REAL NAME: Gary Preston
ALIASES: The Flame
ALIASES: The Flame
AFFILIATIONS: Cult of Tummo (the Flame People)
RELATIVES: Charteris Preston (deceased father), unnamed deceased mother
MARITAL STATUS: Single
CLASS: Human mystic
LIVING STATUS: Deceased
REALITY: Earth-164A
PLACE OF BIRTH: Huli, China
CAUSE OF DEATH: NA
ALIGNMENT: Good
IDENTITY: Secret
GENDER: NA
HISTORY
POWERS & WEAPONS
CITIZENSHIP: Citizen of USA
OCCUPATION: Adventurer, private investigator
EDUCATION: Tibet lamasery
BASE OF OPERATIONS: Fox City, Pennsylvania
OCCUPATION: Adventurer, private investigator
EDUCATION: Tibet lamasery
BASE OF OPERATIONS: Fox City, Pennsylvania
KNOWN ENEMIES: Octopus, Dr. Drool, Dr. Ivan
CREATORS: Will Eisner & Lou Fine
FIRST APPEARANCE: Wonderworld Comics #3 (July 1939)
CREATORS: Will Eisner & Lou Fine
FIRST APPEARANCE: Wonderworld Comics #3 (July 1939)
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
GENDER: NA
HEIGHT: 6' 0"
WEIGHT: 185 lbs
EYES: Blue
HAIR: Brown
WEIGHT: 185 lbs
EYES: Blue
HAIR: Brown
UNUSUAL FEATURES: NA
Gary's parents were missionaries in China. Gary's mother died in childbirth and his father also died shortly after, victim of a flood. Little Gary was saved in extremis by a monk of the Tummo cult (known as the Flame People). Gary was raised in the Tummo temple, somewhere in Tibet. The boy was trained in the mystical ways of the sect. When he reached adulthood he was sent back to the West, to learn his origins and bring order and harmony to the chaotic and decadent Western world. Initially Gary set up as a private investigator, but soon created a masked identity under which he could use his paranormal abilities more freely. Gary had two collaborators: Pug Pendleton, a former pickpocket and boxer; and Linda Dale, who started out as Gary's secretary, but ended up being Gary's partner in adventures (as well as his girlfriend). After Flame was killed fighting Octopus, Linda Dale used a secret formula that granted her the secret powers of the Flame People, turning her into Flame Girl.
Gary had the paranormal ability to control fire and heat. He could raise his own body temperature to the point where he could burst into flames or melt bullets. He could control and direct any flame in his presence. He could also teleport from one place to another by appearing within any source of fire, no matter how small. Flame's only weakness was water, which can severely weaken him.