Wildfire (Carol Vance Martin) is a

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, ...

superheroine 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, ...

in the

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 ...

universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the universe. Acc ...

. One of the first female superheroes, she was originally published by

Quality Comics Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company which operated from 1937 to 1956 and was a creative, influential force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Notable, long-running titles published by Qualit ...

during what comics historians and fans called the

Golden Age of comic books 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 char ...

. With her luxurious mane of red hair and revealing costume, she has been called "the sexiest super-hero of 1941". According to ''Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes'', "her opponents are mostly ordinary criminals and Axis agents, although there are a few name villains, like the Frog, Mad Merlin, and the Dean of Darkness".

Publication history

Wildfire appears in ''Smash Comics'' #25-37, in solo adventures drawn by

Jim Mooney James Noel Mooney (August 13, 1919 – March 30, 2008) was an American comics artist best known for his long tenure at DC Comics and as the signature artist of Supergirl, as well as a Marvel Comics inker and Spider-Man artist, both during wh ...

. She, along with many other Quality Comics superheroes, was purchased by DC Comics after Quality went out of business in the mid-1950s. Wildfire was a redhead, who wore red pants. Her powers were gifted to her by the god of fire. Speculation that Wildfire was originally intended to play a major role in the ''

All-Star Squadron The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''Justice League, Justice League of America'' #193 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway. Although the team was introduced in the 1980s, its se ...

'' series, but DC objected on the basis of her name, which she shared with the

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st c ...

member is inaccurate - Roy Thomas confirmed in Twomorrows' Quality Companion that he, not DC, took the decision not to use the character. A female incarnation of Firebrand was introduced into the series with similar abilitie

Fictional character biography

Her only appearance in a DC comic is in '' The Golden Age (comics), The Golden Age''

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

, by writer James Robinson and artist Paul Smith. In issue #4, the male cross-dressing character

Madame Fatal Madame Fatal (sometimes referred to as Madam Fatal) is a Character (arts), fictional character and a comic book superhero active during the Golden Age of Comic Books. Madame Fatal was created and originally illustrated by artist/writer Art Pinajia ...

appears in a panel surrounded by the

Fiddler A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Although in many ...

, and the

Gambler Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three eleme ...

, who all appear to be courting "her" while other heroes (including Wildfire) stand around giggling, evidently aware of Madame Fatal's true gender. She also inspired another character named Wildfire in the '' JLA: Destiny'' miniseries.

References

External links

The Unofficial Wildfire Biography
at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

Archived
from the original on September 15, 2015. Comics characters introduced in 1941 DC Comics female superheroes Golden Age superheroes Quality Comics superheroes Characters created by Jim Mooney Superheroes who are adopted {{DC-char-stub