| Firebug | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | (Rigger) Batman #318 (December 1979) (Combs) Gotham Central #3 (March 2003) (Unnamed) Deadshot (vol. 2) #1 (February 2005) |
| Created by | (Rigger) Len Wein (writer) Irv Novick (artist) (Combs) Ed Brubaker (writer) Michael Lark (artist) (Unknown) Christos Gage (writer) Steven Cummings (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | -Joe Rigger -Harlan Combs -Unnamed |
| Species | Human |
| Abilities | (Rigger) Military training Costume contains napalm tanks to set things on fire |
Firebug is the name of three supervillains appearing in media published byDC Comics, primarily as enemies ofBatman. All three are insect-themed arsonists, similar toFirefly.
Firebug has made limited appearances in media outside comics, withTom Kenny voicing the Joe Rigger incarnation of the character inBatman: Caped Crusader.
The Joe Rigger incarnation of Firebug debuted inBatman #318 and was created byLen Wein andIrv Novick.[1]
The Harlan Combs incarnation of Firebug debuted inGotham Central #3 and was created byEd Brubaker andMichael Lark.
The unnamed Firebug debuted inDeadshot (vol. 2) #1 and was created byChristos Gage andSteven Cummings.
Joe Rigger is a soldier and demolitions expert who returns toGotham City after several of his family members are killed in separate building-related accidents. His sanity slipping, Rigger vows that the buildings will not kill again. Using his military training and a costume containing tanks of napalm, Rigger becomes Firebug and sets out to burn all three buildings to the ground. He is defeated byBatman atop the Gotham State Building and presumed dead after his tank explodes.[2][3]
Firebug escapes fromBlackgate Penitentiary and applies for membership inBlack Mask's gang, but is beaten by rival arsonistFirefly. He subsequently attempts to prove he is a better arsonist, but appears to die in a fire he started. Firebug is later revealed to have survived. His close brush with death along with the scarring it caused prompts him to sell his Firebug costume and gear and retire.[4]
InThe New 52 reboot, Firebug is reintroduced when he is hired by an unknown party to blow up several Gotham buildings to lure and killBatgirl.[5] She survives the attempt and tracks down Firebug. Upon his arrest, Firebug claims his employers will not allow him to be incarcerated.[6]
A new Firebug debuted inGotham Central #3. At first, his identity is unknown and he is wanted in the murder of a teenage girl who was killed after a babysitting job. Eventually, the Gotham police deduce that the culprit was Harlan Combs, the father of the child she was sitting. Combs was originally a civilian who purchased the Firebug costume from Joe Rigger. Combs is injured fleeing the police and is quickly arrested.[4]
An unnamed character using the name Firebug debuted in the 2005 seriesDeadshot.[7] He had won the name and costume from an Internet auction. After taking on the Firebug name, he enters the costume business.[8]
Firebug later appeared in a flashback revealing that he teamed up withMr. Freeze, but was defeated by Batman andHarvey Dent prior to Batman leaving Gotham City for a year.[9][10]
