Legs Weaver #77 (2002) 'Tsunami!'

Just as Judge Dredd begat Judge Anderson, so also the cyberpunk series Nathan Never spun off Legs Weaver. She had her own series from 1994-2005 and then re-integrated into Nathan Never. With its mix of sci-fi action, fantasy elements, and costumed heroes, it resembles an American comic book much more than many of its Italian peers do.

Indeed, numerous characters in the series will be familiar to readers who are aware of pop culture outside of Italy. Rebecca "Legs" Weaver was based on Sigourney Weaver's character Ellen Ripley in the "Aliens" film franchise. Her best friend (sometimes portrayed as her lover) May Frayn and her sisters April and July are based on a trio of burglars from the early 1980s manga "Cat's Eye." This series hops around amongst pop culture references, from Tomb Raider to Akira to Tex Willier to Dracula, etc.

What do you get when you combine 1970s disaster films "The Towering Inferno" (about a fire in a skyscraper) and "The Poseidon Adventure" (about a sinking luxury liner)? You get this story about a sinking luxury skyscraper, that's what!

Compared to her other adventures, Legs gets relatively little action. All she does is meet some aquatic mutant people and talk them into helping. The sea lion's share of the adventure goes to May, who must escape a flooding hotel while being shot at. Legs does not go skin diving as depicted on the cover, though it does summarize the twin elements of "water peril" and "scaly monsters" found inside.

Each issue of Legs Weaver opens with a "bullpen bulletin" page in which author Stefano Vietti speaks directly to readers through Legs:

"Here I am again, dear readers, who never miss a single one of my adventures. I hope that Easter Egg hid a surprise: a toy mill with the appearance of Harvey almost worse than the original!" (I have no idea what Vietti means here. It must be some Italian in-joke.)

"But now let's talk about this month's adventure, or rather its title, 'Tsunami.' Many of you will know the meaning of this word. Those who are unfamiliar with it will get my fantastic explanation: tsunami is a term of Japanese origin that indicates an abnormal ocean wave, usually generated by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruptions, which strikes with terrifying fury, sowing death and destruction on the mainland, hence the name 'tsunami' which, in fact, properly means 'port wave.' The coasts of Japan are the main recipients for a variety of reasons, not least the frequency of seismic events to which they are subject.

"It is certainly this phenomenon that inspired the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai to create a beautiful work, the 'Great Wave' to be precise, that many of you will surely know, and that we take this opportunity to publish here alongside. (A picture of the painting is seen here.)

"And now, changing the subject completely, I would like to remind you that on April 25-28 in Turin, the eighth edition of Torino Comics will be held, for which you see the poster above. (A picture of the poster is seen here.)

"In addition to the various meetings with comic book artists (there is also the Sergio Bonelli stand) and the exhibitions of original art pages (there is also one dedicated to Martin Mystere), this year within the event there will be the Fantafestival -- that is, the international exhibition of science fiction and fantasy films. And I imagine that this cannot fail to interest you. You should be aware that the animated film 'Akira' is scheduled to be shown, and not only that! All four 'Batman' films will be shown during the Turin event. And that's enough, see you next month! Bye!"