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A very cosmic KC Carlson. Art by Stuart Immonen.

by KC Carlson

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving, so I did what millions of other Americans did – viewed the Packers lose one more heartbreaking game. (My forehead has practically healed from all the self-imposed head-slapping.) however I don’t want to talk about that. The other thing that I was doing that day was eating too much turkey! as well as whenever I think about turkey, I think about…

Tenzil Kem (Matter-Eater Lad)! Yes, the legion of Super-Heroes character. If you couldn’t already tell by his name, he’s one of the silliest superheroes ever created. as well as he knows it.

Classic Matter-Eater Lad. Don’t worry, the ray weapon doesn’t kill him – it makes him super-fat! Art by Curt Swan as well as George Klein

Created by Jerry Seigel (yes, the Superman man — nobody’s perfect) as well as artist John Forte, he very first appeared in experience Comics #303 in 1962. (Just four issues into the very first LSH series, yet he was the team’s 15th member to be inducted. long story.) His only super-power was that he might eat anything — except the real food from his house planet of Bismol. (With its funding city of Pepto.) (And — full disclosure — when I say “we”, I mean, yes, I was this character’s caretaker during much of the 1990s as the editor of The legion of Super-Heroes as well as related titles). It wasn’t much of a power, since everybody on Bismol had it, mostly for survival when their food supply became toxic as well as Bismollians learned to eat literally anything to survive. If Tenzil (or Tenz, because practically nobody called him M-E Lad) had a defining moment, it was when he ate the previously indestructible (and literal deus ex machina ) miracle device — as well as quickly went crazy (or had severe indigestion) for a number of years.

Tenzil as a politician. Art by Keith Giffen as well as Al Gordon

Tenzil was pretty much a “joke” character, at least to fans. Although he was typically portrayed as a “normal” character in early adventures, lots of LSH writers kept trying to write him out of the series –- over as well as over again, as if they were embarrassed by him, or something. This went on until 1989. In LSH V4 (aka “Five Years Later”), Keith Giffen as well as Tom & Mary Bierbaum (who were both significant fans of the character, reportedly having TENZIL vanity license plates at the time) literally turned him into a joke character — an odd totally free spirit who rebels while a senator of Bismol as well as uses the planet’s tax money to ended up being a media star instead, making him extremely popular (and perpetually in office since of it). His typical catchprase is “Trust me, I’m a senator.” After being sent for a time to a Hades-like dimension, he’s lastly voted out of office for being technically “dead”. He ultimately rejoined the Legion, where his political connections became very essential because the LSH was no longer affiliated with the United Planets.

HEY! look OVER THERE…

There’s a new woman in town… Art by Adam Hughes

It was about this time that the incoming editor waved his hands all around for a while during the Zero hour event. When all the sand in the hourglass settled, the “Five Years Later” LSH was gone (forever — a little-known condition of his employment, because he, I imply I, was hired in part to restart the Legion). All the Legionnaires were sixteen years old again, as well as they were all now wearing their old boots (mentally insert poor pun here). There was one last memorable Tenzil story before the Bierbaums left (and before Zero Hour), where we turned teen Tenzil into a girl. It had a cover by Adam Hughes! (I still wish he had been offered for the interiors.) I seem to remember having a discussion about maybe keeping him that way for a while. That might have been fun.

Restarting the LSH continuity around this time was a very challenging thing, as well as it was felt that some of the “sillier” characters might have run their program as actual team members. however we were reluctant to provide them up completely, so some were “reassigned” with other responsibilities (like Tenzil being the official LSH chef) to keep them around in some capacity.

The animated Matter-Eater Lad. Yes, he’s eating the emerald Empress’ emerald Eye. Ewwwww….

In subsequent versions of the legion (after I left the books in 1998), Tenzil often appeared, often in essential (or occasionally mysterious) roles, as well as I was happy to see him included in the mind- (and continuity-) blowing final Crisis: legion of 3 Worlds. He should have made an perception outside of comics as well, as indy band Guided by Voices recorded a song based on him called “Matter-Eater Lad”. It appeared on their Clown prince of the Menthol Trailer EP in 1994. Tenzil likewise appears in a handful of episodes of the 2006-2008 WB legion of Super-Heroes cartoon series as well as in the legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century spin-off comic book, which was set in the DC Animated universe instead of the conventional comic book DC Universe.

All Tenzil issue. Art by Stuart Immonen as well as Ron Boyd(Yes, that’s a charcture of Andy Helfer for huge tummy Burgers)

He may be in publishing limbo now, however true fans will not soon fail to remember the legend as well as legacy of Tenzil Kem, Matter-Eater Lad. (Cue inspiring, swelling symphonic music.) view for his huge budget plan film when hell freezes over.

“Mmmmm, hot popsicle!” says Tenz.

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KC CARLSON SEZ: See, Pepto makes sense as the name of the funding for the planet Bismol because… Oh, never mind. Oh, as well as that other thing you probably didn’t get… They were “re-booted”.

WESTFIELD COMICS is not responsible for the dumb things that KC says. particularly that thing that really irritated you.