Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes The L. L. "Thing"

So, the discussion today in Legion Archive Thread about Superboy #86, got me thinking about the whole "LL" convention used in Superman stories and - more specifically - why it became a convention in the first place.

I think the real story is probably lost to the ages, but I thought if I were to lay out a timeline of "LL" introductions leading up to Superboy 86, where the "coincidence" was first discussed, we might be able to make an educated guess.

There is some conjecture here, but see if you agree with my conclusions:


So, first off:


Lois Lane

The very first "LL" introduced in Action Comics #1 (June 1938). I've read a couple different stories about where her name came from, but the most reasonable - to me - seems to be that Jerry Siegel based her character on "Torchy Blane," a girl reporter type from a series of movies in the late 1930's, played in 1938 by actress, Lola Lane.

At this point, it's just an alliterative name, and not a recurrent plot point.



Lana Lang

Introduced in Superboy #10 (October 1950) by Bill Finger. Obviously the character was introduced to fill the same sort of role as Lois (potential romantic interest/secret identity hunter) in Superman's early days. Although the "LL" thing is obviously intentional here, I don't feel like it was part of any specifically designed long-term pattern. Rather, I think it was just meant to be evocative of Lois Lane, connecting the two characters as "types" in the readers' minds.



Lightning... uh... Boy

Adventure #247 (April 1958), introduction of the Legion by Otto Binder, a member of which will later be called "Lightning Lad" but who, at this point, is not an "LL".



Lucy Lane, Lori Lemaris and Linda Lee

Now here's where it gets interesting.

Jimmy Olsen #36 (April 1959) - Otto Binder introduces Lois's sister, Lucy Lane. I feel like it still wasn't a "thing" yet, though, rather just a natural way to connect the two sisters phonically.


But, the next month, in Superman #129 (May 1959), Bill Finger again introduces a historical love interest of Supes, this time during his college years... the mermaid in hiding, Lori Lemaris.

The name itself is just a play on words (Lorelei being an old German word for "water sprite" and "maris" suggesting "mar" or "mer" meaning "sea"... Lorelei-maris... Lori Lemaris) but I think Finger took the opportunity to again connect these women Lois... Lana... Lori... into an "LL" pattern - not by some sort of editorial mandate... but just as a neat connection between the "great loves" of Superman throughout his life.


But... I also think - at this point - the connection became obvious to Mort and he wanted to cement it as a ongoing part of the Superman mythos, because the same month - in Action #252 - Supergirl is introduced... along with her identity of "Linda Lee".


Clearly - at this point - there's been a conscious editorial decision to start using "LL" as a recurrent element.

Like I say, I don't personally feel that Lucy Lane and Lori Lemaris were part of this "mandate" but, rather, I suspect that the coincidence between the two pitches inspired Mort to tell his writers to use the convention from that point forward... beginning with Linda Lee.



A reader's suggestion

In Superman #130 (July 1959) someone wrote in requesting the story of how Superman first met Luthor. At this point, Luthor had only ever been seen as an adult nemesis and had never been given a first name. Mort replied that that story would be told soon.

I think this... the request for Luthor's origin - and the realization that he didn't have a first name - is where Mort first decided to make "LL" into something bigger than just the recurrent initials of the women in Supes' life.



Lightning Lad

Adventure #267 (December 1959), the second Legion tale, this time by Jerry Siegel. Published 5 months after that suggestion for Luthor's origin, this story was probably in the works around the time that Mort got the idea, and the mandate probably came down like... "This time call him, Lightning Lad."



Lex Luthor

Adventure #271 (April 1960), again by Siegel, the story answer to the letter in Superman... the introduction of teen Luthor... and of the name, "Lex". The name was clearly chosen to fit the convention.



Lyla Lerrol

Superman #141 (November 1960) Yup... definitely a "thing" now.



The convention cemented

Superboy #86 (January 1961), another Siegel, the second teen Luthor story... and the one where the "LL" thing is explicitly called out. "Look at this... Lana Lang... Lex Luthor... Lightning Lad... what a coincidence!"

If, by "coincidence", you mean "design".




After that, they started getting ridiculous... Lesla Lar, Luma Lunai, Lyrica Lloyd, on and on.



So... like I say... all speculation, but that's how I think it played out.


Thoughts?

I really like your analysis. Alliteration often sounds good and it makes characters easier to remember. At first I wondered if Supergirl's name represented Binder's style. Otto Binder's Fawcett characters had similar alliteration, such as Billy Batson. After some thought, I think it points at a general trend in fiction because we also see examples over at Marvel, such as Peter Parker.

It's not being done anymore, is it? New characters in the Superman universe skip the L.L. tradition, which is sad. They could throw in one from time to time.

When you say it out loud, of course, it echoes Superman's Kryptonian "El" name. So maybe, in a fictional sense, Kal is just attracted to L names because it subconsciously reminds him of his heritage.

There really should be a bigger conspiracy or secret message behind the L.L. phenomenon.

Wasn't the "LL" noticed in story by Superman when Kara picks "Linda Lee" as a name? I don't have my reprint of Action #252 at my fingertips, but I'm SURE he makes mental note of the co-incidence.

Yeah, Supes thinks: "Lana Lang was my girlfriend when I was Superboy, and Lois Lane replaced her when I became Superman! By sheer coincidence, she picked the same initials... L.L.!"

No doubt Supes is hoping his cute young cousin will "replace" Lois Lane!

Sweet!

I just looked it up online and sure enough:



That totally fits in with what I was saying above. So, as early as May of 1959, the LL thing was concretized as a narrative tool and it really just becomes a chicken or the egg thing:


Were the other two uses within that couple month span (Lucy Lane and Lori Lemaris) specifically named to fit the convention... or, rather, was their naming ("Lori" as a play on words and also as a reflection of the earlier Lois and Lana roles, and Lucy as a phonic pairing with her sister) what inspired the convention to be adopted?

My guess would be that Finger consciously named "Lori Lemaris" to fit in with the "L.L." pattern of the girlfriends, but then, when Weisinger saw that, he decided to make it a wider thing by making "Linda Lee" another example of it.

As we used to say in the Army, "I concur... and initial".

It actually wouldn't surprise me if the change from "Lightning Boy" to "Lightning Lad" was actually just a coincidence, chosen by Siegel just because it sounded better, but then Mort decided to use that as another example to draw attention to the pattern.

It's possible, but something else I just checked out sort of makes me think that it was more Mort-driven than Siegel.


Doing a search on the "comics.org" DB, I just discovered that - prior to September 1958 - no individual comic character had ever had "Lad" in his name.


There was a short-lived historical series in 1939 from some publisher called Worth Carnahan that featured the "Liberty Lads", but that was just a collective term for a "boy gang" during the Revolutionary War.

And that was it... until Jimmy Olsen #31, when Otto Binder introduced the concept of... "Elastic Lad".


I kind of get the feel that the "Lad" designation there was just used there as part of a cool phonic thing... "E-la-stic Lad" has a sort of drawn out length to the repeated "la" sound.


But... to have never used the "Lad" designation before that point, then - just as the whole "LL" thing was hatching in Mort's brain - to have one of the Supes writers use it, I feel like the two things must have clicked for him and - the next time the Legion was featured, Mort suggested an intentional renaming of "Lighting Boy" to fit the pattern.


All of this is just my opinion, of course... but it is fun to try to do some comic sleuthing!

For the record, other L.L.s - Legionnaire Lemon (another Siegel story), Luck Lords and Life Lass.

This is a great historical analysis! To me, it makes perfect sense. Mort, who was both appealing to younger readers and purposely creating an integrated continuity during this time, was able to use LL to hug advantage.

I think Ex has it down to the month.

*choke* I was an LL, too! Then, there's my half-sister Lucifer Lass. And, now, so is my cousin Larry Ladd!

Let's not forget Lethargic Lad and his secret identity Larry Ladhands.

Lightning Lad is apparently important enough to Superman to be included in that list.

What DID those two get up to while they were manning the clubhouse alone?

Well, Clark was in a redhead phase at the time so ... 8-)

"Lad" could also have been used because of Jimmy's age. A lad can be a man of any age or a male between boyhood and maturity, depending on which dictionary you consult, so it fits him better than "Boy".

Fun speculations, Ex.

Note that the "L.L." thing also play a big role in the story of Mighty Boy, from Superboy #85!

Mighty Boy has numerous important people in his life with the initials C. K.!

No doubt in the super-club from the future that inducted Mighty Boy, one of the members name was changed to Cosmic Kid after his first appearance!

*ahem*

You surely mean Cobalt Kid.

No, he means Comet King

PS: The last PM I sent you is just a short note to check one thing. Could you have a look?