Tom Higgins was a scientist working on a formula to grant superpowers. He was killed during the Black Tom Explosion set up by the Nazis, and was framed for said explosion. Tom Higgins had told his son Joe about the unfinished formula called S.H.I.E.L.D., which stood for Sacrum, Heart, Innervation, Eyes, Lungs, and Derma. Joe Higgins became a chemist, and completed the formula in order to clear his father’s name. Before using the formula, his father’s killer targeted Joe. After a bad beating, Joe crawled back to his lab and ingested the formula. He sealed himself into a special white suit and was exposed to “flouroscopic rays” for 12 hours, which added patriotic colors to the suit and granted Joe Higgins superpowers. He became the crime fighter called the Shield. He joined the FBI. His secret identity was known only to FBI Chief J. Edgar Hoover. The Shield had several allies, including the comically clumsy Ju Ju Watson, a FBI combat trainer, Watson’s girl Mamie, a bit of a ditz, Higgins’ girlfriend Betty, a private detective, and sidekick Dusty the Boy Detective. The Shield and Dusty teamed up with fellow heroes Wizard and Roy the Super-Boy. Dusty and Shield fought enemies such as The Vulture, The Strangler, The Hun, and the Son of the Hun. The Shield had limited super-strength, invulnerability, the ability to leap great distances, superhuman stamina, resistance to heat and electricity, and made him bulletproof and flameproof. His costume was also indestructible and protected from fire and bullets. Eventually, Higgins lost his powers and could not repeat the process that gave him his abilities, but continued to fight crime without them. Notes: In the Canadian version of the Shield, the hero wore a British flag on his costume instead of an American one. The Shield was the first superhero to wear the American flag: appearing a year before Captain America, Minute-Man, and Captain Battle. In the original issues, the Shield’s powers were all described as coming from his armored costume, but later stories confirmed that his powers were in him, a result of using his father’s formula. Although the Human Torch meeting the Sub-Mariner in Marvel Mystery Comics #8 is commonly believed to be the first crossover in American comic books, MLJ’s teaming up of the Wizard and the Shield in Pep Comics #4 came out the month prior.
Description Tom Higgins was a scientist working on a formula to grant superpowers. He was killed during the Black Tom Explosion set up by the Nazis, and was framed for said explosion. Tom Higgins had told his son Joe about the unfinished formula called S.H.I.E.L.D., which stood for Sacrum, Heart, Innervation, Eyes, Lungs, and Derma. Joe Higgins became a chemist, and completed the formula in order to clear his father’s name. Before using the formula, his father’s killer targeted Joe. After a bad beating, Joe crawled back to his lab and ingested the formula. He sealed himself into a special white suit and was exposed to “flouroscopic rays” for 12 hours, which added patriotic colors to the suit and granted Joe Higgins superpowers. He became the crime fighter called the Shield. He joined the FBI. His secret identity was known only to FBI Chief J. Edgar Hoover. The Shield had several allies, including the comically clumsy Ju Ju Watson, a FBI combat trainer, Watson’s girl Mamie, a bit of a ditz, Higgins’ girlfriend Betty, a private detective, and sidekick Dusty the Boy Detective. The Shield and Dusty teamed up with fellow heroes Wizard and Roy the Super-Boy. Dusty and Shield fought enemies such as The Vulture, The Strangler, The Hun, and the Son of the Hun. The Shield had limited super-strength, invulnerability, the ability to leap great distances, superhuman stamina, resistance to heat and electricity, and made him bulletproof and flameproof. His costume was also indestructible and protected from fire and bullets. Eventually, Higgins lost his powers and could not repeat the process that gave him his abilities, but continued to fight crime without them. Notes: In the Canadian version of the Shield, the hero wore a British flag on his costume instead of an American one. The Shield was the first superhero to wear the American flag: appearing a year before Captain America, Minute-Man, and Captain Battle. In the original issues, the Shield’s powers were all described as coming from his armored costume, but later stories confirmed that his powers were in him, a result of using his father’s formula. Although the Human Torch meeting the Sub-Mariner in Marvel Mystery Comics #8 is commonly believed to be the first crossover in American comic books, MLJ’s teaming up of the Wizard and the Shield in Pep Comics #4 came out the month prior.
