THE SHIELD I (Joe Higgins)
Created By: Harry Shorten & Irv Novick
First Appearance: Pep Comics #1 (Jan. 1940)
Role: Patriotic Hero
Incarnations: Golden Age, Silver Age, Red Circle (Legacy), Impact, Archie Digests, DC, New Crusaders, Dark Circle (Legacy)
Group Affiliations: The Mighty Crusaders, The F.B.I.
PL 10 (159)
STRENGTH 4/8
STAMINA 4/7
AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 8
DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 5
AWARENESS 4
PRESENCE 4
Skills:
Athletics 6 (+10, +11 Heart)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+12)
Deception 3 (+7)
Expertise (Science) 5 (+10)
Expertise (FBI Agent) 4 (+9)
Insight 2 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+6)
Investigation 5 (+9)
Perception 4 (+8)
Persuasion 2 (+6)
Technology 3 (+8)
Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Close Attack 2, Diehard, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Takedown, Teamwork, Withstand Damage
Powers:
"Sacrum" Leaping 4 (120 feet) [4]
"Heart" Enhanced Strength 4 [8]
"Innervation" Enhanced Advantages 2: Improved Initiative 2 [2]
"Eyes" Senses 2 (Extended Vision 2) [2]
"Lungs" Enhanced Advantages 1: Great Endurance [1]
"Derma" Enhanced Stamina 3 [6]
"Invulnerable Suit" (Flaws: Removable) [15]
Protection 5 (Extras: Impervious 13) (18 points)
Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +5
Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +7 (+12 Suit, +7 Impervious), Fortitude +8, Will +9
Complications:
Motivation (Justice)
Power Loss (Formula)- Eventually, Joe's father's formula will work its way out of his system.
Relationship (Betty Warren)- Joe, like many Golden Age heroes, had a Stock Girlfriend character.
Relationship (Dusty Simmons)- "Dusty The Boy Detective" became a short-lived Teen Sidekick to Joe. His parents had been killed by foreign agents, and he wore a costume similar to the Shield's.
Total: Abilities: 76 / Skills: 38--19 / Advantages: 16 / Powers: 38 / Defenses: 10 (159)
The Shield- The First Patriotic Superhero:
-Of all the MLJ/Archie superheroes, by far the "Main Eventer" of the line was The Shield- comics' first patriotic superhero. He was so popular and memorable that his triangular shield design and "patriot" concept was pretty well swiped by Simon & Kirby for their "Captain America" character- MLJ was not amused, and pretty quickly they raised a fuss, and Cap's triangular shield was transformed into a circular disc (which of course went on to become iconic). Joe Simon suggested that MLJ was likely just cheesed off that Captain America was now outselling what was MLJ's top hero.
-The Golden Age Shield was Joe Higgins, who witnessed his father, an FBI chemist, killed by criminals. Rubbing his father's formula over six key body parts (Sacrum, Heart, Innervation, Eyes, Lungs, Derma), along with a special invulnerable suit that combined with fluoroscopic rays, enabled him to possess superhuman powers. He became The Shield, the central character in MLJ Comics' line- he had his own fan club (the Shield G-Man Club), and even appeared in the first-ever crossover story in American superhero comics, as he teamed up with The Wizard for a bit! Ironically, the character of the Shield's own unmaking debuted in his own title-
Pep Comics was also the book where a young Archie Andrews debuted. Archie's runaway success wouldn't stop, and soon he was so popular that MLJ let all its heroes die and kept Archie running, soon taking his name as their own! The Shield lasted from
Pep Comics #1-#65, being dropped in Jan 1948, eight years after he'd arrived.
Pep would reappear from time to time as an Archie monthly book.
Follow-Ups To The Shield:
-Archie tried a new Shield with Lancelot Strong, but he regularly failed. In the 1960s
Mighty Crusaders Red Circle stuff, Joe was stated to have been frozen in stone by The Eraser- an enemy of his. His son Bill took over the role, but chafed with such big shoes to fill, and finally managed to have The Comet cure his father- Joe then returned as the books faded out. In 1984, Red Circle brought Joe back, but
The Original Shield only lasted four issues. The DC licensed Impact Comics line also produced Joe's book in 1991, with a backstory that the modern Shield was inspired by a Cold War-era Shield (his father Roger). Joe retired after thirteen issues, being replaced by Lt. Michael Barnes- the book ended in October 1992. DC's attempt at the Red Circle line led to The Shield actually joining the DC Universe for a bit- he was a secondary character in
The Web, and was an army lieutenant wounded by the Taliban. To save his life, he agreed to be a government test subject, having an experimental nanotech battle suit merged with his burned epidermis. The 2012
New Crusaders book featured an older Joe gathering the teenage children of his allies for a new team. 2015's version of the character is a woman named Victoria Adams.
The Mighty Shield:
-The Shield is probably the most powerful of the Crusaders, packing PL 10 Mini-Powerhouse abilities and incredible durability onto the package of a great fighter. The formula that empowers him gave him tremendous physical abilities (he's bulletproof, can't be hurt by flames, and can bend machine guns with his bare hands), and he'd fit right in with Marvel or DC heroes.