Comic Title: Secret Origins #37
Publisher: DC
Cover Date: February 1989
On Sale Date: December 20, 1988 Shipping Date December 20, 1988
Source: Direct Currents, #11

Shipping Date December 22, 1988
Source: Amazing Heroes, #155

Direct Market Date December 22, 1988
Source: Comic Shop News, #75, #76

Copyright Date December 20, 1988
Source: Library of Congress, Copyright Office 1988

Cover Price: $1.50
Page Count: 48
Editor: Mark Waid

Title: "The Secret Origin of Legion of Substitute-Heroes"
Pages: 20

Writer/Penciller: Ty Templeton
Inker: Anthony Van Bruggen
Colorist: Carl Gafford

Feature Character(s)

• Legion of Substitute Heroes (earliest chronological appearance; next appearance in Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #3)
• Chlorophyll Kid (Ral Benem; first post-Crisis appearance; next appearance in Legion of Super-Heroes #61)
• Polar Boy (earliest chronological appearance; next appearance in Legion of Super-Heroes #28)
• Stone Boy (first post-Crisis appearance; no further appearances)
• Night Girl (last appearance in Cosmic Boy #1; next appearance in Cosmic Boy #1)
• Fire Lad (first post-Crisis appearance; next appearance in Legion of Super-Heroes #61)

Villain(s)

• A race of tree-men (no further appearances)

Guest Appearance(s)

• Legion of Super-Heroes (last appearance in Secret Origins #49; next appearance in Secret Origins #42)
• Bouncing Boy (last appearance in Secret Origins #49; next appearance in Secret Origins #42)
• Chameleon Boy (last appearance in Secret Origins #42; next appearance in Secret Origins #42)
• Saturn Girl (last appearance in Secret Origins #49; next appearance in Secret Origins #42)
• Sun Boy (last appearance in Legion of Super-Heroes #9; next appearance in Secret Origins #42)
• Cosmic Boy (last appearance in Secret Origins #49; next appearance in Secret Origins #42)
• Ultra Boy (last appearance in Secret Origins #42; next appearance in Secret Origins #42)

Other Character(s)

• Estimate Boy (a Legion reject; no further appearances)
• Nik Feeld (earliest chronological appearance; next appearance in Who's Who in the Legion of Super-Heroes #7)

Synopsis:
Ral Benem of the planet Mardru accidentally bathes in toxic chemicals. As a result he gains the power to manipulate the growth rate of plant life. He travels to Earth in an attempt to join the Legion of Super-Heroes. However, his application is rejected.

Dejected, the newly dubbed Chlorophyll Kid joins four other Legion rejects: Polar Boy, Night Girl, Stone Boy, and Fire Lad. They decide to form their own group, the Legion of Substitute Heroes. The Subs construct their own headquarters in a cave and respond to emergencies. However, they always arrive too late to the scene to be of much use.

Eventually, the team is about to split up after their attempts to assist the Legion of Super-Heroes against a robot invasion fails. However, they realize that the robots are a diversion. The real attack is in the form of acorns being dropped outside the city which grow into tree-men.

The Subs trace the tree-men to their home planet which is set for a full scale invasion. They fight their way to a silo containing a large quantity of acorns. Chlorophyll Kid uses his power to rapidly grow the acorns into tree-men. The sudden population explosion paralyzes the tree-men and prevents the invasion. The Subs return home where, despite not received any credit for their achievement, they decide to stay together.