Shrinking Violet
	Name: Salu Digby Home Planet: Imsk Super-Power: Super-shrinking Member Since: 2963

Origin | Super-Power | Personal Data | Membership Record

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"Salu Digby comes from the planet Imsk, where everybody can shrink to tiny size."

- Adventure Comics No. 365 (Feb. 68) "The Origins and Powers of the Legion of Super-Heroes"

First Appearance: Action Comics No. 276 (written by Jerry Siegel, drawn by Jim Mooney)

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Shrinking Violet can shrink down to any size, from a few feet high (Adventure Comics No. 310) to insect-size. The smallest height she has ever attained is sub-molecular. At the size of an atom she, quite obviously, requires the wearing of a protective suit with a specially miniaturized oxygen supply in order to breathe, since she is smaller than the molecules that constitute breathable air. At this size, speeding hyper-photons pack the wallop of cannonballs, but by growing up to a few millionths of an inch, the relatively smaller pellets of energy can't hurt her, though she can still see them. In this way, Shrinking Violet has followed a beam of light, like a warp-speed photon-ride, using an ultra-flight pack and spacesuit for hours of faster-than-light travel, to the beam's source (372).

At tiny size, she can sneak into secure buildings to spy (Adventure Comics No. 360, 372), inspect (313), sabotage mechanical or electronic equipment (347), and even "operate" on people from inside their bodies (350). At an inch high, she can search an area for minute geological or man-made evidence more easily and more effectively than at normal height (361).

When tiny-sized, Shrinking Violet's light weight and low density, compared to the surrounding air currents, spares her injury from falls, even from tremendous heights (Adventure Comics No. 349).

It takes but a few seconds for Shrinking Violet to dwindle to tiny size (Adventure Comics No. 350) and she can grow back up again right away if necessary (358). She is quick enough, however, to shrink to avoid being hit by a ray-gun blast, with the ray passing over her head as she dwindles in height (355, 361). The momentum of her growing back up to normal height adds a slight amount of extra force behind her punches (364).

Shrinking Violet has access to a set of miniature weapons designed specifically for her use (Adventure Comics No. 367). These weapons are designed to capture crooks, not kill them (376 "The Legion Outpost").

Shrinking Violet uses a chemical that causes her costume to shrink whenever she dwindles in size (Adventure Comics No. 326). When she shrinks from causes other than her own power, her clothes do not shrink with her, as when she was once turned into a small child and her costume became oversized for her. When she shrank as a child, however, the baggy clothing reduced proportionately with her, but still stayed oversized (317). This spray also affects small objects she may be carrying, such as her flight-ring (350).

The smaller she shrinks, the higher pitched and fainter Shrinking Violet's voice becomes (Adventure Comics No. 321).

Once, when her power was "beefed-up" by Ambassador Thora, Shrinking Violet gained the ability to grow like Colossal Boy as well as shrink (Adventure Comics No. 368).

Limitations and Weaknesses:  While her tiny size enables her to escape from people and large animals, Shrinking Violet is vulnerable to predators on her own scale (Adventure Comics No. 358).

Once, when Shrinking Violet was gripped in sticky super-silk that was stronger than steel bands, if she tried to reduce in size it would have ripped her to shreds (Adventure Comics No. 374).

Speculative Explanation of Power: Theoretically, matter can shrink from the removal of the empty spaces in the atoms of an object, thus proportionately compacting its size. It seems unlikely that this is the method that Shrinking Violet employs because: 1) her atomic density does not increase, and 2) her mass, and therefore weight, does not remain the same as it is when she is at normal size. Also, it is unlikely that she could compact her atoms to such a degree that her entire body is smaller than an atom.

For Shrinking Violet to do what she does, she would have to mentally swap the atoms of her three-dimensional body with similar atoms from another, sub-atomic, dimension in which the scale of atoms is naturally smaller (similar to Dimension Ten, as seen in Adventure Comics No. 361). How she does this is unknown, but it is an ability that has evolved in all people from Imsk.

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Physical Description: Salu has short black hair, curled back from the hairline. She has "squarish eyebrows", a heart-shaped face, and full lips.

Personality: Salu is a shy and worrisome person. She is superstitious and sometimes has attacks of panic (Adventure Comics No. 343). But she is also adventurous and likes to travel, having once taken a photon-ride (372), and even taking a vacation on a hydrogen atom (363).

Salu was painfully shy when she first joined the Legion of Super-Heroes, hardly speaking up in front of her teammates at all. She didn't start to emerge from her "shell" until Marvel Lad (really Mon-El) joined the Legion. Then she would talk to him and about him quite often, having had a "crush" on him (Adventure Comics No. 305).

Skills: Due to the nature of her power, Salu has detailed architectural knowledge of buildings (Adventure Comics No. 368), knowing "every nook and cranny of the clubhouse" (324). She is also interested in geology, having studied rock formations so that she can easily find cracks and faults to hide in when she shrinks to tiny size (361). Salu has a good working knowledge of electronics, which enables her to know which plugs to pull in order to shut a machine off from the inside when she is shrunk down to tiny size (Adventure Comics No. 347).

Interests: Salu likes jewelry, and has a bracelet with the initials "S.V." engraved on it (Lois Lane No. 50). Salu enjoys acting and has co-starred with Colossal Boy in an ultra-production from Solar Studios (Adventure Comics No. 374).

Nicknames: "Vi" (358, 368), "Violet" (360, 361)

Relationships: Salu is attracted to powerful men, whom she flatters (Adventure Comics No.305, 328), and they, in turn, feel the need to protect her "fragile" and diminutive form (310, 317, 343). After her crush on Mon-El, Salu turned her attentions on Superboy, who was always gallant and protective of her. At this time, Salu met the "handsome", and even more powerful, Duplicate Boy. After he saved her life, she fell in love with him, even entertaining the notion of running away with him (324). The two have been involved in a long-distance romantic relationship ever since (Action Comics No. 381/2).

Her closest Legionnaire friends are Superboy (Adventure Comics No. 371), Invisible Kid (343), Chameleon Boy (310) Colossal Boy (340, 350), whom she affectionately calls "Big Gim" (371), and Matter-Eater Lad, who once took her out on a date to cheer her up. The two even shared a kiss (Action Comics No. 381/2).

Known Relatives: Parents living on Imsk (Adventure Comics No. 356, 316 "The Origins and Powers of the Legion of Super-Heroes")

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Application: Shrinking Violet applied for membership in 2963 at the same time as Sun Boy, Bouncing Boy, and Brainiac 5. When Supergirl arrived to apply, Shrinking Violet was not to be seen displaying her ability along with fellow applicants Sun Boy and Bouncing Boy. Whether she went home, was hiding, or simply too small to be noticed, she lost out to Supergirl (Adventure Comics No. 276). Induction: Shrinking Violet was eventually admitted to the Legion at a later date (Superman Annual No. 4 "The Origin and Powers of the Legion of Super-Heroes"). Positions Held: Shrinking Violet is a permanent member of the Legion Espionage Squad (Adventure Comics No. 347 "The Legion Outpost") Aliases Used: "Sharon Vaughn", the identity she created when she went back in time to do research for the Superman Encyclopedia she was helping to compile (Lois Lane No. 50).

Career Highlights:

Lois Lane No. 50 (July 1964) "Lois Lane's Luckiest Day"

When Shrinking Violet went back in time along with Phantom Girl and Triplicate Girl to do research on Lois Lane's Fan Club, she posed as prospective member Sharon Vaughn. After Lois Lane lost one of her special Legion earrings (that were a gift from Superman) down the drain of a sink, Shrinking Violet shrunk to tiny size and had Triplicate Girl lower her into the drain on a piece of thread to recover the earring. She then placed it in the sink so Lois would find it later. However, when she shrunk, Shrinking Violet's bracelet with the initials "S.V." didn't shrink with her and slipped off her wrist to land on the floor near the sink. Lois found the bracelet and it helped tip Lois off to the true identity of "Sharon".

Adventure Comics No. 324 (Sept. 1964) "The Legion of Super-Outlaws"

During a battle with the duped Heroes of Lallor, Shrinking Violet hid in a small burrow. She was rescued from a weasel by Duplicate Boy and was captured and held in the clubhouse with some of her comrades. Whispering to Star Boy and Invisible Kid to create a diversion, Shrinking Violet escaped in the confusion. Pursued by Duplicate Boy, she sped to another planet and flashed a distress call to the other super-heroes who engaged Duplicate Boy in battle. Later, finding out they were duped by Dr. Marden King, the five Heroes of Lallor returned to their world. Shrinking Violet hoped to see Duplicate Boy again soon as they had fallen in love with each other.

Action Comics No. 319 (Dec. 1964) "The Super-Cheat"

Supergirl, in her secret identity of Linda Danvers, was framed as a thief by a classmate at Stanhope College and expelled from the school. Supergirl knew it was really Donna Storm who committed the robbery, a girl she had previously caught cheating by using fake earrings to record facts and then play them back to herself during tests. Supergirl contacted the Legion of Super-Heroes for Shrinking Violet's help in exposing Donna. Shrinking Violet travelled to the 20th century and, while Donna was asleep, rewired the circuits in her earrings to turn them into a radio transmitter. The next day, Linda managed to confront Donna alone and got her to confess. Unbeknownst to her, her words were transmitted to the school stadium's public address system and heard by the authorities, who immediately expelled Donna in Linda's place.

Adventure Comics No. 346 / 347 (July/Aug. 1966) "One of Us Is a Traitor" / "The Traitor's Triumph"

Shrinking Violet was part of Lightning Lad's team sent to guard the electro-tower at the Ceylon base against an attack from the Khunds. When the South American tower was reported to be under attack, Shrinking Violet was part of the group that flew to the rescue, and she stopped one of the attacking Khund ships by shrinking to tiny size, entering its engine, and pulling wires loose, which caused the ship to malfunction.

Adventure Comics No. 349 (Oct. 1966) "The Rogue Legionnaire"

When Universo stole a Legion time bubble, five Legionnaires traveled to five different eras; Shrinking Violet journeyed to Gizeh, Egypt in 1243 BC, where she bought a local dress and wig with some gold nuggets she'd thought to bring along. Disguised, she went looking for Universo, but was pursued by his lackeys. After escaping from them by shrinking, she took to the sky only to be struck by the talon of a pursuing falcon and plummet to the city street below, where she would have been trampled by a horse-drawn chariot if not for the timely rescue by Rond Vidar using his improved Time Cube.

Adventure Comics No. 350 (Nov. 1966) "The Outcast Super-Heroes"

When Superboy and Supergirl had to be honorably discharged from the Legion of Super-Heroes due to the presence of a green kryptonite cloud surrounding Earth, Shrinking Violet was called upon to deliver two green-K capsules through their bodies. Entering through their noses, she implanted them in the lobar area of their brains in order to erase their memories of the Legion and its secrets. She was almost killed by Superboy's antibodies, which didn't bother her on her trip in due to the presence of the green-K, but on the way out she was attacked and had to be cried out by the Boy of Steel. For her trip through Supergirl, she brought a second piece of kryptonite to protect her from a similar experience.

Adventure Comics No. 372 (Sept. 1968) "School for Super-Villains"

After Colossal Boy was expelled from the Legion of Super-Heroes for giving secrets to the enemy, the Legionnaires hoped to gain some insight into his actions by questioning his parents. Shrinking Violet traced the infra-energy beam of his mother's life-jewel by shrinking to atomic-size and following the connection using an ultra-flight pack. After an hours long warp-speed journey, she located Tarik the Mute's school for super-villains and found out that Gim had turned traitor only because his parents were being held hostage.

Action Comics No. 381 (Oct. 1969) "The Hapless Hero"

Shrinking Violet was on standby for night duty when Braniac 5 was called out on a mission, and she had to come take his place at the monitors. However, she would rather have been out on a date with Duplicate Boy, who had stood her up. To cheer her up, Matter-Eater Lad asked her out on date, and she got Princess Projectra to cover for her at the H.Q. Shrinking Violet and Matter-Eater Lad went to an expensive restaurant and to an anti-gravity ballroom, confiding in each other their problems and helping to forget them for a time. When the date ended with a kiss and a jealous Duplicate Boy teleported in and challenged Matter-Eater Lad, Shrinking Violet tried to stop him but Matter-Eater Lad stood in front of her and pointed out that a fight wouldn't change her preference but might only make her made at Duplicate Boy for hurting him. Shrinking Violet told Duplicate Boy she still loved him and forgave him for missing their date.

For information concerning Shrinking Violet after 2969, click here.

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