| American Eagle | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Nedor Comics AC Comics America's Best Comics (DC) |
| First appearance | Exciting Comics #22 (October 1941) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Tom Standish |
| Team affiliations | SMASH |
| Abilities | Flight, enhanced strength, and the "fighting qualities of America's national bird" |
The American Eagle was a fictional superhero from the Golden Age of Comics. He first appeared in Exciting Comics #22 (October 1941), published by Better Comics, a part of Nedor Comics. American Eagle has been briefly revived two separate comics publishers, first by AC Comics, and then by writer Alan Moore as part of his Tom Strong comics and its spin-off Terra Obscura.
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American Eagle was the secret identity of scientist Tom Standish. While performing experiments for the US government, he was accidentally exposed to a mysterious black ray. The ray gave him the powers of the Bald Eagle--flight, strength and (of course) patriotism. Standish used his powers to fight the Nazis and other enemies during World War II. He was accompanied by his young companion Bud Pierce who, as "Eaglet", had powers similar to the American Eagle.
The American Eagle appeared in Exciting Comics 22-27, 29-38, 40-47, and 49-50; The Fighting Yank #18; and America's Best Comics (not to be confused with the later DC Comics imprint) 2, 6, 7, 10-12, and 14. The American Eagle's origin was explained in America's Best Comics #2 (September 1942).
AC Comics has reused the Golden Age American Eagle in their revival of the Nedor Comics superheroes. He has appeared in issues of The Fighting Yank, set during the 1950s.
The Golden Age version of the America Eagle was also revived by Alan Moore for his Tom Strong comics, published by America's Best Comics (now an imprint of DC Comics). Moore used the Nedor Comics public doman characters to populate Terra Obscura, the alternate universe version of Tom Strong's Earth. In Moore's story, the heroes had been placed in suspended animation in 1969, and were revived 30 years later by Tom Strong. The American Eagle made a brief appearance in Tom Strong #12 (June 2001).
The American Eagle is featured briefly in the Terra Obscura spin-off series. Issue #4 reveals that the American Eagle and Eaglet had been looking for the missing Captain Future, and had traced him to the lair of Dr. X. In the struggle that followed the American Eagle and Eaglet were both killed; their bodies were discovered three years later by The Scarab and The Liberator.