X-Men Legends #1 (2021)

The concept of the 'fit-in' issue is so much more enjoyable than the 'fill-in' issue. A fill in, traditionally, is when the regular team on a book has fallen behind but the book needs to come out on time. Marvel and DC used to have drawers filled with these, work that wouldn't be published under regular circumstances. Those days have mostly passed now. Just imagine Doomsday Clock where the first two issues were Johns/ Frank, and the next 10 came out as Jim Aparo Batman stories with a Dr. Manhattan caption leading in. "In these times, I'd look back to when the one known as Wayne was younger...".


A fit-in issue is a story that takes place between previously existing material. Marvel had a spectacular one with Untold Tales of Spider-Man by Kurt Busiek and Pat Oliffe. Each story was squared between a Lee/Ditko tale, drawn with an old timey flair, and sold cheap at a remarkable .99 per issue. They were great books (and yes, by all means run out and get them right now or grab the new printing of the upcoming omnibus) and they sold poorly and the title was cancelled at #25.


Nostalgia plays better now, and with that we have X-Men Legends. These are also issues that fit-in between other issues, with one giant asterisk *They have every X-Title available to play with*. That means if you love 90's X-Men (I don't!) you can have Fabian Nicieza and Brett Booth back, with stilted dialogue attempting to sound like Claremont and failing, and elongated figures that never grabbed the Lee, Capullo, or Charest feel they were trying for. If that was your cup of tea, and for many of you it will be, this issue does exactly what it is supposed to do and no one will begrudge you for loving it. That also means if you love Simonson/Simonson X-Factor (I do!), you'll have a return to that in just 2 scant issues. Does that mean this series will be worth bouncing around? It does, especially if the 'good' stuff is good, or your nostalgia bone is tickled in just the right way.