#Maxine Sterenbuch

[leoruby-draws]

Decided to post even more Vanessa art, this one showing her hanging out with Rose Wilson. It seems Rose wants to help Vanessa 'toughen up' a bit, perhaps her mother Lillian Worth can help. Their older selves clothing are based on stuff I've seen in thrift stores, don't they look fashionable?

Here's an older Vanessa wearing the Silver Swan outfit belonging to her predecessor Valerie Beaudry, it's a very beautiful outfit I must admit. Speaking of Valerie...

Here's Vanessa meeting Valerie and her gal pal Maxine Sterenbuch, along with a doodle of Vanessa and friends meeting her names sake the Loch Ness monster! Looks like a fun adventure they had. There's also a doodle of Vanessa's poor friend Lucy Spears. I felt so bad for her, I appreciate the comics tackling such a heavy topic.

Further context on Vanessa meeting Valerie, in my au after Vanessa is transformed into the Silver Swan, I imagine her breaking out and going into hiding. Shortly after Jason and friends manage to find her and convince her somehow to join the team, tho she's very standoffish at first. Jason finds her (along with a couple of other kids) a safe house to stay in, but later on she meets Valerie.

Valerie offers to let her stay with her and Maxine, Valerie knows better than anyone what Vanessa is going through and wants to help. Vanessa slowly with her learns to manage her powers better and eventually learns to control it. Being in a safe place and having friends helps stabilize her emotions better, thereby stabilizing her powers as well.

Should be noted that Diana and Julia Kapatelis are trying to find her and bring her home. I imagine word eventually gets through to them where Vanessa is, I'm not sure if Valerie/Maxine know where Vanessa comes from so they can't tell her family. I'm not sure about Jason actually, perhaps Vanessa tells him not to 'snitch", so he's probably in a bit of a moral dilemma I guess.

Vanessa didn't just meet Valerie, she also gets a chance to meet the first Silver Swan, Helen Alexandros! The story here is kinda vague but I wanted Vanessa to meet Helen, then forced to fight her. But because Vanessa shows her compassion, Helen is moved by this and somehow 'gifts' her divine power (that she got from Ares) and this transforms Vanessa into a sorta 'super form'.

Kinda resembles Sailor Moon a bit huh? Who is surprised, I showed this form in an earlier drawing I think. Anyways, this form only lasts for a short time, but its very powerful. Vanessa showing empathy to her enemy is ofc inspired by her hero Wonder Woman , I guess after being helped by her friends she ends up helping another victim like herself. So I guess she ends up getting a narrative arc of sorts in this au.

But I did think up an alternative way for her to get that 'super form" tho:

This is more obviously inspired by the swan lake story, but more specifically the 1994 movie The Swan Princess (Vanessa's hair is slightly modeled after Odette's). The story's even more vague here, so I guess I imagined a lake spirit taking the form of a swan, Vanessa helps it and it 'gifts' her extra power. It only lasts a short time as well. Which story do you think sounds better?

Well, that was a lot, so I hoped you liked all that!

[dcbinges]

Wonder Woman #15 (1988) by Len Wein & George Pérez

[somewherefornow]

MAXINE & VALERIE/SILVER SWAN in WONDER WOMAN (1987)

[yetanothercomicbook]

Swan Song

Wonder Woman #15

Basic but engrossing.

The story of Maxine Sterenbuch and Valerie Beaudry.

Not much really happens but we see that Diana is infatuated with Superman, and we meet an ordinary woman who's apparently best friends with a super-villain.

On Sale Date: December 8, 1987.

George Pérez (15 of 65).

Len Wein (13 of 14).

6/10

[wonderwomancharacter]

Day 1534: Valerie Beaudry

Better known under the moniker of 'Silver Swan' Valerie was a young woman who had led a troubled life since the day she was born. Her parents having died unexpectently in a nuclear test gone horribly wrong, Valerie miraculously survived in the womb.

Born with terrible disfigurement brought about by nuclear radiation, Valerie would be raised in an orphanage where she would be shunned by others. Mocked for her appearance, and generally treated like a freakish monster by her peers in her small town of Woodworth North Dakota.

When she was fifteen She would develop a pen pal in the form of Maxine Sterenbuch, who would quickly become her best friend, the two of them regularly exchanging letters talking about their personal lives and interests. With Valerie often talking about her love of things such as poetry, bike riding, singing, old films, and janis jan.

Despite her good relationship with Maxine over letters however, Valerie was deeply disturbed by her own appearance, comparing herself to Hester Prynne, with the deformity she suffered since birth branding her as one to be shunned by society.

Yet Valerie was also born with a special ability which made her unique beyond her appearance. For the nuclear test which claimed her parents had awakened dormant genes within her while she was still unborn. Granting her a powerful sonic power called the 'swan song' A scream from Valerie could level buildings.

Years after graduating from school, Valerie would be approached by a rich douche named Armbuster who claimed to be in love with her. Wooing her with flowers, he swept Valerie off her feet and soon had her leaving with him on a private jet.

Valerie convinced he loved her would do anything he wanted, desperate to be loved. Thus she allowed herself to be experimented on. With Valerie being bathed in radiation which further increased her powers and altered her physical appearance.

She would dearly miss her friend Maxine, but Henry Cobb Armbuster forbid her to have any contact with anyone aside from him, and to only do what he told her. Threatening to abandon her if she didn't do as she was told.

Thus Valerie became his Silver Swan. Training to become a machine of death. Her first target would be Wonder Woman, who Armbuster wanted to see destroyed. Twisting Valerie to convince her that killing Wonder Woman was her greatest desire. When in reality Armbuster wanted to have Valerie kill Wonder Woman as a show of her power, so anyone interested in hiring her out would leap at the chance.

And thus time and again, Valerie would attempt to destroy Wonder Woman.....

[wonderwomancharacter]

Day 1526: Maxine Sterenbuch

Woman from the town of Sternbach, Maine. Maxine was an ordinary girl in an ordinary town who had decent grades in school would wind up getting a decent job when she reached adulthood.

Unaware that answering an ad in the newspaper for a pen pal would wind up becoming one of the most important moments in her life, Maxine would write back to one Valerie Beaudry who like her was fifteen years old at the time, with a love of singing, bike riding and one Janis Ian. And an utter loathing of superficial people.

Valerie would write back and soon the two of them had become constant pen pals writing to one another constantly. Sharing their highs and lows. With Maxine vividly writing to her friend about every major and important moment in her life, relying on the words of response in every letter from her closest friend despite the distance.

However one day Maxine wanting to get to know Valerie more a few months after graduating from high school, sent a letter with her photo, asking if Valerie would do the same. The letters would stop and Maxine some months later would contact the post office in Woodworth north Dakota to discover that the P.O box Valerie used had been closed, and that she left no forwarding address.

So Maxine lost her dear friend and would spend years wondering what had become of Valerie when out of the blue she recieved a phone call from her friend, eager to see her again. Maxine agreed and flew off to the town of Boston massachusus to be reunited with her dear friend.

The two of them would talk, getting along as though they had never been apart. Until Valeries boyfriend one Henry Cobb Armbuster came in, enraged to discover Valerie had friends, and proceeded to manhandle Valerie for inviting someone, ordering his goons to throw Maxine out.

Maxine would contact Valerie after the fact, telling her that her boyfriend was a huge creep, and asked to meet Valerie again. Her friend would agree but instead of Valerie, Maxine would be greeted by an assassin for hire.....