The group were depicted as reasonably effective superheroes untilKeith Giffen, during his tenure asLegion writer, began depicting the team as something of a joke. The Subs regain some respect when founding memberPolar Boy joins the main Legion and a new Legion of Substitute Heroes is formed.
The Legion of Substitute Heroes is founded by Polar Boy,Night Girl, Stone Boy, Fire Lad, and Chlorophyll Kid, five young heroes whose powers are not sufficient to earn them membership in the Legion of Super-Heroes — Stone Boy, for example, can transform into stone, but is completely immobile when using his power.[3] After receiving a Legion flight belt as a consolation prize, the five disconsolate teenagers decide to form a group that canpinch hit for the Legion.[4] After several failures as a team, the Subs save the Earth from an invasion by Plant Men while the Legion is off planet fighting a decoy armada of robot spaceships.[5]
At first operating in secrecy, the Legion of Substitute Heroes is gradually recognized as a valuable asset, most notably after the assault on the Citadel of Throon when the regular Legionnaires are all defeated and Polar Boy and Night Girl are left to end the siege.[6] Later recruits to the Legion of Substitute Heroes include Antennae Lad, Color Kid, Double-Header, Infectious Lass, Porcupine Pete,Dream Girl, andStar Boy.[citation needed] The team fell into disuse during theBronze Age of Comic Books since their simple, young-readers-oriented concept left them out-of-place in the dark, socially relevant stories of the era.[3]
The Legion of Substitute Heroes were first presented as a starring feature inDC Comics Presents #59 (July 1983). Writer/artistKeith Giffen had been asked to do a story featuring the villainAmbush Bug, and decided that the Legion of Substitute Heroes would be appropriate heroes for him to battle since they were "goofy" and obscure enough that he could do what he wanted with them without fear of arousing controversy.[3] Exceptionally good sales on the humor-driven issue led to DC publishing aLegion of Substitute Heroes Special onApril Fool's Day, 1985.[3] Again written and drawn by Giffen, theLegion of Substitute Heroes Special became regarded as a seminal work, and Giffen was emboldened to employ the issue's boundary-pushing, oftenmetafictional comedy in his later works.[3]
After a colorful, if unimpressive, career, Polar Boy disbanded the Legion of Substitute Heroes and went on to attain full Legion membership. Many of the remaining members eventually join the Legion as well during the "Five Year Gap". Shortly before the "Five Year Gap", a new Legion of Substitute Heroes is formed, consisting of former Legion of Super-Heroes membersCosmic Boy,Bouncing Boy, andDuo Damsel, as well as Night Girl, a newKarate Kid (Myg), andComet Queen.[7]
During the events ofLegion of Super-Heroes (vol. 4), the "Subs" come into their own as an insurgent group that aids a resistance to theDominators. Old Subs Fire Lad, Stone Boy, Chlorophyll Kid, Color Kid, and Porcupine Pete are joined by new allies such asRon-Karr and Grinn.[8]
Following theZero Hour: Crisis in Time! reboot, the Subs appear inLegionnaires #43 during Legion tryouts. Infectious Lass, Fire Lad, and Color Kid are on the cover, while Stone Boy, Chlorophyll Kid, Night Girl, and Polar Boy all try out.[9]
In theLegion Worlds one-shot focusing on Braal, Cosmic Boy along withInvisible Kid,Leviathan, andChuck Taine call themselves the "Legion of Subs"; the word 'Subs' is short for "subterfuge".[10]
In the Legion series launched in2004, Polar Boy and Chlorophyll Kid (renamedPlant Lad) appear as a part of theWanderers led byMekt Ranzz. This version of Polar Boy can only slow molecular movement. Night Girl applies for membership in the Legion but is rejected and made a reserve member (as part of the "Legion Reserve"), along with Sizzle, an energy manipulator, and Turtle, a strong and durable alien.[11]
In part five of theSuperman and the Legion of Super-Heroes story arc inAction Comics, Fire Lad, Stone Boy, Chlorophyll Kid, and Rainbow Girl are called in to help battle theJustice League of Earth, a tyrannical,xenophobic association.[12] After the League is defeated, the Subs claim their satellite base as their own.[13]
Animal Lad (Ennis Janhson): Ametahuman who can transform animals into humans and vice versa.[16] In "The New Golden Age", he was transformed into a humanoid lion under unspecified conditions.[14]
Antenna Lad (Khfeurb Chee Bez): A Grxyorian with large ears that enable him to pick up transmissions across space and time.[17]
Chlorophyll Kid (Ral Benem): A native of the planet Mardru who gained the ability to accelerate plant growth after being exposed to ahydroponic serum. He is also an expert at botany and hand-to-hand combat.[5]
Color Kid (Ulu Vakk): A native of the planet Lupra who gained the ability to alter color after being exposed to an interdimensional rainbow beam.[18]
Double-Header (Frenk/Dyvud Retzun): A Janusian who is skilled at hand-to-hand combat. However, his two heads often clash with one another, preventing them from operating effectively.[19]
Fire Lad (Staq Mavlen): A Shwarian who can breathe fire and later developed other types ofpyrokinesis over time.[5]
Infectious Lass (Drura Sehpt): A Somhaturian who houses various bacteria and viruses in her body. They are harmful to others, but not herself.[20]
Night Girl (Lydda Jath): A native of the planet Kathoon who possesses superhuman strength, but only in darkness.
Polar Boy (Brek Bannin): A native of the planet Tharr who can generate intense cold.
Porcupine Pete (Peter Dursin): A metahuman who has porcupine-like quills across his body and can expel them as projectiles. However, he cannot emit quills individually and must do so all at once.[20]
Rainbow Girl (Dori Aandraison): A native of the planet Xolnar who can harness all aspects of the emotional spectrum.
Star Boy (Thom Kallor): A native of the planetXanthu who can manipulate density and gravity.
Stone Boy (Dag Wentim): A Zwenian who can transform into a stone-like form. Despite being immobile and inflexible, he does possess super-strength and enhanced durability.[5]
The Legion of Substitute Heroes appear inLegion of Super Heroes, consisting of Porcupine Pete (voiced byJames Arnold Taylor), the unofficial leader and a responsible "mother's boy" who lacks control over his powers, but is determined to be a hero; Chlorophyll Kid (voiced byAlexander Polinsky), a protective and clever yet nebbish individual who is fond of creatingcacti with humanoid silhouettes to confuse his enemies; Stone Boy (voiced byYuri Lowenthal), an intelligent yet stoic member who lacks a sense of humor and occasionally forgets to revert to normal; Color Kid (also voiced by Taylor), an energetic and enthusiastic member who appears oblivious to danger and unaware of his powers' limited uses; and Infectious Lass (voiced byKari Wahlgren), a withdrawn member who can manifest slime capable of inducing mild colds, though she is not immune to her powers. This version of the team was inspired to become heroes by Bouncing Boy, who encouraged them to keep following their dreams. Additionally, Antennae Lad,Polar Boy, Fire Lad, Double-Header, and Night Girl make non-speaking cameo appearances as Legion applicants.
Color Kid, Fire Lad, and Night Girl appear in the one-shot comicBatman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes.[21]
^Fleisher, Michael L. (2007).The Original Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume Three: Superman. DC Comics. p. 121.ISBN978-1-4012-1389-3.
^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016).The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 177.ISBN978-1-4654-5357-0.
^abcdeCallahan, Timothy (July 2013). "The Substitute Heroes in the Spotlight".Back Issue! (#65). Raleigh, North Carolina:TwoMorrows Publishing:69–72.
^Stern, Roger; McCraw, Tom (w), Moy, Jeffrey (p), Carani, W.C.; Moy, Philip (i), McCraw, Tom (col). "New Blood" Legionnaires, vol. 1, no. 43 (December 1996). DC Comics.
^abJohns, Geoff (w), Santucci, Marco (p), Santucci, Marco (i), Plascencia, Ivan (col). "Young Justice Society, Chapter Two: Enemies & Friends" Justice Society of America, vol. 4, no. 7 (January 2024). DC Comics.
^Johns, Geoff (w), Janín, Mikel; Santucci, Marco (p), Janín, Mikel; Santucci, Marco (i), Bellaire, Jordie; Plascencia, Ivan;Kalisz, John (col). "The Gentleman's Game" Justice Society of America, vol. 4, no. 10 (September 2024). DC Comics.
