The Shield (Archie)
Encyclopedia
The Shield is the name of several fictional
patriotic
superhero
es created by MLJ (now known as Archie Comics
). The Shield has the distinction of being one of the first superheroes with a costume based upon the United States flag, appearing fourteen months before Captain America
.
The name was used by MLJ/Archie for 3 characters. DC Comics
' Impact
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 Universe
(DCU) line of superhero characters. The characters' initial DCU appearances will be written by J. Michael Straczynski
.
#1 (cover date January 1940). Writer Harry Shorten and artist Irv Novick
created the character. At the end of the 1930s, America was feeling patriotic, and The Shield was the first patriotic hero. He was soon followed by three other patriotic comic characters: Minute-Man
(cover date February 1941), Captain America
(cover date March 1941), and Captain Battle
(cover date May 1941).
#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 explosion
, 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 colors under the process. He became an FBI agent (whose secret identity is known only to FBI Chief J. Edgar Hoover
) 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 1940's-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 and Dusty were featured in the first crossover storyline in American comic books. The storyline had them team up with the Wizard (the headlining character from Top-Notch Comics) to stop the invasion plot orchestrated by Moskovia (a fictional country made up of elements from Nazi Germany and Soviet Union).
The Shield was one of MLJ's most popular characters, even spawning a club, the "Shield G-Man Club". He starred in Pep, and several other MLJ titles: Shield-Wizard, Top-Notch Comics
. But then a new character arrived who would overshadow him: Archie Andrews
. He would take the Shield's cover spot on Pep, take his fan club, and cause the end of the MLJ superheroes.
Joe Simon
and Jack Kirby
had been hired by Archie to create characters for a new "Archie Adventure Series" line of superheroes. 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 Pyle
-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.
In 1999, Joe Simon and the Kirby estate regained ownership of the character by terminating their shares of the copyright. The character is currently available for licensing - something which no one took advantage of as of this writing.
" 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 Crusaders
. 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.
and Black Canary
, performing crowd control
. First appearing as a secondary character in The Web
, another former MLJ hero, the new Shield is Lieutenant Joseph Higgins, stationed in Afghanistan
, 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 strength
, 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
The Shield also appeared in the 2010 DC Comics mini series The Mighty Crusaders.
Fictional character
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...
patriotic
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
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 —...
es created by MLJ (now known as Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie 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 teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
). The Shield has the distinction of being one of the first superheroes with a costume based upon the United States flag, appearing fourteen months before 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...
.
The name was used by MLJ/Archie for 3 characters. DC Comics
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...
' Impact
Impact Comics
Impact 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 Universe
DC Universe
The 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 Straczynski
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
.
Publication history
The Shield first appeared in MLJ's Pep ComicsPep Comics
Pep Comics is the name of an American comic book anthology series published by the Archie Comics predecessor MLJ Magazines Inc. during the 1930s and 1940s period known as the Golden Age of Comic Books...
#1 (cover date January 1940). Writer Harry Shorten and artist Irv Novick
Irv Novick
Irv Novick was an American comic book artist who worked almost continuously from 1939 until the late 1990s.-Biography:...
created the character. At the end of the 1930s, America was feeling patriotic, and The Shield was the first patriotic hero. He was soon followed by three other patriotic comic characters: Minute-Man
Minute-Man
Minute-Man is a fictional comic book superhero.-Publication history:Named after the minutemen of the American Revolution and sporting an American flag-inspired costume, he was originally published by Fawcett Comics...
(cover date February 1941), 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...
(cover date March 1941), and Captain Battle
Captain Battle
Captain Battle was a Golden Age comic book hero and one of the features in Lev Gleason's Silver Streak Comics. His first appearance was Silver Streak Comics #10, and his final appearance was Silver Streak Comics #23, when that series was cancelled....
(cover date May 1941).
Joe Higgins
The origin of The Shield was in Shield-Wizard ComicsShield-Wizard Comics
Shield-Wizard Comics was the name of an American comic book series published by MLJ Magazines Inc., more commonly known as MLJ Comics, for thirteen issues between Summer 1940 and Winter 1944....
#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 explosion
Black Tom explosion
The Black Tom explosion on July 30, 1916 in Jersey City, New Jersey was an act of sabotage on American ammunition supplies by German agents to prevent the materiel from being used by the Allies in World War I.- Black Tom Island :...
, 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 colors under the process. He became an FBI agent (whose secret identity is known only to FBI Chief J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John 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 1940's-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 and Dusty were featured in the first crossover storyline in American comic books. The storyline had them team up with the Wizard (the headlining character from Top-Notch Comics) to stop the invasion plot orchestrated by Moskovia (a fictional country made up of elements from Nazi Germany and Soviet Union).
The Shield was one of MLJ's most popular characters, even spawning a club, the "Shield G-Man Club". He starred in Pep, and several other MLJ titles: Shield-Wizard, Top-Notch Comics
Top-Notch Comics
- Top-Notch Laugh Comics/Laugh Comix :In a change of editorial direction, from issue #28 the story emphasis changed to humor strips and the title became Top-Notch Laugh Comics to reflect this. All the long-running adventure series from Top-Notch Comics ended between issue #24 - Top-Notch Laugh...
. But then a new character arrived who would overshadow him: Archie Andrews
Archie Andrews (comics)
Archie Andrews, created in 1941 by Vic Bloom and Bob Montana, is a fictional character in an American comic book series published by Archie Comics, as well as the long-running Archie Andrews radio series, a syndicated comic strip, The Archie Show, and Archie's Weird Mysteries.-Character 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 Simon
Joe Simon
Joseph Henry "Joe" Simon is an 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.With his...
and Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
had been hired by Archie to create characters for a new "Archie Adventure Series" line of superheroes. 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 Pyle
Gomer Pyle
Gomer Pyle is a bubbly, gentle, rural auto mechanic character played by American singer/ television actor Jim Nabors. Gomer Pyle became a character on the TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, when actor Howard McNear, who played Floyd the barber, suffered a stroke and took a respite from acting. Jim...
-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.
In 1999, Joe Simon and the Kirby estate regained ownership of the character by terminating their shares of the copyright. The character is currently available for licensing - something which no one took advantage of as of this writing.
Bill Higgins
When Archie revamped their superheroes under their "Radio Comics"/"Mighty ComicsMighty Comics
Mighty 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 Crusaders
Mighty Crusaders
The 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. The...
. 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' 1992 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
The Red Circle Comics characters, aptly named "The Red Circle," were again licensed by DC and rebooted. During the Discord crisis a version of the Shield character was seen helping Green ArrowGreen 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...
and Black Canary
Black Canary
Black Canary is the name of two fictional characters, DC Comics superheroines created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino. The first Black Canary debuted appeared in Flash Comics #86 . The first Black Canary was the alter-ego of Dinah Drake, who took part in Golden Age adventures...
, performing crowd control
Crowd control
Crowd control is the controlling of a crowd, to prevent the outbreak of disorder and prevention of possible riot. Examples are at soccer matches, when a sale of goods has attracted an excess of customers, refugee control, or mass decontamination and mass quarantine situations . It calls for gentler...
. First appearing as a secondary character in The Web
The Web (comics)
The Web is a fictional character, a superhero created by MLJ Comics' John Cassone as artist and an unknown writer in 1942.-Fictional character biography:...
, another former MLJ hero, the new Shield is Lieutenant Joseph Higgins, stationed in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, 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 strength
Superhuman strength
Superhuman strength, also called superstrength, super-strength, or super strength, is an ability commonly employed in fiction. It is the ability for a character to be stronger than humanly possible...
, 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
The Shield also appeared in the 2010 DC Comics mini series The Mighty Crusaders.