Blue Tracer

The Blue Tracer is a vehicle that features in Quality Comics.

History

Pre-Crisis

The Blue Tracer

William "Wild Bill" Dunn was an American engineer working with the army in a secluded section of Ethiopia. While working, his team is attacked by a group of supernatural beings named the M'bujies that possessed highly advanced technology. The M'bujies wound Dunn and kill his teammates where he was rescued by "Boomerang" Jones, an Australian soldier who had been given up for death and was now fighting his own private war against the Nazis. Bill discovered that the people were using this technology to terrorize other local tribes, so he decided to intervene. He used his knowledge and skills to construct a special, high-tech, tank-like vehicle, which he named the 'Blue Tracer'. This impressive machine was a powerful, all-terrain device that he planned to use to fight evil forces wherever they were found. After successfully destroying the M'bujie city and leaving no apparent survivors, Bill assumed the name of his invention as his own superhero identity and, alongside his sidekick Boomerang, turned his attention toward fighting the Axis powers in World War II, traveling the world in his vehicle to advance the Allied cause. (Military Comics v1 #1) Afterwards, British reconnaissance plane was forced down by Axis forces, but not before its crew sent up smoke signals. Due to unusual atmospheric conditions, the signals were seen as a mirage hundreds of miles away by Bill "Wild Bill" Dunn and his sidekick Boomerang Jones, who kept the Blue Tracer hidden in a hangar inside a hillside in Ethiopia. They flew the multi-purpose vehicle to the crash site, where they encountered and defeated enemy tanks and aircraft. Boomerang managed to capture an Italian general, and they delivered important intelligence photographs found in the recon plane back to the Royal Army headquarters. British soldiers recognized the Blue Tracer, implying that its operators had already become known figures, despite being officially listed as absent without leave and dead by army records. (Military Comics v1 #2) "Wild Bill" Dunn and Boomerang Jones took their fight to the Burma Road, where they encountered Japanese forces. Their adventure began in the air, with the Blue Tracer engaging and destroying a Japanese bomber after its guns jammed, forcing Bill to ram the enemy aircraft with the seemingly indestructible Tracer. Landing near a railroad, they were warned by a local leader named Yang Fu about approaching Japanese troops. They devised a plan to use the Blue Tracer in an ambush, but it was overheard by Yang Fu's servant, Sin Fang, who was secretly a Japanese agent. Sin Fang stabbed Yang Fu before escaping, and Boomerang chased the traitor over a cliff to his death. Bill and Boomerang then organized local Chinese guerrillas and flew ahead to destroy a critical railroad trestle, causing an enemy troop train to plunge into a valley and allowing the Chinese forces to finish off the remaining survivors. Their mission was a success, and the pair were thanked by a recovering Yang Fu. Military Comics v1 #3)

The two travel the world and fight the Axis forces during the rest of the war, with Dunn at the head and Jones as his sidekick.

Overview

In appearance, the Blue Tracer was a highly advanced, multi-purpose, heavy-duty vehicle which combined the features of a tank, an airplane, and a submarine. It possessed a powerful, "million horsepower" engine and was heavily armored, built with advanced techniques discovered in a hidden African city. On land, it utilized large caterpillar-like traction plates and wheels for movement. For movement in the air, it featured retractable wings, indicating its dual nature as both a land vehicle and an aircraft. It was also fully submersible, capable of functioning underwater, though the specific method of propulsion was less detailed than its other forms of movement. Visually, it was a formidable and futuristic machine, blue in color, engineered for exceptional durability and adaptability across any terrain, which enabled "Wild Bill" Dunn to operate effectively behind enemy lines. (Military Comics v1 #1)

It could function at high speeds for long distances with great agility on land, under water, or in the air, while greatly out-performing conventional vehicles of all types.

Neither Dunn nor Jones have any superpowers, but Dunn is a good fighter and skilled engineer. The Blue Tracer allows Dunn and Jones to travel on land, under the sea, and in the air. It has many weapons, and can deflect small arms fire easily.

Users

• William Dunn :

Notes

• The Blue Tracer was created by Fred Guardineer where it made its first appearance in Military Comics v1 #1 (August, 1941) by Quality Comics.

Alternate Versions

• In Freedom Fighters v3 #2 (2019), an alternate version of the Blue Tracer appeared in the new Earth-X reality in the reborn Multiverse. The Blue Tracer was an aerial transport that came to be used by the Freedom Fighters on an Earth controlled by Nazi Germany. It had very different capabilities, weapons, and appearance from the original. This Blue Tracer was operated, and repaired when necessary, by a man called Cache, about whom nearly nothing is known. This Blue Tracer was ripped apart by the Cyborg Overman, forcing Cache and the Freedom Fighters to abandon it.

Appearances

• Military Comics v1: (1941)

External Links

• DC Database Entry

This article is a stub. You can help Multiversal Omnipedia by expanding it.