Night arrives with her purple horde (Part 18)....

Welp.....here we go.....

Legion Lore

Matter-Eater Lad

As a resident of the planet Bismoll, Matter-Eater Lad has the ability to...well, to eat all matter in any form.   Yeah, that's it, that's his power (he first premiered in 1962....I wonder what drugs Jerry Seigel and John Forte and their supervising editors were doing 60 years ago, but they musta been wonderful).  It was later explained that the inhabitants of Bismoll had evolved themselves to consume any form of matter after toxic microbes contaminated all the edible food on the plant.  Their teeth and jaws were modified to allow to bite through and chew wood, metal, stone, plastics, anything.  And their digestive systems made to handles the results. (never mentioned is the assumption their indoor plumbing systems had to be totally reworked as well)

Due to the obviously somewhat limited application of his powers, Matter-Eater Lad wasn't seen too much after joining the team.   Since the writers didn't know what to do with him or how to use him, they had him be drafted into politics on his homeworld and win a seat in the Senate there.  Thus he had to go to reserve status.  Some time after that, when an insane Brainiac 5 built the Miracle Machine, which was impervious to any harm, the Miracle Machine unleashed the creature Omega on the team and they couldn't defeat it.  Brainiac 5 in a moment of lucidity, solved the problem by calling M-E Lad back to Earth and had him consume the Miracle Machine, thus ending Omega.  But also driving M-E Lad insane. 

He was institutionalized for several years.  And when he finally returned to sanity, he just returned to Bismoll and reassumed his seat in the Senate (as being certificably insane and in an insane asylum was not grounds for removing him from his Senate seat). 

Matter-Eater Lad had occasional adventures with the Legion until it's disbandment after the Magic Wars. 

POLT

Night arrives with her purple legion (Part 17)....

 Legion Lore

Mon-El

Lar Gan was born on the planet Daxam in the 20th Century.  He was a space traveler in his youth and visited Superboy on Earth in the 1950s.   Much like Superboy, Lar was born under a red sun, so under Earth's yellow sun, he gained all the powers Superboy had.   He was initally amnesic, and so Superboy thought he was from Krypton, and as he arrived on a Monday, he gave him a name from his Kryptonian family: Mon-El.

However, it turns out Daxamite are allergic to lead like Kryptonians are to Kryptonite, and Mon-El got  a lethal dose of it.  He would have died, had Superboy not sent him into the Phantom Zone, until a cure could be found. 

Mon-El spent the next 1000 years floating as a ghost in the Phantom Zone.  Legion member Brainiac 5 creates a serum that provides a long time cure to the lead poisoning, Mon-El is freed permanently from the Phantom Zone, and joins the Legion.

He had all the superpowers of Superboy, and along with Superboy, Supergirl and Ultra Boy became one of THE most powerful members of the team.  He was with the team for a long time, striking up a relationship with fellow member Shadow Lass, which led later on to their marriage. 

POLT

Night arrives with her purple legion (Part 16).....

 Legion Lore

Bouncing Boy

Chuck Taine, the second Legionnaire in a row to be born on Earth,   He was delivering bottled super plastic formula for his boss when he decided to visit a sporting event and purchased a bottled soft drink.  He accidentally drank the super plastic formula instead.  This gave him the ability to inflate himself like a giant ball and bounce around. 

He applied for Legion membership but was rejected.  But then he defeated a robber who was using an electric device which didn't affect him cause he wasn't touching the ground.   The Legion admitted him afterwards.  He designated himself the Legion Morale Officer and with his wit and humor, it was a good fit. 

Bouncing Boy lost his powers at least twice due to various reasons, but regained them later.  He dated Triplicate Girl for some time, and during one of the power losses, she had one of her bodies killed by Computo.    With their shared losses, he decided to propose, she accepted and they were the first Legionnaires to marry.  

The Legion Constitution forbid married members, so the resigned.  They took up teaching at the Legion Academy, and did so for many years.  After the Legion Constitution was amended to allow married members, they decided to become Reserve members so they could continue at the Academy, and did so even beyond the disbandment of the team after the Magic Wars. 

POLT

Night arrives with her purple legion (Part 15)...

 Legion Lore

Sun Boy

Dirk Morgna was the third Legionnaire to be born on the planet Earth.   He worked at his father's nuclear plant in the 30th Century.   He was delivering supplies to one of the plant's scientists, Dr. Zaxton Regulus, and the project he was working on exploded.  The blast killed most of the other workers there but not Dirk or Regulus, who was fired for the accident.  He blamed Dirk and and tried to get revenge by throwing Dirk into a nuclear reactor.  However, due to his 'unique genetic structure' he not only survived but gained the power to generate internal light at heat of any intensity. 

Dirk took the name Sun Boy and joined the Legion   He was a long time member of the team, from his joining up until the team disbanded after the Magic Wars. 

POLT

Night arrives with her purple Legion (Part 14).....

 Legion Lore

Shrinking Violet

Salu Digby was born on the planet Imsk, all of who's inhabitants have the ability to shrink themselves down to tiny size, although she specifically had a greater skill with those powers and could shrink to  microscopic size (don't ask, it was the 60s).

True to her name, Vi was a shy retiring person, but she nonetheless was an active and respectable Legionnaire.  She was a member of the Legion Espionage Squad.  After several years, she entered into a relationship with Duplicate Boy of the Heroes Of Lallor (another superteam unaffiliated but working parallel to the Legion).

After many more years, Vi was kidnapped by Imskian radicals and she was replaced by a Durlan (see Chameleon Boy)  who impersonated her for several months.  During this time, the Durlan, Yera, returned the affections of Colossal Boy, who always had feelings for Vi.  This raised the suspicions of some other Legionnaires who invested and discovered the charade. Upon doing so, they then rescued Vi. 

After she recovered from her ordeal, she returned to active duty, angrily broke up with Duplicate Boy, remained angry at Yera (though she wasn't told exactly what was happening by the radicals, and she wasn't prosectured), and started a short relationship with Sun Boy. 

Later still, she entered into a longstanding lesbian relationship with Lightning Lass.  After the Legion disbands, she returns to Imsk.  There she is drafted into the war against Braal, the home planet of Comic Boy.  In the battle of Vernado Boy, they are on opposite side, but she sees Cosmic Boy hurt, she rescues him from her own fellow Imskians.   He, being disoriented and in pain, attacks her, which causes her to lose her right eye and scar her face.  She has he eye replaced, but keeps the scar as a reminder, and she and Cosmic Boy reconcile. 

A rough life. 

POLT

Night arrives with her purple legion (Part 13)....

 Legion Lore

Star Boy

Thom Kallor was born on and satellite orbiting the planet Xanthu.  As the 13th admitted Legionnaire, he was sometimes known as the "Unluckiest Legionnaire."    He was born with the mutant ability to pull mass from the stars and imbue this mass into other people or things, thus increasing their weight and making them very heavy. 

As a teenager, however, he flew his space ship accidentally through the tail of a comet, which was his first unlucky event.   After recovering from that event, however, he found he had powers resembling those of Superboy.  So he anxiously went to Earth, tried out for, and joined the Legion. 

After a short while though, his second unlucky event happened: the Superboy-like powers faded, leaving with just the mass increasing powers.  He was allowed to stay in the Legion.   And then one of the few good things happened to him: he started dating fellow Legionnaire Dream Girl.  

After some more, another unlucky event happened: he killed Dream Girl's ex-boyfriend in self-defense.  Killing is absolutely against Legion rules, and it was shown in a Legion trial, that he could have handled the situation without killing.  So he was kicked out of the Legion. 

Dream Girl left the Legion because he precognitive powers weren't working properly, and together, she and Star Boy joined the Legion of Substitute Heroes for a bit to attempt to hone their powers and improve them and make them better heroes.  And later still, they rejoined the Legion proper. 

In later years, Star Boy was sent to the 20th Century on some mission.  The trip drove him for all purposes insane.   But he took up with the modern Justice Society of America as Star Man (which coincidentally had a former member named Star Man).  He worked with the team for a while before it was realized who he was and he was returned to the future, and sanity. 

POLT

Night arrives with her purple legion (Part 12)......

 Legion Lore

Ultra Boy

Jo Nah was born on the planet of Rimbor and got involved in the gangs who were all over the planet.  He stole a space shuttle and ran from the Science Police.  When in space fleeing from the authorities, he encountered a giant space whale, who swallowed the entire ship. 

(yes...Jo Nah was swallows by a space whale.....well it WAS 1962....)

The ship got out of the whale, i dont recall if it blasted it way out or flew back out the mouth, but while inside, the energies therein gave Jo most of the powers of Superboy (flight, super strength, super speed, invulnerability, as well as Penetra-vision, which Superboy did not have, and which allowed him to, unlike Superboy, see through lead), except that he could only use one power at a time!

I can't tell you why but Ultra Boy was always my favorite Legionnaire.   He was elected Legion leader and Deputy Leader more than once.  He was thought to have been killed at one point, only to return alive.  And unlike most of the team his costume remained basically the same from his joining until the beginning of the Magic Wars when Keith Giffen fucked around with ALL the uniforms and made his look stupid (along with most of the others). 

POLT

Night arrives with her purple legion (Part 11)......

 Legion Lore

Superboy

After successfully induction Supergirl into their team, the Legion went even further back in time to induct the teen who inspired the team!   Superboy joined, was a member for many years, going back and forth from his 20th century Smallville home to the 30th century Metropolis of the Legion.  He was even elected Deputy Leader under then Leader Invisible Kid I.  After some time, he decided to resign and go to just reserve status and the Legion carried on without him.  

This particular art was done by Canadian John Byrne. 

POLT

Night arrives with her purple legion (Part 10)....

 Legion Lore

Supergirl

Kara Zor-El was as survivor of Krypton and the cousin to Superman.   The Legion went back in time, brought her to the 30th Century and offered her membership (after a stupid story when her FIRST attempt to join was thwarted by a dose of Red Kryptonite which aged her more than the limit allowed to join the Legion).   She was an occasional participant in the Legion, usually as a Reserve Member.  But she joined at the same time as Brainiac 5 and the two, despite the distance (in time) they spent apart, fell in love. 

With her dying in the Crisis On Infinite Earths and the Crisis wiping out all Kryptonians (making Superman the true last survivor of Krypton) including Supergirl, she had no other contact with the Legion during it's original run, because, well, she didn't exist.  And yes, it is complicated and nutty for all of us Legion fans as well, you're not alone. 

POLT

Night arrives with her purple legion (Part 8).....

 Legion Lore

Brainiac 5

Querl Dox was born on the 'planet of geniuses' Colu.  However, he was born extra, extra smart, a 12th Level Intelligence...practically unheard of.  He joined the Legion under the name Brainiac 5 because he was great-great-grandson of Superman's enemy Brainiac!  

His power is a super-intellect, he spends a lot of time in his lab, conducting experiments and making things (one of which was the intelligent computer Computo who turned evil and ended up killing one of Triplicate Girl's three bodies).   Despite his great intelligence, he has limited social skills, being very brusque and even rude sometimes. 

But overtime, he ended up falling in love with Supergirl when she's come to the future from the present.  She eventually returned the feelings and they had a relationship (as much as one could have when they're separated by 1000 years!), until she died during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. 

This is drawn again by iconic Superman and Legion artist Curt Swan. 

POLT

Night arrives with her purple Legion (Part 8)....

 Legion Lore

Invisible Kid

Today we have the second person from Earth to join in a row: Invisible Kid.  Lyle Norg developed a serum that could turn things invisible.  He ingested it and could become invisible to many forms of detection: sight, sound, telepathy, etc.  He served for years, he was a long term member of the Legion Espionage Squad. He also served one term as Legion Leader.  He was one of the most intelligent Legionnaires. 

He was killed by Validus when he (Validus) was under the control of his teammate Tharok.  

This, by the way, is drawn by Curt Swan longtime Superman artist from the 50s and 60s and a frequent Legion artist over the same period. 

POLT

Night arrives with her purple Legion (Part 7)....

 Legion Lore

Colossal Boy

Today we have the Seventh member to join and the first to be native to Earth!  It's Gim Allon aka Colossal Boy.   A strange radioactive meteor crashed very near him and he inhaled the vapors coming off of it and wash bathed in that radiation.  Afterwards, he found out he could increase his size. 

One thousand years in the future, Earth's president is selected via lottery and election.  A powerful computer selects the three most qualified candidates and then the citizens vote on them.  For a time, Colossal Boy's mother, Marte Allon was president of Earth. 

Colossal Boy had a long unrequited crush on fellow teammate Shrinking Violet,  After a time, she started suddenly returning his feelings.  It was only later discovered she had been impersonated by Durlan (see Chameleon Boy from last entry) actress Yera, and it was Yera who fell in love with him.  Even after discovering the deception, Colossal Boy still loved her and didn't reject her, and they were married.  At this point in the Legion's history, married Legionnaires  allowed.  And after a time, Yera was allowed to join the team as Chameleon Girl. 

He was the longest continuous serving member of the Legion from it's founding until it's disbandment after the Magic Wars/Five Year Later.  He never left the team over that entire period.

This is drawn by Legion artist Dave Cockrum.

POLT

Night arrives with her purple legion (Part 6)....

 Legion Lore

Chameleon Boy

Reep Daggle is from Durla, the planet who millennia ago had the "Six Minute War" with unleashed atomic weapons all over the globe.  The few survivors were mutated into creatures who were able to change their shape into nearly anything.  And they passed that ability down through the generations.  

Durlans aren't really trusted in the galaxy so they keep pretty much to their planet not going off world.  Reep said screw that!  he left Durla and came to Earth with the express wish to join the Legion and show everything Durlas could in fact be trusted.  And he did.  And he has.  He was the full time leader of the Legion Espionage Squad. 

This entry is drawn by long time Legion artist Keith Giffen

POLT

Night arrives with her purple legion (Part 5).....

 Legion Lore

Phantom Girl 

Tinya Wazzo was born on the planet of Bgtzl (yeah, you try saying that).  She has the power of all her people to 'phase' herself so she can pass through things, or they can pass through her like a ghost.   She was the second non-founding member.  She was a member of the Legion Espionage Squad also.  

Also, as an aside, she's one of the two characters who are my favorites on the team.

POLT

Night arrives with her purple legion (Part 4)....

 Legion Lore

Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel

Luornu Durgo was born on the planet Carggg, all of whose inhabitants have the unique ability to split themselves in three distinct bodies, and reassemble back into one body later. 

She joined the Legion as the first non-founding member.  She was a member of the Legion Espionage Squad.  After a bit of time in the Legion, one of her bodies was killed by the evil Computo.  Usually, when a Cargggite's body dies, the other two die as well.  But her other two lived.  And she took the name Duo Damsel.  Again, she remained with the team. 

After a while, she and fellow member Bouncing Boy married, and were the first Legionnaires to do so.    However the Legion Constitution forbade members to be married, so the couple became reserve members.  And then they later too on the Leaders, instructors and administrators of the Legion Academy.  

Duo Damsel remained a reservist for the rest of her active career. 

POLT

Night arrives with her purple Legion (Part 3)....

 Legion Lore

Lightning Lad

Garth Ranzz was born on the planet of the twins, Winath.    He was in a personal spaceship when it crashed on the lightning planet Korbal.   Korbal was riven with near constant lightning storms and the only animals native to Korbal were the lightning beasts.  The beasts surrounded Garth and hit him with their lightning bolts and from this he gained the ability to throw his own lightning bolts.   He too decided to take the trip to Earth to search his fortune. 

3A - The Legion of Super-Heroes!

The three teens just so happened to be on the same shuttle to Earth.  Rokk and Garth sat beside each other and struck up a conversation, taking a liking to one another.  Garth mentioned the cute blonde girl further up in the shuttle.  Rokk mentioned that interstellar billionaire RJ Brande was in the back of the shuttle!  They had a lot to talk about. 

After the shuttle landed in Metropolis Spaceport and everyone got ready to leave, Imra (the cute blonde) picked up some exceptionally angry thought flashes from two men: the were there to kill RJ Brande!  Imra yelled this out and indicated the two men.  Garth unleashed his lighting bolts shocking one into unconsciousness and Rokk used his magnetism to grab the metal in the other's clothes and slam him repeatedly into the ceiling and then into the floor, until he too was unconscious. 

Later, Brande, justifiably thankful and having spoken with the teens for a while, told them he had an idea.  He was up on 20th century history and knew all about the superhero teams of that time.  He thought it would be a good idea to have a similar team in the 30th century!  And the three of them could be start of it.  And he'd fund the entire venture.

All three agreed and Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and Lightning Lad became the three founding members of the Legion of Super-Heroes!

POLT

Night arrives with her purple Legion (Part 2)....

 Legion Lore

Saturn Girl

Imra Ardeen was born on Saturn's moon Titan, where in everyone had telepathic powers.  But Imra was by far the strongest, most powerful of them.   So she decided to go to Earth and join the Science Police (which is the name of the intergalactic police force of the time.  Why they weren't named the Space Police is beyond me).   On the shuttle there she joined with two other teens, saved a rich man, and became one of the Legion's founders. 

POLT

Night arrives with her purple legion (Part 1)....

 Legion Lore

Sixty seven years ago, in April 1958 Adventures Comics #247 as published.  The story inside was a Superboy story, done by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino.   The gist of the story was that a team of super teens from 1000 years in the future came back in time to meet Superboy and invite him to join the "superhero club". 

The story was supposed to be just a one shot, a one time story.  But the team was so popular with readers they made other appearance, then shared a title with Superboy and eventually got their own title.  

In the early 80s, the Legion and the New Teen Titans were DC Comics highest selling titles, outselling Superman titles, Batman titles, Justice League titles.  And the Legion was a great title, until 1989 or so.  They ended the original title and a few months later started republishing from #1 but it was the team 5 yeas later...and they were a depressing, dark, dystopian era.  After several years of this, they just rebooted the entire series again, starting over from a #1 in an 'all new' timeline where the Legion was just starting.  Some characters were the same, others were different.  After a time of this title, it evolved into another dystopian era, and after a bit, they ended it.  Then they rebooted it again, this time with Supergirl in the team.  Some characters were the same, some we entirely different, some all new.  After a bit of this, they ended the series.   After a few years Brad Meltzer and Geoff Johns brought back the team from right before the 5 years later era as if that 5 years later stuff never happened.  And after a short while, with a change of creative teams, that era went to shit, so they canceled it.  DC then did the Flashpoint idiocy, rebooting their entire into nothing but shit, and I gave up on DC Comics entirely. 

I have all the versions of the Legion up until I gave up on the company, whether the teams were good bad or mediocre.  It was one of my favorite teams so I stuck with it through thick and thin, again until I gave up on the company. 

So since it's their 67th anniversary, I'm starting a new semi-regular feature.  I'm going to feature the members of the Legion (and some members of the Legion of Substitute Heroes as well as some of the better members of the first rebooted Legion) in the order they joined the team. 

First up, we have....

Cosmic Boy

Rokk Krinn is from the planet Braal.  Everyone on Braal has the ability to control and manipulate metal, but Rokk was the best a champion at the sport of Magno-Ball, even at the age of 14.  The planet had been in a long recession and there weren't many job prospects to he decided to come to Earth to see what he could find there.  And on that trip he helped found the Legion Of Super-Heroes!

POLT