Garganta
Encyclopedia
Garganta is a fictional comic book
character published by AC Comics
appearing in several of their titles, most commonly Femforce
the title in which she debuted in 1990 (Garganta, the 50 ft (15.2 m) Woman, Femforce #30). Originally appearing as a one-off antagonist, she proved so popular with readers that she re-appeared two issues later and eventually became a regular character. In 2001, Garganta appeared her own comic book Garganta's Thrilling Science
. A live-action movie entitled Gargantarama, starring Brenna Barry as Garganta, was released on DVD in February 2006. A sequel, Ghost of Garganta, was released December 14, 2010.
Storylines have exploited Garganta's size-changing ability as both a blessing and as a curse. Although she can usually regulate her size by mental effort, she sometimes experiences uncontrolled growth and causes havoc (This tends to happen when she becomes angry). She is for the most part gentle and friendly and uses her giant size to help others. Because her powers would destroy her normal clothes, she wears only her Span-XX bikini
.
Garganta's name was given to her by Ellen McFarland, a reporter who had a minor supporting role in Femforce and was covering her initial rampage. It comes from the adjective gargantuan (meaning "huge" or "vast") which is in turn derived from Gargantua, a fictional giant created by François Rabelais
.
on January 12 1919, she became a biochemist and later worked as a U.S. government research scientist working on the V-47 formula that gave Miss Victory
and her daughter their powers. Carol took the formula herself and destroyed the complex where she was working and began to rampage out of control because she could not control the energy in her. After being knocked out by the second Miss Victory (who was leading the team at the time) she grew to gigantic proportions and continued her rampage, eventually being stopped by a combined attack that knocked all the energy out of her. Carol again grew to a giant and rampaged after unwillingly being subjected to an electro-stimulation experiment. This time she escaped to the sea and displayed a new ability to adapt to her surroundings becoming a giant whale-like sea creature. Miss Victory was dispatched to kill her with a special gun, but after Garganta telepathically told her how peaceful she was, she faked Garganta's death for her. (Femforce #30 and 32)
Garganta was returned to human form by the Gammazons, a race of giant alien Amazon women, which left her 50 feet (15.2 m) tall with the mind of a passive sea mammal. She was abducted along with several other characters but was saved at the climax of the story (Femforce #43 and 44). After the Gammazons were vanquished, Garganta was given a special bikini by Span-XX (who make all of Femforce's costumes) and a special apartment in a giant prefabricated building in the Femforce HQ (Femforce #45) but she later gained the ability to grow and shrink at will through practice.
In a later storyline, Garganta came under the influence of rich socialite Stella Stargaze, who exploited her--firstly as a movie actress and later as a telepathic healer. However, when she attempted to "heal" a man who had been involved in seal hunting
, she went wild and started growing in her nightmares. She was rescued by the Femforce and recuperated on a remote island. Tara
managed to get her away from the complex with her untested growth abilities.
Primarily Garganta has the power to increase her size, typically to 60 ft (18.3 m), though she can grow to over 200 ft (61 m), and lift over 160 tons. She has since learned she has empathic abilities which were in fact the cause of her earlier rampages. Garganta has also been given various other powers. Initially she could shoot destructive beams from her eyes and hands. She then displayed an ability to breathe underwater
while swimming
, and furthermore to adapt to her ocean surroundings and even mutate to fit them, becoming a giant sea-creature and speaking telepathically. None of these powers have been used since.
has become a recurring motif in Femforce
throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Following the success of Garganta, the superheroines Synn and Nightveil
were revealed to have size-changing ability, due to the reality-altering nature of their powers. Also Jungle-Girl Tara
(who had previously had no super-powers at all) acquired the ability to become a giantess (Good Girl Art Quarterly Summer 1991), though unlike Garganta she cannot maintain her giant size indefinitely.
Giantess stories have become the theme of the ongoing Femforce backup feature, Gargantarama, which takes its name from Garganta herself.
Garganta should not be confused with Giganta
, a similar (though less benign) character in the DC Comics
universe.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character published by AC Comics
AC Comics
AC Comics is a comic book publishing company started by Bill Black.AC Comics specializes in reprints of Golden Age comics from now-defunct companies whose properties lapsed into public domain and were not reprinted elsewhere...
appearing in several of their titles, most commonly Femforce
Femforce
Femforce is a comic book published by AC Comics that began publication in 1985, detailing the adventures of the titular team: the "Federal Emergency Missions Force" or "Femforce", some of them original creations, while others originated in the 1940s and 50s, lapsing into public domain by the time...
the title in which she debuted in 1990 (Garganta, the 50 ft (15.2 m) Woman, Femforce #30). Originally appearing as a one-off antagonist, she proved so popular with readers that she re-appeared two issues later and eventually became a regular character. In 2001, Garganta appeared her own comic book Garganta's Thrilling Science
Garganta's Thrilling Science
Garganta's Thrilling Science was a comic book published in 2001 by A.C. Comics. The central character is Garganta, also known as Dr. Carol Heisler, who can transform herself into a giantess at will. The Garganta stories, drawn by Stephanie Sanderson, are supplemented by several classic comic-book...
. A live-action movie entitled Gargantarama, starring Brenna Barry as Garganta, was released on DVD in February 2006. A sequel, Ghost of Garganta, was released December 14, 2010.
Storylines have exploited Garganta's size-changing ability as both a blessing and as a curse. Although she can usually regulate her size by mental effort, she sometimes experiences uncontrolled growth and causes havoc (This tends to happen when she becomes angry). She is for the most part gentle and friendly and uses her giant size to help others. Because her powers would destroy her normal clothes, she wears only her Span-XX bikini
Bikini
The bikini is typically a women's two-piece swimsuit. One part of the attire covers the breasts and the other part covers the crotch and part of or the entire buttocks, leaving an uncovered area between the two. Merriam–Webster describes the bikini as "a woman's scanty two-piece bathing suit" or "a...
.
Garganta's name was given to her by Ellen McFarland, a reporter who had a minor supporting role in Femforce and was covering her initial rampage. It comes from the adjective gargantuan (meaning "huge" or "vast") which is in turn derived from Gargantua, a fictional giant created by François Rabelais
François Rabelais
François Rabelais was a major French Renaissance writer, doctor, Renaissance humanist, monk and Greek scholar. He has historically been regarded as a writer of fantasy, satire, the grotesque, bawdy jokes and songs...
.
Fictional character biography
Garganta's real name is Dr. Carol Heisler. Born in Yuma, ArizonaYuma, Arizona
Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....
on January 12 1919, she became a biochemist and later worked as a U.S. government research scientist working on the V-47 formula that gave Miss Victory
Miss Victory
Miss Victory is an American comic book superheroine who first appeared in Captain Fearless #1 , published by Helnit, a publisher that soon afterward evolved into Holyoke Publishing. Ceasing to be published after 1946, she was revived and updated in 1984 as a central character in the Femforce...
and her daughter their powers. Carol took the formula herself and destroyed the complex where she was working and began to rampage out of control because she could not control the energy in her. After being knocked out by the second Miss Victory (who was leading the team at the time) she grew to gigantic proportions and continued her rampage, eventually being stopped by a combined attack that knocked all the energy out of her. Carol again grew to a giant and rampaged after unwillingly being subjected to an electro-stimulation experiment. This time she escaped to the sea and displayed a new ability to adapt to her surroundings becoming a giant whale-like sea creature. Miss Victory was dispatched to kill her with a special gun, but after Garganta telepathically told her how peaceful she was, she faked Garganta's death for her. (Femforce #30 and 32)
Garganta was returned to human form by the Gammazons, a race of giant alien Amazon women, which left her 50 feet (15.2 m) tall with the mind of a passive sea mammal. She was abducted along with several other characters but was saved at the climax of the story (Femforce #43 and 44). After the Gammazons were vanquished, Garganta was given a special bikini by Span-XX (who make all of Femforce's costumes) and a special apartment in a giant prefabricated building in the Femforce HQ (Femforce #45) but she later gained the ability to grow and shrink at will through practice.
In a later storyline, Garganta came under the influence of rich socialite Stella Stargaze, who exploited her--firstly as a movie actress and later as a telepathic healer. However, when she attempted to "heal" a man who had been involved in seal hunting
Seal hunting
Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Norway and Russia...
, she went wild and started growing in her nightmares. She was rescued by the Femforce and recuperated on a remote island. Tara
Tara Fremont
Tara Fremont is a fictional character appearing in the Femforce comic book, published by AC Comics. She is an attractive young woman with long dark hair, who is usually drawn wearing either a combat uniform or a green camouflage swimsuit...
managed to get her away from the complex with her untested growth abilities.
Powers and abilities
Underwater
Underwater is a term describing the realm below the surface of water where the water exists in a natural feature such as an ocean, sea, lake, pond, or river. Three quarters of the planet Earth is covered by water...
while swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, and furthermore to adapt to her ocean surroundings and even mutate to fit them, becoming a giant sea-creature and speaking telepathically. None of these powers have been used since.
Influence
The giantessGiantess
A giantess is a female giant. The term may refer either a mythical being resembling a woman of superhuman size and strength or a human woman of exceptional stature, often the result of some medical or genetic abnormality ....
has become a recurring motif in Femforce
Femforce
Femforce is a comic book published by AC Comics that began publication in 1985, detailing the adventures of the titular team: the "Federal Emergency Missions Force" or "Femforce", some of them original creations, while others originated in the 1940s and 50s, lapsing into public domain by the time...
throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Following the success of Garganta, the superheroines Synn and Nightveil
Nightveil
Nightveil is a fictional character, a superheroine who appears in the Femforce comic book, published by AC Comics. An adaption of the Golden Age superhero Phantom Lady, she has also been known as Blue Bulleteer and Nightfall...
were revealed to have size-changing ability, due to the reality-altering nature of their powers. Also Jungle-Girl Tara
Tara Fremont
Tara Fremont is a fictional character appearing in the Femforce comic book, published by AC Comics. She is an attractive young woman with long dark hair, who is usually drawn wearing either a combat uniform or a green camouflage swimsuit...
(who had previously had no super-powers at all) acquired the ability to become a giantess (Good Girl Art Quarterly Summer 1991), though unlike Garganta she cannot maintain her giant size indefinitely.
Giantess stories have become the theme of the ongoing Femforce backup feature, Gargantarama, which takes its name from Garganta herself.
Garganta should not be confused with Giganta
Giganta
Giganta is a fictional character, a red-haired super-villainess appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. A longtime enemy of Wonder Woman and an occasional foil for The Atom, Giganta possesses the superhuman ability to increase her physical size and mass, effectively transforming into...
, a similar (though less benign) character in the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
universe.