First Strike (comics)
Encyclopedia
First Strike is a fictional government funded team of superheroes published by DC Comics
. They first appeared in Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters
#3 (November 2006), and were created by Jimmy Palmiotti
, Justin Gray and Daniel Acuña
. The team is largely an allegory
for the perils of "unrestricted state power and authority."
desert by their commanding officer Father Time
, to bring the Freedom Fighters
back to S.H.A.D.E. headquarters and to arrest Uncle Sam
. When the Freedom Fighters refused to go peacefully, they engaged in a fight that First Strike won until the new Black Condor
made the scene. Having over-powered First Strike, this allowed the Freedom Fighters some time to get back on their feet. Human Bomb
, one of the Freedom Fighters, killed Propaganda, a member of First Strike.
First Strike returned to S.H.A.D.E. headquarters. Father Time was disappointed with their loss, and expressed his anger by ripping off Chief Justice's pinky finger.
The team returned when the Freedom Fighters attacked a plane containing Gonzo the Mechanical Bastard
who was being used by S.H.A.D.E. to imitate the President of the United States. First Strike failed again to defeat the Freedom Fighters, with Americommando killed in the battle.
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. They first appeared in Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters
Freedom Fighters (comics)
Freedom Fighters is a DC Comics comic book superhero team made up of characters acquired from the defunct company Quality Comics. Although the characters were created by Quality, they never were gathered in a group before acquired by DC...
#3 (November 2006), and were created by Jimmy Palmiotti
Jimmy Palmiotti
James "Jimmy" Palmiotti is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film.-Early life:Palmiotti is a graduate of the High School of Art and Design in New York City.-Career:...
, Justin Gray and Daniel Acuña
Daniel Acuña
-Biography:In college, Acuña studied in painting and graduated with a degree in Fine Arts. He cites his early influences as Jack Kirby, the JohnRomitas, Will Eisner, Simon Bisley, Kevin Nowlan, Hal Foster, and his favorite, Richard Corben, along with fine artists such as Edward Hopper, Alfons...
. The team is largely an allegory
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
for the perils of "unrestricted state power and authority."
History
First Strike was sent to the ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
desert by their commanding officer Father Time
Father Time (DC Comics)
Father Time is a fictional character, a supervillain in publications from DC Comics. The character first appeared in Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein #3 , and was created by Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke.-Fictional character biography:...
, to bring the Freedom Fighters
Freedom Fighters (comics)
Freedom Fighters is a DC Comics comic book superhero team made up of characters acquired from the defunct company Quality Comics. Although the characters were created by Quality, they never were gathered in a group before acquired by DC...
back to S.H.A.D.E. headquarters and to arrest Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam (comics)
Uncle Sam is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero based on national personification of the United States, Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam first appeared in National Comics #1 and was created by Will Eisner.-Quality Comics:...
. When the Freedom Fighters refused to go peacefully, they engaged in a fight that First Strike won until the new Black Condor
Black Condor
Black Condor is the name of three fictional characters, DC Comics superheroes who have all been members of the Freedom Fighters. The first Black Condor, Richard Grey Jr., was originally a Quality Comics character.-Quality Comics:...
made the scene. Having over-powered First Strike, this allowed the Freedom Fighters some time to get back on their feet. Human Bomb
Human Bomb
The Human Bomb is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Police Comics #1 , and was created by writer and artist Paul Gustavson.-Publication history:...
, one of the Freedom Fighters, killed Propaganda, a member of First Strike.
First Strike returned to S.H.A.D.E. headquarters. Father Time was disappointed with their loss, and expressed his anger by ripping off Chief Justice's pinky finger.
The team returned when the Freedom Fighters attacked a plane containing Gonzo the Mechanical Bastard
Gonzo the Mechanical Bastard
Gonzo the Mechanical Bastard is a fictional character, a robot supervillain in the DC Universe. The character first appears in The Battle For Blüdhaven #1 , and becomes the main villain of the Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters limited series . It was created by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and...
who was being used by S.H.A.D.E. to imitate the President of the United States. First Strike failed again to defeat the Freedom Fighters, with Americommando killed in the battle.
Members
- Americommando: First Strike's second commander. Depicted with a blonde buzz cut and blue eyes, he is cold, merciless, and considers himself indestructible. Uncle Sam flicked him into the moon. His name is David.
- Barracuda: Female with a green, fish like appearance, a trident-like weapon and a gold suit. She is not actually a fish though.
- Chief Justice: Former commander, he can fire energy bolts and can fly. Unlike his teammates, he would rather solve things peacefully rather than have a bloodbath break out. He had his left pinky finger ripped off by Father Time because of their failure on the field.
- Embargo: She can create nearly invincible blue force fields that are difficult to penetrate, however strong characters like Black Condor are able to destroy them.
- Lady LibertyLady Liberty (comics)Lady Liberty is the name of several fictional characters in the DC Comics Universe.-Fictional character biographies:Lady Liberty is a member of the Force of July, a government sponsored superhero team. She first appeared in Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1 . Her costume consists of robes and a...
: The fourth person to take up the Lady Liberty name and the only one of them who hasn't been killed. After Phantom LadyPhantom LadyPhantom Lady is a fictional superheroine, one of the first female superhero characters to debut in the 1940s Golden Age of Comic Books. Originally published by Quality Comics, the character was subsequently published by a series of now-defunct comic book companies, and a new version of the...
destroyed her power outfit, The Ray zipped her into a nude beachNude beachA nude beach is a beach where users are legally at liberty to be nude. Sometimes the terms clothing-optional beach or free beach are used. Nude bathing is one of the most common forms of nudity in public. As beaches are usually on public lands, any member of the public is entitled to use the...
in SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. - Railgun: Has a metallic appearance with guns for arms. After he made fun of Doll ManDoll ManNote: This article is about the Quality Comics character. For the Full Moon Features film Dollman, see Dollman . For the article on the movie's titular character, please see Brick Bardo....
, it was believed that he killed Railgun with a miniature cerebralBrainThe brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
hand-grenade, but he reappeared in Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #8. - Red Shift: A red skinned, white haired speedsterSpeedsterSpeedster may refer to:In automotive:* Opel Speedster* Plymouth Speedster* Porsche Speedster* Studebaker Speedster* Speedster AutomobilesIn fiction:* Speedster , a type of superhero whose primary power is superspeed....
who appears to have superstrength, and is sheathed in a red aura. - Silent MajoritySilent Majority (comics)Silent Majority is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He first appeared in Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1 , as a member of the government-sponsored superhero team the Force of July.-Fictional character biography:...
: Able to create multiple duplicates of himself, former member of the Force of JulyForce of JulyThe Force of July is a fictional DC Comics antagonistic superhero team introduced in 1984's Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1. They were created by Mike Barr and Jim Aparo.-Fictional history:...
. - Spin Doctor: The team's first resident speedster. He was killed by First Strike's second commander, Americommando, for calling him an angry 'roid head.
- Spin Doctor: After killing the first one, Americommando requested for one who was pretty, cold-blooded, petite, and "preferably mute". He didn't get the latter.
- Propaganda: A telepath who can spread cerebral information, can undermine free willFree will"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
, subjugate a person's ideologyIdeologyAn ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
, and crush someone's opinion of self worth. Was killed by the Human Bomb.