Who's Who: Night Girl

Night Girl
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: Lydda Jath

Super-Power(s): Super-strength, but only at night or in the near absence of light
Planet of Origin: Kathoon

Relationship to Legion: member of Legion of Substitute Heroes; later Legion reservist and Legionnaire

Legion Log
Lydda Jath was born on Kathoon, a world in perpetual darkness. When the Legion of Super-Heroes became famous, she instantly fell in love with its leader, Cosmic Boy, and knew that the best way to approach him would be as a fellow Legionnaire. The lack of super-powers might have deterred some from trying out for the Legion, but not Lydda. As the daughter of Kathoon's most noted scientist, she convinced her father to find a way to give her super-powers. She became the beneficiary of a special procedure that endowed her with super-strength. When Lightning Lad died and the Legion appeared to be looking for a replacement, she went to Earth, calling herself Strength Girl.

Strength Girl was rejected for membership because it turned out that her super-powers fade in sunlight. As Night Girl, she left the Legion HQ, but instead of returning to her home planet she met up with several other Legion rejects, trying to console each other. Later that night when she was mooning in front of the Cosmic Boy statue in downtown Metropolis, she happened to meet Polar Boy. Trying to console him, too, they hit on the idea of using their not-so-classic abilities to form their own, secret organization, and the Legion of Substitute Heroes was born.

Night Girl served with the Substitutes with distinction for several years. And although Polar Boy was the undisputed leader of the group, Night Girl, in recognition of both her physical strength and character, served as his second-in-command.

Initially keeping their group's existence a secret, they eventually "outed" themselves when they saved the lives of several Legionnaires, including Superboy. Night Girl was an important part of that life-saving effort. The Legion offered to rescind their earlier rejections, and proposed a contest to admit one of the Subs into the Legion. Night Girl and Polar Boy received the same amount of points during this contest and would have both joined if Stone Boy had not gotten extra points for valor, having sacrificed his chances at membership by saving innocent bystanders. In the end, they all decided to remain with the Substitute Heroes.

During her time with the Substitute Legion, Night Girl eventually met and admitted her attraction to Cosmic Boy. He reciprocated her feelings, and they became one of the Legion's more well-known couples. Night Girl then became a de facto Legion Reservist, joining in on several adventures alongside her man.

Night Girl has always been one of the more striking, easy-to-recognize super-heroines. She made her debut in an all-black body-stocking uniform while sporting a huge bee-hive haircut. Later, she let her long hair flow naturally and wore next-to-nothing (an all-black bikini-like outfit). She eventually wore an all-black body-stocking uniform and silky light blue cape. Her symbol on all of her uniforms was a stylized owl face.

And while presumably still attached to the Subs, after Cosmic Boy's mother was killed in a nuclear explosion, Night Girl began to spend more time with him and less time with them. She did not participate in their adventures after the Great Darkness Saga.

After witnessing the chaotic Crisis on Infinite Earths, Night Girl joined Cosmic Boy on an extended vacation into the past. Unfortunately, while in 1986, they learned that the time-line that the 30th Century had always believed in was actually false. This led to the Legion's final battles with the Time Trapper and the subsequent death of Superboy, adventures that Night Girl was allowed to participate in by virtue of her experience.

Later, Night Girl and Cosmic Boy became embroiled in a Dominator plan to destroy Weber's World. Getting assistance from Legion Academy teachers and students, they managed to deal with that threat. They eventually re-formed the Legion of Substitute Heroes to face any problems that the Legion might overlook.

Five Years Later, Lydda and Rokk finally tied the knot after Rokk was drafted into the Braalian army as the Braal-Imsk War ramped up. Their postwar life on Braal, however, was far from ideal, and she desperately sought for a way for them to get off-planet. Her wish came true when former Legionnaire Reep Daggle re-formed the Legion and put Rokk at the top of his list. The two soon moved to the Legion's new headquarters on the planetoid Talus where Lydda gave birth to their son, Pol Jath Krinn during a Legion reunion on Winath. She found herself in action once again, alongside the Legion against Mordru and Glorith, but soon afterwards, their timeline was destroyed by the Zero Hour event.

After the Reboot, Night Girl was once again rejected by the Legion during their try-outs, where she secretly hoped to meet Cosmic Boy. On her way out, she met fellow reject Polar Boy, who convinced her that despite the Legion's rejection, they could still use their powers for good. They gathered a few other rejects together, but, when United Planets President R. J. Brande sent out a call for super-powered beings to help stop Mordru, felt that their team was not yet ready enough.

After the Threeboot, Night Girl is a Legion reservist. Not much is known about her history. She initially came to Metropolis as an applicant for the United Planets Young Heroes and when that didn't pan out, she applied for Legion membership. Although she was rejected because her powers are negated by daylight, she was granted reserve member status.

After Infinite Crisis, Night Girl's original history has presumably been more or less restored, and he actually joined the Legion, but her relationship with Cosmic Boy was aborted when Rokk chose to sacrifice his chance at a personal life to ensure that his best friends, fellow founders Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl, could have one together in the wake of Earth's xenophobic turn. Besides working with the Legion, Night Girl serves as one of the instructors at the Legion Academy.

In the stories of the Adult Legion, Night Girl (now Night Woman) and Cosmic Man are married and have a child.

Night Girl has appeared in two episodes of the Legion of Super Heroes animated series, "Lightning Storm" and "The Substitute". Both appearances were non-speaking.

Important Night Girl Stories:

Adventure Comics #306

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 2
and Showcase Presents The Legion Vol. 1)

The debut of Night Girl and the Legion of Substitute Heroes

Adventure Comics #311

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 2
and Showcase Presents The Legion Vol. 1)

We learn that Night Girl has a crush on Cosmic Boy

Adventure Comics #313

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 2
and Showcase Presents The Legion Vol. 1)

Night Girl hangs out with the Legion without the Subs

Adventure Comics #315

(reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 2
and Showcase Presents The Legion Vol. 1)

Night Girl (and Polar Boy) almost win membership in the Legion

Adventure Comics #319

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 3
and Showcase Presents The Legion Vol. 1)

Night Girl and the Subs saves the lives of several Legionnaires. 

Adventure Comics #331

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 4
and Showcase Presents The Legion Vol. 2)

Saturn Queen defeats Night Girl

Adventure Comics #351

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 6
and Showcase Presents The Legion Vol. 3)

Night Girl stands up to Comet the Super-Horse

Adventure Comics #354

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 6
and Showcase Presents The Legion Vol. 3)

In the Silver Age Adult Legion continuity, Night Woman marries Cosmic Man
(although both lose a lot of hair in doing so) 

Superboy & The Legion of Super-Heroes #211

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 11
and Showcase Presents The Legion Vol. 5)

Night Girl teams up with Shadow Lass after breaking up with Cosmic Boy
(the debut of her modern uniform)

Superboy/Legion of Super-Heroes #236

Night Girl vacations on Braal with Cosmic Boy and his brother, Pol

Superboy/Legion of Super-Heroes #254

Night Girl helps defeat the League of Super-Assassins
(she's back in her classic uniform)

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #294

The Substitutes help during The Great Darkness Saga

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #297

Night Girl consoles Cosmic Boy when his family are victims of a nuclear bomb

Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes #316

Night Girl helps Cosmic Boy defeat smugglers

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #4

Night Girl and Cosmic Boy organize a protective force
while the Legion is away (the debut of her new uniform)

Cosmic Boy mini-series #1-4

Night Girl and Cosmic Boy realize that the time stream is broken

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #37-38

Night Girl helps the Legion against the Time Trapper and his Superboy

Legion of Super-Heroes Annual (v2) #3 (1987)

The debut of the New Legion of Substitute Heroes

Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #1

Five Years Later... Lydda and Rock are married

Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) Annual #3

Lydda gives birth to a son

Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) Annual #4

Night Girl and Shadow Lass show what a powerful combo they can be

Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #61

Night Girl and Cosmic Boy embrace for the last time before reality collapses

Legionnaires #43

The Reboot Night Girl strikes out with the Legion

Legionnaires #49

Night Girl doesn't think the Subs are ready to go on missions

Legion of Super-Heroes (v5) #45

The Threeboot Night Girl tries out for the U.P. Young Heroes

Legion of Super-Heroes (v5) #48

Night Girl tries out for the Threeboot Legion; she will once again be rejected

Action Comics #860-863

After the Retroboot, Night Girl is a member of the Legion

The Brave and the Bold (v3) #35

In an untold story, Night Girl and the Subs team up with the Inferior 5

Adventure Comics #523

Night Girl is a Legion Academy instructor

Adventure Comics #526

Night Girl tells XS what happened between her and Cosmic Boy

Legion of Super-Heroes (v7) #8

Let bygones be bygones, Night Girl tries to rekindle her romance with Cosmic Boy

Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century #3

The animated Night Girl is a member of the Subs in the tie-in comic