| Ayla Ranzz | |
|---|---|
 Light Lass, from the"threeboot" continuity. Art byBarry Kitson. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Adventure Comics #308 (May 1963) |
| Created by | Edmond Hamilton (writer) John Forte (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Ayla Ranzz |
| Species | Winathian |
| Place of origin | Winath |
| Team affiliations | Legion of Super-Heroes |
| Notable aliases | Light Lass, Pulse, Gossamer, Spark, Live Wire, Lightning Lass |
| Abilities | Powers:
Abilities:
Equipment:
|
Ayla Ranzz, also known asLightning Lass,Light Lass,Gossamer, andSpark, is a character appearing in media published byDC Comics. She is a member of theLegion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries, as well as the sister ofLightning Lad andLightning Lord.
There have been three versions of Ayla since her original debut; these versions are separated by the events of both theZero Hour: Crisis in Time! andInfinite Crisis limited series.
Ayla has made limited appearances in media outside comics, including the animated seriesSuperman: The Animated Series andLegion of Super Heroes and the animated filmJustice League vs. the Fatal Five.
Ayla Ranzz first appeared inAdventure Comics #308 (May 1963). She is the twin sister of fellow Legionnaire Garth (Lightning Lad) and the younger sister of the villainous Mekt (Lightning Lord). All three gained electrical superpowers after being attacked by creatures calledLightning Beasts on the planet Korbal. She originally joins the Legion disguised as her brother Lightning Lad, claiming to be him resurrected after his apparent death at the hands of Zaryan.[1] Ayla is quickly discovered to be an imposter, but is allowed to join the Legion as Lightning Lass.[2] Later, Ayla gains gravity manipulation powers fromDream Girl and becomes known asLight Lass.[3]
Years later, Ayla leaves the Legion, disillusioned with her Legion career and having ended a lengthy romance with fellow LegionnaireTimber Wolf. She broke up with him following a misunderstanding when she saw Timber Wolf embracing her sister-in-lawSaturn Girl when both were stranded on a frozen asteroid. After returning to Winath, Ayla is kidnapped by her brother Lightning Lord and a faction of theLegion of Super-Villains. When Ayla refuses to join them, her brother tried to kill her, though she survives and discovers that her original lightning powers had been restored. After the LSV is defeated, Ayla rejoins the Legion as Lightning Lass.
During the "Five Year Later" storyline, Ayla is revealed to be in a relationship withShrinking Violet.[4]
During the"Five Year Gap" following the Magic Wars, Earth falls under the control of theDominators and withdraws from theUnited Planets. A few years later, the Dominators' classified "Batch SW6", temporal clones of the Legionnaires, escape captivity. After Earth is destroyed in a disaster, a few dozen surviving cities and their inhabitants reconstitute their world as New Earth, and the SW6 Light Lass assumes the code nameSpark.[5]
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Ayla, known as Spark, originally joined the Legion as a replacement for her twin brotherLive Wire, as their planet Winath decided to choose her rather than Garth, who had been classified as a runaway. Eventually, the "one member per planet" restriction was lifted, and he rejoined.
She was one of the Legion members stranded in the 21st century for a time by theEmerald Eye of Ekron. Her team helped the modern superheroes duringThe Final Night event, where Earth's sun was slowly being devoured by aSun-Eater. Some time after the sun is restored, Ayla travels into theSource, which replaces her electrical powers with anti-gravity powers.[6] Upon returning to the 31st century and reuniting with her brother, Ayla begins experiencing debilitating headaches when using her powers, which are diagnosed aspsychosomatic. Apparently, she is unable to handle having different powers than her brother. In a desperate attempt to restore her old powers, Ayla returns to Korbal and goads a Lightning Beast into shocking her, but is killed due to having lost her immunity to electricity. Garth resurrects Ayla by channeling electricity into her, which restores her original powers.[7]
Following another reboot of Legion continuity, Ayla Ranzz is again called Light Lass, and has gravity nullifying powers. InSupergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #26, it is revealed that she, like her siblings, had previously gained lightning powers after the accident on Korbal before another unspecified accident gave her gravitational powers.[8]
The events of theInfinite Crisis miniseries restored an analogue of the pre-Crisis Legion of Super-Heroes to continuity. Ayla Ranzz is reintroduced in "The Lightning Saga" story arc, possessing her original powers as Lightning Lass.[9]
Ayla is next seen inFinal Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds, where she holds open the entrance to thePhantom Zone so her fellow LegionnairesShadow Lass andPhantom Girl can rescueMon-El.[10] She and her alternate universe counterparts help resurrectBart Allen, with Ayla and Spark providingXS with lightning charges.[11]
Ayla is later seen in the sixth volume ofLegion of Super-Heroes, where she is shown preparing to go on a holiday vacation with Shrinking Violet.[12] It is subsequently revealed that the two are romantically involved.[13]
Depending on the continuity, Ayla Ranzz possesses either the ability to manipulate electricity or gravity. As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, she is provided a Legion Flight Ring, which allows her to fly and protects her from the vacuum of space and other dangerous environments.
Ayla Ranzz was ranked 47th inComics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.[14]
Ayla Ranzz as Lightning Lass appears in a photograph inJustice League vs. the Fatal Five.
Ayla Ranzz as Lightning Lass appears as a character summon inScribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[16]
