A
villain published by
DC Comics.
Heat Wave first appeared
in
The Flash #140 in 1963.
The tragic story of Rory Calhoun and his turn to a criminal career
is a dire warning to the under-funding of our school systems. Had
the school system had better funding, the children in Calhoun's class
would likely have taken a field trip to the zoo, science museum, or
the state capital. But one can only imagine it was due to state
budget cuts that Calhoun's class was taken to a meat-packing plant
for a field trip.
During the tour, Calhoun wandered away from the group (which good
little boys and girls never do) and accidently got locked in a
meat locker. Trapped for a long time and unable to escape, Calhoun
found that he was only able to stay warm by blowing into his hands.
When he was finally found, Calhoun was scarred by the incident and
had a fear of being cold and so became obsessed with heat. To this
end, he decided to seek a career that would allow him to be in
contact with heat all the time. Rather than choosing a profitable
career path in the steel industry or a vulcanoligist, Calhoun decided
to be a fire-eater.
Over time, Calhoun decided to that he may have pursued the wrong
career and decided to become a hardened criminal. Dressed in
a fire suit to protect him from the flames, Calhoun created
a gun that acted as a flame thrower and adopted the identity of
Heat Wave. The fact that he chose to start his criminal career
in Central City, the home of the Silver Age Flash,
shows a continued tendancy for Calhoun to make bad choices. He
clashed with the hero on many occasions and even got in a competition
with fellow Rogues Gallery member Captain Cold.
Eventually, Calhoun reformed and became an upright citizen working
as a fireman in Central City and a friend of Barry Allen, the
Flash. The fact that a man who loved fires was given a job as
a fireman makes one wonder at the background checks done by the
Central City fire department. Calhoun lived an uneventful life
for a number of years.
After the disappearance of the Silver Age Flash,
Calhoun and the original members of the Rogues Gallery were
approached by Abra Kadabra and offered great power. Calhoun's
decision making skills were still in full swing and he accepted
finding himself caught in a plot by the demon Neron to defeat
the new Flash Wally West. Calhoun and the others
were killed and returned to earth with great power, but no souls.
They were eventually returned to normal after West defeated
Neron.