Flame (comics)

The Flame
The Flame, on the cover of Wonderworld Comics #3 (1939)
Publication information
Publisher	Fox Feature Syndicate
First appearance	Wonderworld Comics #3 (July 1939)
Created by	Will Eisner (writer) Lou Fine (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Gary Preston
Species	Human
Abilities	Control of fire and heat, teleportation (via fire)

The Flame was a fictional superhero that appeared in comic books published by Fox Feature Syndicate. The Flame first appeared in Wonderworld Comics #3 (July 1939). He was created by writer Will Eisner and artist Lou Fine.

Publication history

The Flame first appearance was in Fox's Wonderworld Comics #3, dated July 1939. The Flame gained his own title in the summer of 1940; it ran for eight issues. He was one of the titular Big 3, appearing in that periodical alongside Blue Beetle and Samson. The Flame's final appearance was in January 1942, when all three titles were canceled.

Fictional character biography

The Flame's secret identity is Gary Preston. When Gary was a baby, his father Charteris Preston worked as a missionary in China. The elder Preston was washed away in a flood, but managed to save baby Gary by placing him in a basket. The basket was washed downstream to Tibet, where Gary was rescued by a group of lamas. They raised Gary in the lamasary, where they trained him in their mystical ways. Through this training, Gary gained the ability to control fire and temperature, including his own body temperature. He also gained the ability to travel from place to place by materializing inside of flame (even a match flame). When he reached adulthood, Gary returned to America to fight crime as the Flame. In Wonderworld Comics #30 (October 1941) the Flame was joined by a female sidekick, Flame Girl. Flame Girl was secretly Linda Dale, who was given similar powers as the Flame when Gary Preston was injured.

Powers and abilities

Thanks to his training, the Flame has the ability to control fire and heat. He can raise his own body temperature to the point where he can burst into flames, or melt bullets. He can control and direct any flame in his presence. He can also teleport from place to place by appearing inside of any fire source, no matter the size. The Flame's one weakness is water, which can severely weaken him. In order to provide fire whenever he needs it, the Flame carries a small, pistol-sized flamethrower.

Recent developments

The Flame is one of the many public domain Golden Age characters appearing in Project Superpowers, a series released by Dynamite Entertainment.

Bibliography

• Wonderworld Comics #3-33 (July 1939 - January 1942)
• The Flame #1-8 (Summer 1940 - January 1942)
• Big Three #1-7 (Fall 1940 - January 1942)

References

• The Flame at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
• History of the Flame and other Fox Feature characters
• The Newsarama article covering the upcoming Superpowers series