Silk Spectre

[2] After the idea of using Charlton characters was abandoned, he decided to model Silk Spectre on superheroines like Phantom Lady and Black Canary (also an alias shared by mother and daughter).

[3] The Sally and Laurie Juspeczyk versions of Silk Spectre made their live-action debuts in the 2009 film Watchmen, in which they were played by Carla Gugino and Malin Åkerman, respectively.

The first Silk Spectre was a frizzy-haired, redheaded former waitress and burlesque dancer Sally Jupiter (her real last name was Juspeczyk, which she changed to hide her Polish ancestry).

Ursula Zandt, who had often pestered her about her Polish heritage, but later expressed regret that she was expelled from the group simply because she was a lesbian, especially since there were men on the team who were gay (though she did not identify them).

In 1947, Sally retired from crime-fighting and married her agent, Laurence Schexnayder, while keeping in touch with Hollis Mason (Nite Owl) and Nelson Gardner (Captain Metropolis).

It was known to both parents that Laurie was not Laurence's child, but The Comedian's, from a sexual encounter years after the assault, and this caused conflict in the family, leading the couple to divorce in 1956.

For example, she did not allow her to read the Hollis Mason (Nite-Owl I) autobiography Under the Hood (which included mention of The Comedian's sexual assault on Sally, something Laurie knew nothing of).

After the first of these meetings, Laurie met The Comedian outside, who complimented her for being the spitting image of her mother, but their conversation was broken off quickly by an angry Sally Jupiter.

At the same Crimebuster's meeting, Laurie met Doctor Manhattan, and the two quickly became attracted to one another, to his long-time girlfriend Janey Slater's anger.

Drawn to him from the moment she first saw him, Laurie worked with Doctor Manhattan in some of his various domestic assignments, including the suppression of riots during the police strike of 1977.

Shortly after these events, Laurie and Dan Drieberg adopt new appearances and identities, now calling themselves Sam and Sandra Hollis, and sporting blond hair.

This parallels her father's, the Comedian, change from a gaudy yellow clown suit to light leather armor with a mask to cover his scar and a variety of guns.

After watching them leave, Sally picks up an old photograph of the Minutemen, which includes the Comedian, and kisses his half of the picture as tears roll down her face.

[7] The 2012 miniseries Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre revealed that Laurie got her start as a super-hero being trained by her mother to continue the family legacy, before running away from home at the age of 16[8] and relocating to San Francisco with her boyfriend.

Laurie Juspeczyk as Silk Spectre on the cover of Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #1 (June 2012). Art by Jim Lee .