Saturday, July 05, 2025

20th Century Flight Ring Hot Potato

While recording an episode of the podcast, someone asked about who was using which flight ring in the 20th century stories, as they seemed to be passing them around like hot potatoes. After some research, here's what I came up with (and there seems to be only one editorial error).

  1. Legionnaires #31: Superboy is given a flight ring as an honorary member while in the 30th century, for helping get Valor out of the Stasis Zone.


  2. LSH #84: Imra gives Inferno and Shvaughn flight rings to help fight Emerald Vi. Shvaughn has been physically de-aged to a baby, but with her adult intelligence. She's also wearing a Legion costume. At the end of the issue, half the team is caught up in an emerald explosion, which we find out next issue has thrown them back in time. 


  3. LSH #85: The team pops out in the 20th century, but Shvaughn has inexplicably turned back into an adult and she's wearing an SP uniform, and does not have a ring. There's no explanation for her transformation, making me think this is an editorial oversight. Without a flight ring, she falls from the sky, and Jo flies down to catch her. Tinya, who is a ghost at this point who nobody can see, tells Jo to give Shvaughn Tinya's ring, which Jo still kept. So now Shvaughn has Tinya's ring.


  4. Final Night #3: Spark lends Ferro her flight ring during Final Night, but takes it back shortly after it was over (this takes place just before LSH #86).


  5. Impulse #21: Cosmic Boy lets Impulse borrow Imra's flight ring, but she takes it back by the end of the issue (takes place prior to LSH #88)


  6. LSH #90: Ferro mentions that he does not yet have a flight ring.


  7. LSH #93: Ferro borrows Jo’s flight ring for the issue, but after the death of his brother, Cos offers Ferro his ring to keep.




  8. LSH #94: Triad goes to find Superboy, only to find that Superboy has given his ring to Roxy. Later, Cosmic Boy comes back with Gates and Triad and takes back Superboy’s ring. Cos later says that he will use Superboy’s ring since he had just given his own to Ferro. 




  9. LSH #96: Inferno leaves the team, and throws her flight ring at Jo and then flies off under her own power. 


  10. SBOY #45: After helping the team, Cos gives Superboy's ring back and tells him not to give it away (takes place prior to LSH #97, just before Genesis).


  11. LSH #97: Cosmic Boy is shown using a flight ring, and since all the others are accounted for, he must be using Inferno's old ring.

So here's the summary up to this point:

  • Shvaughn has Tinya’s old ring [#3]
  • Ferro has Cos’s old ring [#8]
  • Inferno had a ring but gave it back when she left the team [#9]
  • Superboy still has the ring that he was given [#10]
  • Cos (presumably) has Inferno’s old ring [#11]
  • Everyone else (Gates, Saturn Girl, Spark, Brainiac 5, Triad, Ultra Boy) still has their original ring


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