WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #9 by Matt Fraction, Steve Lieber, Nathan Fairbairn, & Clayton Cowles, on sale now
The DC Universe has a deep bench of strange and unlikely characters, even beyond the regular roster of gods, aliens and witches that typically fill the Justice League. Some of them are so ridiculous, that they only make a few appearances before becoming nothing more than a footnote in the pages of history.
Now, one of the most over the top goofy concepts in the history of the DC Universe - the Legion of Super-Heroes character Arm-Fall-Off Boy - has made his triumphant return. And he's brought along his entire family with him in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #9
The Kryptonian city of Kandor was infamously kept inside a shrunken bottle for years before being released back into the world. But as Jimmy Olsen reveals to his viewers that when it was restored, it also contained it's own bottled city. At the time it was just full of snakes, but it's now a full-sized Kryptonian themed city. So, naturally, someone decided to turn it into an amusement park. Now residing in Elmond, Virginia, this location has been renamed Kandorland. But the story Jimmy Olsen is filming at the park really about Kandorland. Rather, it's about Floyd Belkin, Splitter. As a spaced-based hero who Jimmy refers to as "tangentially related to the Legion of Super-Heroes." Floyd has apparently made a living on Earth and was visiting the park when he became infamous.
Although he goes by the superhero name Splitter, he's also known as his original name - Arm-Fall Off Boy. As the name suggests, he possesses the ability to have his arms disconnect from the rest of his body. Jimmy's interview with Floyd reveals that he became something of an internet sensation when a video surfaced of him riding a rollercoaster and having his arms blast off his body out of excitement. Jimmy even brings out Splitter's entire family for an interview, all of whom appear to have variations on Floyd's powers.
There's Legs-Fall-Apart-In-Segments Dad, Head-Fall-Off Mom, Floyd's sister Fingers-Fall-Off Gal, and Splitter's grandmother, Butt-Fall-Off Geema Deb-Deb. Two other members of the family include their new Step-Grandfather Glen (who appears to be a regular human) and their dog, Elmer. The issue even reveals that Jimmy and some others are trying to find ways to keep them tied together so they don't fly apart without reason.
Arm-Fall-Off Boy was introduced in Secret Origins Vol. 2 #46, by Gerard Jones and Curt Swan. The character was a contemporary of the Pre-Crisis Legion of Super-Heroes and even tried to enlist in the superhero team during a Legion tryout. This version of the character seemed to have more confidence in his abilities than the one who just appeared in the current DC Universe, and he proudly proclaimed that he could detach his arms and use them as weapons if need be. Considering that the Legion typically deals with apocalyptic threats that endanger the entire cosmos, the Legion ended up rejecting him for membership.
Of note, Matter-Eater Lad claims that Arm-Falls-Off Boy was able to get his powers by carelessly exposing himself to an anti-gravity metal - although this was never confirmed before the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths and Zero Hour ended up wiping out this version of the Legion from existence. A version of the character - also referred to as Splitter - appeared in the Post-Zero Hour continuity, primarily serving the comedic role that he did in the Pre-Crisis Universe.
With his reappearance in the present day, it'snot entirely clear how and when he and his entire family arrived in this era. While there's always a chance that Jimmy could interview them again, Jimmy has more pressing matters to deal with, since Lex Luthor just told him that Jimmy's brother is trying to kill him.
Still, this issue makes one of the goofiest characters in the history of the DC Universe alive in modern continuity, and Splitter is active enough to be considered a superhero, by Jimmy Olsen at least.