Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Get Rid of the Boy/Girl/Lad/Lass Now!!

I could care less what codenames they use. I'm more interested in their characterization and presentation being similar to what they have been in the past.

I like names like Apparition and Triad and Umbra better than Phantom Girl, Triplicate Girl and Shadow Lass anyway...

It really doesn't matter if they change them or not. When they were Apparition, Triad, and Umbra, I always read them as Phantom Girl, Duo Damsel, and Shadow Lass anyway. Changing the names just confuses things and the Legion has had enough confusion with all the reboots, alternate timelines, multiple Legions, new costumes every 3 issues, etc. etc. Back to basics I say.

I think it's a bad idea to assign specific ages to comic characters. And I think it's a terrible idea for them to have children. It's one thing to ignore the fact that adults don't seem to age across decades, but it's another matter entirely for toddlers to stay toddlers for decades. In Fantastic Four, Franklin seems to be a toddler again, yet Luna who is what? 20 years younger than he in real time? now (after 30 yrs as a toddler) appears to be a young adolescent. WTF?

probably new members will be w/out the boy/girl/lad/lass/etc. just as Tyroc/Wildfire/Dawnstar/Blok/White Witch were in the past. we already have Gates and Xs. but changing the boy to man and the girl to woman for existing characters sounds awkward. it doesn't fit. marketing is everything. that's why we don't have a "Bat Boy". it sounds lame. logic is not sales figures.

I don't think that the Legion is the only example of young adults in fiction or history using boy, kid, lad or lass as a moniker. Billy the Kid, Pretty Boy Floyd and the Cisco Kid for example.

maybe Tyroc will be Pretty Boy Troy.
hee hee.

I think updated names at the very least are a good idea. When I was a kid I hated it when people said "you are a child". Peter Parker never went by the name Spider-Boy and he's arguably more popular than Superman. Furthermore, what adult in their twenties wants to be called a child? Especially adults that have saved the world/universe a couple of times.

That's a good point, Red Arrow. However, I think a distinction has to be drawn between Spider-Man and the Legion. Spidey was trying to conceal his identity; hence, he pretended to be older than he was. The Legion had no such consideration, so the names simply reflected who their youth when they started.

In the end, I agree with Set: I don't care what they are called so long as the stories are worth following.

I tend to agree that the names don't matter to me half as much as good characterization and great storytelling.

You've kind of got to wonder what the point of the Legion having codenames is anyway, given that they don't have secret identities.

Good question. Although the codenames were obviously part of the convention of super-heroes, I've always thought of them as sort of titles, such as Lieutenant Commander or the Duke of Marlborough, meant to instill confidence in the public (or at least make the bearers feel important. )

With Interlac being so prominent, I assume the code names are easier to pronounce than some of the real names, and since the Legionnaires are celebrities of sort, they have more universally "understood" code names.

Wow. I know what I was trying to say, but not sure I articulated it well.

You articulated it fine, Matt. It's the same reason why Richard Starkey became Ringo Starr or George O'Dowd became Boy George (which, oddly enough, sounds like a Legion name).

LOL Karma Chameleon Boy

I think by this time their code names are badges of respect, like a certain 50+ year old Nature Boy I know. Starman and Superman spent extended time away from the Legion and were the oldest anyway, so when they met other heroes that were using man or woman, they probably introduced themselves similarly.

Levitz actually accounted for this way back in SLSH #235. By the 30th Century, the human lifespan had--as I think Kent suggested earlier--been extended to the point that it was not unusual to think of twentysomethings as "kids".

"Starman" always sounded kinda funny to me when referring to our Thom ... I guess because so many other heroes have/had that name, I always thought to myself " well, at least StarBOY is unique" and that made Thom Kallor stand out among other similar-sounding heroes.

I think He Who Wanders has the right idea...I see them as sort of a title or a badge of honor.

Also, when you're looking at a team with 20+ members, it's probably a good idea for them to have names which (mostly) neatly sum up their abilities. It's easier to remember that Phantom Girl is the best choice to search a collapsed building for survivors than trying to remember what powers Tinya, Nura, Jacques and Dirk have which could come in handy for the situation...

They were Adults by the 30th Century standard at 14. And Remember the Boy/Lass/Girl stuff is reflecting 30/31st century understandings of age not 21st century...that's in part why Thom went as Starman..not Starboy in the 21st century.

I personally enjoy the names, and if they all changed to Man/Woman I think you would lose the effect.

However, when I recommend the series to people one of their main complaints always has to deal with the names. For some reason these names make them lesser heroes to some.

Not to mention that if you aged all the current names with Man/Woman etc some would sound ok but others ... "Element Man"... *cringe* yuck!
Above all though, the current names are classics. Please don't change them (regardless if the Legionnaires age in the comics or not).