L: Liberty Legion!

L 

is for The Liberty Legion.

(This is an eleventh hour change from my original "L", which was Longshot....hence my 'luck' clue yesterday)

Way back in 1942, Captain America's junior partner Bucky was in a pickle. Ya see, his pals in the supergroup, the Invaders, had been captured and brainwashed by the evil Red Skull! It was up to Bucky to rescue them, but he knew he couldn't do it alone.

So, he put out a rallying cry and assembled his own team of patriotic, home-front heroes to help him get his pals out of the jam they were in. 

Those who answered the call were:

• The Patriot: (Jeff Mace) A top notch hand to hand combatant and military strategist.
• Ms. America: (Madeline Joyce) She could fly, had super strength and limited invulnerability
• The Whizzer: (Robert Frank) Could run at about 100 mph.
• The Thin Man: (Bruce Dickson) He could stretch, slip in between cracks, and resist injuries due to his pliable nature.
• Jack Frost: (Mythological winter spirit) Could create and project cold and ice for various effects. 
• Blue Diamond: (Elton T. Morrow) Was invulnerable to most forms of harm.
• Red Raven: Coming from a long lost tribe of 'bird people', he had a costume that allowed him to fly as well as other 'advanced' (for the 40s) gadgets. 

Way back when, I was really a big fan of a book Marvel Comics was putting out, called The Invaders. It featured Captain America, his sidekick Bucky, the Sub Mariner, the original Human Torch and his sidekick Toro. Set back during World War II, the Invaders fought against the Axis powers at home and abroad.

I've always been a big fan of team books, so when I saw the above issue that featured a new group...one like the Invaders...I was immediately hooked. 

Back then, as a young kid without the magical thing we know as the 'internet' to reference, I had no clue that all the characters had originated back in the (real) 1940s and were featured in the old Timely Comics, the golden age predecessor to Marvel Comics. Writer Roy Thomas, needing more 'patriotic type' heroes, put the team together.

While they never got a title of their own, the Legion guest starred in quite a few books over the years....mainly as individual characters...and the old characters from the Golden Age of comics were re-woven back into Marvel continuity.

Tune in Monday to find out more about a member of the Legion...

K: Kid Flash!

K 

is for Kid Flash. Yes....Kid....Flash....

Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, Kid Flash debuted in Flash #119 (1959) as a sidekick to the fastest man alive...The Flash.

The costume was, originally, worn by Wally West (later by Bart Allen)...the nephew of Barry (The Flash) Allen. Wally gained his powers in the exact same way that Barry did, which defied almost all logic. I mean, you can almost believe that a lightning bolt smashes through a window, shattering a wall full of chemicals, and dousing a police lab scientist....giving him super-speed. But, to have it happen twice?? I'm not sure if they were just being lazy on the origin stories here, or what, but that's what they went with.

They're the ones getting paid, so what do I know?

Anywho, Wally has been a staple in the D.C. Universe for many years whether it be on his own or as a member of the sidekick group, The Teen Titans. 

The New Teen Titans, by Marv Wolfman and George Perez was a series instrumental in developing the character deeper than he had ever been developed before. It was here where he revealed his identity to his parents (before that, only Barry knew his secret), fell in love, and decided he wanted a "normal" life. 

Yes, he was one of 'those' sort of super heroes. He could, almost, outrun light...and yet wanted the big house and white picket fences of suburbia, like his parents. 

Wally's powers were, pretty much, identical to his mentor, the Flash. He could run at superspeed by tapping into the "Speed Force". This force also lets him vibrate his atoms to allow him to do such things as walk through solid object, run on water and up the sides of buildings, and create mini vortexes with his arms and hands. Also, like his mentor, when he runs he is surrounded by an aura that protects him from friction and lets him breathe.

Later on in Wally's career (come on, you didn't think he was really going to have a 'normal' life...did you?), after taking up the mantle of his dead friend and mentor, he becomes just 'The Flash' and begins to mainline the "Speed Force" instead of just tapping into it. His powers grow to not just include himself, but he could give others superspeed. 

He also manages to marry and have two children....both of which exhibit his speedy tendencies. 

While I was never a huge fan of Kid Flash, I did like him within the Teen Titans dynamic where he was characterized as the 'wholesome kid from the Leave it to Beaver family'. A characterization that didn't quite follow him to other books. 

Tomorrow, with a little 'luck', we'll talk about another lesser known hero...

J: Jack T. .Chance!

J 

is for Jack T. Chance.

(Before I get into this post, proper, I just want to give myself a little 'high five' for making this my 100th post to the blog, since starting back in August of 2011. Woo hoo! :) Also, in the past four months I've posted around 55 entries which is more than I did in 2010 and 2011...combined.)

Now...on to letter "J".

Jack T. Chance was created by John Ostrander and, as the story goes, loosely based off another Ostrander character....GrimJack.

For the uninitiated, the Green Lantern corps was founded by an ancient race of beings called The Guardians as a, sort of, intergalactic peace keeping force. Choosing a champion from each planet and giving them one of the most powerful weapons in the galaxies (the amazing power ring), the Green Lanterns are to keep peace in their respective sectors while still adhering to the Guardians strict code of non-lethality.

Jack T. Chance was the exception to that rule.

From the planet Garnet, also known as "Hellhole" due to it being one of the worst criminal planets in existence, Chance was chosen basically as a last resort. A loose cannon...and one of the Guardian's secret weapons on the war against evil.

Chance was given something that no other member of the core had been given before that time.

He was allowed to use more "questionable methods to get the job done...,but there was a catch. While most Green Lanterns had jurisdiction over an entire sector of space, Chance was to be confined just to his planet. The ring wouldn't work offworld and he was to be subjected to periodic checks by the Guardians to make sure he wasn't getting too out of hand. As if there was such a thing on Hellhole.

Even though he was a very minor character in the Green Lantern lore, I always liked Jack. He could 'stick it to the man' and get away with it, because they needed him to keep a lid on his planet. 

Chance billed himself as a "good, bad man", chain smoked, and carried a big gun as backup to his power ring. He refused to wear the typical Green Lantern uniform and, instead, just put a pin on his lapel to designate his membership in the Corp. Plus...he wore a bolo tie and I was big into bolo ties in the 90s. Don't judge. :P

Like another rebel Green Lantern, Guy Gardner, Jack T. Chance was a nice change from the usual 'boy scout' type member of the Corp...even reciting his own oath while recharging his power ring.

The typical oath goes like this:

In brightest day, in blackest night

No evil shall escape my sight.

Let those who worship evil's might

Beware my power, Green Lantern's light.

Jack's oath was:

You who are wicked, evil and mean

I'm the nastiest creep you've ever seen!

Come one, come all, put up a fight

I'll pound your butts with Green Lantern's light!

Chance was killed when the entire Green Lantern Corp tried to stop the galaxy wide threat known as Parallax and his ring crushed.

And before you ask, no, I don't know what the "T" stood for. :)

Tomorrow we'll speed along with one of the big gun's sidekicks....

I: Iron Fist!

I 

They used Cap to hook me in...dirty dogs!

is for Iron Fist.

Iron Fist was created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane back in 1974 during the height of the 'kung fu craze' that was sweeping the country. Iron Fist, along with Shang Chi: Master of Kung Fu were Marvel's attempt to cash in on the popularity of Hong Kong action films. 

Iron Fist had his own title for a while and also shared the spotlight with Power Man (Luke Cage) in the pages of Power Man and Iron Fist. Back in 2006, the character was revived in the pages of The Immortal Iron Fist...written by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction, drawn by David Aja.

Source

Source

Iron Fist was born Daniel Rand. His father, wealthy businessman Wendell Rand, has stumbled upon the mystical city of K'un L'un in his travels and stayed for awhile. After saving the life of the city's ruler, Lord Tuan, he's adopted as a son and leaves, soon after, to pursue more fortune back in America.

Years later, Rand returns with is wife and nine year old son Daniel as he leads another expedition to find the fabled city again.

Both of Daniel's parents are killed, accidentally, and young Danny is taken to K'un L'un...eventually, as one of the more promising pupils, being taught it's mystical brand of kung fu.

In K'un L'un, Daniel learns to harness his "chi" to various effects, including:

• Heightened physical attributes-- Danny can push himself for up to an hour before suffering any sort of fatigue.
• Heightened senses.
• Augmented healing.
• Immunity to pain and injury.
• A 'mind meld' of sorts, being able to merge with another person's consciousness.

His main power, though, is his namesake.....the Iron Fist. 

By focusing his chi energy, Daniel can make his fist superhumanly powerful and, temporarily, immune to pain and injury. This process is draining, though, so he has to use it sparingly.

Of course, Rand is an extremely accomplished master of the martial arts and physical combat. He's also a fair businessman as well as an amateur, street savvy, investigator.

I've always been a fan of the old late night, t.v. kung fu shows and, back in the day, Iron Fist was right up my alley. The issue at the top, with Captain America on the cover, was one of the very first issues of a Marvel comic that I ever bought.

And at thirty cents, no less! Ahhh...the good old days....

In my research for this one, I came across some info on IMDB that makes it seem like an Iron Fist movie is in the works. Stranger things have happened....

(I've noticed my past posts seemed to run a little long so, in trying to keep with the spirit of the challenge, I'll be making them shorter for the sake of brevity.)

Tune in tomorrow for Green Lantern.....and, yes, I know it's not "G" day :)

H: The Human Fly!

H 

is for Human Fly.

Back in the mid 1970s....when Evel Knievel was a household name...there came a comic from Marvel about a stuntman/daredevil called The Human Fly.

The book only ran about 19 issues, before it was cancelled but I'll never forget it because it was based off (very loosely) an actual person. A Canadian daredevil named Rick Rojatt. The book's tagline was "The Wildest Super Hero Ever--Because He's Real!" 

And he was...in a fashion.

Now, back in the mid 70s as a young kid, I thought this was all kinds of cool. I was always a huge fan of Evel Knievel and putting him into comics (in a roundabout way) captured my imagination. 

For the comic based version of the Fly, his backstory was that, as a young man, he had been in an accident and 60% of his bone structure had been replaced with steel.  This allowed him to take a licking and keep on ticking and was probably a big plus in the daredevil business. It also drove him to do charity stuntwork on behalf of disabled children. It doesn't get more heroic than that, right?

Each issue would have him traveling to a different town and doing a stunt for charity. Somehow, he'd always come across some sort of crime being committed and have to try to stop it using his wits and stunt related gadgets.

Some of his vast arsenal, in the comic, included: 

• A cape, woven with steel mesh fibers, that had gel pods in them. When it got to a certain temperature, the pods would explode and douse him in flame retardant foam.
• Magnetic clamps in his gloves and boots as well as suction cups that let him climb almost any surface.
• His helmet contained an oxygen mask which also acted as a gas mask as well as had a radio equipped into it. 
• The Fly also carried a baton that did all sorts of things....from shooting knockout gas to emitting a globe of light, to sending out a charge of electricity and acting as a taser.

And, of course, what self respecting 70s daredevil wouldn't have a souped up motorcycle? That along with a "stunt van" to carry all of his equipment, a rocket powered snowmobile, a hanglider, and a jet pack, made up some of the cool vehicles the Fly used to not only wage a war on crime, but to thrill and delight the fans. I have to wonder if they people behind The Human Fly were trying to do some sort of toy deal a la Evel Knievel?

Some characters, it seems, are just that unforgettable and it looks like some folks are trying to get a Human Fly movie going. You can check out the details at the film's website. 

Source

Even though The Human Fly was, mainly, a giant publicity stunt, I remember really enjoying the comic and couldn't fathom why it ever got cancelled. Of course, I was looking through the eyes of a pre teen who thought Evel Knievel was the greatest thing going.

Come back tomorrow and we'll all go kung fu fightin'...

UPDATE: I found a blog article about the Falcon appearing in the next Captain America movie, for those who were interested. You can catch it HERE.

G: Goliath!

G 

Source: Marvel Comics

is for Goliath.

Goliath was a name used by quite a few heroes, throughout the years....including:

• Henry "Hank" Pym who, originally, adopted the name. Also going by Giant Man, Yellowjacket, and Ant Man.
• Clinton Francis Barton who started his heroic as Hawkeye and, later, took the name from Pym.
• Bill Foster....who've we already seen on "B" day as Black Goliah. He has also gone by Goliath as well as Giant Man.
• Tom Foster who was Bill's nephew and MIT genius. He cracked the secret of the "Pym Particle" and took on the mantle of Goliath after his uncle's death.
• Erik Josten, who started as the villain known as Power Man, later adopted the Goliath identity after joining the quasi-hero group, The Thunderbolts. 

For this entry, though, we'll be focusing on Clint Barton....aka Hawkeye...aka Goliath.

Clinton Francis Barton and his brother, Barney, lost their parents early on in life. With not many options, Clint did what a lot of young kids dreamed of doing.....he ran off to join the circus. Coming under the wing of an archer called "Trick Shot", Clint became an expert archer and traveled around the country.

Upon seeing Iron Man in action, Clint decided to use his archery skills to help his fellow man. Unfortunately, on his first outing as a hero he was mistaken for a crook and became a wanted man. On the run, he meets Russian spy Natasha Romanova (aka The Black Widow) and falls in love with her.  After a botched attempt by the pair to steal technology belonging to Tony Stark, the two are confronted by Iron Man and the Widow is injured. It's then that Clint decides really get back on the straight and narrow. 

Eventually, after saving the life of Edwin Jarvis (the butler for the super group, The Avengers) Clint is sponsored for membership into the group by....of all people....Iron Man. Hawkeye becomes one of the core members of the group and comes to the fore during the days of "Cap's Kooky Quartet". Consisting of Captain America, Hawkeye, The Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver, the quartet has many adventures together and Hawkeye grows as a hero and a person.

It took his bow breaking to make Clint realize that, sometimes, gadgets can be a liability so he decides he wants "real" super powers. He adopts the Goliath identity and dons one of the most ridiculous costumes in comics. It was hard to tell if he was a superhero or a pro wrestler, from the look of his outift. 

Of course it wasn't quite as bad as a later modification he wore during his Hawkeye days.....

.....yeah, we'll pretend we didn't see that one.

Anyway, Clint goes back to being Hawkeye, leaving the Goliath identity behind after the Kree-Skrull war and proving that not all superheroes with powers have to be scientists.

As Goliath, Clint could grow to the "standard" fifteen feet (give or take a few) and had the proportionate strength and durability of a giant.

While in the Hawkeye identity, Clint was an outstanding archer and in top physical shape. Another hero trained by Captain America, he was proficient in hand to hand combat as well as used all sorts of trick arrows in his fight against crime. 

Even though he only had a brief stint as Goliath, Clint is one of my favorite incarnations. Of course, I was never a fan of the costume, but sometimes you have to overlook things when reading comics....and that was one of them.

Tune in tomorrow when I 'buzz' about one of the 'wildest' comic book heroes of all time!

No...seriously....