“Legion Lost” continues to feature the Legion (or some of them at least) . . . lost. After following a psychopath back to our time to stop his mad scheme, seven Legionnaires found themselves in varying states of trapped. A couple of them even appeared to be dead. They got better, but in this issue two of the Legionnaires are more seriously trapped, one is preoccupied and one is joyously back in action alongside his teammates.

That action takes the Legion (in this title at least) into a covert government facility where they encounter one of the DC Universe’s more famous aliens: the Martian Manhunter. It’s not a simple hero team-up — after all this is the new DC Universe — so there has to be the standard-issue cliche superhero tussle before both parties can simply agree to work together towards a common good. The method for reaching the agreement is slightly off the beaten path and plays to the eccentricities of this Legion and the Manhunter both.

This issue has a lot of fighting and bickering and some feints at resolution, but the end result is this: these seven Legionnaires are stuck in the present day. Each character has their own spin on their predicament, but in this issue Gates is the most entertaining of the lot. I don’t know much of the character prior to the start of this series, but in this issue he becomes charmingly paranoid. The other characters all have moments of clarity, and the writing duo of Fabian Nicieza and Tom DeFalco delineate each character from the next nicely. By giving each of the lead characters a chance to “narrate” the title in each issue, Nicieza has allowed us to get to know the cast without bashing us over the noggin with recap boxes or hollow monologues.

“Faceplate” (Wildfire’s offbeat nickname in this issue) is still feisty and jockeying for a bigger role in this series, but Tyroc seems steadfast to hold onto a bit of the spotlight for himself. Tellus has the weakest moment I’ve ever seen from this character (including my introduction to him in James Robinson’s work over on “Superman”) that allows for the plot to continue to be dragged out beyond the half-year’s worth of comics it has already filled. That’s not a bad thing, mind you, but it is a little limp in execution.

The art, however, is not limp. Pete Woods is joined by Matt Camp on this issue. While their styles are not identical, they are close enough in weight, economy and detail to allow this comic to hold together quite nicely. As he has a strong handle on this cast of characters, Camp is a good fill-in should Woods need another break. Of course, it helps to have a rock-solid superhero colorist like Brad Anderson filling out the drawings with pigmentation.

This book has continued to offer up consistently enjoyable reading month after month. This issue mixes up superheroic adventure with science-fiction tinged mystery. This cast of Legion characters is stuck in the present for the foreseeable future. This issue cements them into the DCU with story possibilities popping up all around them. I’m looking forward to the second half of the first year of “Legion Lost.”