Painkiller Jane is a fictional superheroine created by

Jimmy Palmiotti James Palmiotti (born August 14, 1961) is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film. Early life Palmiotti attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City. Career Palmiotti star ...

and Joe Quesada for Event Comics in 1995. Originally a five-issue mini-series, the character went on to star in numerous crossover titles with the likes of the Punisher, Vampirella, and Hellboy. After Event comics, the character was exclusively written by Jimmy Palmiotti and drawn by various artists as it jumped from publisher to publisher. The series relaunched at Dynamite Entertainment with the first mini-series selling out. After that

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

published two mini-series under its

Icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...

brand. The character then came back to PaperFilms, a company owned by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner where it is currently published. Painkiller Jane has been published all over the world in at least 8 languages to date. The comics have been the basis for a television film and series.

Fictional character history

Jane Vasko begins as an undercover police officer attempting to infiltrate the Fonti Mob. After gaining the trust of mob boss Joey Fonti, she is given the assignment of passing a message on to rival gang member Adam, not realizing that an explosive device has been planted on her. As she meets her target, the explosion causes significant injuries, but Adam is uninjured. Through mysterious means, he manages to revive Jane, giving her superhuman regenerative powers in the process. Leaving her life as a police officer behind, she becomes the vigilante Painkiller Jane. The validity of this origin is unclear, as a completely different origin has been presented in the first ''Painkiller Jane'' miniseries, and the Dynamite Comics' miniseries contain references to both versions of the characters' origin.

Powers and abilities

Jane Vasko is virtually indestructible; her exceptional regenerative abilities mean that minor injuries heal in seconds and do not even slow her down while more major ones tend to take a few minutes. She has recovered from multiple gunshot wounds, explosions, chemical weapons, axes buried in her spine, even a shotgun blast to the face (which simply knocked her off her feet for a bit). However, her healing factor does not protect her nerve endings from registering the pain like a normal human, which is where her new name came from. On the offensive side, she has no real powers except for being a tough woman to kill. Other than that, she is a skilled fighter and master of undefined martial arts, as well as a master marksman with her weapons of choice, a brace of semiautomatic pistols.

Bibliography

*'' 22 Brides'' #1-4 (Mar. 1996 - Jan. 1997) *''Painkiller Jane'' #0-5 (Jan. - Nov. 1997) (#0 printed in Jan. 1999) *''Painkiller Jane'' vol. 2, #1-3 (Mar. - Aug. 2006) *''Painkiller Jane'' vol. 3, #0-5 (Apr. 2007 - Mar. 2008) *''Painkiller Jane: The Price of Freedom'' #1-4 (Nov. 2013 - Jan. 2014) *''Painkiller Jane: The 22 Brides'' #1-3 (May - Oct. 2014) *''Painkiller Jane: Trust The Universe'' graphic novel (Aug. 2019) *''Painkiller Jane: Heartbreaker'' one-shot (Nov. 2021) *''Painkiller Jane: Beautiful Killers'' #1-2 (Apr. 2023)

Crossovers

*'' Ash/22 Brides'' #1-2 (Dec. 1996 - Apr. 1997) *''The Ash Files'' #1 (Mar. 1997) *''Painkiller Jane vs. The Darkness'' #1 (Apr. 1997) *'' Vampirella: Crossover Gallery'' #1 (September 1997) (pin-up only) *''No Justice, No Piece'' #1 (October 1997) (short-story anthology; back inside pin-up only) *Vampirella/Painkiller Jane #1 (May 1998) *''Painkiller Jane/ Hellboy'' #1 (Aug. 1998) *''Painkiller Jane/ Darkchylde'' #1 (Oct. 1998) *'' The Punisher/Painkiller Jane'' #1 (Jan. 2001) *'' Terminator 2'' #6-7 (Jan. - Mar. 2008) (crossover with vol. 3 #4-5) *''The CBLDF Presents: Liberty Comics'' #2 (Oct. 2009) (short-story anthology)

In other media

Television

* ''Painkiller Jane'' was made into a made-for-television movie and broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel in December 2005. The film stars

Emmanuelle Vaugier Emmanuelle Frederique Vaugier (, ; born June 23, 1976) is a Canadian film and television actress. Vaugier has had recurring roles as Minor characters in CSI: NY#Jessica Angell, Detective Jessica Angell on ''CSI: NY'', List of Two and a Half Men c ...

as Jane Browning. The film differed significantly from the comics, notably in regard to the character's origin, but led to a subsequent television series. * The Sci-Fi Channel original series based on the character starred Kristanna Loken as Jane Vasco. The series' pilot aired in Friday, April 13, 2007. The name of the heroine in the show was more similar to the original comic name of Jane Vasko, as opposed to the Jane Browning character from the television film. The series received lukewarm reviews. ''Painkiller Jane'' did not return for a second season. The final episode aired on September 21, 2007.

References

External links

* *
Painkiller Jane comics
at Dynamite Entertainment {{Dynamite Entertainment Comics characters introduced in 1996 Comics characters with accelerated healing 1997 comics debuts Dynamite Entertainment characters Dynamite Entertainment titles Fictional bisexual women Fictional gunfighters in comics Fictional marksmen and snipers LGBTQ superheroes American comics adapted into films Comics adapted into television series Icon Comics titles Vigilante characters in comics Female superheroes