Firehair

Origin

In the early 19th century, a wagon train traveling west across the Great Plains was attacked and massacred by a tribe of Blackfoot Indians who were afraid the white men would bring an end to their way of life. The only survivor of the attack was a blue - eyed, red-haired infant boy who was spared from death and then adopted by the powerful Grey Cloud, chief of the tribe. On the night before the raid, the tribes shaman had seen omens in the smoke of their camp fire, images of a great warrior who would not look like any other warrior of the Blackfeet, and who would be despised by his own people and by those he sought to help. Grey Cloud believed this boy might be the one of whom the shaman had spoken.

As the years passed, young Firehair was shunned by his peers for his pale skin and flaming hair. Tutored by the tribal elders in the ways of the Plains Indians, Firehair excelled in his lessons, feeling he had to do more than his contemporaries to prove himself a chief's son. Eventually he could out-wrestle, out-run and out-shoot (with bow and arrow) any of the boys his own age. On the eve of his 18th birthday, Firehair was sent to the mountains to cleanse himself in body and spirit so he could return to the tribe a man. in his sweat lodge, Firehair's fever dreams were of his infancy among the White Men, and confused, he returned to his tribe. Reluctantly, Grey Cloud sent Firehair to a distant town, where he hoped all of Firehair's questions about his past would be answered.

In the town, Firehair found himself hated by the locals for his Indian ways and clothing, just as he had been hated by the Indians for his white man's appearance. Hurt and confused, Firehair swore to wander the face of the world until he could find a place where he truly belonged. It is unclear whether or not he ever found that place.

Creation

Firehair was created by industry heavyweight Joe Kubert, who wrote, drew, and even edited his first three appearances. Though Joe Kubert carried the creator title, Joe credits DC Comics artist Carmine Infantino with Firehair's co-creation. Firehair debuted in DC Comics' tryout series Showcase, with a three-issue run starting in Showcase #85. Unlike other creations that made their debut in Showcase, Firehair did not get enough fan response to warrant his own title. However, when Firehair's Showcase run was reprinted as a backup story in Son of Tomahawk, there was enough interest to keep him as an occasional guest star in that comic. Since his creation, Firehair occasionally appears as a Wild West character from DC's history, appearing in DC crisis events and in flashback stories, like The War That Time Forgot.

Powers and Abilities

Firehair is an excellent hand-to-hand combatant, and has experience fighting with most weapons common to Indians of the 1800s, including spears, knives, and tomahawks. Firehair speaks many Indian languages, including the dialects of the Blackfoot, the Navajo, and the Absaroke. He has also learned English.

Statistics

Height: 5' 10"

Weight: 188 lbs

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Red