The Heroes of Lallor: brief thoughts on some square peg superheroes

The Heroes of Lallor

In previous posts, I've discussed my appreciation for members of the Legion of Superheroes (specifically Chemical King and Polar Boy).  Today, I want to return to DC's 31st century, but not to focus on the LSH.  Instead, I'm interested in another super-group:  The Heroes of Lallor.

One of the main things I liked about the Heroes was the contrast they presented to the Legion.  It always struck me as odd--given the plethora of teams and independent heroes in the contemporary DC timeline--that by the 31st century superheroes had largely been consolidated into one massive uber-team.  With an even bigger universe, it seemed natural to assume, there should've been at least as many independent heroes in the 31st as there had been in the 20th. 

Gas Girl

The five powered teens (Beast Boy, Gas Girl, Evolvo Lad, Duplicate Boy, &  Life Lass) who composed the Heroes, were all born on Lallor, a planet ruled by a single dictator.  They were mutants whose powers were the result of exposure (in utero, apparently) to fallout from an accidental atomic explosion.  The kids' powers manifested when they were quite young--a fact the planetary authorities seem to have known. Eventually, however, "Prime Minister" Vorr experienced one of those sudden, inexplicable opinion changes that are all the rage with  dictators, and banished the teens.

The actual reason for the banishment isn't exactly clear to me.  Wikipedia  says it was for, "opposing the dictatorship," while the DC Database wiki simply claims that, "the leader of Lallor, fearing what the young people could do [had] them exiled..." Whatever the specifics, one thing is clear:  the Heroes were outsiders.  They were the super-powered square pegs in the 30th century...and that's one of the main reasons I like 'em.

Evolvo Lad

This theme of nonconformity appeared again in Adventure Comics # 339 (Dec 1965) where Beast Boy--who, for some reason was shunned from polite Lallorian society--retreated to the jungle planet Vorn where he led an animal revolt against the planet's human population.  As it turned out, this story concluded with Beast Boy's death and his burial on the memorial planet Shanghalla.