The first Insect Queen was Lana Lang, Superman's romantic interest from his youth in Smallville. In "Superboy" #124 (Oct. 1965), Lana rescues an insect-like alien trapped under a tree. In gratitude, he gives her a bio-genetic ring that allows her to gain the powers of insects or arachnids (by giving her lower body the form of a particular bug; each form could only be gained once per day, however). She decides to use it to develop the costumed identity of the superheroine Insect Queen. Lana does not pursue the career for long, though she did gain reserve status in the Legion of Super-Heroes.