From: [d--u--a] at [yang.earlham.edu]
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: LSH FAQ: Part 3
Date: 23 Sep 93 03:28:11 GMT
THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS LIST
version 1.1
Compiled by Doug Atkinson
([d--u--a] at [yang.earlham.edu])
Part 3
Questions covered in this section:
7. What are the origins of the new characters? And who
created them?
8. What is it with Bounty?
9. What was Black Dawn?
10. What is the connection between the LSH and
L.E.G.I.O.N.?
+11. How was the moon destroyed? And who is Dev-Em?
*12. What was the Adult Legion story?
==================================================================
7. What are the origins of the new characters? And who
created them?
Two Legionnaires, Kono and Kent Shakespeare, have never
had their origins given within the comic itself, though they have
been given in WHO'S WHO and the DC Heroes Sourcebook. For the
benefit of those who read only the comic, their origins are:
Kono: Kono's mother was a major technology raider for
Sklar. At one point she aided the Hag (who was actually the White
Witch) and was given a blessing: her daughter would have mighty
abilities and know glory and adventure as had no Sklarian before
her. When her first daughter, Brita, was born, she turned out to
have the ability to transfer mass between objects. She grew up
raiding with her mother. However, when the Great Collapse hit,
the Khunds invaded Sklar; Kono used her powers to render all their
clothes immaterial. Horribly embarrassed, they put a heavy price
on her head, and she was forced to flee, eventually winding up
smuggling Silverale on Rimbor. She started out competing with Jo,
but he wound up taking her into his group.
Kent: He grew up in Metropolis, and was studying to be a
med student when he was exposed to a mysterious virus. He was
brought to Brainiac 5 for study; it was determined that he was
being transformed into a powerful metahuman. He joined the LSH as
Impulse, and was selected as a target by Earthgov. Quitting after
Black Dawn, he was forced to move around, being sheltered by other
Legionnaires. He joined the Braalian Militia with Rokk, and
served there until Venado Bay. Eventually Garth and Imra got him
a job on Quarantine.
Celeste's origin has never been clearly stated, though she
is definitely a niece of Leland McCauley III. No essential
information about her or Devlin is available that has not been
given in the comic. [The origin of her Green Lantern-like powers
is unclear.]
Creator credits: Kono was created by Mary Bierbaum.
Devlin was created by Tom Bierbaum. Celeste, Kent, and Bounty
were created by Al Gordon. (Bounty was "created" by him in the
same sense that Paul Levitz "created" Sensor Girl.) Sade was
created by Jason Pearson.
==================================================================
8. What is it with Bounty?
Bounty first appeared in LSH v4 #6 as Celeste's partner,
with no explanation of her origin. Many LSHers commented on her
resemblance to Dawnstar, and so did many fans. Roxxas seemed to
recognize her, and said she'd changed her wardrobe and hair.
(Dawnstar had black hair, and Bounty's was dark brown. Dawnstar
tended to dress in skimpy yellow things, while Bounty was wrapped
to the neck in basic black.) When she was injured, Querl's medical
scan mentioned mysterious scar tissue, and he apparently
recognized her.
In v4 #36, it was confirmed that Bounty was, indeed,
Dawnstar, but possessed by something. After being badly injured
in a battle with Sade, the entity abandoned her and left for parts
unknown. (The scar tissue was from the removal of her wings.)
This Bounty is not the first to go by that name in an LSH
story, however. The first one appeared in SLSH #234, and it is
quite possible he was possessed by the same entity. From WHO'S
WHO IN THE LSH #1:
"BOUNTY: Jaeger Tallspirit of Minerstown.
"The son of rebels Maire and Redwind, Jaeger grew up on a
colony planet. Both parents hated it; his mother because she
resented being in hiding after her mostly successful career as a
hijacker had been jeopardized by too many sightings and a new
family, his father because he missed the open skies of homeworld,
Starhaven. They couldn't return to Earth, because Maire would be
caught, and Starhaven was impossible because Redwind's cousin was
a Legionnaire. [Dawnstar.] They settled into an uneasy life in
Minerstown, always ready to run if necessary.
"When the Science Police came to arrest his mother for
theivery [sic], young Jaeger's life was shattered. Hardened, he
became the ultimate loner, turning his tracking skills to bounty
hunting, bringing in fugitives dead or alive and making a point of
doing so before the Science Police could reach
them. He wanted to show them that they could be beaten, legally.
Torn between love and justice, he turned bitter and ceased caring
about the people he captured..."
The profile of this Bounty matches that of the later one
in many ways. Both have a background from Starhaven and tracking
skills. Both underwent an abrupt change into bounty hunters, and
both dressed entirely in black. It is quite possible that there
is a connection between the two; perhaps both were possessed by
the same entity, or perhaps Dawnstar was possessed by the spirit
of the original somehow.
==================================================================
9. What was Black Dawn?
Black Dawn was a crisis that culminated August 12, 2991.
It was a great disaster of some sort, but its nature has never
been fully explained. What is known:
The crisis stretched over at least a month, and put great
pressure on the LSH. Team leader Sensor Girl had already
resigned, and deputy Timber Wolf was unable to cope, so Sun Boy
took over the team to guide it through (and remained leader for a
few months afterwards).
The crisis would prove to be a turning point in a number
of ways. Full Dominator control of Earthgov began at this time,
and it led directly to the collapse of the LSH. Many members quit
afterwards, and public perception of the team was lowered
considerably.
The crisis cost the LSH several members; Reflecto was
killed by Molecule Master during the investigation. Timber Wolf
was hit by radiation and seriously injured, eventually leading to
his transformations into Furball. Wildfire was "lost" in an
unspecified manner.
From the evidence, some conclusions can be drawn. If it
is true that Wildfire is the sun, it seems likely that the crisis
involved Earth's sun. Given the name, it probably involved an
attempt to shut off or destroy the sun. (Perhaps more likely the
latter; the Sourcebook has a line from Polar Boy saying "If not
for the LSH at Black Dawn, you'd be ashes now.") Wildfire may have
used his energies to re-ignite it or stop the destruction. The
original Molecule Master was a servant of the Time Trapper, so
Glorith may possibly have been involved somehow.
==================================================================
10. What is the connection between the LSH and
L.E.G.I.O.N.?
Essentially, L.E.G.I.O.N. is a series set in the 20th
century that utilizes many of the settings and background of the
LSH.
LEGION (omitting periods to speed typing) was a spin-off
of Keith Giffen's INVASION! crossover of 1988. It was an attempt
to give the modern DC universe a more coherent background of
aliens; competitor Marvel Comics has well-established traditions
of the Skrulls, Shi'ar, and Kree, but DC aliens tended to be one-
shot invaders. INVASION! had Earth being invaded by a number of
established alien races, some from the 20th century, and some LSH
aliens appearing in the 20th century for the first time. (20th
century aliens were the Citadel [Omega Men], Psions [Omega Men],
Thanagarians [Hawkman], and Okaarans [Omega Men]. LSH aliens were
the Dominators, Khunds, Gil'dishpan, Durlans, and Daxamites.)
LEGION was founded by a variety of aliens who had been
captured by the Dominators. Many of them had a connection to the
LSH.
THE DURLAN (unnamed) would be seized by Glorith and
brought to the 30th Century, to become R.J. Brande. He would be
robbed of his memory, but enough of it would be restored that
LEGION would be a dim influence on the LSH.
VRIL DOX II is the adopted child of Brainiac, given him by
the Computer Tyrants of Colu to seem more human. He is the
legendary hero who overthrew the Computer Tyrants, and an ancestor
of Brainiac 5. The Computer Tyrants came back personified as a
villain who may have later become Pulsar Stargrave, an LSH
villain. (Vril has been in Brainiac 5's origin since the '60s,
but he never appeared until LEGION. Stargrave first appeared in
SBOY #223, and had a muddled origin in which he may be the
original Brainiac or the heart of a star personified, or
something.)
LYRISSA MALLOR was planetary champion of Talok VIII and an
ancestor of Shadow Lass. Her daughter, LYDEA MALLOR, is in the
book, and showed up in LSH twisted into a Servant of Darkness.
GARRYN BEK was at one point taken over by the Emerald Eye
of Ekron, as was his wife, MARIJ'N, although it was apparently
destroyed. (Uh-huh.)
LAR GAND hung around for a while; he became the LSH's
Valor eventually. (His father was one of the Daxamite observers
during the Invasion; he died sending a message to Daxam).
PHASE is LSHer Phantom Girl, sent back in time by Glorith
and rendered amnesiac.
STRATA, a Dryadian, survived to be the last female of the
race (and showed up in v4 #3).
==================================================================
11. How was the moon destroyed? And who is Dev-Em?
The destruction of the moon was shown in ADVENTURES OF
SUPERMAN #478, and its repercussions in LSH v4 #19. Essentially,
Superman was involved in a time travel story that involved
alternating between the past and the future. Large amounts of
energy were apparently necessary to catapult him through time.
At the end of the crossover, Superman arrived in 2995,
where mad Daxamite Dev-Em was involved in a pitched battle with
the LSH. Dev-Em ultimately decided to activate a destruct system
the Dominators had installed (Operation: Triple Strike). With the
help of Superman, Dev-Em was defeated, and Imra was able to
disable the destruct device. However, the Linear Man, who had
been behind the time trip, realized that the moon had to be
destroyed to maintain history as it was established. He re-
activated the system, sending Superman back in time and destroying
the moon. (The LSH managed to escape, and Dev-Em was later
revealed to have survived.)
The "Time and Time Again" storyline, of which this was a
part, appeared in ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #476-8, SUPERMAN #54-55,
and ACTION #664-5.
Dev-Em is an old character who has been through two major
retcons, both to bring him into line with continuity and give him
a more reasonable origin.
He first appeared in either ADV #287 in the 20th century,
and #320 in the 30th, as a juvenile delinquent from Krypton who'd
survived its destruction. He met the LSH as a member of the
Interstellar Counter-Intelligence Corps (ICC) while going against
Molock the Merciless. He remained a minor background character
for a while, appearing in the Great Darkness Saga and getting a
minor story in TLSH.
After the Pocket Universe was created, Dev-Em was turned
into David Emery, boy from Earth. His parents were Titanians who
emigrated because they had no powers. David inherited a strong
(recessive) latent talent from them, and, essentially, wished
himself into a Kryptonian. He made up an origin, the one given
in his first appearance (which was a false memory given to
Superboy and Mon-El.) [This origin appeared in WWITLSH, but never
in the series itself.]
After the Pocket Universe was destroyed, his origin didn't
really work (Kryptonian survivors were commonplace pre-Crisis, but
rare post-Crisis), so he was given a new origin in WHO'S WHO, one
more in keeping with the original. He became a 20th Century
Daxamite juvenile delinquent, who left Daxam to use his powers.
Lead-poisoned, he was sent to the future by Valor so advanced
medicine could cure him. He still joined the ICC, but became more
and more erratic until, finally, he went on his lunar rampage.
Afterwards, he was somehow found by Leland McCauley IV, put in
suspended animation by an Emerald Eye, and added to McCauley's
"collection." His condition following McCauley's loss of the Eye
in LRS #6 is unknown.
==================================================================
12. What was the Adult Legion story?
The Adult Legion stories were future stories set in the
adulthoods of the LSH, which Superman occasionally visited. Their
first appearance was in SUPERMAN #147. (Although the LSH that
Supergirl originally joined was said to be made up of the children
of Superboy's LSH, that was long ago retconned away.) Originally
they were composed of Lightning Man, Cosmic Man, and Saturn Woman,
with opponents Lightning Lord, Cosmic King, and Saturn Queen, the
Legion of Super-Villains. (See accompanying section on the LSV.)
The Adult Legion came into its own in ADV #354-5, with a
full story detailing the futures of the characters. This story,
written by Jim Shooter, proved to be pivotal in determining the
futures of many Legionnaires. Several characters made their first
appearances in this story, and their introductions, marriages and
deaths were used as a guideline by writers for a long time.
Paul Levitz finally made a conscious effort to break away
from the Adult Legion straitjacket, in LSH v2 #300. (Actually, the
breakup of Ayla and Brin a few issues earlier could be seen as the
same thing.) "Shadow Woman," a Caucasian, was pictured among the
dead Legionnaires as having "died saving the Science Asteroid."
Blue-skinned Shadow Lass was introduced a year later, and there
was not necessarily any connection between the two. In LSH v2
#299, she appeared wearing pink makeup, a new costume (resembling
the one in ADV), and calling herself "Shadow Woman." She and Mon-
El were summoned to the Science Asteroid to save it from the
Khunds; she appeared dead in the battle but in fact survived it.
The same issue had the first true appearance of Douglas
Nolan, Ferro Lad's twin brother, who had been introduced in this
story. His mutant mind was somehow reaching into alternate
universes, and he was experiencing them fully. The Adult Legion
was clearly implied to be just one of these alternate universes,
not a proven future for the characters.
In v4 there has been a small amount of return to the Adult
Legion. Although the writers aren't following the future shown by
any means, they are drawing on it as a source of inspiration.
STORY ELEMENTS INTRODUCED IN THE ADULT LEGION AND USED BY LATER
WRITERS:
1. Chemical King: Seen in the gallery of dead heroes;
"Sacrificed his life to prevent World War VII." Chemical King
was introduced into the true LSH in ADV #371, and remained a
minor member for several years. In the '70s it was decided to
kill him, in part because of the Adult Legion, in part because
he was considered a boring and confusing character. He died in
SBOY #228, preventing Dark Circle agent Deregon from starting
WWVII.
2. Reflecto: A dead hero; "Killed in a duel with the Molecule
Master." He has been used in two ways. The first Reflecto to
appear was in LSH v2 #277, and was actually Jo's amnesiac
personality possessing Superboy. Jo had been believed dead and
given a statue in the gallery of dead heroes. The Molecule
Master, who had previously appeared in SBOY #201, fought the
LSH (including the somewhat memory-confused Superboy, who had
abandoned the Reflecto identity by this point) in LSH v2 #281.
The android was destroyed, and in the course of the story the
Jo/Superboy matter was sorted out, so technically Reflecto was
"killed" by Molecule Master. (The fight, which had several
LSHers ganging up on the android, scarcely qualified as a duel,
however.) The Ultra Boy statue was altered into one of
Reflecto, thereby more or less fulfilling the Adult Legion
prediction.
The second Reflecto to appear was the planetary hero of Rimbor
and a rejected LSH applicant (as shown in LSH ANNUAL v4 #1).
He joined the LSH during the Five-Year Gap, and according to
the Sourcebook: "Only months after joining, Reflecto was
searching for criminals involved in the famous Black Dawn
disaster when he was attacked by an android named Molecule
Master... Reflecto's power protected from most of the Molecule
Master's attacks, but what Reflecto didn't know was that the
android was also releasing a slow-acting poisonous gas that
seeped past Reflecto's protective power. This dishonest and
cowardly attack succeeded, and Reflecto died on July 7, 2991."
3. Lightning Man and Saturn Woman: Their marriage (shown in a much
older Superman story) was confirmed in this story.
4. Night Woman and Cosmic Man: Their marriage was also shown here.
(Rokk also has a receding hairline in both books, though it's
more dramatic in ADV.) Rokk is pictured as leader of the team;
he is, currently, but without his powers.
5. Mon-El: "...left the Legion to become a space explorer!" This
is what he is doing in the current series.
6. Matter-Eater Lad: "He left the Legion to serve his world!" In
SBOY #212 he was drafted into Bismoll politics and became a
Senator. (In this story he was shown as President, which is
unlikely now, though he was mentioned as a likely prospect
several times.) The Adult Legion story was even mentioned in a
footnote in the SBOY story.
7. Colossal Man: Grew a beard, but "was forced to quit the Legion
because an injury robbed me of my size-increasing power! But
the LSH had given me the experience I needed to land this job!
[member of the Intergalactic Guard]" In v3 he was given leg
injuries by Starfinger II; by v4 they prevented use of his
power, and he joined the Science Police (not the Intergalactic
Guard, as shown here. There has never been an Intergalactic
Guard in the series, to my knowledge). He grew a beard during
the Five-Year Gap.
8. Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel: "I lost my Bouncing Boy powers
again...but I didn't care when Duo Damsel agreed to marry me!"
This occurred in SBOY #200, with no explanation of how his
powers were lost. (He had previously lost his powers much
earlier in ADV.)
9. Polar Man: "Polar Man! So you're in the Legion now, eh?"
"Yes...with so many members quitting the Legion and the
Substitute Heroes, the two groups merged!" Polar Boy joined the
LSH in LSH v3 #14; most of the former Subs joined the team
during the Five-Year Gap. (Although most of the LSH did leave,
the only full-time Subs to quit were Polar Boy and Night Girl.
The team did disband after Brek quit, though.)
10. Timber Wolf: Formerly Lone Wolf, shown as having joined the
LSH here. He first appeared in ADV #327 as Lone Wolf and
refused to join them then; he did join in ADV #372, as Timber
Wolf. This issue marked the first use of the new name.
11. Echo: Introduced here as a member of the LSV. He joined the
LSH instead, during the Five-Year Gap.
STORY ELEMENTS INTRODUCED IN THE ADULT LEGION AND NOT USED TO DATE
(Note: Anything in this list could still occur, if a
writer wanted to stretch things enough. Some are more likely than
others. Also, none of the LSHers have used the altered codenames
given here, except Tasmia, who called herself Shadow Woman
briefly.)
1. Shrinking Violet and Duplicate Boy: Pictured as married and
living on Lallor, with two children. Vi and Duplicate Boy
broke up after she was rescued from imprisonment, and are
unlikely to get back together; Duplicate Boy is being held in a
prison camp by Khunds, and Vi may or may not be in another
relationship.
2. Light Lady and Timber Wolf: Pictured as married, with children
Brin, Bran, and Loni. They broke up after the Great Darkness
Saga. [Note: Paul Levitz was the first writer to break up
long-standing LSH romances--Vi/Duplicate Boy, Ayla/Brin, and
Nura/Thom.] Timber Wolf is in the 20th Century, and Ayla
likewise may or may not be otherwise involved. Timber Wolf has
returned to the 30th Century, but they are unlikely to get back
together. (Their romance does postdate this story, however, so
the story was followed in this respect.) This story also
implies that Ayla never regained her lightning powers.
3. Ultra Man and Phantom Woman: Both retired, with Jo as a
quadrant director of the SP. Their children, Ronn and Arna,
inherited their powers. In the real continuity, Tinya is in
the 20th Century with amnesia, and believed dead by everyone.
Jo is unlikely to join the SP or retire any time soon, but this
could still happen.
4. Dream Girl and Star Boy: Retired, married, and living on Xantho
[sic] in this story, with Thom as an astronomer. They broke up
in v3. Thom has married someone else, and shows no signs of
becoming an astronomer.
5. Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel: Pictured as having a son with
triplicating powers; they have no children yet, but this could
also still occur. Also, they aren't living on Carrg [sic] as
shown here.
6. Beauty Blaze: Introduced as a new member of the LSV, but never
introduced in the series. (The closest character is Flare of
the Fatal Five.)
7. Lex Luthor and Mr. Mxyzptlk: A descendant and the brother of
the originals, respectively, they joined the LSH in this story.
No equivalents have appeared, except possibly the Zrfffian imp
referred to in the alternate and now discredited version of
Porcupine Pete's origin, who could have been the same
person. Mxyzptlk V, from ADV #322, was a villain.
8. Quantom [sic] Queen: Appeared only on the cover, not the
interior. "Perished preventing an escape from [obscured] Cosmos
Prison." Quantum Queen appeared in ADV #375 as a member of the
Wanderers, but has never been a member of the LSH. Though she
did die (and was cloned into a new body), her death had nothing
to do with a "Cosmos Prison."
The Adult Legion story can essentially be considered to be
obsolete at this point. Although it was not a bad story, it
showed a limited (or just conservative) imagination in the futures
it extrapolated. No pre-existing LSHers died (to our knowledge;
not all were pictured), none of them broke up their romances, and
the only change in the operation of the LSH was that married
members were allowed to remain. Few comics change that little
over long time periods, even the LSH (which was, until recently,
conservative in many ways when compared to, say, ALPHA FLIGHT or
TEEN TITANS). The changes wrought over the past four years render
the story almost impossible now. Furthermore, following every
prediction of the story would limit the writers unduly. As it
stands, the story can serve as inspiration (witness Reflecto and
Echo's entry into the LSH) without forcing the writer's hand.
It should also be noted, though, that any of the
predictions listed could still occur. Ayla could still marry
Brin, Tasmia could still die protecting the Science Asteroid, and
Chuck and Luornu could still have a son. The story just isn't
likely to occur as written, is all.