Who's Who: Shrinking Violet

Shrinking Violet
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name: Salu Digby

Super-Power(s): Ability to reduce her size, from several centimeters to microscopic size
Planet of Origin: Imsk

Legion Seniority: Shrinking Violet applied for membership at the same time as Supergirl, Brainiac 5, Sun Boy, and Bouncing Boy. Although she was not admitted at this time (that honor went to Supergirl), the next time Violet appeared, she was shown to have been awarded membership. From the stories it is not clear whether she joined before, after, or at the same time as Sun Boy. However, it has been established that she joined before Bouncing Boy, who was a member when Mon-El joined. Perhaps if she and Sun Boy joined at the same time, she is listed first both alphabetically and gender-wise (ladies first?). According to DC Role Playing Reference: LSH (co-authored by long-time LSH author Paul Levitz), Violet is Legionnaire #14.

Legion Log 
Shrinking Violet made her debut in Action Comics #276 as an applicant for Legion membership. Although she is passed over for membership at this time, in her next appearance one year later (Adventure Comics # 300) she is shown as a member. Under what circumstances she was admitted, and why she wanted to join the Legion in the first place has never been revealed.  

Shrinking Violet's membership with the Legion for her first ten years was as quiet and demure as she was. When on a mission during Year 4, she met Duplicate Boy of Lallor. They fell in love and continued a long distance romance for several years. During Year 11, Shrinking Violet was kidnapped by rebels on her home planet of Imsk and kept in a sense-tank until she was rescued by the Legion. For nearly a year, the Durlan actress Yera impersonated Violet. After Shrinking Violet returned to active duty, she became more outgoing and forceful. Symbolically, she went back to her original uniform but switched the white sections to black.

Shrinking Violet in her early years did not make any particular deep friendships in the Legion, although she was on good terms with everyone. At times, she seemed to look up to and/or admire the physically or emotionally strong men on the team, such as Mon-El, Superboy, Cosmic Boy and Lightning Lad. Although Colossal Boy had a crush on her and she knew of it, she never reciprocated. She spent time with her fellow Espionage Squad members Invisible Kid, Phantom Girl and Chameleon Boy, so was perhaps friendliest with them. When she was especially lonely without Duplicate Boy around, she agreed to go on a date with Matter-Eater Lad, but they ended up staying just friends. After Violet returned to active duty after her kidnapping, she struck up a friendship with Lightning Lass who had also recently gone through a life-altering experience. Also, Violet seemed to be friendlier with strong-willed members such as Sensor Girl, but less friendly towards old friends Chameleon Boy and Colossal Boy.

Although Shrinking Violet always had a word for purple in her code name, she never wore the color in her uniform, at least not in the original continuity. Instances where that Violet is shown in purple are of her impersonator, Yera.

During and after the five-year gap following the Magic Wars, Violet returned to Imsk and was drafted to fight in a war against Braal, the home planet of her fellow Legionnaire Cosmic Boy. This ended with the "Battle of Venado Bay", during which she found herself saving a grievously-injured Cosmic Boy from her own comrades. Delirious with pain, he left her with a long scar on her face and blind in one eye. The eye, and their relationship, was later repaired, but she kept the scar.

Eventually discharged despite being a war hero, Violet went to live on Winath with Lightning Lass, with whom she was now romantically involved. The pair helped reform the Legion and worked with them to halt the Khund invasion of Orando, free Earth from the Dominators, and stop Mordru from raising his army of the undead. During the Khund invasion, Violet lost a leg in battle and was grafted with a new blue one. When the Legion was framed and had to go on the run, Cosmic Boy began to show signs of instability and Violet took command under the new code name Virus. She led the team until the timeline collapsed.

Shrinking Violet was also one of the members of the SW6 Legionnaires, and appeared in Legionnaires when it was spun-off into its own series.

After the Reboot, Violet's combat prowess caught the attention of Legionnaires Apparition and Spark who were evaluating Imskian applicants. She aided them in solving the murder of a fellow competitor, Ion, who was murdered by a third competitor, Micro. Violet claimed she didn't want her spot on the Legion by default, but micro-cameras caught her battle with Micro and the Legionnaires encouraged her to join them. She was sworn in alongside Andromeda and Kinetix, the latter of which coaxed Violet out of her social shell. She developed a crush on Leviathan, as did Kinetix, but it didn't stop the two girls from becoming best friends. When Violet came across the Emerald Eye of Ekron, it seduced her and made her more outgoing, and she was elected Legion leader. Innocently, she wished that all the Legionnaires would be granted their heart's desires, which unfortunately caused Leviathan's heroic death. After she used the Eye to remake the Legion and Earth in the Eye's image, the Legion had to stop her. In the wake of these events, she merged with the Eye and remained under its power as Veye.

After she was freed from the Eye, and her new master Mordru was defeated, Violet suddenly found herself with Leviathan's powers in addition to her own. She alternated between using the code name LeViathan (in tribute to him) and Violet until this timeline collapsed.

After the Threeboot, Salu is known as Atom Girl, a myth to all but the founding Legion members. She was considered a joke by the second wave of Legionnaires, until Brainiac 5 revealed her actual existence in the battle against Elysion of Terror Firma. She was apparently exploring Brainiac 5's microverse and had lost track of time. She entertains an air of mystery and of being slightly crazy, and is fiercely loyal to Brainiac 5. A romance with Micro Lad (Colossal Boy) was hinted at but never consummated.

After Infinite Crisis, Violet's original history has more or less been re-established. She is at odds with Yera, now a Legionnaire under the name Chameleon Girl, but her romantic relationship with Lightning Lass has survived the various changes to continuity.

Shrinking Violet has appeared in several episodes of The Legion of Super-Heroes animated series, voiced by Kari Wahlgren, mostly in the background until her role was expanded in Season 2.

Important Shrinking Violet Stories: 

Action Comics #276

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 1)

Shrinking Violet makes her debut as a Legion applicant

Adventure Comics #300

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 1)
 
Shrinking Violet is now a member

Adventure Comics #301

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 1)

 Shrinking Violet already a member when Bouncing Boy joined

Adventure Comics #324

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 3)

Love at first sight with Duplicate Boy

Adventure Comics #343

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 5)

 Shrinking Violet believes in jinxes

Adventure Comics #350

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 6)

Shrinking Violet takes a Fantastic Voyage inside Superboy

Action Comics #381

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 9)

Shrinking Violet misses Duplicate Boy, so goes out with Matter-Eater Lad

 

Action Comics  #389
(reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 9)

Shrinking Violet saves Cosmic Boy and Chemical King

Superboy/Legion of Super-Heroes #193

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 10)

Shrinking Violet gets her Dave Cockrum designed uniform

Superboy/Legion of Super-Heroes #202

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 10)

Shrinking Violet & Colossal Boy are trapped in space

Superboy/Legion of Super-Heroes #212

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 11)

Shrinking Violet faces Micro Lad for the right to serve in the Legion

Superboy/Legion of Super-Heroes #214

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 12)

Shrinking Violet has a shrinking phobia

Superboy/Legion of Super-Heroes #219

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 12)

Shrinking Violet fears the Fatal Five has killed Duplicate Boy

Superboy/Legion of Super-Heroes #232

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 13)

Imsk nearly goes to war with the United Planets

Superboy/Legion of Super-Heroes #234

The Secret Origin of Imsk

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #285

Shrinking Violet's last appearance before being kidnapped by Imskian rebels

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #305

Shrinking Violet is rescued by the Legion

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #312

Shrinking Violet returns to active duty

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #313

Shrinking Violet breaks up with Duplicate Boy

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #1
 (reprinted in An Eye For An Eye TPB)

Shrinking Violet meets up with Micro Lad again

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #7-8
 (reprinted in The More Things Change TPB)

Shrinking Violet is part of the group to destroy the Sun-Eater factory

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #13
 (reprinted in The More Things Change TPB) 

Shrinking Violet comes on to Sun Boy

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #19-20

Shrinking Violet helps defeat Tyr's world

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #21

Shrinking Violet has a bias against Durlans

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #22

Shrinking Violet and Lightning Lass have a heart-to-heart

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #23

Shrinking Violet and Lightning Lass start to become good friends

Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #1

Five years later, Vi is a hardened war veteran; the scar STAYS


Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #15

Vi loses a leg in action against the Khunds


Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #16

Vi's leg is replaced with an artificial model


Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #41

The SW6 Shrinking Violet becomes the first Salu Digby to actually wear violet


Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #53

Vi's new look as Virus premieres


Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #66

The Reboot Violet is inducted into the Legion


Legionnaires #34

Violet gains confidence after exposure to the Emerald Eye


Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #83 and Legionnaires #40

The Emerald Eye possesses Violet and causes the death of Leviathan


Legionnaires #50

The Emerald Violet is a thrall of Mordru


Legionnaires #52

After being freed from the Eye and Mordru, Violet inexplicably gains growth powers


Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #109

Violet finally rids herself of the Eye's influence


Legion of Super-Heroes (v5) #12

The Threeboot Violet, Atom Girl, springs from the microverse to save Brainiac 5


Legion of Super-Heroes (v5) #14

Spotlight on Atom Girl and her return to the Legion


Legion of Super-Heroes (v6) #6

After Infinite Crisis, the status quo is restored, including a romantic relationship
between Violet and Lightning Lass


Legion of Super-Heroes Annual (v6) #1

Shrinking Violet and Lightning Lass have their R&R ruined by the Emerald Empress


Legion of Super-Heroes (v6) #11

Shrinking Violet harshes on a dead Micro Lad


Legion of Super-Heroes animated series (2006)

Shrinking Violet, voiced by Kari Wahlgren

Who's Who: Phantom Girl

Phantom Girl
by Russell & Siskoid

Real Name:  Tinya Wazzo

Super-Power(s): Ability to make all or part of herself immaterial 
Planet of Origin: Bgtzl

Legion Seniority: Phantom Girl was the second member to join the Legion of Super-Heroes after it was founded, making her Member #5.

Legion Log 
Phantom Girl made her debut appearance as a guest-star in a Supergirl story in Action Comics #276. It was later established that she had heard of the Legion of Super-Heroes when it had first started. She went to the club-house and walked through the walls, surprising the four members. They offered her membership in exchange for improved security measures. So she was already a member when the three founders went back in time to ask Superboy and Supergirl to join.

Phantom Girl held the longest consecutive membership in the Legion, fourteen plus years. During Year Three, Ultra Boy pretended to be a traitor in order to stop an alien invasion force; she refused to believe the charges, standing by him. This sparked a romance that lasted the rest of their careers. 

Phantom Girl was in general easy-going and friendly, but had a strong independent streak and was often strong-willed to the point of stubbornness. For example, when the Khunds planned their initial invasion of Earth, Phantom Girl strongly suspected Karate Kid. These suspicions blinded her to the true spy, who turned out to be Nemesis Kid. As a member of the Legion Espionage Squad she sometimes commanded others, but was never interested in actually leading the Legion. Her best friends were her boyfriend Ultra Boy, Shadow Lass and Mon-El (whom they often double-dated with), and fellow Espionage Squad agents Chameleon Boy, Shrinking Violet, and Invisible Kid. She argued most often with Timber Wolf, whom she considered hopelessly slow, and Dawnstar, whom she considered intolerably arrogant.

Following the Magic Wars, Phantom Girl is thought to have been killed in a shuttle accident. In reality, the time sorceress Glorith sends her to the 20th century where she is stripped of her memory, assumes the name Phase and joins the interstellar law enforcement agency, L.E.G.I.O.N.

Back in the late 30th century, Phantom Girl was also one of the members of the SW6 Legion, and appeared in Legionnaires when it was spun-off into its own series. At this time she used the code-name Apparition.

Due to various time travelers' attempts to rewrite reality, continuity shifts again and Phase is now revealed to instead be Enya Wazzo, Phantom Girl's previously unknown cousin. The Time Trapper then returned the original Phantom Girl to be reunited with Ultra Boy moments before Zero Hour ends the original Legion continuity.

After the Reboot, Tinya Wazzo, daughter of the Bgtzlian ambassador, is also the fifth member to join the Legion under the codename Apparition. As in pre-Zero Hour reality, she becomes romantically involved with Ultra Boy.

Apparently killed by Daxamite terrorists, Apparition survives in a phased, ghostly state only Ultra Boy and her mother can see (and eventually, Saturn Girl). She still helps the Legion in this state, and is transported to the 20th century with others in time to participate in the events of Final Night. During her stay in the past, she is revealed to be half-Carggite, with Phase as another of her bodies. Joining with her other self restores her ability to solidify. She and Ultra Boy get married there/then.

Apparition is not among the Legionnaires later lost in the far reaches of the universe, but Saturn Girl creates a mental illusion of her to control Ultra Boy. Meanwhile, Tinya is pregnant with his child and gives birth to a boy she names Cub. During this period, she grows close to Timber Wolf, putting some strain on her marriage when Ultra Boy returns.

After the Threeboot, Tinya Wazzo is again Phantom Girl, Bgztl now exists in the same location as Earth, but is out of phase with it. Phantom Girl is the only Bgzltian who can shift between her home reality and Earth. When she phases, she is visible in both universes and often engages in conversations or activities in both realities at the same time, confusing people around her. 

After Infinite Crisis, Phantom Girl's original history has more or less been re-established. She was elected leader just as things took a dark turn for the Legion, and she fell prey to overwhelming grief when Sun Boy was killed on a mission.

Phantom Girl had a cameo in Superman: The Animated Series ("New Kids in Town"); appeared in Justice League Unlimited's "Far From Home", with the additional power of invisibility and voiced by Joanne Whalley; and starred regularly in The Legion of Super-Heroes animated series, voiced by Heather Hogan.

Important Phantom Girl Stories:

Adventure Comics  #247

(reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 1)

Phantom Girl cameo?
perhaps one of those shadowy heads belongs to Phantom Girl

Action Comics #276

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 1)

Phantom Girl makes her true debut

Adventure Comics #316

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 2)

Phantom Girl refuses to believe Ultra Boy is a traitor,
starting their romance

Adventure Comics #337

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 4)

 Phantom Girl and Ultra Boy pretend to get married and quit the Legion

Superboy #147

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 8)

It's firmly established that Phantom Girl was Member #5

Adventure Comics #379

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol.9)

 Phantom Girl and Ultra Boy depend on each other

Superboy/Legion of Super-Heroes #195

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 10)

Phantom Girl gets her "modern" uniform, designed by Dave Cockrum

Superboy/Legion of Super-Heroes #215

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 12)

Phantom Girl visits her family on Bgtzl, then
brings back a "phantom" who eclipses Sun Boy

Superboy/Legion of Super-Heroes #220

 (reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 12)

Phantom Girl insists that a rescue mission occur against direct orders

DC Special #28

Phantom Girl helps save Metropolis from nuclear annihilation

Legion of Super-Heroes(v3) #7-8 
  (reprinted in The More Things Change TPB)

Phantom Girl insists on destroying the Sun Eater factory

Legion of Super-Heroes(v3) #19-20

Phantom Girl figures out how to stop Tyr's Deathworld

Legion of Super-Heroes(v3) #23

 Phantom Girl helps save Mon-El from lead poisoning

Legion of Super-Heroes Annual  #4 (1986)

Phantom Girl commands the Espionage Squad against Starfinger

Secret Origins #42

 Phantom Girl's reasons for coming to Earth are revealed

L.E.G.I.O.N.'89 #9
 
After the Magic Wars, an amnesiac Phantom Girl is sent to the 20th century and becomes Phase

Legionnaires #0

The Reboot Tinya Wazzo, Apparition, makes her first appearance and joins the Legion

Legionnaires Annual #2

Apparition is apparently killed by Daxamite terrorists

Legion of Super-Heroes(v4) #82

 Apparition returns as a ghost only some people can see
  
Legion of Super-Heroes(v4) #96

Apparition and Ultra Boy's wedding

Legion of Super-Heroes(v4) #98 and 100

Apparition and Phase meet and merge, restoring Tinya's ability to take solid form

Legion Worlds #6

Apparition's son is born

Legion of Super-Heroes(v5) #4

Threeboot Phantom Girl recounts her origin

Legion of Super-Heroes(v5) #24

Phantom Girl is instrumental in rescuing Mon-El from the Phantom Zone

Legion of Super-Heroes(v5) #46-49

Phantom Girl pays a heavy price for noticing Projectra's instability

Legion of Super-Heroes(v6) #17

As Legion leader, Phantom Girl reels from the death of Sun Boy on her watch

Legion of Super-Heroes cartoon (2007)

Phantom Girl, voiced by Heather Hogan