Jenny Quantum
Encyclopedia
Jenny Quantum is a fictional comic book
superhero
in the Wildstorm
Universe published by DC Comics
. She first appeared as a child in The Authority #13 (May 2000), and was created by Mark Millar
and Frank Quitely
. She first appeared as a teenager in Authority: Revolution #7 (June 2005), and was developed by Ed Brubaker
and Dustin Nguyen
.
, during the death of Jenny Sparks
, where her birth mother was killed by super villains attempting to kidnap her and shape the coming century. Her biological father’s identity and whereabouts are unknown.
She was rescued and cared for by the Authority and later adopted by Apollo
and Midnighter
shortly after their marriage. She is the current leader of superhero team, The Authority.
Jenny first appeared in The Authority #13 as a child and Authority: Revolution #7 as a teenager. Quantum is the corporeal spirit of the 21st century, and the youngest known Century Baby, as well as being the successor to the Spirit of the 20th Century, Jenny Sparks
.
In the 'Fractured World' storyline (issues #10-#13 of the second volume of The Authority), it is revealed that Jenny Quantum had a twin sister. It was believed that there were no other survivors.
Jenny's twin sister had been found unharmed in the ruins of the Singapore hospital by the Chinese government, who recognised the potential weapon that she could become. She was immersed in a cruel assassination program that involved hyper-learning, as well as ways to kill and wage war. She was named Jenny Fractal after it was realised that she could tear reality apart at the seams.
Fractal escaped, causing a series of fractures in the fabric of reality. She forced the government to help her, on pain of total annihilation; she was able to convince the Authority that she was Jenny Quantum's biological mother. She was on the Carrier when another series of fractures led to the near-destruction of many cities.
The two Jennys battled it out; Apollo was nearly killed while the others were trying to control the damage on Earth. Fractal was able to seize control of the Carrier after killing Jenny.
In a bid to bring her back to life, the Doctor captured her spirit at the moment she died, temporarily placing her in the Garden of Ancestral Memory. The Authority went back in time to the birth of the twins, where Midnighter was sent to kill baby Fractal. The Authority took on Fractal, who had followed them back in time, to distract her. After the baby's death, the Doctor helped Jenny's spirit return to the other body.
Because both of them were the reincarnation of Jenny Sparks and identical twins, when one died, the other would have become the sole spirit of the 21st century. Since Fractal's consciousness was not captured at the time of her death, Jenny's was able to transfer to her body.
In Authority: Revolution #7, Quantum forced herself to age several years into her teens so that she could better fight the threat of Henry Bendix
and his evil group. While fighting Bendix, Jenny was able to free the current Doctor, Habib Ben Hassan, and enlist him in the fight against Bendix.
: Armageddon #9, Captain Atom inadvertently kills Jenny Quantum when she attempts to quiet the energy build-up within him that is about to destroy the universe.
However, promotional artwork for the new Morrison
/Ha
version of The Authority show Jenny Quantum, now renamed as Jenny Quarx, standing in the middle of the poster as the leader of the new Authority, which also appears to have the same line-up as the previous version. Quantum/Quarx is wearing a t-shirt with the Singaporean flag, in a manner reminiscent of Jenny Sparks' Union Jack t-shirts.
. During the series Jenny sacrificed herself to prevent the Carrier's engine, a caged miniature universe, from overwriting and destroying the universe when the damaged Carrier crashed to earth. Before absorbing the universe she kissed goodbye to The Doctor, telling him that should she return he should find her and tell her how it all turned out. After Number of the Beast a new Authority series by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, Authority: World's End, depicted a post-apocalyptic world from which Jenny was (at least initially) absent.
This version was apparently not raised by Apollo and the Midnighter who have only just met in the timeline of the new comic.
This version was created by Paul Cornell
(writer) and Miguel Sepulveda (artist)
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...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
in the Wildstorm
Wildstorm
WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
Universe published by 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...
. She first appeared as a child in The Authority #13 (May 2000), and was created by Mark Millar
Mark Millar
Mark Millar is a Scottish comic book writer, known for his work on books such as The Authority, The Ultimates, Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Civil War, Wanted, and Kick-Ass, the latter two of which have been adapted into feature films...
and Frank Quitely
Frank Quitely
Vincent Deighan, better known by the pen name Frank Quitely, is a Scottish comic book artist. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with Grant Morrison on titles such as New X-Men, We3, All-Star Superman, and Batman and Robin, as well as his work with Mark Millar on The...
. She first appeared as a teenager in Authority: Revolution #7 (June 2005), and was developed by Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker is an Eisner Award-winning comic book writer and cartoonist. Brubaker first early comics work was primarily in the crime fiction genre with works such as Lowlife, The Fall, Sandman Presents: Dead Boy Detectives and Scene of the Crime...
and Dustin Nguyen
Dustin Nguyen (artist)
Dustin Nguyen is a comic book artist who has worked for DC Comics and WildStorm since 2000.Outside of comics, Dustin is also known as a conceptual artist for toys, games, and animation.-Career:...
.
Fictional character history
Jenny Quantum was born January 1, 2000 in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, during the death of Jenny Sparks
Jenny Sparks
Jenny Sparks, also known as "The Spirit of the 20th century", is a fictional character in the Wildstorm comic book universe created by Warren Ellis during his 1997 revamp of the dwindling Stormwatch series...
, where her birth mother was killed by super villains attempting to kidnap her and shape the coming century. Her biological father’s identity and whereabouts are unknown.
She was rescued and cared for by the Authority and later adopted by Apollo
Apollo (comics)
Apollo is a fictional character, a comic book superhero who first appeared in the Stormwatch series, but is best known for his role in The Authority. While visually distinct, Apollo is cast in the mold of the Superman archetype....
and Midnighter
Midnighter
Midnighter is a fictional comic book superhero, best known as a member of the rogue superhero team The Authority. Created by writer Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch, he first appeared in Stormwatch #4, before appearing in various Authority books and series and his own eponymous ongoing series...
shortly after their marriage. She is the current leader of superhero team, The Authority.
Jenny first appeared in The Authority #13 as a child and Authority: Revolution #7 as a teenager. Quantum is the corporeal spirit of the 21st century, and the youngest known Century Baby, as well as being the successor to the Spirit of the 20th Century, Jenny Sparks
Jenny Sparks
Jenny Sparks, also known as "The Spirit of the 20th century", is a fictional character in the Wildstorm comic book universe created by Warren Ellis during his 1997 revamp of the dwindling Stormwatch series...
.
In the 'Fractured World' storyline (issues #10-#13 of the second volume of The Authority), it is revealed that Jenny Quantum had a twin sister. It was believed that there were no other survivors.
Jenny's twin sister had been found unharmed in the ruins of the Singapore hospital by the Chinese government, who recognised the potential weapon that she could become. She was immersed in a cruel assassination program that involved hyper-learning, as well as ways to kill and wage war. She was named Jenny Fractal after it was realised that she could tear reality apart at the seams.
Fractal escaped, causing a series of fractures in the fabric of reality. She forced the government to help her, on pain of total annihilation; she was able to convince the Authority that she was Jenny Quantum's biological mother. She was on the Carrier when another series of fractures led to the near-destruction of many cities.
The two Jennys battled it out; Apollo was nearly killed while the others were trying to control the damage on Earth. Fractal was able to seize control of the Carrier after killing Jenny.
In a bid to bring her back to life, the Doctor captured her spirit at the moment she died, temporarily placing her in the Garden of Ancestral Memory. The Authority went back in time to the birth of the twins, where Midnighter was sent to kill baby Fractal. The Authority took on Fractal, who had followed them back in time, to distract her. After the baby's death, the Doctor helped Jenny's spirit return to the other body.
Because both of them were the reincarnation of Jenny Sparks and identical twins, when one died, the other would have become the sole spirit of the 21st century. Since Fractal's consciousness was not captured at the time of her death, Jenny's was able to transfer to her body.
In Authority: Revolution #7, Quantum forced herself to age several years into her teens so that she could better fight the threat of Henry Bendix
Henry Bendix
Henry Bendix, also known as Weatherman, is a fictional character in the Wildstorm universe. He first appeared in the Stormwatch series.-Early life:...
and his evil group. While fighting Bendix, Jenny was able to free the current Doctor, Habib Ben Hassan, and enlist him in the fight against Bendix.
Worldstorm
In Captain AtomCaptain Atom
Captain Atom is a fictional comic book superhero that has existed in three basic incarnations. Created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Space Adventures #33 . Captain Atom was created for Charlton Comics but was later acquired by DC Comics and revised for...
: Armageddon #9, Captain Atom inadvertently kills Jenny Quantum when she attempts to quiet the energy build-up within him that is about to destroy the universe.
However, promotional artwork for the new Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
/Ha
Gene Ha
Gene Ha is an American comics artist and writer best known for his work on books such as Top 10 and Top 10: The Forty-Niners, with Alan Moore and Zander Cannon, for America's Best Comics, the Batman graphic novel Fortunate Son, with Gerard Jones, and The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix, among...
version of The Authority show Jenny Quantum, now renamed as Jenny Quarx, standing in the middle of the poster as the leader of the new Authority, which also appears to have the same line-up as the previous version. Quantum/Quarx is wearing a t-shirt with the Singaporean flag, in a manner reminiscent of Jenny Sparks' Union Jack t-shirts.
Number of the Beast and World's End
In summer and autumn 2008, Wildstorm produced an eight-issue limited series, Number of the Beast, documenting the destruction of the Wildstorm earth by a resurrected John Cumberland of The ChangersChangers
The Changers are a group of super-heroes published by Wildstorm an imprint of DC Comics. The team first appears in Stormwatch #48 , and was created by Warren Ellis and Tom Raney.-Publication history:...
. During the series Jenny sacrificed herself to prevent the Carrier's engine, a caged miniature universe, from overwriting and destroying the universe when the damaged Carrier crashed to earth. Before absorbing the universe she kissed goodbye to The Doctor, telling him that should she return he should find her and tell her how it all turned out. After Number of the Beast a new Authority series by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, Authority: World's End, depicted a post-apocalyptic world from which Jenny was (at least initially) absent.
DC Universe
As of 2011 a version of Jenny now exists in the mainstream DC Universe making her first appearance in Stormwatch vol. 4, #1 (September 2011), as a member of that group. This version is still a pre-teen, and is being mentored by Adam-1, a character who has apparently done the same for hundreds of Century Babies. In the first issue her full name is stated to be Jennifer Emily Quantum, and her powers are based on "21st century physics, whatever those turn out to be", leading Adam to state she can try just about anything she wants to at the moment.This version was apparently not raised by Apollo and the Midnighter who have only just met in the timeline of the new comic.
This version was created by Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell is a British writer best known for his work in television drama as well as Doctor Who fiction, and as the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield....
(writer) and Miguel Sepulveda (artist)
Powers and abilities
- Due to her young age, Jenny's powers have not been fully defined. As a newborn she produced an energy blast of sufficient strength to disintegrate the legs of a giant who was attempting to kill her, along with devastating a significant portion of Singapore.
- She has the ability to teleport between points on Earth and also other dimensions, as well as independent flight. It has been stated that Jenny Quantum's powers are far in excess of those possessed by her predecessor Jenny Sparks, ("make her previous incarnation look like a spastic with a guide dog") and that she still is the most endangered of all.
- Inspired by the DoctorDoctor (comics)Doctor, in comics, may refer to the following:*The Doctor , a name given to several characters in the WildStorm universe*Doctor , the main character in a number of comic adventures chiefly in Doctor Who Magazine...
's Garden of Ancestral Memory, Jenny created a dimension for all her ancestors called the Infinite City, a metropolis of assorted time-periods on the back of a giant turtle. Jenny Quantum's lineage extends to the earliest accounts of human history, which include Jenny Stone and Jenny Fire, the first two "Century Spirits". Her direct ancestors before Jenny Sparks are Jenny Steam, Jenny Revolution, Jenny Plague and Jenny Inquisition. - Jacob Krigstein's kidnap of Jenny in 'Authority' #13, intended to harness her power to 'shape the century', indicates that (as was the case with Jenny Sparks) Quantum's attitudes and experience of life will correlate with those of the world during the 21st century.