Bootleg (comics)
Encyclopedia
Bootleg is a fictional super heroine created by Eric Stephenson and Todd Nauck
for Image Comics
(under the Extreme Studios imprint) title New Men
and was the second team member the two introduced to the series, after Pilot, a character who was almost identical to the X-Men
's Bishop
, and debuted in her civilian identity in the 9th issue of the New Men ongoing series, but did not encounter the team themselves until issue 12.
After this Jamie became part of New Men and moved into Proctor's lodge, unlike many characters of her ilk, she was thrilled about her new life, having been looking for something to do with her life, she later admitted to being scared, not of the danger or pressure that being in the team created, but of the experience ending. In most of her appearances up until issue 20 she often played the stereotypical 'new girl' character, bewildered, confused or 'freaked out' by occurrences, or being to 'take' or 'handle' situations she found herself in, perhaps most competent during the 'Dominion' story-line, where her and three other New Men were transported away (and Bootleg spent much of the story topless or wearing rags because Kodiak broke her bra) and during a solo fight with re-occurring series villain Elemental.
Following the disbanding of the New Men in the wake of the events of the Extreme Destroyer imprint-wide crossover and the New Force mini-series, Bootleg resumed normal life but became deeply unhappy and frustrated once again, she was then kidnapped, imprisoned and tormented by a secret organisation that sought to destroy the New Men.
, similar to a wealthier version of Jubilee
as portrayed in the early '90s X-Men animated series
, she was often panicky 'stated the obvious'. Like most of the team, her character was refined and developed more after the series' revamp, and she became much more rounded and mature, as well as more adept at using her powers.
and Bootleg was shown to borrow the most basic of abilities, such as a sporty college student's strength, built up by nothing more than simple training, though most of the time, given the stories, she was shown to be using other's superpowers.
Her powers seemed to have very little effect on her physical form, rarely, if ever taking on physical attributes of those whose powers she used.
Todd Nauck
Todd Nauck is an American comic book artist and writer. Nauck is most notable for his work on Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Young Justice and his own creation, Wildguard.-Career:...
for Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
(under the Extreme Studios imprint) title New Men
New Men (Image Comics)
New Men was a comic book series published in 1990's by Image Comics. It was one of the many titles co-created by Rob Liefeld, and released as part of his Extreme Studios imprint...
and was the second team member the two introduced to the series, after Pilot, a character who was almost identical to the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
's Bishop
Bishop (comics)
Bishop is a fictional comic book superhero, appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books...
, and debuted in her civilian identity in the 9th issue of the New Men ongoing series, but did not encounter the team themselves until issue 12.
Character history
Jamie Forester was the frustrated daughter of a wealthy family unhappy with her mundane life and clichéd existence and unsure of her future who was also having unwanted 'adrenalin rushes', which she later found to be part of her powers as a 'Nu Gene Positive'. The Nu Gene was the New Men's universe's equivalent of the Mutants from Marvel Comics' X-Men franchise. Jamie first came into contact with the New Men during a very public battle between them and their member Reign, and an enemy/old ally Khyber, the gem Reign has on his forehead had mind controlling properties and caused him to go on a minor rampage. Jamie had been searching for the New Men, with help of her friend Paul, who knew New Men member Exit, after putting a boy in a coma with her powers, here Jamie accidentally exhibited a brief burst of Dash, the team's female speedster's speed, John Proctor, the group's mentor recognized her is Nu-Gene Positive.After this Jamie became part of New Men and moved into Proctor's lodge, unlike many characters of her ilk, she was thrilled about her new life, having been looking for something to do with her life, she later admitted to being scared, not of the danger or pressure that being in the team created, but of the experience ending. In most of her appearances up until issue 20 she often played the stereotypical 'new girl' character, bewildered, confused or 'freaked out' by occurrences, or being to 'take' or 'handle' situations she found herself in, perhaps most competent during the 'Dominion' story-line, where her and three other New Men were transported away (and Bootleg spent much of the story topless or wearing rags because Kodiak broke her bra) and during a solo fight with re-occurring series villain Elemental.
Following the disbanding of the New Men in the wake of the events of the Extreme Destroyer imprint-wide crossover and the New Force mini-series, Bootleg resumed normal life but became deeply unhappy and frustrated once again, she was then kidnapped, imprisoned and tormented by a secret organisation that sought to destroy the New Men.
Character
Despite her desire to be otherwise, Bootleg was usually portrayed as a very standard character for her situation and social standing, being considerate of her looks, having an 'attitude' and speaking in teen slangSlang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
, similar to a wealthier version of Jubilee
Jubilee (comics)
Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men.A mutant, Jubilee had the superhuman power to generate "fireworks" of explosive plasma. A teenage "mall rat," she was the X-Men's youngest member in the early 1990s, often playing sidekick to...
as portrayed in the early '90s X-Men animated series
X-Men (TV series)
X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
, she was often panicky 'stated the obvious'. Like most of the team, her character was refined and developed more after the series' revamp, and she became much more rounded and mature, as well as more adept at using her powers.
Powers
Bootleg is named in-series as being an 'energy syphon', what she in fact has is the ability to copy and use the powers and abilities of others simply by being near them, this power was not limited to superpowersSuperpower (ability)
Superpower is a popular culture term for a fictional superhuman ability. When a character possesses multiple such abilities, the terms super powers or simply powers are used...
and Bootleg was shown to borrow the most basic of abilities, such as a sporty college student's strength, built up by nothing more than simple training, though most of the time, given the stories, she was shown to be using other's superpowers.
Her powers seemed to have very little effect on her physical form, rarely, if ever taking on physical attributes of those whose powers she used.