What Have They Done to Uncle Sam?

by **tony ingram** Wed Dec 12, 2012 11:30 am

The latest DC character to be reimagined (read: made totally unrecognizable) appears to be Uncle Sam. Formerly, the living embodiement of America in the form of that top hatted bloke from the famous WWII era posters, Sam (revealed in Human Bomb #1 to be the guy assembling a new team of Freedom Fighters) is now...a black guy in a suit, who seems to be a Government agent of some kind. Is it just me, or is this rather missing the point of the character?

by Mbast1 Wed Dec 12, 2012 8:06 pm

tony ingram wrote:who seems to be a Government agent of some kind. Is it just me, or is this rather missing the point of the character?

Yeah, I'm hardly a right-wing government hater type, but he was supposed to represent all that was good about America, and was supposed to be above working for the government.

by Sam_Vimes Thu Dec 13, 2012 2:35 am

Yeah, I always thought he was kind of similar to Captain America in that he REPRESENTED America, but didn't work for them. Maybe they're setting him up to die and be reincarnated as a more traditional Uncle Sam, or something. That's a thing he does, right? Maybe this is his new origin story.

by **tony ingram** Thu Dec 13, 2012 7:46 am

Sam_Vimes wrote:Yeah, I always thought he was kind of similar to Captain America in that he REPRESENTED America, but didn't work for them. Maybe they're setting him up to die and be reincarnated as a more traditional Uncle Sam, or something. That's a thing he does, right? Maybe this is his new origin story.

I think you might be being just a little bit overoptimistic there, Commander...

by Lucy Ingram Thu Dec 13, 2012 8:43 am

DC: "Why should Marvel have a monopoly on Samuel L Jackson? We want him too!"

by Sam_Vimes Fri Dec 14, 2012 5:53 am

tony ingram wrote:I think you might be being just a little bit overoptimistic there, Commander...

I'm also pretty sure Jack Kirby's going to draw it and that the fifth issue will contain the meaning of life.

by **tony ingram** Fri Dec 14, 2012 8:24 am

It'll be out the same week as Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target #2...

by Sam_Vimes Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:39 pm

tony ingram wrote:It'll be out the same week as Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target #2...

Really? Oh boy, I can't wait!

by Sam_Vimes Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:42 pm

Lucy McGough wrote:DC: "Why should Marvel have a monopoly on Samuel L Jackson? We want him too!"

I do believe we've found the correct answer.

by **tony ingram** Fri Dec 14, 2012 1:30 pm

Sam_Vimes wrote:
tony ingram wrote:It'll be out the same week as Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target #2...

Really? Oh boy, I can't wait!

That's unfortunate.

by BluesShark Sat Jan 12, 2013 11:28 am

It's a huge shame - J&J used to be one of the more reliable writing teams at DC but the Phantom Lady mini was utter pish so I didn't bother with Human Bomb.

by **tony ingram** Sat Jan 12, 2013 11:45 am

I actually feel (probably rather irrationally) disappointed with these guys, and with James Robinson, for how easily they seem to have abandoned the Golden Age characters and histories. I thought they genuinely appreciated them, but I guess it's just about the money, after all.

by BluesShark Sat Jan 12, 2013 12:05 pm

One doesn't negate the other, though.

I think there was enough evidence in their Free dom Fighter run that J&J do love the original characters but like the rest of us they have to eat and comic writing isn't a big world.

Same applies to James Robinson. He didn't do Starman out of hate...

by **tony ingram** Sat Jan 12, 2013 12:51 pm

I know that, on an intellectual level. Doesn't stop me resenting them for it, though.

by MajorHoy Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:49 am

Sam_Vimes wrote:
tony ingram wrote:I think you might be being just a little bit overoptimistic there, Commander...

I'm also pretty sure Jack Kirby's going to draw it and that the fifth issue will contain the meaning of life.

The Meaning of Life? Is that anything like the Secret of Life?

by MajorHoy Sat Jun 09, 2018 2:49 am

Here's hoping that Rebirth and whatever they're referring to the period that follows that book Geoff Johns is writing will eventually result in a return of
What Have They Done to Uncle Sam? R2uyck

What Have They Done to Uncle Sam? R2uyck

Mind you, I'm not holding my breath waiting for that to happen, but . . .

by Lucy Ingram Sat Jun 09, 2018 10:40 am

"Uncle Sam possesses ... a large measure of invulnerability." That means he's not invulnerable, right? You can't be 'a bit invulnerable'. I would describe him as having enhanced durability.

by **tony ingram** Sat Jun 09, 2018 12:02 pm

MajorHoy wrote:Here's hoping that Rebirth and whatever they're referring to the period that follows that book Geoff Johns is writing will eventually result in a return of

Mind you, I'm not holding my breath waiting for that to happen, but . . .

Sam was briefly glimpsed during the recent Metal event, as one of a shadowy group of immortals...

by MajorHoy Sat Aug 11, 2018 4:32 pm

Wish we could also get back to

What Have They Done to Uncle Sam? Freedo10

by **tony ingram** Sat Aug 11, 2018 4:52 pm

At the moment, I'm not even sure if any of those guys still exist. The Ray is a particuarly confusing one: that limited series they did a few years back with a new Ray had a line indicating that he'd stolen the name from an old hero, but the new Ray now seems to have been forgotten, and since Ray Terrill reappeared it's unclear whether he is still the son of the original or not.

by MajorHoy Sat Aug 11, 2018 9:38 pm

tony ingram wrote:At the moment, I'm not even sure if any of those guys still exist. The Ray is a particuarly confusing one: that limited series they did a few years back with a new Ray had a line indicating that he'd stolen the name from an old hero, but the new Ray now seems to have been forgotten, and since Ray Terrill reappeared it's unclear whether he is still the son of the original or not.

I don't know if any of those redone versions of the Freedom Fighters (The Ray; Phantom Lady and Doll Man; Human Bomb) that had 4-issue series between 2012 and 2013 were ever acknowledged in any comic book stories outside of those three series, were they?
Did they even take place in the "New 52" universe? (I don't think the "New 52" labeling was used on any of those books, even though it was still plastered on other DC titles.)

cover dated February 2012:
What Have They Done to Uncle Sam? 6f1e30f63c40dc7a8a591ab866384fb9_xl

What Have They Done to Uncle Sam? 6f1e30f63c40dc7a8a591ab866384fb9_xl

What Have They Done to Uncle Sam? E651067507f64d81f56a0569c5c27ca7_xl

cover-dated October 2012:
What Have They Done to Uncle Sam? 8390613f5f3d2cd0cd3e6f32fcbc7db0_xl

What Have They Done to Uncle Sam? B5c4e08beb1995bf6d1478dc875c35ed_xl

cover-dated February 2013:
What Have They Done to Uncle Sam? A10eae89956870be1c922977a7d37408_xl

What Have They Done to Uncle Sam? D1586c8ec5d37db26af2ea6cc3d636e4_xl

I don't know if they were ever intended to be part of the main DC universe or not.

by **tony ingram** Sat Aug 11, 2018 9:51 pm

Since al I ever read was the four page preview of The Ray, I'm not sure either.

by MajorHoy Sun Sep 16, 2018 2:16 am

Well, for what it's worth, CBR is reporting:

EXCLUSIVE: DC’s Freedom Fighters Make Their Triumphant, Nazi-Punching Return
09.13.2018 by Meg Downey - in CBR Exclusives
DC’s Nazi fighting Earth-X dream team, the Freedom Fighters, are making a triumphant return in the Rebirth era with a brand new twelve issue limited series by writer Rob Venditti and artist Eddy Barrows, set to hit shelves this winter.
Featuring some new takes on the familiar faces of the Freedom Fighter’s original roster: Human Bomb, Black Condor, Doll Woman and Phantom Lady Freedom Fighters #1 is set in Earth-X’s version of 2018, where the population of America has lived in fear of an oppressive Nazi regime since their ultimate victory in World War II. We sat down to speak with Venditti to get some more details about this new take on the classic DC concept, as well as get some insight into just who, and what, we might expect to see . . .

You can read the rest at https://www.cbr.com/dc-freedom-fighters-nazi-punching-new-series/, but as for Uncle Sam, Venditti says

Uncle Sam in 2018 is missing in action.

And in a related article (EXCLUSIVE: Eddy Barrows’ Design for Freedom Fighter’s PlaSSticMen) that piece starts:

Though he was a part of the Freedom Fighters in the ’70s, pliable DC superhero Plastic Man isn’t a part of the Rebirth era’s Earth-X based team.

but from what I remember, Plastic Man was reported to be DEAD prior to the Freedom Fighters introduction in JLA #107-108 and wasn't in the 1970s series.

I know, nit-picking . . .

by **tony ingram** Sun Sep 16, 2018 10:38 am

Plastic Man's only appearances with the Freedom Fighters, as far as I can recall, were in All-Star Squadron and Young All-Stars, and they were only cameos. I don't really see why he's even being mentioned.

by MajorHoy Sun Sep 16, 2018 3:05 pm

tony ingram wrote:Plastic Man's only appearances with the Freedom Fighters, as far as I can recall, were in All-Star Squadron and Young All-Stars, and they were only cameos. I don't really see why he's even being mentioned.

Well, he was in that Convergence two-parter, which might be why some people are thinking he was in the 1970s group:
What Have They Done to Uncle Sam? 25edd4d61e7f227f25679a284ec37214_xl

What Have They Done to Uncle Sam? 25edd4d61e7f227f25679a284ec37214_xl

As to why he's being mentioned, there will be Nazi bad-guys who have his abilities.

from EXCLUSIVE: Eddy Barrows’ Design for Freedom Fighter’s PlaSSticMen
09.13.2018 by Stephen Gerding - in CBR Exclusives
. . . “Plastic Man doesn’t exist on Earth-X because he was captured by the Nazis and they extracted his DNA, his ability to shape shift,” Venditti explained to CBR. “And now they’ve used that science and applied it to an entire force of covert agents called the “PlaSStic Men”. So there’s a new SS, and they live among the American population. They can literally be anybody . . ."

https://www.cbr.com/freedom-fighters-plassticmen-character-sheet/

And I'm assuming you noticed the "SS" ("Schutzstaffel") in the spelling there?

What Have They Done to Uncle Sam? Freedo12

by **tony ingram** Sun Sep 16, 2018 4:00 pm

Ah, I'd forgotten the Convergence issues...

by MajorHoy Sun Sep 16, 2018 5:51 pm

tony ingram wrote:Ah, I'd forgotten the Convergence issues...

Well, there were only two of them.

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