by Siskoid
Real Name: Giselle Smith
Super-Power(s): Conscious metabolic control which can produce super-speed and strength and simulate death.
Planet of Origin: Triton
Planet of Origin: Triton
Legion Seniority: Gazelle was the third completely new Legion recruit after the Threeboot.
Legion Log
The Legionnaires first met Giselle Smith on a mission to her home moon of Triton, in the 31st Century, a popular ski destination. All Tritonians are the product of genetic engineering which has allowed them to tolerate a colder climate. Giselle, however, was born with genetic anomalies that altered her appearance and gave her further control over her metabolism. The Legion saved her from a mob of angry teenagers, and she subsequently helped them defeat an alien threat. Soon after, the United Planets recruited her into the United Planets Young Heroes. She took the code name Gazelle. As time went by, her look became increasingly human*.
The U.P. had promised to cure Gazelle of her powers, but she was deceived. When the Legion held its own tryouts, she applied and was admitted by majority vote. She served on the team until until that timeline collapsed, a mere 2 issues later, interrupting a possible romance with Invisible Kid.
*According to artist Francis Manapul on the Legion of Substitute Podcasters #51 (2009), Gazelle "was supposed to look human" but lack of communication between him and writer Jim Shooter, caused him to interpret her incorrectly at first.
Important Gazelle Stories:
Legion of Super-Heroes (v5) #37
Gazelle is first introduces on Triton where the Legion come to her aid
Legion of Super-Heroes (v5) #38
Gazelle returns the favor by helping the Legion against alien attackers
Legion of Super-Heroes (v5) #39
Gazelle tells her story
Legion of Super-Heroes (v5) #41
Gazelle becomes a member of the United Planets Young Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes (v5) #43
A wounded Gazelle is rescued by the Legion, and her opinion of the team starts to change for the better
Legion of Super-Heroes (v5) #48
Gazelle tries out for the Legion and is accepted
Legion of Super-Heroes (v5) #50
Gazelle helps the Legion retrieve Dream Girl from the Dreaming and admits feelings for Invisible Kid
Gazelle is the only thing I liked from Shooter's Threeboot run. There was a grossness to everything else (too much detail to go into here), but she felt like the only truly Legion-y thing Shooter felt like doing. I kind of wish she'd at least popped up in L3W, but I more than understand if they wanted to sweep this run under the proverbial rug.
ReplyDeleteWith the exception of having to get enough calories she was a cheap copy of the original Timber Wolf !
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