Garth Ranzz
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- "Live Wire (comics)" and "Live Wire (DC Comics)" both redirect here. For the villain of the same name, see Livewire (DC Comics).
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Garth Ranzz, also known as Lightning Lad and Live Wire, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. He has the superhuman ability to generate electricity usually in the form of lightning bolts. He is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the future. He first appeared in Adventure Comics #247 (April 1958). His first costume consisted of a red vest with a yellow collar and white epaulets under his original codename "Lightning Boy." He was depicted as having "v" shaped lightning bolts on his chest, red gloves, red boots, and green trousers. This costume was used only in his first Adventure Comics appearance. His second and more familiar costume consisted of a blue cape, a blue and white shirt with lightning bolts on the chest, blue trunks, orange leggings and blue boots.
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[edit] Fictional character biography
Lightning Lad is a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes along with Saturn Girl (whom he later married) and Cosmic Boy. Born on the planet Winath, he is the twin brother of fellow Legionnaire Lightning Lass, the younger brother of the supervillain Lightning Lord, and the father of the monstrous Validus.
Lightning Lad's history has often been seen as a pattern of tragedies and sacrifices, making him either the luckiest or most unlucky member of the Legion, depending on one's point of view. Early in the Legion's history, he sacrificed himself battling Zaryan the Conqueror, but was later resurrected by the sacrifice of Proty, Chameleon Boy's shapeshifting pet. However, a later retcon revealed that Proty's mind had actually taken over Lightning Lad's form.
A second incident against a monster dubbed the "Super Moby Dick of space" resulted in the loss of Lightning Lad's right arm, which was replaced with a bionic appendage. He eventually had his arm regrown, but in the interim a criminal scientist used the situation to hypnotize Lightning Lad into acting as the super criminal Starfinger who used the bionic arm as a weapon. The third incident, which took place after the Great Darkness Saga, was the abduction of their son by Darkseid and his subsequent transformation into the monster Validus.
[edit] Crisis on Infinite Earths
In the aftermath of Crisis on Infinite Earths Superman's origin was revamped and Superboy was erased from Superman's past. Unfortunately, the Legion's history greatly revolved around Superboy, and that version of the character was retconned into being part of a "pocket universe." That solution caused many continuity errors, and as part of the Zero Hour crossover the Legion got a clean slate and reworked backstory.
[edit] Zero Hour
Following the Zero Hour event Legion history was completely rebooted. Garth's new history started when the twins went with Mekt on a trip in their parents' new space cruiser and became stranded on the barren planet Korbal after the cruiser's power cells became drained. Ayla suggested that they use the "Lightning Beasts" (the only living things on the planet) in an attempt to recharge their cruiser. The only result of this, however, was that all three were found in comas the following day as a result of massive electrocution.
Months later, Garth and Ayla awoke simultaneously to find that Mekt had awoken around a week earlier, displayed electrical powers like the Beasts, threatened the staff with and had vanished soon after. After hearing this, they kept the fact that they had developed similar powers from their parents before Garth, thinking that the lightning had corrupted Mekt somehow and would soon corrupt them and refusing to believe that Mekt had developed into a sociopath just because he had been a "solo" on a world of twins, ran away from home to find Mekt (telling his parents he was going to visit his Aunt Ryth), despite Ayla's attempts to dissuade him.
[edit] Legion
Hearing that Mekt might be on Earth, he got on a shuttle bound for Earth via Titan, and met Rokk Krinn there. The two hit it off immediately, but although he developed a crush on her at first sight, Imra Ardeen gave him a frosty reception. Nonetheless, when she shouted that four "maintence men" were actually assassins after Brande, the three worked together to stop them. This gave Brande an idea.
Shortly after, a bar-room brawl caused Garth to be arrested, but just as his cellmates were about to beat him up, Triad-Orange came and posted his bail - Brande wanted a word. There, he found the other two Luornus had fetched Imra and Rokk. Brande, a follower of the 21st Century "Heroic Age", proceeded to talk the three of them into founding "a Legion of Heroes. Super-Heroes," with Garth taking the codename Live Wire
Despite early tension between him and Saturn Girl, Garth's initial period with the Legion passed with little trouble, until his sister showed up. At this point, they were only permitted to have one Legionnaire per world and Garth, classed as a runaway, was not who Winath wanted to represent them. Ayla, codenamed Spark was apologetic, but neither of them had much choice in the matter and after he nearly leveled Legion Plaza in his fight with Ultra Boy (after UB had threatened Ayla), he quit rather than embarrass Rokk or Imra any more by letting them plead to let him stay.
[edit] Solo
After this, he joined Leonard McCauley's Workforce to try and get the money to follow Mekt again, but only stayed with them a short time before McCauley's complete lack of morals became too much and he quit. Shortly afterwards, he went to ask Brande if he could borrow a ship to find his brother. Since several stargates (the standard means of traveling faster than light, which Brande manufactured) had recently been destroyed and Brande didn't want to take any chances, he turned him down, but told him to go and visit Saturn Girl, who was in hospital, having been mentally regressed to childhood by the strain from shutting down the Composite Man's mind. Upon seeing her have a toddler-style temper tantrum, though, he couldn't bring himself to go in.
Shortly after, several Daxamites attacked Earth, and when Garth visited Legion HQ to see if he could help, he was given a flight ring by Rokk and ordered to go and see Imra (who he'd seen pleading for Garth earlier). When she saw him, she threw her arms around him, and, by telling her that the Legion needed her - and that HE needed her - he talked her back to sanity.
At the end, the three founders stood on Legion HQ as Saturn Girl called the Daxamites there, just in time for Element Lad and Brainiac 5 to send them to a planet where they would be powerless, ending the threat.
[edit] Mekt
In the aftermath, however, he was once more forced off the team - and stung by Ayla's charge that he talked a good game on finding Mekt, but never actually did anything about it, he went on his travels again to try and do it. 27060 credits later, he found himself on the planet Bisbe, having been robbed of his last 512 credits. And, when trying to get it back, he was arrested for murder - under Mekt's name. Rather than protesting that he wasn't Mekt, he stayed silent, and just as the truth was discovered, Mekt broke through the wall and killed the police officer who was trying to dissuade Garth from taking Mekt's fall. when Garth saw just how insane Mekt had become, he tried to blast him, but was knocked out by Mekt. Meanwhile, Ayla was told of Garth's arrest and the cop's electrocution, and rushed straight to Bisbe.
Garth awoke just as they were entering Korbal's orbit, where Mekt started killing more beasts to increase his own power, and so that he would be the only one with lightning powers, a plan that did not involve Garth or Ayla. As Garth realized this, several Science Police cruisers flew overhead - announcing that he was under arrest for the murder of a policeman. Mekt immediately began to down the cruisers, while Garth pleaded with Mekt to stop it. Finally, when Ayla showed up and Mekt fried her, while ranting on, Garth was finally forced to face the truth about Mekt, but Mekt - by this point more powerful than both of the twins together, retaliated by vapourising Garth's right arm. Ayla grabbed Mekt's laser pistol and shot him in the leg, delaying him while she saw that Garth's wound had cauterised itself. Finally, as Mekt prepared to finish them off, Garth prompted Ayla to hold his (remaining) hand and let their powers run together freely. The resulting blast was enough not only knock Mekt off his feet, but completely discharge him (not to mention turning his hair white). Mekt was then finally arrested by the S.P., and (after a short stay in hospital) Garth was cleared of all charges.
While he was recovering from the ordeal, and getting used to his artificial arm, he was contacted by Cosmic Boy, who knew that President Chu was up to something, but he didn't know what and thus had to play along with her wishes (which included keeping Live Wire off the team). He thus had Live Wire put together a secret "Rescue Squad". Recruiting Ultra Boy, Element Lad, Andromeda, Valor and XS, they saved the Legion from the Fatal Five. Both teams then divided into three, and all the heroes combined to have Chu impeached and arrested, and to prevent her (with the Fatal Five's help) from reviving the Braal-Titan War.
R.J. Brande was then (very reluctantly) drafted as the new U.P. president, and his first act was to abolish the U.P.-installed membership restrictions on the team, allowing Garth to rejoin.
He was killed during the "Legion Lost" storyline, in battle with the Progenitor (actually an insane Element Lad) but actually was "stored" in Element Lad's crystalline body. He had Element Lad's transmutation powers, in addition to his electrical ones.
[edit] Threeboot
In the 2005 Waid/Kitson revamp, Garth Ranzz remains a charter member of the galactic youth movement the Legion has become. (It is revealed that he coined the first Legion motto--"Eat it, Grandpa!") He and Saturn Girl share an intimate connection, and Garth notes that one has to be "way honest" to date a telepath. He is protective of his twin, Light Lass, and bears a slight grudge against Brin Londo for his treatment of Ayla. One of the Legion's fiercest fighters, he almost single-handedly routed the terrorist group Terra Firma in their first skirmish with the Legion. Made acting leader in the wake of the Lemnos crisis, it was Lightning Lad who signed the accord which officially named the Legion as an arm of the United Planets, to save hundreds of Legionnaires from being brutally deported by the Science Police--the ramifications of this decision are still ongoing. He is the Legion core member who has logged the least time on Earth, tending to prefer exploring space, as if searching for something.
[edit] Powers
Lightning Lad had the ability to generate electricity, and direct bolts of electricity accurately (the exact mechanism in his power which prevents the bolts taking the path of least resistance to Earth is not explained), he commonly refers to this electricity as "lightning." He has used his powers to create letters as a form of skywriting, and has displayed a limited control of weather.
It is unclear whether Proty retained any of his original abilities in Lightning Lad's form.
[edit] Other media
In Superman: The Animated Series, Lightning Lad made a cameo appearance in the episode "New Kids In Town". He later reappeared in an episode of Justice League Unlimited titled "Far From Home".
He is part of the core Legion team in the Legion of Super-Heroes series, voiced by Andy Milder. Lightning Lad is the Legion's field leader in this version of the story. Physically he looks almost identical to his earlier comic book counterparts, except for a lightning bolt-shaped scar over his right eye which glows when his powers are activated. He is also portrayed as brash and hot-headed (very similar in fact to the version of The Flash in Justice League Unlimited) with a somewhat distrustful attitude towards Superman.
[edit] Elseworlds and other versions of Lightning Lad
Lightning Lad appeared in the DC/Marvel Comics Amalgam series in Spider-Boy Team-Up. He was merged with Marvel's LGBT former West Coast Avenger Living Lightning to form Living Lightning Lad. Similarly, his sister also merged with the same hero to form Living Lightning Lass. Both were members of the Legion Of Galactic Guardians 2099.
