Grace (Soulfire)
Grace is a fictional character in Soulfire, a comic book created by Michael Turner. She is a magical being, one of the last surviving members of an almost-extinct race of insect-winged humans, the Rahtumi. Grace has been a lead character in two Aspen Comics series thus far, Soulfire and Soulfire: Dying of the Light.
| Grace | |
|---|---|
 Panel depicting Grace. Art by Michael Turner and Peter Steigerwald. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Aspen MLT |
| First appearance | Soulfire Preview (2003) |
| Created by | Michael Turner |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Grace |
| Team affiliations | The Five Masters |
| Notable aliases | Grace of the Rahtumi, Grace of the Empyrea |
| Abilities | Flight; Undefined amount of magic abilities; Skilled melee combatant with centuries of experience |
Fictional character biography
Though she appears youthful, Grace is thousands of years old. She was born and came of age during the "last Age of Magic", an ancient time when magic was plentiful on Earth and all manner of creatures now considered mythical (such as dragons) still existed.
During the events that culminated with the Dying of the Light, Grace was a princess of the Kingdom of Empyrea; however, as a plague destroyed all things magical and the Age ended, she faded into obscurity. While most magical beings, including almost all of the Rahtumi, perished, Grace somehow survived, though losing both her wings and her access to magic.
Grace resurfaces in the year 2211, her wings and abilities restored. She makes an alliance with a young orphan named Malikai. Malikai is the first new Rahtumi born in centuries, and he may be the key to reviving magic in the soulless future world dominated by technology and ruthless corporations. Grace's life mission is to protect Malikai at all costs so that he may have a chance to fulfill his destiny by ushering in a new Age of Magic.
Physical description
Grace is pictured as a stunningly beautiful, lithe, athletic woman with large and powerful dragonfly wings on her back. She uses the wings for flight and, at least on one occasion, as weapons - despite their delicate appearance, the wings are strong enough to block incoming blows and inflict damage. When not in flight, Grace folds the wings along her back, and they can be concealed by a cloak.
Grace has a tattoo of dragonfly wings on her face and a full dragonfly tattoo on her back. The meaning of these markings is not yet known, but they may have something to do with her status as the "chosen one" of her race.
The "modern" Grace is seen wearing typical skin-tight outfits typical of superheroes with elements of armor. Her depictions from both the Dying of the Light series and from the main Soulfire run suggest that she prefers minimal clothing, and her wardrobe often includes a flowing, translucent half-skirt. In cover art, and when not in battle, she is frequently pictured barefoot, although she also wears sandals.
Powers and abilities
Grace is a capable fighter skilled in both unarmed combat and with a variety of melee weapons. She seems to prefer polearms (mostly, some type of spear) as she finds it well-suited for aerial combat. Grace appears somewhat stronger than most humans.
Grace literally has centuries of combat and survival experience, which she presumably accumulated throughout the "Dark Ages" when her magic abilities were limited or nonexistent. During the period of time pictured in Soulfire series, she has regained the use of magic; however, so far it seems limited to projecting energy beams and creating energy shields.
She may have many additional abilities that haven't been revealed yet. An adversary (Onyx) once recognized Grace as a "goddess" and promptly fled, not wanting to confront someone so vastly powerful. What these abilities are and whether Grace has immediate access to them is unclear.