Traci Thirteen

Last updated
Traci 13
Traci Thirteen Comics.jpg
Traci 13 as depicted in DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration (July 2021). Art by Cliff Chiang.
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Superman vol. 2 #189 (February 2003)
Created by Joe Kelly
Dwayne Turner
In-story information
Alter egoTraci Thirteen
SpeciesHomo magi
Place of origin Metropolis
Team affiliations Superman Family
Justice League
Justice League Queer
Night Force
Oblivion Bar
Sisterhood of the Sleight Hand
Partnerships Natasha Irons
Cir-El
Jaime Reyes
Supporting character of Teen Titans
Superwoman
Notable aliasesTraci 13, Girl 13
Abilities
  • Mystical abilities which enable her to tap into the magic of a city, to perform a wide array of magical acts.
  • Keen detective skills

Traci Thirteen, also known as Girl 13 and Traci 13, is a superhero featured in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joe Kelly and artist Dwayne Turner, she first appeared in Superman vol. 2 #189 (February 2003).

Contents

Traci is the daughter of sorceress Meihui Lan and Doctor Thirteen, a renowned investigator and skeptic of the supernatural. Despite her father's disapproval of her mystic powers, Traci eventually separates from him and embarks on her own superhero career as a sorceress. She combines her magical abilities with the detective skills taught to her by her father and Elongated Man. Throughout her appearances, Traci becomes an ally of the Superman Family and has been involved with several superhero teams, including Justice League Dark, Night Force, and Justice League Queer. The character is often written to be of Asian descent and queer, having been love interests to both Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes) and Natasha Irons.

Traci 13, has made several notable appearances in animated media. She appeared in the animated film Teen Titans: The Judas Contract and made her debut in the third season of Young Justice , where she was voiced by Lauren Tom. In Young Justice, her character is named Traci Thurston.

Publication history

Traci Thirteen first appeared in Superman vol. 2 #189 (February 2003), and was created by Joe Kelly and Dwayne Turner. [1]

Fictional character biography

Traci 13 is a member of the Homo magi, a lineage of humans with inherent sorcery abilities. Her father, Doctor Thirteen, prohibits her from practicing magic due to her mother's death caused by magical influences. [2] Traci relocated to Metropolis' Suicide Slum, determined to live independently alongside her pet iguana named Leeroy. There, she discovered and harnessed the "urban magic" of the city, adopting the moniker Girl 13 and becoming a sort of superhero. She crossed paths with Superboy, who developed an attraction to her, though the feeling was not reciprocated. Utilizing her magical abilities, Traci defended an injured Superman from a spectral female ninja, alongside fellow "Supergirls" Natasha Irons and Cir-El, forming a friendship with them.

Day of Vengeance

In the one-shot Day of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special,Traci joined a large group of mystical heroes, including Doctor Occult, the Phantom Stranger, and Rex the Wonder Dog in cleaning up one of the Spectre's many rampages. The Rock of Eternity had exploded over Gotham City, unleashing multiple mystical horrors. The group soon recreated the rock, trapping the demons again.

One Year Later

She resides with her father in Doomsbury Mansion, the ancestral home of her family, annoyed by his skepticism and boring outlook. [3] Blue Beetle #16 established that Traci was raised and trained by Ralph Dibny and his wife Sue some time after her mother's death. A member of the Croatoans, the paranormal detective organization shown in 52 , she travels around the world, sometimes with her father, and sometimes solo, fighting paranormal menaces with her growing magical abilities. She has recently started a relationship with Jaime Reyes, the current Blue Beetle. As a result of Jaime becoming a full-time member of the Teen Titans, she has also begun interacting with his teammates, such as during a recent Christmas adventure. For a period of time, Red Devil appeared to feel annoyed by Traci's presence as she distracted his new friend Blue Beetle. However, after she bought him a series of much desired video games, she became quickly accepted by Eddie. She is also featured on the cover of Teen Titans vol. 3 #66 as a potential new member. [4] [5] She opted not to join however, feeling it would be too weird to be on a team with her boyfriend, despite how much fun it would be to mess with his head. She does remain an ally of the Titans, helping them when they need it, especially during the prison riot caused by Shimmer and Jinx, using her magic to disable Jinx's connection to the Earth, thus undoing her barrier spell.

Beginning in May 2010, Traci began co-starring in a back-up feature in Teen Titans alongside Black Alice and Zachary Zatara. [6] The feature ended in September 2010, when Teen Titans reverted to a standard 22-page format.

DC Rebirth

During the 2016 DC Rebirth event, a newer version of Traci 13 was introduced. The character seemingly retains some of her earlier history in her previous version, being the daughter of the witch and homo magi Meihui Lan and Doctor Terry Thirteen, a well-known ghost hunter and skeptic. Unlike prior versions, the Thirteen family is depicted as being a family line of detectives and investigators who generally are irrationally skeptical of the supernatural. It is also expressed that in this continuity, while the exact circumstances are unknown in how her mother died, her father blames Traci and forbids her from using her magical abilities. When he suddenly disappeared, she became a freelance problem-solver specializing in the supernatural in Metropolis. She was later reunited with her father, who was revealed to have been possessed by demons shortly after her mother's death. [7]

Superwoman (2016- 2017)

Traci first appears in the Who Killed Superwoman storyline, warning Steel, Natasha, and Lana of Lena Luthor's plans, who has since taken the identity of "Ultrawoman", converted her body into a mechanized chassis, and worked to discredit her brother, Lex Luthor (now known as the "Superman of Metropolis"), whom have used her parapalegic condition (in which he inadvertently contributed to due to his arrogance in the past concerning her treatments) to his advantage as her contributions to LexCorp was kept secret with Lex gaining all the credit. Creating Bizarro Superwoman as her servants, she began causing havoc in Metropolis, prompting Taci 13's attention due to the nature of her powers making her have an affinity for its well-being, including becoming with concerns with acts that damage the city itself. [8]

Traci later appears in the Midnight Hour storyline, with Natasha and Traci having been dating and Traci's powers having weakened. She helps the Superman Family and Maxima fight the entity known as M1dn1ght, a computer program made by Lena Luthor previously was given sentience by Superwoman unintentionally through her powers, using her powers to investigate the connection between the program and Lena. She informs the team of the connection as M1dn1ght uses black holes to kidnap Metropolis civilians. M1dn1iht manages to capture Superwoman, revealing her origin as a program made to save Lena should she be captured as a failsafe, before Superwoman escapes. Later, Traci uses her powers in order to send Superwoman into the "Void" a digital dimension of computer code in order to battle M1dn1ght once more, who has since worked to instead gain independence from Lena's programming. Not long after Steel and other citizens were saved by Superwoman and M1dn1ght temporary merging of the minds, Traci is mentioned to be working with the Superman Family in monitoring Metropolis's police scanners for criminal activities. [9]

DC Universe (2018- Current)

In between her appearances in Superwoman and Raven: Daughter of Darkness, it is mentioned in the 2018 Titans Special series by Natasha that both Traci and Nastasha had broken up. In the Raven: Daughter of Darkness series, Traci is later approached by Baron Winters to combat the Shadowriders, a group of entities who are magicians. While skeptical due to his reputation (from her father's account), she eventually briefly joins Winter's Night Force (consisting of familiar young magic users: Raven, Klarion the Witch Boy, Zach Zatara, Black Alice and newcomers Skye, and Robert Diaz) to combat the magic murdering villains and reveals herself as a fan of the Teen Titans hero, Raven. [10]

Characterization

The character was originally presented as a heterosexual character, as her only relationship was with Jaime Reyes prior to the rebooted continuity post Flashpoint. [11] This depiction is consistent with other media versions of Traci, as she appears in both Young Justice and Teen Titans: The Judas Contract as a love interest to Jaime Reyes. When reintroduced in DC Rebirth, the character's history was retroactively rebooted with a new background, presenting the character in a relationship with fellow Superman Family hero, Natasha Irons. [9]

Powers and abilities

Traci 13, as a member of the homo magi race, possesses inherent magical abilities and is classified as a "Magician", making her proficient in casting spells. [12] Compared to peers like Black Alice and Zachary Zatara, Traci 13 demonstrates a higher level of skill in mystical aptitude and understanding. [13]

Her expertise lies in "urban magic," a form of magic that enables her to tap into the mystical energies present within a city to perform magical feats. [13] [7] In recent iterations of her character, her urban magic abilities grant her a deep understanding of scientific concepts and technical skills. She exhibits proficiency in areas such as comprehending binary code and integrating her powers with technology. [9] Traci 13's magical abilities can be further enhanced through the use of magical artifacts. Primarily, she wields the Staff of Arion, a powerful artifact created by the sorcerer Arion. By focusing her concentration, she can manipulate the arcane energies of the staff to cast spells with considerable power, allowing her to confront formidable magical entities such as Eclipso. [11] In addition to her magical prowess, Traci 13 possesses acute detective skills. [7]

Other versions

Terri Thirteen

A character named Terri Thirteen briefly appeared in the series 52 as a member of the Croatoan Society. It is believed this character was actually Traci, but misnamed Terri due to editorial oversight. [14]

Flashpoint

Traci appears in the 2011 Flashpoint crossover event, as revealed on DC's blog. [15] In this reality, Traci rescues her father from Paris before it is destroyed by the Atlanteans, though she feels guilty she was unable to save her mother and siblings. She discovers that her father and superheroes from around the world are preparing to take drastic action to stop the Amazons and Atlanteans. She still remembers details of how reality should be, and meets Madame Xanadu for advice. When she tries to stop the heroes from launching nuclear weapons, her father drugs her and proceeds to start the countdown. [16] Traci teleports to find help, but is unsuccessful, and returns to face her father. Doctor Thirteen magically attacks her, apparently having learnt the art of black magic. [17] Failing to defeat her father, Traci decides to teleport to Western Europe to sacrifice herself. Doctor Thirteen arrives and finally accepts his daughter back. But when Traci is impaled by Amazons, Doctor Thirteen becomes enraged and begins a killing spree. Traci is restored to life from her spiritual connection to Earth and manages to stop her father by showing him the planetary consciousness. As the nuclear weapons are about to be activated, Doctor Thirteen uses his magic to destroy them. Traci rescues her father and teleported them back to Earth. It is revealed that they have both used up all of their magic. [18]

In other media

Television

Film

Traci Thirteen appears in Teen Titans: The Judas Contract , voiced by Masasa Moyo. [22] This version works at a soup kitchen.

Video games

Traci Thirteen appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure . [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctor Fate</span> Comics character

Doctor Fate, also known as Fate or collectively as Fate's Legacy, is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version was originally created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in More Fun Comics #55. Throughout the character's extensive history, various incarnations of Doctor Fate emerged as deliberate attempts to reinvigorate the character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arion (character)</span> Fictional sword and sorcery superhero

Ahri'ahn is a fictional sword and sorcery superhero published by American company DC Comics. He debuted in Warlord #55, and was created by Paul Kupperberg and Jan Duursema. A powerful, immortal wizard from ancient Atlantis centuries before it sunk, the character originally starred in his own series taking place outside the main continuity of DC Comics. After appearing in Crisis on Infinite Earths, the character's history was adopted into the Aquaman version of Atlantis, revised to be a demigod serving as a member of the fictional group of cosmic entities known as the Lords of Order. The character's magical and scientific exploits and heroism in the fictional mythology of Atlantis makes him both a reverred figure and the cultural progenitor of the Homo magi race and their descendants, the Atlanteans. Depending on continuities, he also serves as an ancestor to various characters in the DC Universe, including Zatanna, Aquaman, and Ocean Master.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctor Thirteen</span> Comics character

Dr. Terrance Thirteen, known simply as Doctor Thirteen, Dr. 13 and The Ghost-Breaker, is a fictional character in comic books set in the DC Universe. The character's first published appearance is in Star Spangled Comics #122.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zatara</span> DC Comics character

Giovanni "John"Zatara, simply called Zatara, is a fictional magician and superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938 during the Golden Age of Comic Books, making him one of DC Comics' oldest characters.

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

Raven is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26, and was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez. The character also goes by the alias Rachel Roth.

Superwoman is the name of several fictional characters from DC Comics. Most of them are, like Supergirl, women with powers similar to those of Superman, like flight, invulnerability, and enhanced strength.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jinx (DC Comics)</span> Comic book supervillain and leader of the Fearsome Five, part of the DC universe

Jinx is a fictional supervillain appearing in American books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and Chuck Patton, she first appeared in Tales of the Teen Titans #56. The character is often depicted as a skilled Indian sorceress and one of the leaders of the Fearsome Five, a group of super-villains most notable for being adversaries of the Teen Titans and its derivatives. The character bears no relation to the male character of the same name who first appeared in Adventure Comics #488 as an adversary of Chris King and Vicki Grant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquagirl</span> DC Comics character

Aquagirl is the alias used by several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, typically depicted as supporting characters of Aquaman originating from the realm of Atlantis. The first two incarnations of the character, Lisa Morel (1959) and Selena (1963), were introduced as one-offs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H.I.V.E.</span> DC Comics supervillain organization

The H.I.V.E., which stands for the Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Extermination, is a fictional terrorist organization appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natasha Irons</span> Comics character

Natasha Irons is a fictional superhero in DC Comics, first appeared in Steel #1 created by Louise Simonson and Chris Bastista. A super-genius similar to her uncle John Henry Irons and ally to Team Superman, she becomes the hero known as Steel after her uncle is injured and in current continuity, operates alongside her uncle concurrently. Prior the New 52 reboot, the character gained super-powers in the 2006 limited series 52, using the codename Starlight. She would later change her name when her powers changed, instead assuming the codename Vaperlock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steel (John Henry Irons)</span> Fictional superhero in the DC comics universe

Steel is a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a genius engineer who built a mechanized suit of armor that mirrors Superman's powers, and initially sought to replace him after he was killed by Doomsday. After Superman was resurrected, he accepted Steel as an ally. His real name is John Henry Irons and he wields a sledgehammer—this is a reference to the mythical railroad worker John Henry. He has a niece named Natasha Irons who is also a superhero in a similar mechanized suit of armour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes)</span> Comic book superhero

Jaime Reyes is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hamner, the character made his first appearance in Infinite Crisis #3. Jaime Reyes is the third character to assume the mantle of Blue Beetle, but is substantially different from his predecessors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson)</span> Comic book superhero

Dr. Kent Nelson is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Garnder Fox and Howard Sherman, the character first appeared More Fun Comics #55 during the Golden Age of Comic Books. Serving as the most popular incarnation of Doctor Fate, he is the original character to assume the codename. In certain instances, he is also referred to as the Golden Age Doctor Fate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zachary Zatara</span> Fictional character in the DC Universe

Zachary Zatara, also known as Zatara, is a superhero featured in American comic books published by DC Comics. He made his first appearance in Teen Titans #34 and was created by Geoff Johns and Tony Daniel. The character is the cousin of Zatanna and the nephew of the original Zatara. In the aftermath of the events of Day of Vengeance, Zachary gained magical powers and chose to follow in his family's footsteps, becoming a superhero and stage magician with real magical powers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garth (comics)</span> Fictional superhero from DC Comics

Garth is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly associated with Aquaman and the Teen Titans. Created by writer Robert Bernstein and artist Ramona Fradon, he first appears in Adventure Comics #269 in February 1960. He was originally known as the first incarnation of Aqualad. As a young adult, the character used the alias Tempest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convergence (comics)</span> 2015 DC Comics story arc

"Convergence" is a comic book storyline published by DC Comics that ran from April to May 2015. The series consists of an eponymous #0 issue, an eight-issue core miniseries, and 40 two-issue tie-in miniseries. "Convergence" continues from the weekly series Earth 2: World's End and The New 52: Futures End. In the story, Brainiac collects cities and inhabitants from various timelines that have ended and traps them in domes on a planet outside of time and space. He then exposes the domes to one another to see how the characters interact. This event marks the return of DC characters and timelines from before the 2011 "Flashpoint" storyline that led to the creation of The New 52 Universe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justice League Queer</span> LGBTQIA+ DC Comics superheroes

Justice League Queer, or JLQ, is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Justice League Queer was an ad-hoc team of LGBTQIA+ heroes formed by Gregorio de la Vega to fight off Eclipso when he attacked a pride parade. The team is a variation on one of DC's long-running properties, the Justice League. The JLQ was originated by Andrew Wheeler and Luciano Vecchio.

References

  1. ↑ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 311. ISBN   978-1-4654-5357-0.
  2. ↑ Greenberger, Robert; Pasko, Martin (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. p. 438. ISBN   978-0-345-50108-0.
  3. ↑ Tales of the Unexpected #1
  4. ↑ Blue Beetle vol. 7 #17
  5. ↑ "TEEN TITANS #66". Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
  6. ↑ "TEEN TITANS #83". Archived from the original on March 7, 2010. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  7. 1 2 3 The DC comics encyclopedia : the definitive guide to the characters of the DC universe. Matthew K. Manning, Stephen Wiacek, Melanie Scott, Nick Jones, Landry Q. Walker, Alan Cowsill (New ed.). New York, New York: DK Publishing. 2021. ISBN   978-0-7440-2056-4. OCLC   1253363543.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. ↑ Jimenez, Phil (2017). Who killed Superwoman?. Emanuela Lupacchino, Jackson Herbert, Joe Prado, Matt Santorelli, Ray McCarthy, Jeromy Cox. Burbank, CA. ISBN   978-1-4012-6780-3. OCLC   980600325.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. 1 2 3 Perkins, K. (2018). The midnight hour. Stephen Segovia, Sami Basri, Federico Dallocchio, Max Raynor, Art Thibert, Josh Reed. Burbank, CA. ISBN   978-1-4012-7852-6. OCLC   907328030.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. ↑ Wolfman, Marv (2019). Raven, daughter of darkness. Issue 7-12. Pop Mhan. [United States]. ISBN   978-1-4012-8964-5. OCLC   1158965953.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. 1 2 Rogers, John (2007). Blue Beetle. Road trip. Keith Giffen, Cully Hamner, Rafael Albuquerque, Duncan Rouleau, Casey Jones, Guy Major. New York, NY. ISBN   978-1-4012-1361-9. OCLC   144226063.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  12. ↑ Lotowycz, R. (2021). The DC Book of Lists: A Multiverse of Legacies, Histories, and Hierarchies.
  13. 1 2 Ogle, Rex (2010). Teen Titans #83-#87. DC Comics.
  14. ↑ "Traci Thirteen - Girl 13 - DC Comics - Blue Beetle ally". Writeups.org. 28 February 2015.
  15. ↑ Hyde, David (8 April 2011). "FLASHPOINT FRIDAY: Why is Traci 13 the most important girl in the world?". The Source. DC Comics. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  16. ↑ Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint #1 (June 2011)
  17. ↑ Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint #2 (July 2011)
  18. ↑ Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint #3 (August 2011)
  19. ↑ Melrose, Kevin (July 21, 2017). "Who Is Young Justice's Mysterious New Member, Thirteen?". Comic Book Resources . Valnet Inc. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Thirteen / Traci Thurston Voice - Young Justice (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved May 15, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
  21. ↑ Otterson, Joe (October 19, 2017). "CW Developing DC Comics Adaptation 'Project 13' With Elizabeth Banks Producing (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Traci Voice - Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (Movie)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved May 15, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
  23. ↑ Eisen, Andrew (October 4, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
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.