General Glory
Encyclopedia
General Glory is the name of two DC Comics
characters. It is mostly used by writers as a parody
of Marvel
's Captain America
with exaggerated "patriotic values" and a sidekick called Ernie (aka Ernie The Battling Boy), who was similar to Bucky
. General Glory first appeared in Justice League International
#46 as a 1940's style hero placed in a modern world, resulting in cultural differences and personality issues.
who was granted superior abilities by Lady Liberty
herself upon saying the words:
He became a government agent, under the authority of an Agent Newkirk Sharp. Sharp arranged for "General Glory" comic books to be published, so that people would believe he was a fictional character. In England, his adventures were published in the pages of Tuppenny Fun.
As with Marvel Comics' Captain America
, General Glory disappeared in an Arctic mission. Rather than be encased in ice, however, he returned to America with little memory of his past. He would later learn that Sharp had drugged him and given him a new identity.
Many years later, he was outbid for a General Glory comic book by Guy Gardner
. He persuaded Gardner to let him read the book by offering him the refund price of the bid. Reading the comic, Jones shouts out the magic words and became General Glory again. Shortly after this, he was arrested for treason by Ernest E. Earnest. It eventually transpired that Sharp had framed Glory to divert suspicion from himself. Ernie confronted him and was shot. Sharp was brought to justice by Glory and the Justice League, and General Glory became a member of the team. Maxwell Lord
considered that a true Golden Age
hero might be good for their image, and Glory thereafter assists the team from time to time. For example, Glory and the JLA defeat a revenge-crazed elderly Nazi that had been plaguing Donovan with technologically advanced threats for some time; often chasing him out of the latest home Donovan had created. Said Nazi is finally defeated in issue 50.
In this time period, Glory owns a dog named 'Liberty'; the pet is featured in a later 'Quarterly' issue. The dog unintentionally helps save the JLA who were having miniaturization issues.
Glory assists the League in saving Ice from demonic possession. At the same time he tries to help Maxwell Lord with his seeming drinking problem.
By this point, Jones was too weak to change into his alter ego, but he regaled Wallace with inspiring stories about his adventures as Glory (the stories paralleled thematic trends in superhero comics). Initially skeptical, Donovan eventually came to believe in the spirit of glory and he was able to tap into the same energies that once powered Jones. He manifested great strength and agility, wings and throwing razors. He left his hospital bed and crushed the gangs that had crippled him. When he returned to the hospital, Jones was in cardiac arrest. In order to keep his legacy alive, Jones bequeathed his powers to Donovan, whose full mobility was restored. As Donovan becomes the second General Glory, Jones passes away.
Wallace was known to be estranged from his wife and child, but in Justice Society of America
vol. 3 #3 it is revealed that Wallace and everyone attending his wedding was dismembered during the ceremony by a Nazi-themed team called the Fourth Reich. This group's mission, backed up by the villain Vandal Savage
, was to destroy the legacy of all American heroes whose identities were closely tied to America itself.
During the 52
series, Martian Manhunter
constructs a JLA memorial in the hills above Happy Harbor
, a statue dedicated to each fallen JLA member, Glory included.
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...
characters. It is mostly used by writers as a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of Marvel
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
's Captain America
Captain America
Captain 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...
with exaggerated "patriotic values" and a sidekick called Ernie (aka Ernie The Battling Boy), who was similar to Bucky
Bucky
Bucky is the name of several fictional characters, masked superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. The original, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby as a sidekick character in Captain America Comics #1 , published by Marvel's 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics...
. General Glory first appeared in Justice League International
Justice League International
Justice League International is a DC Comics superhero team written by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis, with art by Kevin Maguire, created in 1987.-Publication history:...
#46 as a 1940's style hero placed in a modern world, resulting in cultural differences and personality issues.
Joseph Jones
Joseph Jones was a soldier in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
who was granted superior abilities by Lady Liberty
Lady Liberty
Lady Liberty may refer to:* Lady Liberty , La mortadella, 1972 French-Italian comedy* "Lady Liberty" , written by Al Jardine and Ron Altbach for the Beach Boys...
herself upon saying the words:
"Lady of Liberty, hear my plea — For the land of the brave — And home of the free!"
He became a government agent, under the authority of an Agent Newkirk Sharp. Sharp arranged for "General Glory" comic books to be published, so that people would believe he was a fictional character. In England, his adventures were published in the pages of Tuppenny Fun.
As with Marvel Comics' Captain America
Captain America
Captain 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...
, General Glory disappeared in an Arctic mission. Rather than be encased in ice, however, he returned to America with little memory of his past. He would later learn that Sharp had drugged him and given him a new identity.
Many years later, he was outbid for a General Glory comic book by Guy Gardner
Guy Gardner (comics)
Guy Gardner is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He is a core member of the Green Lantern family of characters, and for a time was also a significant member of the Justice League family of characters.He was created by John Broome and Gil Kane in Green Lantern...
. He persuaded Gardner to let him read the book by offering him the refund price of the bid. Reading the comic, Jones shouts out the magic words and became General Glory again. Shortly after this, he was arrested for treason by Ernest E. Earnest. It eventually transpired that Sharp had framed Glory to divert suspicion from himself. Ernie confronted him and was shot. Sharp was brought to justice by Glory and the Justice League, and General Glory became a member of the team. Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord IV is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a shrewd and powerful businessman who was very influential in the formation of the Justice League International in DC Comics.-Before the League:...
considered that a true Golden Age
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
hero might be good for their image, and Glory thereafter assists the team from time to time. For example, Glory and the JLA defeat a revenge-crazed elderly Nazi that had been plaguing Donovan with technologically advanced threats for some time; often chasing him out of the latest home Donovan had created. Said Nazi is finally defeated in issue 50.
In this time period, Glory owns a dog named 'Liberty'; the pet is featured in a later 'Quarterly' issue. The dog unintentionally helps save the JLA who were having miniaturization issues.
Glory assists the League in saving Ice from demonic possession. At the same time he tries to help Maxwell Lord with his seeming drinking problem.
Donovan Wallace
During one of Jones's transformations into his elderly self, he suffered a cardiac episode and ended up in the hospital next to New York City policeman Donovan Wallace, who had become paralyzed risking his life to save a child from gangsters.By this point, Jones was too weak to change into his alter ego, but he regaled Wallace with inspiring stories about his adventures as Glory (the stories paralleled thematic trends in superhero comics). Initially skeptical, Donovan eventually came to believe in the spirit of glory and he was able to tap into the same energies that once powered Jones. He manifested great strength and agility, wings and throwing razors. He left his hospital bed and crushed the gangs that had crippled him. When he returned to the hospital, Jones was in cardiac arrest. In order to keep his legacy alive, Jones bequeathed his powers to Donovan, whose full mobility was restored. As Donovan becomes the second General Glory, Jones passes away.
Wallace was known to be estranged from his wife and child, but in Justice Society of America
Justice 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 ....
vol. 3 #3 it is revealed that Wallace and everyone attending his wedding was dismembered during the ceremony by a Nazi-themed team called the Fourth Reich. This group's mission, backed up by the villain Vandal Savage
Vandal Savage
Vandal Savage is a fictional character, a supervillain published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Green Lantern vol. 1 #10 , and was created by Alfred Bester and Martin Nodell....
, was to destroy the legacy of all American heroes whose identities were closely tied to America itself.
During the 52
52 (comic book)
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...
series, Martian Manhunter
Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in publications published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #225...
constructs a JLA memorial in the hills above Happy Harbor
Happy Harbor
Happy Harbor is a fictional United States location in Rhode Island, referenced in DC Comics as the location of the first headquarters, "Justice Mountain" or the "Secret Sanctuary", of the Justice League of America, first appearing in The Brave and the Bold #28.-History:As the home of the Justice...
, a statue dedicated to each fallen JLA member, Glory included.
Powers and abilities
- General Glory was mystically endowed with enhanced strength and durability, but only in his "General Glory" persona, otherwise he was a frail 80 year old man. He has demonstrated enough strength to lift objects as heavy as tanks. He was in peak physical condition in all other aspects and a capable military tactician. He seemed impervious to the effects of old age in his superhero persona, but when he decided to go back to being an ordinary human he eventually died of old age.
- He seldom utilized his abilities, instead choosing to give long winded patriotic speeches. This was actually useful as it drew fire away from other Justice League members, as villains quickly wanted to kill General Glory to avoid having to endure his dissertations on morality.
- The second General Glory demonstrated some different powers and weapons than the first. He had a sharp throwing star that would return to him after being released, and also had golden bird wings that enabled him to fly.
Other versions
- One possible future shows an older Power GirlPower GirlPower Girl is a DC Comics superheroine, making her first appearance in All Star Comics #58 ....
traveling back in time to World War II and meeting with Ernie and Glory. Distracted by Power Girl's attractiveness, Ernie is slain by a falling bomb. Glory somehow convinces Power Girl to become his new, bowl-headed sidekick. - Another possible future stays in the future, where a Glory-influenced League, bowl-haircuts for all, is reformed. This and the older Power Girl event take place in the second JLE annual.
- In one future-past event, Lobo arrives in the wrong time and gender from Heaven. He encounters Ernie and General Glory where he is then pummeled.