Just a lot of missed opportunity to add something new but that would have continuity. Instead, we got a lackluster volume 7 that never materialized anything new and great, sort of like this mini series.
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