Who's Who: Interplanetary Bank Beast-Guards

Interplanetary Bank Beast-Guards
by Russell & Siskoid

Known members: the Loud-Speaker Beast, the Asteroid Serpent, the Jigsaw Creature

Super-Power(s): see individual notes below
Planet of Origin: Unknown

Relationship to Legion: none; battled the Legion once when under the control of the evil Apollo

Legion Log
The Interplanetary Bank employs three (or six) different species to roam the grounds outside the main office on their headquarters asteroid. Each is trained to recognize established "friendly" signs, and to attack all other visitors as potential threats.

The Jigsaw Creature is made up of four creatures who attach themselves to each other. Similar to Earth's rhino & oxpecker or shark & remora, the creatures live in a symbiotic, mutualistic relationship. The "head" creature can fly, the "torso" creature has enormous strength, the "legs" creature has incredible stamina, and the "tail" creature resembles a snake. The Loudspeaker Beast emits ear-splitting sounds that paralyzes people with natural hearing or can shatter weapons and armor of military attacks. The Asteroid Serpent is the most dangerous of the troupe. Its many eyes emit blasts that turn solids into gases; it then absorbs the gases as sustenance, as it has no mouth to eat. Although domesticated and therefore trained to only de-solidify objects and not other living creatures, the Asteroid Serpent in the Beast-Guards is the animal you least want to have pursue you. 

The Legion first came across the Beast Guards of the Interplanetary Bank when Apollo, of the Devil's Dozen, led an attack on the Interplanetary Bank asteroid. Using his magical harp, Apollo was able to control the Beast Guards so that they allowed him and his gang in to rob the bank. What is more, when the Legion responded to the bank robbery Apollo used his magic harp again to order the Beast-Guards to attack the Legion. (Although in theory, they would have attacked the Legionnaires anyway, because the Legionnaires would not have known the established signs to give to make the animals stand down.)

At that time, the Bank realized that their Beast-Guards were susceptible to mental control. Several months later, Lightning Lord attacked and successfully robbed the Interplanetary Bank. He was able to defeat the Beast-Guards using his concentrated electrical attacks.

Since those two incidents, there has been no word if the Beast-Guards have been added to or replaced. Besides these two incidents, the Beast-Guards had a good record of maintaining the integrity of the Interplanetary Bank. 

They never reappeared, in any continuity.

After Infinite Crisis, the Interplanetary Bank Beast-Guards' original history has presumably been more or less restored.

Important Beast-Guard stories:

Adventure Comics #350
(reprinted in The Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 6
and Showcase Presents: The Legion Vol. 3)

The debut of the Interplanetary Bank Beast-Guards

Superboy #172
(reprinted in The Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 10
and Showcase Presents: The Legion Vol. 4)

The Beast Guards are knocked out by Lightning Lord