“A man who loves peace so much that he is willing to fight for it!” That’s the original tagline from 1966 Fightin’ 5 #40. Published by Charlton Comics and created by writer Joe Gill and artist Pat Boyette, Peacemaker is Christopher Smith, a pacifist American diplomat, who is wearing red and white tights and a strange helmet to fight against super-criminals and other warlords. At least, he did it during the 5 issues his self-titled series lasted. He was just a bland hero of another era, but one that DC Comics acquired alongside The Question, Blue Beetle, and Captain Atom.
Peacemaker Kills For Peace in The DC Universe
It was the 1980s, and Peacemaker was one of the characters that was going to be reintroduced, making their debut in the new Alan Moore-Dave Gibbons series, Watchmen! But things got too dark, and DC Comics decided not to follow this road. Instead of Peacemaker, we got the Comedian, a character who made a bigger mark on the history of the comics industry than Christopher Smith’s vigilante alter-ego. At least, until James Gunn put him in his movie The Suicide Squad. Played by John Cena, the character is now the star of his own TV Show.
Long before that, and after a cameo in Crisis on Infinite Earths #12, Paul Kupperberg was the first to reintroduce Peacemaker to DC Comics readers in the pages of Vigilante #36-38, drawn by Denys Cowan and Tod Smith. Now, Christopher Smith is not only ready to fight for Peace, but also to kill for it, including Vigilante himself, even if he was not the real one under the costume. He is not the most stable of the heroes, as he is convinced his helmet is holding the souls of those who died next to it.
Kupperberg, with artist Tod Smith, quickly followed up with the 4-issue Peacemaker miniseries in which peace was to be achieved by fighting the terrorist leader named Doctor Tzin Tzin. At least, now, Peacemaker is not talking to too many ghosts in his head, but only his father’s, a nazi. It’s something he was struggling with.
Peacemaker reappeared soon after in the crossover event “The Janus Directive,” before joining Paul Kupperberg’s Checkmate series, making appearances in Showcase ’93. It was almost the end for Peacemaker, who was presumed dead after his helicopter was shot down in Eclipso #13 (1993), during a conflict in the fictional country of Vlatava.
All of this is what you can now discover in the new volume in the DC Finest dedicated to Peacemaker. But that was another Christopher Smith, not the one you can see on TV.
- DC Finest: Peacemaker – Kill for Peace
Collects The Fightin’ 5 #40-41, 1967’s The Peacemaker #1-5, And 1989’s Peacemaker #1-4, Plus Excerpts From Checkmate #16-26, #28, And #32-33, Suicide Squad #27-30, Vigilante #36-38 And #41-43, Showcase ’93 #6-11, and Eclipso #11-13.
Peacemaker Fights For Peace as Blue Beetle’s Mentor
In 2006, it was alongside the new iteration of another Charlton Comics character that Peacemaker resurfaced, in the Blue Beetle series starring Jaime Reyes. At first, he claimed to be named Mitchell Black, but it was soon revealed that he was indeed Christopher Smith, and he had stumbled onto the pyramid where the original Blue Beetle had found its Scarab. There, he came into contact with alien technology. While his return is not fully explained, this didn’t stop him from working with Jaime to fight villains and aliens, becoming a mentor figure of sorts.
You can find Peacemaker’s appearances in the Blue Beetle series in the following list:
- Blue Beetle Vol. 1: Shellshocked
Collects Blue Beetle vol. 7, #1-6. - Blue Beetle Vol. 2: Road Trip
Collects Blue Beetle vol. 7, #7-12. - Blue Beetle Vol. 3: Reach for the Stars
Collects Blue Beetle vol. 7, #13-19. - Blue Beetle Vol. 4: End Game
Collects Blue Beetle vol. 7, #20-26. - Blue Beetle Vol. 5: Boundaries
Collects Blue Beetle vol. 7, #29-34. - Blue Beetle Vol. 6: Black and Blue
Collects Blue Beetle vol. 7, #27-28, #35-36, Booster Gold vol. 2, #21-25, #28-29.
If you’re looking for something more metafictional, an alternative version of Peacemaker and other Charlton Comics characters appear in The Multiversity: Pax Americana (2015) from Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, which was presented as Watchmen in a contemporary setting.
Peacemaker Kills For Peace With The Suicide Squad of the Comics
The DC Comics Universe went through relaunches, and Peacemaker didn’t have a part to play in most of them. He had a short adventure published in 2019 in the Inferior Five comics. In them, Peacemaker is on a top-secret mission from Checkmate and Amanda Waller to find a mysterious weapon before the Russians can.
- Inferior Five
Collects Inferior Five #1-6.
It really was The Suicide Squad movie that put him back on the map during the Infinite Frontier era. Peacemaker joined the Suicide Squad comics written by Robbie Thompson. This version was in part inspired by John Cena’s portrayal, but these comics do not have the same tone as the show. In it, he was portrayed as an unwavering believer in peace through total control, often clashing with Amanda Waller and other Squad members. He also appeared in the Titans: Beast World storyline.
- Suicide Squad: Give Peace a Chance
Collects Suicide Squad #1-6, Future State: Suicide Squad #1-2. - Suicide Squad Vol. 2: Ambushed!
Collects Suicide Squad #7-15.
Set before he joined the Suicide Squad, Peacemaker: Disturbing the Peace (2022) #1 is a one-shot origin comic from Garth Ennis and Garry Brown that explores his history of violence.
Peacemaker Comics for the Fans of the Show
Peacemaker also had a DC Black Label miniseries, more violent and certainly what you’d want to read if you were searching for a version of the character that would be close to the TV show’s version.
Coming from writer Kyle Starks and artist Steve Pugh, Peacemaker Tries Hard! puts Peacemaker on a quest to save his beloved dog from a super-villain who has some nefarious plans for Christopher Smith’s skill set.
- Peacemaker Tries Hard!
Collects Peacemaker Tries Hard! #1-6!
Coming from writer Tim Seeley, Peacemaker Presents: The Vigilante/Eagly Double Feature! is a comic book based on the Peacemaker TV Show with input from James Gunn. “When Peacemaker mysteriously disappears, Adrian Chase goes on a rampage to “save” his best friend… even though Peacemaker is just on vacation. Meanwhile, Eagly and his so-called sidekick, Chris Smith, find themselves stranded in the wilderness, hunted by masked assassins with a serious grudge.”
- Peacemaker Presents: The Vigilante/Eagly Double Feature!
Collects Peacemaker Presents: The Vigilante/Eagly Double Feature! #1-5.
