| Swift | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Wildstorm (DC Comics) |
| First appearance | Stormwatch #28 (September 1995) |
| Created by | Jeff Mariotte Ron Lim |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Shen Li-Min |
| Team affiliations | The Authority Stormwatch |
| Abilities | Wings for flight Talons |
Swift (Shen Li-Min) is a superhero in the Wildstorm universe published by DC Comics. Swift first appeared in Stormwatch #28 and was created by Jeff Mariotte and Ron Lim. She is currently a member of The Authority.
When a comet passed by Earth, it activated a genetic quirk in some people that would manifest into superpowers either naturally or through special Seedlings called Activators. Swift was one such Seedling. Swift was brought into Stormwatch as a rookie, with her powers only partially activated. Weatherman Henry Bendix later reconfigured the Stormwatch teams, assigning her to Stormwatch Black, Stormwatch's black ops team, alongside Jenny Sparks (with whom she had a brief romance) and Jack Hawksmoor. It was then that Christine Trelane offered to fully activate Swift's powers, bringing out their full potential, and she accepted.
After Stormwatch disbanded, Swift joined former teammates in The Authority. Formerly a pacifist, she has put aside those beliefs to fight for a better world regardless of the cost. She has fought all over the world, from Moscow to Mexico to Gamora Island. During the Transfer of Power storyline, Swift was replaced by Rush from Canada after being taken out of a fight by radioactive feces. Swift was brainwashed into becoming the obedient trophy wife of a television mogul who had been part of the conspiracy to replace her and her team. She was insulted at every opportunity, from having her cooking ignored to the implications she could not remember large words. Eventually she overheard the "off-button" code of the monster Three-Willied Seth and proceeded to free herself. She literally took the heads of the television mogul and his software billionaire co-conspirator. She also saved her friend Angela Spica, the Engineer, and killed the man who had been abusing Angela.
Originally drawn flat-chested, as a plot point in the series she rapidly "developed" a more pronounced, archetypal superheroine bust size. According to Li-Min herself, this was due to her paying for very expensive breast implants, in fact she was quite boastful about them. One could surmise, due to the deconstructive, vaguely satirical nature of The Authority series, this was a joke directed at the oversized breasts usually common amongst female superheroes (including fellow Wildstorm characters Caitlin Fairchild and Zealot).
The 2008 Number of the Beast Wildstorm miniseries described the devastation of Earth and set the scene for a new Authority ongoing series, World's End, by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. In this series, Swift acts for the devastated Authority as a messenger and transmitter, using her powers and a code of colored balloons as a communications channel while the Authority attempt to help survivors. She finds herself followed at all times by a flock of birds confused by the new, harsher, environment. Later, Swift works closely with their rivals, Stormwatch, as the pure need to help innocent civilians has made their grudges irrelevant. [1]
She was one of the few heroes, along with the Authority, to leave Earth on the Carrier after its sudden departure for an unknown destination in the universe. Eventually, their destination was a lure for the shift-ship to have its passengers being taken as biological resources by the malevolent alien race known as the Karibna. Prior to the Carrier's capture, Swift was knocked into coma after combating a mind-controlled Aegean and was kept at the medical ward. Unlike the other human passengers who were captured by the Karibna, Swift's comatose body remained hidden due from an unknown power that is keeping her invisible. When the Authority defeated the Karibna and returned to Earth, which was at the time about to destroy itself through the insane Century Baby Gaia Rothstein, it was revealed that Swift was chosen as Earth's new Doctor as she possesses a connection to the planet's ecosystem. Her timely coming to Earth allowed her to enter Gaia's mind and tell her that she's forgiven for all that she's done and that she needs time to heal. Jeroen Thornedike then takes Gaia to the newly restored Garden of Ancestral Memory. [2]
Jenny Sparks once encountered a large egg, guarded by Tibetan monks for generations, prophesied to hatch a winged woman at the end of the millennium and usher in a golden age of love and peace. The egg's incubation was not uneventful—it had to be rescued from Nazi agents by Jenny Sparks in 1943. The mini-series this was shown in was said to show Jenny Sparks' first meeting with the members of the Authority, indicating that the egg contains Swift. However the fetus is unnamed or given any real interaction with Sparks, and this origin seems to conflict with what was previously known about Swift's life and powers.
When her powers were only partially activated, Swift had a line of feathers that ran along the underside of her arms. This allowed for only limited flight. After being fully activated by Christine Trelane, she has the ability to grow wings from her back at will as well as claws and talons on her hands and feet. Consequently, she is called the "fastest winged mammal on the planet". She has flown fast enough to catch super-speedsters. Enhanced strength and durability are shown, including an incident where Swift flew straight through a person, causing them to explode in all directions. She has some birdlike enhanced senses; apart from superior hearing and eyesight, she is able to feel or "read" the air to locate moving things. She can also retract her claws and talons and shed her wings, which eventually decompose into liquid, although she no longer does this since joining the Authority. She has also demonstrated excellent cooking and singing skills. Swift is the navigator for The Carrier, the sentient spaceship that is headquarters for the Authority.
As the new Doctor, she can alter reality as she imagines it.
Wildstorm Productions is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wildstorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1998. Until it was shut down in 2010, the Wildstorm imprint remained editorially separate from DC Comics, with its main studio located in California. The imprint took its name from a portmanteau of the titles of the Jim Lee comic series WildC.A.T.S. and Stormwatch.
Wildcats, sometimes rendered WildCats or WildC.A.T.s, is a superhero team created by the American comic book artist Jim Lee and writer Brandon Choi.
Stormwatch is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by WildStorm, which later became an imprint of DC Comics. Created by Jim Lee, the team first appeared in Stormwatch #1. After the WildStorm imprint was retired and its universe was merged with the main DC Universe, the group was depicted as a secretive team of superheroes who tackle dangerous missions while remaining unknown to the larger superhero community.
The Authority is a superhero comic book series published by DC Comics under the Wildstorm imprint. It was created in 1999 by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch, and follows the adventures of the Authority, a superhero team mainly composed of Ellis-created characters from Stormwatch.
Jennifer Sparks is a fictional character, a superhero in the Wildstorm comic book universe created by Warren Ellis during his 1997 revamp of the dwindling Stormwatch series. Her first appearance was in issue #37 where she was appointed the leader of Stormwatch Black, with Swift and Jack Hawksmoor, with whom she would later create The Authority.
Stormwatch: Team Achilles is an American superhero series, the second incarnation of the Image comics Stormwatch. This version was penned by Micah Ian Wright, with illustrations contributed by Whilce Portacio, C. P. Smith, Mark Texeira, Tomm Coker, Carlos D'Anda and Clement Sauve. The longest run for a penciler on the book was by Smith, who drew issues 11–19. The title featured covers by Portacio, Jason Pearson and Michael Golden.
Apollo is a fictional superhero who first appeared in the Stormwatch series, but is best known for his role in The Authority. While visually distinct, Apollo is cast in the mould of the Superman archetype.
Midnighter is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books first published by WildStorm and later DC Comics once it absorbed the former. The character was created by writer Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch. The character made his first appearance in Stormwatch #4, titled "A Finer World ". He went on to appear in various Authority books and other series, as well as his own eponymous ongoing series.
Deathblow is a fictional character in the Wildstorm Universe. He first appears in Darker Image #1 and was created by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi.
Wetworks is an American comic book series created by comic book artist Whilce Portacio and writer Brandon Choi. It ran for four years before ending in 1998. A second series written by Mike Carey, with Portacio returning on art duties, was started in 2006 and ended in 2008.
Nigel Keane, also known as Hellstrike, is a fictional comic book superhero in the Stormwatch series, first appearing in Stormwatch #1. He possesses the ability to project plasma as destructive bolts or as an energy stream to allow himself to fly. As of Issue #12, he also has to live inside a containment suit similar to Fuji's.
Jenny Sparks: The Secret History of the Authority is a five-issue comic book limited series published in 2000 by DC Comics under the Wildstorm imprint, written by Mark Millar with pencils by John McCrea.
Backlash is a fictional character from the Wildstorm universe who first appeared in StormWatch #3 in 1993 and was featured in his own comic book series, which ran from 1994 to 1997. His daughter Jodi also uses the name.
The Monarchy was an American comic book series written by Doselle Young with art by John McCrea. It was published by WildStorm, an imprint of DC Comics. The series focused on ex-Stormwatch members Jackson King and Christine Trelane gathering a team of superheroes for the extra-dimensional Weavers.
WildC.A.T.S/Aliens was a one-shot comic book and intercompany crossover event, published by Wildstorm and Dark Horse Comics in 1998. The comic was written by Warren Ellis, pencilled by Chris Sprouse, with Kevin Nowlan inking and Laura Depuy as the colorist.
Stormwatch: Post Human Division is an American comic book published by Wildstorm comics. It is the fourth volume to bear the name Stormwatch. It was first published in November 2006 and was written by Christos Gage with art by Doug Mahnke.
Number of the Beast is a comic book limited series, written by Scott Beatty, with art by Chris Sprouse.
"World's End" is a 2008–2009 comic book crossover storyline published by Wildstorm and taking place in the Wildstorm Universe. The event takes place in the issues of all of Wildstorm's Wildstorm Universe ongoing series.
Zealot is a fictional comic book superhero who has appeared in books published by Wildstorm Productions and DC Comics. Created by artist Jim Lee and writer Brandon Choi, she first appeared in WildC.A.T.s #1, as a member of that titular superhero team, during the period when Wildstorm and its properties were owned by Jim Lee.