CEPHALA(please note that these stories are from Epic Illustrated, part of a more mature line and may not be appropriate for everyone)
CEPHALA
(please note that these stories are from Epic Illustrated, part of a more mature line and may not be appropriate for everyone)
Real Name: Cephala
Identity/Class: Alternate reality (Earth-81866) sentient cephalopod
Occupation: Unrevealed
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Formerly Mali
Enemies: Demaid, Mali, unidentified human woman (unwittingly)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None known
Base of Operations: The Oceans depths (but
close enough to the shore/beach that a tiny humanoid could swim there
and back with a short time period)
First Appearance: Epic Illustrated I#15 (December, 1982)
Powers/Abilities: A cephalopod, Cephala has a
human-like face (including teeth, so perhaps she has a bony skull with
an articulated mandible) with a markedly elongated cranium. At the base
of her neck, her body fans out into a flattened central region with
eight tentacles.
Cephala lives and breathes underwater (presumably via gills); it is unrevealed whether she can survive outside of water.
Her tentacles are strong enough to
restrain a human adult (apparently with such force/strength that she
did not realize if a person was struggling), and they are covered with
suction cups/disks like those of an octopus.
The tips of her tentacles apparently also have some numbing/anesthetic qualities, easing pain from lacerations on contact (although the initial touch is somewhat painful).
Like an octopus, Cephala can
release "ink," an opaque material (perhaps colored by a melanin-like
material) that clouds/obscures the waters around her. This likely
indicates that she has ink sacs (perhaps between her gills) as well as
a siphon to propel the ink outwardly.
Friendly and helpful, Cephala can
become dangerous if she believes she has been manipulated unjustly. She
also has strong carnal desires with particular interest in humanoid (at
least) feminine anatomy.
Height: Unrevealed (her head looks to be about
2' long, and her tentacles perhaps reach a length of 3-4'
each...perhaps extending even to 5-6')
Weight: Unrevealed (perhaps 80 lbs.)
Eyes: Green
Hair: None
Skin: Purple
History:
(Epic Illustrated I#15/4) -
Dwelling in the depths beyond the edge where the ocean floor dropped
off, Cephala was present when Mali of the tiny Llehs fled there from
the monstrous Demaid.
Wrapping a tentacle around Mali, Cephala pulled the surprised Lleh down to her and introduced herself in her deep yet feminine voice, questioning whether she had been injured by the Demaid. Though her initial touch to Mali's wounds was painful, her subsequent efforts proved soothing. However, when she moved to caress Mali sexually, Mali pulled away, insisting she didn't want her help and wanted to be left alone.
However, when they saw the Demaid swimming just above them, and Cephala warned Mali that she had spoken too soon, "dear," as the Demaid had smelled her blood and was hungry. Fearful and trapped, Mali asked for help, and Cephala assured her, "Don't panic, my lovely. Just do exactly as I say."
(Epic Illustrated I#15/4 (fb) - BTS) - Cephala instructed Mali to swiftly slash the Demaid's belly with her knife and then return to the depth.
(Epic Illustrated I#15/4) - As
Mali did so, Cephala generated an inky smoke screen, both allowing Mali
to escape detection and to blind the Demaid; as intended, the blinded
Demaid slashed at the source of blood and fatally wounded herself.
(Epic Illustrated I#15/4 - BTS) - Mali used the swirling darkness to escape both the Demaid and Cephala.
(Epic Illustrated I#15/4) - Cephala told "her sweet" that the Demaid was safe, and she could come out, but was disappointed to find her gone.
(Epic Illustrated I#15/4 - BTS)
- Swimming to the edge (the shore/beach) in search of her sister, Anir,
who had gone that way to escape the Demaid, Mali found Anir's crushed
body and dead body (she had been crushed by a soda can hurled into the
air by children). Observing an adult woman stripping down and going
skinny dipping, Mali wrongly assumed that this woman had killed Anir.
(Epic Illustrated I#15/4) -
Cephala was pleased when Mali returned, and Mali told her she had
wanted to get her a gift for saving her life, and she led her to the
skinny dipping woman. Never having seen a human woman before, Cephala
considered her to be perfect, just what she had always wanted. At
Mali's encouragement, Cephala wrapped her tentacles around the woman,
pulling her underwater and kissing her, completely unaware that the
woman was drowning.
Upon realizing the woman had died
and that Mali had used her to this end, Cephala became enraged at the
scheming, ungrateful little Lleh, and she swam after Mali, pursuing her
further into the depths.
Comments: Created by John Bolton and Graham Marks.
John Bolton is specifically
credited with creating the characters and the concept, and Graham Marks
apparently developed the plot.
As recounted in Epic Illustrated I#15, the Llehs had their beginning one summer day when John Bolton was sitting on a beach, playing with scallop seashell. Spelling shell backwards and pronouncing it "Laze," John visualized the shell as a hairdo and began to speculate about what kind of creatures would have such hair. Then he pictured small beings who lived beneath the waves, and in his mind's eye could almost sea them creeping up the beach. Excited by the possibilities for stories about a people whose lives were defined by the shell motif and whose world, which began at "the edge" (where our world left off), and could go on forever, into depths filled with wonders, fancies and frights, John took the concept to Graham Marks, and the tales of the Llehs took shape.
This profile was completed 7/08/2020, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary 's celebratory event.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Cephala should be distinguished from:
Epic Illustrated I#15, story pg. 2 (shadowed);
pg. 3, panel 1 (face front, greeting Mali);
pg. 4, panel 1 (lateral, with Mali);
pg. 7, panel 4 (mostly full; scale against human and Lleh)
Appearances:
Epic Illustrated I#15 (December, 1982) - John Bolton (art, co-plotter), Graham Marks (co-plotter), Stan Lee
(editor/publisher), Archie Goodwin (editorial director), James Shooter (consulting editor)
First posted: 09/14/2021
Last updated: 09/11/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
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