DC Teams: X, Y, Z

Xenobrood

Created and owned by Doug Moench

The Xenobrood are alien workers who were brought to earth as crystals millennia ago by the Vimanians, an alien race that wished to strip mine the earth. The Xenobrood were never "processed" and remained crystals until they were found by Dr. Zecharia Leight on an archaeological dig. He and his ex wife Lorna processed them and in doing so became their masters.

This team only appeared in their own series. This was a creator-owned project, so they cannot appear in the DC Universe without Moench's approval.

• Dr. Zecharia Leight
• Dr. Lorna Comely
• Zapatak
• Thrasher
• Astra II
• Blip

» FIRST APPEARANCE: Xenobrood #1

» SERIES:  Xenobrood, 6-issue mini-series (1994-95)

Young All-Stars

Created by Roy Thomas

The Young All-Star Squadron's history is spread throughout the Justice Society Chronology.

Their membership is contained in the larger All-Star Squadron membership table.

» SERIES: Young All-Stars, 32 issues (1987-89)

» SEE ALSO:  Old Justice • All-Star Squadron

Young Heroes (in Love)

Created by Dan Raspler and Dev Madan

The Young Heroes were called together by Hard Drive, who used his telepathic powers, in part, to coerce them. He also funded and housed the team. His partner in "crime" was Monstergirl, who had an agenda of her own. During the Genesis event, Hard Drive's powers overloaded, and he was forced to publicly use his powers of persuasion against Kalibak. (YHIL #5) He again used his powers to gloss over this fact. Love triangles abounded among the Young Heroes and the relationships changed with every issue. Their personal lives were not revealed until issue #7. The team finally came to blows with Hard Drive, sent him away and tried to come to terms with his coercion. (#12-13)

In the end, Hard Drive was elected governor of Connecticut. Frost Bite was shown to be still alive in the 853rd century. (YHIL #1million)

» FIRST APPEARANCE:  Young Heroes In Love #1 (June 1997)

» SERIES: Young Heroes In Love, 17 issues (1997-98)

» SEE ALSO: The way, way, WAY UNOFFICIAL YHIL web page

Young Justice

Created by Peter David and Todd Nauck

Young Justice was founded by Robin, Superboy and Impulse in response to a global crisis created by the boy-villain, Bedlam. (Earth's teens were stranded apart from all the grown-ups by Bedlam's magic.) Following this caper, the trio officially formed their own group, which remained unnamed for a bit. Soon, they adopted the name Young Justice and established their headquarters in the Justice League's former Secret Sanctuary (now the Justice Cave) in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island. There, they awakened the dormant Red Tornado, who came to serve as their advisor. (JLA: World Without Grownups #1-2, Young Justice #1)

Very soon thereafter, the trio freed a mysterious girl from imprisonment by the D.E.O. She was reluctant to reveal her true name, so they called her the Secret. Wonder Girl, Arrowette and the Secret soon joined the boys (YJ #4). Arrowette's career in costume was short-lived, however. When her high school counselor was murdered, she nearly slew the killer herself. Superboy managed to stop her just in time, but the guilt was already too much and she resigned from adventuring permanently. (#15-16)

Soon after Cissie's departure, a new young heroine called the Empress debuted, and the group was forced to relocate to an abandoned resort in the Catskill mountains. (#19) Strangely, the Empress boasted archery abilities (among others) and appeared in places near to the former Arrowette. The team soon learned that she was in fact Anita Fite, the daughter of their sometime enemy, Agent Fite of the All-Purpose Espionage Squad (APES). Empress officially joined the team shortly after the "Sins of Youth" event, wherein Klarion the Witch Boy turned all of Young Justice into adults.

After this battle, everyone's true age was restored — except for the alien bounty hunter, Lobo. (Lobo arrived after the initial spell, so the reverse-spell made younger.) (Sins of Youth #2). It was also then that the main Y.J. members decided to take a breather and a group of reserve members volunteered for monitor duty. These reserves included CM3, Lagoon Boy, Beast Boy and Flamebird. In Gotham City, the reservists ran afoul of a battle between Klarion and Lobo. Ultimately, Flamebird convinced Lobo that he should content himself with his new age, as it would make everyone underestimate his prowess. The new Batgirl also stepped momentarily into the fray. (#20-21)

Empress and Lobo took part in their first Y.J. mission when the team agreed to escort Doiby Dickles back to his home planet of Myrg (#25-26). Meanwhile, back on Earth, Cissie became a part of the US Olympic archery team. (#21) During her Australian competition, the team encountered a rival Olympic team from Zandia (well-known as a safe haven for wanted felons). The Zandian team was overseen by the Brain and Monsieur Mallah and included Deadline, Tigress II, Merlyn, Black Thorn and Turk. Of course foul play ensued, but Cissie emerged as the gold medallist.

Darkness loomed over the team during the Earth's war with Imperiex. The teens were believed dead when they disappeared to Apokolips. There, Lobo's body was decimated (#36) and spawned dozens of duplicates (Lobo possesses the ability to form clones from his own tissue [#37]). The Lobo clones destroyed one another and the remaining adult Lobo left for parts unknown. He was unaware, however, that one duplicate survived. This shy-demeanored youth followed Young Justice back to Earth, where he was nicknamed Slobo. (#38)

Impulse decided to resign from the team after a traumatizing incident resulting in the death of one of his "scouts." He was followed by Robin, who had begun feeling uncomfortable in a team. But questions of trust had also arisen when Robin would not share his secret identity with the others. To help the team through this time, the Red Tornado called in Snapper Carr to lend a sympathetic hand. (#38) The team members themselves also invited the Ray to join, which he accepted. (#41) Secret was ultimately seduced by Darkseid, but she was convinced to turn against him. Darkseid's punishment against Secret was to restore her mortality — which also removed her powers. (#53-55) During this battle, Slobo began to go blind (#54) and he chose to sacrifice himself against Darkseid. (#55)

In the end, the members of YJ were called together by a mysterious conglomerate called Optitron, who offered to sponsor both Young Justice and the Titans. During this meeting, Indigo, a mysterious android girl from the future, appeared from nowhere. Indigo was battered and in search of a way to repair herself. After an unsuccessful assimilation of the Metal Men, she teleported to California and commandeered the body of the Titans' Cyborg. The combined might of the Titans and Young Justice barely drove her off and Empress was critically injured when she teleported away. This chain events led to the death of two Titans and shattered both teams of heroes, which disbanded. (Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #1-3)

Neither Robin nor Wonder Girl had any interest in continuing on as a team. Both were deeply affected by the death of Troia and by feelings of inadequacy. But the mentors of the remaining members of the Titans were quick to take them back under wing. Robin, Wonder Girl, Superboy and Impulse were encouraged to join a new "weekend" team of Teen Titans. This new team is guided by Cyborg, Starfire and Beast Boy. (Teen Titans v.3 #1) The Empress' final condition is uncertain. The Ray, Red Tornado and Snapper Carr chose to return to their own individual affairs.

YJ One Million

The legacy of Young Justice remains in the 853rd Century. In the far future, this team is called the Young Justice Legion S. It's members are Robin "the Toy Wonder," Batman's A.I.; Impulse, a mysterious hero believed to be the personification of random thoughts of the legendary heroes that have traveled through the Speed Force; and Omac, their leader and one millionth clone of the original Superboy.

Robin once found a capsule containing one of the original members of Young Justice. Its contents were never revealed because the youths' impatience resulted in the contents being disintergrated. (YJ 1 million)

» FIRST APPEARANCE:  Young Justice #1 (September 1998)

» FEATURED APPEARANCES: Impulse #85 • Robin #101 • Superboy #99 • Supergirl v.3 #13-14 • Young Justice Secret Files #1 • Young Justice: The Secret #1 • Young Justice Special #1

» SERIES:

JLA: World Without Grownups, 2-issue limited series (1998)

Young Justice, 55 issues (1998-2003)

Sins of Youth, 2-issue limited series & event books (2000)

Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day, 3-issue limited series (2003)

Teen Titans v.3, current (2003-)

» SEE ALSO: Teen Titans • The Justice Cave

Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew (Earth-26)

» SEE ALSO: Just'a Lotta Animals

The Zoo Crew reside on Earth-26, although they refer to it as "Earth-C." Here, everyone is an anthropomorphic version of their counterparts on other Earths. Superman was the first to discover this parallel world. While battling Starro, he used a meteor which broke into six pieces. Each future member of the Zoo Crew was exposed to the meteorite's radiation (which included some of Superman's energies). (New Teen Titans #16)

• Felina Furr became Alley-Kat-Abra when her "magic wanda" was infused with mystical powers after exposure to her meteorite. But while she is great at teleportation and sending telepathic messages, her skills failed her during crises. But when she uses her brain instead of brute force, she can triumph.
• Rodney Roger Rabbit (whose first name was added when the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit was being developed) was the only one who didn't receive his powers directly. Instead, he ate a meteorite-irradiated carrot from his garden. Each carrot gives him about 24 hours of powers, depending on his exertion. As Captain Carrot, Rodney has super-strength, super-speed, super-senses, and (eventually) the power of flight.
• Fastback is Timmy Joe Terrapin, a slow turtle both in action and in thoughts, until his meteorite gave him the power of super-speed. He is by far the most easy-going hero of the Crew.
• Peter Porkchops had his own DC comic books before his meteorite turned him into Pig Iron, the Swine of Steel. He is virtually invulnerable, very strong, and very large (his alter ego is a bit of a runt).
• Actor Byrd Rentals became Rubberduck after he was exposed to his meteorite that fell into his hot tub. He became mostly water, which allowed him to stretch to incredible lengths and change into almost any kind of shape.
• Rova Barkitt, gossip columnist, turned into Yankee Poodle when her meteorite hit her in the head. It "caused her to see stars — and stripes!" and gave her the strange powers of "animal magnetism." Her right hand shoots blue stars that repel. Her left hand emits red and white stripes that attract. She is also sensitive to the auras emitted by others. She can fly by creating a striped bridge and propel herself with her shooting stars. She can also use her stars and stripes as concussive force.
• A while after their formation, they also welcomed Chester Cheese (Little Cheese). He did not share the others' origin. He gained the power to shrink in size after eating some moon cheese. He aided the Zoo Crew in capturing his father's killer.

The Zoo Crew met the JLA (Just'a Lotta Animals) when super-villains from both Earth-C and Earth-C-Minus (minus the Zoo Crew, that is) joined in an interdimensional conspiracy. Aquaduck, Batmouse, Crash, Green Lambkin, Super-Squirrel, and Wonder Wabbit helped to defeat Armadillo, Shaggy Dawg, Feline Faust, Dr. Hoot, Digger O'Doom, and Amazoo.

The Zoo Crew's swan song was during the Oz-Wonderland war when the former mystical land was taken over by an evil gnome. In this adventure Captain Carrot was reunited briefly with Wonder Wabbit and they met Hoppy the Marvel Bunny. However, truer feeling surfaced between he and Alley-Kat-Abra.

But … Whatever Happened to Captain Carrot?

After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Zoo Crew were lost to obscurity. Wherever they landed, their story turned tragic, with the murder of Little Cheese. After Chester Cheese had publicly revealed his secret identity as Little Cheese, he became a defense attorney. But his actions spurred public to demand for the rest of the Zoo Crew to reveal their identities as well. Only Alley-Kat-Abra complied.

Yankee Poodle was outed and eventually falsely arrested for an assassination attempt of President Mallard Fillmore. The others went underground. As for Captain Carrot, he killed the Armordillo in retaliation for the murder his partner, Carrie Carrot, then turned himself in. He was acquitted of the crime by Chester. Regardless, when Chester was murdered, the evidence implicated Cap. Yankee Poodle escaped from Pelican Bay prison and recruited Pig Iron and Rubberduck to investigate Cheese's death and clear their former leader. Alley-Kat-Abra declined their invitation to rejoin, but they were trailed by new ally, the American Eagle, who eventually found Captain Carrot in his civilian guise of Rodney Rabbit. (Teen Titans #30)

American Eagle convinced Rodney to eat the special carrot that transformed him into Captain Carrot once again. They joined with the rest of the Zoo Crew. They note that inter-species relations have grown more volatile in their world and that in reassembling, the Zoo Crew might stand as an example of unity. Yankee Poodle deduced that President Fillmore knew who killed Little Cheese, and the team left in search of their most powerful member: Alley-Kat-Abra. To their horror, they discover that Felina was the murderer! She'd taken money from the President to expose the Crew's identities. Then when Fastback discovered this, she zapped him into the future. She tried to frame Rodney for the murder and hired the Armordillo to kill him. Why did this former hero turn so murder? In her confession, she said that for all her efforts, there was no fighting instinct: cats would always hate mice.

Afterwards, the Crew accepted American Eagle as a member and set out to rescue Fastback from the future. (#31)

After their absence from the limelight, the Crew found it difficult to reestablish themselves as credible crime fighters. Their appearance at a pop culture festival drew little fanfare. But it was here that their old foe, the Salamandroid, struck again. The villain was sent by Starro, who had masterminded a new conspiracy. Starro was allied with the diplomat "Vicuña Pacos" of Nepal — who was, in fact, the nefarious Rash Al Paca. Their goal was to drown the Earth and create strife between land- and sea-dwelling peoples. (CC: The Final Ark #1)

Next, they sent Frogzilla to attack Gnu York. In subduing this giant beast, the Zoo Crew inadvertently freed the real Alley-Kat-Abra from a mystical prison! Felina explained to her teammates that she'd been duplicated by Feline Faust. The doppleganger, Dark Alley, was the one who killed Little Cheese. The Crew were still wary of her and allowed her to join them on a probationary status. The added might of Alley's powers were not enough to stem the oncoming catastrophe — Al Paca activated a satellite that melted the planet's icecaps. And, the Zoo Crew found they'd lost their powers! (#2)

The planet soon flooded and the Zoo Crew decided to try to contact Just'a Lotta Animals. To do so, Rodney created a full comic book starring the JLA. (The sale of this comic constituted "unlawful manufacture," which prompted the JLA's lawyer to intervene.) The plan worked, and the Animals (GL, Crash, Elongator, Hawkmoose, Zapanda, Batmouse) arrived to help the Zoo Crew herd people onto Barton Boa's Ark. The Ark was intended to shuttle refugees to Earth C-Minus, but an intervention by the New Dogs (Orihound, Lightstray and Muttron) caused the Ark to be diverted to Earth-0. On Earth-0, the once fully sentient animals manifested as normal Earth-0 animals. The drew the attention of the Justice League, and Zatanna adopted Rodney to be her stage rabbit. All the animals on the Ark remain on Earth-0, unable to communicate their predicament. (#3)

Notes

The Zoo Crew was created and pitched by Roy Thomas as a Justice League Parody, Just'a Lotta Animals. DC passed on that concept because they wanted original characters instead.

The members of the Zoo Crew originated (at least in part) in the 1940s Peter Porkchops strip, which debuted in Leading Comics #23 (1947). The series changed to Leading Screen Comics (1950–55), and continued to feature Porkchops. The character of Pig Iron did not debut until Zoo Crew.

Other characters from DC's funny animal past made cameos in the series, including

• Dodo and the Frog who first appeared in Funny Stuff #18 (Feb. 1947)
• McSnurtle the Turtle: The Terrific Whatzit from Funny Stuff #1 (Summer 1944)

Issue #7 contains a Who's Who type feature in the back of the book.

The letter column in issue #12 printed an illustration of "Farrah Foxett" by a young fan — Arthur Adams!

The covers of issues #14-15 parody the covers of Justice League of America #207-209.

In the final issue of the series, Roy Thomas wrote that the book was discontinued because of difficulties in arranging a creative team. It was intended to become a series of mini-series. He even mentioned a proposed Just'a Lotta Animals mini-series.

Captain Carrot characters occasionally appear in the mainstream DCU, usually as cartoons or toys. The Superman/Toyman one-shot showed a Captain Carrot stuffed doll role. Cap and Poodle appeared on Black Canary's Zoo Crew glassware in Birds of Prey #100.

The Zoo Crew narrative that appears in Teen Titans #30-31 is presented as a comic story read by various Titans characters. It's also drawn by original artist, Scott Shaw!

» FIRST APPEARANCE: New Teen Titans #16 (Feb. 1982)

» SERIES:

• Captain Carrot, 20 issues (1982-83)
• The Oz/Wonderland War, 3-issue mini-series (1985)
• Peter Porkchops, 62 issues (1949–59)
• Captain Carrot and the Final Ark!, 3-issue limited series (2007)

» SEE ALSO:

• Amazing Heroes #9 (March 1982). Kim Thompson and J. Collier "Creatures Great and Small... and Super-Heroes All." 32-39. A great article that led off the series by talking about Thomas and Shaw's inspirations.
• Annotated Captain Carrot
• CBR: Captain Carrot Makes His Return! (2 December 2005)
• Comic Book Legends Revealed #579: Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew was originally a Justice League parody.
• Just'a Lotta Animals
• Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics: Peter Porkchops Public Service Ad