Origin
The first Silk Spectre was Sally Juspeczyk (Sally Jupiter) a young woman at the age of eighteen who worked as a waitress and dancer. Her jobs did not fulfill her ideas of grandeur so she donned a racy (for that era) yellow and black costume and became the stunning heroine known around the world as “the Silk Spectre.” After a short solo stint as a crime-fighter, she met several other costumed heroes with whom she joined in becoming founding members of the superhero team known as “the Minute Men.” It was during her time with the Minute Men when she employed an agent (who she would later marry) to help her rise to fame and glory and to help her capitalize on those qualities thus and thus use them to make money. Sally was at the age of nineteen when she and the others Minute Men members posed together for there first team picture. When the photographer was finished taking pictures the team decided to celebrate their official launch with a party. As the rest of the team went on to their revelry, Sally excused herself to “powder her nose.” She thought she was alone until her teammate, The Comedian (Edward Blake), appeared and attempted to kiss her. After striking him with a quick, sharp right hook she told him no. Instead of putting him off, this only made the Comedian even more determined to force himself upon her. She continued to resist him and received a brutal and terrifying beating from her fellow teammate. The Comedian began tearing away her clothing as he held her from behind and bent her over. It was clear that he fully intended on raping her and was about to when Hooded Justice, another of their Minute Men teammates suddenly entered the room, saw what was happening and immediately beat Blake until he was bloody sparing Sally from being raped. Blake’s response was to laugh and ask Hooded Justice if that (meaning the violence of fighting/beating someone) is what he was into. This made it obvious Blake felt no remorse and had no shame for what he had done. At this point a third member of the team, Nite Owl, entered but was too shocked to speak. Nothing happened to Blake, however because Sally takes the advice of her manager to not press charges because doing so would ruin the group’s chance of becoming big. Though Sally agreed not to formally press charges, the Comedian was forced to leave the group.
Sally was a real team player and even staged a fake relationship with Hooded Justice to help dispel rumors of his homosexuality and his alleged relationship with fellow hero Captain Metropolis. These efforts seemed to work as both masculine heroes’ public reputations remained intact and the Minutemen carried on. It was during the time of this relationship with Hooded Justice when it is believed that Sally once again met Edward Blake and the two formed some type of ongoing sexual relationship. Shortly after this she retired and married her agent Laurence Schexnayder. The couple were married for nine years before they split, but during their time together a daughter, Laurel Jane Juspeczyk, was born. Laurence was certain the child was not his as it was too soon after his marriage to Sally for Laurel to be his. Despite knowing this, he asked no questions and knew the full well the truth all along. Sally did hide the truth of Laurie’s father’s identity from Laurie herself. She did so perhaps out of shame than anything else. Sally was an overbearing stage mother and pushed her daughter into the hero business until, eventually, Laurie took up her mother’s heroic moniker and there was once again a Silk Spectre on the scene as a hero.
As her daughter’s fame grew, Sally found herself missing the old days and found herself turning to drink for comfort. Now in her later years she is always seen with some kind of drink in one hand and dangling on any attention she can get, even from perverted fans. As news of The Comedian’s death reaches her, Sally seems almost destroyed at her former lover’s death and near the end of the comic kisses his picture as if she had forgiven him and seen the change in the monster he once was to the man that she slept with all those years ago. Sally is the only surviving member of the original Minute Men superhero team at the end of the story.
Other Media
Sally Jupiter was played by Carla Gugino in the The Watchmen (2009) directed by Zack Snyder. She is known for her roles in Spy Kids, Sin City, and Entourage. The character’s portrayal is faithful to the graphic novel, though the only major departure is her costume, which became more streamlined.