Superman Analogue: Caitlin Fairchild

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Image Comics in the 90s had lots of characters vying for attention, but it was hard to miss Gen 13's Caitlin Fairchild!

Original Thread: https://twitter.com/CaseAiken/status/1105248060341395456

Original Text: Today's entry is a perfect fit as a #SupermanAnalogue, but I cringe at the number of gratuitous shots I found when I did an image search for Caitlin Fairchild from #Gen13
I have mixed feelings about this one as an adult. I'm not a big fan of over sexualizing women in comics now, but when I was 13...I was. And the male gaze was strong in 90s Gen 13.
Gen 13 was a team book that was part of Jim Lee's Wildstorm line at Image comics. It was sort of the Flagship of the second wave of books that the fledgling publisher put out, after all the creators got their first runs going, such as WildCATs or Spawn.
The book had shades of Teen Titans mashed up with X-Men (the planned title was GenX before Marvel put the kibosh on that). To that end, everyone came off as 90s updates to classic teen hero molds.
Each member was an unwitting test subject in a government experiment to make super soldiers. Fairchild began as a mousey female Clark Kent, but when her powers kicked in she gained the appearance of a 6'5" model, in addition to vast super strength and invulnerability.
Despite being fairly shy, she quickly became team leader and grew more confident as a hero. And I have to say, I dug the character arc. In retrospect, it's a little manic pixie dream girl (she doesn't see herself as hot, she's a bookworm, yadda yadda yadda)
...BUT for the time she was written well. She became a fixture of Image ads and a fan favorite. As a result she's had some interesting crossovers in other comic lines.
And is one of the few characters from Wildstorm to remain prominent in the DCU after being folded into the New 52 era. As seen here, manhandling Superboy:
But all of this is to say that Caitlin Fairchild is an excellent stand in for a Superman type. While she can't fly, she is a powerhouse capable of going blow for blow with Hulk like monsters. She pulls off the look pretty well, too.
Brainy certainly thinks so.
And that's not to say her base look doesn't suit her. While purple and green are secondary superhero colors, they go well with her red hair. I dig the asymmetrical stripe design, although the exposed legs are just gratuitous. Fortunately she gets pants with her later looks.
I should note that apparently Gen 13 got a cartoon movie at one point, but I've never seen it.
But yeah, that's Caitlin Fairchild. She represents a lot of what was wrong with comics in the 90s, but was also a character I loved (for many of those same reasons). I'm glad that looking back, she's mostly known for her brains, then her brawn, and lastly her beauty.
She began her existence representing a fantasy that was very tangible to adolescents: the ugly duckling becoming a beautiful swan, but also able to lift a tank. She was a metaphor for entering adulthood. While she was drawn for young men, she was written as a relatable woman.
And that makes her interesting to talk about. The Superman fantasy is sometimes locked in a childish view of heroism and Fairchild was a character who approached that fantasy from an adolescent perspective instead.
Oh, later thoughts about her costume: green and purple are usually for villains or secondary characters, but maybe this represents here that Fairchild has taken on the role of Beta female, but her innate nature is as a leader as represented by her bright red hair. No...Too deep.

Master Thread: https://twitter.com/CaseAiken/status/1346189702580342785

Music by Bret Eagleston - www.breteagleston.bandcamp.com

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