It’s Trivia Tuesday! Can you guess which of the below characters Stan Lee co-created?
A. Karthon the Quester
B. Kala
C. Karnilla
D. Klaatu
And the answers are…
B. Kala and C. Karnilla!
But first, let’s shine a spotlight on the characters Stan didn’t craft:
Karthon the Quester (what a name!) first dove into the pages of Sub-Mariner #9 in January 1969. This scaly Lemurian was crafted by writer Roy Thomas and artist Marie Severin.
The alien Klaatu first beamed into Marvel Comics in The Incredible Hulk volume 2 #136 in February 1971 courtesy writer Gerry Conway and artist Herb Trimpe.
And now onto Stan’s kool ‘K’ characters…
Kala
Kala, Queen of the Netherworld, started her reign in Tales of Suspense #43, cover dated July 1963. The villainous ruler was brought to life by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Robert Bernstein. As you can see, Kala’s foe on her first cover was none other than Iron Man; that’s a way to make an entrance! This Bringer of Disaster, as she’s also known, attempted to take control of the surface world and even captured Tony Stark in hopes that he’d help her out. (Luckily, her plan was thwarted.) Despite being many centuries old, Kala remained young and beautiful until recently in the underground Netherworld, but appearing on Earth would lead to rapid, almost instant aging.
Karnilla
This sorceress queen was first appointed by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the pages of Journey into Mystery #107, dated August 1964. As an Asgardian, Karnilla possesses superhuman strength, speed, and durability, among many, many other powers. Though Karnilla has in the past sided with Loki against the Asgardian people, she helped save her love Balder the Brave – from the God of Mischief himself! She’s also one of the most talented beings when it comes to the world of sorcery; not only does Karnilla boast a wide knowledge of magic but she can cast spells that result in a plethora of magical outcomes!
Every couple of weeks, we’ll spotlight some of Stan’s most obscure co-creations through trivia, starting with A and ending with Z! Stay tuned for ‘L,’ coming soon!