Dial H for Helios (Among Others)

Finishing up Lori Morning's run with the H Dial over in the Legion books... Put your seat belts on, this is spread over a number of comics. (At some point, Lori joins Workforce, so there may be many adventures and identities with that team we're just not told about.)

Case 66: Legionnaires #58-60, Adventure Comics 80-Page Giant #1, Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #105, Legionnaires #69, Legionnaires #81, and Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #125
Dial Holder: Lori Morning
Dial Type: The Big Dial
Dialing: Lori tries to dial the same hero twice, but the attempt is waylaid by Proty who struggles to take the dial away from her, leading to a monstrous transformation that seems to come from Proty's sense of aesthetics rather than Lori's. She mentions a one-hour limit, which is new for the Big Dial (and not entirely consistent with the way it's used even in the Legion era). It is revealed that the Time Trapper gave her the Dial during the visit to the Space Museum, though the entity considers the Dial a "child's toy". It turns out to have more power than he expected. While temporarily aged to adulthood by the Trapper, the Dial gives Lori a child's identity (even younger than she is meant to be), but her wish to dial somebody "cosmic" does work. When integrated into Brainiac 5's force field tech, it evolves it to create a self-propelled bubble that saves his and Lori's lives, but it temporarily(?) shorts out the Dial. Neither Lori nor the Dial are seen again after this.
Name: Ink (at least she spells it normally, not like that Batman Beyond villain)
Look: Appears to be made of an oily black substance that squirts around at the limbs and hair. Only the simplest of features show on her face, in white.
Powers: Produces an tar-like substances that can be used to entangle foe and swing herself like Spider-Man. It appears that Ink is entirely made of this substance, or at least that her arms are, as they are seen to liquefy to extend her reach.
Sighted: In 30th-Century Paris, helping the Legion capture a criminal Durlan. Triad tells her she should apply for Legion membership.
Possibilities: Sometimes, you get a tattoo from a place that's not entirely legit and you get super powers. I think that's more fun than falling in a vat of irradiated crude, at any rate. With her simple 90s code name and powers, Ink is a utility player who would fit any number of superhero teams, including the Legion.
Integration Quotient: 70% (an echo of Inque that people could point to as a "legacy")
Name: Blobetta (no name actually given, this is what one fan site calls this identity at any rate)
Look: A large, amorphous, transparent alien creature with starry eyes, rudimentary arms, and lots of multi-colored organs floating inside her. A humanish brain is recognizable, the rest are not. Her back has short spins coming out of it.
Powers: Unclear (pun not intended). Presumably, "Blobetta" can absorb things like D&D's gelatinous cube. Her uncertain shape may indicate a limited form of polymorphism. She has trouble moving around, which perhaps means she's from a liquid environment.
Sighted: In Legion HQ, arguing with Proty who thinks this form is pretty.
Possibilities: The Reboot Legion's answer to Tellus (if you don't already consider Sensor to fill that niche). While she needs a better name (Cell Girl? Paramecia?), she could work as a proper alien within the group, if (and perhaps it's a big if) she can show something special at the try-outs.
Integration Quotient: 25% (from what little we know, Legion Reject status incoming)
Name: Blip (a little silly, but fun)
Look: A completely purple female figure with no hair or nose. She steams with purplish energy.
Powers: The "mistress of teleportation" can teleport herself or others that are in her line of sight.
Sighted: In 30th-Century Peachfuzz Seaport in Old Georgia, helping the Legion fight an alien probe designed to test their powers.
Possibilities: Again a simple character in terms of name, look and powers. Again a utility player for almost any team. The slightly alien look could mean she sticks to the Legion, but Lori's mistakes might just give the impression that she's a one-girl Substitute Legion.
Integration Quotient: 25% (there just isn't a whole lot there)
Name: Galaxy Girl (alliterative and old-fashioned, it's really perfect for the Legion)
Costume: A little girl with two blond ponytails, a starry black shirt (like Starboy's), a big pink pleated skirt with a big bow at the back, a huge yellow star on the front, and a pink visored mask/tiara combo. She wears white stockings and shoes with pink bows on them. She carried an uru hammer with a pink handle and a big yellow star on it.
Powers: Galaxy Girl flies and has immense strength, which she uses to wield her star hammer. Her blows can strain an otherwise indestructible time field. She can shine with blinding cosmic energy, so she possibly can throw some of that around as well.
Sighted: Fighting the Time Trapper.
Possibilities: Let's ignore the fact that she's a parody of Thor for a second and concentrate on the star motif. It looks to me like the Galaxy Hammer is just the 30th-Century equivalent of the Gravity Rod. She's clearly part of the Starman/girl legacy. Too young to be a Legionnaire? She doesn't need the team at her power levels. Send her to the 21st Century and you have the makings of a fun all-ages solo book, sort of like Supergirl in the 8th Grade (but even younger), which was awesome.
Integration Quotient: 75% (all that's holding her back is the Thor reference)
Name: Plasma (solid name, if a little generic)
Costume: Completely bronze-orange, as is her skin and short hair, it has a metallic sheen. While just a simple uniform with bracers (with what looks like precious stones on them) and high boots, it crackles with fiery energy.
Powers: Plasma can shoot blasts of cosmic energy and fly at incredible speeds. She can also phase through walls and has "cosmic senses" that manifest as a kind of clairvoyance, seeing things that are happening remotely.
Sighted: On the 30th-Century Moon, fighting Khunds. She get invited to join the Work Force. (Lori accepts.)
Possibilities: Another utility player good for any youthful team, though her power levels are quite high. I kept thinking of the Power Cosmic, but of course, there's no Galactus in the DC Universe for her to play Nova to.
Integration Quotient: 25% (another generic identity, this one also has the problem of being too powerful to fit most teams that need utility players)
Name: Helios (taps into Greek myth, that's good)
Costume: A red and black suit with a zipper in the middle, metal epaulets, a metal bikini bottom (with the Workforce logo on the belt), red boot, a metallic visor, and a red cape. She wears no gloves; the Dial appears to be attached to her wrist like a watch. She has well-coiffed white hair, and blue lipstick.
Powers: The ability to generate photonic bursts (we don't see what that looks like).
Sighted: In the 30th Century, as a member of Workforce, trying to help Brainiac 5.1 out of a tear in space.
Possibilities: If her powers are just to cast bright light, that's not very impressive, even for a utility player. The badass (though slightly generic) look could justify some useful laser power, however. Might fit in better in the more militaristic L.E.G.I.O.N. or the Darkstars.
Integration Quotient: 35% (mostly based on the look - she's actually the best-looking hero in the "adult" version of Workforce)

Next: Amalgam Comics!

Comments

At the time, I thought Blip was a direct reference to Blink, the purple teleporter from the X-titles.
Ah, yes, the era when the Legion books became the “Lori Morning and Monstress Show.”
Siskoid said…
There was a lot of Lori, but I don't remember Monstress being overly featured.