Squire is the name of three fictional superheroes appearing in media published by

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 ...

. Percival Sheldrake debuted as the Squire in ''

Young All-Stars The Young All-Stars are a team of fictional DC Comics superheroes. They were created by Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, and Michael Bair, and introduced in ''Young All-Stars'' #1, dated June 1987. The team members Tsunami, Neptune Perkins, and Dan the Dy ...

'' #21 (January 1988), and was created by Roy Thomas and

Michael Bair Michael A. Hernandez is an American comics artist also known by the pen name Michael Bair, who is best known for his work as an inker. His work includes Marvel Comics' ''Alpha Flight'', and DC Comics' ''Hawkman''. He is best known for inking Rags ...

. Cyril Sheldrake debuted as the Squire in '' Batman'' #62 (December 1950), and was created by

Bill Finger Milton "Bill" Finger (February 8, 1914 – January 18, 1974) was an American comic strip, comic book, film and television writer who was the co-creator (with Bob Kane) of the DC Comics character Batman. Despite making major (sometimes, signatur ...

and

Dick Sprang Richard W. Sprang (July 28, 1915 – May 10, 2000)Richard Sprang
United States

. Beryl Hutchinson debuted as the Squire in '' JLA'' #26 (February 1999), and was created by

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, humanist philosophy and countercultural leanings. Morrison has written extensively for th ...

and Howard Porter.

Publication history

Originally created in the 1950s as a counterpart to Robin for the

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

, a subsequent

retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subs ...

made the Knight himself Squire to the

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the '' Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages, Gold being the first and the one during which the G ...

hero, the

Shining Knight Shining Knight ( cy, Marchog Disglair) is the name of multiple fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original version was created by Creig Flessel and first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #66 (Sep ...

Fictional character biography

Cyril Sheldrake

First appearing in the pages of '' Batman'' #62, Cyril was Percy Sheldrake's son, who was trained in manner much like his father had been, thus becoming the new Squire. They were constantly compared to Batman and Robin, and they considered themselves to be their European counterparts. Coincidentally, the dynamic duo made their way to England on one occasion, where they met up with Knight and Squire and formed an alliance to take down neo-Nazi supporters at their hidden base at Stonehenge. Percy was eventually killed by his arch-enemy

Spring-Heeled Jack Spring-heeled Jack is an entity in English folklore of the Victorian era. The first claimed sighting of Spring-heeled Jack was in 1837. Later sightings were reported all over the United Kingdom and were especially prevalent in suburban Lo ...

, leading Cyril to become the second Knight. Cyril subsequently joined the Ultramarine Corps, alongside his own Squire, Beryl Hutchinson. He reappears in ''Batman'' #667-669. He, Beryl, Batman, Robin and the rest of the Batmen of All Nations, sometimes known as the "Club of Heroes", have become trapped on an island. It was seemingly to be an innocent reunion sponsored by their billionaire benefactor, Mayhew. All the possible transports off the island have been destroyed and everyone currently believes their lives to be in danger, as the Legionary and Wingman have been killed.

Percy Sheldrake

At age 20, young Percy came into leadership of his family (thus becoming Earl of Wordenshire) when his father was captured in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

during the Dunkirk Evacuation and his mother was killed in a bombing raid over

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in the fall of 1941. About this time, a knight from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

named

had recently thawed out from centuries of suspended animation and was assisting the war effort in his native land. Unable to save either of Percy's parents, Shining Knight vowed to bring the

Nazis 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 N ...

to justice and end their regime once and for all. He took Percy under his wing and trained him just as a knight would train a

squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, a squire served as a knight's apprentice. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might come to be known as a ...

in his original 6th century

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as th ...

. He bestowed upon him the name Squire, and with the help of the

All-Star Squadron The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''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 self-titled serie ...

, they fought against

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

until the end of

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 opposing ...

. During the war, the Squire was also part of a team of adolescent superheroes called the Young Allies. Remaining together after the war, they fought against the rising threat of post-war nationals in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

until inner conflicts caused the group to split up. Now on his own, and feeling his requisite training had been complete, Squire bestowed upon himself the name Knight, and joined yet another team (the Global Guardians) under this new name. He continued to fight for justice even after he fathered a son years later named Cyril.

Beryl Hutchinson

Beryl Hutchinson first appeared in '' JLA'' #26 (February 1999) and became the new Squire while assisting Knight II. According to

, she was named after ''

Beryl the Peril Beryl the Peril (or simply Beryl) is a fictional character created by David Law, the creator of Dennis the Menace, for issue 1 of '' The Topper'' comic (dated 7 February 1953) published by DC Thomson & Co. Limited. Like Dennis, she had black ...

'', a popular British comic-strip. Brave and courageous, she and Knight joined the Ultramarine Corps of Superbia after assisting them in saving a crime-ridden micro-Earth. As well as being an expert in swordplay, she is also naturally gifted in several forms of communication, including foreign languages, gestures, and interpretation. She can even read information patterns by touch. She cares a good deal for Cyril and will protect him at any cost. While the Sheldrakes are nobility, Beryl apparently grew up on the streets. With regard to her education, she explained to Batman "the Hutchinsons never had no money, but they always had brains and a love of the library". In contrast, in ''Knight and Squire'' #1, she says she "went to a lot of different schools. State ones and posh ones, back and forth". She attributes her communication powers to this, since she needed to shift dialects rapidly to match the school she was attending. She reappears in '' Batman'' #667-669, and again in several issues of the '' Batman R.I.P.'' storyline that runs through ''Batman'' #676-681 and "

Battle for the Cowl "Batman: Battle for the Cowl" is a 2009 comic book storyline published by DC comics, consisting of an eponymous, three issue miniseries written and penciled by Tony Daniel, as well as a number of tie-in books. The central story details the chaos in ...

" helping

Tim Drake Timothy Jackson "Tim" Drake is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick, he first appeared in ''Batman'' #436 (August 19 ...

and Damian Wayne over the course of the series. She appeared in issues of '' Batman and Robin'' helping Dick Grayson in his attempts to resurrect Batman with the Lazarus Pit by placing his body in it but it is revealed that it is not Bruce Wayne's body but a clone made during '' Final Crisis''. Knight and Squire also battle a British crime lord and help Dick Grayson fight the clone. Knight and Squire later appeared in an

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

written by

Paul Cornell Paul Douglas Cornell (born 18 July 1967) is a British writer best known for his work in television drama as well as ''Doctor Who'' fiction, and as the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield. As well as ''Docto ...

. In #4 of this series, it is revealed that Beryl sought out the Knight when he was in a drunken and depressed state after his father's death, having been asked to help him by her mother. The full connection between the Sheldrake and Hutchinson families have yet to be revealed. Over the course of the series, Beryl begins a relationship with the reformed villain Shrike (Dennis Ennis - following Beryl being named after Beryl the Peril by referencing Dennis the Menace). She also briefly shares an adventure with Batgirl while she is in London as part of a mission for

Batman Incorporated Batman Incorporated (also known as Batman, Inc.) was an ongoing American comic book series published by DC Comics, featuring the superhero Batman. Written by Grant Morrison, the series debuted following the events of '' Batman R.I.P'', ''Final Cr ...

. The two heroines fix a crack in the space/time continuum that nearly freezes the entire planet in time for eternity. In ''

'', Squire and Knight participate in Batman's war against the

Leviathan Leviathan (; he, לִוְיָתָן, ) is a sea serpent noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Amos, and, according to some ...

organization led by

Ra's al Ghul Ra's al Ghul, commonly pronounced correctly as ''Re'sh'', hence or ; "The Head of the Demon" or, in a rougher translation, "The Chief Demon". is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary o ...

's daughter

Talia al Ghul Talia al Ghul ( ar, تاليا الغول; ) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman. The character was created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Bob Brown (comics), ...

. During a battle with Heretic (Damian Wayne's clone), Cyril is killed. Over the course of the series Beryl takes on the mantle of The Knight She attempts to avenge Cyril's death, but is stopped by Batman only for Talia to kill Heretic herself. Beryl is seen in the last issue fighting alongside other Batman Inc. members against the remains of Leviathan.

Powers and abilities

Originally, the first Squire had no powers aside from the ones he gained by wearing special armor provided for him by Shining Knight. As they were made by Merlin, they possessed special properties that allowed him to avoid harm from swords or certain projectiles. He since passed this armor to his son. The newest Squire, though lacking magic armor, has the ability to interpret information by touch, as well as communicate in a number of ways. Every one of them is highly skilled in swordplay, though they have talents using other weapons or fighting hand-to-hand as well.

Other versions

In the Elseworlds 2003-2004 graphic novel '' Superman & Batman: Generations III'', Batman and his son Bruce Wayne Jr. meet an adult Cyril Sheldrake in 2008. Now retired in a totalitarian England, Sheldrake helps the Waynes track down information left behind by Bruce's dead wife. Afterwards, the Waynes stay in London to help Sheldrake fight for freedom, and he is eventually elected Prime Minister of Great Britain.''Superman & Batman: Generations III'' #5 (July 2003). DC Comics.

References

External links

Squire I
at the DCU Guide
Squire II
at the DCU Guide
Squire III
at the DCU Guide {{GoldenAge Comics characters introduced in 1950 Comics characters introduced in 1988 Comics characters introduced in 1999 Characters created by Bill Finger Characters created by Bob Kane Characters created by Dick Sprang Characters created by Grant Morrison Characters created by Roy Thomas DC Comics sidekicks DC Comics female superheroes Fictional swordfighters in comics Golden Age superheroes Batman characters code names