Cavewoman is an American alternative comic book created by writer-artist Budd Root, and published from 1993 to 2009, primarily by Basement Comics and additionally by Caliber Comics and Avatar Press. The story follows superhuman Meriem Cooper, a 19-year-old jungle woman who battles dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures in the Cretaceous period.

Root credits the artist William Stout, as well as the Playboy cartoon feature Little Annie Fanny, as his inspirations for the character.

The artists Devon Massey and Robert Durham have done much of the cover art for the series and related one-shots and spin-offs.

Publication history

Regarding the character's creation, Root commented:

He added that Meriem was "patterned after pretty much all the women I really respect. She's got a body with kind of a Little Annie Fannie face with Danni Ashe's boobs and Nina Hartley's butt". and possesses extraordinary strength and stamina. She is strong enough to rip a Velociraptor's arm out of its socket. She has also picked up a downed street lamp. Meriem's strength also allows her to leap lengthy distances, such as between buildings in New York City, or leaping onto the top of a truck's trailer from street level. She is strong enough to leap through the forest with a full-grown man on her back.

Meriem is also highly resistant to injury. A high-caliber gunshot to the back and bites from Velociraptors have failed to penetrate her tough skin. She can survive falls from great heights, such as when she fell from a cliff to the beach. Things that have been proven able to penetrate her skin, or otherwise injure her, are attacks that are directed with great strength or force, such as a Tyrannosaurus bite, Klyde's blows, or armor-piercing ammunition.

She is an extremely powerful swimmer and can hold her breath for long periods when fighting underwater. She has also proven resistant to the effects of drowning, being capable of expelling water from her lungs even when unconscious.

Meriem's senses of smell and hearing are also enhanced. In addition, she has psychic powers, the limits of which have not been revealed. She can see Gramp as a kind of spirit who appears to her from time to time, offering advice and insight. No one can see or hear Gramp but Meriem. She has psychic bonds with Klyde and Harmony. Meriem's sight is also extremely good: she can see an ant up to two miles away.

She is also an expert knife thrower, and can kill a pterodactyl with a thrown blade. She is also highly efficient with a knife in hand-to-hand combat, and is also an expert with a spear. Meriem is also accomplished in wrestling and boxing.

Characters

Supporting characters

  • Dr. Francis Peacock "Gramp" Reicher – Meriem's grandfather who is a scientist and inventor. Although dead, his spirit still speaks to Meriem in her times of need.
  • Bruce Kabbit – Meriem's childhood best friend and a resident of Marshville. When meeting again in the past, Bruce becomes Meriem's lover and boyfriend.
  • Klyde – a 15 ft. gorilla that came back in time with Meriem where he became a giant creature and Meriem's closest companion and protector. He has been called "the most dangerous creature to ever walk the planet...next to man".
  • Harmony – Meriem's giant Tyrannosaurus companion, whom she saved from Velociraptors as a hatchling.

Recurring characters

  • Robert Addam Cooper – Meriem's father who died prior to the beginning of the story.
  • Gail Nicole Reicher – Meriem's mother who turned to drugs following Robert's death and fell in with some government agents at the beginning of the series. When Marshville was transported to the Cretaceous Period, Gail starts seeking redemption for how she treated her daughter.
  • Carrie Fulton – Carrie is a Marshville housewife who was once abducted by a desert tribe and was rescued by Meriem.
  • Cynthia Cross – the owner of a rabbit farm in Marshville.
  • Mona Lansing - jealous of the attention Meriem Cooper gets, plain Mona Lansing injects a blood sample of Meriem into herself, transforming her into a hot woman.
  • Fay Creighton Chaney – a former hairdresser who is now the co-owner of an ice cream parlor in Marshville.
  • Francis Reicher II – he is Meriem's cousin and is named after their grandfather, but is usually referred to by his nickname of "Lumpy".
  • Sgt. John Marstone – the sergeant of the Marshville Police Department, and has a huge ego.
  • Maggie Matheson – a Marshville civilian who is good friends with Miriem and Nathaniel Hunt. She takes a special elixir that inhibits her transformation into a werewolf.
  • Matthew Blackstone – a teenager who is the son of Nicholas and Mary Blackstone. When an electric fence was made that divided Marshville for protection from the dangerous dinosaurs, Nicholas salvaged the liquor where he and Mary got drunk and abused Matthew. After running away from home, Matthew became a gangster and gathered together some teenage criminals to cause trouble for Marshville.
  • Nathaniel Hunt – a Marshville civilian who is a known hunter.
  • Patricia Lavery – the police captain of the Marshville Police Department.
  • Professor Robert Cook – a member of the Canterbury Society of Paleontology. He is friends with Meriem and is fascinated with dinosaurs.
  • Raymond Forrest – a former member of the Los Angeles Rams who is now a co-owner of an ice cream parlor in Marshville.
  • Roberto Armstrong – a hermit living in Marshville.
  • Timothy Higgins – the police sergeant of the Marshville Police Department.
  • Will O'Brian – the coolest kid in Marshville, though does do something stupid occasionally.
  • Zak Kabbit – Bruce Kabbit's younger brother who was the first victim of the dinosaurs after Marshville was transported back in time.

Awards

  • Cavewoman was awarded the Best Pen and Ink award by The Inkwell Awards (2010) at Heroes Con.
  • Cavewoman: Jungle Tales was nominated for a 1999 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Story.

Limited bibliography

Series

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  • Cavewoman #1–6 (Dec. 1993 – Jun. 1995)
  • Cavewoman: Rain # 1–8 (1996–1997)
  • Cavewoman: Missing Link #1–4 (1997–1998)
  • Cavewoman: Jungle Tales #1–3 (1998-2005)
  • Cavewoman: Pangaean Sea #1–11 (2000–2009)
  • Cavewoman: Intervention #1–2 (2001)
  • Cavewoman: Meriem's Gallery #1–4 (2001–2009)
  • Cavewoman: Prehistoric Pinups #1–5 (2001–2010)
  • Cavewoman: Cover Gallery #1–5 (2002–2013)
  • Cavewoman: Raptor #1–2 (2002)
  • Cavewoman: Reloaded # 1–6 (2005–2009) reprint of Cavewoman #1–6
  • Cavewoman: Jungle Jam #1–2 (2006)
  • The Cave Drawings of Budd Root #1–2 (2008–2010)
  • Cavewoman: Hunt #1–2 (2010–2011)
  • Cavewoman: Snow #1–4 (2011)
  • Cavewoman: Feeding Grounds #1–2 (2012)
  • Cavewoman: Mutation #1–2 (2012)
  • Cavewoman: Natural Selection #1–2 (2012)
  • Cavewoman: Gangster #1–3 (2012)
  • Cavewoman: Oasis #1–2 (2013)

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  • Cavewoman: Journey #1–2 (2014)
  • Cavewoman: The Zombie Situation #1–2 (2015)
  • Cavewoman: The Return #1–4 (2015)
  • Cavewoman: Shorts #1-2 (2015)
  • Cavewoman: Sisters of the Arena #1-2 (2015-2016)
  • Cavewoman: Raptorella #1-2 (2016)
  • Cavewoman: Starship Blish #1-2 (2017)
  • Cavewoman: Ankha's Revenge #1-3 (2016)
  • Cavewoman: Battle Against Ankha's Brood #1-2 (2018)
  • Cavewoman: Return To Labyrinth #1-2 (2018)

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One-shot issues

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  • Cavewoman: Original Series vol. 1 (1996) reprint of Cavewoman #1–6
  • Cavewoman Meets Explorers (1997)
  • Cavewoman: Color Special (1999) reprint of Threshold #7 story
  • Cavewoman: Odyssey #1 (1999)
  • Cavewoman: Pangaean Sea Prologue (1999)
  • Cavewoman: One-Shot Special (2000)
  • Klyde & Meriem (2001)
  • Basement/Amryl 2002 Convention Special Jam Book! (2002)
  • Tanlines Pinup Book (2002)
  • Cavewoman: He Said, She Said (2003)
  • Cavewoman: The Movie (2003)
  • Cavewoman: Beauties & Beasts (2005)
  • Women: Selected Drawings & Illustrations (2006) vol. 02 – 'Book Two'
  • Cavewoman & Fiends (2008)
  • Cavewoman: Red Menace (2009)
  • Budd's Sketchbook of Sketchbook Sketches (2010)
  • Cavewoman: A Night Out (2010)
  • PUs By Budd (2011)
  • Babes Fer 'Burgh-ers (2012) – 'The Pittsburgh Comicon'
  • Cavewoman: Bunny Ranch (2012)
  • Cavewoman: Uncovered (2013)
  • Welcome to the Jungle! (2013)
  • Cavewoman: The Many Faces of Meriem (2013)

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  • Cavewoman: Primal (2013)
  • Cavewoman: Sea Monsters (2013)
  • Cavewoman: Labyrinth (2013)
  • Cavewoman: Deadly Venom (2014)
  • Cavewoman: Killing Dinos 101 (2014)
  • Cavewoman: 2014 20th Anniversary Show Book (2014)
  • Cavewoman: Karnival (2014)
  • Cavewoman: Fallen (2014)
  • Cavewoman: Rising (2014)
  • Cavewoman: Roam (2014)
  • Cavewoman: Castaway (2015)
  • Cavewoman: The River Styx (2016)
  • Cavewoman: Freakin' Yetis (2016)
  • Cavewoman: My Little Dino (2016)
  • Cavewoman: Shattered Time (2016)
  • Cavewoman: Trouble For Two (2016)
  • Cavewoman: Destination Jungle (2017)
  • Cavewoman: Pool Party (2018)

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See also

  • Jungle girl
  • Feral child

References

  • Cavewoman at Comicvine.com
  • Cavewoman in Comicbookdb.com