Liberty Belle (comics)
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- For other Liberty Belle, see Liberty Belle (disambiguation).
Liberty Belle is the name of three fictional superheroines. Two are from DC Comics: Libby Lawrence and Jesse Chambers, the other is from Charlton Comics: Caroline Dean.
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[edit] DC Comics
[edit] Libby Lawrence
The first Liberty Belle was Libby Lawrence-Chambers. Her powers of enhanced speed, strength, and stamina are linked to the ringing of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Early in her mystery-woman career she had an assistant in that city who would, when signaled, ring the bell for her. In her later years, after decades of super-strength and retarded aging, many began to theorize about the nature of her powers - some believed the sonic vibrations of the bell triggered a meta-human gene, some believed that it was mystical, that Libby was connected to the power of the Spirit of America, like the hero Uncle Sam. Most of Liberty Belle's heroic exploits took place during the Second World War, and she was one of the founding members (and later chairwoman) of the All-Star Squadron. In her public identity she was the famous radio columnist Libby Lawrence, and was therefore both well-known in and out of costume. During the war she married speedster Johnny Quick. After the War they had a daughter, Jesse, who shared both their powers and took the codename Jesse Quick.
[edit] Early History
All-Star Squadron #61 (Sept. 1986) was the first true post-Crisis issue of that comic. In its pages was chronicled the origin of Liberty Belle.
Libby Lawrence won the American Intercollegiate Girls Athletic Tournament and received a bell-shaped medal made from a piece of the original Liberty Bell. Years later she became a member of the American team at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, where she won gold medals. (A*S 61, Sep 1986).
[edit] World War II
09.1939 – Libby was personal secretary to her father, Major James Lawrence, stationed in Warsaw, Poland, when he was killed during an air raid by Nazi fighter planes. On this same day Libby was introduced to Richard 'Rick' Cannon and by the end of the month she was given safe passage to Amsterdam by Colonel Krupp (in truth a disguised Rick Cannon). Once there she reported all she had witnessed in Poland to the military and political leaders. (A*S 61, 9.1986)
1940 – In Amsterdam, now in the control of the Nazis, Libby again was met with by Rick Cannon who arranged for her to be smuggled into France. At the Battle of Dunkirk she again was saved by Rick Cannon when he got her safely into a boat headed for England. The boat was shot out of the water by a German Stuka, but Libby swam the breadth of the English Channel to England. Once safe, she was hailed by both English and American papers as the "Miracle of Dunkirk" and she also met with Winston Churchill. After reporting all the atrocities and despair she witnessed, she was sent back to America. Libby was received with a ticker-tape parade on New York’s Fifth Avenue and was shortly thereafter given work at a daily news syndicate, and then as a radio reporter, and she even had a television program (suspended only after the events at Pearl Harbor). (A*S 61, 9.1986)
1941 – By Autumn, Libby returned to her hometown of Philadelphia. Upon visiting Independence Hall she met Tom Revere, a guard there. While he was polishing the Liberty Bell, it seemed to peal loudly and the small replica of the bell which Libby always kept with her resounded in tandem. She was leaving the Hall feeling very strange when she overheard a plot being discussed by men with German accents, and one who certainly was Rick Cannon. Although her first instinct was to call the F.B.I., she instead crafted herself a bright costume and a blue domino mask, took the name Liberty Belle and drove to where the spies said they would be. Although certain that Rick Cannon was a Nazi and traitor to America, she discovered that he was actually working for Army Intelligence. He was overtaken by the true saboteurs, however, and it was Libby (as Liberty Belle) who rescued him. She gave as her contact the name of Tom Revere and she later returned to that guard and told him everything of her adventure and her desire to continue as a mystery-woman. (A*S 61, 9.1986)
12.1941 - While in Washington, D.C., Libby learned that something urgent was occurring with the nation's military leaders and made her way to the White House. While outside she met Johnny Quick for the first time. They met with President Roosevelt and were told of the Japanese attack on the American Fleet at Pearl Harbor. President Roosevelt announced that the Justice Society of America mobilize all American costumed heroes into a single unit, an All-Star Squadron, responsible directly to the President. Their first mission was to fly to the west coast and search out any saboteurs and prevent any Japanese attack on the US mainland. (A*S 1, 9.1981)
Later that night Libby and the other heroes saved San Francisco from Per Degaton. She also assisted in saving captured members of the JSA from his clutches (A*S 2-3, 1981). The assembled heroes then travelled to Hawaii to see the terrible consequences of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Libby also saw firsthand the effects of the Spear of Destiny and Holy Grail. She learned that the Axis now had an invisible barrier about their tactical fronts that would snare magic-based mystery-men and cause them to fight for tyranny (A*S 4, 1982). After a report to the US military, and a brief return to New York City, Libby traveled with Carter Hall and a few other heroes to the Yucatán in Mexico in search of his fiancee, Shiera Sanders. There they fought Nazis and Mexican Nazi sympathizers. (A*S 5-6, 1982)
Back at the White House, the President gave the core team of the All-Stars the mission of keeping British Prime Minister Churchill safe from harm as he arrived in the States. Churchill did fall into enemy hands temporarily, but he was saved in the end. Libby continued to travel with him, as a bodyguard, along with a few others of the All-Stars. Together they saved the Prime Minister from several assassination attempts, including one orchestrated by Baron Blitzkrieg.
01.1942 – As Roosevelt's personal bodyguards, Libby and the Atom were present when an eye-shaped craft flew over Washington D.C. and from it there materialized a tall being who claimed to be Akhet, an alien representative of the space-faring Binary Brotherhood. This was all a trick orchestrated by Hath-Set (in his reincarnated identity of Dr. Anton Hastor). This "alien" and alien ship appeared over various cities and locations the world over and the message was always the same: All Earth’s nations must surrender to Akhet, as emissary of the Brotherhood. All who resist will be obliterated. For a brief moment in the history of the terrible World War, all the leaders united against a common threat. Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo all sent word to Roosevelt and Churchill that they were ready to join in common defense against the alien. This union never came about, however, for various heroes of the All-Star Squadron were able to discover the mascarade and defeat Hath-Set. (A*S 10-12, 1982)
Soon after the core members of the All-Star Squadron, including Libby, begin the process to elect other mystery-men for membership. During the meeting, Libby spoke out and summed up the mission of the All-Stars: "Every group is doing what it can: businessmen are working as dollar-a-year men... labor had pledged no strikes for the duration... can we do any less? ...we on the Home Front can play an important part, too, against saboteurs, against powerful Axis foes like Baron Blitzkrieg, against any criminals who’d try to take advantage of the situation..." Though membership was not resolved at that meeting, the matter of electing a permanent chairman was decided, and Liberty Belle received the majority vote. (A*S 13, 1982)
At the end of this same month Libby was present when Robotman was taken into the custody of the New York Police Department, the focal point of a legal battle over whether Robotman was property or an independent "person". Libby used her time on the nation’s airwaves to address the issues and the need to follow the legal procedures. At the hearing she came as Liberty Belle, though she did sign an affidavit under her true name of Libby Lawrence which was presented to the judge (A*S 17, 1982).
At about this time the world came to know the mystery-woman they called Wonder Woman (in truth a time-traveling Queen Hippolyta) (JSA Secret Files #1, 1999). Libby, Wonder Woman, and the Phantom Lady while on duty in the Perisphere, heard reports of Nazi saboteurs at Freedom Works Aviation. They were joined by the Red Tornado (Ma Hunkel) and discovered not only saboteurs but a secret super-plane. By night's end the super-plane was destroyed and sinking into the Atlantic while the Nazis and Nazi sympathizers had been arrested. (All-Star Comics 80-Page Giant #1, 1999)
02.1942 - With some members of the disbanded JSA missing, Liberty Belle called an emergency meeting of the All-Stars whom she could find, as well as having invited the Tarantula. The meeting was interrupted by an attack by a crazed ‘Fairytales’ Fenton and after he was dealt with, Libby and the All-Stars headed over to the grounds of the 1939 New York World's Fair where a mysterious threat was being broadcast in Morse Code. This resulted in Libby and the others meeting, for the first time in combat, the Brain Wave. Within the Perisphere the group found the comatose bodies of the JSAers and were given an ultimatum – enter into the dream world crafted by the villain and save the heroes from within, or else be killed. Libby and company accepted the challenge but failed as quickly as did the JSAers. Only the timely intervention of the Green Lantern saved the heroes and destroyed the dream machine. After Brain Wave’s defeat, and at Libby’s suggestion, the group chose the Trylon & Perisphere as their new HQ. (A*S 18-21, 1983)
This adventure quickly led into the next as Libby and those with her were attacked by human and sub-human villains, minions of the Ultra-Humanite. The battle was decided in favor of the villains when the Ultra-Humanite appeared himself, housed in the body of the actress Delores Winters (JSA Classified 20, 2.2007). Libby was taken captive along with some other heroes and was discarded only after the intervention of Robotman. Robotman was taken captive while Libby was left alone. Libby arrived with the Green Lantern at New York Harbor after the Normandie (a huge French oceanliner) was attacked by the Ultra-Humanite. This was followed by a terror threat and ultimatum on the villain's behalf, and the All-Stars traveling to three separate cities in danger of disaster. Libby and Commander Steel went to the Brooklyn Naval Yard and met up with the Guardian and the Newsboy Legion. In the end the All-Stars won the day. (cf A*S 21-26, Ann 2, 1983)
Note: Any reference in the All-Star Squadron comic to such Earth-2 heroes as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman cannot be canon in the post-Crisis universe, and the engagement of the time-traveling Earth-2 Infinity Inc. in these events is now highly confused as well. Suffice it to say, the Ultra-Humanite had minions and the minions lost. Also, All-Star Squadron issues 31-33 detailed the Freedom Fighters and their transfer from Earth-2 to Earth-X, post-Crisis this simply did not occur.
February 20, 1942 saw the first meeting of the full roster of the All-Star Squadron, a meeting presided over by Liberty Belle. (cf A*S 31, 3.1984)
Army Intelligence alerted the All-Stars of possible saboteur activity in California. Liberty Belle took with her a small contingent of mystery-men (most mystery-men being centered on the east coast, California was a long ways from home) and headed to a scheduled meeting with Captain Rick Cannon in Santa Barbara. By the time they arrived, Capt. Cannon had been kidnapped by agents loyal to Imperial Japan. Libby and her comrades saved Capt. Cannon and in the process met and fought the scientifically altered Japanese agent Tsunami. Some of the All-Stars were captured by the Japanese submariners who were in secret off the Californian coast, but they were rescued by Liberty Belle and Firebrand. A second attack by Tsunami was averted only by the intervention of Neptune Perkins. The Japanese American community was in confusion over the action of the Japanese loyalists, but a full scale rebellion of Japanese Americans never unfolded. At the conclusion of the mission Libby told Rick Cannon that, although she had had feelings for him, Johnny Quick was the man for her. She also let Johnny Quick know her feelings for him. (A*S 33-35, 1984)
The end of February brought trouble for the African Americans living in Detroit. A faction of whites did not want a group of blacks moving into what was being hailed as a new Negro housing project – the Sojourner Truth Homes. Libby and the All-Stars entered into the fray when they saw a newsreel showing the Olympic athlete Will Everett held hostage by a group of whites. That same newsreel showed the young man turn from flesh-and-blood to hard iron and make his escape. They recognized him immediately as the pawn of the Ultra-Humanite called Amazing Man. After cross burnings and vandalism, after a mob riot and a near-lynching, the All-Stars were able to calm the masses of both black and white, as well as deal with the key initiator of the unrest: a robot pretending to be a mystery-man by the name of Real American, and the man controlling the robot – the proprietor of Smiley’s Diner. What the All-Stars did not learn was that the robot (way ahead of its time in terms of technology) came from a mysterious person called Monitor. (A*S 38-40)
The first week of March 1942 brought special agents of Imperial Japan to New York and a sneak attack on the All-Stars in their own HQ. Prince Daka led Tsunami, Kung, and Sumo the Samurai with the mission of stealing the gravity rod of Starman. Though the main objective was not accomplished Libby was taken captive by the Japanese while the All-Stars had captured Tsunami. Prince Daka offered a swap – Tsunami and the rod for Liberty Belle. The All-Stars accepted and went to the Bronx Zoo for the exchange. It was a trap, however, a double-cross involving a small bomb. A battle ensued and in the end the Japanese agents were forced to flee without the rod. (A*S 41-43, 1985)
Days later Libby went to Philadelphia to visit with her friend Tom Revere. Independence Hall was attacked by Baron Blitzkrieg, Zyklon and Major Zwerg. In the battle Tom Revere was killed while Major Zwerg was badly injured, the two other Nazi agents escaped with the Liberty Bell. (A*S 45 & 61) Afterward, full of grief, Libby resigned as All-Star chairman and hysterically gave up being Liberty Belle. Once her hysteria receded she made a visit to the hospital and the room of Major Zwerg, after threatening his life she learned that Baron Blitzkrieg wanted the bell to bring back his sight, by using it in an experiment. Libby put her Liberty Belle uniform back on, joined with Hawkgirl, and the two intervened. During their fight they were joined by Johnny Quick and the Flash. The experiment was accomplished, with Libby holding some of the electrified equipment. The Baron regained his sight and Libby gained the ability to manipulate sound waves. (A*S 46 & 61) The two Nazi agents, though, escaped yet again.
In the last week of March Johnny Chambers proposed to Libby Lawrence and she accepted. That same week Metropolis was menaced by Funny-Face who had a machine that brought comic strip characters to life. Libby and the All-Stars came to the city and were able to defeat the villain (A*S 64)
April 1, 1942 Libby married Johnny Chambers in Boston, Massachusetts, it was a small ceremony with a Justice of the Peace witnessed by Shiera Sanders and Tubby Watts. Libby did not change her name to Chambers, however, and news of the nuptials were not made public. (A*S 50, 10.1985)
Note: this same night the events of the Crisis on Infinite Earths occurred on Earth-2, instead of a honeymoon Libby and Johnny were taken to Earth-S. Obviously these events did not take place post-Crisis as told in A*S 50-56. Issues 58-60 also still occur on Earth-2 and involve the machine intelligence Mekanique, but these events are known to have happened post-Crisis to some degree if not in all the detail.
Libby was present in the Perisphere when Mekanique arrived and attacked the All-Stars... and on April 12 Libby chaired the general session to discuss the matter of missing JSAers, and to decide whether Robotman should return Mekanique to the care and custody of the All-Stars. The ayes won out and a small contingent of the heroes went to Robotman’s laboratory. Libby remained in the Perishpere and was present when the missing JSAers returned from what they called a different dimension. Mekanique also came back to the Perisphere, with Robotman, and told a tale of coming from the future: Mekanique spoke of a war-wracked future and the need to save a little girl. Not knowing that Mekanique was only telling half-truths, the Green Lantern and Firebrand saved the girl. (A*S 58-59, 1986)
By mid-April Libby was still practicing her mental generation of sound waves, the Hawkman had agreed to co-chair the All-Star Squadron with Liberty Belle, allowing her more time to be Libby Lawrence and wife of Johnny Chambers, and Libby even told the tale of her origin to Mr. Jonathan Law for a book he was planning on writing after the War was concluded. (A*S 61)
Finally Libby and Johnny were able to go on their honeymoon and left New York for sunnier & warmer Miami, Florida. When they returned to NY they brought with them Miss Helena Kosmatos, Johnny’s "niece". Even on the day of their return to the Perisphere, it was attacked by the group Axis Amerika. The attack was repelled and two nights later Libby co-chaired another general meeting in which President Roosevelt himself attended (his very first). Present also were Neptune Perkins, Helena Kosmatos, Arnold Munro, Flying Fox, and Miya Shimada; the President recommended that –since they had assisted the All-Stars in the defense of the Perisphere— they should be admitted to the Squadron and go on a special War Bond Tour across the entire US. Libby suggested they first engage in a trial membership, as they were all younger than 21 years of age. So, along with Dyna-Mite and Sandy, they came to be called Young All-Stars. (The Young All-Stars 1-3, 1987)
05.1942 - After the Young All-Stars returned from the west coast, they participated in a pre-game exhibition for scrap metal. Libby was present, though she didn’t play due to her still-broken arm. The highlight of the exhibition was a surprise appearance by Babe Ruth. (YAS 6-7, 1987)
Shortly thereafter the Green Lantern seemed to turn traitor against the US and a special hearing was called by the President. Libby was present in the Perisphere when Alan Scott prepared to turn himself in as well as his power ring. This became unnecessary after a change of heart by the other All-Stars (especially the JSA contingent). At this same meeting Libby introduced the assembled All-Stars to Miss Paula Brooks alias the Tigress, she announced that the young woman wished membership as an All-Star. She was voted in as a trial member, another Young All-Star. Libby and her co-chair Hawkman then sent the Young All-Stars on another war bond drive, this one in Colorado. (YAS 9, 1988)
Mid-May Libby had to deal with Helena Kosmatos' possession by a Greek Fury, as well as the return of the Ultra-Humanite within the body of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. These problems were dealt with by the Young All-Stars though they had been ordered to not interfere. May 23 saw a general meeting of the Squadron to decide if the Young All-Stars should be expelled for their disobedience of Liberty Belle’s orders. After the Young All-Stars walked out the villainous Mekanique put into play it's plan to destroy the members of the Squadron, it shrunk them to doll-size and attacked. Only the intervention of Helena Kosmatos and the other teens saved Libby and the rest, and it appeared that Mekanique was destroyed (in truth the machine's head was secretly preserved by Per Degaton). (YAS 13-14, ANN 1, 1988)
06.1942 - Libby led the All-Stars to the Amazonian nation of Rioguay where an attack of "supermen" was occurring. At the battle's conclusion and the retreat of the Sons of Dawn, Liberty Belle announced the dissolution of the "Young All-Stars" and invited the members to take on full membership as All-Stars. They accepted. (YAS 30-31, 1989)
[edit] Later History
At some point after the War Libby retired as a mystery-woman. Later still she and Johnny had a child whom they named Jesse and began raising a family. According to the information given in the 1990s edition of Justice Society of America, the birth of Jesse would have been about the mid to late 1960s and Libby would have been in her late forties or early fifties. (JSA 3, 1992)
The birth of Jesse, however, would not ring in "...and they lived happily ever after". Since the '50s Johnny had been trying to understand the nature of his speed formula and at one point he latched on to the belief that it was a kind of mantra that tapped into a person's "fullest potential". Libby did not share Johnny's beliefs. They did not share the same child-rearing techniques either - Libby wanted to raise Jesse as a proper lady while Johnny pushed her to the utmost in physical training. (JSA 7, 1992)
Libby finally broke up with Johnny as he started up his company called Quick-Start, the divorce soon followed (Jesse was only a teenager and, based on the birth year above, the divorce would've occurred sometime in the 1980s). It was during the very ugly and painful divorce that Jesse used Johnny's speed formula for the first time. (Justice Society of America 3 & 7, 1992)
By the 1990s Libby only saw her ex-husband when she had to, usually when their daughter was around. Libby had become extremely bitter about the whole costume-adventurer business. She repeatedly attempted to talk her daughter out of it, most notably at Johnny Chamber's funeral.
In the 2000s, Libby improved her relationship with her daughter and even the JSA members. She attended at least one of the annual Thanksgiving dinners put on by the JSA/JLA, and she attended in costume. (JSA 54, 1.2004)
Libby put on her uniform again during the Infinite Crisis. Libby was fighting against Baron Blitzkrieg and other members of The Society when, in the words of Jay Garrick, "her powers just ...exploded." Libby described her powers as having failed, she went to Philadelphia and attempted to increase her power levels by repeatedly ringing the Liberty Bell. For unknown reasons this did not work, and Belle was trapped on the bell which was producing massive damage via sonic waves. The JSA tried to help her and in the end she was saved by Stargirl. It is unclear how her powers were affected. (JSA 81, 3.2006)
One year after the Infinite Crisis and as the Justice Society of America was being reformed, Vandal Savage began a program to systematically murder various Golden Age mystery-men and their progeny. Libby was in Philadelphia when Captain Nazi (a member of Fourth Reich) attacked her. (Justice Society of America 3, 4.2007)
[edit] Jesse Chambers
Jesse Chambers is the second woman in the DC Universe to take the name of Liberty Belle. Although originally known as the speedster Jesse Quick, in December 2006 (after the Infinite Crisis and the One-Year-Later jumpstart) she debuted as Liberty Belle.
[edit] Charlton Comics
A backup feature in Charlton's E-Man #5 (Nov. 1974), Caroline Dean, the second Liberty Belle, was a red-white-and-blue heroine who helped out on an American rocket launch. Joe Gill scripted, with industry legend Steve Ditko supplying the art.
[edit] Other versions
[edit] Earth-2
The character of Liberty Belle was created in 1942 but in the 1980s was retconned to exist on Earth-2. Her adventures were chronicled in the pages of All-Star Squadron, the main bibliographic source used in the main article above. The biggest distinctions between the two characters is that the Earth-2 heroine knew and worked with such heroes as Superman and Batman & Robin during WWII, but did not work with the heroes known collectively as the Young All-Stars for they did not exist on Earth-2.
[edit] Amalgam Comics
In the Amalgam Comics title Super Soldier: Man of War #1, Liberty Belle and Miss America are merged together as American Belle.
[edit] Other media
In 2000, Liberty Belle was referenced in an episode of Powerpuff Girls, when the character Blossom adopted the name as an alias after reading a comic book about a superheroine similar to Wonder Woman named Freedom Gal. This wasn't necessarily a conscious reference to the pre-existing comics character.
