Liberty Belle

Personal information
Real Name: Elizabeth "Libby" Lawrence
Residence: Philadelphia
Occupation: Reporter, radio personality
First Appearance (Golden Age): Boy Commandos #1 (December 1942)
First Appearance (Post-Golden Age): Justice League of America #193 (August 1981)
Character History
Libby Lawrence was born in the late 1910's, the daughter of Army Officer James Lawrence and his wife. Libby's mother died early and Libby was raised by her father, following him around on his various military assignments, In the late 1930's, Libby was a college athlete and won a medal for swimming made of the same material as the Liberty Belle.
In 1939, she followed her father to Warsaw, Poland on an assignment. On September 1 of that year, Nazi Germany invaded Poland and Lawrence saw her father killed in the bombardment., American Rick Cannon tried to pull her to safety causing her to name him a coward. As the Nazis overwhelmed the resistance, she is captured and finds Cannon a German Officer but he oddly helps her escape. Into 1940, she had made her way to Amsterdam and attempted to rouse local authorities to the Nazi threat but they were convinced that Hitler's intentions were only in the East. Proven wrong, Lawrence was again forced to flee, this time again being rescued by Cannon as a German Officer and being forced to swim the English Channel to escape during the evacuation at Dunkirk.
Back in the US, her rescue is sensational news. She is feted with a ticker-tape parade in New York City and launches a media blitz around the nation. In the age of radio, she becomes one of the most famous women in American media. Returning home to Philadelphia, she visits the Liberty Belle and her old friend it's docent Tom Revere. As the old man touches the famous bell, Lawrence's medal vibrates and increase her sense of strength and courage. Catching sight of Rick Cannon, she approaches and overhears plans of espionage. She resolves to create a new identity for herself as Liberty Belle, a costumed adventurer. Arriving at the overheard rendezvous point, she learns that Cannon has been acting as a double agent As the Nazi's subdue him, she breaks through and quickly thrashes them, leaving the bound for Cannon to turn over to the authorities. The next morning, the local papers announce the arrival of Liberty Belle as the nation's newest heroine (Boy Commandos #1).
In December of 1941, the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. Covering the new in Washington, Lawrence is caught up in the patriotic fervor of the American super-hero community and joins several heroes charged by the President to go to the West Coast to fend off a potential attack on the U.S. Mainland. There they discovered the real threat was the time-traveling criminal Per Degaton. Converging with the Justice Society on Hawaii, the assembled heroes managed to defeat Degaton and return him to his proper time. Afterwards, the larger group of heroes formed the wartime All-Star Squadron to defend America against threats both within and without (All-Star Squadron #1-3). Liberty Belle was a major member of the All-Star Squadron, assembling and chairing its first full roster meeting (All-Star Squadron #31). In the summer of 1942, Baron Blitzkrieg attacks Philadelphia and at the Liberty Belle, Tom Revere is killed (All-Star Squadron #45). In the battle with the Baron, she is exposed to some of his equipment gaining the ability produce sound waves. Mourning her father-figure, Liberty Belle abandons her costumed identity briefly but resumes it as the Crisis on Infinite Earths engulfs Earth-Two (Crisis on Infinite Earths LS), Having had a long-running romance with speedster Johnny Quick (Johnny Chambers), they are married in a brief ceremony in Boston (All-Star Squadron #50).
As the Crisis subsided, the state of marriage between Lawrence and Chambers is unclear, For the remainder of the war, Liberty Belle was internationally active as an counter-Axis agent. Throughout her travels, she remained attached and romantically involved
with Rick Cannon, whom she knew from her earliest days as a costumed
adventurer. She spent significant amounts of time in the Pacific battling Japanese forces (Star-Spangled Comics ##37,30-40,42-43,48,and 52-54), at one point even impersonating Japanese propagandist Tokyo Rose (Star-Spangled Comics #49). As World War II drew to a close, Liberty Belle engaged in wrap-up operations feeding starving survivors in Japan (Star-Spangled Comics #55), recovering looted Chinese artifacts from Japanese agents (Star-Spangled Comics #56) and captured Nazi war fugitives (Star-Spangled Comics #58), As she returned to the United States, she was no longer see in Cannon's company and his activities after the war (and whether he survived) are unknown.
Liberty Belle's recorded post-war history is brief, with a few cases of routine crime and one costumed adversary, The Gong, in 1946 (Star-Spangled Comics #61). In her last recorded case in the Spring of 1947, she thwart Slugger Wells and his gang from exploiting guest at a tourist resort with extensive caverns for boat touring (Star-Spangled Comics #68), The later activities and ultimate fate of Liberty Belle on Earth-Two remains to be revealed.
Powers and Abilities
Libby Lawrence was an Olympic level athlete - strong, fast, agile and possessing very high endurance. She was a superior hand to hand combatant but the origins of her training are not known. Through means not entirely known, resonance of a piece of the Liberty Bell that she wore could be synced with the ringing of the original bell, infusing her with augmented speed, strength and resilience. The duration and limits of this effect have not been fully defined. In 1942, her close proximity to the Bell caused her to develop the ability to emit sonic waves. This ability did not seem to last and its basis is unknown.
Weaknesses and Limitations
Libby Lawrence, while a superb specimen of humanity, was mortal and could be injured and killed as such. The limits of the resonance effect of ringing the Liberty Bell are unknown.

Multiversity
Prior Earth-0
The history of Liberty Belle is thought to largely resemble her Earth-Two counterpart. In this timeline that sonic powers were retained at least through 1943, tho they faded with time. She ultimately is succeeded by Hawkman as chair of the All-Star Squadron and oversees the induction of a group of younger heroes known as the Young All-Stars into their ranks. She divorced Johnny Quick sometime after the war but not before they had a daughter Jesse (Justice Society of America Vol 2 #1). Jesse was her father's daughter, having a tumultuous relationship with her mother and eventually becomes the costumed adventurer Jesse Quick. Libby Lawrence becomes an important player in the media and occasionally dons her costume (JSA #54) but was generally not active as a vigilante as her powers had largely faded. During the Infinite Crisis she attempted to restart her powers by physically contact with the Liberty Bell but lost control of them and was ultimately rescued by her daughter and Stargirl (JSA #Her final fate post Flash-Point has not been revealed.

Earth-11
Larry Lawrence of this time is a male version known as Liberty Bill (existence revealed in Teen Justice #5). His history is largely unknown.
Earth-22
The origins of Liberty Belle in the Earth-22 timeline is thought to be similar to Earth-Two's version. After the War, she divorces Johnny and takes up with Jonathan Law instead. She becomes a TV personality and largely abandons her costumed identity until the Ultra-Humanite and Adolph Hitler in the body of Dynaman attack Washington D.C. She joins the melee and after the former members of the All-Star Squadron are defeated, manages to impale Dynaman as he battles Captain Comet, killing him. Her later activities in this timeline are unknown (The Golden Age LS).
Earth-49
This version of Liberty Belle is a member of the Justice Society and active into the 21st century. When the Joker obtains powerful artifact of Chaos that allows him to reap wanton destruction but controlling the minds of others, the JSA joins in the battle and are banished to an unknown dimension. Liberty Belle is among those who vanish and her fate is left unknown (Injustice: Year Zero LS)
Golden Age Appearances of Liberty Belle
Post-Golden Age Appearances
Issue |
Comment |
Reprinted in |
Showcase Presents All-Star Squadron #1 |
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With the All-Star Squadron |
Showcase Presents All-Star Squadron #1 |
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With the All-Star Squadron, JSA and JLA vs the Degaton |
Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 6 |
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With the All-Star Squadron |
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With the All-Star Squadron, vs Ultra-Humanite |
Infinity Inc.: The Generations Saga |
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With the All-Star Squadron, vs Ultra-Humanite, becomes Terri Curtis godmother |
Infinity Inc.: The Generations Saga |
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With the All-Star Squadron |
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With the All-Star Squadron during Crisis on Infinite Earths |
Crisis on Infinite Earths Deluxe Companion #1 HC |
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Participates in Crisis |
Crisis on Infinite Earths HC, Crisis on Infinite Earths TPB, Absolute Crisis on Infinite Earths |