Who’s Who Review #7

It’s the seventh sensational episode of WHO’S WHO REVIEW! Shag and Rob take a fresh look at classic entries from Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe, featuring Angle Man, Cheetah, Firehawk, The Inferior Five, Killer Moth, Kryptonite, Wonder Girl, and more! Plus we cover YOUR feedback!

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42 responses to “Who’s Who Review #7

  1. You know when a podcast network is starting to age when each show needs an attending physician for the hosts.

    Nominative Determinism is the term describing where a characters name points the way to their career or crime gimmick. For example – if Shag used his little known given name of “Tuberculosis”, it would explain the sound of his voice in this episode.

    Get well soon, Shag!

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  2. Hey guys, did you change anything in your settings/hosting? The episode does not show on my podcatcher file or Spotify. The same thing happened with Zero Hour Strikes during the week (and still does not show)

      1. Hey Gus & Jimmy – Thanks for the heads-up! We didn’t even realize the behind-the-scenes RSS feed wasn’t updating. We’ve updated WHO’S WHO and ONCE UPON A GEEK. Those should promulgate to the various podcatchers soon. Siskoid will take care of ZERO HOER STRIKES soon, and we’ll check the other feeds too. Thank you!

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  3. I can relate to Shag thinking that Mr. Terrific was a bigger deal than he was – I also got that impression when I read that story in JLA (and yes, I was also surprised to learn later that Spirit King was created just for that story).
    As for Clock King, and Killer Moth for that matter, I guess I’ll stick to my already earlier expressed fondness for outlandish costumes a la Chronos – in fact, I wouldn’t mind having an aloha-type shirt with that clock pattern on it…
    By the way, I may be recalling this incorrectly, but I think the Inferior Five’s Blimp doesn’t really fly, he mostly just floats and needs a strong breeze or at least a good shove to get anywhere.
    And finally: I love Namiko’s manga-style Batgirl images. I would read the hell out of an all-ages Batgirl comic done like that.

  4. Thoughts as I listen…

    – Regarding Mr. Terrific, one of the things that Shag will no doubt talk about when he gets to the JSA title is how the first few years of that title should have been titled “JSA: Putting All of the Wrongs Regarding This Group Right Like We’re Sam Beckett”. The Shadow King thing was one of many things they undid or fixed in the weekly days of the series. Because the JSA never getting back to the Shadow King thing was a serious oversight and their reaction at the end of that issue is just horrible.

    – Not only did Fred Savage and Deadpool team up for the PG-13 version of the second Deadpool but Savage has a bit where he gets super nerdy about the history of Cable. Anyone doing a Cable podcast needs to have that needle drop in their intro.

    – The Vegan System was revealed to be next to The CrossFit System and The Newly Avowed Atheist System and no one that lives in those systems will fail to mention that they live in those systems in every conversation they have, no matter how casual that conversation is.

  5. For my money, the award for the most outlandish costume goes to, the Eraser. He was a Batman villain who wore a mask shaped like a pencil eraser. Much like Killer Moth, he would clean up or erase evidence of crimes before the police arrived. I believe he did appear once in Scooby Doo, Batman mysteries. He is a popular character to use in crowd scenes or cameos in various continuities or animated series, but I believe he only had one appearance as a main character.

    Those kids in the surprint of the Mr. Terriffic entry are probably Billy Wilson and the other members of the Fair Play Club, which MT formed after he drove off Big Shot. Originally, Billy admitted to having committed a robbery, but I don’t believe they ever addressed that again. I assume he atoned for it. I had heard of the Fair Play Club and assumed they were a big deal, but Fandom says they only made two appearances. Wanda, on the other hand became quite prominent in the series

    She immediately discerned that Mr. Terriffic was Terry Sloane and quickly became his confidante, administrative assistant and, by implication, companion. She often disguised herself as an old lady and would gather information for or deliver messages from Terry. They had a partnership much like Dian Belmont and Sandman.

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  6. I’m always happy to get a new episode of Who’s Who Review!
    I also only know Angle Man from his smoking corpse in Crisis. I’ve always wondered, did that convention of detectives ever solve his murder? Was it murder? Does anyone know if there was any follow up to the death of Angle Man? Well, at least we got closure on the Ten Eyed Man.
    Shag, I thought the opposite of Mr Terrific. I thought he was a “fake” Golden Age character, created specifically to be murdered in that JLA/JSA crossover. It wasn’t until he popped up in All-Star Squadron that I figured he was an actual character who’d existed prior to JLA171. Thanks for another great episode guys. Hope you’re feeling better Shag

    1. There was reportedly a limited series in the works featuring all of DC’s detectives. It would have followed up on that convention incident. The booj got cancelled so it was never solved.

  7. Have to say love the bat-girl one looks
    Like she could be in the Batmanga .great episode
    Merry Christmas and happy new year to all .

  8. I’d say Vampires and Werewolves have a more famous Achilles’ Heel than Superman. (And speaking of mythology, also Baldur.)
    White Kryptonite looms large in my mind because it was featured in one of the first comics I owned, an issue of Super Friends. Deeply underused, there should have been a White Kryptonite Swamp Thing story at some point.

    The Spirit King was revisited in the 90s in Ostrander’s Spectre before the Johns’ JSA re-revisiting of it.

  9. Another excellent outing, guys! Upon hearing Shag’s voice in this episode, my first thought was “Oh no! All those Darkseid impressions have finally caught up w/ him!” Seriously, though, get well soon. I suffered through a recent bout with laryngitis and I probably is just as aggravating for podcasters as it is for pastors.

    I confess to being a fan of Angle Man. His Snidely Whiplash-esque look and the fact that he carries a triangle in a holster makes him one of my favorite morts. To me, he’s the DC equivalent of Batroc “Ze Lepair” at Marvel. And doesn’t the Awesome Angler sound like an Aquaman villain?

    I didn’t appreciate Trina Robbins art on that Cheetah entry as a kid, but man, it is beautiful indeed.

    In my young mind, knowing all the different types of kryptonite and their effects was something that separated the geeks from the boys. My favorite use of red kryptonite was on the Super Friends cartoon where three Phantom Zone villains use it to age Superman. At the end of the episode, Superman turns the tables on them using it to make one of them shrink to doll size, one of them turn into metal, and one of them have uncontrollable growing hair.

    And regarding Wonder Girl, the Debra Winger version (Drusilla) on the 70s Wonder Woman show was one of my first TV crushes. She was younger than Lynda Carter’s Diana and thus, according to kid-logic, she was “closer to my age” and thus “more attainable”. Oh the naivete (or stupidity) of youth.

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    1. ‘… knowing all the different types of kryptonite and their effects was something that separated the geeks from the boys’.

      That and knowing the real names and birth planets of the Legion members!

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      1. Indeed! If I get bored when I’m out for a run, sometimes I try to go through the real names of the Legionnaires and their home planets. I can usually do all of them up to the Baxter series (Quislet and Tellus).

  10. Shagg: “You can’t match my gravitas right now.”Rob: “I never could.”
    (Off in the distance, Chris Franklin as Christian Bale’s Batman): “And you’ll never have to.”

  11. Fun show gents. If there had been a Fourth World charcter, I think Shag doing his usual impressive Frank Welker Darkseid impersonation would have left him voiceless for the comign New Year. Drink some tea with lots of honey pal. I’m not sure who sounded worst, you or me in HoF episode 2 this year.

    The Cheetah always confused me because clearly there’s some blurring on what happened on Earth-One/Earth-Two. There had to be an Earth-One version of Priscilla Rich as well, and she of course was adapted into being a member of the Legion of Doom on Challenge of the Super Friends. Loved the Robbins art, and as mentioned many times, her and Kurt Busiek’s Legend of Wonder Woman mini is Cindy’s all-time favorite comic run.

    Clock King on Batman ’66 seems to have been based more on the villain The Clock who Robin fought in his solo strip in Star Spangled Comics. There was also a villain by that name who was said to have been first villain Batman tangled with in a flashback tale in Detective Comics #265. Both of those charaters were created by Batman co-creator Bill Finger, who wrote those episodes of the Batman TV series featuring Clock King! The only story Finger wrote for the show.

    The Curt Swan/Trigon thing was unfortunate for everyone involved. I will defend Curt always, but that character is not a great fit for him at all. I think the reason Perez missed that issue was because he took over JLA after the death of Dick Dillin? He was still drawing Avengers too at the time, although he’d soon quit.

    So glad you featured Namiko’s wonderful Bat-Girl entry. It was a pleasure to chat with her and Isamu on the Xum’s Who project and shine a little more lighit on it and our network via that article.

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  12. Y’know, I don’t think I ever noticed how naked Trigon is before. No wonder Raven doesn’t like to talk about him, his loincloth, and his thigh boots. Looks like a Grell character out of Warlord.

    How come they don’t draw him like that on Teen Titans Go, eh?

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  13. I’m still listening. I just already said my piece about this material. I’m sure I could summon comments for an !mpact entry, though. I’m also pretty busted up over Rob replacing Shag with the reanimated corpse of Alex Rocco. Wasn’t the point of Who’s Who Review to have better audio than before?

  14. Who’s Who was one of the first podcasts I listened to and had a massive influence on what I’m doing now, though it’s a tale I shall tell another time! (Though I’ve told it before on my blog.) So thanks for carrying it on, even through sickness!

    As for the entries as it happens my first exposure to Mr Terrific was through that very issue where he died, though I’ve not gone back to read any of his earlier appearances. I’m more up to speed with the Michael Holt version, obviously for his JSA appearance than anything which I guess is a topic for another (much later) podcast! 😀

  15. Another great show! Love Shag’s voice. Can you sing ‘Betty Davis’ Eyes’ for me? Hope you feel better. It has been a rough respiratory season for sure. On to the comics and just a few comments.

    Firehawk – I was a big fan of the Fury of Firestorm and really liked the Firehawk character. She took over my blog one April Fools Day. Like you, I feel she has a ton of potential which wasn’t really utilized because of her being handcuffed to Firestorm. She is a rich girl, a daughter of a Senator, brainwashed to be a villain, and then chooses to be a hero. There is a lot of grist for the mill. I also love this new uniform for all the reasons you say. Would love to see more of her.

    Kryptonite – poor Kryptonite. You guys seemed to want to rush by it! I can think of significant stories involving all the different K. I was surprised to see Gold K not get mentioned given the ending of Alan Moore’s ‘Whatever Happened to the Man of Steel’ story AND the gold K story in Super Friends Global Guardians involving Firestorm. Yes, it can be confusing (anti-Kryptonite hurts only non-powered Kryptonians like those trapped on Argo City in space, X-Kryptonite gives Streaky powers) but for someone like me it is a treasure trove of useless knowledge!

    Mr Terrific – first time I met him he died. Am I bad luck?

    Polar Boy – I always liked Polar Boy. He was the one who formed the Subs and so it makes sense that he would be the first one to get into the actual Legion (even forcing them to waive the ‘age limit’ when he re-tried). It wasn’t always successful. In the Baxter run he had a tumultuous term as leader in which an internal conspiracy group formed and he tried to put Brainiac 5 on trial. And as Shag says, in 5YL he tried desperately to keep things moving forward but failed. I don’t blame him for the 5YL stuff though. The deck was stacked against him (Dominator run world after all). Lightle was brilliant in all things.

    Wonder Girl – like Shag, I think many had a crush on Donna back in the day. (She’s no Hyathis … but who is.) To be honest, I think the ‘everyone crushes on her’ is why Terry Long is sooooo hated. Like ‘sheesh … why would she be with that D-BAG when a guy like me is surely out there for her!’ I know … odd times. Love Donna in all incarnations. Love that red outfit. Love how Perez drew her.

  16. Rob and Shag (aka Barry White),
    Great episode! Like you, I have always wondered why Firehawk didn’t take off as a character. She has a great code name, cool power set, and the updated costume is great! Plus, her dad being a senator helps add some political intrigue. So much potential!

    Also, while I wouldn’t describe myself as a Forever People Fanatic, I would highly recommend the 1988 mini-series by J.M. DeMatteis, Paris Cullins, and Karl Kesel. It’s a powerhouse creative team and is a standout story.

  17. Great show and now commentary…

    Angle Man: He was superfied and that’s what makes him silly, but he started as a mastermind type character who always had “an angle” on crime to confound Wonder Woman so he has a lot of potential that was squandered when they gave him spandex and a crazy weapon.

    Kryptonite: Disagree with your hot take. Tell me more about all the colors of kryptonite!!!!!

    Mr. Terrific: I thought his logo here would have fit the Golden Age, and maybe it WAS used back in the day, but I wrote a couple of Mr. Terrific articles and used a splash panels and it’s a different logo every time.

    Bat-Girl: Namiko contributed pieces within Xum’s pieces on CBR’s The Line It Is Drawn, so I knew she had the stuff. This is a very fun entry. Why create a new Batgirl 6 years later? The TV version was Barbara Gordon and the comics followed suit (and was published first, if I remember correctly), and if Betty had stayed Batgirl, I think we would have lost one of the best DC characters we have now.

  18. Great work as always…

    The first time heard of Angle Man was on the packaging for the Super Powers Wonder Woman figure: On her little info card, he was listed as one of her villains (alongside Cheetah, Dr. Psycho, and probably someone else). Once I actually encountered him in a story—a Secret Society of Super-Villains tale in which he joins a version of the team led by an especially frightening-looking Grodd—I thought he had a cool costume, and imagined he might be on deck for his own SP figure. What a hot seller that would have been… 😉

    Speaking of cool looks, I LOVE Killer Moth, and always have. The earliest stories I read with him seemed to frame him as an especially vicious bad-ass—in Gerry Conway’s epic Detective Comics #526 (“All My Enemies Against Me”), there’s a line about him murdering Two-Face if Harvey’s coin toss didn’t go the way he wanted. Then a few years later, in Alan Grant’s “Misfits,” he’s the most cutthroat among a small cabal of C-listers (way more than a pre-serial-killer Calendar Man). I like to think of KM as a bit like KGBeast—he wears a ridiculous costume as a way to prove he’s a tough guy, as if he’s daring you to laugh at him. More importantly, if you go back to his initial concept of being a Batman for bad guys, the Moth is perhaps the first in the long tradition of the anti-Batman—a hypercompetent tactician like Bats, but on the criminal side (e.g., the Wrath, Bane, Prometheus). Needless to say, I don’t like his reinvention as a pathetic comedy villain; in a world where a guy in a bat suit is the most intimidating man in the world, is it so crazy to believe Killer Moth could be a bad mofo?

    Rob, as I recall, when you guys first covered Clock King’s entry way back when, you commented on how his story—he turned to crime to provide for his family after learning he had a terminal illness—was reminiscent of Breaking Bad. That got me imagining the entertaining image of Walter White deckeed out in the Clock King costume (“I am the one who ticks!”). Here’s my vote for Bryan Cranston to play the lead in Max’s forthcoming Clock King solo series.

    Kryptonite is such a widely understood word/concept that it even appears in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, defined specifically as Superman’s weakness. (The secondary meaning is a general weakness akin to Superman’s.) Trivia question: What two other words in a standard dictionary are officially derived from the Superman mythos? (I’m using Merriam-Webster’s, widely considered the American authority: m-w.com.) Have at it.

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          1. Oh, let’s just say them, ‘Bizarro’ and ‘Brainiac’ (although that’s mixed in with a kids’ toy from the same period, isn’t it…DC had to promote the toy to share the trademark or something).

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  19. I’ve always been a Who’s Who fan (enough now that I was inspired by Xum and others to make up some of my own homemade pages for DC characters who missed the cut the first time – pages I’m sharing over on Facebook in the “Back Issues” group and others). I heard this podcast and others from the F&W Network plugged when listening to “The Batman Family Reunion” and decided to give this episode a listen. I really enjoyed it and need to look into diving into the backlog of the Review and its original podcast as well.

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  20. Mid-century Americans loved blue blood socialites named “Van”, but what are the chances that two of them being inspired by insects in comic books? I can’t seem to find any reprints of Killer Moth’s first appearance…

    Of the origins I first learned from Who’s Who, Clock King’s was one of the most memorable, as is the art. In a world of domino masks, I like concealed faces and if the mask doesn’t look like a face, even better. Walter White also reminded me of the Clock King…

    “Life is very, very complicated, and so comics should be allowed to be, too.” – David Lynch on Kryptonite (probably).

    1. George, I don’t know if you mean you know where Killer Moth’s debut was reprinted but can’t find the relevant books, or just don’t know. If it’s the latter, you need the Batman in the Fifties trade paperback or the pricier Golden Age Omnibus vol 7

      I like it when Clock King’s mask is smaller and he looks like the world’s most colourful deep sea diver.

  21. Inferior 5 was the original Infinity, Inc., which explains a lot about both teams.

    Killer Moth was also Charaxes, when UInderwear Unwashed tried to 90’s-kewl up a bunch of Silver Age villains. There were a lot of other villains that
    were Batman knockoff back in the 50s and 60s as well.

    Tiny Titans was the best Titans comic DC put out for a long time.

    Pedantic note: pre-Crisis Vega was a red star specifically to keep Superman out of the Omega Men’s business. The proto-Psions appeared in Witching Hour 13, written by Marv Wolfman.

    I like to think that Mr. Terrific was great at everything except super-heroing.

    Polar Boy is the epitome of the Ascended Fanboy. He was not the best Legionnaire, but he was enthusiastic, always trying his best.

    The Mayfair 2994 LSH sourcebook has most of the TMK/5YL materiel that didn’t make it into the actual comics.

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  22. Clock King in is actually one of my favourite designs, and he had a big part to play in the Absolute Power story recently Oh hang on that, was Time Commander. So many times-wimey types. Shag, I think the term you were reaching for was ‘nominative determinism’ – although Rob’s alternative worked too (oh hang on, Dr Chris got there first!).

    I love Firehawk so much, about once every two months I go on the socials and whinge about the lack of her at DC – got to love that nipple-biting chest beak! I’ve put a request in to Jeff Parker for her to be in next year’s DC Santa story, who knows… the squeaky wheel gets the grease and all that.

    I know he’s not the nicest fella, but that loincloth and those smoking hot muscles make Trigon the DILFiest of demons. As for Curt Swan’s New Teen Titans fill-in art being ‘embarrassing’, that’s an opinion with which I’d disagree, Shag. Sure, it lacks the trademark George Perez dynamism, but maybe go back and look at New Teen Titans #5 and reconsider. Page 2, for example, is great, and the rest is pretty darn good – Swan wasn’t used to teams but I doubt many artists could come in cold and do a better job when pretty much half of every panel is going to be swamped with the words of Marv Wolfman at the height of his Chris Claremont clone period. That stuff is nigh-unreadable.

    I like that Trina Robbins Priscilla Rich Cheetah. And I like the Debbie Domaine version. The modern speedster were-cheetah, Barbara Minerva, is just horrible, with all her weird sex magic.

    I first came across Mr Terrific on the classic Neal Adams and Dick Giordano World!s Greatest Superman-Heroes Superman-Spectacular, I’d never thought of that chest symbol as a circus tent… I like it!

    Polar Boy is one of the best Legion characters ever, a tribute to never giving up on your dreams. I hated that business about him being a rubbish leader… mind, wasn’t it off-panel, that means it’s not canon.

    I’d have loved more kryptonite talk, what’s a shame this entry predates pink kryptonite.

    That Wonder Girl logo dates back to the Silver Age, it was used on covers when she got the lead feature occasionally. I hate the current black Donna outfit, it’s just a Star Boy knockoff, Donna is not a character to wear black. And Donna was married to Terry Long, not Terry Sloane. Different corpse.

    Namiko Hideaki-Yukinori’s Bat Hyphen Girl is very cute. I wish she’d been kept around throughout the Silver and Bronze Age. Bat Hyphen Girl, I mean, not Namiko.

  23. Whatever Happened To?

    Angle Man: Angelo Bend is certifiably insane. It turns out he discovered The Angle – which was the missing math of the Anti-Life Equation. It drove him mad, but also means he has tapped into one of the primal forces of the universe.

    Cheetah: Priscilla Rich hasn’t been seen very much since her introduction in the Golden Age. The last notable appearance of her in mainstream continuity was back in 2001 when there was a flashback to her fighting Wonder Woman during WWII as a part of Villainy, Inc. Of course, her legacy is strong, with Wonder Woman finally getting through to Barbara Minerva and the two are now allies.

    Clock King: William Tockman was killed along with most of his Injustice League friends when they were forced into a mission for Amanda Waller. Following his death, two others used the name: one who fought the Teen Titans (and was only known as Tom) and the other was Billy Tockman, who fought Green Arrow during the New 52 era.
    Thanks Dr. Manhattan’s time manipulations and the subsequent Rebirth of the DCU, the original is back, though his goofy demeanor has given way to a ruthless efficiency based on schedules and time. He was part of the Suicide Squad team that nearly broke all Metahumans for Amanda Waller during Absolute Power. Since then, he has been using his time powers to manipulate The Titans. He dresses like the Clock King in Batman: The Animated Series.

    Firehawk: Lorraine Reilly has endured much since the original Crisis. She was in a failed relationship with Booster Gold, she was part of an ill-fated version of the Justice League during the events of 52 (the year without The Trinity), and she was part of the Firestorm Matrix for a time.
    During the New 52, she was replaced by a French woman known only as Theresa, who was part of the international Firestorms association, and a member of Justice League International.
    Since Rebirth, Lorraine has returned. She was working at HEROZ4U as a superhero-for-hire (read One-Star Squadron) but hasn’t been seen since that fiasco literally burned to the ground.

    The Inferior Five: The Five have been seen here and there since the days of Crisis. Dumb Bunny was married to Ambush Bug for a time (Ambush Bug: Year None). The Blimp was a pallbearer at Booster Gold’s fake funeral (52). Merryman spent time in Limbo (Final Crisis). And they all had a… something… with the Legion of Substitute Heroes (The Brave and the Bold v3). They were last seen working with Bat-Mite, who tried to “update” them, but realized it was a mistake and reverted them to normal.
    *It should be noted the second volume of Inferior Five that was published in 2019 never actually featured the Inferior Five.

    Killer Moth: After being turned into Charaxes by Neron, Drury was ripped in half by Superboy-Prime during Infinite Crisis. Another unnamed villain took up the name and original costume to align with Prometheus (Justice League: Cry for Justice).
    Following The New 52 and Rebirth, Drury is back. He attempted to form a gang of super-enforcers to market their services to the various crime families of Gotham. They were immediately taken out by the Batman Family.

    Kryptonite: No matter how much Kryptonite Superman seems to collect and destroy, more always emerges. In addition to the early types of Kryptonite, several other isotopes have been discovered, including:
    • Platinum Kryptonite permanently grants non-Kryptonians the same powers (and weaknesses).
    • Yellow Kryptonite has temporal effects.
    • Black Kryptonite perverts the good nature of Kryptonian’s psyches, but in the process weakens them and makes them dumber.
    • Silver Kryptonite is magical in nature and has similar effects on Kryptonians as marijuana has on humans.
    • Purple Kryptonite has hypnotic effects upon everyone.
    • Opal Kryptonite temporarily drives Kryptonians insane.

    Mr. Terrific: According to members of the JSA, Terry Sloane’s murderer was eventually brought to justice (though the story has never been told). After his death, Terry would occasionally help right wrongs as a ghost when called upon, and it was revealed that he had at least one time travel adventure where he met his successor, Michael Holt. It has also been revealed that his granddaughter is the villain, Roulette.
    It has recently been discovered that Mr. Terrific had a sidekick: Quiz Kid (Raghu Seetharaman). Like over twenty other teen sidekicks of the Golden Age, Raghu had been wiped from time during by the time manipulations of Dr. Manhattan. Stargirl and Red Arrow (Ollie’s sister, Emiko) eventually freed all the young heroes, but could not return them to their original points in time. Thus, they are all living in the present, trying to assimilate into a world stranger than anything they could have imagined.

    Polar Boy: Though the original Legion was thought lost during the original Crisis, they reemerged after Infinite Crisis. When Superman went forward to help the Legion defeat Earth-Man and his “Justice League of Earth,” It was discovered that Polar Boy had been tortured by them and they had severed his arm. This did nothing to diminish his spirit: he simply created a new arm out of ice and continued as if nothing happened (“My sense of humor wasn’t in my arm”). An alternate Legion’s exploits were followed for a time (by my count the 5th version of the team), but recently the originals have returned yet again, this time to help the Justice Society defeat Eclipso and find a place in the 31st Century for a reality-lost Helena Wayne (Huntress).

    Space Museum: Regardless of the variation on the future we may see, The Space Museum seems to be a constant. It is forever tied to Booster Gold, and was last seen in the leadup to the introduction of the 5th Legion.

    Trigon the Terrible: Trigon has been a thorn in the side of the Titans since their days as teens. It has been confirmed that Raven is not his only child – though all his other spawn are constantly plotting to usurp him. His latest scheme came when he made a deal with Amanda Waller to sideline the Titans by manipulating Raven into becoming The Dark-Winged Queen. They defeated him soundly.

    Vegan System: Sometimes I wonder if there are any other planetary systems in the DC Universe besides Earth and Vega. Somehow, everything space-related seems to always come back to Vega. It was revealed that the real reason the Guardians stayed out of Vega was due to a pact with Larfleeze, the Orange Lantern. Since that pact was broken, Green Lanterns patrol it regularly. It has vacillated between being free and being ruled by The Citadel for decades. Currently, most of the worlds within the Vegan System are part of the United Planets (which is being manipulated by a power-mad Durlan shadow government).

    Wonder Girl: I think after all this time, they have finally decided to just forget the past and move on with her character. Does it matter that if she is a mirror image of Diana brought to life? Or if she is a child seed of the Titans of Myth? All that matters is that she is Donna Troy, and she kicks ass. She has passed the mantle of Wonder Girl to Cassie Sandsmark and Yara Flor, and simply goes by her name. Beyond helping Wonder Woman be a beacon of hope for the world, she is also the current leader of The Titans.

    Bat-Girl: Oh, boy. Talk about convoluted timey-wimey stuff. OK, here goes. Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Kane’s adventures as Bat-Girl are once again in continuity. Her aunt, Kathy Webb-Kane, was the original Batwoman (she married into the Kane family by marring Nathan – the brother of Martha Wayne). It turns out that the Batwoman persona was a ruse for her to figure out the identity of Batman for the spy network Spyral, though she never did (thank goodness: he was her nephew-by-marriage). Betty, the daughter of an unnamed brother of Marhta & Nathan, unwittingly helped her aunt in that ruse by occasionally distracting her unrequited love, Robin, as Bat-Girl. She even joined the Teen Titans for a time, though she never took the crime-fighting seriously. Betty became “Bette,” changed her superhero identity to Flamebird, and became semi-active when Robin became Nightwing. During this period, she was a member of Titans West.
    Meanwhile, Nathan and Matha’s final sibling, Jacob, married and had twin daughters, Kate (who became the second Batwoman) and Beth (the criminal mastermind Alice). After Bette discovered her cousin had become Batwoman, she was determined to take the crimefighting more seriously by becoming Kate’s partner as Hawkfire. After being severely beaten by a third-rate villain, Kate convinced Bette to hang up the cape until she had real training. Though she was enrolled at West Point to gain that training, it seems that bored her and she is back as Flamebird and active on the west coast (though her former teammates refuse to regroup as Titans West). Bette still does not know that her cousin Bruce is Batman, nor that the boy she crushed on is his adopted son, Dick Grayson.

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