The Shield is the name of several
fictionalA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
patrioticPatriotism is love of and/or devotion to one's country. The word comes from the Greek patris, meaning fatherland. However, patriotism has had different meanings over time, and its meaning is highly dependent upon context, geography and philosophy....
superheroA superhero is "a fictional character of unprecedented powers dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest"...
es created by MLJ (now known as
Archie ComicsArchie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenage Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Forsythe "Jughead" Jones characters were created by...
). The Shield has the distinction of being one of the first superheroes with a costume based upon the American Flag, appearing fourteen months before
Captain AmericaCaptain America is a fictional character 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...
, who has a similar origin.
The name was used by MLJ/Archie for 3 characters.
DC ComicsDC Comics is one of the largest and most popular American comic book and related media companies, along with Marvel Comics. It is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment...
'
ImpactImpact Comics was an imprint of DC Comics that was aimed at younger audiences. It was begun in 1991 and ended by 1993....
line, which were licensed versions of the Archie characters, also used the name for several characters.
The Shield is the name of several
fictionalA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
patrioticPatriotism is love of and/or devotion to one's country. The word comes from the Greek patris, meaning fatherland. However, patriotism has had different meanings over time, and its meaning is highly dependent upon context, geography and philosophy....
superheroA superhero is "a fictional character of unprecedented powers dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest"...
es created by MLJ (now known as
Archie ComicsArchie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenage Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Forsythe "Jughead" Jones characters were created by...
). The Shield has the distinction of being one of the first superheroes with a costume based upon the American Flag, appearing fourteen months before
Captain AmericaCaptain America is a fictional character 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...
, who has a similar origin.
The name was used by MLJ/Archie for 3 characters.
DC ComicsDC Comics is one of the largest and most popular American comic book and related media companies, along with Marvel Comics. It is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment...
'
ImpactImpact Comics was an imprint of DC Comics that was aimed at younger audiences. It was begun in 1991 and ended by 1993....
line, which were licensed versions of the Archie characters, also used the name for several characters. DC has announced plans to integrate the Shield and other MLJ characters into their
DC UniverseThe DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
(DCU) line of superhero characters. The characters' initial DCU appearances will be written by
J. Michael StraczynskiJoseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer/producer. He works in a variety of media, including films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas...
.
Joe Higgins
The Shield first appeared in MLJ's
PEPThe publication Pep Comics was a comic book series from MLJ Magazines , published from January, 1940, to March, 1987....
#1, dated January, 1940. The character was created by writer Harry Shorten and artist
Irv NovickIrv Novick was an American comic book artist who worked almost continuously from 1939 until the late 1990s.-Biography:...
.
The origin of The Shield was in
Shield-Wizard #1 (Summer 1940). He is really chemist Joe Higgins, the son of Lieutenant Tom Higgins who was slain by German saboteur, Hans Fritz in the
Black Tom explosionThe Black Tom explosion of July 30, 1916 in Jersey City, New Jersey was an act of sabotage on American ammunition supplies by German agents to prevent the materials from being used by the Allies in World War I.- Black Tom Island prior to the blast :...
, for which Tom was blamed while working on a chemical formula for super-strength which the Nazis were after. After his death, son Joe continued to work on it while continuing his studies of chemistry. Joe finally figured out the solution, which meant applying the chemicals to certain parts of his anatomy: Sacrum, Heart, Innervation, Eyes, Lungs, Derma, and using x-rays to give him super strength, being able to make great leaps, and invulnerability. The initials also gave him his name. His white costume becomes the familiar colours under the process. He became an FBI agent (whose secret identity is known only to FBI Chief
J. Edgar HooverJohn Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation — predecessor to the FBI — in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
) after clearing his father's name, and fought foreign agents and other threats to America.
After a partnership with fellow G-Man, Ju-Ju Watson and girlfriend, Betty, he would later be joined by a kid partner, Dusty Simmons, in
Pep #11 in 1941. His father had been killed by foreign agents, and he is adopted by Joe and given a costume. Both heroes wore their patriotic costumes beneath their street clothes and would change for action whenever the need would arise. Dusty would also partner with The Wizard's kid partner, Roy, as the "Boy Buddies". In Pep#20, he is known as
The one and only Shield at the start of the story and
The original Shield at the end of the story because of the success of Captain America, another 1940s-era patriotic superhero. In his first appearance, Captain America had a shield similar to the main part of The Shield's costume, but it was changed to a round shield for the second issue over accusations of plagiarism.
The Shield was one of MLJ's most popular character, even spawning a club, the "Shield G-Man Club". He started in Pep, and several other MLJ titles:
Shield-Wizard,
Top Notch. But then a new character arrived who would over shadow him:
Archie AndrewsThis article is about the comic character. For other uses, see Archie Andrews Archibald "Archie" Andrews, created in 1941 by Bob Montana, is a fictional character in an American comic book series published by Archie Comics, the long-running Archie Andrews radio series, a syndicated comic strip and...
. He would take the Shield's cover spot on
Pep, take his fan club, and cause the end of the MLJ superheroes.
Lancelot Strong
In June 1959, a new Shield was published by Archie that had no connection to the previous version.
Joe SimonJoseph H. Simon is a Jewish-American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s-1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the first editor of Timely Comics, the company that would evolve into Marvel Comics...
and
Jack KirbyJacob Kurtzberg , better known by the pen name Jack Kirby, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor. Growing up poor in New York City, Kurtzberg entered the nascent comics industry in the 1930s. He drew various comic strips under different pseudonyms, ultimately settling on Jack Kirby...
had been hired by Archie to create characters for a new "Archie Adventure Series" line of superheroes (later known as
Mighty ComicsMighty Comics Group, sometimes referred to as Archie Adventure Series and Radio Comics, refer to the attempt by Archie Comics to revamp and publish superhero comics in the mid-1960s...
). They created a new Shield, whose real identity was Lancelot Strong, who appeared in a new title,
The Double Life of Private Strong. Most collectors refer to this Shield as "Lancelot Strong" to differentiate him from the previous one.
Lancelot's scientist father developed a method to create a superhuman by expanding the mind, which he used on his infant son. After his father was killed by foreign agents, Lancelot was adopted by a farm couple and raised as their son. Once he hit his teens, he discovered the truth of his background and his powers: strength, flight, near-invulnerability, vision powers, the ability to generate lightning, and a few more. His father had created a patriotic costume for him, and he started off as the new superhero, the Shield. He soon joined the Army, acting like a
Gomer PyleGomer Pyle was the simple-minded gas station attendant and later auto mechanic in the American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, played for 23 episodes by Jim Nabors in 1962-1964...
-style country bumpkin, while leading a double life as the Shield (hence the title of his comic). DC cried 'foul', claiming this new Shield was too similar to Superman, so after 2 issues, his comic ended.
Bill Higgins
When Archie revamped their superheroes under their "Radio Comics"/"
Mighty ComicsMighty Comics Group, sometimes referred to as Archie Adventure Series and Radio Comics, refer to the attempt by Archie Comics to revamp and publish superhero comics in the mid-1960s...
" line, a new Shield also appeared (since they probably felt they couldn't use the new Lancelot Strong Shield). This one was revealed to be the son of the original Shield.
The new Shield is Bill Higgins, son of the Original Shield. He would appear in the new
Fly-Man #31, and becomes one of the main founders of the
Mighty CrusadersThe Mighty Crusaders is a fictional superhero team published by Archie Comics. The team originally appeared in Fly-Man #31, #32 and #33 before being launched in its own title, Mighty Crusaders. Written by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, the series lasted seven issues before being cancelled. ...
. It would be revealed that his father was turned to stone by the villain, The Eraser, and Bill was carrying on his father's work. Bill's 'powers', which seem to be enhanced strength and limited invulnerability, were derived from his costume. He would appear through the end of the Radio/Mighty Comics run.
Michael Barnes
When
Legend of the Shield was revamped, Lt. Michael Barnes became the new Shield. Although his predecessor was implied to be single, Barnes was a married father with a young daughter. Barnes would continue as the lead character until the series' 1993 cancellation and also appeared as the Shield in the six-issue miniseries
The Crucible, which was intended to reinvent the Impact Comics line, but instead served only as a finale, for various reasons, mainly low sales. Michael Barnes would have been the star of the title
The American Shield if Impact Comics had continued publishing.
DC Comics Revival
After
Final CrisisFinal Crisis is a seven-issue comic book limited series published by DC Comics in 2008 and written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and Doug Mahnke later provided art for the series...
, several superhero characters acquired from DC Comics were folded into the new standard continuity of
Earth-Zero. The Red Circle Comics characters, aptly named
The Red Circle were rebooted as part of this process. During the
Discord crisis a version of the Shield character was seen helping
Green ArrowGreen Arrow is a fictional character, published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in 1941...
and
Black CanaryBlack Canary is a fictional character, a DC Comics superheroine. Created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in Flash Comics #86 ....
, performing
crowd controlCrowd control is the controlling of a crowd, to prevent the outbreak of disorder and prevention of possible riot. Examples are at football matches and when a sale of goods has attracted an excess of customers. It calls for gentler tactics than riot control. Materials such as stanchions, crowd...
. First appearing as a secondary character in
The WebThe Web is a fictional character, a superhero created by MLJ Comics' John Cassone as artist and an unknown writer in 1942.-Details:The Web's secret identity was that of John Raymond, a college professor of criminology, and mystery writer. Raymond's interest in studying the motives and behavior of...
, another former MLJ hero, the new Shield is
Lieutenant Joseph Higgins, stationed in Afganistan, from where he tries to contact The Web to find his missing father . On the same day however his crew fall victim to Taliban terrorists, and Higgins is grievously wounded. To save his life, he agrees to be subjected to secret government experiments, after which an advanced, nanotech battle suit is merged to his burned epidermis. The suit appears on his body at will and grants him the same array of powers of the earlier incarnation, including
superhuman strengthSuperhuman strength, also called super strength, super-strength or enhanced strength, is an ability commonly employed in fiction. It is the ability for any human to be stronger than normally possible given their proportions. Characters with super strength have been found in many ancient mythologies...
, limited flight and advanced sensory abilities. Due to his severe injuries, the only major drawback is that if ever he tries to remove the war suit permanently, his bodily functions could shut down. Still fighting as the new, patriotic hero, he is again contacted by The Web, accepting his request for help
External links