Force of July
Encyclopedia
The Force of July is a fictional DC Comics
antagonistic superhero team introduced in 1984's Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1. They were created by Mike Barr
and Jim Aparo
.
and the Suicide Squad
(the latter as part of the Janus Directive
crossover). The Squad was manipulated into attacking the group as part of a plan to unveil the villain behind the Directive.
The revised Force of July consisted of normal human government agents and first encountered Green Arrow
in Green Arrow Vol. 2 #96 (April 1995).
#1 (part of the One Year Later
event) an apparent offshoot of the Force of July was introduced as guardians of the ravaged city of Blüdhaven. That group is named Freedom's Ring and has among its members versions of Lady Liberty, Major Victory and Silent Majority. Recently, Silent Majority and Lady Liberty were killed by the Nuclear Legion, leaving Major Victory the only one left alive. As of issue #2, Freedom's Ring was absorbed into a S.H.A.D.E. special team called First Strike
. Other members (Doll Man
, Human Bomb
and Phantom Lady
) joined the new Freedom Fighters
. The leader of S.H.A.D.E. is Father Time
, the leader of First Strike team is a new Americommando.
Father Time has super strength, invulnerable, is extremely long lived, and can read minds.
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...
antagonistic superhero team introduced in 1984's Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1. They were created by Mike Barr
Mike W. Barr
Mike W. Barr is an American writer of comic books, and mystery, and science fiction novels.-Biography:Barr's debut as a comics professional came in DC Comics' Detective Comics #444 , for which he wrote an 8-page back-up mystery feature starring the Elongated Man...
and Jim Aparo
Jim Aparo
James N. "Jim" Aparo was an American comic book artist best known for his 1960s and 1970s DC Comics work, including on the characters Batman, Aquaman and the Spectre....
.
Fictional history
The team is composed of extremely patriotic metahumans and in most or all appearances ended up being antagonists for other superhero teams, including the OutsidersOutsiders (comics)
The Outsiders are a fictional DC Comics superhero team. As its name suggests, the team consists of superheroes who allegedly do not fit the norms of the mainstream superhero community, namely the Justice League....
and the Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad, also known as Task Force X , is a name for two fictional organizations in the DC Comics Universe. The first version debuted in The Brave and the Bold #25 , and the second in Legends #3...
(the latter as part of the Janus Directive
Janus Directive
"The Janus Directive" was an eleven-part comic book crossover first published by DC Comics between May and June of 1989. Among the creators who contributed to the storyline were writers John Ostrander, Kim Yale, Paul Kupperberg, Cary Bates and Greg Weisman and artists John K...
crossover). The Squad was manipulated into attacking the group as part of a plan to unveil the villain behind the Directive.
The revised Force of July consisted of normal human government agents and first encountered Green Arrow
Green Arrow
Green Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...
in Green Arrow Vol. 2 #96 (April 1995).
Force of July
- Lady LibertyLady Liberty (comics)Lady Liberty is the name of several fictional characters in the DC Comics Universe.-Fictional character biographies:Lady Liberty is a member of the Force of July, a government sponsored superhero team. She first appeared in Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1 . Her costume consists of robes and a...
: Projects energy blasts from her torch and flight. Killed in an explosion aboard KobraKobraKobra may refer to:* Kobra is a character from the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games* Kobra , a 1976 villain in the DC Comics universe* Kobra , the title and main character of a Serbian comic book...
's satellite during the climax of the Janus DirectiveJanus Directive"The Janus Directive" was an eleven-part comic book crossover first published by DC Comics between May and June of 1989. Among the creators who contributed to the storyline were writers John Ostrander, Kim Yale, Paul Kupperberg, Cary Bates and Greg Weisman and artists John K...
. - Major Victory: William Vickers, team leader. He has enhanced strength, flight and energy blasts due to his government designed power suit. Killed by EclipsoEclipsoEclipso is a fictional supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. The character is the incarnation of the Wrath of God and the Angel of Vengeance that turned evil and was replaced by the Spectre...
. - MayflowerMayflower (comics)Mayflower is a fictional superhero in the DC Universe. She first appeared in Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1 .-Fictional character biography:...
: Ability to control and grow plant life. Garotted by RavanRavan (comics)Ravan is a fictional DC Comics villain. His first appearance was in Suicide Squad vol. 1 #1 , he was created by John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell.-Publication history:...
of the Suicide Squad. - Silent MajoritySilent Majority (comics)Silent Majority is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He first appeared in Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1 , as a member of the government-sponsored superhero team the Force of July.-Fictional character biography:...
: Power of self duplication. All of his duplicates were killed in battle aboard Kobra's satellite when he attempts to destroy a device that would kill billions. - SparklerSparkler (comics)Sparkler is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He debuted in Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1 .-Fictional character biography:...
: Powers consisting of flight and the ability to project light as beams or even fireworks. Later slain by Doctor Light, who had severe mental problems concerning young superheroes. - B. Eric Blairmain: Government liaison for the American Security Agency, had Psycho Pirate's Medusa Mask.
- Abraham Lincoln Carlyle: Government liaison. Suffered a heart attack during a Suicide SquadSuicide SquadThe Suicide Squad, also known as Task Force X , is a name for two fictional organizations in the DC Comics Universe. The first version debuted in The Brave and the Bold #25 , and the second in Legends #3...
attack.
Current status
In 2006's Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for BlüdhavenBlüdhaven
Blüdhaven is a fictional city in the . Created by Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel in 1996, it was originally intended to serve as a backdrop for the Nightwing comics series.-Fictional geography:...
#1 (part of the One Year Later
One Year Later
"One Year Later" was a 2006 storyline event running through the DC Universe. As the title suggests, it involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Comics Universe following the events of the Infinite Crisis event, to explore major changes within the continuities of the many...
event) an apparent offshoot of the Force of July was introduced as guardians of the ravaged city of Blüdhaven. That group is named Freedom's Ring and has among its members versions of Lady Liberty, Major Victory and Silent Majority. Recently, Silent Majority and Lady Liberty were killed by the Nuclear Legion, leaving Major Victory the only one left alive. As of issue #2, Freedom's Ring was absorbed into a S.H.A.D.E. special team called First Strike
First Strike (comics)
First Strike is a fictional government funded team of superheroes published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #3 , and were created by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Daniel Acuña...
. Other members (Doll Man
Doll Man
Note: This article is about the Quality Comics character. For the Full Moon Features film Dollman, see Dollman . For the article on the movie's titular character, please see Brick Bardo....
, Human Bomb
Human Bomb
The Human Bomb is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Police Comics #1 , and was created by writer and artist Paul Gustavson.-Publication history:...
and Phantom Lady
Phantom Lady
Phantom Lady is a fictional superheroine, one of the first female superhero characters to debut in the 1940s Golden Age of Comic Books. Originally published by Quality Comics, the character was subsequently published by a series of now-defunct comic book companies, and a new version of the...
) joined the new Freedom Fighters
Freedom 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...
. The leader of S.H.A.D.E. is Father Time
Father Time (DC Comics)
Father Time is a fictional character, a supervillain in publications from DC Comics. The character first appeared in Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein #3 , and was created by Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke.-Fictional character biography:...
, the leader of First Strike team is a new Americommando.
Father Time has super strength, invulnerable, is extremely long lived, and can read minds.
Freedom's Ring
- Bigfoot: A Southern white man altered into a grey-skinned giant. He speaks like a stereotypical Southerner using terms like "suh" and "a'hm". Accidentally killed by the Human Bomb during a confrontation in Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #2.
- Doll ManDoll ManNote: This article is about the Quality Comics character. For the Full Moon Features film Dollman, see Dollman . For the article on the movie's titular character, please see Brick Bardo....
: Lester Colt, a tiny bald soldier with very specialized weapons. - Gonzo the Mechanical BastardGonzo the Mechanical BastardGonzo the Mechanical Bastard is a fictional character, a robot supervillain in the DC Universe. The character first appears in The Battle For Blüdhaven #1 , and becomes the main villain of the Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters limited series . It was created by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and...
: Gonzo is a robot that took the place of President-elect Senator Knight and is now the President of the United StatesPresident 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....
. It has been revealed that Gonzo was created by the Mathmagicians of the Anti-Life EquationAnti-Life EquationThe Anti-Life Equation is the equation for total control over the free will of sentient beings, for which the DC Comics villain Darkseid is searching in the Jack Kirby's Fourth World setting. It is for this reason that he sends his forces to Earth, as he believes part of the equation exists in the...
. - Human BombHuman BombThe Human Bomb is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Police Comics #1 , and was created by writer and artist Paul Gustavson.-Publication history:...
: Andy Franklin was mutated by the blast that destroyed Blüdhaven, it gave him the ability to explosively detonate any matter he touches with his bare skin. He demonstrated his powers by tearing off a piece of his fingernail and flicked it at a troop of Atomic KnightAtomic KnightAtomic Knight is a DC Comics superhero and was briefly a member of the Outsiders team. He is sometimes depicted as one of a group of Atomic Knights, which first appeared in Strange Adventures #117 .-Original Atomic Knights:...
s, killing them with the resulting explosion. - Lady Liberty: The second one's replacement who wields the same torch. She is supposedly killed by RavagerRavager (comics)Ravager is the name of five fictional comic book characters in the DC Universe. All five are villains, and four have appeared in series featuring the Titans and have a connection the villain Deathstroke, Slade Wilson.-Grant Wilson:...
. - Major ForceMajor ForceMajor Force is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. He is a supervillain that first appeared in Captain Atom vol. 3, #12 .-Early life:...
: The team's leader. No one on the team respects him, specifically Phantom Lady who calls him an "Easter Egg on steroids" and "Major Stupid". - Major Victory: Claims to have been "kicking butt in seven countries". Was beaten to death with his own severed arm by Major ForceMajor ForceMajor Force is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. He is a supervillain that first appeared in Captain Atom vol. 3, #12 .-Early life:...
. - Phantom LadyPhantom LadyPhantom Lady is a fictional superheroine, one of the first female superhero characters to debut in the 1940s Golden Age of Comic Books. Originally published by Quality Comics, the character was subsequently published by a series of now-defunct comic book companies, and a new version of the...
: The new Phantom Lady. Her name is Stormy Knight. Her black light projectors can bend dimensional reality. - Replicant: Formerly known as the Astronaut Fetus. It was brought through the Bleed with Captain AtomCaptain AtomCaptain Atom is a fictional comic book superhero that has existed in three basic incarnations. Created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Space Adventures #33 . Captain Atom was created for Charlton Comics but was later acquired by DC Comics and revised for...
when he arrived back in the DC Universe after the Captain Atom: Armageddon series. It referred to itself as the smartest being in this world and has demonstrated psychic abilities. - Silent Majority: Silent Majority's replacement although not clarified if there has been another to use this name.