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The Newsboy Legion were a team of reformed juvenile delinquents active during the years spanning World War II. Police officer Jim Harper, also known as the Guardian, took the rambunctious youths under his wing and made sure to keep them on the straight and narrow.

History

Following the war, the kids stayed together. As adults they came under the employ of a genetic research facility known as Project Cadmus. The Legion secretly worked alongside their coworker and friend Dr. Walter Johnson to create clones of themselves. They also created a clone of their former guardian, following his death.

The clones were instantly grown to the age that the originals were when first active as the Newsboy Legion, and had memories of their predecessors implanted in their minds. The young clones constantly escaped from Project Cadmus for adventures and became the second Newsboy Legion. John was able to get the clones legal standing as US citizens. The new Guardian made it clear that being a legal non-entity was a cruelty he couldn't take. His grand-niece Bobby was nearly sent to Apocalypse when he was unable to take guardianship of her. After Jim II became Bobby's legal guardian, she officially became the first female member of the Newsboy Legion.

The originals were later killed by Codename: Assassin.

Paraphernalia


Transportation: Whiz Wagon

Notes

  • In Earth-One continuity, the second/modern-day Newsboy Legion were the sons of the original Newsboys, while in the original Post-Crisis continuity, they were clones created by Cadmus, which was founded by the original Newsboys as adults. In post-Infinite Crisis/New Earth continuity, these two explanations seem to have been reconciled, as Jimmy Olsen recalls initially believing that the Newsboys were the originals' biological sons when they went on adventures together and only learned later down the road that they were youthful clones. Jimmy is unaware what happened to the second generation of Newsboys after the originals were executed by Codename: Assassin, but the last time they interacted was in the Countdown to Final Crisis.[1]
  • On Earth-Two, Suicide Slum, where the Newsboy Legion's adventures took place, was located in New York City, whereas on Earth-One and New Earth, Suicide Slum was located in Metropolis.[2][3][4][5]


See Also

Links and References

Footnotes


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