''Legs Weaver'' is an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
science fiction comic book published by
Sergio Bonelli Editore
Sergio Bonelli Editore (formerly CEPIM and other names) is a publishing house of Italian comics founded in 1940 by Gian Luigi Bonelli (1908–2001). It takes its name from its former president, comic book writer Sergio Bonelli (1932–2011), son of ...
between 1994 and 2005.
Rebecca "Legs" Lawrence Weaver, the main character of the comic, first appeared as supporting character and
sparring partner
Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively ' free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to minimize injuries. By extension, argumentative debate ...
of
Nathan Never 200px, 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. Arti ...
(#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 Louise Ripley, often referred to simply as Ripley, is a fictional character and protagonist of the ''Alien'' film series, played by American actress Sigourney Weaver. The character earned Weaver worldwide recognition, and the role remain ...
, played by
Sigourney Weaver
Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Gramm ...
.
Initially the setting of the series was to mimic the one of the original
Nathan Never 200px, 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. Arti ...
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 200px, 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. Arti ...
.
Initially
Antonio Serra
Antonio Serra was a late 16th-century Italian philosopher and economist in the mercantilist tradition.
Biography
Little is known about Serra's life. He was born in Cosenza in the late 16th century (the dates of his birth and death are unknownA ...
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. The attempt was eventually unsuccessful and the series closed with a last episode published in October 2005.
Legs is the daughter of a solid middle-class family. During her childhood she suffered from
dyslexia and
dysmetria
Dysmetria ( en, wrong length) is a lack of coordination of movement typified by the undershoot or overshoot of intended position with the hand, arm, leg, or eye. It is a type of ataxia. It can also include an inability to judge distance or scale.
...
. Those conditions contributed to develop a closed and weak personality. To break away from her disappointing life, at 18 Rebecca enrolls 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 roommate, 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 entrepreneur 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 200px, 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. Arti ...
'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
Lara Croft is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the video game franchise ''Tomb Raider''. She is presented as a highly intelligent and athletic British archaeologist who ventures into ancient tombs and hazardous ruins around th ...
from ''
Tomb Raider
''Tomb Raider'', also known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British gaming company Core Design. Formerly owned by Eidos Interactive, ...
''. 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.
Cancellation
Despite the attempts at revamping the series in 2004, Legs did not see a significant increase in sales. The series was cancelled with issue 119, published in October 2005. However, the Legs character did not disappear from the Nathan Never universe and was reintegrated in the series on Nathan Never special issue 16 (December 2006).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weaver, Legs
Fictional lesbians
Legs Weaver
LGBT characters in comics
Legs Weaver
1991 comics debuts