Menagerie (Image Comics)

Last updated
Menagerie
Menagerie-D5-25-AnthonyCastrillo.jpg
Menagerie, from Dynamo 5 #25 (October 2009). Art by Anthony Castrillo.
Publication information
Publisher Image Comics
First appearance Dynamo 5 #1 (January 2007)
Created byJay Faerber
Mahmud A. Asrar
In-story information
Alter egoOlivia Lewis
SpeciesSuperhuman
Place of originEarth
Team affiliations Dynamo 5
Notable aliasesSlingshot
AbilitiesAnimal shapeshifting
Formerly:
Flight

Olivia "Livvie" Lewis [1] is a comic book superheroine and a member of the superhero team Dynamo 5, which appears in the monthly series of the same name from Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A. Asrar, Slingshot first appeared in Dynamo 5 #1 (January 2007).

Contents

For the first 24 issues of the series, the character possessed the power of flight, and went by the codename Slingshot. In issue #25 of the series (October 2009), the character, whose powers had been erased in the previous issue, obtained different powers. Now possessing the power to shapeshift into any animal, she goes by the name Menagerie. [2]

Publication history

Olivia "Livvie" Lewis' biological mother died when Livvie was young enough to require her adoptive father and her mother's widow, Neil Lewis, a high-priced Washington DC lawyer, to learn how to cook. [3] Livvie is a junior at Georgetown University, an overachiever, [4] and a driven activist who is involved with half a dozen different volunteer organizations and extracurricular activities, which include working as a reporter for G.U.'s campus newspaper, The Hoya , and volunteering at a clinic, though her workaholic nature leaves less time for her boyfriend Derrick than he’d like. [5]

Following the assassination of Captain Dynamo, the much-beloved superhero protector of Tower City, his widow, former government agent posing as a now-retired investigative reporter Maddie Warner, discovered from his personal effects that he had been unfaithful to her countless times. Despite her devastation at this discovery, Warner realized that without a full-time protector, Tower City would be vulnerable to Captain Dynamo’s legion of super-villain enemies. She used her skills and the information she discovered to track down five people who could be Dynamo’s illegitimate children.

Livvie was the second of Captain Dynamo’s children that Warner contacted, [5] and the second oldest. [6] Gathering all five of the children together, Warner exposed them to the same unidentified radiation that gave Captain Dynamo his powers forty years earlier, unlocking their powers. Livvie inherited her father’s ability of flight, took the codename Slingshot, and works to protect Tower City with her newly discovered brothers and sisters. [5]

Olivia Lewis in her previous identity of Slingshot. From Dynamo 5 #1. Art by Mahmud A. Asrar. Slingshot Dynamo 5.jpg
Olivia Lewis in her previous identity of Slingshot. From Dynamo 5 #1. Art by Mahmud A. Asrar.

As a member of Dynamo 5, Slingshot is dedicated and attentive. [7] She is respectful and reserved towards Maddie Warner, usually referring to and addressing her as "Ma'am", [5] or "Mrs. Warner", and eschewing profanity in her presence. She finds Warner's writings as a journalist to be "brilliant", and objects to her brother Spencer's view that this deference is an attempt on her part to "suck up" to Warner. [7] She is not completely deferential to Warner, however. For example, in the team's first year, she angrily refuses to comply with Warner's order that she and her siblings stay in Tower City to protect it after she learned of her father's kidnapping. [8]

Neil Lewis was kidnapped by the former employers of an assassin named Lionel Barstow. These employers blackmailed her into freeing Barstow, but after she and her siblings did so, Barstow killed his ex-employers with his "death touch". Barstow explained that after he was captured, his attorney, Neil Lewis, advised him to testify against his employers. Although Slingshot's siblings are outraged at learning that they freed a murderer, Slingshot is more concerned with getting her father to safety than returning Barstow to the authorities, [9] a decision that later serves as a source of tension among the team. [8] Livvie later finds Barstow and returns him to the authorities, despite his threat to use her secret identity as a bargaining chip with them. [6]

Neil Lewis was profoundly disturbed to discover his daughter's secret when she rescued him, and pained to learn that Livvie's mother cheated on him with Captain Dynamo. Livvie, however, recalling her feeling of betrayal with Spencer, sympathized with him, but reassured him that because of Dynamo's shapeshifting ability, he could've impersonated Neil himself when he fathered Livvie, and that Livvie's mother may not have truly cheated on Neil. [10]

In issues 24 and 25 of the series, the team was attacked by their other half-sibling, the supervillain Synergy, who used a weapon to erase the team's abilities and capture them. The team freed themselves, and used the weapon to restore their powers, but they manifested different abilities than the ones they previously had. Olivia found that she and her brother Spencer had switched their powers but, in her case, it was exhibited in a different way. Now possessing animal shapeshifting, she took the new codename Menagerie.

Powers

Olivia Lewis has the superhuman ability to shapeshift into any animal. She can only shapeshift into real animals, and not fictional ones. Shapeshifting into too many different forms in a small span of time, as when, for example, she shapeshifted into five different animals in rapid succession during a training session shortly after receiving her powers, physically exhausts her. Of the five members of Dynamo 5, Olivia is the only one who received a superhuman ability in issue #25 that was not previously exhibited by one of her siblings. Unlike her brother, Spencer, who previously had shapeshifting abilities, Olivia cannot use her abilities to impersonate other people. Although Spencer ostensibly could not shapeshift into animals, Olivia has speculated that perhaps he could and simply did not know it, and that in general, much about her powers and those of her siblings remains unknown. [2]

In her previous identity of Slingshot, Olivia had the ability to defy gravity, and fly under her own power. The top speed and altitude she could achieve unaided is unknown, but she was able to use this ability to be an effective fighter in battles. In one encounter with the reptilian monster known as Whiptail, she was able to fly around the creature fast enough to create a miniature tornado, causing him dizziness, without suffering any ill effects herself. [7] Although she did not inherit her father’s superhuman strength, she was able to generate extra thrust while in flight, as she was able to carry another person when flying. She also used the speed she could generate while in flight to render an opponent unconscious with the impact of a single punch. Whether this is a physiological adaptation that manifested itself along with her flight power, or a result of reinforced gloves, has not been specified. [5] Although she no longer has this power, she can, with her shapeshifting abilities, become an animal capable of flight, such as a bird. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shapeshifting</span> Ability to physically transform in mythology, folklore and speculative fiction

In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existent literature and epic poems such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad. The concept remains a common literary device in modern fantasy, children's literature and popular culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meggan (character)</span> Comics character

Meggan Puceanu is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in stories featuring Captain Britain, and the X-Men. A mutant empath and shapeshifting elemental, she was created by writer Alan Moore and artist Alan Davis, and first appeared in Mighty World of Marvel #7, which was published in the United Kingdom by Marvel's British publication arm, Marvel UK. Her first appearance in an American Marvel publication was in The New Mutants Annual #2 (1986). She eventually chose the codename Gloriana, a name of victory coined by the demons of Hell.

<i>Birdman and the Galaxy Trio</i> American animated television series

Birdman and the Galaxy Trio, or simply Birdman or The Galaxy Trio, is an American animated television series made by Hanna-Barbera Productions that debuted on NBC on September 9, 1967, and ran on Saturday mornings until January 20, 1968. The program consists of two segments: Birdman, depicting the adventures of a winged superhero powered by the sun, and The Galaxy Trio, centered around the adventures of a patrol of interstellar superheroes. Each segment was a complete independent story, and the characters of each segment did not interact with those of the other, except for a bumper that has all four heroes defeating a prehistoric monster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blaze and Satanus</span> Comics character

Blaze and Satanus are twin fictional demonic siblings appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Blaze first debuted in Action Comics #655, created by Roger Stern and Brett Breeding and first pencilled by Bob McLeod. Later, Satanus was created by Brett Breeding and debuted in The Adventures of Superman #493 by Jerry Ordway and Tom Grummett. The twin duo originally starred as Superman villains associated with the supernatural but were later revealed to be the children of the Wizard Shazam, Blaze respectively depicted as a powerful enemy of the Marvel Family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Faerber</span> American novelist

Jay Faerber is an American comic book and television writer. Faerber is known for his work on Generation X and New Warriors for Marvel Comics, and The Titans and Connor: Spotlight for DC Comics. He later wrote his own creator-owned titles for Image Comics, including Noble Causes, Dynamo 5, Near Death and Copperhead. He was also a writer on the television series Ringer, Star-Crossed, Zoo, and Supergirl.

<i>Noble Causes</i> Comic book series by Jay Faerber

Noble Causes is an American comic book series created and written by Jay Faerber, illustrated by a variety of artists and published by Image Comics. It was launched in 2002.

<i>Codename: Strykeforce</i>

Strykeforce is a team of mercenary superheroes created by comics creator Marc Silvestri and published by Top Cow, an imprint Image Comics. The comic series Codename: Strykeforce was an offshoot of Cyberforce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Ghost (character)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

The Red Ghost and his Super-Apes are a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters started their career fighting the Fantastic Four, before confronting other Marvel heroes, such as Iron Man and Spider-Man.

Voodoo (<i>Wildstorm</i>) Comic superhero

Voodoo is a comic book superhero, appearing in books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Brandon Choi and artist Jim Lee, she first appeared in WildC.A.T.s #1, which was produced by Jim Lee's studio, WildStorm comics, and published by Image Comics. After WildStorm and its properties were purchased by DC Comics in 1999, the character continued as a character in books under the WildStorm imprint, until DC discontinued the WildStorm imprint in December 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exemplars (comics)</span> Fictional comic book group

The Exemplars are a fictional group appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Group is made up of eight humans—Bedlam, Carnivore, Conquest, Decay, Inferno, Juggernaut, Stonecutter, and Tempest—who were empowered by the Octessence.

Mosaic is a 2007 American animated superhero film about a new character created by Stan Lee. It features the voice of Anna Paquin as Maggie Nelson and with supporting roles done by Kirby Morrow, Cam Clarke, Garry Chalk, Ron Halder, and Nicole Oliver. It was released under the Stan Lee Presents banner, which is a series of direct-to-DVD animated films distributed by POW! Entertainment with Anchor Bay Entertainment. The story was by Stan Lee, with the script by former X-Men writer Scott Lobdell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain Dynamo (character)</span> Comics character

Captain Dynamo is a comic book superhero, created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Fran Bueno, who first appeared as a supporting character in Noble Causes: Extended Family #2 by Image Comics.

<i>Dynamo 5</i> Fictional superhero team and comic series

Dynamo 5 is a comic book superhero team created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A. Asrar, which appears in an eponymous series published by Image Comics. The team first appeared in Dynamo 5 #1. The monthly series ended with issue #25. The team later appeared in a 2010 miniseries, Dynamo 5: Sins of the Father, and the one-shot Dynamo 5 Holiday Special 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maddie Warner</span> Fictional comic book character

Madeline Warner is a comic book character, the mentor and leader of the superhero team Dynamo 5, who appears in the monthly series of the same name by Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber, Warner first appeared in Dynamo 5 #1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wraith (Image Comics)</span> Comics character

Spencer Bridges is a comic book superhero, and member of the superhero team Dynamo 5, which appears in the series of the same name from Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A. Asrar, he first appeared in Dynamo 5 #1. He is a half human, half extraterrestrial hybrid, the child of an alien woman and the Earth superhero, Captain Dynamo, from whom he inherited superhuman abilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supervision (character)</span> Comics character

Bridget Flynn is a comic book superheroine, a member of the superhero team Dynamo 5, which appears in the monthly series of the same name from Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A. Asrar, the character first appeared in Dynamo 5 #1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smasher (Image Comics)</span> Comics character

Hector Chang is a comic book superhero, a member of the superhero team Dynamo 5, which appears in the series of the same name from Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A. Asrar, Visionary first appeared in Dynamo 5 #1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramjet (Image Comics)</span> Comics character

Gage Reinhart is a character appearing in publications by Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A. Asrar, he first appeared in Dynamo 5 #1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lightning (DC Comics)</span> Comics character

Lightning is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Not pinpointed with direct reference, Lightning first appears in the miniseries Kingdom Come in 1996, written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Alex Ross. The character is given official introduction in Justice Society of America vol. 3 #12, written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Dale Eaglesham in the Modern Age of Comic Books.

References

  1. ↑ Her last name was given as "Lews" in one panel of Dynamo 5 #1, but as "Lewis" in a subsequent panel, and in all subsequent issues, such as Dynamo 5 #10.
  2. 1 2 3 Faerber, Jay. Dynamo 5 #25 (October 2009)
  3. ↑ Neil's name was revealed in Dynamo 5 #10; January 2008; Page 19. The death of Livvie's mother was established in Dynamo 5 #4; June 2007; Page 11.
  4. ↑ Weiland, Jonah; "Ain't Nothing but a Family Thing: Faerber Talks Dynamo 5"; Article on ComicBookResources.com; December 20, 2006
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Faerber, Jay. Dynamo 5 #1; January 2007
  6. 1 2 Faerber, Jay. Dynamo 5 #19; January 2009
  7. 1 2 3 Faerber, Jay. Dynamo 5 #2; February 2007.
  8. 1 2 Faerber, Jay. Dynamo 5 #11. March 2008. Image Comics.
  9. ↑ Faerber, Jay. Dynamo 5 #10 - 11; January - March 2008
  10. ↑ Faerber, Jay. Dynamo 5 #14. June 2008. Image Comics.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.