Night Girl (Lydda Jath) is a fictional character appearing in media published by DC Comics, primarily as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes and Legion of Substitute Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. She first appeared in Adventure Comics #306 (March 1963).[1]
| Night Girl | |
|---|---|
 Night Girl as depicted in Adventure Comics #524 (2011). | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Adventure Comics #306 (March 1963) |
| Created by | Edmond Hamilton (script) John Forte (art) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Lydda Jath |
| Species | Kathoonian |
| Place of origin | Kathoon |
| Team affiliations | Legion of Substitute Heroes Legion of Super-Heroes |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength that only could be used in darkness |
Fictional character biography
editPre-Crisis
editNight Girl is a native of the planet Kathoon,[2] a world which is in perpetual darkness and heated by an internal power source. Lydda possesses superhuman strength, given to her by her scientist father, but only at night or in deep shadow.[3] Her powers were negated by the presence of ultraviolet energy.
In pre-Zero Hour continuity, she unsuccessfully tried out for the Legion of Super-Heroes, who rejected her due to her situational and impractical abilities.[3] After meeting fellow Legion reject Polar Boy, she became a founding member of the Legion of Substitute Heroes.[4] While having powers with such a drastic limitation reduced her effectiveness as a superhero, she became quite skilled at martial arts. She had a crush on Cosmic Boy, which was her motivation for leaving Kathoon and trying out for the Legion. During the Five Year Gap, she and Rokk married and eventually had a son, Pol (named for Cosmic Boy's fallen brother, Legionnaire Magnetic Kid) and resettled back on her homeworld as her husband reformed the Legion. In the stories of the Adult Legion, Night Girl (now Night Woman) and Cosmic Man are married and have a child.[5]
Post-Zero Hour
editIn post-Zero Hour continuity, Night Girl made two brief appearances, first in Legionnaires #43 as she was rejected at a try-out once again and joined the Legion of Substitute Heroes once more. In a nod to the previous continuity she noted that, had she been aware Cosmic Boy was on a secret mission, she might not have even made the attempt.
She was seen in one panel in Legionnaires #49 as she and Polar Boy talked about how the Substitute Legion had a long way to go until they were ready to take on a mission.
Threeboot
editNight Girl appeared trying out for Legion membership by fighting Ultra Boy. She was later made a member of the Legion Reserves.[6]
Post-Infinite Crisis
editThe events of Infinite Crisis restored a close analogue of the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths Legion of Super-Heroes to continuity. Night Girl appears as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes and teacher at the Legion Academy.
Powers and abilities
editNight Girl has superhuman strength and durability equivalent to that of Superboy or Mon-El, but only in darkness or deep shadow. Her powers fade immediately in the presence of direct sunlight.[7][8] Since her superpowers are often unavailable, she has trained extensively and is a capable hand-to-hand combatant.
In other media
edit- Night Girl makes non-speaking cameo appearances in Legion of Super Heroes.
- Night Girl appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[9]
- Night Girl appears in the one-shot comic Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes.[10]
References
edit- ^ Cadigan, Glen, ed. (2004). The Best of the Legion Outpost. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 51. ISBN 9781893905368.
- ^ Levitz, Paul (w), Giffen, Keith, Colón, Ernie, Smith, Bob (p), Gafford, Carl (i). Cosmic Boy, no. 1, p. 5/5 (1986). DC Comics.
- ^ a b Levitz, Paul (w), Giffen, Keith, Colón, Ernie, Smith, Bob (p), Gafford, Carl (i). Cosmic Boy, no. 1, p. 6 (1986). DC Comics.
- ^ Greenberger, Robert; Pasko, Martin (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. p. 198. ISBN 978-0-345-50108-0.
- ^ Adventure Comics #354
- ^ Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 5) #48 (Jan. 2009)
- ^ Adventure Comics #365
- ^ Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #3
- ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 2, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ "Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes #1 - Atomic Batteries To Power, Flight Rings To Speed (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved August 18, 2023.