Jesse Chambers
Encyclopedia
Jesse Chambers is a fictional comic book
character
in the . Chambers, who first used the superhero
name Jesse Quick and later Liberty Belle, is the daughter of Golden Age heroes Johnny Quick
and Liberty Belle
. She inherited both of her parents powers.
after their disappearance into and re-emergence from the limbo dimension of Ragnarok (where they had been trapped since 1986's The Last Days of the Justice Society). Subsequently, a new Justice Society of America series (vol. 2) debuted. The series' first issue introduced the character of Jesse Chambers. Thereafter, Jesse became a supporting character in The Flash (vol. 2) as Wally West
's partner, Jesse Quick.
In 1999, Jesse was featured in a lead role in writer Devin Grayson's series Titans, which ran until 2002. After 50 issues, Titans was cancelled and ultimately relaunched in writer Judd Winick
's Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day
limited series
. Jesse was not part of the new roster of Titans introduced after Graduation Day.
Following Graduation Day, Jesse played a small supporting role in Geoff Johns
and David Goyer's JSA series, where she served as Rick Tyler
's love interest. When the book relaunched in 2006 as Justice Society of America (vol. 3), Jesse was featured as one of the main characters, now going by the name of Liberty Belle. She served primarily under the Liberty Belle name until Johns' 2009 limited series, Flash: Rebirth, where she returned to the Jesse Quick identity. She continuted to feature as one of the leads in Justice Society until late 2010, when she was brought over to the writer James Robinson's revamp of the Justice League of America (vol. 2) series.
In addition, the character has been the star of the Liberty Belle & Hourman back-up feature in JSA All-Stars since issue #2 of the series. Written by Jen Van Meter
and drawn by Travis Moore
, the series is an action/romance feature which chronicles the adventures of Jesse and her husband Rick as they battle the villainous couple of Tigress and Icicle. The series had its finale in JSA All-Stars #10 in October 2010.
While Jesse was studying at Gotham University, the superhero team her parents had been colleagues with, the Justice Society of America, reemerged following a long absence. Naturally, her thesis topic became "The Impact of Superheroes on Society" and she began to follow the returned heroes, cataloguing their adventures. When her father asked her to deliver some documents to the Society, the encounter would result in her aiding the team as Jesse Quick, finally living up to her father's dream of her being a costumed crimefighter.
It was during that time that she met Wally West, the Flash, who would later ask her to be his replacement if something were to happen to him. It was all an elaborate plan on his part, trying to force Bart Allen
, Impulse, to take his role in the legacy of the Flash more seriously, and be Wally's successor. Although she felt betrayed, she would end up saving Wally's life, although her leg was hurt in the process. When Wally returned from the mythical Speed Force
, he healed her leg, and the earlier deception was largely forgiven, but not forgotten.
When, shortly after, Jesse lost her enhanced speed, the person she blamed was Wally who had been directly using the Speed Force energies instead of simply tapping them like the other speedsters did. In fact it turned out to be the villain
Savitar
who was the cause, having severed her connection to the Speed Force, as well as multiple other speedsters. Nonetheless, Wally chose the depowered Jesse to accompany him to Savitar's lair, where she succeeded in regaining her powers. During the following battle with Savitar, her father gave his life in order to protect his daughter from one of Savitar's forces and merged with the Speed Force. Although Wally would ultimately triumph over the villain, Jesse was left to mourn her father.
Per Degaton told her she would do something terrible, destroying the world.
Nightwing
, another founding member, persuaded Jesse to return to the Titans. Later Jesse became involved in a murder mystery involving her own widowed mother, Libby Lawrence. The victim was Philip Geyer, Libby's fiancé. An investigation by the Titans revealed not only the killer, but also an ongoing affair between Philip and Jesse which had contributed to his death. Although Jesse attempted to reconcile with her mother, the saddened Libby found it hard to forgive her daughter, although she apparently did, as in later appearances the two had returned to their friendly relationship. The Titans were disbanded not long afterwards, as two of the team's members were killed in an attack by a rogue Superman
robot in the limited series Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day.
who was capable of moving at speeds surpassing any of Earth's other speedsters, Jesse lent Wally a portion of her special abilities, temporarily boosting Wally's speed so that he was moving almost faster than light and allowing him to defeat Zoom, but leaving her powerless and unable to remember the formula to access her powers. Although Wally knew the formula, she told him not to remind her, reminding him that he'd earlier told her that she needed to slow down anyway.
Since then, she has taken a new position as business manager for a newly-reformed Justice Society of America. Jesse was affected by the disappearance of Rick Tyler, the JSA member known as Hourman, to whom she had grown quite close, but he has since returned. A reunion between the two has not been shown, although she did meet the JSA when they were able to rescue her mother, who had returned to her role as Liberty Belle, but whose powers had gone out of control. In that same adventure, mother and daughter reconciled.
After hearing the news of Bart Allen
's death, she, along with Jay Garrick
mourned his demise; her reaction to Wally West's return from the Speed Force is as yet unknown.
In an encounter with Zoom, it is revealed that Jesse has retained her speed powers by repeating her father's formula. This adds to her super-strength, which means she inherited both of her parents' powers. In the same encounter, she talks the hero Damage
out of murdering Zoom.
In The Flash: Rebirth mini-series, an explosion suddenly occurs in front of the pair. Jesse is shocked to see her father Johnny Quick is alive in the Speed Force, as he materializes and begs Barry Allen not to hurt Jesse before vanishing (but he dies later). Hourman is tending to Jesse, who (since seeing her father) has begun repeating her father's speed formula over and over. Jesse, now crackling with Speed Force energy, stops repeating the Speed Formula. She reveals that she has finally solved the equation: "Jesse Quick. Max Mercury
. Jay Garrick. Wally West. Bart Allen. Barry Allen. The Speed Force."
When Wally West's twins Jai and Iris are struck with crippling pain thanks to Professor Zoom, Iris takes Jai's connection to the Speed Force and nearly kills herself doing so. Jesse arrives and recites the now-revealed Speed Mantra to revive Iris, telling Jai and Linda West that Iris is the next generation of speedsters. The two join the battle between the revealed Professor Zoom and the combined forces of the three Flashes (Jay, Wally, and Barry), Max Mercury, and Kid Flash
. With the speedsters reunited, Wally uses a trick with the Speed Force, revitalizing the speedsters and transforming his, Jesse's, and Iris's outfits. Jesse dons a uniform patterned after her father's.
She returns to her Liberty Belle outfit for a few adventures leading up to the Blackest Night event, but switches to her Jesse Quick identity and costume when she is attacked by the reanimated corpse of her father. Liberty Belle is found by her father, Johnny Quick, who claims that Jesse's love for him was the reason he came back. Jesse says that she has a uniform like his and quickly changes into it by reciting the mathematical formula that her father originally used and calls herself Jesse Quick. The two speedsters then run off. While she is running across the globe with her father trying to enjoy the time she's spending with her father, she thinks she should rather be with her husband, the modern-day Hourman. Jesse continues to run with her father, remembering her childhood memories of when they used to jog together around their neighborhood and Johnny would let her win, feeling thankful that she was able to spend only a few moments with him again. Later, Black Lantern Johnny Quick is destroyed by Mr. Terrific
's machine that wiped off the Black Lanterns' connection to their rings.
When the JSA splits into two teams, Jesse remained with the JSA, while her husband Rick went to the JSA All-Stars. However, Rick and Jesse remain happily married, although her teammates and the public at-large believe otherwise; forcing Rick to explain their condition as, "A working couple working in different offices."
At Wonder-Con, writer James Robinson announced that Jesse would be joining the Justice League of America as part of DC's Brightest Day
event. This development occurred at the conclusion of the JLA/JSA crossover, The Dark Things, with Batman
asking Jesse to join the JLA in order to fill her old friend Wally West's role as the team speedster.
During her tenure with the JLA, Jesse gradually begins to lose her speed abilities, and it is eventually revealed that this is due to her becoming pregnant. The League disbands shortly after this, and Jesse leaves to be with Rick.
#52 as an alternate alias of Robby Reed
. Unknown to both Robby and the Titans, his Hero Dial borrows power from any hero who's in close proximity to him, and thus becomes Jesse Quick when Kid Flash is close by. This Jesse is a boy.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the . Chambers, who first used the superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
name Jesse Quick and later Liberty Belle, is the daughter of Golden Age heroes Johnny Quick
Johnny Quick (Johnny Chambers)
Johnny Quick is a Golden Age DC Comics character with the power of superhuman speed. He was a superhero who appeared mostly in More Fun Comics during the Golden Age...
and Liberty Belle
Liberty Belle (comics)
Liberty Belle is the name of three fictional superheroes. Two are from DC Comics: Libby Lawrence and Jesse Chambers, the other is from Charlton Comics: Caroline Dean.-Libby Lawrence:...
. She inherited both of her parents powers.
Publication history
The 1992 limited series Armageddon: Inferno re-introduced the Justice Society of AmericaJustice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
after their disappearance into and re-emergence from the limbo dimension of Ragnarok (where they had been trapped since 1986's The Last Days of the Justice Society). Subsequently, a new Justice Society of America series (vol. 2) debuted. The series' first issue introduced the character of Jesse Chambers. Thereafter, Jesse became a supporting character in The Flash (vol. 2) as Wally West
Wally West
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
's partner, Jesse Quick.
In 1999, Jesse was featured in a lead role in writer Devin Grayson's series Titans, which ran until 2002. After 50 issues, Titans was cancelled and ultimately relaunched in writer Judd Winick
Judd Winick
Judd Winick is an American comic book, comic strip and television writer/artist and former reality television personality...
's Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day
Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day
Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day was a three-part comic book limited series published by DC Comics. It was written by Judd Winick and illustrated by Ale Garza and Trevor Scott .-Overview:...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
. Jesse was not part of the new roster of Titans introduced after Graduation Day.
Following Graduation Day, Jesse played a small supporting role in Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
and David Goyer's JSA series, where she served as Rick Tyler
Rick Tyler
Hourman is a fictional character, a superhero who was created by Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas and Todd McFarlane and first appeared in Infinity Inc. #20 as Rick Tyler, son of the original Hourman, who quickly joined Infinity Inc. as the second Hourman in #21 of that book.-Childhood:Rick Tyler was born...
's love interest. When the book relaunched in 2006 as Justice Society of America (vol. 3), Jesse was featured as one of the main characters, now going by the name of Liberty Belle. She served primarily under the Liberty Belle name until Johns' 2009 limited series, Flash: Rebirth, where she returned to the Jesse Quick identity. She continuted to feature as one of the leads in Justice Society until late 2010, when she was brought over to the writer James Robinson's revamp of the Justice League of America (vol. 2) series.
In addition, the character has been the star of the Liberty Belle & Hourman back-up feature in JSA All-Stars since issue #2 of the series. Written by Jen Van Meter
Jen Van Meter
Jennifer "Jen" Van Meter is an American comic book writer best known for her Oni Press series Hopeless Savages as well as for series at Marvel and DC Comics. Her most recent work for Marvel features Felicia Hardy, aka Black Cat...
and drawn by Travis Moore
Travis Moore
Travis Moore is a former professional Canadian football slotback and current receivers coach for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. As a player, Moore played 10 seasons for the Calgary Stampeders and the Saskatchewan Roughriders, winning two Grey Cup championships with the Stampeders in...
, the series is an action/romance feature which chronicles the adventures of Jesse and her husband Rick as they battle the villainous couple of Tigress and Icicle. The series had its finale in JSA All-Stars #10 in October 2010.
Origin and early career
In hopes of creating a successor, Johnny Quick taught the formula that gave him his enhanced speed to his daughter, Jesse. The formula worked on Jesse as well and she gained super-speed. Contrary to what her father had intended however, Jesse instead opted to continue her education, rather than becoming a costumed crimefighter.While Jesse was studying at Gotham University, the superhero team her parents had been colleagues with, the Justice Society of America, reemerged following a long absence. Naturally, her thesis topic became "The Impact of Superheroes on Society" and she began to follow the returned heroes, cataloguing their adventures. When her father asked her to deliver some documents to the Society, the encounter would result in her aiding the team as Jesse Quick, finally living up to her father's dream of her being a costumed crimefighter.
It was during that time that she met Wally West, the Flash, who would later ask her to be his replacement if something were to happen to him. It was all an elaborate plan on his part, trying to force Bart Allen
Bart Allen
Bartholomew "Bart" Allen is a superhero in the . Allen first appeared as the superhero Impulse. He would later go on to become the second Kid Flash and the fourth Flash. Allen's first cameo appearance was in The Flash #91, while his first full appearance was in issue #92...
, Impulse, to take his role in the legacy of the Flash more seriously, and be Wally's successor. Although she felt betrayed, she would end up saving Wally's life, although her leg was hurt in the process. When Wally returned from the mythical Speed Force
Speed Force
The Speed Force is a concept presented in various comic books published by DC Comics, primarily in relation to the various speedsters in the DC Universe.-Empowered:...
, he healed her leg, and the earlier deception was largely forgiven, but not forgotten.
When, shortly after, Jesse lost her enhanced speed, the person she blamed was Wally who had been directly using the Speed Force energies instead of simply tapping them like the other speedsters did. In fact it turned out to be the villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
Savitar
Savitar (comics)
Savitar is a fictional supervillain published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Flash #108 , and was created by Mark Waid and Oscar Jimenez.- Fictional character biography :...
who was the cause, having severed her connection to the Speed Force, as well as multiple other speedsters. Nonetheless, Wally chose the depowered Jesse to accompany him to Savitar's lair, where she succeeded in regaining her powers. During the following battle with Savitar, her father gave his life in order to protect his daughter from one of Savitar's forces and merged with the Speed Force. Although Wally would ultimately triumph over the villain, Jesse was left to mourn her father.
Per Degaton told her she would do something terrible, destroying the world.
Titans
Jesse accepted the reins of managing her father's corporation, Quickstart Enterprises, while also operating as Jesse Quick, even joining the members of the New Titans to stop a nuclear threat. When the Titans were later going through a reorganization, Wally, a founding member, selected Jesse to join the roster, hoping to soothe their old wounds. After initially declining the offer, she ultimately joined the Titans, but was only on the team for a short time, feeling herself to be second-best to Wally.Nightwing
Dick Grayson
Dick Grayson is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940....
, another founding member, persuaded Jesse to return to the Titans. Later Jesse became involved in a murder mystery involving her own widowed mother, Libby Lawrence. The victim was Philip Geyer, Libby's fiancé. An investigation by the Titans revealed not only the killer, but also an ongoing affair between Philip and Jesse which had contributed to his death. Although Jesse attempted to reconcile with her mother, the saddened Libby found it hard to forgive her daughter, although she apparently did, as in later appearances the two had returned to their friendly relationship. The Titans were disbanded not long afterwards, as two of the team's members were killed in an attack by a rogue Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
robot in the limited series Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day.
Powerless
Following that disbanding of the team, Jesse threw herself back into her responsibilities at Quickstart Enterprises, finding little time for a social life. When Wally would later need assistance to defeat the villain ZoomZoom (comics)
Zoom is a fictional comic book supervillain from the DC Comics universe. He is primarily associated with the superhero Wally West, the third Flash and is the third of the Reverse-Flashes...
who was capable of moving at speeds surpassing any of Earth's other speedsters, Jesse lent Wally a portion of her special abilities, temporarily boosting Wally's speed so that he was moving almost faster than light and allowing him to defeat Zoom, but leaving her powerless and unable to remember the formula to access her powers. Although Wally knew the formula, she told him not to remind her, reminding him that he'd earlier told her that she needed to slow down anyway.
Since then, she has taken a new position as business manager for a newly-reformed Justice Society of America. Jesse was affected by the disappearance of Rick Tyler, the JSA member known as Hourman, to whom she had grown quite close, but he has since returned. A reunion between the two has not been shown, although she did meet the JSA when they were able to rescue her mother, who had returned to her role as Liberty Belle, but whose powers had gone out of control. In that same adventure, mother and daughter reconciled.
One Year Later
In Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #1, Jesse had become a member of the Justice Society, carrying on her mother's legacy as the new Liberty Belle. She is now married to fellow second-generation hero Rick Tyler, also known as Hourman.After hearing the news of Bart Allen
Bart Allen
Bartholomew "Bart" Allen is a superhero in the . Allen first appeared as the superhero Impulse. He would later go on to become the second Kid Flash and the fourth Flash. Allen's first cameo appearance was in The Flash #91, while his first full appearance was in issue #92...
's death, she, along with Jay Garrick
Jay Garrick
Jay Garrick is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe and the first to use the name Flash.-The Flash:...
mourned his demise; her reaction to Wally West's return from the Speed Force is as yet unknown.
In an encounter with Zoom, it is revealed that Jesse has retained her speed powers by repeating her father's formula. This adds to her super-strength, which means she inherited both of her parents' powers. In the same encounter, she talks the hero Damage
Damage (comics)
Damage is a DC Comics superhero who first appeared in a comic book of the same name during the Zero Hour crisis. He is the son of the original Atom Al Pratt. He has been a member of the Titans, the Freedom Fighters, and Justice Society of America....
out of murdering Zoom.
In The Flash: Rebirth mini-series, an explosion suddenly occurs in front of the pair. Jesse is shocked to see her father Johnny Quick is alive in the Speed Force, as he materializes and begs Barry Allen not to hurt Jesse before vanishing (but he dies later). Hourman is tending to Jesse, who (since seeing her father) has begun repeating her father's speed formula over and over. Jesse, now crackling with Speed Force energy, stops repeating the Speed Formula. She reveals that she has finally solved the equation: "Jesse Quick. Max Mercury
Max Mercury
Max Mercury is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero based on Quality Comics' Quicksilver.- Publication history :He first appeared in Quality's National Comics #5, cover dated November 1940, as Quicksilver...
. Jay Garrick. Wally West. Bart Allen. Barry Allen. The Speed Force."
When Wally West's twins Jai and Iris are struck with crippling pain thanks to Professor Zoom, Iris takes Jai's connection to the Speed Force and nearly kills herself doing so. Jesse arrives and recites the now-revealed Speed Mantra to revive Iris, telling Jai and Linda West that Iris is the next generation of speedsters. The two join the battle between the revealed Professor Zoom and the combined forces of the three Flashes (Jay, Wally, and Barry), Max Mercury, and Kid Flash
Kid Flash
Kid Flash is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero The Flash. The first incarnation of the character, Wally West, debuted in The Flash #110...
. With the speedsters reunited, Wally uses a trick with the Speed Force, revitalizing the speedsters and transforming his, Jesse's, and Iris's outfits. Jesse dons a uniform patterned after her father's.
She returns to her Liberty Belle outfit for a few adventures leading up to the Blackest Night event, but switches to her Jesse Quick identity and costume when she is attacked by the reanimated corpse of her father. Liberty Belle is found by her father, Johnny Quick, who claims that Jesse's love for him was the reason he came back. Jesse says that she has a uniform like his and quickly changes into it by reciting the mathematical formula that her father originally used and calls herself Jesse Quick. The two speedsters then run off. While she is running across the globe with her father trying to enjoy the time she's spending with her father, she thinks she should rather be with her husband, the modern-day Hourman. Jesse continues to run with her father, remembering her childhood memories of when they used to jog together around their neighborhood and Johnny would let her win, feeling thankful that she was able to spend only a few moments with him again. Later, Black Lantern Johnny Quick is destroyed by Mr. Terrific
Mister Terrific (Michael Holt)
Michael Holt is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics. First appearing in Spectre #54 , he is the second character to take up the Mister Terrific mantle....
's machine that wiped off the Black Lanterns' connection to their rings.
When the JSA splits into two teams, Jesse remained with the JSA, while her husband Rick went to the JSA All-Stars. However, Rick and Jesse remain happily married, although her teammates and the public at-large believe otherwise; forcing Rick to explain their condition as, "A working couple working in different offices."
At Wonder-Con, writer James Robinson announced that Jesse would be joining the Justice League of America as part of DC's Brightest Day
Brightest Day
Brightest Day is a year-long comic book maxi-series that began in April 2010. The story follows the ending of the series Blackest Night and how the aftermath of these events affect the entire DC Universe.-Plot:...
event. This development occurred at the conclusion of the JLA/JSA crossover, The Dark Things, with Batman
Dick Grayson
Dick Grayson is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940....
asking Jesse to join the JLA in order to fill her old friend Wally West's role as the team speedster.
During her tenure with the JLA, Jesse gradually begins to lose her speed abilities, and it is eventually revealed that this is due to her becoming pregnant. The League disbands shortly after this, and Jesse leaves to be with Rick.
Powers and abilities
Just like her father, Jesse has powers of flight and accelerated speed, resulting from the state of mind achieved from the visualization of the speed-formula: 3x2(9YZ)4A. Her powers are linked to the Speed Force. She also has her mother's super-strength, enabling her to lift great weights, such as a car, with ease. As with her mother, the mechanism of her super-strength remains unexplained, which irritated her father. She attributes her powers to a "mantra" like the formula used by her father to unlock his speed.Other versions
Jesse Quick appears in Teen Titans Go!Teen Titans Go!
Teen Titans Go! is a comic book series that was published by DC Comics. It is based on the 2003 animated TV series Teen Titans which is itself loosely based on the team that starred in the popular 1980s comic The New Teen Titans. The series was written by J...
#52 as an alternate alias of Robby Reed
Dial H for Hero
Dial H for Hero is a comic book feature published by DC Comics about a mysterious dial that enables an ordinary person to become a superhero for a short time, by selecting the letters H-E-R-O in order. Each time it is used, the dial causes its possessor to become a superhero with a different name,...
. Unknown to both Robby and the Titans, his Hero Dial borrows power from any hero who's in close proximity to him, and thus becomes Jesse Quick when Kid Flash is close by. This Jesse is a boy.