The Liberator is a
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
from the
Golden Age of Comics
The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era in the history 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 ...
. His first appearance was in ''Exciting Comics'' #15 (December 1941), published by
Nedor Comics.
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 (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
for
America's Best Comics
America's Best Comics (ABC) was 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 ...
.
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). 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 (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
saboteurs during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. 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 (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
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'' 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 in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
's '' Project Superpowers'' line of comics. The basic premise is that The Fighting Yank 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,
See also
* Nedor Comics
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
Public domain comics