Lady Spectra & Sparky to the rescue!
Lady Spectra & Sparky
is a superhero comic created by J. Kevin Carrier. It began as a series of self-published minicomics in 1991, and began appearing as a webcomic in 2008.Schoolteacher Paula Carson and her daughter Jill are secretly Lady Spectra & Sparky, the costumed crimefighters of Apollo City. With their laser wristbands and other gadgets, they battle such supervillains as Repo-Beast, Black Sundae, and Skullduggery in Silver Age-style adventures.
The comic stopped updating in June 2019 with no explanation.
Lady Spectra & Sparky contains examples of:
- Action Mom: Lady Spectra
- Applied Phlebotinum: White Hole energy, which can be used as anything from a laser to a force beam to an invisibility field.
- Canon Welding: Sparky shared an adventure with Glorianna, when the latter was briefly transported to the 21st century.
- The Cape: Lady Spectra
- Clothes Make the Superman: Spectra & Sparky's powers come from their wristbands and other gear.
- Comes Great Responsibility: Lady Spectra was inspired by the exploits of other superheroes to become a crimefighter.
- The Commissioner Gordon: Lt. Bernie Kominsky, head of the Apollo City police department's "Super Villain Unit".
- Easily Thwarted Alien Invasion: In the very first story, Sparky fends off an angry alien UFO pilot by offering him a bouquet of flowers.
- Find the Cure!: Spectra seeks a cure for poisoned ice cream in "I Scream, You Scream".
- Fish out of Temporal Water: Spectra is transported to a primitive world in "The Killer's Replacement" — more specifically, the world of Glorianna, JK Carrier's other major comic character. As Spectra came from modern times, she tends to uphold Thou Shalt Not Kill by utilizing non-lethal weaponry made from mundane objects available in Glorianna's time. In a more direct example, the storyline ended with the farmers' selecting their blacksmith as their new ruler while ignoring Spectra's suggestion of democratic government.
- Guest Strip: Other writers and artists have frequently pitched in.
- Hell Invades Heaven: In the "Ultra Squad: Demon War" storyline.
- Hero's First Rescue: Before becoming Lady Spectra, Paula Carson gets her first taste of action when she defends her laboratory against an intruder.
- Home Base: A converted lighthouse.
- Invisibility Cloak
- Kid Sidekick: Sparky
- Mama Bear: Lady Spectra, particularly in "I Scream, You Scream" when Sparky is poisoned.
- Massive Multiplayer Crossover: The "Ultra Squad: Demon War" storyline featured guest-stars from several 1990s mini-comics, including Mister Mid-Nite, Doc Saphire, Cassiopeia the Witch, and Madame Boogala.
- Perilous Power Source: The White Hole energy that powers Spectra & Sparky's equipment is potentially deadly at higher intensities.
- Reed Richards Is Useless: Justified by Lady Spectra's promise to her husband not to let the military get hold of their technology.
- Secret Identity: Schoolteacher Paula Carson.
- Superheroes Wear Capes
- Superheroes Wear Tights
- Teacher/Student Romance: Paula and Prof. Carson.
- Thememobile: The Prismobile, a car shaped like a giant flashlight.
- Those Wacky Nazis: Sky Death, the White Knights and various other villains.
- Training the Peaceful Villagers: Spectra leads a peasant revolt against a cruel landowner in "The Killer's Replacement".
- Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?: A lighthouse headquarters, a souped-up car, and other hi-tech gear, all on a teacher's salary.
