One of the best parts of DC’s upcoming Rebirth is the return of the concept of legacy to the oldest active comic book universe. The last few incarnations of the Justice Society hinged on the idea that the oldest heroes were actively involved in teaching the newest, while The Flash’s solo title slowly began to be the sprawling story of a heroic lineage (albeit one that many writers insist begins with the second incarnation of the hero.) My favorite comic book of all time is a study in legacies heroic and otherwise, even turning the great-grandson of the nefarious Brainiac into a stalwart protector of good, leading to today’s generational query…
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) might say Batman, except they never let any of the legacies actually stick around, asking: Which mantle or shared role is YOUR favorite legacy?
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As a big fan of JSA, I wanna say all of them. Except I usually am against replacing existing characters with new ones, so its kinda strange. I love it when its done celebrating the legacy, like in JSA and I hate it when its done “just because its trendy and shocking”.
Green Lantern tops my list. I don’t like every bearer of a power ring, but the whole idea of a ring of power that is practically limited only by imagination (and usually one other weakness like wood, yellow, etc.) captured my attention as a kid and never let go.
Kamen Rider, Ultraman and Super Sentai come in tied at second. There have been many, many Riders, Ultras and Rangers, and they can be vastly different than those who came before them, but they still share a core idea and fight for what is right. Doesn’t matter if they do it with cybernetics, alien enhancement or heritage, mystical empowerment or anything else. I also love it when all of those series have older characters show up to help or guide (or sometimes do battle with) the new characters.