Say what you like about Queenie, the main character in the upcoming Heartbreakers miniseries, but you'd better not call her a "bad girl"-- writer/co-creator Anina Bennett won't stand for it! "When Paul Guinan and I developed this character in 1988," she said, "one of our goals was to make her appealing to both women and men. Queenie is a character, not a caricature."

Both Bennett and Guinan have admitted they're trying to pull off a difficult balancing act in the science-fiction world of Heartbreakers. "First of all, Queenie's a complex mix," commented Guinan. "She's tough and sexy, sure, but she's also generous, stubborn, even vulnerable. Then there's her scientist counterpart, Vector, who was cloned from the same DNA but for a very different purpose." This combination of personalities puts a new spin on what might otherwise be a familiar brains-and-brawn pairing: Vector and Queenie are in some ways the same person and in other ways, polar opposites.

Writing and drawing the Heartbreakers series, which begins in April 1996, is a balancing act in itself. "It's part soul-searching science fiction, part tongue-in-cheek action/adventure," said Bennett. "We're exploring some weighty themes and issues, but we're having a darn good time along the way. We're trying not to take ourselves too seriously."

This new four-issue miniseries will mark Queenie's and Vector's first appearance in color. The story ties in with earlier Heartbreakers episodes -- in Dark Horse Presents #35-37, #50-52, #100-1, and the 5th Anniversary Special -- but is designed to stand on its own for new readers.