Growing up, I was starved for comic book movies or shows.
Since that time, lo those many years ago, things have changed quite a bit as I think anyone could tell you. Today, being a nerd who loves comics, video games or best-selling fantasy series and their attendant media spinoffs is par for the course. Things have gotten so out of hand that it's not even obvious to many people who watch shows or see movies based on comics that they are, in fact, based on comics.
Last year, when FX released "Legion," more than a few people I spoke with were quite surprised that it had anything to do with comics, let alone the X-Men. This is despite the superpowers on display and the sometimes subtle and sometimes not so subtle X's that litter the background of the show.
After what seems like an interminable wait for fans, FX has announced that Season 2 of "Legion" will return in April and pick up about a year after the finale of Season 1. Given the mind-bending nature of the first season, I can only imagine that re-watching it will be a prerequisite for Season 2, and I am here to tell anyone who hasn't given it a chance yet to do so before Season 2 starts.
For those unfamiliar with the comic character Legion, also known as David Haller, there is a lot to unpack. Like many of the most powerful mutant characters in the Marvel Comics universe, David is a psychic with considerable abilities, ranging from telekinesis to telepathy to pyrokinesis to the ability to warp time and space.
All of this is made more dangerous due to the fact that David suffers from a severe case of dissociative identity disorder, with some of his identities manifesting erratic and violent tendencies. Plus, there are personalities that physically alter his form.
It is this aspect of his character that series developer Noah Hawley relied on to create the masterpiece of character exploration that was Season 1. Much of the story takes place in memories and mental visits to the psychiatric hospital David spent time in prior to being rescued by mutants resisting shadowy government forces seeking to control them.
It would be impossible to fully explore the depth and complexities of the first season here. In only eight episodes, the show explored David's childhood traumas, the growing love for Syd Barret that helps him heal and in turn helps her as well, the discovery of the evil that exacerbates and possibly caused David's multiple personalities, and the sinister forces working against David and the other mutants of the world.
This is not a show with flashy effects or action-packed superhero scenes. It is a piece that explores the human mind, the tragedies that can twist and change us and the challenges in overcoming them even with superpowers on hand.
Season 2 premieres April 3 on FX; Season 1 is available on Hulu and Amazon.
WILLIAM KULESA can be reached at jjournalcomicbox@gmail.com.