Firebrand (DC Comics)
| Firebrand | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher |
Quality Comics DC Comics |
| First appearance |
Police Comics #1 (August 1941) |
| Created by |
(Rod) S.M. Iger Reed Crandall (Danette) Roy Thomas Danette Thomas Jerry Ordway Rich Buckler (Sanchez) Brian Augustyn Sal Velluto (Twist) Justin Gray Jimmy Palmiotti Dan Jurgens |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Rod Reilly Danette Reilly Alexander "Alex" Sanchez Andre Twist |
| Team affiliations |
(Rod, Twist) Freedom Fighters (Danette) All-Star Squadron |
| Abilities |
(Rod): Olympic-level athlete Superb hand to hand combatant Peak physical condition (Danette): Plasma projection Ability to control heat (Sanchez): Enhanced strength and speed and green flame generation due to surgical implants and advanced armor (Twist): Control over fire |
Firebrand is a name that has been used by four heroes by DC Comics.
Published by Quality Comics from August 1941 to November 1942, Rod Reilly was the bored and wealthy socialite son of a steel tycoon, who decided to fight crime with his servant and friend, "Slugger" Dunn. Originally drawn by Reed Crandall, Firebrand appeared in Police Comics, issues #1 through 13, at which time his series was canceled. Firebrand's costume consisted of a transparent shirt and red pants, with a bandana mask covering the top half of his face.
After DC purchased Quality Comics, Firebrand was largely left on the sidelines until 1981, when DC collected most of their '40s characters into the All-Star Squadron. At this time it was retconned that Rod had been injured in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and replaced by his sister, Danette Reilly. Rod Reilly later recovered and joined the Freedom Fighters. He was killed in a fight with the Silver Ghost, but that occurred only in a photocopied issue of Cancelled Comic Cavalcade, which was never released to public and thus unsure as to whether it is considered part of the current DC Universe. In Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #12, it is strongly implied that Firebrand was killed by the Dragon King.
In All-Star Squadron No. 5 (Vol. 2, 1981), Rod's sister Danette discovers that Rod is Firebrand while staying at his penthouse. Musing about Rod's relationship with his bodyguard, Slugger Dunn, she wonders "though what a confirmed bachelor playboy like my brother needed with a bodyguard, I never understood", and then finds a hidden closet that leads her to think that "from the look of these clothes, I didn't know my brother quite as well as I thought I did!"
An Olympic-level athlete and superb hand-to-hand combatant, Firebrand possesses no true super-powers, but he was personally trained by ex-heavyweight boxer "Slugger" Dunn to the height of physical perfection.
Volcanologist Danette Reilly is the sister of Rod Reilly, the first Firebrand. First introduced in a special "All-Star Squadron" preview in Justice League of America #193 (August 1981), Danette was studying volcanos north of Hawaii in the 1940s when she was kidnapped by the time travelling villain Per Degaton and one of the JSA foes he had pulled back in time, the powerful sorcerer Wotan. During her escape, she was struck by a bolt of lightning and fell into a pit of mystical lava. The combination of the lightning and magic lava not only allowed her to survive, but to develop the power to control heat and project plasma blasts (first seen in All-Star Squadron #5 (January 1982)). Her powers surfaced after she discovered her brother Rod's costume and put in on. As Rod had been injured during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Danette decided to become the new Firebrand. Due to Per Degaton going back to 1947 when he was defeated the All-Star Squadron forgot his attack. Originally she was quite racist towards the Japanese. However she visited her brother in hospital and he revealed he had been saved from death by a soldier whose parents were from Japan, and who later died from his wounds. Firebrand realized she had been racist and should show more respect towards those from Japan.
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