Gallery: Patriot Acts: 10 Cool, Crazy Superhero Nationalists
01captain-america
As anyone with a serious grasp of history understands, patriots are most often ciphers for those who end up, well, writing history. Even if they're superheroes. Take the following comic book characters, who've alternately served as straight-up supersoldiers, jingoistic nationalists, unrepentant terrorists and even clueless dunces, depending on the writer. But above all else, no matter their masters, these superheroes *served*, which is what patriots and ciphers do. Whether they executed that service for their countries, consciences, crackpot plots or uncontrollable desire to dance, they fulfilled their duties with honor, horror and often hilarity — and sometimes even a single-finger salute to the status quo. Ironic anachronisms assemble! __Above:__ Captain America --------------- __Patriot:__ [Captain America](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_America), created in 1941 by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, is the alter ego of one-time sickly scrub Steve Rogers. (Rogers' sidekick, Bucky Barnes, later stepped into Captain America's boots.) __Publisher:__ Marvel Comics. __Powers:__ Thanks to an experimental serum — that strangely couldn't be re-created to produce more than one supersoldier — Captain America boasts enhanced strength, speed and agility. He also wields an indestructible shield. __Postmodern wrinkle:__ Immobilized in ice once his popularity cratered after World War II, Captain America was resuscitated as the leader of The Avengers during comics' Silver Age. He was controversially assassinated as an enemy of the United States in [Mark Millar's Civil War](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_War_%28comics%29), but landed a full presidential pardon and will soon storm movie screens fighting neutered Nazis.
02uncle-sam
Uncle Sam --------- __Patriot:__ [Uncle Sam](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Sam_%28comics%29), created by [Will Eisner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Eisner). __Publisher:__ Quality Comics, DC Comics. __Powers:__ Enhanced strength and speed, invulnerability, clairvoyance, a costume that would look damn hilarious on anyone in real life. __Postmodern wrinkle:__ Created in 1940 by the [Spirit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_(comics))-friendly Eisner as the reincarnation of a slain Revolutionary War soldier, Uncle Sam was later a member of the Justice League of America, the leader of the Freedom Fighters and even Hal Jordan's replacement as Green Lantern in an alternate timeline. But the most nakedly patriotic of superheroes was at his best in [Alex Ross and Steve Darnall's 1997 miniseries](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Sam_%28Vertigo%29), in which he battled with himself over America's alternately horrific and inspiring history.
03the-fixer
The Fixer --------- __Patriot:__ The Fixer, created by Frank Miller as the 9/11 avenger anchoring his forthcoming comic Holy Terror, due in September. __Publisher:__ Legendary Comics, the storyboard-in-waiting factory for The Dark Knight and Man of Steel production powerhouse, Legendary Pictures. __Powers:__ None, other than his merciless violence, Special Forces training, a desire to fight crime -- mostly "to stay in shape," according to Miller -- and a jingo chip the size of the entire Middle East on his shoulder. __Postmodern wrinkle:__ A decade in the making, Holy Terror was originally supposed to be a vehicle for Batman to kick al-Qaida's ass. But now Miller's Fixer, modeled after Dirty Harry, is likely left to anticlimactically mop up what terrorists remain after Obama killed Osama.
04superman
Superman -------- __Patriot:__ [Superman](http://www.dccomics.com/sites/superman/), also known as mild-mannered journalist Clark Kent, created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. If you haven't heard of him, please go back to the rock you've been living under, post-haste. __Publisher:__ DC Comics. __Powers:__ Immortality. Kindness. Laser vision. The works. Dude can break planets if he wants to, but he never does, which is why we love him. __Postmodern wrinkle:__ After arriving from the exploded planet Krypton as a baby in 1938, Superman grew up in Kansas and "started out as a New Deal Democrat," comic visionary Alan Moore told Wired.com by phone recently. (Stay tuned for the full interview.) Since then, Superman's rightly become a citizen of the universe and even threatened to [renounce his American citizenship](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2011/04/action-comics-900) in Action Comics No. 900, prompting self-righteous anachronists nationwide to choke on their Fox News reruns. [Grant Morrison](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/tag/grant-morrison), Moore's only living comics peer, takes over Superman's comics after his gripping cultural history [Supergods](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2011/05/summer-reading-2011) arrives in July, which means you can expect further delimited wonder and greatness from the superhero. Meanwhile, Sucker Punch director Zack Snyder, who brought [Moore's epochal Watchmen](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2009/03/review-watchmen) to mostly faithful cinematic life, reboots Superman for the 2012 blockbuster Man of Steel, which means you can expect lots of babes in lingerie with guns.
05fighting-yank
Fighting Yank ------------- __Patriot:__ [Fighting Yank](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_Yank), created by Eric Colie. __Publisher:__ Nedor Comics, DC Comics, Dynamite Entertainment. __Powers:__ A magical cloak that confers invulnerability on the various versions of its wearer, Bruce Carter, as well as his daughter Carol. Also, a tri-corner hat, blue pants, a white shirt with an American flag on it and one of the greatest superhero names in the biz. __Postmodern wrinkle:__ Created in 1941 as the descendant of a War of Independence hero, Fighting Yank was eventually resuscitated by those perennial patriot tweakers, Alan Moore and Alex Ross. Moore resurrected the Yank for his brilliant Golden Age homage [Tom Strong](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Strong), while Ross rebooted Carter, and a host of other patriotic heroes in and out of the public domain — including the also excellently named [Yank & Doodle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yank_%26_Doodle) — for his anticorporate dystopia [Project Superpowers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Superpowers), written by Jim Krueger.
06yankee-poodle
Yankee Poodle ------------- __Patriot:__ [Yankee Poodle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_Poodle), created by Roy Thomas and Scott Shaw for their all-pets pop-culture goof [Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Carrot_and_His_Amazing_Zoo_Crew!). __Publisher:__ DC Comics. __Powers:__ Animal magnetism. (Get it?) This anthropomorphic canine shoots electromagnetic red-and-white attractor stars from her left hand and blue repulsor stars from her right. When used together, they create a Newtonian magnoblast that could level a town for laughing at how ridiculous that sounds. __Postmodern wrinkle:__ Yankee Poodle's alter ego is Rova Barkitt, gossip columnist, that most patriotic of professions. She's also inspiration for the much more serious patriotic superhero [Stargirl](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtney_Whitmore), created by current DC Comics chief creative officer and Yankee Poodle fan Geoff Johns. Maybe he should have put the poodle in the [Green Lantern film](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2011/06/green-lantern-review/).
07first-american
First American -------------- __Patriot:__ First American, created by Alan Moore and Jim Baikie. __Publisher:__ [America's Best Comics](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America%27s_Best_Comics), Moore's Wildstorm imprint published by Image Comics and then later, controversially, DC Comics. __Powers:__ None. He's a hapless fool, really. __Postmodern wrinkle:__ As his name implies, First American is a self-important joke, continually taking responsibility for most major U.S. historical events although he's an incompetent of negligible physical prowess and, as the page above illustrates, occasionally comes down with Saturday night fever. His sidekick U.S. Angel, a starlet who can't wait to be rid of him, is equally lame, but both serve as riotous vehicles for Moore's acid satire on misplaced patriotism and self-righteous moralism.
08captain-britain
Captain Britain --------------- __Patriot:__ [Captain Britain](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Britain), created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe in 1976, which was, ironically enough, America's bicentennial. __Publisher:__ Marvel Comics. __Powers:__ Superhuman strength, speed, agility and the ability to fly at supersonic speeds, usually conferred by a mystical amulet or mace given to him by the magician Merlyn. Also, a Ph.D. in physics. __Postmodern wrinkle:__ Originally designed to be the British equivalent of Captain America, who even forms the British supergroup Excalibur, Captain Britain is also the only Marvel superhero to be penned by patriot gamer Alan Moore. After a series of alternate-universe arcs that send him into battles across the space-time continuum, Captain Britain eventually joins Captain America's Avengers in [Paul Cornell's MI:13](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Britain_and_MI:_13). So much for the Revolutionary War.
09american-maid
American Maid ------------- __Patriot:__ [American Maid](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Maid), created by Firefly and Supernatural subversive [Ben Edlund](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Edlund) for his 1994 cult toon classic [The Tick](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tick_%281994_TV_series%29). __Publisher:__ Before The Tick's animated series, Edlund published his indie comic of the same name with the help of Boston's New England Comics store. __Powers:__ None, except grit, gymnastic ability and the precision hurling of boomerang high heels and tiaras. __Postmodern wrinkle:__ A merge of Captain America and [Wonder Woman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Woman) -- who, it should be noted, spent the '40s fighting Axis villains -- American Maid is an animated satire. Despite the patriotic maid costume, she's nevertheless The Tick's most conventional superhero.
10fighting-american
Fighting American ----------------- __Patriot:__ [Fighting American](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_American), the creator-owned brainchild of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, who also created Captain America, a character wholly owned by Marvel Comics. So postmodern they copied themselves. "Joe and Jack weren't the first comic book creators, but once they teamed up, their style of storytelling changed the comic book world forever," [The Best of Simon and Kirby](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2009/07/simon-and-kirby-reveals-comics-american-revolution) editor Steve Saffel told Wired.com in 2009. "They had million-copy titles, and provided unprecedented versatility." __Publisher:__ Too many to count. The most nomadic of patriotic superheroes, The Fighting American has bounced from Prize Comics and Harvey Comics to Marvel Comics and DC Comics, with stops beyond. __Powers:__ Nothing but fierce pride, power and love of his country. Also, a suit that looks like Captain America's. And an indestructible shield with built-in guns, missiles and, of course, shooting stars. __Postmodern wrinkle:__ His original 1954 series lasted seven issues. Yet [Fighting American continues to be controversially resuscitated](http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/simonandkirby/archives/2149) in this new century, to the chagrin of Simon. Comics is a thankless profession.
