COUNTDOWN # 29 "IT'S NEWS TO THEM BY "FREE" STEVE CHUNG Previously in Countdown #29, we saw Jimmy Olsen reunite with his old friends, the Newsboy Legion. But who are these youngsters and what role do they play in the D.C. Universe? It might surprise you to know that these stalwart carriers have been in and around the DCU since World War II.
The Newsboy Legion made their first appearance in Star-Spangled Comics #7 (April, 1942). Anthony "Big Words" Rodriguez, John "Gabby" Gabrielli, Patrick "Scrapper" MacGuire, and Thomas "Tommy" Thompkins were the original members of the group.
On January 23, 1942, policeman Jim Harper became the legal guardian of the Newsboy Legion. He would watch over them in Suicide Slum, ensuring that the boys would be receiving the necessary upbringing, and as serve as a positive role model in their lives.
As the costumed hero, the Guardian, he would save the Newsboy Legion on many occasions. During this time, the boys suspected that Jim Harper and the Guardian were one and the same, but it wouldn't be until some time later that the Newsboys would finally learn of their legal guardian's secret.
As adults, Rodriguez, Gabrielli, MacGuire, and Thompkins became scientists and worked at the top secret genetic facility known as Project Cadmus.
Clones of the original Newsboy Legion were created. A teenaged clone of Walter "Flip" Johnson was also created, joining the others, and they resided within Cadmus.
Thanks to the technology at Cadmus, a clone of Jim Harper was created, and the Guardian was reborn -- reuniting the whole gang, so to speak.
Eventually, the adults retired from Project Cadmus, and the young Newsboy Legion were relocated to Suicide Slum.
The Guardian and the Newsboy Legion have fought many foes.
At the end of one more recent adventure, the Newsboys welcomed Jim Harper's grandniece, Roberta, and nicknamed her as "Famous Bobby." This story appeared in the Guardians of Metropolis miniseries by Karl Kesel, Kieron Dwyer, and Mike Manley in 1995.
The clones met their "fathers" in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #135 (January, 1971).
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