Super-Vixens: Roxy Spaulding

My first introduction to GEN 13 and Image Comics in general came one day when my co-workers had stopped off at a Blockbuster Videostore to rent some flicks for the weekend. At the time, Blockbuster was in the process of “cross merchandising” its wares, and for a brief time, actually sold comics! In any case, my friend Jas saw a slick comic featuring some very pretty girls and picked one up to check out.

Upon arriving back at work (ah, how lax worktime was back then!) Jas, who’d read the entire comic on the ride back, threw it to me and said, “hey, check this comic out, looks totally like the kind of stuff you like, cute girls and the artist is pretty good!”

The comic was called GEN13 (and this was labeled as Issue #0!) from a comic company called IMAGE featuring writers Brandon Choi, Jim Lee and artist J Scott Campbell, though I’d heard of Jim Lee(from his popular new X-Men stint, natch), I hadn’t heard of the other two guys, but from just glancing at page one of this new comic, I knew I was gonna love it, and by the end of it, I was a fan and wanted to see MORE!

Although briefly covering everyone, the issue mostly featured the wacky characters of Roxy and Grunge, two really outgoing, wacky and HILARIOUS characters, and the peppy dialog really enhanced the beautiful artwork. I was to later read that Roxy had been based on Natalie Portman (back when she was still a cute young thang in LEON), but at the time she seemed like nothing more than a savvy, sassy fun-lovin’ teenager, and she immediately became my favorite member!

In later years, Choi and Campbell pulled what I call a “Mallory Keaton” on Roxy, where it seemed like issue by issue, she was getting dumber and dumber, for comedy’s sake of course. And make no mistake about it, Gen13 was all about the comedy! It didn’t bother me when she started becoming the resident Phoebe Buffay, but it certainly was jarring when I later went back and read those earlier issues!

Air-headed or not, throughout the series, Roxy remained the “heart” of the comic, and, along with Grunge, always kept things lively and light when the story sometimes was taking a turn for the somber! Going through the enture series again, it’s easy to see that these characters were the ones that really made me love the strip so much!

Roxy Spaulding

by

Brandon Choi, Jim Lee

 and J. Scott Campbell

Gen 13

Super-Vixens: Caitlin Fairchild

So having read and loved Gen13, I found out from friends that this “Issue Zero” was in fact a bonus issue that was tagged onto the end of the original series. How confusin’ was THAT? (of course, creating bonus issue zeroes seemed to be a regular thing for many a comic in later years, but this was the first I’D heard of it!)

The original series was a 5-Issue miniseries, and it was (at the time) a very coveted and highly priced collector’s item, but taking one look at the cover of Issue One,(with the VERY saucy picture of Fairchild literally bursting out of her dress, and when was the last time you saw a super-heroine in her panties on a cover?) I made the leap and got all of those issues, finally getting to read the origin that I’d only read in capsulated form (in issue 0) as the epic five part saga it was!

Funny, unlike the Issue 0, which fronted the comedy team of Roxy and Grunge, it was clear here in the original five issue storyline that Fairchild was the main character, and it was so interesting to be seeing the story from her point of view, if you know what I mean. Though she would continue to be the statuesque buxom babe (and perennial leader) of the group, she would later be outshone by Roxy and Sarah Rainmaker as the “quirky” gals of the group.

Caitlin Fairchild

by

Brandon Choi, Jim Lee

 and J. Scott Campbell

Gen 13

Super-Vixens: Sarah Rainmaker

Shortly after the original five-issue miniseries ended and that fateful Issue Zero came out, it was announced that Image Comics would be starting up a NEW Gen 13 series, and thru to its origins, this one was even MORE wacky than its predecessors (if that’s possible) with the Gen 13 group fighting evil Maurice Sendak characters, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and even teaming up with the Archie Comics gang!

Fairchild and Roxy were the same characters we’d come to know and love from the miniseries, but if there was one character that really got fleshed out and more fully-developed in this mazi-series, it just HAD to be Sarah Rainmaker, Gen 13’s resident Native American babe/Superheroine! Unlike the very by-the-book Fairchild and the uber-nutty antics of Roxy, Sarah was inevitably the group’s calm and thoughtful voice, and I daresay she even turned out to be the group’s sultry resident sex-kitten!

I remember at the time there was a kind of online controversy regarding Native Americans being stereotyped as overly sexual, and while I haven’t particularly noticed it in other comics as a whole, I will admit that for a awhile there, Sarah was just about the most beautifully exotic woman in that strip regardless of her ethnicity, and one that I certainly looked forward to seeing each month!

Oh, and following in extremely clichéd comic rule regarding superheroes of Native American descent, Rainmaker’s costume of course has lots of fringe and tassles. All Native American comic super heroes have fringe and tassles. Go Figure.

Sarah Rainmaker

by

Brandon Choi, Jim Lee

 and J. Scott Campbell

Gen 13

Super-Vixens: Abbey Chase

We start off with the All-American wonder-girl of the group, Ms. Abbey Chase, better known to us as “The Marilyn Monroe-ish chick of the group”. Or at least that's the way she seemed to be depicted to my friends!

  As for me, I don’t know why, maybe it’s that mole on her right cheek or the dramatically arched eyebrows or pointed nose, but Abbey always reminded me of Christine Baranski, a statement I’ve said to the appalled groans of my fellow Danger Girl fans!

 I know I’m in the minority, but gee, I think Christine Baraski’s sexy!

 More acceptable is my other note that there are times when Abbey reminds me of 4AD rocker Tanya Donelly, and folks, trust me when I tell you that from ME, that’s a HELLUVA compliment!

Oh, and by the way, I KNOW that Pink Waitress outfit I posted up as the "Signature" pose isn't her official costume, but it's my favorite get up she's worn. Sue Me.

Abbey Chase

Danger Girl

by J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell

Super-Vixens: Sydney Savage

 Although it’s hard to tell in a comic full to the brim with hot chicks, Sydney’s supposed to be the “Sexy” one in the DANGER GIRL gang, truly a “Vixen” if there ever was one! Lithe, naughty and forever clad in leather, is there any question as to why she’s my favorite girl in the bunch? The girl is HOT HOT HOT!

Did I make myself clear?

   Oh, and she hails from Down Under (get it? Sydney, Australia? Ar Har Har.), so it’s even more tantalizing to imagine every word out of her mouth spoken in that aussie accent!

  And another helpful little hint here- although sometimes there are so many scantily clad girls running around crowding up the strip, you can always tell which gal Sydney is by that oh so subtle beauty mark right above her right boobie! Did I just say “boobie”? Ah, I must be talking about Sydney!

 Sydney Savage

Danger Girl

by J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell

Super-Vixens: Natalia Kassle

Ah, poor misguided Natalia, the third member who turns out to be a double agent!

Pretty original to have one of the three girls in a brand new comic turn out to be a traitor! But of course, that left the comic scrambling to find a new “third” girl, and though for the most part the spot seems to have been taken by “Silicon” Valleri, there always seems to be a member missing!

Too bad…Natalia sure rocked  that Ursula "Honey Ryder" Andress  bikini ensemble back there, didn’t she. Woulda been nice to continue seeing that in future issues!

Natalia Kassle

Danger Girl

by J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell