Though we like the title, The Double Life of Private Strong, much better than the main character's superhero name, Lancelot Strong aka The Shield, bears the historic distinction of being Archie Comics' very first superhero.

A scientist's son and (like our other Did You Know feature, The Fly) an orphan, Strong decides to enlist in the U.S. Army as a teen... but not before discovering that his late father's experiments and Lancelot's exposure to them have resulted in his developing superhuman strength.

The original creation of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, The Shield's first appearance only predates The Fly's by two months. Even so, The Double Life of Private Strong didn't last nearly as long as The Fly did--it ended its run after two issues. Many believe that this was because The Shield's red, white, and blue patriotic costume and motif too closely resembled a few other far more popular superheroes on the market.

The Shield managed to sneak into a few issues of Adventures of The Fly during the early '60s, and in 1983, he received his own title again, Lancelot Strong, which only lasted one issue.