Tex Thompson
Encyclopedia
Tex Thompson is a superhero owned by DC Comics
who has used the costumed identities Mr. America and The Americommando. Created by Ken Fitch and Bernard Baily
, his first appearance was in Action Comics
#1 (June 1938), the same comic that introduced Superman
.
boy who leaves a possible future as an oil
baron to pursue a more adventurous lifestyle with his friend, Bob Daley. This changes in 1940 when the Nazis sink an American liner carrying food to Europe. Thomson is watching over this liner and is believed dead. The disaster inspires him to don a patriotic costume, dye his hair black, and wield a whip
to fight for his country as Mr. America. He also had a magic carpet
for some time, which doubled as a cape. His friend Bob Daley dons a homemade costume (similar to that of the original Red Tornado) and becomes his sidekick
"Fatman."
, but his main contribution to the war effort came later; Thomson is asked by President Roosevelt
himself to go battle the Nazis in Germany
as The Americommando. Thomson does this by becoming "Hauptmann Riker" and infiltrating the Gestapo
. His most frequent adversaries are Mister Ito (also known as The Little One), a German/Japan
ese diminutive assassin
, and The Queen Bee. He works for the Americans for several years behind enemy lines.
His last appearance as The Americommando is in The Justice Society Returns: National Comics #1: Mr. Terrific encounters Thomson during the bombing of Dresden
and the two work together to save innocent German lives. After Thomson reveals to Mr. Terrific that there are no munitions factories in Dresden for the Allies to bomb, Thomson enters a burning building to save a small girl. The building collapses around him and he is never seen again.
organization. While leading this organization, Thomson goes by the name The Coordinator. He only appeared as a shadowy figure on a communication screen, so no one knew that it was Thomson until it was revealed by the writer of Hero Hotline, Bob Rozakis.
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
who has used the costumed identities Mr. America and The Americommando. Created by Ken Fitch and Bernard Baily
Bernard Baily
Bernard Baily was an American comic book artist best known as co-creator of the DC Comics characters the Spectre and Hourman, and a comics publisher, writer, and editor.-Early life and career:...
, his first appearance was in Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
#1 (June 1938), the same comic that introduced 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...
.
Fictional character biography
Thomson is originally a blond-haired TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
boy who leaves a possible future as an oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
baron to pursue a more adventurous lifestyle with his friend, Bob Daley. This changes in 1940 when the Nazis sink an American liner carrying food to Europe. Thomson is watching over this liner and is believed dead. The disaster inspires him to don a patriotic costume, dye his hair black, and wield a whip
Whip
A whip is a tool traditionally used by humans to exert control over animals or other people, through pain compliance or fear of pain, although in some activities whips can be used without use of pain, such as an additional pressure aid in dressage...
to fight for his country as Mr. America. He also had a magic carpet
Magic carpet
A magic carpet, also called a flying carpet, is a legendary carpet that can be used to transport persons who are on it instantaneously or quickly to their destination.-In literature:...
for some time, which doubled as a cape. His friend Bob Daley dons a homemade costume (similar to that of the original Red Tornado) and becomes his sidekick
Sidekick
A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
"Fatman."
Americommando
Mr. America was a member of the All-Star SquadronAll-Star Squadron
The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in a special insert in Justice League of America #193 . Created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway.-The concept:...
, but his main contribution to the war effort came later; Thomson is asked by President Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
himself to go battle the Nazis in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as The Americommando. Thomson does this by becoming "Hauptmann Riker" and infiltrating the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
. His most frequent adversaries are Mister Ito (also known as The Little One), a German/Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese diminutive assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
, and The Queen Bee. He works for the Americans for several years behind enemy lines.
His last appearance as The Americommando is in The Justice Society Returns: National Comics #1: Mr. Terrific encounters Thomson during the bombing of Dresden
Bombing of Dresden in World War II
The Bombing of Dresden was a military bombing by the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force and as part of the Allied forces between 13 February and 15 February 1945 in the Second World War...
and the two work together to save innocent German lives. After Thomson reveals to Mr. Terrific that there are no munitions factories in Dresden for the Allies to bomb, Thomson enters a burning building to save a small girl. The building collapses around him and he is never seen again.
Hero Hotline
Once again Thomson managed to escape death; he later emerges to create the Hero HotlineHero Hotline
Hero Hotline is a fictional DC Comics corporate superteam introduced in Action Comics Weekly #637, January . They were created by Bob Rozakis and Stephen DeStefano.-History:...
organization. While leading this organization, Thomson goes by the name The Coordinator. He only appeared as a shadowy figure on a communication screen, so no one knew that it was Thomson until it was revealed by the writer of Hero Hotline, Bob Rozakis.
Other versions
- In Freedom FightersFreedom Fighters (comics)Freedom Fighters is a DC Comics comic book superhero team made up of characters acquired from the defunct company Quality Comics. Although the characters were created by Quality, they never were gathered in a group before acquired by DC...
#7 (March 1977), the villainous Silver Ghost poses as a fictional Americommando, leader of the Crusaders (a parody of Captain AmericaCaptain AmericaCaptain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
and the InvadersInvaders (comics)The Invaders is the name of two fictional superhero teams in the . The original team was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Sal Buscema in The Avengers #71 . A present-day incarnation was introduced by writer Chuck Austen and artist Scott Kolins in The Avengers vol...
). This version of the character was the inspiration for the Earth-8 version and the modern Freedom Fighters villain. - In Lord HavokLord HavokLord Havok is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain, part of the supervillain team called the Extremists. He is based on the Marvel Comics supervillain Doctor Doom, and, like him, is a genius equipped with powered armor...
and the ExtremistsExtremists (comics)The Extremists are a team of supervillains in DC Comics Justice League titles, they were introduced in Justice League Europe issue #15.-History:...
#1-6, the Earth-8Multiverse (DC Comics)The DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct that exists in stories published by comic book company DC Comics. The DC Multiverse consists of numerous worlds, most of them outside DC's main continuity, allowing writers the creative freedom to explore alternative versions of characters and...
version of Americommando is leader of a group called the Meta-Militia, an analogue of the AvengersAvengers (comics)The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
. - In Uncle SamUncle SamUncle Sam is a common national personification of the American government originally used during the War of 1812. He is depicted as a stern elderly man with white hair and a goatee beard...
and the Freedom Fighters, a new Americommando appears as an agent of S.H.A.D.E. and its field leader. He kills his own speedster, Spin Doctor, for talking back to him. - In Kingdom Come, an Americommando appears as a minor villain. After the destruction of Kansas, Americommando, along with Braintrust and the Minutemen, attempt to stop all immigration to the United States. He and his team are stopped by Superman and the Justice League.
- In Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #1, a new Mr. America — Trey Thompson, an ex-FBI agent who took justice into his own hands — debuts in the first issue and dies in the same issue. It is implied by Dr. Mid-NiteDoctor Mid-NiteDoctor Mid-Nite is a fictional superhero physician in DC Comics. The figure has been represented in the comics by three different individuals, Charles McNider, Beth Chapel and Pieter Anton Cross. Dr. Mid-Nite was originally created by writer Charles Reizenstein and artist Stanley Josephs Aschmeier...
that Trey was related to the original Mr. America, when Mid-Nite says that Mr. America's bloodline was gone. However, Trey's former FBI contact, Jeffrey Graves, is later seen donning Mr. America's mask after he is fired when his connection with Trey is discovered. He later joins the Justice Society, and remains an active member. He also uses a whip, which is later upgraded by Mister TerrificMister 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....
so that the tip explodes on impact. - Tex Thompson played a central role in the Golden AgeThe Golden Age (comics)The Golden Age is a 1993 four-issue Elseworlds comic book mini-series by writer James Robinson and artist Paul Smith. It concerns the Golden Age DC Comics superheroes entering the 1950s and facing the advent of McCarthyism.-Plot:...
miniseries. In this story, he is a crime-fighter who disappeared from the American eye in 1942 to fight the Nazi threat from within. He kills the German superhero Parsifal and Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
himself. He returns to America a hero and becomes a senatorUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
with presidentialPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
aspirations. He organizes a program to defend America from the SovietSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
menace with a new group of superheroes. He rallies The Atom, Robotman, and Daniel DunbarDan the Dyna-MiteDan the Dyna-Mite is a fictional character, a teen-aged superhero published by DC Comics. He was the young sidekick to the character TNT, and was created by Mort Weisinger and Hal Sharp in 1942. TNT and Dyna-Mite made their debut in World's Finest Comics # 5, and starred in Star-Spangled Comics #...
to his cause. He uses a group of scientists to transform Dunbar into Dynaman, "a super-hero for the new age." The heroes of the story discover that Tex Thompson had actually been killed in the war; the man who returned was really the Ultra-HumaniteUltra-HumaniteThe Ultra-Humanite is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #13 , and was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster...
. The Ultra-Humanite told Hitler that Thompson was a spy, so they killed Thompson and put Ultra's brain into his body. The experiment which creates Dynaman was in reality the Humanite putting Hitler's brain in Dunbar's body. Ultra-Humanite is stopped by Manhunter, who had witnessed the operation, but suffered from memory loss after hitting his head trying to escape.