Force of July

The Force of July is a fictional DC Comics antagonistic superhero team introduced in 1984's Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1. They were created by Mike Barr and Jim Aparo.

Fictional history

The team is composed of extremely patriotic metahumans and in most or all appearances ended up being antagonists for other superhero teams, including the Outsiders and the Suicide Squad (the latter as part of the Janus Directive crossover). The Squad was manipulated into attacking the group as part of a plan to unveil the villain behind the Directive.

The revised Force of July consisted of normal human government agents and first encountered Green Arrow in Green Arrow Vol. 2 #96 (April 1995).

Force of July

• Lady Liberty: Projects energy blasts from her torch and flight. Killed in an explosion aboard Kobra's satellite during the climax of the Janus Directive.
• Major Victory: William Vickers, team leader. He has enhanced strength, flight and energy blasts due to his government designed power suit. Killed by Eclipso.
• Mayflower: Ability to control and grow plant life. Garotted by Ravan of the Suicide Squad.
• Silent Majority: Power of self duplication. All of his duplicates were killed in battle aboard Kobra's satellite when he attempts to destroy a device that would kill billions.
• Sparkler: Powers consisting of flight and the ability to project light as beams or even fireworks. Later slain by Doctor Light, who had severe mental problems concerning young superheroes.
• B. Eric Blairmain: Government liaison for the American Security Agency, had Psycho Pirate's Medusa Mask.
• Abraham Lincoln Carlyle: Government liaison. Suffered a heart attack during a Suicide Squad attack.

Other members

• Paine
• Nathan
• and others

Current status

In 2006's Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven #1 (part of the One Year Later event) an apparent offshoot of the Force of July was introduced as guardians of the ravaged city of Blüdhaven. That group is named Freedom's Ring and has among its members versions of Lady Liberty, Major Victory and Silent Majority. Recently, Silent Majority and Lady Liberty were killed by the Nuclear Legion, leaving Major Victory the only one left alive. As of issue #2, Freedom's Ring was absorbed into a S.H.A.D.E. special team called First Strike. Other members (Doll Man, Human Bomb and Phantom Lady) joined the new Freedom Fighters. The leader of S.H.A.D.E. is Father Time, the leader of First Strike team is a new Americommando.

Father Time has super strength, invulnerable, is extremely long lived, and can read minds.

Freedom's Ring

• Bigfoot: A Southern white man altered into a grey-skinned giant. He speaks like a stereotypical Southerner using terms like "suh" and "a'hm". Accidentally killed by the Human Bomb during a confrontation in Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #2.
• Doll Man: Lester Colt, a tiny bald soldier with very specialized weapons.
• Gonzo the Mechanical Bastard: Gonzo is a robot that took the place of President-elect Senator Knight and becomes the President of the United States. It has been revealed that Gonzo was created by the Mathmagicians of the Anti-Life Equation.
• Human Bomb: Andy Franklin was mutated by the blast that destroyed Blüdhaven, it gave him the ability to explosively detonate any matter he touches with his bare skin. He demonstrated his powers by tearing off a piece of his fingernail and flicked it at a troop of Atomic Knights, killing them with the resulting explosion.
• Lady Liberty: The second one's replacement who wields the same torch. She is supposedly killed by Ravager.
• Major Force: The team's leader. No one on the team respects him, specifically Phantom Lady who calls him an "Easter Egg on steroids" and "Major Stupid".
• Major Victory: Claims to have been "kicking butt in seven countries". Was beaten to death with his own severed arm by Major Force.
• Phantom Lady: The new Phantom Lady. Her name is Stormy Knight. Her black light projectors can bend dimensional reality.
• Replicant: Formerly known as the Astronaut Fetus. It was brought through the Bleed with Captain Atom when he arrived back in the DC Universe after the Captain Atom: Armageddon series. It referred to itself as the smartest being in this world and has demonstrated psychic abilities.
• Silent Majority: Silent Majority's replacement although not clarified if there has been another to use this name.

External links

• Cosmic Teams: Force of July