Skyrocket Appreciation

[Herowatcher]

DC Forum Appreciation Thread rules:

1) No negative comments about the honoree of this thread. It's an appreciation thread, not a non-appreciation one.

2) No negative discussion about any competitors of the honoree of this thread (i.e. John Stewart in the Hal Jordan thread). No ifs, ands, or buts. Find another non-appreciation thread to do that, just not here.

3) No negative comments about other versions of the character. For example, if you like the DCU version of Cyborg, but hate the DCnU version (or visa versa), just appreciate the earlier version and keep your comments about the latter to yourself.

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DC...you want more diversity...well look right here.

Let’s all appreciate one of the few original (non legacy) strong black female heroes in the DC Universe.

What better time to celebrate....Skyrocket!


A brief history here...http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/901662.html

Real Name: Celia Forrestal

One time member of the group called The Power Company

[Herowatcher]

[Herowatcher]

Skyrocket is a character that can join the ranks of the A-list; she is a complete package ready for DC to utilize correctly and thoughtfully.
Celia has an established background in place; she’s strong, intelligent and possesses a somewhat unique power set.

Kurt Busiek even built up a direction and purpose for Celia Forrestal

Notes from Kurt Busiek

- “….because I knew she was going to be heroic, a capital-H hero….and we had plenty of white guys in that role, so this gave me the chance to do something different.”

- “….we’d make her not just an idealistic hero, but a patriotic hero, committed to the ideals of the American Dream…and that’s when the character clicked into place for me.
Giving her a military background gave her a little more distinctiveness…and making her patriotic brought out a core question: How does a black woman fight for the status quo when the status quo has served blacks and women so poorly over the years? It’s a question that gives her life, makes her unique. And not a question with an easy answers….”

[Herowatcher]

Skyrocket's Appearances in the DC Universe


JLA #61

Power Company: Skyrocket #1

Power Company #1-18

Infinite Crisis Special: Villains United #1

Action Comics (Vol. 1) #842, 843

Birds of Prey (Vol. 1) #100

Wonder Woman (Vol. 3) #600

Justice League of America (Vol. 2) #42

Trinity #22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 36, 39

[Outside_85]

I'll be honest and say I'd rather see more of Vixen and Natasha Iron's than someone that's going to get easily confused for Warmachine's daughter.

[j9ac9k]

She's DC's answer to the new Captain America! They don't really have a prominent "U.S. patriot" archetype in their stable. I don't see how her powers are unique, but her backstory could be if you play up her military background. She really needs an updated costume/armor though - and to not work for a private corporation. (as well-meaning as Power Company was)

[The Darknight Detective]

She's a fine character who could attract many female readers if marketed properly, IMO.

[j9ac9k]

As silly as it is to me that she has a helmet that doesn't protect her skull, it's sillier to have armor that leaves your underboobs exposed. Serious need for a redesign and she'd be a force to be reckoned with! DC's answer to Captain America *and* Captain Marvel! A hero who's a female Gulf War vet would give her a contemporary relevance beyond simply a "patriotic hero."

[The Darknight Detective]

As silly as it is to me that she has a helmet that doesn't protect her skull, it's sillier to have armor that leaves your underboobs exposed. Serious need for a redesign and she'd be a force to be reckoned with! DC's answer to Captain America *and* Captain Marvel!

I agree. If she was invulnerable it would be a different story, but she's not.

[The Odd Man]

As silly as it is to me that she has a helmet that doesn't protect her skull, it's sillier to have armor that leaves your underboobs exposed. Serious need for a redesign and she'd be a force to be reckoned with! DC's answer to Captain America *and* Captain Marvel! A hero who's a female Gulf War vet would give her a contemporary relevance beyond simply a "patriotic hero."

I agree, even though I like the look of her armour as is. Maybe if she worked in a force field generator to provide extra protection?

I'd love to see Skyrocket (and the rest of The Power Company) in the new 52.

[Herowatcher]

Skyrocket98.jpg

As silly as it is to me that she has a helmet that doesn't protect her skull, it's sillier to have armor that leaves your underboobs exposed. Serious need for a redesign and she'd be a force to be reckoned with! DC's answer to Captain America *and* Captain Marvel! A hero who's a female Gulf War vet would give her a contemporary relevance beyond simply a "patriotic hero."

Skyrocket does have a portion of her skull protected in back, just not the top.
I like her look as is, but I'd be interested in seeing an altered design by a good artist.
Also, I'm sure she could manage a force field around herself for added protection when needed.

Celia was a Navy Aviator and not much has been talked about that. I'm sure today's writers could flesh
that out more.

[Herowatcher]

I'm surprised that Skyrocket hasn't appeared in a book like Justice League United.
It's a perfect venue for her to get some needed exposure IMO.

Post-Convergence seems like her time to shine....hello DC!

Skyrocket93.jpg

[Toreador]

I liked her in the Power Company. Her and Witchfire were interesting characters (Striker Z not too much).

[Herowatcher]

Skyrocket, Witchfire and Striker Z were my favorite from the Power Company.

I felt Skyrocket had the strongest connection with Striker Z. He was leaning more
towards being an actual hero like Celia...or at least found himself in situations that
were influencing him towards a heroic direction. Celia was a good role model for the
kid.

Striker Z still has potential to be a good character for a team book IMO.

[Herowatcher]

Celia Forrestal is the type of character DC can showcase in comics as a new take about a woman
making it on her own. Perhaps a 6 issue mini-series would be a good starting point.

Skyrocket has all the elements for a comic that represents how a heroine can balance supporting a personal life
while finding the means to go after her goal of protecting the innocent. Celia’s smart, but not super wealthy. She
has to struggle to achieve the kind of life she aspires for. A little of this was already shown in the Power Company
series.

Skyrocket has history with some villains who could be expanded upon, such as Javelin, Dr. Cyper and the
Scorpio criminal organization. Also, it would be interesting to see Ferris Aircraft, the Navy and a bit of S.T.A.R. Labs
playing certain roles in her stories.

Skyrocket89.jpg