Freedom Fighters
If this infobox is not supposed to have an image, please add "|noimge=yes".
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Justice League of America #107 (Oct 1973)
Created by	Len Wein (writer) Dick Dillin (artist)
In story information
Base(s) of operation	Mobile (Currently "The Heartland")
Roster
See:List of Freedom Fighters members

Freedom Fighters is the name of a DC Comics comic book superhero team made up of characters acquired from the defunct company Quality Comics. The team first appeared in a Justice League of America/Justice Society of America team-up, which ran in Justice League of America #'s 107 and 108 (October and December 1973), written by Len Wein and drawn by Dick Dillin. Their own ongoing series premiered with Freedom Fighters #1 (April 1976), written by Gerry Conway and Martin Pasko, and drawn by Rik Estrada. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to first comic book to feature a character. ... For the animated television series, see Justice League (TV series) or Justice League Unlimited. ... Len Wein (born June 12, 1948, New York City, New York) is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics Swamp Thing and for reviving Marvel Comics X-Men. ... Richard Allen Dick Dillin (b. ... The Freedom Fighters is a team of comic book superheroes, as published by DC Comics. ... DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... For other uses, see Superhero (disambiguation). ... Crack Comics #1 (May, 1940), featuring the Clock, previously introduced as the first masked comic book superhero. ... For the animated television series, see Justice League (TV series) or Justice League Unlimited. ... The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Len Wein (born June 12, 1948, New York City, New York) is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics Swamp Thing and for reviving Marvel Comics X-Men. ... Richard Allen Dick Dillin (b. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gerard F. Gerry Conway (September 10, 1952 - ) is an American writer of comic books and television shows. ...

Fictional team history

The earliest version of the Freedom Fighters was assembled on December 7, 1941. This group, however, failed in its attempt to stop the devastation at Pearl Harbor. Neon the Unknown and Magno were killed. This version of the group was a retcon and their deaths were depicted in the pages of Roy Thomas's two books chronicling that era: All-Star Squadron and the Young All-Stars. is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... This article is about the harbor in Hawaii. ... Neon is a fictional superhero from the Golden Age of Comic Books who, like Red Bee, first appeared in Hit Comics #1, owned by Quality Comics. ... Magno is a fictional superhero originally published by Quality Comics. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Roy Thomas (born November 22, 1940, Missouri, United States) is a comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lees first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. ... The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics fictional superhero team that debuted in Justice League of America #193 (August 1981). ... The All-Star Squadron was an American comic book (1981–1987) created by Roy Thomas and published by DC Comics about the adventures of a large team of superheroes which comprised of most of the feature characters owned by the company that appeared in the Golden Age of Comic Books...

Cover to Freedom Fighters #1 (April 1976) by Rik Estrada.

The DC version of the characters were said to reside on the parallel world of "Earth-X," where Nazi Germany eventually won a prolonged World War II due to a Japanese Empire invasion of California and successful Nazi nuclear weapon development (which implies that the successful Allied attack on Peenemunde never happened in this world). Freedom Fighters #1 (April, 1976). ... Freedom Fighters #1 (April, 1976). ... A depiction of several alternate Earths within the Multiverse and the different variations of the Flash inhabiting each Earth. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Akihito of Japan The Emperor of Japan (天皇, tennō) is Japans titular head of state and the head of the Japanese imperial family. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... In general, allies are people or groups that have joined an alliance and are working together to achieve some common purpose. ... Peenemündes position in Germany Peenemünde is a village in the northeast of the German island of Usedom on the Peene river, on the easternmost part of the German Baltic coast. ...

In addition to the core members of the "second team" which were the members seen in the seventies comic book, other Quality heroes joined later: Red Bee, Miss America, Manhunter, Plastic Man, and Quicksilver. The Red Bee is a fictional superhero from the Golden Age of Comics who first appeared in Hit Comics #1, published in July of 1940 by Quality Comics. ... Miss America is a DC Comics superhero. ... Manhunter is the name given to several different DC Comics superheroes/antiheroes, as well as the Manhunters an entire race of androids created by the Guardians of the Universe, as a forerunner to the Green Lantern Corps. ... Plastic Man (Patrick Eel OBrian) is a fictional comic-book superhero originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. ... Max Mercury is the name of a superhero in the DC Comics universe. ...

Since the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Freedom Fighters have been based on the main DC Universe Earth, and were all members of the All-Star Squadron. Crisis on Infinite Earths was a 12-issue American comic book limited series (identified as a 12-part maxi-series) and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify their then-55-year-old continuity. ... Cover to the History of the DC Universe trade paperback. ...

Years after the war, a third version of the team surfaced in the 1980s, with the rise of a new age of heroes. The Justice Society, Blackhawks and Freedom Fighters were captured by the alien Appellax creatures and placed in internment camps. They were freed by the new Justice League of America. The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. ... Blackhawk #12 (Autumn, 1946), Quality Comics. ... This article is about the usage and history of the terms concentration camp, internment camp and internment. ... For the animated television series, see Justice League (TV series) or Justice League Unlimited. ...

Then the Freedom Fighters regrouped for a brief time but soon called it quits again when Firebrand was killed in battle with the Silver Ghost.

A fourth, more modern version of the team appeared as an auxiliary of the new Justice Society of America. The Human Bomb, Black Condor and Phantom Lady were killed by the Secret Society of Super Villains in Infinite Crisis #1. Damage was critically injured, Iron Munro was not there for some reason, and the Ray was captured by the Psycho-Pirate, and connected to Alexander Luthor's dimension-altering tower. The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. ... The Secret Society of Super Villains (SSoSV) is a group of comic book villains that exist in the DC Universe. ... Infinite Crisis was a seven-issue limited series of comic books published by DC Comics, beginning in October of 2005. ... Damage is a DC Comics superhero who first appeared in a comic book of the same name during the Zero Hour crisis. ... Iron Munro is a fictional character in the DC Comics Universe. ... The Ray is the name of three fictional characters, all superheroes in the DC Comics universe. ... The Psycho-Pirate was the name of two DC comics supervillains. ...

Current team

A new team of heroes debuted in the limited series Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven, and later featured as Freedom Fighters members in the miniseries Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters, which premiered in July 2006. This team consists of new incarnations of the Phantom Lady, the Ray (Stan Silver), the Human Bomb, Doll Man, Bigfoot, Destroyer and Face. It is part of S.H.A.D.E., a secret American government agency chartered under the USA PATRIOT Act, led by Father Time. The new team conducts assassinations and other illegal acts against criminal and terrorist organizations. As issue #1 of Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters begins, the team is tasked to capture the revived Uncle Sam, who is in the process of forming his own Freedom Fighters team; Sam subsequently recuits the S.H.A.D.E. members to his cause, openly disapproving of their use of deadly force (although they continue to kill people even under Uncle Sam's guidance). ^[1] All comic book fictional universes depict their own versions of our reality except with the added complication of men and women who exhibit superhuman abilities. ... In the United States, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-56), known as the USA PATRIOT Act or simply the Patriot Act, is an Act of Congress which President George W. Bush signed into law... Father Time is a morally ambiguous figure in the post-Infinite Crisis DC Universe. ... In the Golden Age of Comic Books of the 1940s, Will Eisner created a superhero version of Uncle Sam for Quality Comics. ...

This version of the team is based on notes by Grant Morrison. Uncle Sam is portrayed as an almost Christ-like figure, returning from the dead, with the new Firebrand filling a John the Baptist role. Father Time is shown as aiding in Senator Frank Knight's being secretly murdered in the midst of his successful campaign for the Presidency of the U.S. and replaced by a sentient robot double, Gonzo the Mechanical Bastard, who proceeds with an agenda to implant RFID chips in every U.S. citizen by law and control them to bring chaos to the world through war. Grant Morrison (born January 31, 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer and artist. ... Firebrand is a name that has been used by multiple heroes by DC Comics. ... For the hip-hop producer with the same name, see John the Baptist (producer). ... Gonzo the Mechanical Bastard is a fictional robot supervillain published by DC Comics. ... An EPC RFID tag used for Wal-Mart Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. ...

Panel from Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #8, artist Daniel Acuña.

In Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #3, a team created by Father Time called First Strike attacked the Freedom Fighters but not before being stopped by the new Black Condor. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 532 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (710 × 800 pixel, file size: 185 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Copyright DC Comics, artist Daniel Acuña, Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #8 This image is from a comic strip, webcomic or from the cover... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 532 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (710 × 800 pixel, file size: 185 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Copyright DC Comics, artist Daniel Acuña, Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #8 This image is from a comic strip, webcomic or from the cover... First Strike is a fictional government funded team of superheroes published by DC Comics. ...

In #4, Condor manages to weaken First Strike long enough for the Freedom Fighters to fight back. Human Bomb kills one First Strike's members, Propaganda, and the team heads back to S.H.A.D.E. headquarters.

In #5, The Freedom Fighters defeat First Strike, but are taken out by a young woman claiming to be Miss America. While they are being tortured, S.H.A.D.E. headquarters is attacked by a new Red Bee and an old woman claiming to be the real Miss America. Miss America is a DC Comics superhero. ...

In #6, the Freedom Fighters defeat the new Miss America with the original's help, forcing Father Time to retreat. As he begins "molting" into a new body, he gives the order to "activate the traitor." This turns out to be the Ray, who attacks and kills the new Invisible Hood and calls down giant reinforcements. The Invisible Hood is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics universe. ...

In #7, The Freedom Fighters face off against the Cosmigods as Uncle Sam calls them. In the midst of the battle the traitorous Ray is confronted by the returning Ray Terrill. As predicted Gonzo turns on the newly rejuvenated Father Time, who proceeds to give Uncle Sam the evidence of to prove Gonzo's true identity. Sam presents the evidence to the world, and seemingly the final battle between First Strike and the Freedom Fighters begins.

In #8, The Freedom Fighters engage in battle against Gonzo's metahuman taskforce at the Washington Monument, and quickly gain support from the civilians. The public eye are now seeing them as real heroes, which was later revealed to be part of Father Time's plan all along. He tricked Gonzo into believing that S.H.A.D.E was against Uncle Sam, while in truth he was preparing the Freedom Fighters to help combat a major threat in the future. Father Time captures Gonzo and turns him into an 'Orphan Box' in the shape of a pair of spectacles. He plan to use it against Gonzo's creator, the Shadow Demons. All of the metahuman taskforce members disappear into the timestream along with Father Time shortly thereafter. A week later, the new President appoints the Freedom Fighters the new directors of S.H.A.D.E.

Further Adventures

In Countdown #38, the Freedom Fighters are seen trying to stop an unplanned nuclear missile launch, initiated by the Calculator. Countdown is a comic book limited series published by DC Comics, which debuted on May 9, 2007, directly following the conclusion of the last issue of 52. ... The Calculator is a DC Comics supervillain, initially created by Bob Rozakis in the 1970s. ...

In the new Freedom Fighters miniseries (September 2007)^[2], Red Bee is captured by an alien insect swarm and transformed into a human/insect hybrid. At the same time, S.H.A.D.E. has planned to make the Freedom Fighters into media darlings to help increase faith in the government following the Amazonian incident. Cover art to Amazons Attack. ...

Uncle Sam, Firebrand, Doll Man and Human Bomb refuse to go along with the plan, and return to the Heartland. For a time, the remaining Freedom Fighters become celebrities, part of a new group called the Crusaders. Red Bee later collapses in her apartment, and a swarm of insects suddenly rise out of her body. The Crusaders is the name used by two teams of superheroes, one group appearing in DC Comics and the other in Marvel Comics, at around the same time as part of an informal crossover. ...

Phantom Lady, unable to cope with the media attention goes on a binge spree, culminating in her drunkenly slicing a criminal in half on national television. Stormy is brought to the heartland, where her body is cleaned of toxins by Miss America.

Sam and Doll Man recruit the original Doll Man (Darrell Dane) from a micro-environment within the Pentagon. After the head of the Crusaders program, Robbins, tries to kill Red Bee, the Freedom Fighters confront him. It is revealed that Robbins has mental powers that he used to control the Crusaders — and Stormy — leading to her binge.

While the Crusaders and Freedom Fighters battle, Red Bee is overtaken by her insectoid side, and uses her pheromones to enslave the Crusaders and Freedom Fighters, and prepares to create a "hive" on Earth. Meanwhile, an attempt to cure the Doll Men and several other micro-sized individuals goes horribly wrong, as all of them are merged into a single mutant form. The mutant goes on a rampage until Emma Thompson reaches Lester. Red Bee is cured of her affliction by Langford Terrill, who had gained the powers of Neon the Unknown. The team then prepares to fight off an invasion by the insectoids.

Other versions

• In the final issue of 52, a new Multiverse is revealed, consisting of 52 realities. Among the parallel realities shown is one designated "Earth-10". This Earth resembles the pre-Crisis Earth-X - it features Nazi counterparts to the Justice League and an alternate version of Freedom Fighters. Based on comments by Grant Morrison, this alternate universe is not the pre-Crisis Earth-X, making these new characters unrelated to previous versions.^[3]
• The original Freedom Fighters appeared in Justice League Unlimited #17. A rogue US Government agency sends them against the Justice League. The roll call was Uncle Sam, Doll Man, Human Bomb, Phantom Lady, The Ray, and Black Condor.
• In the Wildstorm miniseries The Authority: Revolution, the initial protagonists are a group called the Sons of Liberty, a superpatriot group of the 40s and 50s. They consist of Paul Revere (super-strength and 'broadcast empath'), Minute-Maid (super-strength), Johnny Rocketman (supersonic flight), the Human Hand-Grenade (with the power to shrink, explode, and re-constitute his own body) and Fallout(a man with undefined nuclear powers who wears a shroud). The group is a pastiche of the Freedom Fighters.
• In the DC Comics universe, the Sons of Liberty were a paramilitary group that funded Agent Liberty.
• In Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer: Superwoman/Batwoman #1, Earth-11 was revealed to be an Earth home to gender-reversed versions of the heroes of New Earth. Among them were the Freedom Fighters, consisting of female versions of Ray, Human Bomb, Black Condor, and, strangely, Etrigan, as well as a male version of Phantom Lady named Phantom Man. They are led by Columbia, a female version of Uncle Sam.
• In an alternate timeline featured in The All-New Booster Gold #8, a group calling themselves the Freedom Fighters exists. It consists of Hawkman, Green Arrow, Anthro, Wild Dog and Pantha.

52 is the title of a comic book limited series published by DC Comics, which debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. ... Grant Morrison (born January 31, 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer and artist. ... In the Golden Age of Comic Books of the 1940s, Will Eisner created a superhero version of Uncle Sam for Quality Comics. ... Doll Man is a fictional superhero from the Golden Age of Comics, originally published by Quality Comics and currently part of the DC Comics universe of characters. ... The Human Bomb is a fictional superhero from the Golden Age of Comic Books. ... For other uses, see Phantom Lady (disambiguation). ... Occupation: Freelance computer programmer/software designer Known Relatives: Happy Terrill (a. ... Black Condor is the name of three DC Comics superheroes who have all been members of the Freedom Fighters. ... WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm or Wildstorm, is a publishing imprint and studio of American comic book publisher DC Comics. ... Agent Liberty (Benjamin Lockwood) is a fictional character from DC Comics, who has the ability to use gadgets. ... The Demon is a DC Comics superhero series created by comic book master, Jack Kirby. ... Carter Hall is a DC Comics superhero, the original Hawkman. ... This article is about the first Green Arrow, Oliver Queen. ... Anthro is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. ... This article is about the DC Comics vigilante Wild Dog. ... Character History Pantha was a cat-like member of one of the incarnations of the Teen Titans. ...

Other media

• Ray Terrill made background appearances in Justice League Unlimited.

The Ray is the name of three fictional characters, all superheroes in the DC Comics universe. ... Justice League Unlimited (or JLU) was the name of an American animated television series that was produced by and aired on Cartoon Network. ...

Allusions in pop culture

In "The Education of Jaime Sommers" episode of Bionic Woman, Tom Gilchrist (played by Jordan Bridges) notes "One of my favorite comic books was The Freedom Fighters. There was a character called The Human Bomb" -- and pulls back his tuxedo jacket to reveal explosives strapped to his body. This article is about the 2007 series. ... Jordan Bridges on The WB television series Charmed Jordan Bridges (born November 13, 1973 in California, USA) is an American actor. ... The Human Bomb (center) on the cover of Freedom Fighters #1 (April, 1976) The Human Bomb is a fictional superhero from the Golden Age of Comic Books. ...

See also

• The Crusaders

The Crusaders is the name used by two teams of superheroes, one group appearing in DC Comics and the other in Marvel Comics, at around the same time as part of an informal crossover. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Resources

• Freedom Fighters bio and timeline
• Index to the FF's 1970s adventures
• Cosmic Teams - Freedom Fighters
• DC-Kingdom.com: Justin Gray describes the current team

External links

• Toonopedia Freedom Fighters Page
• Comic Book Urban Legends - Freedom Fighters