Bismoll

Bismoll is a fictional planet in the 30th-century DC Universe.

Fictional history

It is best known as the home of Legionnaire Matter-Eater Lad, whose ability to eat matter in all forms is shared by all natives of the planet. It is not taken very seriously by most offworlders, to the point that Pulsar Stargrave, who had resurrected himself on the planet, was enraged by the notion that Bismoll would be the first world he would conquer (as seen in Legion of Substitute Heroes Special).

Bismoll is also noted for its unusual government, which drafts citizens into office, and those that attempt to avoid service face arrest and possibly forcible induction to office. This practice was responsible for ending the career of Matter-Eater Lad, when he had to return home to be a senator.

Another Bismoll resident of note was Taryn Loy, called Calorie Queen. Whilst she had almost the same powers as Matter-Eater Lad, she also had a power he lacked. She could convert the caloric energy of whatever she eats and transform it into super strength, thanks to her scientist father.

As the inhabitants can eat anything, policing consumption is an important sociopolitical issue, as seen in the name of the enforcers known as the Calorie Police.

The planet tried to modernize its computer system once, resulting in a near-catastrophe when the system they used turned out to be based on Computo. The disaster was averted thanks to the Legion of Substitute-Heroes.

During the Legion (vol. 4) series, Bismoll was one of the "buffer worlds" seeded by Valor with survivors from the Dominator experiments on humans.

A Bismollian named "Schlagg-Man" was later revealed to be a member of the Sinestro Corps. He was a criminal who had his teeth removed after biting through a policeman's head, only to have them replaced with Bismollian steel, allowing him to bite through anything.^[1]

The name of the planet is likely a reference to the gastrointestinal medicine Pepto-Bismol.

References