Traci Thirteen (also known as Girl 13 and Traci 13) is a superhero featured in American comic books published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

. The character first appeared in '' Superman'' vol. 2 #189 (February 2003), and was created by writer Joe Kelly and artist

Dwayne Turner Dwayne Turner (born August 9) is an American comic book artist and illustrator in the film and video game industry. Biography Turner began his professional career in the late 1980s while still in college Traci is the daughter of sorceress Meihui Lan and Doctor Thirteen, the latter whom is an investigator, renowned skeptic of the supernatural, raises his daughter while disapproving the use of her mystic powers. Over time, Traci separates from her father and starts her own superhero career as a sorceress, using both her magical and detective skills taught to her by her father and Elongated Man. She becomes an ally of the

Superman Family Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1 (cover-dated June ...

and served as a love interest for

Blue Beetle Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes who appear in a number of American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939. The most recent of the companies to own rights to Blue Beetle is DC Comics, which bought the ri ...

. In more recent stories, her Asian background is more prominent and is instead depicted as a lesbian, love interest of

Natasha Irons Natasha Irons is a fictional superhero in DC Comics. She first appeared in ''Steel'' (vol. 2) #1 (February 1994). She becomes the fifth superhero to use the name Steel when her uncle John Henry Irons is injured. In the 2006 limited series '' 52' ...

, and both an member of

Justice League Dark The Justice League Dark, or JLD, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team would make their debut appearance in ''Justice League Dark'' #1 (September 2011). The Justice League Dark team features some ...

and

Justice League Queer Justice League Queer, or JLQ, is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Justice League Queer was an ad-hoc team of LGBTQIA+ heroes formed by Gregorio de la Vega to fight off Eclipso when he attack ...

. Traci 13 has made several animated media appearances, appearing in '' Teen Titans: The Judas Contract'' and debuting in the third season of ''

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen ...

'' voiced by Lauren Tom. This version is named Traci Thurston.

Publication history

Traci Thirteen first appeared in '' Superman'' vol. 2 #189 (February 2003), created by Joe Kelly and

Fictional character biography

The latest in the long line of "Homo Magi", humans born with innate powers of

sorcery Sorcery may refer to: * Magic (supernatural), the application of beliefs, rituals or actions employed to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces ** Witchcraft, the practice of magical skills and abilities * Magic in fiction, ...

, Traci is forbidden by her father, Doctor Thirteen, to practice magic, since her mother, Meihui Lan, died due to magical influences. Traci moved to the Suicide Slum of

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big ci ...

, determined to live on her own (with her pet

iguana ''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his ...

Leeroy). There she began to tap into the "urban magic" of Metropolis, and assumed the name of Girl 13, becoming a super hero of sorts. She met

Superboy Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series featuring ...

, who was attracted to her, but the feeling was not mutual. She used her magic to defend an injured Superman from a ghostly female ninja, along with fellow "Supergirls",

and Cir-El, with whom she formed a friendship. The

Spectre Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writ ...

's attack on magic during the ''

Day of Vengeance ''Day of Vengeance'' is a six-issue comic book limited series written by Bill Willingham, with art by Justiniano and Walden Wong, published in 2005 by DC Comics. Publication history ''Day of Vengeance'' is one of four limited series leading up to ...

'' mini-series does not seem to have had an effect on her powers.

''Day of Vengeance''

In the one-shot ''Day of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special'' Traci joined a large group of mystical heroes, including

Doctor Occult Doctor Occult (sometimes dubbed the Ghost Detective, one time referred to as Doctor Mystic) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (known commonly as the creator ...

, the

Phantom Stranger The Phantom Stranger is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, of unspecified paranormal origins, who battles mysterious and occult forces, sometimes under their Vertigo imprint. The character first appeared in an ...

, and Rex the Wonder Dog in cleaning up one of the Spectre's many rampages. The

Rock of Eternity The Rock of Eternity is a fictional location appearing in American comic books featuring Captain Marvel / Shazam and/or his associated characters, first in publications by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. In many versions of the Capta ...

had exploded over

Gotham City Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his List of Batman supporting characters#Bat-Family, allies and List of Batman fa ...

, unleashing multiple mystical horrors. The group soon recreated the rock, trapping the demons again.

''One Year Later''

Currently she resides with her father in Doomsbury Mansion, the ancestral home of her family, annoyed by his skepticism and boring outlook. ''

'' #16 established that Traci was raised and trained by

Ralph Dibny Elongated Man (Randolph "Ralph" Dibny) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in '' The Flash'' #112 (February 25, 1960). The character made his live-action debut in the fourth season of T ...

and his wife Sue some time after her mother's death. A member of the Croatoans, the paranormal detective organization shown in '' 52'', she travels around the world, sometimes with her father, and sometimes solo, fighting paranormal menaces with her growing magical abilities. She has recently started a relationship with

Jaime Reyes Jaime is a common Spanish and Portuguese male given name for Jacob (name), James (name), Jamie, or Jacques. In Occitania Jacobus became ''Jacome'' and later ''Jacme''. In east Spain, ''Jacme'' became ''Jaime'', in Aragon it became ''Chaime'', and i ...

, the current Blue Beetle. As a result of Jaime becoming a full-time member of the

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

, she has also begun interacting with his teammates, such as during a recent Christmas adventure. For a period of time, Red Devil appeared to feel annoyed by Traci's presence as she distracted his new friend Blue Beetle. However, after she bought him a series of much desired video games, she became quickly accepted by Eddie. She is also featured on the cover of ''Teen Titans'' vol. 3 #66 as a potential new member. She opted not to join however, feeling it would be too weird to be on a team with her boyfriend, despite how much fun it would be to mess with his head. She does remain an ally of the Titans, helping them when they need it, especially during the prison riot caused by Shimmer and

Jinx A jinx (also jynx), in popular superstition and folklore, is a curse or the attribute of attracting bad or negative luck. The word ''"jynx"'' meaning the bird wryneck and sometimes a charm or spell has been in use in English since the seventeen ...

, using her magic to disable Jinx's connection to the Earth, thus undoing her barrier spell. Beginning in May 2010, Traci began co-starring in a back-up feature in ''

'' alongside Black Alice and Zachary Zatara. The feature ended in September 2010, when ''Teen Titans'' reverted to a standard 22-page format.

DC Rebirth

During the 2016

DC Rebirth DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 initiative in May 2016 as its launching point, DC Rebirth restored the DC ...

event, a newer version of Traci 13 was introduced. The character seemingly retains some of her earlier history in her previous version, being the daughter of the witch and homo magi Meihui Lan and Doctor Terry Thirteen, a well-known ghost hunter and skeptic. Unlike prior versions, the Thirteen family is depicted as being a family line of detectives and investigators who generally are irrationally skeptical of the supernatural. It is also expressed that in this conitnuitiy, while the exact circumstances are unknown in how her mother died, her father blames Traci and forbids her from using her magical abilities. When he suddenly disappeared, she became a freelance problem-solver specializing in the supernatural in Metropolis. She was later reuinited with her father, who was revealed to have been possessed by demons shortly after her mother's death.

''Superwoman'' (2016- 2017)

Traci first appears in the ''Who Killed Superwoman'' storyline, warning Steel, Natasha, and Lana of Lena Luthor's plans, who has since taken the identity of "Ultrawoman", converted her body into a mechanized chasis, and worked to discredit her brother, Lex Luthor (now known as the "Superman of Metropolis"), whom have used her parapalegic condition (in which he inadvertedly contributed to due to his arrogance in the past concenring her treatments) to his advantage as her contributions to LexCorp was kept secret with Lex gaining all the credit. Creating Bizarro Superwoman as her servants, she began causing havoc in Metropolis, prompting Taci 13's attention due to the nature of her powers making her have an affinity for its wellbeing, including becoming with concerns with acts that damage the city itself. Traci later appears in the ''Midnight Hour'' storyline, with Natasha and Traci having been dating and Traci's powers having weakened. She helps the Superman Family and Maxima fight the enitity known as M1dn1ght, a computer program made by Lena Luthor previously was given sentience by Superwoman unintentionally through her powers, using her powers to investigate the connection between the program and Lena. She informs the team of the connection as M1dn1ght uses black holes to kidnap Metropolis civilians. M1dn1iht manages to capture Superwoman, revealing her origin as a program made to save Lena should she be captured as a failsafe, before Superwoman escapes. Later, Traci uses her powers in order to send Superwoman into the "Void" a digital dimension of computer code in order to battle M1dn1ght once more, who has since worked to instead gain independence from Lena's programming. Not long after Steel and other citizens were saved by Superwoman and M1dn1ght temporary merging of the minds, Traci is mentioned to be working with the Superman Family in monitoring Metropolis's police scanners for criminal activities.

DC Universe (2018- Current)

In between her appearances in ''Superwoman'' and ''Raven: Daughter of Darkness'', it is mentioned in the 2018 ''Titans Special'' series by Natasha that both Traci and Nastasha had broken up. In the ''Raven: Daughter of Darkness'' series, Traci is later approached by

Baron Winters Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher th ...

in order to enlist her help against the Shadowriders, a group of enitites who are hunting people who can use magic. While skeptical due to his reputation (from her father's account), she eventually briefly joins Winter's Night Force (consisting of familiar young magic users: Raven,

Klarion the Witch Boy Klarion the Witch Boy is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, having first appeared in '' The Demon'' #7 (March 1973) and was created by Jack Kirby. The character is typically portrayed as a powerful but mischie ...

, Zach Zatara, Black Alice and newcomers Skye, and Robert Diaz) in order to combat the magic murdering villains and reveals herself as a fan of the Teen Titans hero, Raven.

Characterization

Sexuality & romances

The character was originally presented as a heterosexual character, as her only relationship was with

prior to the rebooted continuity post ''Flashpoint''. This depiction is consistent with other media versions of Traci, as she appears in both ''Young Justice'' and ''Teen Titans: The Judas Contract'' as a love interest to Jaime Reyes''.'' When reintroduced in DC Rebirth, the character's history was retroactively rebooted with a new background, presenting the character in a relationship with fellow

hero,

Powers and abilities

As a member of the homo magi race, Traci 13 is able to naturally manipualte the forces of magic; during her publications in which she is portrayed as a teenaged magic user, she poosess a higher level of skill than other teenaged magic users such as Black Alice and Zachary Zatara, the latter having once claimed to be the most powerful teenaged magic user. Traci 13's specialzies in "urban magic", a type of magic that allows her to tap into magical forces residing within a city to perform magic. She also possess acute detective skills. Later version of her character also showcase her urban magic granting her an immense understanding in scientific concepts and technical skills, being able to understand binary code and able to utilize her powers in tandem with technology. Her magical abilities can be bolstered through magical artifacts, having once appropriated the Staff of Arion, created by the aforementioned sorcerer; through concentration, she can manipulate its arcane energies to cast spells powerful enough to match against other powerful magical entities such as Eclipso.

Other versions

Terri Thirteen

A character named Terri Thirteen briefly appeared in the series '' 52'' as a member of the Croatoan Society. It is believed this character was actually Traci, but misnamed Terri due to editorial oversight.

Flashpoint

Traci appears in the 2011 '' Flashpoint'' crossover event, as revealed on DC's blog. In this reality, Traci rescues her father from

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

before it is destroyed by the

Atlanteans As an adjective, Atlantean (or Atlantian) means "of or pertaining to Atlas or Atlantis". Atlantean may also refer to: * Atlantean figures, a type of ancient artifacts * ''Atlantean'' (documentary series), a trilogy of TV films discussing the or ...

, though she feels guilty she was unable to save her mother and siblings. She discovers that her father and superheroes from around the world are preparing to take drastic action to stop the Amazons and Atlanteans. She still remembers details of how reality should be, and meets

Madame Xanadu Madame Xanadu is a comic book mystic published by DC Comics. The character is identified with Nimue, the sorceress from Arthurian mythology made popular by Sir Thomas Malory's '' Le Morte d'Arthur''. The character was played by Jeryl Prescott ...

for advice. When she tries to stop the heroes from launching nuclear weapons, her father drugs her and proceeds to start the countdown. Traci teleports to find help, but is unsuccessful, and returns to face her father. Doctor Thirteen magically attacks her, apparently having learnt the art of black magic. Failing to defeat her father, Traci decides to teleport to Western Europe to sacrifice herself. Doctor Thirteen arrives and finally accepts his daughter back. But when Traci is impaled by Amazons, Doctor Thirteen becomes enraged and begins a killing spree. Traci is restored to life from her spiritual connection to Earth and manages to stop her father by showing him the planetary consciousness. As the nuclear weapons are about to be activated, Doctor Thirteen uses his magic to destroy them. Traci rescues her father and teleported them back to Earth. It is revealed that they have both used up all of their magic.''Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint'' #3 (August 2011)

In other media

Television

* Traci Thirteen appears in ''

'', voiced by Lauren Tom. Introduced in the third season, this version is Traci Thurston, a member of the

Team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to inf ...

who is in a relationship with

. In the fourth season, Thurston becomes a student under

Zatanna Zatanna Zatara () is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in ''Hawkman (comic book), Hawkman'' #4 (November 1964). Zatanna is a st ...

and joins her Sentinels of Magic, during which the group becomes

Doctor Fate Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of multiple superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original version of the character was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in ''More F ...

as part of a rotation agreement between Zatanna and

Nabu Nabu ( akk, cuneiform: 𒀭𒀝 Nabû syr, ܢܵܒܼܘܼ\ܢܒܼܘܿ\ܢܵܒܼܘܿ Nāvū or Nvō or Nāvō) is the ancient Mesopotamian patron god of literacy, the rational arts, scribes, and wisdom. Etymology and meaning The Akkadian "nab ...

. * In October 2017,

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

announced a one-hour drama series based on Traci Thirteen and her father Dr. Terrance Thirteen, titled ''Project 13'', was in development, with

Elizabeth Banks Elizabeth Banks (born Elizabeth Irene Mitchell; February 10, 1974) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is known for playing Effie Trinket in ''The Hunger Games'' film series (2012–2015) and Gail Abernathy-McKadden in the ''Pitch Perf ...

attached as an executive producer. However, the project never came to fruition.

Film

Traci Thirteen appears in '' Teen Titans: The Judas Contract'', voiced by Masasa Moyo. This version works at a soup kitchen.

References

External links

DCU Guide: Traci Thirteen
{{Blue Beetle DC Comics female superheroes DC Comics characters who can teleport DC Comics characters who use magic DC Comics fantasy characters DC Comics LGBT superheroes DC Comics witches Fictional female detectives Comics characters introduced in 2003 Characters created by Joe Kelly