More Beautiful Comic Book Women

Welcome to my second Hub about the beautiful women of comics.

Like the last Hub, this one features some of the hottest women that comic book creators have...ummm...created?

Yes, these are all fictional women that push comic book subscriptions up when they appear on the cover or between the covers (ahem) of comic books.

Most people think that female superheroes take a back seat to the males, but I wonder who catches a comic book fan's eye faster...a scantily clad Batman or a scantily clad Storm?

I mean generally.

So while characters like Batman, Superman and Spider-Man may be the comic book company’s flagships, here are some more of the women that put the wind in those sails.....

If you want a woman with a colorful, full, rich background, you'd be hard pressed to find a character more complicated than Ororo Iqadi T'Challa-Munroe, also known as Storm.
Storm was created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum and made her first appearance in Giant Size X-Men #1 (1975).
Besides being a very strong female character, Storm has the honor of being the first (as far as I can tell) black woman to play a major role in a comic series for either of the two big comic book companies.
And just so you don't think Storm is just another pretty face, the Sentinels (robots programmed to hunt and capture or kill mutants) identify Storm as a possible Omega-level mutant.
Storm has weather control, great magical potential, combat skills, thievery skills, she's immune to extreme weather conditions and temperatures and she has one of the strongest wills in the X-Men.
She was played by Halle Berry in the X-Men movies.

Dawn was created by comic book artist Joseph Michael Linsner in 1989.
She is the goddess of birth and rebirth and the guardian of all the witches on Earth.
Dawn is so popular, that at Dragon-Con, a Dawn look-alike contest has been held for the past ten years.
And she is on the cover of the Gary Numan CD album Numan: Dawn (aka: Sacrifice).
Although Dawn is usually shown as a drop-dead gorgeous young red-haired woman, she has also been depicted in many different shapes, sizes and colors because she can change her appearance to match the expectations of the person looking at her.

Rogue was created by Chris Claremont and Michael Golden, and she debuted in the 1981 Avengers Annual #10.
Like the two women before her on this list, Rogue is one of the most powerful beings in comics.
If Rogue touches you, she can absorb your memories, knowledge, talents, personality, and physical abilities.
Rogue appeared in all the X-men films (played by Anna Paquin) and all of the X-Men cartoons.
I have to admit though, the old 1990's X-Men was my favorite portrayal.

Marvel Comics Black Cat (Felicia Hardy) is one third of possibly the hottest love triangle in comics with Spider-man, Mary Jane Watson (Parker) and herself.
Actually, the Black Cat wasn't created as a Spider-Man character, but a Spider-Woman character.
And no matter what her creator Marv Wolfman says, I still think Black Cat is a homage to (or inspired by) Catwoman.
"Cat" as part of her name...check
Cat Burglar...check
Black Costume...check (yes let's argue that Catwoman didn't get her all black costume in the comics till Frank Miller, but 1966..Julie Newmar/Catwoman...black cat suit.)
Unrequited love for a super-hero...check
Of course just because I think Black Cat is inspired by Catwoman, it doesn't make Black Cat any less of a character.
I mean look at Aquaman/Namor, Green Arrow/Hawkeye, Dr Fate/Dr Strange...all similar but different.

I think it's safe to say that except for Dark Phoenix, Elektra has the highest body count attributed to her of any female superhero.
She is a ninja assassin, highly skilled in martial arts and weaponry and has shown psychic abilities like hypnotism, mind-swapping and low-level telekinesis, plus she can telepathically communicate with others that have her same level of mental prowess.
Elecktra was portrayed by Jennifer Garner first in Daredevil (2003) and then in the spin-off film, Elektra (2005).

The Black Widow (Natalia Romanova or as she was known back "in the day" Natasha Romanoff) first appeared as a villain back in 1964 in Tales of Suspense #52.
After she dropped her weird original costume and got her trademark skintight black costume, she became one of my favorite characters.
She has been Daredevil's girlfriend (for about three years in real time) and led her own team (The Champions).
Of course the Widow is experiencing a surge in popularity due to Scarlett Johansson playing her in Iron Man 2.

Another character with a long convoluted past is Mystique.
She is the mother of bad guy Graydon Creed (the father was Sabretooth), the hero Nightcrawler (the father was a demonic-looking mutant named Azazel) , and the foster mother of the Rogue.
This mutant shapeshifter with blue skin and yellow eyes has formed her own team (the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants), knocked off almost as many people as Elektra and is said to be over one hundred years old.
In the X-Men films she was portrayed by Rebecca Romijn, but I really never got into her reptilian look.
I prefer the "normal" blue skin, but I guess maybe they were afraid using that would lead to Smurfette jokes.

The muscle of the superhero group Gen13, Caitlin Fairchild seems to be a favorite of comic book artists and fans alike.
And she's the fourth red-head on this Hub so far.....
Originally, Fairchild had incredible strength and durability due to her gen-factor causing her mass and muscle density to grow exponentially.
Of course like any comic book hero, all that has changed and been altered over the years.
But the bullet-proof Caitlin that could throw trucks at you is my favorite incarnation.

Koriand'r was created by Marv Wolfman (yes, the same guy that created Black Cat) and George Pérez and made her first appearance in DC Comics Presents #26 (1980).
Starfire is a visually striking character.
Besides her obvious physical appearance, she leaves a contrail behind her when she flies, has a waist length auburn hair, and fires starbolts.
Of course the comic book version of Starfire looks vastly different than the Starfire that appeared on the Teen Titans animated series.
And Koriand'r is the fourth DC hero to carry that name.
Before her was the Russian superhero Starfire, the Supergirl villian Starfire and the swordswoman Starfire, none of which are related to her.

The last entry here isn't just a person, it's a group.
Birds of Prey started out as a one shot Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey in 1996.
The Huntress didn't join the group until 2003, and of course most people are familiar with this trio because of the Birds of Prey TV series in 2002.
The Birds of Prey isn't just a trio though, most of the female superheroes in the DC universe have been members or worked with them at one time or another.