Legs Weaver
Encyclopedia
Rebecca "Legs" Lawrence Weaver is an Italian
science fiction comic
book published by Sergio Bonelli Editore
between 1994 and 2005.
Legs Weaver, the main character of the comic, first appeared as supporting character and sparring partner of Nathan Never
(#1, Agente Speciale Alfa) in 1991. The main inspiration for the character were films of the Alien series and their main character Ellen Ripley
, played by Sigourney Weaver
.
Initially the setting of the series was to mimic the one of the original Nathan Never
series, as such it shares its characters. Its differentiating point was to be a more ironic and funny atmosphere to contrast the deep and involved scenery of Nathan Never
.
Initially Antonio Serra
took care of the comic. He introduced a number of storyline which could be read as a parody of chauvinism versus feminism. After an intermediate period during which Stefano Piani edited the stories, in 2004 a major rework of the series went through. This was in response to a noticeable decline in sales. Unfortunately the attempt was eventually unsuccessful and the series closed with a last episode published on October 2005.
and dysmetria
. Those conditions contributed to develop a closed and weak personality. To break away from her disappointing life, at 18 Rebecca enrols at the Rogers Academy, a military school meant to raise future soldiers, private agents and body guards.
At the Rogers academy Rebecca shows a remarkable talent for weapons and military apparatus, however she is weak in the other subjects. She is helped in those by her room mate, Sybyl Danning. Eventually she will marry Oliver Lawrence, the founder of the academy. Her life turns upside down when she is wrongly convicted of her husband's murder.
In jail, Rebecca changes. Sexual abuse and a tough environment shape her into a harder person. It is in jail that Rebecca takes the nickname Legs. She leaves jail thanks to Edwards Reiser, an enterpreneaur founder of the Alfa Agency. Reiser was on the lookout for special agent material and manages to get Legs out of jail on condition of joining his agency.
At Alfa, Legs will always be temperamental and difficult to deal with, but fair. However, as the story runs we learn that Legs has more depth. She quickly becomes Nathan Never
's best friend within the agency.
Her life changes when she meets May Frayn. Initially a thief with her two sisters she then joins the Alfa agency.
Legs is lesbian
. She shares a flat with May for a while, during most of that time they are lovers. However, May cannot reconcile her love of men with her love for Legs. A new woman takes her place in Legs' life: Janet Blaise. Janet closely resembles the character of Lara Croft
from Tomb Raider
. Despite her deep friendship with Nathan Never, Legs was never involved romantically with him; the only intimacy they share is a French kiss in Nathan Never episode 100.
Italian comics
Italian comics are comics made in Italy. They are locally known as fumetto – plural form fumetti – although this latter term is often used in English to describe a specific comic genre . The most popular Italian comics have been translated into many languages...
science fiction comic
Science fiction comic
Science fiction comics began as early as the 1930s in US newspapers. They have since spread to many countries around the world, with the two largest publishers of this comic genre today arguably being the United States and Japan.-History:...
book published by Sergio Bonelli Editore
Sergio Bonelli Editore
Sergio Bonelli Editore is a publishing house of Italian comics. It takes its name from its president and comic book author, Sergio Bonelli....
between 1994 and 2005.
Legs Weaver, the main character of the comic, first appeared as supporting character and sparring partner of Nathan Never
Nathan Never
thumb|200px|right|Cover for Nathan Never #1.Nathan Never is a black-and-white, science fiction Italian comic book, published monthly in Italy since 1991 by Sergio Bonelli Editore. It is written by Michele Medda, Antonio Serra and Bepi Vigna...
(#1, Agente Speciale Alfa) in 1991. The main inspiration for the character were films of the Alien series and their main character Ellen Ripley
Ellen Ripley
Ellen Ripley is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Alien film series played by American actress Sigourney Weaver. The character was heralded as a seminal role for challenging gender roles, particularly in the science fiction genre, and remains Weaver's most famous role to...
, played by Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana...
.
Initially the setting of the series was to mimic the one of the original Nathan Never
Nathan Never
thumb|200px|right|Cover for Nathan Never #1.Nathan Never is a black-and-white, science fiction Italian comic book, published monthly in Italy since 1991 by Sergio Bonelli Editore. It is written by Michele Medda, Antonio Serra and Bepi Vigna...
series, as such it shares its characters. Its differentiating point was to be a more ironic and funny atmosphere to contrast the deep and involved scenery of Nathan Never
Nathan Never
thumb|200px|right|Cover for Nathan Never #1.Nathan Never is a black-and-white, science fiction Italian comic book, published monthly in Italy since 1991 by Sergio Bonelli Editore. It is written by Michele Medda, Antonio Serra and Bepi Vigna...
.
Initially Antonio Serra
Antonio Serra
Antonio Serra was a late 16th century Italian philosopher and economist in the Mercantilist tradition.Little is known about his life. He was born in Cosenza in the late 16th century. When working in Naples, he applied himself to solving the enormous social and economic problems created by the...
took care of the comic. He introduced a number of storyline which could be read as a parody of chauvinism versus feminism. After an intermediate period during which Stefano Piani edited the stories, in 2004 a major rework of the series went through. This was in response to a noticeable decline in sales. Unfortunately the attempt was eventually unsuccessful and the series closed with a last episode published on October 2005.
Plot
Legs is the daughter of a solid middle class family. During her childhood she suffered from dyslexiaDyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
and dysmetria
Dysmetria
Dysmetria refers to a lack of coordination of movement typified by the undershoot or overshoot of intended position with the hand, arm, leg, or eye...
. Those conditions contributed to develop a closed and weak personality. To break away from her disappointing life, at 18 Rebecca enrols at the Rogers Academy, a military school meant to raise future soldiers, private agents and body guards.
At the Rogers academy Rebecca shows a remarkable talent for weapons and military apparatus, however she is weak in the other subjects. She is helped in those by her room mate, Sybyl Danning. Eventually she will marry Oliver Lawrence, the founder of the academy. Her life turns upside down when she is wrongly convicted of her husband's murder.
In jail, Rebecca changes. Sexual abuse and a tough environment shape her into a harder person. It is in jail that Rebecca takes the nickname Legs. She leaves jail thanks to Edwards Reiser, an enterpreneaur founder of the Alfa Agency. Reiser was on the lookout for special agent material and manages to get Legs out of jail on condition of joining his agency.
At Alfa, Legs will always be temperamental and difficult to deal with, but fair. However, as the story runs we learn that Legs has more depth. She quickly becomes Nathan Never
Nathan Never
thumb|200px|right|Cover for Nathan Never #1.Nathan Never is a black-and-white, science fiction Italian comic book, published monthly in Italy since 1991 by Sergio Bonelli Editore. It is written by Michele Medda, Antonio Serra and Bepi Vigna...
's best friend within the agency.
Her life changes when she meets May Frayn. Initially a thief with her two sisters she then joins the Alfa agency.
Legs is lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
. She shares a flat with May for a while, during most of that time they are lovers. However, May cannot reconcile her love of men with her love for Legs. A new woman takes her place in Legs' life: Janet Blaise. Janet closely resembles the character of Lara Croft
Lara Croft
Lara Croft is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Square Enix video game series Tomb Raider. She is presented as a beautiful, intelligent, and athletic British archaeologist-adventurer who ventures into ancient, hazardous tombs and ruins around the world...
from Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider is an action-adventure video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. It was originally released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn, with MS-DOS and PlayStation versions following shortly thereafter...
. Despite her deep friendship with Nathan Never, Legs was never involved romantically with him; the only intimacy they share is a French kiss in Nathan Never episode 100.