Howdy everybody and welcome back to my favoritist recurring series in which I dig through back issues of DC's handbook series Who's Who and expose you to some of the stranger corners of the DCU. We've talked about some weirdies before and this time is no exception, but here we go. Please enjoy these slices of peak comic-bookery.

                                                                                     Source: writeups.com

10. The Legion of Substitute Heroes

Don't let the word "no" keep you from achieving your dreams. These kids didn't!

When the Legion of Superheroes rejected them as members, a group of strangely powered teens formed together and created the Legion of Substitute Heroes! The team, led by founder Polar Boy, operated in secret for a time before they were discovered by the legion. Membership includes Color Kid, who can change the colors of any object, Chlorophyll Kid, who can make plants grow real fast, Stone Boy, who can turn to stone (but can't move when made of rock) and Double Header, who has two heads.

You may recognize these as horrible superpowers. This is kind of the point. Making fun of the subs powers is like making fun of Kung Fury's storyline. You can do it, but you're missing the point. My point is more that these powers SHOULDN'T PRECLUDE ANY OF THESE DUDES FROM LEGION MEMBERSHIP!!!

Matter Eater Lad is in the Legion. His power is that he can eat anything. Fire Lad is a sub. His power is that he BREATHES FIRE. One of these things is DRAMATICALLY MORE USEFUL. Eventually, Polar Boy and Dream Girl got promoted to full Legionnaires after time in the subs, so maybe someone agrees with me.