Liberty Belle (comics)

Superherobox|

caption=Libby Lawrence as Liberty Belle.
Art by Mitch Schauer and Dick Giordano.
character_name=Liberty Belle
alter_ego=Elizabeth "Libby" Lawrence Chambers
publisher=DC Comics
debut="Boy Commandos #1"
(Winter 1942)
creators=Don Cameron
Chuck Winter
alliances=All-Star Squadron
aliases=
supports=
powers=Enhanced speed, strength, stamina, and sonic vibrational pulses|

:"For other Liberty Belle, see Liberty Belle (disambiguation)."

Liberty Belle is the name of three fictional superheroines. Two are from DC Comics: Libby Lawrence and Jesse Chambers, the other is from Charlton Comics: Caroline Dean.

DC Comics

Libby Lawrence

The first Liberty Belle is Libby Lawrence-Chambers. Her powers of enhanced speed, strength, and stamina are linked to the ringing of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Early in her mystery-woman career she has an assistant in that city who would, when signaled, ring the bell for her. In her later years, after decades of super-strength and retarded aging, many begin to theorize about the nature of her powers - some believed the sonic vibrations of the bell triggers a meta-human gene, some believe that it is mystical, that Libby is connected to the power of the "Spirit of America", like the hero Uncle Sam. Most of Liberty Belle's heroic exploits take place during the Second World War, and she is one of the founding members (and later chairwoman) of the All-Star Squadron. In her public identity, she is the famous radio columnist Libby Lawrence, and is therefore well-known both in and out of costume. During the war she marries speedster Johnny Quick. After the War they have a daughter, Jesse, who shared both their powers and took the codename Jesse Quick.Libby Lawrence is a descendant of Bess Lynn, alias Miss Liberty.

Publication history

The following is a brief look at the comic books that deal with this character. It is not exhaustive, nor complete at this time.

Liberty Belle debuted in Boy Commandos #1 (Winter 1943, according to the backpage of "All-Star Squadron" #2).

In 1981, DC published issue #1 of All-Star Squadron, a book whose first story appeared as an insert in "Justice League of America" #193. The self-described "conceptualizer" of the book was its writer Roy Thomas. He chose to include Liberty Belle in this World War Two comic to, in his own words, "play down the Earth-Two heroes who have counterparts on Earth-One in favor of other, quite promising characters who have been ignored or underplayed." ["All-Star Squadron" #1] Mr. Thomas also said that Liberty Belle was chosen to stand in for Wonder Woman. All-Star Squadron lasted sixty-seven issues with the last being published in 1987.

"Young All-Stars" #1 came out in 1987 as a replacement book for All-Star Squadron in the wake of the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" and the loss of Earth-Two as a fictional setting. Liberty Belle was used as a supporting character in this book which came to an end in 1989 with issue #31.

In 1992 DC began publishing "Justice Society of America" with writer Len Strazewski. Liberty Belle appeared in flash backs and only in her public persona of Libby Lawrence. She was used to flesh out the characters of Johnny Chambers (her ex-husband) and Jesse Chambers (their daughter).

Fictional character history

Early History

"All-Star Squadron" #61 (September 1986) is the first true post-Crisis issue of that comic which chronicled the origin of Liberty Belle.

Libby Lawrence wins the American Intercollegiate Girls Athletic Tournament and receives a bell-shaped medal made from a piece of the original Liberty Bell. Years later, she becomes a member of the American team at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, where she wins gold medals for competitive swimming. ["All-Star Squadron #61 (September 1986)]

World War II

When the Second World War began in 1939, the young Libby Lawrence was in Poland acting as personal secretary to her father, Major James Lawrence. On the same day that he was killed in an air raid by Nazi fighter planes, she meets Richard 'Rick' Cannon, and by the end of the month, she is given safe passage to Amsterdam by Colonel Krupp (in truth, a disguised Rick Cannon). Months later, after Amsterdam falls into Nazi control, Libby again is met with by Rick Cannon who arranges for her to be smuggled into France. At the Battle of Dunkirk, she again is saved by Rick Cannon when he gets her safely into a boat headed for England. The boat is shot out of the water by a German Stuka, but Libby has already jumped overboard. She swims the breadth of the English Channel to England. Once safe, she runs to the nearest military base and reports in, confirming her survival of the attack. She is hailed by both English and American papers as the "Miracle of Dunkirk" and she also meets with Winston Churchill. After reporting all the atrocities she witnessed, she is sent back to America. Libby is received with a ticker-tape parade on New York’s Fifth Avenue and is shortly thereafter given work at a daily news syndicate, and then as a radio reporter, and she even has a television program (suspended only after the events at Pearl Harbor) [All-Star Squadron" #61 (September 1986)]

In the autumn of 1941, Libby is living in her hometown of Philadelphia. Upon visiting Independence Hall, she meets Tom Revere, a guard there. While he is polishing the Liberty Bell, it seems to peal loudly and the small replica of the bell, which Libby always keeps with her, resounds in tandem. She is leaving the Hall feeling very strange, when she overhears a plot being discussed by men with German accents, and one who certainly is Rick Cannon. Although her first instinct is to call the FBI, she instead crafts herself a bright costume and a blue domino mask, takes the name "Liberty Belle" and drives to where the spies said they would be. Although certain that Rick Cannon is a Nazi and traitor to America, she discovers that he is actually working for Army Intelligence. He is overtaken by the true saboteurs, however, and it is Libby (as Liberty Belle) who rescues him. ["All-Star Squadron" #61 (September 1986)]

Now a mystery-woman, Liberty Belle happens to be in the right place and the right time to become involved in the founding of the All-Star Squadron. On December 8, 1941 she is present with a handful of other mystery-men in the White House when President Roosevelt announces his order that the Justice Society of America mobilize all American costumed heroes into a single unit, an All-Star Squadron, responsible directly to the President. Their first mission is to fly to the West Coast, search out any saboteurs and prevent a Japanese attack on the US mainland. ["All-Star Squadron" #1 (1981)]

With this All-Star Squadron Liberty Belle travels to San Francisco, just in time to help defeat the villain Per Degaton (a time-traveler from 1947). That adventure brings more heroes together and they travel to Pearl Harbor.

Soon after, the core members of the All-Star Squadron, including Libby, begin the process to elect other mystery-men for membership. During the meeting, the matter of electing a permanent chairman was decided, and Liberty Belle receives the majority vote. ["All-Star Squadron" #13 (1982)]

By 1942 Libby told Rick Cannon that, although she has feelings for him, Johnny Quick is the man for her. She also lets Johnny Quick know her feelings for him. ["All-Star Squadron" #33-35 (1984)]

Days later, Libby returns to Philadelphia to visit with her friend Tom Revere. Independence Hall is attacked by Baron Blitzkrieg, Zyklon and Major Zwerg. In the battle, Tom Revere is killed while Major Zwerg is badly injured, the two other Nazi agents escape with the Liberty Bell. ["All-Star Squadron" #45 & #61] Afterward, Libby visits to the hospital room of Major Zwerg, and after threatening his life, she learns that Baron Blitzkrieg wanted the bell to bring back his sight, by using it in an experiment. Libby puts her Liberty Belle uniform back on, joined with Hawkgirl, and the two intervene. During their fight they are joined by Johnny Quick and the Flash. The experiment is accomplished, with Libby holding some of the electrified equipment. The Baron regains his sight and Libby gains the ability to manipulate sound waves. ["All-Star Squadron" #46 & #61] The two Nazi agents, though, escape yet again.

In the last week of March, Johnny Chambers proposes to Libby Lawrence and she accepts. On April 1, 1942 Libby marries Johnny Chambers in Boston. Libby does not change her name to Chambers, however, and news of the nuptials were not made public. ["All-Star Squadron" #50 (October 1985)] [ This same night the events of the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" occurred on Earth-2, instead of a honeymoon Libby and Johnny were taken to Earth-S. Obviously these events do not take place post-Crisis as told in "All-Star Squadron" #50-56. #58-60 also still occur on Earth-2 and involve the machine intelligence Mekanique, but these events are known to have happened post-Crisis to some degree if not in all the detail.] Libby continued to lead the Squadron in DC's series in the 1980s set during World War II: All-Star Squadron and Young All-Stars.

Later History

At some point after the War, Libby retires as a mystery-woman. Later still, she and Johnny have a child whom they name Jesse and begin raising a family. ["Justice Society of America" #3 (1992)]

Johnny, trying to understand the nature of his speed formula, latches on to the belief that it was a kind of mantra that tapped into a person's "fullest potential". Libby does not share Johnny's beliefs. They do not share the same child-rearing techniques either - Libby wants to raise Jesse as a proper lady while Johnny pushes her to the utmost in physical training. ["Justice Society of America" #7 (1992)]

Libby finally breaks up with Johnny as he started up his company called "Quick-Start", the divorce soon followed. It is during the very ugly and painful divorce that Jesse uses Johnny's speed formula for the first time. ["Justice Society of America" #3 & #7 (1992)]

Libby later becomes extremely bitter about the whole costume-adventurer business. She repeatedly attempts to talk her daughter out of it, most notably at Johnny Chambers' funeral.

Libby puts on her uniform again, however, during the "Infinite Crisis". Libby is fighting against Baron Blitzkrieg and other members of The Society when, in the words of Jay Garrick, "her powers just ...exploded." Libby describes her powers as having failed, she goes to Philadelphia and attempts to increase her power levels by repeatedly ringing the Liberty Bell. For unknown reasons this does not work, and Belle is trapped on the bell which was producing massive damage via sonic waves. The JSA try to help her and in the end she is saved by Stargirl. It is unclear how her powers are affected. ["Justice Society of America" #81 (April 2006)]

Jesse Chambers

Jesse Chambers is the second woman in the DC Universe to take the name of Liberty Belle. Although originally known as the speedster "Jesse Quick", in December 2006 (after the "Infinite Crisis" and the One-Year-Later jumpstart) she debuted as Liberty Belle.

Charlton Comics

A backup feature in Charlton's "E-Man" #5 (Nov. 1974), Caroline Dean, the second Liberty Belle, was a red-white-and-blue heroine who helps out on an American rocket launch. Joe Gill scripted, with industry legend Steve Ditko supplying the art.

Other versions

Earth-Two

The character of Liberty Belle is created in 1942 but in the 1980s is retconned to exist on Earth-Two. Her adventures are chronicled in the pages of All-Star Squadron, the main bibliographic source used in the main article above. The biggest distinctions between the two characters is that the Earth-Two heroine knew and worked with such heroes as Superman and Batman & Robin "during" WWII, but did "not" work with the heroes known collectively as the Young All-Stars for they did not exist on Earth-2.

Earth-51

Libby Lawrence-Chambers is President of the USA on this Earth, and referred to as the former Liberty Belle.

Other media

In 2000, Liberty Belle is referenced in an episode of The Powerpuff Girls, when the character Blossom adopted the name as an alias after reading a comic book about a superheroine similar to Wonder Woman named "Freedom Gal". This wasn't necessarily a conscious reference to the pre-existing comics character.

References

External links

* [http://www.hyperborea.org/flash/libby.html Liberty Belle Profile]
* [http://www.dcuguide.com/who.php?name=libertybelle The Unofficial Liberty Belle Biography]
* [http://www.titanstower.com/source/whoswho/jesse.html#folks Titans Tower: Liberty Belle]
* [http://www.toonopedia.com/libertyb.htm Toonopedia: Liberty Belle]