Garth Ranzz
{{short description|DC Comics character}}
{{About|Live Wire (DC Comics)|the Valiant Comics character|Livewire (Valiant Comics)}}
{{Redirect|Live Wire (DC Comics)|the Superman villain|Livewire (DC Comics)}}
{{Infobox comics character
|character_name = Garth Ranzz
|image = Garth Ranzz (Post-Infinite Crisis version).jpg
|caption = Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad, as depicted Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #1 (August 2008). Art by George Pérez.
|real_name = Garth Ranzz
|publisher = DC Comics
|debut =Adventure Comics #247 (April 1958)
|creators = Otto Binder
Al Plastino
|species = Winathian
|homeworld = Winath
|alliances = Legion of Super-Heroes
Workforce
Legion Rescue Squad
|aliases = Lightning Boy, Live Wire
|powers = Powers:
- Electricity generation and manipulation
- Electrical energy manipulation
- Electricity absorption
- Electrokinesis
- Electrogenesis
- Lightning manipulation
- Lightning element control
- Limited weather control
- Ability to move at superhuman speed by channeling electricity internally
Abilities:
- Hand to hand combat (basic)
Equipment:
- Legion Flight Ring
}}
Garth Ranzz, also known as Live Wire and Lightning Lad, is a superhero appearing in media published by DC Comics, usually those featuring the Legion of Superheroes, a 30th and 31st century group of which he is a founding member.{{cite book |last1=Fleisher |first1=Michael L. |title=The Original Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume Three: Superman |date=2007 |publisher=DC Comics |isbn=978-1-4012-1389-3 |pages=176–177}} He has the superhuman ability to generate electricity, usually in the form of lightning bolts.
Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad has appeared in various media outside comics, primarily those featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes. He is voiced by Andy Milder in Legion of Super Heroes (2006) and portrayed by Calum Worthy in Smallville.
Publication history
The character first appeared in Adventure Comics #247 (April 1958), and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino.{{cite book |last1=Cowsill |first1=Alan |last2=Irvine |first2=Alex |last3=Korte |first3=Steve |last4=Manning |first4=Matt |last5=Wiacek |first5=Win |last6=Wilson |first6=Sven |title=The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe |date=2016 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-5357-0 |page=181}}
Fictional character biography
=Silver Age=
{{Main|Legion of Super-Heroes (1958 team)}}
Image:LightningLordOrigin.JPG #147(August 1961). Art by Curt Swan (penciller) and Sheldon Moldoff (inker).]]
Lightning Lad is a Winathian and founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes along with Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy.{{cite book |last1=Greenberger |first1=Robert |last2=Pasko |first2=Martin |title=The Essential Superman Encyclopedia |date=2010 |publisher=Del Rey |isbn=978-0-345-50108-0 |pages=208–209}} He is the older twinLegionnaires #22 (Feb. 1995) brother of fellow Legionnaire Ayla Ranzz (Lightning Lass), the younger brother of the supervillain Mekt Ranzz (Lightning Lord), and the father of two sets of twins; sons Garridan and Graym Ranzz and daughters Dacey and Dorrit Ranzz.
Early in the Legion's history, Garth is killed battling Zaryan the Conqueror and resurrected following the sacrifice of Proty.{{cite book |last=Wells |first=John |title=American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960-64 |date=2015 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=978-1605490458 |page=120}} A later retcon revealed that Proty's mind had taken over Lightning Lad's body, but this has since been eliminated from Legion canon.Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #3 (July 1992)
At one point, Lightning Lad lost his right arm to a monster dubbed the "Moby Dick of space", replacing it with a bionic appendage. He eventually had his arm regrown, but in the interim a criminal scientist hypnotized Lightning Lad into becoming the criminal Starfinger.
During the "Five Year Gap", Earth falls under the control of the Dominators and withdraws from the United Planets. A temporal clone of Lightning Lad is introduced, later assuming the code name Live Wire.Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 4) #38 (December 1992)
=Zero Hour=
{{Main|Legion of Super-Heroes (1994 team)}}
After the Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! miniseries, Legion history was rebooted. In this version, Garth Ranzz formed the Legion while searching for his brother Mekt, who disappeared after gaining superpowers.Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 4) #73 (October 1995)Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 4) #0 (October 1994) After finding Mekt, Garth loses his right arm in a battle with him.Legionnaires #30 (October 1995)
In the "Legion Lost" storyline, Garth is killed in battle with the Progenitor, an insane Element Lad. After the Progenitor's death, he leaves behind several crystals that Kid Quantum takes to the graveyard Shanghalla. Garth's essence survives in the crystals and uses them to create a humanoid crystal body.The Legion #25 (December 2003) In Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds, Garth regains his original body using a lightning rod created by Brainiac 5.Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #3 (April 2009)
=Post-"Infinite Crisis"=
The events of "Infinite Crisis" restore an analogue of the pre-"Crisis on Infinite Earths" Legion to continuity.Action Comics #859 (January 2008) Lightning Lad makes further appearances in Doomsday Clock and The New Golden Age, where Doctor Manhattan erases him and the Legion from existence before Superman convinces him to restore them.Doomsday Clock #12 (December 2019)Justice Society of America (vol. 4) #10 (September 2024)
Powers and abilities
Lightning Lad has the ability to generate electricity within his own body without harming himself. This electricity he is able to discharge in the form of potent "lightning bolts". He can also create flashing lettering which can be seen from great distances. He has occasionally displayed limited control of the weather. In more recent versions of the character, Garth is also able to direct his electric powers internally so as to move at superhuman speed, with his top speed being approximately one-third the speed of light. Lightning Lad is immune to the harmful effects of electric currents, not only those currents that he himself generates.
As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Garth is additionally provided a Legion Flight Ring, which allows him to fly and protects him from the vacuum of space and other dangerous environments.
In other media
=Television=
{{multiple image|total_width = 300
| direction = horizontal
| align = right
| header =
| footer = Lightning Lad as he appears in Legion of Super-Heroes (2006) (left) and Smallville (right)
| image1 = lighning lad losh.jpg
| alt1 =
| image2 = SmallvilleLighteningLad.jpg
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}}
- Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "New Kids In Town".
- Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Far From Home".
- Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad appears in Legion of Super-Heroes (2006), voiced by Andy Milder.{{cite web |title=Lightning Lad Voices (Legion of Super Heroes) |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/Legion-of-Super-Heroes/Lightning-Lad/ |access-date=March 10, 2024 |publisher=Behind The Voice Actors}} A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version sports glowing blue eyes and a lightning-shaped scar over his right eye, both of which he obtained during the incident that gave him his powers. In the second season, Lightning Lad loses his right arm to Imperiex before Brainiac 5 and Shrinking Violet build him a prosthetic arm. Following this, he and his brother Mekt work together to restore their sister Ayla after discovering that she had become a disembodied energy being.
- Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad appears in the Smallville episode "Legion", portrayed by Calum Worthy. This version is an overzealous fan of Clark Kent.
=Film=
- Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad appears in Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Cosmic Clash, voiced again by Andy Milder. This version comes from a future Earth that Brainiac conquered by the year 2116.
- Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad makes a non-speaking appearance in Legion of Super-Heroes (2023).
- The Legion of Super Heroes (2006) incarnation of Lightning Lad makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too!.{{Cite news |first= |date=September 6, 2022 |title=soranatus - Looks like in 2021 Digital eMation was working on a Scooby-Doo Meets Krypto DTV... |url=https://soranatus.tumblr.com/post/694669819391393792/looks-like-in-2021-digital-emation-was-working-on |access-date=March 10, 2024 |website=Tumblr |language=en-US}}
=Video games=
- Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.{{Cite web |last=Eisen |first=Andrew |date=October 4, 2013 |title=DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide |url=https://www.ign.com/wikis/scribblenauts-unmasked/DC_Characters_and_Objects |access-date=April 28, 2024 |website=IGN}}
- Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Brainiac's ending in Injustice 2.
=Miscellaneous=
- Garth Ranzz as Live Wire appears in Adventures in the DC Universe #10.{{Cite web |last= |first= |last2= |title=Adventures in the DC Universe #10 - The Blobs (Issue) |url=https://comicvine.gamespot.com/adventures-in-the-dc-universe-10-the-blobs/4000-153328/ |access-date=June 22, 2023 |website=Comic Vine |language=en}}
- Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad appears in Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century.{{Cite web |title=Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century #5 - Lightning Strikes (Issue) |url=https://comicvine.gamespot.com/legion-of-super-heroes-in-the-31st-century-5-light/4000-163383/ |access-date=April 28, 2024 |website=Comic Vine |language=en}}
- Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad appears in Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes.{{Cite web |title=Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes #1 - Atomic Batteries To Power, Flight Rings To Speed (Issue) |url=https://comicvine.gamespot.com/batman-66-meets-the-legion-of-super-heroes-1-atomi/4000-609276/ |access-date=August 18, 2023 |website=Comic Vine |language=en}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://jameskeeley777.wixsite.com/legion/lightning-lad-r3yvl LIGHTNING LAD at the LEGION Collection]
{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}
{{Otto Binder}}
{{Superman characters}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranzz, Garth}}
Category:Characters created by Otto Binder
Category:Comics characters introduced in 1958
Category:DC Comics extraterrestrial superheroes
Category:DC Comics superheroes
Category:DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds
Category:Fictional characters with electric or magnetic abilities
Category:Fictional characters with weather abilities