Dart (Jill August) is a fictional Image Comics superhero. Created by Erik Larsen, she first appeared in 1992, in Savage Dragon #2 (ongoing series). Image Comics Logo Image Comics is an American comic book publisher. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to first comic book to feature a character. ... Cover to The Savage Dragon (original miniseries) #1. ... Cover to The Savage Dragon (original miniseries) #1. ... Freak Force is the name of a fictional team of bounty hunters operating out of Chicago, Illinois in the Image Comics series Savage Dragon, all created by Erik Larsen, many during his adolescence they are made up of superfreaks (the collective name for the various types of Super-Powers) that... For the fictional character in the CrossGen Sigilverse, see Mighty Man (CrossGen). ... Image Comics Logo Image Comics is an American comic book publisher. ... Cover to The Savage Dragon (original miniseries) #1. ... The Savage Dragon is a long-running comic book by Erik Larsen, published by Image Comics since 1993. ...

Publication history

Dart has appeared in numerous issues of Savage Dragon as a supporting character, as well as being a major character in the Freak Force series and subsequent mini-series. In February 1996, she received her own eponymous three-issue limited series. The Savage Dragon is a long-running comic book by Erik Larsen, published by Image Comics since 1993. ... Freak Force is the name of a fictional team of bounty hunters operating out of Chicago, Illinois in the Image Comics series Savage Dragon, all created by Erik Larsen, many during his adolescence they are made up of superfreaks (the collective name for the various types of Super-Powers) that...

Fictional character biography

Jill August was born on August 12, 1969, in Detroit, Michigan. She grew up timid and demoralized, witnessing her mother's constant spousal abuse at the hands of her father, and her friends' abuse at the hands of a cruel coach at school. She witnessed her father beat her mother to death, a crime for which he was sentenced to life in prison, effectively leaving Jill an orphan. Nickname: Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (Latin for, We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes) Location in Wayne County, Michigan Coordinates: Country United States State Michigan County Wayne County Settled 1701 Incorporation 1806 Government  - Type Strong Mayor-Council  - Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Area  - City  143. ... Spousal abuse is a wide spectrum of abuse types. ...

As a teenager, Jill saw a female friend being assaulted by several men in a bar in Detroit. Attempting to intervene, she fell against a dartboard hung on the barroom wall, and the men began to attack her as well. Instinctively, she used the darts to defend herself, throwing them at her attackers with astonishing accuracy, seriously injuring all of them. She subsequently decided to use this newly-discovered skill to both help others and manage her feelings of helplessness (and the rage that comes with those feelings).

Jill trained herself in a number of martial arts disciplines and sharpened her already formidable dart-throwing accuracy. She designed a costume and took the name "Dart" to become a superhero in Detroit. Early in her career, she occasionally teamed up with another Detroit-based hero, the narcissistic Kill-Cat.

Cover to Freak Force #1 (ongoing series), December 1993. Pencils by Vic Bridges, inks by Karl Kesel.

After spending three years as a Detroit-based costumed vigilante, Dart was contacted by the Chicago Police Department to solicit her participation in a new program wherein super-powered vigilantes would be recruited into the police department for legitimate service. She accepted and moved to Chicago where she met the Savage Dragon, Ricochet, Horridus, Barbaric, and other super-powered recruits. The program was a failure, though, as most of the costumed heroes could not or would not cope with the realities of everyday police work (such as wearing a police uniform instead of a costume). These recruits quit en masse and, along with newfound friends Superpatriot and Mighty Man formed their own heroes-for-hire outfit known as Freak Force, under the nominal leadership of Dart. Freak Force is the name of a fictional team of bounty hunters operating out of Chicago, Illinois in the Image Comics series Savage Dragon, all created by Erik Larsen, many during his adolescence they are made up of superfreaks (the collective name for the various types of Super-Powers) that... A writer and inker whose works have primarily been under contract for DC Comics. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... Municipal Flag of the City of Chicago The Chicago Police Department, also known as the CPD, is the principal law enforcement agency of Chicago, Illinois, under the jurisdiction of the mayor of Chicago. ... The Savage Dragon is a long-running comic book by Erik Larsen, published by Image Comics since 1993. ... Horridus (real name Sarah Hill) is a fictional superheroine created by Erik Larsen for his Image Comics series, The Savage Dragon. ... For the Marvel Comics character originally known as Super-Patriot, see U.S. Agent. ... For the fictional character in the CrossGen Sigilverse, see Mighty Man (CrossGen). ... Freak Force is the name of a fictional team of bounty hunters operating out of Chicago, Illinois in the Image Comics series Savage Dragon, all created by Erik Larsen, many during his adolescence they are made up of superfreaks (the collective name for the various types of Super-Powers) that...

After a few years of reasonable successful as independent troubleshooters, Dart and most of the Freak Force were recruited by the United States government to replace Youngblood, who were presumed to have been killed by Martians. This new group was called the Special Operations Strikeforce (S.O.S.), although Dart was refused active states for a number of months due to administrators' reservations about her reliability. Youngblood is a superhero team, and eponymous comic book, created by Rob Liefeld. ...

Once she was allowed active status, Dart participated in a raid on the fictional nation of Lieberheim to assassinate the super-powered dictator Dread Knight. During the battle, Dart was hit by an energy blast that vaporized both of her legs to just above the knee.

Due to her disability, Dart was relegated to a role as Strikeforce's team trainer. Several years later, Dart and other former members of Freak Force were attacked by an evil Mighty Man while attending the funeral of Ann Stevens (the second Mighty Man). In the ensuing battle the Savage Dragon killed this evil version, and the super-powerful Mighty Man persona was passed on to Dart, enabling her to transform into a massively powerful blond male by making a magic gesture of tapping her wrists together. Freak Force is the name of a fictional team of bounty hunters operating out of Chicago, Illinois in the Image Comics series Savage Dragon, all created by Erik Larsen, many during his adolescence they are made up of superfreaks (the collective name for the various types of Super-Powers) that... For the fictional character in the CrossGen Sigilverse, see Mighty Man (CrossGen). ... The Savage Dragon is a long-running comic book by Erik Larsen, published by Image Comics since 1993. ...

Alternate Earth

After issue #75 of the Savage Dragon, a second, alternate Earth was introduced into that universe. Twenty-eight issues later, in #103, the original Earth was destroyed, killing virtually all of its inhabitants, including Dart, now the fourth Mighty Man. The Savage Dragon is a long-running comic book by Erik Larsen, published by Image Comics since 1993. ...

The version of Dart from the alternate Earth continued to exist, however. In that reality, she never lost her legs, but also never became Mighty Man. Less than a year after the destruction after the original Earth, this alternate Dart was murdered by the villain Mako, who punched her head off.

Jill August's niece has since taken up the mantle of Dart.

Powers and abilities

Dart has an uncanny, almost preternatural accuracy with various forms of throwing darts, and is able to throw consistently on-target even while performing complicated gymnastic, acrobatic or martial arts maneuvers. She carries with her a number of "trick" darts in addition to the normal ones that are merely razor sharp. There are a number of different types of trick darts: some are explosive, some incendiary, and some release toxic or irritating gas, such as tear gas. Dart is in excellent physical condition and is a skilled martial artist. A riot control agent is a type of lachrymatory agent (or lacrimatory agent). ...