| Traci Thirteen | |
|---|---|
Traci Thirteen in a promotional image for Flashpoint. Art by Brett Booth. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Superman #189 (February 2003) |
| Created by | Joe Kelly (writer) Dwayne Turner (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Traci Thirteen |
| Species | Homo Magi |
| Team affiliations | Croatoan Society Teen Titans Coven of Three |
| Supporting character of | Blue Beetle |
| Notable aliases | Traci 13, Girl 13 |
| Abilities | Mystical abilities which enable her to tap into the magic of a city, to perform a wide array of magical acts. |
Traci Thirteen aka Girl 13 and Traci 13 is a fictional character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Superman #189 (February 2003), and was created by Geoff Johns and Pascal Ferry.
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The latest in the long line of "Homo Magi," humans born with innate powers of sorcery, Traci is forbidden by her father, Doctor Thirteen, to practice magic, since her mother, Meihui Lan, died due to magical influences. Traci moved to the Suicide Slum of Metropolis, determined to live on her own (with her pet iguana Leeroy). There she began to tap into the "urban magic" of Metropolis, and assumed the name of Girl 13, becoming a super hero of sorts. She met Superboy, who was attracted to her, but the feeling was not mutual. She used her magic to defend an injured Superman from a ghostly female ninja, along with fellow "Supergirls," Natasha Irons and Cir-El, with whom she formed a friendship. The Spectre's attack on magic during the Day of Vengeance mini-series does not seem to have had an effect on her powers.
In the one-shot Day of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special Traci joined a large group of mystical heroes, including Doctor Occult, the Phantom Stranger, and Rex the Wonder Dog in cleaning up one of the Spectre's many rampages. The Rock of Eternity had exploded over Gotham City, unleashing multiple mystical horrors. The group soon recreated the rock, trapping the demons again.
Currently she resides with her father in Doomsbury Mansion, the ancestral home of her family, annoyed by his skepticism and boring outlook.[1] Blue Beetle #16 established that Traci was raised and trained by Ralph Dibny and his wife Sue some time after her mother's death. A member of the Croatoans, the paranormal detective organization shown in 52, she travels around the world, sometimes with her father, and sometimes solo, fighting paranormal menaces with her growing magical abilities. She has recently started a relationship with Jaime Reyes, the current Blue Beetle. As a result of Jamie becoming a full-time member of the Teen Titans, she has also begun interacting with his teammates, such as during a recent Christmas adventure. For a period of time, Red Devil appeared to feel annoyed by Traci's presence as she distracted his new friend Blue Beetle. However, after she bought him a series of much desired video games, she became quickly accepted by Eddie. She is also featured on the cover of Teen Titans #66 as a potential new member.[2][3] She opted not to join however, feeling it would be too weird to be on a team with her boyfriend, despite how much fun it would be to mess with his head. However, she does remain an ally of the Titans, helping them when they need it, especially during the prison riot caused by Shimmer and Jinx, using her magic to disable Jinx's connection to the Earth, thus undoing her barrier spell.
Beginning in May 2010, Traci began co-starring in a back-up feature in Teen Titans alongside Black Alice and Zachary Zatara.[4] The feature ended in September 2010, when Teen Titans reverted to a standard 22-page format.
Traci Thirteen has "urban magic" and can tap into the magic of cities to cast spells, teleport, fire blasts of magic energy, create mystic force shields, and can even transform her pet iguana into a dragon. During her tenure in the Blue Beetle series she shows increased proficiency in any kind of magic, becoming able to teleport, conjure simple items and clothing, using her astral projection to communicate with distant people and access to magic spells unrelated to the urban setting, as a full blown member of the Homo Magi race.
Traci appears in the 2011 Flashpoint crossover event, as revealed on DC's blog. An image of Traci is shown with the caption "FLASH QUESTION: Why is Traci 13 the most important girl in the world? Does she have the strength to do what must be done?"[5] In this reality, Traci rescued her father from Paris before it was destroyed by the Atlanteans, though she feels guilty she was unable to save her mother and siblings, and is shown discovering that her father and superhero representatives from around the world are preparing to take drastic action to stop the Amazons and Atlanteans from destroying the rest of the world. She still remembers details of how reality should be, and meets Madame Xanadu for advice. When she tries to stop the use of nuclear weapons, defeating several of the council including Osiris, her father injects her with a drug and proceeds to start the countdown, which will kill 118 million people.[6] Failing to stop him, Traci teleports to find help. She teleports to Xandu, who is dying. She travels to Africa and is knocked out by a Gorilla. When she comes to she finds herself in the middle of four other people. All of them have their hands tied above them and are about to be shot by Gorillas. She incinerates them and escapes. She has a talk with Jason Todd, who is a Priest in this world. Without desired help, Traci returns to face her father. Apparently possessed, Doctor Thirteen dark magically attacks her.[7] Her father apparently stops, but whe embracing her he uses his magic to knock her down. Failing to defeat her father, Traci decides to teleport to Western Europe to sacrifice herself from nuclear weapons. Doctor Thirteen arrives and refuses to let his daughter be killed. After their struggle, Doctor Thirteen finally accepts his daughter back and apologizes for blaming themselves. Traci is impaled by Amazons, enraging her father and allowing his anger to be corrupted with his dark magic to attack anyone, killing many. However, Traci is restored to life from her spiritual connection to Earth and manages to free her father by showing him the planetary consciousness. But as the nuclear weapons were about to be activated in under two minutes, Doctor Thirteen flies over and uses his magic to destroy the nuclear weapons in deep space. Traci rescued her father and teleported themselves back to Earth with the remaining powers of her magic and reunites with her father. It is revealed that they have both used up all of their magic.[8]