Shadow Lass (Tasmia Mallor) is a
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
ine appearing in books published by
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
. She first appeared as a statue in ''
Adventure Comics
''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...
'' #354 (March 1967), and was created by
Jim Shooter
James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor, and publisher in the comics industry. Beginning his career writing for DC Comics at the age of 14, he had a successful but controversial run as editor-in-chief at Marvel Comic ...
and
Curt Swan
Douglas Curtis Swan (February 17, 1920 – June 17, 1996) was an American comics artist. The artist most associated with Superman during the period fans call the Bronze Age of Comic Books, Swan produced hundreds of covers and stories from the 195 ...
. She was called Shadow Woman, was depicted as
Caucasian, and as having been killed in action defending the science asteroid, in an
Adult Legion story. Her official first appearance is ''Adventure Comics'' #365 (February 1968).
Fictional character biography
Tasmia Mallor originates from the planet Talok VIII, and possesses darkness-manipulating abilities, which she and her cousin Grev (Shadow Kid) receive from their ancestors' spirits. As her ancestors before her from the past thousand years, Tasmia is the hereditary shadow champion of Talok VIII. Her 20th-century ancestors, Lydea and Lyrissa Mallor, are also shadow champions and members of the interstellar police force
L.E.G.I.O.N.
Her cousin Grev, who also wields the shadow power thanks to his bloodline, joins
the Legion Academy
The Legion Academy is a training school for members of the Legion of Super-Heroes. It was created by Jim Shooter and Curt Swan, and has been re-used and revisited by subsequent creators in the many evolving iterations of the Legion that have been ...
as Shadow Kid, but knows that he cannot join the Legion due to a rule preventing members from having the same powers.
Shadow Lass joins the Legion after her homeworld is invaded by the
Fatal Five
The Fatal Five is a supervillain team of the 30th century in the DC Comics universe. They were created by Jim Shooter and first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #352 (1967) as enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes.
Fictional team history
The Fa ...
. She helps the Legion to defeat them. After joining, she became romantically involved with
Lar Gand and eventually marries him. Their marriage is rocky for years despite their strong feelings for each other, and Tasmia goes into mourning when Gand dies. He is possessed by the
Time Trapper
Taboo
Chuck Taine
Tala
Tally Man
Sonya Tarinka
Russell Tavaroff
Teen Lantern
Keli Quintela is an young girl who found a dying Green Lantern and obtained his Green Lantern Power Battery, hacking a gauntlet to access its powers without ...
's essence and temporarily resurrected before a cataclysmic battle erases the Trapper from existence.
1994 reboot
In post-''
Zero Hour'' continuity, Shadow Lass is raised by priests and separated from her mother to ensure their safety. After her mother is killed in battle, Tasmia gains her ancestors' shadow powers and joins the Legion as Umbra following a battle with
United Planets diplomats.
Umbra is later among the Legionnaires who are lost in a space rift and transported to another galaxy.
Saturn Girl
Saturn Girl (Imra Ardeen) is a superheroine appearing in comics published by DC Comics. A talented telepath from the 30th century, Saturn Girl is a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Imra's "Saturn Girl" title refers to her homeworld ...
attempts to telepathically calm her, but a telepathic matrix interferes with her powers, creating a shadow creature fueled by their pain before
Brainiac 5
Brainiac 5 (Querl Dox) is a superhero appearing in comics published by DC Comics. He is from the planet Colu and is a long-standing member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries.
Brainiac 5 has been substantially adapted int ...
heals them.
Umbra later returns to Talok VIII and discovers that her cousin Grev has cloaked the planet in darkness and had it withdraw from the United Planets. However, he is killed by the Shadow's power, and Umbra removes the cloak before leaving.
Post-Infinite Crisis: Retroboot Legion
The events of ''
Infinite Crisis
"Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...
'' restore an analogue of the pre-''
Crisis
A crisis (: crises; : critical) is any event or period that will lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affairs, especially when ...
'' Legion to continuity. Shadow Lass is included in their number, and is among the group of Legionnaires who help
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
defeat the
Justice League of Earth.
During the League's xenophobic reign, Shadow Lass works with
Night Girl,
Timber Wolf, and
Lightning Lass to help thousands of aliens escape Earth.
Shadow Lass is shown prominently in the teaser image for the ''
Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds'' mini-series, using her powers to keep
Mordru
Mordru, also known as Mordru the Merciless, is a supervillain featured in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Curt Swan, Mordru made his first appearance in ''Adventure Comics'' #369 (June 1968). ...
and Saturn Queen in the dark. In the story, she,
Phantom Girl
Phantom Girl (Tinya Wazzo) is a superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, and is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. In post-'' Zero Hour'' continuity, she is known as Apparition. She has the power to ...
, and Lightning Lass rescue
Mon-El from the
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), and was created b ...
, where
Earth-Man had imprisoned him. Upon leaving the Zone, Mon-El once again suffers the effects of
lead poisoning
Lead poisoning, also known as plumbism and saturnism, is a type of metal poisoning caused by lead in the body. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, constipation, headaches, irritability, memory problems, infertility, numbness and paresthesia, t ...
, but is cured with an antidote created by Brainiac 5.
In ''
Doomsday Clock'', Shadow Lass is among the Legion of Super-Heroes members who appear in the present after
Doctor Manhattan
Doctor Manhattan (Dr. Jonathan "Jon" Osterman) is a fictional DC Comics character created by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons. He debuted in the graphic novel, limited Limited series (comics), series graphic novel, ''Watchmen.''
Follo ...
undoes his alternations to the timeline, restoring the Legion and the Justice Society of America.
Powers and abilities
Shadow Lass in all her incarnations can cast dark fields that block all light. These can either be complete, effectively rendering useless all light sources within the area, or hollow to allow the interior to be lit. She can also solidify these fields, to use as a more direct weapon.
She is also an expert hand-to-hand combatant, and can see in complete darkness (both her own and otherwise). As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Shadow Lass is provided a Legion Flight Ring, which allows her to fly and protects her from the vacuum of space and other dangerous environments.
In other media
Television
Shadow Lass makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the ''
Justice League Unlimited
''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...
'' episode "Far From Home".
Film
* Shadow Lass makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in ''
Justice League vs. the Fatal Five''.
* Shadow Lass appears in ''
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...
'', voiced by Victoria Grace.
[ A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.] This version is a council member of
the Legion Academy
The Legion Academy is a training school for members of the Legion of Super-Heroes. It was created by Jim Shooter and Curt Swan, and has been re-used and revisited by subsequent creators in the many evolving iterations of the Legion that have been ...
.
Video games
Shadow Lass appears as a character summon in ''
Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.
Miscellaneous
* Shadow Lass appears in ''
Adventures in the DC Universe'' #10.
* Shadow Lass appears in ''
Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes''.
References
External links
SHADOW LASS at the LEGION Collection
{{Superman characters
Characters created by Curt Swan
Characters created by Jim Shooter
Comics characters introduced in 1968
DC Comics aliens
DC Comics extraterrestrial superheroes
DC Comics female superheroes
Fictional characters who can manipulate darkness or shadows
Legion of Super-Heroes members