Karen Crouch
I’ve always been a fan of alliteration, especially when it comes to heroes. A name is a signifier: Billy Batson, Dinah Drake, Peter Parker. When it separates from that flow it is an indication that there is a quality not quite right about the hero: Bruce Wayne is a clear example. Clark Kent is another form of that–sounding right but not looking right, an indication that something is indeed off. Karen is after a fashion of this. She lives in an America of tomorrow where cities are great sprawling walled things patrolled by teams of heroes. Every city worth living in has its own heroes and in the dustlands between there is little mroe resembling order than the power of one’s weapons. This version of America is deeply incorporated, with many cities backing the corporations that back the heroes.
This is an old idea, one that feels (sadly) familiar to Ennis’ TV version of The Boys in that corporate sense. However, the roots of it lay closer to the sports affiliations of my youth. Karen Crouch is a new character in that very old world.
Karen never thought she would wind up a hero. She was a thief growing up. She lived hand to mouth on whatever she could steal, because her parents never bothered to take care of her. They were too busy living their lives–spending their earnings on trips and always leaving her behind. They stopped booking a babysitter when she turned 10. They told her she was old enough to take care of herself now. They’d pop in every few days to check up on her–make sure she was okay. Once in a while they’d bring home clothes or a bag of groceries–something to indicate they still cared if she lived or died.
Her first power manifested when she turned 12. She was shoplifting from a candy store when the owner saw her and started coming towards her. She backed away quickly and when she hit the wall behind her it gave her a fright. Next thing she knew she was back in her bedroom. She didn’t learn how to control it for another two years and then only by sight. Nothing like the fear magic which dragged her back to her room happened again for a very long time. The next time it happened was when her second power manifested.