Spitfire’s Transfusion: The Annotated Version
Spitfire was a super-speedster who first appeared in the pages of The Invaders, a 1970s comic that chronicled the adventures of a team of super-heroes during World War II. In the past few years, she has been seen in Captain America and the Union Jack mini-series. More recently, she has been appearing in Captain Britain and M.I. 13. Her origin story takes place in 1942.
During the events of The Invaders #9, Jacqueline Falsworth was attacked by the vampire Baron Blood — who also just happened to be her uncle, long thought deceased. He drained her blood in order to turn her into a vampire, in part to get revenge on the Falsworth family, but also because he wanted an undead consort1. The Invaders arrived in time to stop Baron Blood, but Jacqueline had lost a tremendous amount of blood and was in grave danger. She was rushed to the nearest hospital in Invaders #11 2.
The doctors hurried Jacqueline to surgery and were amazed that she sustained that much blood loss from such tiny wounds3. Testing reveals that she has a strange substance in her blood that constantly changed her blood type. This makes transfusion a challenge, and the head doctor laments that Jacqueline cannot receive blood transfusions of any type, even type O4.
The Human Torch5 enters the operating room and volunteers his own blood; he tells the doctors that he is a true universal donor6. The doctors immediately agree7 and hook the Torch up to the transfusion equipment.
Jacqueline survives despite her tremendous blood loss, thanks to the incredible amount of blood donated by the Human Torch8. Other than merely saving her life, the Human Torch’s android blood somehow combined with the vampire proteins of Baron Blood that were already in her system to grant her super speed9, powers she used to become the super-heroine Spitfire.
NOTES:
1. I know vampire stories are supposed to represent some “forbidden” component of sexuality, but your own niece as a consort? That’s just creepy.
2. It didn’t really take 2 issues for the Invaders to find a hospital — there was an intervening fill-in reprint issue.
3. If I were a vampire, I would bite the neck vertically, along the blood vessels, not horizontally where you’re guaranteed to miss with at least one of your fangs.
4. Blood type is based on which proteins are present on the membrane of person’s red blood cells. Type A has A proteins, Type B has B proteins, Type AB has A and B proteins, and Type O has neither A nor B proteins. For Jacqueline’s blood to keep switching blood types would mean that these proteins must be constantly changing, and the body simply does not work that fast. Even if her blood type were constantly switching, she should still be able to receive a transfusion of Type O blood . It could be that there is some vampire antibody in her system that reacts against any human blood type — that makes the most sense, though it doesn’t really “change” her blood type.
5. This is the original Human Torch, an android. Not the Human Torch who is a member of the Fantastic Four.
6. The last time the Human Torch gave blood, it was described as “live fire” and required asbestos tubing. I guess he’s mellowed out since then.
7. Apparently, the doctors just take his word for it since they don’t run any tests on him.
8. If the Human Torch’s blood is that good, and he can produce so much of it, surely he could save more lives by donating it to blood blanks than by acting as a super-hero. There are other super-heroes to fill in on the Invaders, but only one blood producing android.
9. For those keeping track at home, like all previous super power giving transfusions, this was a whole blood transfusion (as much as androids have “whole blood”).
July 9th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
So, how does this explain Spitfire biting Skrulls’ throats out in Captain Britain and M.I. 13 #1? Is it residual vampireyness, or what?
July 9th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Official Comment
That’s seems to be exactly what writer Paul Cornell is suggesting. Here’s a good article about Spitfire and Captain Britain and MI:13 that tackles her vampiric aspect.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:56 am
With number 7, would they have time to run tests?
July 10th, 2008 at 6:43 am
Official Comment
Good question.
I’d think that there should be time to run a test or two. Jacqueline’s receiving plasma, so they’ve bought some time. Plus, the doctors have taken the time to run repeated blood type tests on her, so they’re obviously not too concerned about timing.
A strange man has just stood up and announced that he has the perfect– and impossible — blood type. Why not take a minute to test it rather than run the risk of injuring the patient even more if the blood types are not compatible?
July 10th, 2008 at 7:41 am
Is the artist Carmine Infantino?
Worst. Comic Artist. Ever.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:17 am
The artist was Frank Robbins if I remember correctly.
July 12th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Yes, Frank Robbins, who was, in fact, great.
I’d take him over a Jim Lee or Silvestri any day of the week.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:06 am
In that article, it shows a picture of MI:13 #5, with Blade. Why on Earth does he have two hands again? He chewed through his own wrist in his most recent series! Even if he broke back into his father’s secret facility and stole his hand back, by the end of the series it was far too late to get it reattached. Unless it IS possible after several days…
July 19th, 2008 at 3:30 am
Re. footnote 1: Well, you have to consider that US laws and social standards do not apply universally. Don’t know about the UK, but AFAIK under current German law it is legally possible to marry your cousin and sex between uncles and nieces or aunts and nephews is not considered incest (I got the latter information from a booklet “Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung in the Light of the Penal Code”, which came to the conclusion that the relationship between Siegfried and Brunhilde (aunt and nephew) may be wrong, but not illegal).
Also, of course, with the small pool of people of “equal birth” and the necessities of keeping property in the family, it was quite common for centuries for members of the aristocracy and nobility (and the Falsworths qualify) marrying relatives.
But of course, there are also tendencies among “commoner” writers to portray members of the aristocracy as effete and decadent, so having aristocrats who are either homosexual or have incestuous leanings is a common enough trope. IIRC that would fit in with Baron Blood’s general portrayal at the time.
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