The Liberty Belle is the name of three superheroines. Two are from DC Comics: Libby Lawrence and Jesse Chambers, and the other is from Charlton Comics: Caroline Dean.
DC Comics
Libby Lawrence
The first Liberty Belle was Libby Lawrence. Her powers of enhanced speed, strength, and stamina were linked to the ringing of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Early in her mystery-woman career, she had an arrangement with Tom Revere, a guard at the Liberty Bell. When she signaled him, he would ring the bell for her and trigger her powers. In her later years, after decades of super-strength many began to theorize about the nature of her powers. Some believed the sonic vibrations of the bell triggered a metahuman gene, some believed that it was mystical because Libby is connected to the power of the Spirit of America, like the heroes Uncle Sam and General Glory. Most of the Liberty Belle's heroic exploits took place during the Second World War, and she was one of the founding members (and later chairwoman) of the All-Star Squadron. In her public identity, she was the famous radio columnist Libby Lawrence, and therefore well-known both in and out of costume. During the war, she married speedster Johnny Quick. After the war, they had a daughter, Jesse, who shared both their powers and took the codename Jesse Quick. Libby Lawrence is a descendant of Bess Lynn, alias Miss Liberty.
Publication history
This character appeared in several publications. The Liberty Belle debuted in Boy Commandos #1 (winter 1942/1943). After her second appearance in Boy Commandos #2 (Spring 1943), the character thereafter appeared in Star Spangled Comics #20 (May 1943) through to Star Spangled Comics #68 (May 1947).
In 1981, DC published issue #1 of All-Star Squadron, a book whose first story appeared as an insert in Justice League of America #193. The self-described "conceptualizer" of the book was its writer Roy Thomas. He chose to include the Liberty Belle in this World War II comic to, in his own words, "play down the Earth-Two heroes who have counterparts on Earth-One in favor of other, quite promising characters who have been ignored or underplayed". Thomas also said that the Liberty Belle was chosen to stand in for Wonder Woman. All-Star Squadron lasted 67 issues, with the last being published in 1987.
As he did with several other characters, Roy Thomas took some liberties with the Liberty Belle's Golden Age continuity by having her retroactively marry Johnny Quick in 1942, while all her Golden Age appearances throughout the 1940s depict her as a single woman with a semi-romantic relationship with Captain Rick Cannon of G2 Army Intelligence. Thomas also wrote a story depicting the death of Tom Revere in 1942, despite the fact that he was a supporting character from the Golden Age Liberty Belle stories, most of which take place in 1943 and later. Finally, Thomas had the Liberty Belle retroactively wear a mask from her first appearance, rather than her original unmasked look, in which she disguised herself only by allowing her loosed hair to partly drape over her face in a look inspired by Veronica Lake.
Young All-Stars #1 came out in 1987 as a replacement book for All-Star Squadron in the wake of the Crisis on Infinite Earths and the loss of Earth-Two as a fictional setting. The Liberty Belle was used as a supporting character in this book which came to an end in 1989 with issue #31.
In 1992 DC began publishing Justice Society of America with writer Len Strazewski. The Liberty Belle appeared in flashbacks and only in her public persona of Libby Lawrence. She was used to flesh out the characters of Johnny Chambers (her ex-husband) and Jesse Chambers (their daughter).
The Liberty Belle was ranked 63rd in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.
Fictional character history
Early history
All-Star Squadron #61 (September 1986) is the first true Post-Crisis issue of that comic which chronicled the origin of the Liberty Belle.
Libby Lawrence wins the American Intercollegiate Girls Athletic Tournament and receives a bell-shaped medal made from a piece of the original Liberty Bell. Years later, she becomes a member of the American team at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, where she wins gold medals for competitive swimming.