A. Roxy Rocket is a character from "The New Batman Adventures."
Q. I've never heard of her. What was she in?
A. She was in one episode, "The Ultimate Thrill." She also had a cameo in "Knight Time," from the animated WB "Superman" series, and she originally made her debut in print, in "The Batman Adventures Annual #1."
Q. The first "Batman Adventures Annual"?
A. Roxy started off as a comic book character created by producers Bruce Timm and Paul Zini. I wish I could tell you more about the issue itself, but I've never gotten my hands on it. Apparently Timm and Zini liked the character and thought she could do with an episode.
Q. Ah. So...who is this Roxy person?
A. Haven't really told you yet, have I? Roxy Rocket, aka Roxanne Sutton, was a stunt woman who doubled for a popular scream-screen actress in a series of action films and who is believed to have doubled for some of the male actors as well. However, her thrill-seeking nature propelled her to take on more and more dangerous stunts until finally there was no one willing to employ her--or, for that matter, to insure her! She turned to a life of crime to satisfy her adrenaline rush.
Q. What was the name of the actress she doubled for?
A. I wish I could tell you, but unfortunately I am working on substandard information: memories of an episode I saw on two occasions well over two years ago. Anyone who can fill me in on this, or any other info you'd like to see up here, feel free to e-mail me.
Q. How about Roxy's voice actor?
A. She was voiced by Charity James.
Q. So Roxy's a villain?
A. Ayep. "The Ultimate Thrill" gives us both the aforementioned background on her character and a storyline in which she teams up with the Penguin, for whom she heists valuable works of art, and attracts the attention of the Batman in the process.
Q. What about this other episode she was in?
A. "Knight Time"? It was more of a cameo than anything else, albeit a fun one. My memories are fuzzy, but basically she leads Superman for a merry chase through Metropolis on her trusty flying rocket at the beginning of the episode. When he finally catches her he finds out that she is hitting his burg because Gotham is currently getting a little crowded in the crime department in the absence of Batman, who has mysteriously disappeared. So basically Roxy is used as a device to get Superman informed and send him off to Gotham.
Q. So she's a Batman/Superman villain. Does she have any super powers?
A. Well, as a stuntwoman she is extremely competent physically, and she doesn't lack for wits. But that's not what you meant, is it? Nope, sorry, no X-ray vision or super speed here.
Q. So she's a one-shot villain with no super powers, a brief cameo in the "Superman" series and one appearance in the funny papers to her credit. Then why the site?
A. Because she's cool.
Why Roxy?
Well, I should probably go a little more in-depth than that, shouldn't I? Basically, I think Roxy is an underappreciated character, but hey, it's not so surprising. Like I said, no super powers. She's not especially tragic, nor is she especially comic, or tragi-comic in the classic manner of a Joker or a Harley. Although undeniably good-looking, she doesn't offer a scandalously clad physique or anything really risque. However, she's got an enormous appeal, at least for me.
For one thing, she is a fairly complex character without becoming a caricature or otherwise two-dimensional. She seems to be of sane and healthy temperament, with a good sense of humor, a fairly intelligent and cultivated sensibility, and plenty of self-confidence. A little too much because she takes risks that cross the borders of sanity. Ok, so I lied: Roxy doesn't have it all together--she is obsessed with her pursuit of the ultimate thrill and has allowed it to dramatically affect her place in society, becoming first unemployed and then a criminal. Of course societal norms shouldn't be the measure for sanity, but the potential harm she is prepared to do to herself is. Finally, she is even ready to die to get her high as, plummeting headfirst with Batman at an ungodly speed towards the ground, she murmurs, "The last stunt is the best."
While Roxy doesn't comport herself as outrageously as some of Gotham's inhabitants, she is nonetheless very intense. There is a strong sexual component to her quest for thrills, and her talk about her obsession and about Batman is a mess of raunchy double entendres. I wouldn't really say she is love-struck with Batman, though, as some have described her. Roxy is in a sense in lust with him because his attentions key her up: he is exciting and frightening and intense himself, and this is just the sort of thing she craves. It doesn't go any deeper than that, though. Roxy is pretty much on a make for anything and anyone that can keep her blood pumping and her heart racing. In the episode "Knight Time" she's not just striking out for lesser fished waters. She's looking for a thrilling number two who can fill the void left by Batman. Someone with a nice S.
It is fortunate for her that she hasn't found an outlet in something stupid like substance abuse. It is unfortunate for everyone else that her outlet involves scurviness and knavery. Oh well. Everybody needs a hobby.
Roxy is also damn good-looking, if you haven't noticed--in fact, I would have to call her the most attractive woman I've seen Batman up against, at least in the animated series. She's definitely got the best hair: long, wavy, a rich deep auburn with that windy blowy thing going on that you expect to find in a Disney heroine. She is lithe and powerful and physically fit, which I appreciate as much on a character level as a purely aesthetic or lustful one. This is somebody who takes care of her body. Roxy is just plain healthy-looking, well-endowed and a slightly broader of build than the average Gotham female--she doesn't have the kind of waspish waist that makes me think of potential back problems. And quite frankly, Roxy is one of the most adult-looking female characters. It's interesting to note that all the other new female villains in "The New Batman Adventures" had rather large heads and childish figures, and returning characters like Harley, Batgirl and Poison Ivy were redesigned in this fashion as well. Catwoman, traditionally Batman's most (in)famous female adversary and traditionally very developed and mature in appearance, was probably the most frighteningly altered! The only exception to this (rather disturbing) new trend is Roxy, who is most definitely a fully grown woman.
She's unconventional in another way as well, managing to be sexy and good-looking without wearing anything skin-tight or scanty. The furthest she ever goes is skimming down to her tank-top. Indeed, Roxy's outfit is altogether practical: visored helmet, black pants and tank-top, fleece-lined pilot's jacket (aw man, you gotta love that!), brown gloves and these kind of elven brown shoe things, and her gun belt and holster. You'll note that this ensemble is a touch androgenous--and remember, she probably stood in for some of the male actors as a stunt woman--providing another element of intrigue and appeal.
Everything about Roxy isn't physical. Of course she is totally hot, but it's a shame that this is the aspect that "Roxy's Rocket" most reflects at the moment. Perhaps if more resources spring up for Roxy in the way of, say, fanfiction and sounds and so on, that will change. This site is my stab at generating some of that kind of activity.
What have others said about Roxy?
'Roxanne Sutton, aka Roxy Rocket, started her career as a stunt woman, as she was always seeking "The Ultimate Thrill." When the risks of her occupation no longer were daring enough for her, she turns to a life of crime. She embarks to test the dangerous waters of the criminal underworld of Gotham City. To make it all the more fun, she seeks to test Batman, seeking a game of cat and mouse with the legendary "Dark Knight" to satisfy her craving for danger.'
~ http://www.batman-superman.com/batman/cmp/roxy.html
'014 "The Ultimate Thrill": For Roxy Rocket, an over adrenalized ball of energy, death is the ultimate thrill. And as she leads Batman on a city-wide chase through Gotham, she skates death continually, until the Caped Crusader calls her ultimate bluff.'
~ http://www.batman-superman.com/batman/cmp/episodes.html#TUT
'Roxanne Sutton, tambi鮠conocida como Roxy Rocket, empez carrera como doble de actores en cine y televisisiempre buscando la Emociefinitiva. Cuando los riesgos de su profesio fueron suficientes para ella, se dedicࡠuna vida como criminal, donde ten���emociones como ninguna otra. Para ella el peligro es un juego, por eso robar y ponerse en peligro ante el bajo mundo criminal de Ciudad G䩣a no significa nada para ella, y m᳠aun, es s쯠un juego ser perseguida por el Caballero de la Noche, un juego que podr���terminar con la muerte.'
~ http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Bungalow/4705/roxy.htm
'An excellent episode ["The Ultimate Thrill"] that really proved that new villains can be good. Although she couldn't really be used again without repeating the same actions as this time, Roxy Rocket was worthy of an episode. The animation and scene planning was fantastic, especially the final scene with Roxy and Batman on the rocket with the slow pull-aways as the rocket moved. The animation work in the tunnel was fantastic as well. Batman was drawn weird in some of the first scenes, but the animation cleaned up very nicely and was consistent and nicely proportioned after that.
The clich鳠that Roxy used were less than humorous, but it gave her this real sense of a washed out movie extra. (I know most washed out movie extras probably don't talk that way, but it still worked.) The sexual innuendo was humongous for a Saturday morning cartoon, with Roxy relating the whole experience with Batman to a sexual level of 'he was the best', the 'finale' of sorts on the rocket, Batgirl's sources and even Batgirl's line about how Roxy would be back for more Batman. It was just raunchy, but hilarious at the same time because it made it past the censors.
Overall, this had to be one of the best New Batman episodes, but most people really hate it for some reason and file it under the dregs. The Ultimate Thrill was fast paced and fun, and should not be overlooked.
~ http://www.toonzone.net/worldsfinest/wfepisodes/ultimatethrill.htm
'That episode ["Knight Time"] quickly turns into a slugfest, with such villains as Brainiac, Mad Hatter, Bane, Riddler and Roxy Rocket appearing. Roxy Rocket is a new villain that will appear for the first time on Batman next season.
"She's a character Bruce and I created for the first Batman Adventures Annual," producer/writer Paul Dini said. "We always liked her, so we created a (television) story for her. Sparks fly in that one."
'Eine ehemalige Stuntfrau, die wegen ihrer halsbrecherischen Aktionen die Versicherungssummen derart in die H襠trieb, daߠkein Studio sie mehr einstellen wollte. Ihren Lebensunterhalt verdient sie sich mit Raub⦤llen. Sie verliebte sich in Batman, da sie ihn f婮en passenden Partner hielt, der den Nervenkitzel genau so liebt wie sie (TNBA).'
~ http://www.dark-knights.de/querbat/lexikon_mr.htm
