Jenny Sparks

Jenny Sparks (also known as The Spirit of the 20th Century) 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 (Ellis' starting issue) where she was appointed the leader of Stormwatch Black (Black Ops division), with Swift and Jack Hawksmoor, with whom she would later create The Authority.

Jenny is one of the characters Ellis created to protect humanity, present a facet of the coming age and do something specific for it in a given century. Since the thesis given by the Doctor goes that humanity as a whole thinks that a century begins with the centennial year, so the mass unconscious of humanity creates these heroes in the beginning moments of the centennial year. (see also: Century Babies).

Her being "The Spirit of the 20th Century" is not only a title. Jenny was the one most tied with the century itself, always being in the centre of things, while her state of mind mirrored the spirit of the particular age. This is best shown in Stormwatch #44, where Ellis takes a ride through the 20th century, telling Jenny's story. This is accentuated by the artwork of Tom Raney, the inks of Randy Elliot and the changing palette of Laura DePuy and Wildstorm FX. The style, the layout and the colors change with each era of Jenny's life mirroring the black and white of film noir, the three colors and simple lines of the Golden Age or the dark, oppressive backgrounds and gritty characters of the 1980s.

Jenny Sparks is a pretty, foulmouthed, chain-smoking, bisexual blonde.

She was named the 44th Greatest Comic Book Character by Empire Magazine.

Read more about Jenny Sparks:  Publication History, Fictional Character Biography, Powers and Abilities, Appearances

Famous quotes containing the word sparks:

    Courtship was a serious business for the reason that everybody knew when a young couple began to ‘set up’ with each other. They could tell by the sparks flying from the chimney late at night.
    State of Indiana, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)