Wildfire (Carol Vance Martin)
| Wildfire | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher |
Quality Comics DC Comics |
| First appearance | Smash Comics #25 (1941) |
| Created by |
Robert Turner Jim Mooney |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Carol Vance Martin |
| Abilities | Able to control and create flames; create weapons out of flame. |
Wildfire (Carol Vance Martin) is a fictional superheroine in the DC Comics universe. One of the first female superheroes, she was originally published by Quality Comics during what comics historians and fans called the Golden Age of comic books.
Publication history
Wildfire appears in Smash Comics #25-37, in solo adventures drawn by Jim Mooney. She, along with many other Quality Comics superheroes, was purchased by DC Comics after Quality went out of business in the mid-1950s.
Wildfire was originally intended to play a major role in the All-Star Squadron series, but DC objected on the basis of her name, which she shared with the Legion of Super-Heroes member. Instead, a female incarnation of Firebrand was introduced into the series.
Fictional character biography
Carol Vance was orphaned by a huge forest fire but was rescued by a god of fire who imbued her with his power to create and control flame. Adopted by the wealthy John Martin and his family, the teenage superheroine uses her powers to combat criminals, sabotuers, and supernatural menaces.
Her only appearance in a DC comic is in The Golden Age miniseries, by writer James Robinson and artist Paul Smith. In issue #4, the male cross-dressing character Madame Fatal appears in a panel surrounded by the Fiddler, and the Gambler, who all appear to be courting "her" while other heroes (including Wildfire) stand around giggling, evidently aware of Madame Fatal's true gender.
She also inspired another character named Wildfire in the JLA: Destiny miniseries.