Cavewoman

Cavewoman
Cavewoman's 10th Anniversary
Publication information
Publisher	Basement Comics
First appearance	Cavewoman #1 (Dec. 1993)
Created by	Budd Root
In-story information
Alter ego	Meriem Cecilbie Cooper
Abilities	Enhanced molecular structure Extraordinary strength and stamina Highly resistant to injury Healing effect Superhuman running speed Resistant to drowning Possible superhuman sense of smell and hearing Limited psychic powers Psychic bond with Klyde and Harmony

Cavewoman is an American comic book published primarily by Basement Comics and additionally by Caliber Comics and Avatar Press. The story follows superhuman Meriem Cooper, a voluptuous barefoot jungle goddess in a snakeskin bikini, who battles dinosaurs. Created by writer-artist Budd Root and inked by Devon Massey, Cavewoman was inspired by Little Annie Fanny and William Stout.^[1]

Publication history

Meriem Cooper first appeared in Basement Comics' Cavewoman #1 (Dec. 1993), the first issue of a black-and-white, independent comics miniseries that ran six issues. She reappeared in the eight-issue miniseries Cavewoman: Rain (1996-1997) from Caliber Comics; the one-shot Cavewoman Meets Explorers (1997), jointly from Basement Comics and Explorer Press; the one-shot Jungle Tales of Cavewoman (1998), released in both a standard and a mature-audience edition; Cavewoman: Odyssey #1, the only issue of a planned five-issue miniseries from Caliber Comics; and other titles through at least 2001.

As of 2008, Meriem appears in the ongoing series Cavewoman: Pangean Sea and the semi-regular mature series Prehistoric Pin-ups and Jungle Tales.

Fictional character biography

The story of Cavewoman is rooted deeply in science fiction.

Meriem Cecilbie Cooper is born in July 1980 to parents Robert Addam Cooper and Gail Nicole Reicher, in the town of Marshville, Oregon. After Robert dies of unknown causes, Gail turns to drugs, which leads her to fall in with an unsavory group of men. 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 men easily and taking Meriem away on a hovercycle from the future.

At Gramp's laboratory, Meriem discoveres 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-foot-tall lab gorilla who has been accidentally altered by the body enhancer. Gramp then enhances Meriem as well, and the trio begins an ongoing adventure through time while on the run from dinosaurs and a secret branch of the government.

As events transpire, Gramp is written out of the story when he is killed by a Tyrannosaurus and Meriem stayed far from the cave that they settled down in. After a fierce fight with local carnivores near the "Quasi-Birds" nests, Meriem ended up naked when her clothes were torn off during the fight. Upon aging into a buxom 19-year-old, Meriem had lived in the local jungles naked (minus her hunting weapons), savage, happy, and free. Dinosaurs were taught to fear her. Meriem reunited with Klyde, who attacked her and broke her weapons. She then returned to the cave where she and Gramps had settled down. Not wanting to be naked and savage anymore, she eventually made a jungle bikini (with dinosaur teeth hanging on the strings) out of a leopard-printed snakeskin blanket. She also avenged her grandfather by slaying the Tyrannosaurus responsible for killing him, but rescued two Tyrannosaurus hatchlings from Velociraptors. One that was named Harmony became Meriem's companion while one named Peace became her enemy.

Later, the whole town of Marshville is transported into a prehistoric past.

Powers and abilities

Meriem's various superhuman powers come from her enhanced molecular structure. It was altered and enhanced by Gramp, so she can survive the rigors of time travel. If he hadn't altered her with the process, the time travel effect would have turned her body into "hamburger". Meriem stands at 5'8", weighs 350 lbs,^[2] and possesses extraordinary strength and stamina. She is strong enough to rip a Velociraptor's arm out of its socket.^[3] She's also picked up a downed street lamp.^[4] Meriem's strength also allows her to leap lengthy distances, such as between buildings in New York City^[5], or leaping onto the top of a truck's trailer from street level.^[6] 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 low caliber gunshot to the back^[7] and bites from Velociraptors have failed to penetrate her tough skin. She can survive falls from great heights, like when she fell from the cliffs to the beach. Things that have been proven 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.^[7]

Meriem's enhanced molecular structure has a healing effect that slowly heals wounds over time. The effect is hastened when a lot of food is eaten and metabolised. The more food consumed, the more immediate the healing. Meriem always gets hungry after she gets injured. Meriem has healed dinosaur bites, armor-piercing bullets and even a Yeti yanking off all of her head hair. The next morning she had grown her hair back. The worst injury Meriem is shown taking is when she battled a berserk Klyde during Cavewoman: Rain. Klyde beat her to the extent where Meriem stopped breathing and appeared dead in a "death state" while her enhanced molecular structure slowly repaired itself without Meriem eating anything to hasten the healing process. The citizens of Marshville buried her while the healing effect repaired the damage after two weeks. After completely physically healing, Meriem was extremely hungry afterward.

Meriem also has above average running speed, described as moving at "30 miles per hour". Once when she ran, Bruce had to ride after her in his motorcycle in order to keep up with her.^[8]

She is an extremely powerful swimmer and can hold her breath for long periods when fighting underwater. She has also proven resistant to the effects of drowning, being capable of expelling water from her lungs even when unconscious.

Meriem's sense of smell and hearing are also enhanced. In addition, she has psychic powers, the limits of which have not been revealed. She can see Gramp as some kind of spirit who appears to her from time to time, offering advice and insight. No one can see or hear Gramp but Meriem. She has a psychic bond with Klyde and Harmony.

She is also an expert knife-thrower, and can decapitate a pterodactyl with a thrown blade.

Bibliography

• Cavewoman #1-6 (Dec. 1993 - n.a.)
• Cavewoman: Original Series vol. 1 (1996 trade paperback: reprints Cavewoman #1-6 with new content)
• Cavewoman: Rain # 1-8 (1996-1997)
• Cavewoman: Missing Link #1-4 (1997)
• Cavewoman Meets Explorers (1997 one-shot)
• Jungle Tales of Cavewoman (1998 one-shot)
• Cavewoman: Color Special (1999: reprints Threshold #7 story)
• Cavewoman: Odyssey #1 (1999)
  • Also: "Comic Connection Limited Edition" with variant cover
• Cavewoman: Pangaean Sea Prologue (1999)
• Cavewoman: One-Shot Special (2000)
• Cavewoman: Pangaean Sea #0- (2000-)
• Cavewoman: Intervention #1-2 (2001)
• Cavewoman: Meriem's Gallery (2001)
• Cavewoman: Prehistoric Pinups #1-5 (2001)
• Klyde & Meriem (2001)
• Basement/Amryl 2002 Convention Special Jam Book! (2002)
• Cavewoman: Cover Gallery Special Edition #1 (2002)
• Cavewoman: Raptor #1-2 (2002)
• Tanlines Pinup Book (2002)
• Cavewoman: He Said, She Said (2003)
• Cavewoman: The Movie (2003)
• Cavewoman: Beauties & Beasts (2005)
• Cavewoman: Reloaded # 1- (2005: reprints Cavewoman #1-6 with new content)
• Cavewoman: Jungle Jam #1-2 (2006)

Notes

1. ^ Carter, R.J. "Interview: Budd Root: Rooting Around the Basement with Cavewoman," The Trades (Jan. 1, 2002). Accessed Sept. 15, 2008.
2. ^ Cavewoman#1, pg. 4
3. ^ Cavewoman: Rain#6, pg. 13
4. ^ Cavewoman: Rain#5, pg. 33
5. ^ Cavewoman: Pamgean Sea#2, pg. 18
6. ^ Cavewoman: Rain#6, pg. 4
7. ^ ^{a b} Cavewoman: Pangean Sea#2, pg. 5
8. ^ Cavewoman#2, pg. 24

References

• Official website
• Cavewoman & Budd Root message board forum(official site)
• Basement Comics Amryl website (official site)
• Carter, R.J. "Interview: Budd Root: Rooting Around the Basement with Cavewoman," The Trades (Jan. 1, 2002).