The Liberator is a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

from the

Golden Age of Comics The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known chara ...

. His first appearance was in ''Exciting Comics'' #15 (December 1941), published by

Nedor Comics Standard Comics was a comic book imprint (trade name), imprint of United States, American publisher Ned Pines, who also published pulp magazines (under a Thrilling Publications, variety of company names that he also used for the comics) and pape ...

. The character was later revived by writer

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and ''From Hell' ...

for

America's Best Comics America's Best Comics (ABC) is a comic book publishing brand. It was set up by Alan Moore in 1999 as an imprint of WildStorm, an idea proposed to Moore by WildStorm founder Jim Lee when it was still under Image Comics. History ''America's Best ...

Nedor Comics

The Liberator is the secret identity of Dr. Nelson Drew, a chemistry teacher at fictional Claflin University (as in, not to be confused with the historically black college affiliated with

South Carolina State University South Carolina State University (SCSU or SC State) is a public, historically black, land-grant university in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. It is the only public, historically black land-grant institution in South Carolina, is a mem ...

). He discovers an ancient Egyptian formula called Lamesis that gives him superhuman strength and speed. Drew uses his powers as the Liberator to fight

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

saboteurs during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The formula sometimes wears off, turning the Liberator back into Dr. Drew at inopportune moments. The Liberator debuted in ''Exciting Comics'' #15, and appeared regularly in that title and ''America's Best Comics'' (not to be confused with the later

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

imprint). His last Golden Age appearance was in ''Exciting Comics'' #35 (October 1944).

America's Best Comics

Alan Moore revived the Liberator, along with many other Nedor Comics characters, for his ''

Tom Strong ''Tom Strong'' is a comic book created by writer Alan Moore and artist Chris Sprouse, initially published bi-monthly by America's Best Comics, an imprint of DC Comics' Wildstorm division. Tom Strong, the title character, is a "science hero", wi ...

'' series. In ''Tom Strong'' #12 (June 2001), the Liberator was revealed to have been one of the members of SMASH that had been placed in suspended animation after an alien invasion from the moon in 1969. Awakened 30 years later, the Liberator joined his former comrades in the fight against the alien. SMASH disbanded shortly thereafter, but reformed three years later. The Liberator is a member of the reformed group.

Dynamite Entertainment

Currently, The Liberator is one of dozens of Golden Age superhero characters appearing in

Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded by Nick Barrucci in 2004 at Mount Laurel, New Jersey. It is best known as the owners of '' The Boys'' franchise across several IP medias. Dynamite primarily publishes adaptation ...

's ''

Project Superpowers ''Project Superpowers'' is a comic book limited series published by Dynamite Entertainment beginning January 2008. It was co-plotted by Jim Krueger and Alex Ross, with scripts by Jim Krueger, covers by Alex Ross, and interior art by Doug Klaub ...

'' line of comics. The basic premise is that The

Fighting Yank The Fighting Yank is the name of several superheroes, first appearing in ''Startling Comics'' #10 (Sept 1941). Fall 1941 was a boom period for patriotic superheroes as the country prepared to enter World War II; during this period, comic book p ...

spent years imprisoning all of his fellow heroes in the mystical Urn of Pandora, mistakenly thinking that it would bring about the end of all evil; The Liberator was one of those heroes. Decades later, the Urn was broken and the heroes freed. As seen in the ''Black Terror'' miniseries, The Liberator is now one of several patriotic-themed heroes who protect the U.S. president and America's interests, even if this pits them against their fellow heroes.

References

External links

The Liberator at International Hero.co.uk
{{GoldenAge Golden Age superheroes America's Best Comics superheroes Fictional chemists Fictional schoolteachers Fictional World War II veterans Nedor Comics superheroes United States-themed superheroes Comics characters introduced in 1941 Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Comics characters with superhuman strength

Nedor Comics

America's Best Comics

Dynamite Entertainment

See also

References

External links