EARTH-PRIME: LEGENDS OF TOMORROW #3/ Scripts by DANIEL PARK & LAUREN FIELDS/ Pencils by PAUL PELLETIER & JOSE LUIS/ Inks by ANDREW HENNESSY & JONAS TRINDADE/ Colors by ADRIANO LUCAS & HI-FI/ Letters by TOM NAPOLITANO/ Cover by KIM JACINTO/ Published by DC COMICS

There is a cruel irony that the Legends of Tomorrow should finally come to the comics that inspired them a few days after their show was cancelled by The CW. The series’ seventh season ended on a cliffhanger which introduced Booster Gold into the Arrowverse, as the team of time-traveling heroes were arrested by the agents of a new time law enforcement agency. This would be an unfortunate way to end the show, and already a fan effort is underway to save the series and get it picked-up by HBO Max, for a finale movie ala The Venture Bros, if not a new season.

Thankfully, Earth-Prime: Legends of Tomorrow #3 exists independent of that baggage and indirectly provides the closure that the show may not enjoy. The main story (written by series’ writers Daniel Park and Lauren Fields) spins a tale of the retired Legends going on a mission to find out why they haven’t heard from their friends for several months. Naturally they are immediately distracted by another problem, as Mick Rory’s children, and their babysitter Mona, are abducted by aliens. Hilarity ensues.

Two other stories round out the issue and are equally enjoyable. One focuses upon the Arrowverse Booster Gold and reveals just what he did after he stole the Waverider in Legends of Tomorrow‘s season 7 finale. The other story, a flash forward to Star City 2049, shows some of the Legends, now older if not wiser, getting together for a drink to discuss their glory days. The assembled friends include a visibly older Sara Lance, confirming that whatever happens after Legends of Tomorrow season 7’s cliffhanger ending, Sara gets out of it intact.

The interior artwork is excellent. Paul Pelletier does a fantastic job of caricaturing the actors from the show and aging them up for the Star City 2049 sequence. Jose Luis does the same with the Booster Gold story. The inks by Jonas Trindade and Andrew Hennessy are of the highest quality, as are the colors by Hi-Fi and Adriano Lucas. Honestly, the only sour point in the artwork is the cover, which is one of the most misshapen and horrific pieces of work I have ever seen. I believe Kim Jacinto would be a fine artist for a Black Label horror title, but may have been a poor choice for creating the covers for a superhero epic like this one.

All in all, Earth-Prime: Legends of Tomorrow #3 offers a spirited look at one of the most underrated superhero series around. It’s humorous tone may have turned off more dour fans, but for my money no single show has captured the sheer creative weirdness of the DC Universe so well as Legends of Tomorrow and this comic is a perfect encapsulation of the show’s appeal. Earth-Prime also shows how the Legends’ adventures might continue, ala the comics devoted to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, should the fan efforts to save the show not be successful.