The Fox

Publication History

In 1940. the original Fox debuted in a story by writer Joe Blair and artist Irwin Hasen for Blue Ribbon Comics. The character was one of a number of new superheroes being created for the superhero line of MLJ Comics, which later became Archie Comics. The Fox continued to appear for the two years after his debut until Blue Ribbon Comics was canceled in a move by the publisher to focus its stories away from superheroes and towards its rising star, Archie.

The Fox would later reappear in the 1960s as part of the publisher's attempt to revive its superhero franchise. During this time, the character was featured in several stories written and illustrated by Alex Toth. However, this revival of the superhero franchise proved to be short-lived.

Another attempt came in the 1980s, and the Fox was once again brought back to the spotlight. However, this time the mantle of the Fox was passed on to the original character's son. This incarnation of the character lasted only a year.

In 2010, the Fox was reimagined by DC Comics as part of a second wave of Archie Comics heroes being integrated into the DC Universe. This incarnation of the character was created by Brandon Jerwa and Michael Avon Oeming, and the two chose to use the son rather than the original. This Fox starred in a co-feature in the final four issues of the Shield.

In 2013 Archie once again began publishing the Fox's adventures, this time update by Dean Haspiel. This version appears to be very similar to the 80's version of the character.

The Fox I (Paul Patten) - 1940

Paul Patten was a photojournalist for the Daily Globe who was romantically involved with his editor, Ruth Ransom. As a former star athlete for Penn State University, Paul chose to use his peak human athleticism to become a superhero known as the Fox, which would improve his career by often making him the first on scene and the first with the scoop.

Later in his life as a superhero, the Fox developed close alliances with fellow superheroes the Web and Captain Flag. Together, they formed a small superhero team called the Ultra-Men.

The Fox II (Paul Patten Jr.) - 1984

Paul Patten's son, Paul Pattern Jr., chose to carry on the heroic name of the Fox. More than a gifted athelte, Paul Jr. was also a highly skilled martial artist.

This new Fox, now a martial arts hero, found himself up against villainous martial artists such as Martial Law and other villains like Eraser. He also had to contend with the Brain Emperor interfering with his life or more specifically, the life of his girlfriend Delilah Monaco.

Unknown to Paul, the Brain Emperor had manipulated Delilah into become a new heroine called the She-Fox. He did not even know that the She-Fox was really Delilah, nor did she know that the Fox was really Paul.

The Fox III (Travis Fox) - 1992

Travis Fox was a political activist and protector of the environment. He was extremely powerful, having the ability to become one with the earth's forces. He could fly and levitate objects by manipulating gravity and magnetic fields. He also had the ability to heal plants and animals.

The Fox IV (Paul Patten Jr.) - 2010

Paul Patten Jr. was a young film director living in Seattle, Washington who specialized in making documentaries. His father, an agent of the CIA, died when he was seventeen, and the unknown circumstances of that death always hung on to Paul. To the detriment of his own work, he would at times become preoccupied with his dad's old files and video footage.

During one of this moments, he received a mysterious call demanding that he come to Tokyo if he wanted to know more about his father's death. He dropped everything to go to Japan and met with a former spook named Delilah Monaco who knew his father. Recently, she overheard a hitman bragging about killing Paul's father years ago. To see vengeance done, Delilah took Paul to meet with the Heikou Harakara, a neutral organization of ninja assassins only interested in maintaining a balance between right and wrong. This organization was also the home to the Kitsune, a fox the organization believed to be the physical form of the spirit of mischief. When Paul arrived to ask for action against the main who killed his father, Taizo Oshiro, the Kitsune reacted strongly to his presence.

All signs pointed to Paul being chosen as the next Kitsune Warrior, a being selected to bear the imprint of the Kitsune. To this end, Paul endured four straight years of intensive training. The Heikou Harakara molded him into a warrior and grew to fear that someday he would choose his own way and they would not be able to control him. But such was the way of the Kitsune. During this time, he began a sexual relationship with Delilah. On the eve of his final year, he was give the sword and mask of the Kitsune Warrior. Against the ways of the Heikou Harakara, he began to wage an open campaign against the criminal underworld is search of the man who killed his father. At first, the organization was displeased, but it was quickly apparent that he was welcomed by the people of Japan. His masters gave him a new suit and new equipment to better aid him in his quest for Taizo Oshiro.

Paul's war against the Dragon's Head crime organization soon got him exactly what he was after, and Taizo Oshiro was sent to deal with him permanently. The two fought, and Taizo escaped, leaving Paul with a personal revelation. After all he had learned, his heart was no longer raging for revenge against his father's killer. He had found inner peace. He informed his Harakara masters of this and that he would no longer be their warrior. He was done walking this path and would be leaving Japan. But tragically, he went to see Delilah next and found her murdered body on the floor.

The Fox V (Paul Patton Jr.) - 2013

When Archie relaunched their Red Circle properties in 2013, the Fox was once again Paul Patton Jr., a photo-journalist who donned the identity of the Fox to both fight crime and find news stories. He is married to Mae Patton, the She-Fox. His daughter, Kelly Brand, is Fly-Girl, a member of the Crusaders. he also has a son named Shinji Patton.