Legion of Super-Heroes - Non-Silver Age Tales

Prior to the Silver Age, during the Golden Age of comics, other versions of Legion characters appeared in the form of "predecessors"; that is, these stories were later reworked by Mort Weisinger and updated to fit into the new Silver Age universe. Subsequent to the Silver Age came the Bronze Age, and the Legion's worlds and characters skewed along a different tangent, due to a new direction that DC Comics was taking.

Halk Kar - The Golden Age "Mon-El"

Appearance: Superman No. 80 (Jan. 1953)

Known Members: None. This story only contains a character who can be considered to be the pre-cursor to the Legionnaire Mon-El.

Synopsis: After a super-powered man crashes on Earth with no memory of who he is, Superman incorrectly deduces that he must be another son of Jor-El and Lara, and therefore his older brother. In the end, with his memory restored, he reveals that he is Halk Kar of Thoron and not related to the Man of Steel.

Comments: While there is no mention of a Golden Age Legion of Super-Heroes, Halk can be considered an early "prototype" of Mon-El. "Superman's Big Brother" shares many story similarities to the later Silver Age tale "Superboy's Big Brother" from Superboy No. 89. Visually, Halk has a costume design and color scheme very similar to Mon-El's.

Marsboy - The Golden Age "Star Boy"

Appearance: Superboy No. 14 (May-June 1951), Superboy No. 16 (Sept.-Oct. 1951), and Adventure Comics No. 195 (Dec. 1953)

Known Members: None. This story only contains a character who can be considered to be the pre-cursor to the Legionnaire Star Boy.

Synopsis: Lana Lang meets Marsboy (Sutri of Mars) and blackmails him to make Superboy jealous by threatening to reveal his true identity. The scheme backfires when Superboy gives Lana a taste of her own medicine with the help of a Martian girl named Cytherea.

Comments: While there is no mention of a Golden Age Legion of Super-Heroes, Marsboy can be considered an early "prototype" of Star Boy. "Lana Lang's Romance on Mars" has many similarities to the later Silver Age tale "Lana Lang and the Legion of Super-Heroes" from Adventure Comics No. 282. There is a physical similarity between Marsboy and Star Boy - both have brown hair (although Thom's is crew cut) and the same white cape with shoulder attachments.

Mars Boy and Lana Lang

Bronze Age Legion

Appearance: Superboy No. 172/Adventure Comics No. 403 (Mar. 1971) and beyond

Known Members: The same as the members of the Silver Age Legion, as well as some other, new members.

Synopsis: Superboy continues his adventures with an updated, ever changing, group of Legionnaires.

Comments: When Superman Family editor, Mort Weisinger, quit the business in 1970, the Legion of Super-Heroes - his brain-child and one that heralded in a new Silver Age of Superman - was cancelled.

For a more detailed analysis on all the changes and various differences between the Silver Age Legion and the post-Silver Age and Bronze Age version, click on the pictures below: