After being largely absent from the DC Universe for the past several years, the Legion of Super-Heroes are poised to make their return in a big way in a relaunched series by Brian Michael Bendis and Ryan Sook. Living in the far future of the DCU, a coalition of teenagers and young adults from across the cosmos form their own super-team inspired by Superman's example over a millennia before.

To prepare for the team's relaunch, here are some of the best stories and starting points for anyone who wants to jump into the Legion of Super-Heroes.

RELATED: DC's Legion of Super-Heroes Is No Longer From the 31st Century

Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes

Superman Legion of Super-Heroes

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In many ways, Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's run on Action Comics was a love letter to the entire history of the Superman mythos, including the Man of Steel's connections to the Legion of Super-Heroes. One of the most notable stories in the creative team's run had Superman travel to the 31st century to help the Legion deal with a sudden rise in xenophobia on Earth that put the team on the run.

Collecting the entire acclaimed story, Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes works both as a standout Superman story and one for the Legion, as the Man of Tomorrow explores a dangerous, new future to discover what has become of the team that he regularly visited as a boy and faces a deadly new villain. This is a perfect modern introduction to the team that grounds it in the relatively familiar world of Superman.

Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age

Legion of Super-Heroes Silver Age

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The Legion of Super-Heroes debuted in a Superboy story in 1958's Adventure Comics #247 by Otto Binder and Al Plastino as teenagers from the 30th century who traveled back to the DCU's relative present to tell the young Clark Kent how much he had inspired them. As a runaway success with readers, the Legion would subsequently take over as the new stars of Adventure Comics while Superboy would receive his own eponymous title.

RELATED: Legion of Super-Heroes Will Return to DCU Ahead of Millennium

DC's Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age compilation contains the team's first appearance in that classic story as well as subsequent team-ups with Superboy both in the DCU's present and its far future. The collection shows the earliest days of the iconic team and stand the test of time to show how the futuristic ensemble became an instant hit with readers.

Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga

Great Darkness Saga

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One of the most acclaimed Legion of Super-Heroes stories of all time is 1982's "The Great Darkness Saga." From the celebrated Legion creative team of Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen, the landmark tale saw Darkseid resurface centuries after the heroes that had opposed him were long gone, leaving only the Legion to stop him from conquering the universe.

A masterclass in serialized storytelling that was years ahead of contemporaries in mainstream superhero comics, Levitz and Giffen captivated readers for months with the gripping story while balancing the series' extensive cast, who facied years of intrigue and interpersonal drama coming to a head at the worst possible time in the Legion's most decisive adventure.

Legion of Super-Heroes: Teenage Revolution

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One of DC's properties most regularly and significantly affected by continuity revisions through comic book crossover events has been the Legion, with its origins altered dramatically over the years reflecting updates to continuity. One of the most beloved relaunches was by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson in 2004.

RELATED: Jim Lee Pitched Bendis on a Legion of Super-Heroes Series Years Ago

Legion of Super-Heroes: Teenage Revolution collects the creative team's first story arc, reimagined as a 31st century team forming against the repressive society restricting their numerous worlds. The collection includes the relaunch's first appearance in a special that teams them up with the Teen Titans before exploring their own updated origins.

The Legion by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, Vol. 1

DnA Legion

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One of the most prolific sci-fi writing teams in comics was the duo of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, who  revamped the Guardians of the Galaxy into the space-faring team that would serve as the primary inspiration for their incarnation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Before that, however, the duo would retool the Legion of Super-Heroes for DC Comics in a critically acclaimed run.

The Legion by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, Vol. 1 collects the team's first storyline with artists Olivier Coipel, Adam Dekraker, and Jeffrey Moy. This incarnation of the team served as a soft reboot, slightly changing up the team's history while continuing to raise the stakes against the ensemble in a noticeably darker spin on the far future with the Legion actively being hunted across the cosmos. It also sets the stage for Legion Lost, a fan-favorite Legion tale that's still one of the team's creative peaks.

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