Uncle Sam (comics)

Uncle Sam
Promotional artwork from DCU Brave New World #1 (Aug, 2006) by Daniel Acuña.
Publication information
Publisher	Quality Comics (1940 - 1944) DC Comics (1973 - present)
First appearance	National Comics #1 (July, 1940)
Created by	Will Eisner (writer - artist)
In-story information
Team affiliations	Freedom Fighters All-Star Squadron S.H.A.D.E.
Notable aliases	Spirit of America, Minuteman, Brother Jonathan, Johnny Reb, Billy Yank, Patriot, Taylor Samuel Hawke, Samuel Augustus Adams, Samuel Wilson, Father-Time
Abilities	Superhuman strength Enhanced speed Invulnerability Limited clairvoyance Size alteration Ability to transport himself and others to The Heartland

Uncle Sam is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero based on the national personification of the United States, Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam first appeared in National Comics #1 (July, 1940) and was created by Will Eisner.

Uncle Sam first appeared in National Comics #1 (July, 1940), which was published by Quality Comics during the Golden Age of Comic Books. He was depicted as a mystical being who was originally the spirit of a slain patriotic soldier from the American Revolutionary War, and who now appears in the world whenever his country needs him. The character was used for a few years from 1940 to 1944, briefly receiving its own series, Uncle Sam Quarterly. During this time, he had a young, non-costumed sidekick named Buddy Smith.

DC Comics acquired the character as part of its acquisition of the Quality characters in the 1950s, and he was used as a supporting character in Justice League of America in the 1970s. This established Uncle Sam as the leader of the Freedom Fighters, a team of former Quality characters that briefly received its own title. This team was initially based on a parallel world called Earth-X, where World War II had lasted into the 1970s.

Uncle Sam's origin was rewritten somewhat in The Spectre, where Uncle Sam is described as a spiritual entity created through an occult ritual by the Founding Fathers. This "Spirit of America" was initially bound to a powerful talisman and would take physical form by merging with a dying patriot. The new origin states that the Spirit of America had taken human form as the Minute-Man during the Revolutionary War, Brother Jonathan in later conflicts and, during the American Civil War, had been split in two as Johnny Reb and Billy Yank.