Cavewoman (comics)

''Cavewoman'' is an American alternative comic book created by writer-artist Budd Root, and published from 1993 to 2009, primarily by Basement Comics and additionally by Caliber Comics and Avatar Press. The story follows superhuman Meriem Cooper, a 19-year-old jungle woman who battles dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures in the Cretaceous period.

Root credits the artist William Stout, as well as the ''Playboy'' cartoon feature ''Little Annie Fanny'', as his inspirations for the character.

The artists Devon Massey and Robert Durham have done much of the cover art for the series and related one-shots and spin-offs.

Publication history

Regarding the character's creation, Root commented:

He added that Meriem was "patterned after pretty much all the women I really respect. She's got a body with kind of a ''Little Annie Fannie'' face with Danni Ashe's boobs and Nina Hartley's butt".

Meriem Cooper first appeared in Basement Comics' ''Cavewoman'' #1 (Dec. 1993), the first issue of a black-and-white miniseries that ran for six issues. She reappeared in the popular eight-issue miniseries ''Cavewoman: Rain'' (1996–1997) from Caliber Comics, and ''Cavewoman: Odyssey'' #1 (1999), the only issue of a planned five-issue miniseries from Caliber Comics. She also appeared in the four-issue series ''Cavewoman: Missing Link'' (1997–1998), and the three-part series ''Cavewoman: Jungle Tales'' (1998).

During her early years, Meriem also appeared in several one-shot comics, like ''Cavewoman Meets Explorers'' (1997), jointly from Basement Comics and Explorer Press; ''Jungle Tales of Cavewoman'' (1998), released in both a standard and a mature-audience edition; and ''Cavewoman: Color Special'' (1999), reprinting a story in the comic ''Threshold'' #7.

After 2000, Meriem appeared in the ongoing series ''Cavewoman: Pangaean Sea''. After the events of ''Cavewoman: Rain'' the town of Marshville was destroyed, and Meriem and the inhabitants migrated to the shores of the Pangaean Sea.

This was the last lengthy Cavewoman series to date, and by far the longest. The first comic ''Cavewoman: Pangaean Sea Prologue'' was first published in 1999, and the series lasted eleven issues from 2000 to 2009.

Since 2001, Meriem has starred in the semi-regular mature series ''Prehistoric Pin-ups'', which lasted for five-issues until 2010; and ''Cavewoman: Meriem's Gallery'', a four-part series until 2009. She has also been in the semi-annual series ''Cavewoman: Cover Gallery'' (2002–2013), and the successful five-part ''Cavewoman: Reloaded'' (2005–2009), which was a reprint of ''Cavewoman #1–6'' with new content. ''Cavewoman'' celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2003.

Meriem has also appeared in eight two-shot comics spanning the years between 2000 and 2012, the best known are ''Cavewoman: Raptor'' (2002), and ''Cavewoman: Jungle Jam'' (2006). She was also in thirteen single-issue comics such as ''Klyde & Meriem'' (2001), ''Tanlines Pinup Book'' (2002), ''Cavewoman: The Movie'' (2003), ''Cavewoman: Beauties & Beasts'' (2005), ''Budd's Sketchbook of Sketchbook Sketches'' (2010), and ''Cavewoman: A Night Out'' (2010).

In 2013–2014, ''Cavewoman'' celebrated its 20th anniversary with the two-part issues ''Cavewoman: Oasis'' (2013), and ''Cavewoman: Journey'' (2014). Basement Comics also released nine single issues featuring Meriem, including ''Cavewoman: Uncovered'' (2013), ''Cavewoman: The Many Faces of Meriem'' (2013), ''Cavewoman: Labyrinth'' (2013), ''Cavewoman: Killing Dinos 101'' (2014), and the ''Cavewoman: 20th Anniversary Show Book'' (2014).

In the 20 years of ''Cavewoman'', Meriem has appeared in more than 300 separate issues of the comic, featured in 92 serial issues, and 34 one-shot issues. Meriem has also appeared in over 200 reprints and special edition issues, such as special mature content issues and new cover art issues.

Fictional character biography

The story of ''Cavewoman'' is rooted deeply in science fiction and fantasy.

Meriem Cecilbie Cooper is born in July 1980 to parents Robert Addam Cooper and Gail Nicole Reicher, in the fictional town of Marshville, Oregon. After Robert dies of unknown causes, Gail turns to drugs, which leads her to fall in with an unsavory secret group of government agents. Eventually wanting to sever her ties with this group for Meriem's sake, Gail seeks the help of Meriem's scientist-inventor grandfather Francis Peacock Reicher, affectionately called "Gramp". After first being thwarted, Gramp makes a mysteriously superhuman return, defeating the agents easily and taking 8-year-old Meriem away on a hovercycle from the future.

At Gramp's laboratory, Meriem discovers a time machine and a body-enhancing device that allows a living being to pass through the time stream. It is here that she first meets Klyde, Gramp's 15 ft. gorilla who has been accidentally altered by the body enhancer. Gramp then enhances Meriem as well, but accidentally sent him, Klyde, and Meriem are transported 70 million years into the past instead of going 70 years into the future. Thus, the trio begins an ongoing adventure through time while on the run from dinosaurs and a secret branch of the government.

Meriem and Gramp settle in a large cave and begin a struggle for survival. As events transpire, Gramp is killed early on by a ''Tyrannosaurus'' and Meriem leaves the cave. After a fierce fight with local carnivores, Meriem ends up naked when her clothes were torn off during the fight.

After more than ten years, and growing into a curvy 19-year-old, Meriem lived in the local jungles naked, savage, happy, and free. Dinosaurs were taught to fear her. Meriem becomes reunited with Klyde, who attacks her and almost kills her. She then returns to the cave. Not wanting to be naked and savage anymore, she eventually makes a jungle bikini (with dinosaur teeth hanging on the strings) out of a leopard-printed snakeskin blanket. She also avenges her grandfather by slaying the Tyrannosaurus responsible for killing him, but rescues two Tyrannosaurus hatchlings from Velociraptors. One named Harmony becomes Meriem's companion while the other named Peace became her enemy.

Later, the whole town of Marshville is transported into a prehistoric past. When this takes place, Meriem becomes their guide and protector in the prehistoric world. The civilians had to protect themselves from the dangerous dinosaurs by building an electric fence around Marshville. She eventually leads most of the Marshville citizens safely to the Pangaean Sea.

Powers and abilities

Meriem's various superhuman powers come from her enhanced molecular structure. It was altered and enhanced by Gramp, so that she could survive the rigors of time travel. Meriem stands at 5'8", weighs 350 lbs, and possesses extraordinary strength and stamina. She is strong enough to rip a Velociraptor's arm out of its socket. She has also picked up a downed street lamp. Meriem's strength also allows her to leap lengthy distances, such as between buildings in New York City, or leaping onto the top of a truck's trailer from street level. She is strong enough to leap through the forest with a full-grown man on her back.

Meriem is also highly resistant to injury. A high-caliber gunshot to the back''Cavewoman: Pangaean Sea'' #2, pg. 5 and bites from Velociraptors have failed to penetrate her tough skin. She can survive falls from great heights, such as when she fell from a cliff to the beach. Things that have been proven able to penetrate her skin, or otherwise injure her, are attacks that are directed with great strength or force, such as a Tyrannosaurus bite, Klyde's blows, or armor-piercing ammunition.

Meriem's enhanced molecular structure gives her an enhanced healing effect that reduces the healing time of wounds. The effect is hastened proportionally to her food intake: the more food consumed, the more quick the healing. Meriem always gets hungry after she gets injured. Meriem has healed dinosaur bites, armor-piercing bullet wounds, and even a Yeti