Pick Your Members for the LSH Cartoon

Well, JLU is coming to an end, but supposedly the Legion of Super-Heroes is in development/production for Cartoon Network. It will involve staff from both JLU (though not Bruce Timm himself) and Teen Titans, and will hopefully find a happy medium between the two styles.

I’ve heard the show is to feature Superboy, which I can take or leave (I was happy when he was written out of the Legion when I was a kid), but I can understand why they would use him. I also have heard the the JLU episode will not necessarily be a forerunner of things to come.

Anyhoo, the Legion’s a big group, and while they can show everyone in a crowd scene, or a massive battle, some members are going to get a lot more face time than others. Who would you like to see most?

First, list seven core members (akin to the original cast on Jusitce League). They don’t all have to appear every episode, but at least one or two of them should be prominently featured in an episode.

Then, list seven feature members. I’d define a featured member as someone who isn’t essential to the Legion, but you’d think would make an interesting/entertaining addition as a regular or be a good character to spotlight.

You could also mention who you DON’T want to see, as well as favorites for villains (or supporting characters, or locations).

My Core:

Cosmic Boy
Saturn Girl
Braniac 5
Ultra Boy
Phantom Girl
Chameleon Boy
Tmber Wolf

My Featured:

Triad
Shadow Lass
Element Lad
Lightning Lad
Spark
Blok
XS

Obviously, the founders:

Lightning Lad/Live Wire
Saturn Girl
Cosmic Boy

The obvious second tier:

Valor
Brainiac 5
Ultra Boy
Wildfire
Karate Kid

The ultility characters:

Triad/Triplicate Girl
Shrinking Violet
Shikari or Dawnstar - only one, I have no real preference of which.
XS
Kinetix
Lightning Lass

The Non-Humanoids:

Chameleon
Sensor (post-ZH)
Gates
Blok
Quislet

And some favourites:

Matter Eater Lad
Boucing Boy

I havn’t read much Legion since Zero Hour, so these are pretty much the Levitz/Giffen era

Core:

  1. Saturn Girl

  2. Lightning Lad

  3. Cosmic Boy

  4. Wildfire

  5. Element Lad

  6. Colossal Boy

  7. Mon-el/Valor
    Feature:

  8. Karate Kid

  9. Phantom Girl

  10. Sun Boy

  11. Tellus

  12. Brainiac 5

  13. Ultra Boy

  14. Chameleon Boy

Cosmic Boy
Lighting Lad
Saturn Girl
Brainiac 5
Chameleon Boy
Shrinking Violet
Phantom Girl

I sure could have used an 8th spot for Ultra Boy, but I felt like it needed three females at least. I could live without Shrinking Violet.

Why choose? Just give me the current Waid/Kitson version (call me a heretic, but it’s my favorite since I got on at the ground floor), and center on smaller groups (or individuals) as appropriate. JLU (and every Legion comic ever) proved that this strategy works.

Although they should use Supergirl, not Superboy. Less conflict with the older cartoons. Better synergy with current comics, more female-centered, and better possibilities for romantic tension.

My all-time favorite is the Levitz era, with the Giffen reboot a close second.

Seven core members:

Lightning Lad
Cosmic Boy
Saturn Girl
Brainiac 5 (yeah, you’re all shocked I put him in, aren’t you)
Shrinking Violet
Mon-El
Ultra Boy

Seven more to feature often:

Chameleon Boy
Wildfire
Ferro Lad
Chemical King
Timber Wolf
Phantom Girl
Element Lad

Seven more who I want to see in at least a cameo role:

Kent Shakespeare
Dawnstar
Blok
Dream Girl
Karate Kid
Bouncing Boy
Matter-Eater Lad

I’m a traditionalist:

Saturn Girl
Lighning Lad
Cosmic Boy
Mon-El
Element Lad
Brainiac 5
Matter-Eating Lad (come on, it’s not the legion without him)

Others:
Ferro Lad (for an episode or two, then no more.)

Core:

Myself (heck, if I’m in then I might as well fill it with babes)
Miss Terious (of course I’d want my honey)
Triad (three-in-one)
Projecta (anything I desire)
Dawnstar (has a nice pair…of wings)
Shrinking Leviathan (with 70’s costume)
Satrun Girl (she knows what I like)

Feature members for when I’m feeling kinky:

Monstress
Snekie
Proty (or Cham)
Invisible Kid

I always had a thing for Miss Terious.

Yeah, Miss Terious must have had a grand old time in that lead armor suit.

You could probably make a Fake Legion of Super-Heroes with all of the false identities that various LSH members have used over the years. You’ve got Sir Prize, Miss Terious, Satan Girl, Mystery Lad, Marvel Lad, Legionnaire Lemon, Reflecto, Sensor Girl, Saturn Lad, Prince Projecto, and the whole Legion on the Run cast.

Once, LSH was one of DC’s titles with a heavily female readership. In fact, Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld was previewed in its pages, presumably for this reason. So I’m thinking about good characters for female indentification. And stuff. Also, I know nothing about LSH post-Zero Hour, so I’m using old-fashioned names.

The Big Seven:
Superboy (since that’s a given, apparently) (I would pick Kon over Kal)
Saturn Girl
Shadow Lass
Phantom Girl
Cosmic Boy
Colossal Boy
Lightning Lad ('cos we need to represent for the word “lad”)

I was going to include Shrinking Violet, but then realised I hadn’t put Tinya anywhere, & you gotta have Tinya. Plus I’ve got the original three, plus spooky Shady & a size-changer.

Featured Seven, er, Eight:
Brainiac 5 (for when you need an expert type)
Invisible Kid (actually there all the time, but no one can see him?)
Chameleon Boy (actually I don’t care, but you just sort of expect him)
Polar Boy
Inferno (female version) (these two would appear together; fire & ice)
Triplicate Girl (only occasionally, otherwise she’d be too much)
Infectious Lass (c’mon, this could be fun!)
Shrinking Violet (Colossal Boy’s opposite number)

I’m going to recommend against Element Lad (too powerful), Ultra Boy (too weirdly defined), & Mon-El (redundant if Superboy is in it & it’s a small team). Not sure if Dream Girl would work; she’d fit in many anime, but American cartoons seem to have a certain sensibility in which she seems alien. I really want Dawnstar in for the visual coolness, but don’t know what she’d do.

Oh, crap, XS should be in there, too. Not only does she add some color, she gives the show another Justice League link.