Comet Queen

On Extal, young Grava grew impatient while acid rain fell regularly. In her race, she looked somewhat diffferent from her parents, and she fantasized obsessively about the Legion, in particular, her crush on Bouncing Boy. To hasten things along, she decided to duplicate Star Boy's origin and bathe herself in a comet. It was a success. When she emerged, her hair was replaced with a streak of ennergy and she had the power to fly, and to emit noxious gases. Soon Bouncing Boy came to nearby Quaal-III (where all inhabitants were colonizers). (Adventure #527)

Grava decided to impress him with heroic deeds of her own and she took off looking for the remains of the legendary native race of Quaal-III. Bouncing Boy tried to stop her and both got stuck in a volcanic lava vent. On Bouncing Boy's orders, she used her comet-gases to short out the vent's opening circuits, saving them from molten doom, and they were rescued when repairmen came to check the broken vents. (Legion vol. 3 #11) He was impressed enough with her powers to invite Grava to enter the Legion Academy as Comet Queen, where she learned the basics of crime fighting alongside other trainees. (Legion vol. 2 #304) She became great friends with the other Academy students, helping Laurel Kent when she was shot (vol. 3 #8) and getting (or trying to get, at least) an inside track on Legion membership through Magnetic Kid. (#12) She did very well in the Legion tryouts, and was heavily considered for Legion membership, but was in the end passed over for applicants with greater or more useful powers. (#14)

She made it halfway there when Cosmic Boy reorganized the Legion of Substitute Heroes and chose her to become a member. This team was meant to provide backup for the primary Legion team. (Legion Annual #3) This version of the Subs was short-lived.

Glorith Reality

In the unpublished Addenda to the 2995: Legion Sourcebook it was said that Comet Queen was deceased. Nothing is known about the circumstances of her death.

Retroboot (Post-Infinite Crisis)

After years at the Academy, she graduated with Shadow Kid and Mandalla. Comet Queen's desire was Legion membership, which eluded her. So when Stone Boy approached her to join the original Legion of Substitute Heroes, she accepted. When the moon Titan was destroyed, she arrived on the scene to find Ultra Boy possessed by ma. The villainess removed most of Grava's recent memories completely. Over weeks, Tellus helped reconstruct some of her past, but all of her training was gone. She elected to re-enroll in the Academy. (Adventure #527)

Before she and her fellow Academy members ever graduated, they were awarded membership in the Legion proper after the team experienced a great loss of members. (Legion vol. 7 #1)

The status of continuity of post-Infinite Crisis events (Legion volumes 6 and 7) are in question. It was suggested in Legion vol. 7 #23 (Sept. 2013) that events may have occurred on a parallel Earth, not Earth-0.

Notes

Paul Levitz on Comet Queen: "We'll look at [Comet Queen's] origin in a little more depth. She was a very interesting character from the last time I was doing the book, in that people either loved her cockamamie, Valley Girl speak and over-the-top facial expressions, because Keith almost created her as almost an animated character rather than a character that logically was drawn on a Legion kind of standard look. Or they never wanted to see her again. And I decided that the folks who really loved her would win that fight."

Powers

Comet Queen can generate noxious clouds of gas from the comet-like plume extending from her head. She also has the ability to fly and survivie unaided in space.

Appearances + References

» FEATURED APPEARANCES:  

• Adventure Comics #523-529
• Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 2 #304
• Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 3 #8, 11, 12, 14
• Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 3 Annual #3

» SERIES:

• Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 7, 23 issues (2011-13)

» SEE ALSO:

• Legion Academy