Newsboy Legion
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The Newsboy Legion is the name of a kid gang in the DC Comics Universe. Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, they appeared in their own self-titled feature which ran from Star Spangled Comics #7 (April 1942) to Star Spangled Comics #64 (January 1947).
A group of orphans, living on the streets of Suicide Slum, they were so named because they sold newspapers to make a living. They were also frequently in trouble with the law, although local policeman Jim Harper had a soft spot for them. In their first appearance Harper, shortly after becoming the Guardian also becomes the Newsboys' legal guardian. A recurring theme in their stories was that the boys suspected Harper was the Guardian, but were unsure.
The Newsboy Legion consisted of Tommy Tompkins (the leader); Anthony "Big Words" Rodriguez (the team genius); Johnny "Gabby" Gabrielli (an excitable kid who never stopped talking); and Patrick "Scrapper" MacGuire (the tough guy). It should be noted that—with the exception of Tommy Tompkins—the characters were originally known only by their nicknames and were not given full names until a later revival in the Superman comics of the 1980s and 1990s.
The Newsboy Legion were reintroduced in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 (October 1970). The Legion in that story were the sons of the originals, who were now working at a government genetics project. A new addition to the team was Walter "Flipper Dipper" (or "Flippa Dippa") Johnson Jr., an Afro-American boy, and the son of another member of the Project. His nickname was later shortened to "Flip".
Post-Crisis Version
Post-Crisis, the Newsboy Legion's 1940s history was unchanged, as was their later involvement with the DNA Project (now called Project Cadmus). Instead of having identical sons, however, the new Newsboy Legion were now said to be clones, created by the same technology that recreated the Guardian, as part of an Apokolips plot that went wrong. Like the Guardian clone, they shared their "fathers'" memories, at least up to their current age, meaning that they were sometimes unfamiliar with the modern world. They first appeared in this form in Superman Annual #2 (1988), written by Roger Stern.
They were briefly joined by the Guardian's niece "Famous" Bobbi Harper, but she subsequently went to stay with another relative.
In Superboy #56, significant changes in Project Cadmus meant the Newsboys, original and clones, left the Project. It was briefly suggested that the clones were investigating what was really behind these changes, but this was not followed up on.
Seven Soldiers of Victory Version
In Grant Morrison's new take on the Guardian in Seven Soldiers (see Manhattan Guardian), the Manhattan Guardian newspaper has a citywide network of volunteer reporters called the "Newsboy Legion".
Later in that same series it was revealed that a group called the Newsboy Army was active during the forties in an area of New York called Nowhere Street. This group consisted of Captain 7 (an Afro-American boy in a football uniform), Ali Ka-Zoom (a young stage magician), Vincenzo 'Kid Scarface' Baldi (an Italian boy in an impeccable suit) Chop Suzi (an Asian girl, the team's mechanic), Edward 'Baby Brain' Stargard (an infant prodigy), Little Miss Hollywood (an impressionist, the daughter of Irish immigrants) and Millions (the world's richest dog). Of the seven, Chop Suzi and Millions are long dead; Cap became a child molester and was killed by the others; Hollywood is an alcoholic 'super-impressionist'; Ali Ka-Zoom mastered genuine magic, went mad, and died; Kid Scarface became Vincenzo the Undying Don, the leader of the L.A. underworld, and was recently killed by the Sheeda; and Baby Brain survived to found the Manhattan Guardian newspaper. Strangely, Ali KaZoom has shown up alive in 52, so possibly something has happened.
The name "Newsboys of Nowhere Street" suggests both the Newsboy Legion and Kirby's later kid gang, the Dingbats of Danger Street.
The Newsboy Legion makes a cameo appearance in the third season Justice League Unlimited episode, "Patriot Act". (They were not named as such in this episode).
External links
- [Supermanica: Newsboy Legion] Supermanica entry on the Pre-Crisis Newsboy Legion
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