Zigi and Zagi

A pair of likable , albeit somewhat rambunctious, young brothers, Zigi has honey-blond hair, Zagi's is black, who live with their father, mother, and their lovely dark-haired sister Zyra (Act No. 316, Sep 1964: "Zigi and Zagi's Trap for Superman!") in Centauri City, "on a Planet in the Alpha Centauri System," 23,342,816,000,000 Miles from Earth.

Although the texts describe them as “mischievous imps” (Act No. 315, Aug 1964: “The Juvenile Delinquents from Space!”) and “conniving scamps” (Act No. 316, Sep 1964: “Zigi and Zagi’s Trap for Super man!”), they are actually well-meaning, if fun-loving, youngsters who, arriving on Earth from their home planet—which is described as “far more scientifically advanced than Earth”—in August 1964, unintentionally wreak havoc because of their “weird scientific powers” and lack of familiarity with earthmen’s ways (Act No. 315: “The Juvenile Delinquents from Space!”). Even Superman, who is driven frantic by their antics, comes to think of them fondly as “two of the nicest kids I’ve ever met!” (Act No. 316, Sep 1964: “Zigi and Zagi’s Trap for Superman!”).

By August 1964, Zigi and Zagi have arrived on the planet Earth, light-years away from their native planet, as the result of having accidentally activated the controls of their father’s new “space-runabout” while admiring it in front of their home in Centauri City. As the youngsters enthusiastically explore the city of Metropolis, their unfamiliarity with Earth customs and their command of extraterrestrial super- science combine to produce unintended mayhem, as when the brothers obligingly melt the bars of a jail cell with their “pocket blaster,” thereby allowing an inmate to escape, in the naive belief that the convict is an honest fellow who has somehow locked himself in a barred cage by mistake.

Groaning that “Those little trouble-makers create more mischief than Mr. Mxyzptlk” Superman begs the alien youngsters to go back home again, but Zigi and Zagi are having too good a time to leave, and the Man of Steel is forced to resort to an elaborate ruse—designed to make the young brothers homesick for their native planet—in order to coax the youngsters into leaving Earth. Ultimately, Zigi and Zagi blast off for home in their father’s space runabout—to Superman’s everlasting relief—unaware that “psychopathic killer” Slash Sabre, an escape from Metropolis Prison, has stowed away aboard their spacecraft (Act No. 315: “The Juvenile Delinquents from Space!”).

When Superman learns that escaped convict “Slash” Sabre is en route to the Alpha Centauri system aboard Zigi and Zagi’s spacecraft, he flashes into outer space in hot pursuit. By the time he arrives in Centauri City, however, the youngsters—who have grown quite fond of Superman—have apprehended Sabre on their own, and when they learn that Superman intends to leave their planet as soon as he has located Sabre and taken him into custody, they decide to conceal the fact that they have already captured the convict as a means of prolonging Superman’s stay on their native planet.

The youngsters also concoct a scheme to make Superman their brother-in-law by marrying him off to their lovely sister Zyra, but the Man of Steel nips this scheme in the bud by successfully reuniting Zyra with the real love of her life, a “brilliant young scientist” named Zarthur, who has been erroneously believed dead ever since he failed to return from an exploratory mission in outer space. Finally, however, after having failed in his efforts to locate “Slash” Sabre, Superman returns to Metropolis empty-handed, believing the “maniacal murderer” must still be at large. But when he arrives at Metropolis Prison he finds that Sabre is already safely back in custody, having materialized earlier at the prison inside an alien “teleport bubble.”

“Those mischief-makers caused me a lot of trouble,” muses Superman aloud, now realizing that Zigi and Zagi must have recaptured “Slash” Sabre and whisked him back to prison on their own. “But they did it because they liked having me around. I’m flattered - . .they were two of the nicest kids I’ve ever met!” (Act No. 316, Sep ‘64: “Zigi and Zagi’s Trap for Superman!”).(TGSB)

Links

• Alpha Centauri entry at the Wikipedia
• Alpha Centauri website