ATALUMA
(see comments)
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  Real Name:
Ataluma
Identity/Class: Extradimensional
(possibly alternate Earth vs. alien dimension)
human-ish (see comments)
Occupation: Warrior
Group Membership:
Sisterhood of Steel
Affiliations: Formerly feigned an alliance
with D'lak and his men
Enemies: D'lak
and his men, Thibbeus and his men, marauding invaders
Known Relatives: Unidentified father
(deceased)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: The Teeth of Shath, an
island in an ocean
First Appearance: Sisterhood of Steel#1
(December, 1984)
Powers/Abilities: Ataluma was experienced
in herbal treatments, both beneficial and harmful.
Ataluma
was a capable leader, and she was particularly skilled at
organizing a
rebellion and maintaining its secrecy, as well as manipulating
men to
serve her ends. She was willing to allow men to use her for
carnal
lusts in order to facilitate her manipulation of them.
She was willing and able to
kill an enemy with a blade.
Height: Unrevealed (she was not seen by anyone
of
known height, and average heights may have been significantly
larger or
taller; she did not appear to be significantly tall nor short;
approximately 5'6")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 130 lbs.)
Eyes: Unrevealed (odd coloring in flashbacks; possibly very
light green or blue in statue)
Hair: Blonde (or perhaps orange/strawberry blonde; it
looked
like that in the flashback, but that was shadowed; her hair was
clearly
blonde in the statue) |
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  History:
(Sisterhood of Steel#1 (fb) - BTS) -
Ataluma was
the daughter of the herbalist of an unidentified village who
taught her
well in the properties and uses of plants.
(Sisterhood of Steel#1 (fb))
- Ataluma's father
was slain when the pirate-king Thibbeus led his forces to raid
that
village.
Ataluma and many other women
were carried off to serve the
pleasure of the pirates on their island base, the Teeth of
Shath, and
Thibbeus claimed Ataluma as his own.
Thibbeus cared not what damage
he did to
her body or spirit, and Ataluma knew that to regain her freedom
and
have revenge that she must survive.
Over the long months of
humiliation that
followed, Ataluma mader her plans.
She secretly plied Thibbeus
with
drugs that allowed her to bend his mind subtly to her will, and
she
gathered a cadre of loyal women, teaching them the skill of
making a
poison.
When her women were ready,
Ataluma left her
bedchambers while Thibbeus snored in drugged sleep, and she went
to his
most greedy and ambitious rival, D'lak, and she gave herself to
him,
claiming that Thibbeus was weak and useless.
D'lak already nurtured
dreams of ousting Thibbeus and becoming the pirate-king, and
Ataluma
endured his foul embrace and saw to it that his dreams took root
in
reality.
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It took little effort for Ataluma to
bring her
plan to fruition. Dlak challenged Tiberius, and the island burst
into
chaos. Before the day was through, Dlak had triumphed, unaware
that
Ataluma had guaranteed his victory by weakening Thibbeus with
her
potions.
All of Thibbeus' men similarly
perished, thus cutting in half
the number of pirates on the island.
Ataluma and her women prepared
a victory feast
that night for D'lak and his men. Every man left on the island
drank of
the wine the women served, though the women did not drink of it.
D'lak
felt the poison even as his men moaned and died around him.
D'lak cursed
Ataluma, but she cursed him back and stabbed him in the heart
with a
kitchen knife.
"With the cry of a wild thing
broken free from
its chains," the women seized knife, sword and axe. When the
night's
red fury was done, the women acclaimed Ataluma as their queen.
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(Sisterhood of Steel#1 (fb)
- BTS) - Ataluma made the island a haven
for any woman who would fight for their cause.
Many came and many died in the
battles that
followed as marauders sought to reclaim the island. Time and
again,
invaders were drive away while Ataluma forged the bonds of her
new
order.
When their island was secure,
the women went out
into the world and enriched their coffers as elite mercenaries.
Men
spoke in fear of the Sisterhood of Steel.
(Sisterhood of Steel#1 (fb)
- BTS) - A statue of Ataluma was erected on the Teeth of Shath
island to honor her.
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Comments: Created
by Christy Marx and Mike Vosburg for the
creator-owned Epic line.
The bulk of the
images were oddly colored, presumably to differentiate the flashbacks
from the rest of the story, and Ataluma appears with relatively dark
skin and orange hair. The statue of Ataluma shown in the main story,
which was normally-colored, shows her with blonde hair and
significantly lighter skin color.
At the end of issue
#1, Christy Marx had some introductory comment that started with, "Welcome
to the world of the Sisterhood. It's a fantasy world, whose history is
parallel to our own, but not to be taken as prehistory (as in the
Hyborian Age). It may be an alternate line or reality; it may be a
different world altogether. However you choose to see it, I hope
you'll
enjoy what Mike Vosburg and I have concocted for you."
To me, that would make it most likely either an
alternate Earth or an alien, Earth-like realm.
This profile was
completed 03/02/2025, but its publication was delayed as it was intended
for the Appendix 25th anniversary 's celebratory event.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Ataluma should be distinguished from:
- ATALANTA -
Trojan war, huntress,
proficient
with bow--Thor Annual#8
- ATALANTA -
Pantheon, had affair with
Achilles. Short brown hair, superhuman strength + durability, fire
energy
arrows from plasma bow, low level telekinetic ability to direct
arrows to targets--[Incredible Hulk II#376], 379
- ATALI
of the Hyborian Era - daughter of Ymir--"Frost
Giant's Daughter/Gods of the North", Fantasy Fan; Savage Tales I#1
- ATALIS of the
Hyborian Era - Yaralet, former
philosopher, aided Conan against Munthassem Khan, later used Hand
of Nergal to take over Yaralet, drugged Prince Thann and Fafnir
Hellhand to control them, rule broken by Conan and Tiqua, hand
cut off by Conan--Conan the Barbarian I#30
- ATALON of
Earth-691 circa 2018 AD - organizer of
Deathbirth--Amazing Adventures II#27
(28,29,31d
- ATALON of
Earth-93060 - Fire
People, empowered by a Break-Thru. Vast gravity manipulating
power--Ultraforce#0A
- other "Ataluma"
characters, groups, items, events, races or places...
 
(Sisterhood of Steel#1 (fb) - BTS) - Ataluma
was
the daughter of the herbalist of an unidentified village who
taught her
well in the properties and uses of plants.
(Sisterhood of Steel#1 (fb))
- Ataluma's father
was slain when the pirate-king Thibbeus led his forces to raid
that
village.
--Sisterhood of Steel#1
Note: There was no mention
of Ataluma's mother.
It would seem likely that she had died
before
the pirates slaughtered their people, perhaps even in childbirth,
but
perhaps there's some other explanation.
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images: (without ads)
Sisterhood of Steel#1, pg 11, panel 7-8 (Ataluma over
dead father, assaulted by pirates by his corpse);
pg. 12, panel 1 (Thibbeus claiming
Ataluma);
pg. 20, panel 1 (between Thibbeus and
D'lak);
pg. 25, panel 8 (slaying D'lak);
pg. 26, panel 2 (arms raised in triumph
with cheering crowd; main);
panel 3-4 (statue, upper and
more-full)
Appearances:
Sisterhood
of Steel#1 (December, 1984) - Christy Marx (creator/writer), Mike
Vosburg (creator/artist), Laurie Sutton (associate editor), Archie
Goodwin (editor), Jim Shooter (consulting editor)
First posted: 09/10/2026
Last updated: 04/16/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and
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