Lightning Lad
	Name: Garth Ranzz Home Planet: Winath (a.k.a. Amarta) Super-Power: Super-lightning Member Since: 2962 Charter Member

Origin | Super-Power | Personal Data | Membership Record

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"Lightning Lad and Light Lass, the twin Legionnaires, were born on the far-off planet Amarta, to a family named Ranzz. The future Lightning Lad was christened Garth; his sister was called Ayla. Neither they nor their older brother, Mekt, had super-powers at birth. But one day, when the three were returning from a party on another world, their space-flier ran out of power near Korbal, a wild planet with no human inhabitants. Garth recalled that one of the chief life-forms on Korbal was the lightning-monsters, and the trio devised a scheme to get them to recharge the flier's energy cells. After landing, they rigged up an antenna on the ship; then they tried to get the monsters to discharge their bolts at it. But instead, they surrounded the three and bombarded them with lightning, which created an electrical field and endowed the three with the power to generate even greater lightning than the beasts. They first used this new ability to recharge the energy cells.

"Soon after, Mekt disappeared. No one could say where he had gone or why. Garth set out to find his brother, and his search led him to Earth, where he ran into a dead end. However, one day, as he and a new friend, Rokk Krinn, who had come to Earth looking for work, were walking along a street in the future Metropolis, they heard a blonde girl exclaim that two men were about to assassinate a prominent tycoon. Quickly, Garth blasted one assassin's gun with a lightning bolt, while Rokk used his magnetic powers to disarm the other. The girl, Imra Ardeen of Saturn, had read the killers' minds! So impressed was the intended victim, R. J. Brandes, richest man in the universe, that he suggested the three form a crime-fighting combo, and that he would underwrite all their expenses. Thus the Legion of Super-Heroes was born. Garth became Lightning Lad, Rokk took the name Cosmic Boy, and Imra called herself Saturn Girl. No doubt Imra was a major factor in getting Garth to join the group. She won his heart the first time he looked at her."

"And what of the missing Mekt? He has turned criminal, using his power for robbery. As Lightning Lord, he will become a member of the Legion of Super-Villains when he grows up, and he will be his own brother's arch-enemy!"

- Adventure Comics No. 354 (Mar. 1967) "Meet the Legionnaires - Lightning Lad & Light Lass"

First Appearance: Adventure Comics No. 247 (written by Otto Binder, drawn by Al Plastino)

Comments: Garth originally called himself Lightning Boy (Adventure Comics No. 247), before changing his name to Lightning Lad.

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When Lightning Lad and his siblings were attacked by the lightning monsters, the destructive energy coming from all directions simultaneously neutralized each other. Instead of being electrocuted, the three teens were surrounded in a terrific field of electric force. Later, they found out that the tremendous but harmless charge had given them the unique power to project super-lightning at will (Adventure Comics No. 308), and at an even greater current than the lightning monsters could muster (Superboy No. 147).

In the early days, Lightning Boy found that when he clapped his hands together he could produce flashes of electricity. These he could either use to shatter objects or to create lightning-flashes shaped into letters. These latter effects could last for ten seconds before fading and were visible for a million miles in space. In this way, he used electric "sky writing" to send emergency messages into space (Adventure Comics No. 247).

Later, and after much practice, Lightning Lad discovered how to project lightning through either or both of his hands without the need of bringing them together. Once, when he lost control of his super-power, the lightning bolts crashed out of his upper body (Adventure Comics No. 300).

Lightning Lad can use his power destructively to: short-circuit electrical items (Adventure Comics No. 267), split boulders (304), destroy spaceships (304), burn objects with precision (316), or shatter walls (360). He can also reduce the force of his bolts so that they will only stun a person or creature (332). He can send his electricity through conductive metals (350). The more powerful his bolts, the louder the thunder-noise they make, especially if they are directed skyward (339).

His power can also be used constructively for: recharging batteries (Superboy No. 147), generators (Adventure Comics No. 313), and crystals (322); substituting for camera flash bulbs (Superman No. 157), carving statues (Adventure Comics No. 316, 317); fusing rock into a glittering "diamond-like" form (318); and melting Kryptonite (367). Once, he teamed up with Sun Boy to kindle an asteroid into a small sun for the dark planetoid of Vall (324). Using his electrical power on ultrasite causes the rare element to give off a buzz (320).

By changing the polarity of his hands so that each has a negative charge, and by touching a metal object with on hand and grounding the other, it has been shown that he can hurl his target up from the ground magnetically (Jimmy Olsen No. 99).

Lightning Lad has a degree of immunity to electrical charge (Adventure Comics No. 319). In fact, they give him more strength to use his power (347) when absorbed (363). Both Lightning Lad's and his brother Lightning Lord's electrical bolts are yellow and of equal power. As an adult, Lightning Lord used the atomic dynamo generators at the Metropolis Electric Company to increase his power so that his blue-white bolts could have eventually killed Lightning Man (355/1).

When Lightning Lad lost his right arm to the Super-Moby Dick of Space, Dr. Lanphier, the monster's creator, gave him a robot metal arm (Adventure Comics No. 332). A few months later, Lightning Lad was hypnotized by his personal physician, Dr. Hanscom, into becoming the super-powered half of his alter-ego, Starfinger. Hanscom rewired the robot arm into producing a variety of super-powered effects which were powered by Lightning Lad's lightning power: super-lightning (index finger), force-thrust ray (middle finger), any kind of super-radiation: heat, Green Kryptonite, etc. (ring finger), freezing-ray (pinky) and power-neutralizer ray (thumb). By combining all fingers, he created a new effect: a power-distorting ray. With it, he turned Matter-Eater Lad to metal, shrunk Colossal Boy and made Light Lass super-heavy (335).

Limitations and Weaknesses: His power has no effect on electrically insulated objects (Adventure Comics No. 319, 367), and since rubber is a natural insulator against electricity, being tied up in rubber chains can keep him from using his power (354).

Lightning Lad's ligthning can be reflected back on him (343), even tinged with poison (332). Lightning Lad's power can be short-circuited, as by living cash crystals from Rojun, which causes him to black out, afterwhich he needs time to recharge himself (350/351); Brainiac 5 has made a battery-bed designed to restore him and his powers much more quickly (Action Comics No. 386/2).

Lightning Lad's bolts can veer off course in the presence of electro-magnetic force-fields, which also causes electric power feedback that will make his hair stand on end (Action Comics No. 379/2). His lightning is also attracted to metal objects, thus misdirecting his aim (Adventure Comics No. 354).

Using his power underwater is dangerous to other swimmers and himself unless they are wearing insulated suits (363).

Speculative Explanation of Power: The human body generates electrical currents by changing chemical concentrations in and around neurons, which are the specialized cells that transmit information as part of the body's nervous system. When a nerve signal is sent, potassium ions flood out of nerve cells and sodium ions flood in. Both of these ions carry slightly different charges and the difference between them generates a transmembrane current. Extracellular field potential (EFP) is the electrical potential produced by cells outside of the cell. A single cell can generate a charge of about 50 millivolts (or 0.05 volts). By comparison, a AAA flashlight battery is 1.5 volts. The electricity generated by the simultaneous charging of all the body's trillions of cells would light a 40 watt light bulb.

When the Ranzz siblings' were engulfed in the combined electrical field generated by the lightning monsters, millions of their bodies' muscle and nerve cells were altered, becoming stacked in a sequence much like in a battery, which greatly magnified their natural EFPs. Electric eels have several thousand of these specialized cells constituting the electric organs in their bodies, each one capable of producing 0.15 volts for a total charge of 500 volts (at 1 amp). The Ranzz siblings, however, had millions of their cells transformed into these electrocytes, each capable of electrogenesis and electroreception of hundreds of thousands of volts.

Bones are semiconductors and are piezoelectric in nature, which ties into their natural ability to heal through the electrical stimulation of bone marrow cells. It is through the bones of his arms that Lightning Lad channels the flow of his generated electricity. When he first acquired his power, he used to discharge electricity by polarizing his body. With one hand positively charged and one hand negatively charged, like the opposite poles of a battery, he could produce a charge by clapping his hands together (Adventure Comics No. 247).

Since then, Lightning Lad has learned to balance his charges and generate a strong electric field around his body that causes the negative electrons and positive ions in the air in front of him to further separate. This ionized air achieves a plasma state that is far more electrically conductive and also creates a channel through the air for the discharged electricity to follow to the target.

When Lightning Lad lost one arm, he lost a portion of the electrocyte cells in this body, thus reducing the total voltage he could generate. When his arm was regenerated by Dr. Zan Orbal, he was restored to full power (Adventure Comics No. 351).

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Physical Description: Garth has red hair, brushed back from his forehead. He has a squarish jaw with a cleft chin.

Personality: Garth is a sensitive, caring, quiet, and sympathetic person. He is inspired to heroism by his peers (Adventure Comics No. 304, 351). Understanding and kind, Garth was the only non-invulnerable male Legionnaire who voted "not guilty" in the trial of Star Boy (342). Amused by his celebrity status, Garth is never too busy to indulge his fans by giving them his autograph (301), and he still admits to getting a "jolt" out of having a super-power (303). Unlike Superman, who keeps his word even to criminals (Superman No. 147), Garth is willing to lie to a villain to achieve good (321, 351).

Skills: Garth is mechanically inclined (Adventure Comics No. 318, 343), and has a natural talent for electronics (he devised a super-lightning amplifier for his robot arm; 332). He is also artistic, able to use his power to electrically sculpt statues (316).

Interests: Garth enjoys going to parties (Adventure Comics No. 354 "Meet the Legionnaires"), and catching late 3-D movies with Saturn Girl (Action Comics No. 381/2).

Nicknames: "L.L." (Adventure Comics No. 368)

Relationships: Garth has loved Imra Ardeen since the first time he laid eyes on her, and she may have been a compelling reason for him to accept Brande's offer to form the Legion of Super-Heroes (Superboy No. 147, Adventure Comics No. 354 "Meet the Legionnaires"). In 2963, when Saturn Girl went off to fight Zaryan the Conqueror, Garth flew after to stop her: "You're a noble girl and a great Legionnaire! But I won't let you sacrifice your life for me and the others!" Garth stopped Zaryan, but was killed by a freeze-ray. His dying words to Saturn Girl were: "Don't cry, Saturn Girl! ... Better me... >gasp!< ... th-than you... Goodbye..." (304).

Months later, he was revived by a Daxamian machine and was told it was Saturn Girl who had transferred her life-energy into him. Grief-stricken, Garth responded: "I don't want to live at the expense of Saturn Girl's life!" Moments later it was revealed to have been really Proty disguised as Saturn Girl (312).

Garth has been engaged to Saturn Girl for many years now (Adventure Comics No. 337, 353 "The Legion Outpost"), and counts Cosmic Boy, with whom he once shared an apartment (354 "Meet the Legionnaires"), and Sun Boy (308) among his closest Legion friends.

Known Relatives: Ayla Ranzz/Light Lass (twin sister), Mekt Ranzz/Lightning Lord (older brother), parents living on Winath.

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Induction: Lightning Lad was a founding member of the the Legion of Super-Heroes. After he, Cosmic Boy, and Saturn Girl saved the life of R.J. Brande, the richest man in the universe then financed their crime-fighting team.

Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and Lightning Lad were later sworn-in as honorary citizens on all member worlds, and deputized as full-fledged Science Police officers, in a public ceremony (Superboy No. 147).

Positions Held: Charter member; leader of the Legion mission to trap the Super-Moby Dick of Space (Adventure Comics No. 332)

Career Highlights:

Adventure Comics No. 247 (Apr. 1958) "The Legion of Super-Heroes"

Lightning Boy, along with Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy, went back in time in the team's new time machine to invite the legendary Superboy to become an honorary member of their Super-Hero Club. Lightning Boy alerted the Nova Express as to its leaking fuel tank.

Superboy No. 86 (Jan. 1961) "The Army of Living Kryptonite Men"

After watching Superboy get caught in a deadly kryptonite trap on their time-monitor, Lightning Lad volunteered to go back in time to save him. While Superboy was destined to survive anyway, Lightning Lad's intervention was still appreciated and meaningful, for it spared Superboy a few moments of suffering.

Adventure Comics No. 304 (Jan. 1963) "The Stolen Super-Powers"

Lightning Lad was told by Mon-El, from the Phantom Zone, about Saturn Girl's interception of the message capsule from Mernl, predicting that a Legionnaire would die while battling Zaryan the Conqueror. Learning why Saturn Girl rigged the leadership election - so she could be in the position of authority to suspend all the members in order to heroically sacrifice herself and save her friends - Lightning Lad bravely sacrificed his own life to save Saturn Girl and defeat Zaryan.

Adventure Comics No. 312 (Sept. 1963) "The Super-Sacrifice of the Legionnaires"

Lightning Lad was set to be revived from his frozen death by the Daxamite life-exchanging machine. Six of his teammates gathered around his coffin on Lightning World, but it was Proty, substituting himself for Saturn Girl, who used a duralim metal wand to attract the lightning needed for the life-exchange process to work. The brave Antarean passed on his own life-essence to restore Lightning Lad to life. In gratitude, Lightning Lad carved a golden statue dedicated to Proty for his sacrifice, which resides in the clubhouse (Adventure Comics No. 316).

Adventure Comics No. 321 (June 1964) "The Code of the Legion"

Suspecting that Commissioner Wilson of the Science Police was a fake, Lightning Lad pretended to reveal the secret of the concentrator. After his fellow Legionnaires had imprisoned him, lest he betray them again, Lightning Lad revealed his plan to force the impostor, really the Time Trapper, into exposing himself.

Adventure Comics No. 332 (May 1965) "The Super-Moby Dick of Space"

Responding to a distress call from a cargo space ship, Lightning Lad pursued a colossal, mineral-eating space-beast to an asteroid. Intending to stun the creature, Lightning Lad was surprised when his bolts reflected back onto himself, tinged with a green poison from the monster's body. His right arm poisoned and in agony, Lightning Lad managed to stay conscious long enough to set the auto-pilot on his spaceship, which brought him back to the Legion clubhouse. When he awakened, his arm had been replaced with a metal robot one. Obsessed with the monster's destruction, Lightning Lad took command of the Legion and hunted the creature down. After regaining his senses, Lightning Lad consulted with Dr. Lanphier and devised an amplifier for his robot arm. Thus armed with bolts one-hundred times as powerful, Lightning Lad blasted the creature with a positive electrical charge, reducing it back to its original, small size.

Adventure Comics No. 335/336 (Aug./Sept. 1965) "Starfinger" / "The True Identity of Starfinger"

Lightning Lad was hypnotized by his personal physician, Dr. Hanscom, into becoming the super-powered half of his alter-ego, Starfinger. Powered by Lightning Lad's lightning power, Hanscom rewired the robot arm into producing a variety of super-powered effects. Saturn Girl was able to undo the hypnotic spell and Lightning Lad gave the Legionanires a clue to the whereabouts of Dr. Hanscom.

Adventure Comics No. 337 (Oct. 1965) "The Weddings That Wrecked the Legion"

As part of a plan to discover the location of the home planet of the Murran spies, the Legion held a fake double-wedding: Lightning Lad "married" Saturn Girl, and Ultra Boy "married" Phantom Girl. After the spies were defeated, Garth told Imra "Someday we won't have to pretend," and the two became engaged (Adventure Comics No. 353 "The Legion Outpost").

Adventure Comics No. 350/351 (Nov./Dec. 1966) "The Outcast Super-Heroes" / "The Forgotten Legion"

While preventing a bank robbery, Lightning Lad's robot arm was damaged and he was captured and brought to Tartarus, where Prince Evillo tried to recruit him for his "Devil's Dozen". Lightning Lad was sprayed with concentrated evil, but by concentrating on unselfish deeds done by his fellow Legionnaires, he overcame the evil force and pretended to join Evillo. After giving Evillo a surprise punch, Lightning Lad was restrained and taken to Dr. Zan Orbal, presumably for experimentation, but the doctor was really good and found a serum to grow back Lightning Lad's lost limb. His power recharged, Lightning Lad zapped Evillo into giving up.

For information concerning Lightning Lad after 2969, click here.

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