Super-Vixens: Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine

Another gal that is probably on a whole lotta silver-age super-heroine fan favorites list, the Contessa Allegra De Fontaine, or simple “Val” to close friends.

My earliest memory of the Contessa was sometime in the late 70’s. During that time, me and my friends were major X-Men fans, but here’s a shocker - back then, the X-men weren’t as popular as they are now, and the books and toys tended to feature the more prominent Marvel heroes like Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. In fact, I had a lunch box featuring the “Marvel Super-Heroes” that seemed to feature everyone EXCEPT the X-Men, leading us to believe they were a strictly “second-tier” group.

Anyway, one day my friend Jas was out shopping with his mom, and in the department store book section of our neighborhood Liberty House, came across a glossy oversize item called the “Marvel Pin-Up Book”, featuring beautiful reproductions of great splash pages from past issues as well as new illustrations done up just for the book.

The X-Men’s pic was the Cockrum opening splash page from X-Men #107, but what was more interesting to us was that the bio that came with the pin-up listed Wolverine’s real name, “Logan”, which up til that point we never knew!

Anyway, as we excitely read that Pin-Up book from cover to cover, I came across the Pin-Up for Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D., featuring the all-time classic Steranko cover for Strange Tales #167. Now, I didn’t know anything about S.H.I.E.L.D. except what I knew from my beloved GODZILLA comics, (In fact, I recognized Godzilla’s main pursuant Dum Dum Dugan right off, and Nick Fury, of course) but I was instantly struck by the GORGEOUS and scantily clad agent to Nick Fury’s right…WOW! Who WAS that gal?

At the time, I wasn’t old enough to recognize Val as the “Emma Peel” archetype she was, but once I was old enough, I realized she was almost completely inspired by Diana Rigg, in looks, style, and even her name rings similar to “The Contessa Teresa De Vicenzo”! Heck, no wonder I was so taken back then! Because you know:

Diana Rigg=Hotness

Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine

First appearance

Strange Tales Vol. 1, #159 (Aug 1967)

Created by Jim Steranko

Super-Vixens: Polaris

While Ororo’s STORM costume has the distinction of being my favorite Super-Heroine costume of all-time, My SECOND favorite costume goes to another mutant in the Uncanny X-Men pantheon, Miss Lorna Dane, better known to the superhero world as POLARIS.

Ms. Dane has had quite a few costume changes over the years, but the outfit I’m referring to is her original green silk “harem” style costume that was first introduced to us all the way back in X-Men #50, as conceived by writer Arnold Drake and Jim Steranko.

My introduction to Polaris came during the Byrne / Claremont run of the X-Men. My very first issue was #125, in the first part of the Mutant X storyline. The issue ends with Lorna on the phone telling Scott that they are being attacked by someone or something on Muir Isle and would appreciate the back-up. At this time, I didn’t know she was a super-hero, and simply thought she was the (green-haired?) girlfriend of Havok. A few issues later, when the group is getting ready to have a showdown with Proteus, she is seen in the background taking off her sweater to reveal that sexy costume underneath. (What a shot…I’ll never forget it!)

At some point I fell in love with the artwork of Jim Steranko (and really, which Silver-Age Marvel Comics aficionado hasn’t?) and really wanted to get X-Men issues #49-51 which he’d done these gorgeous covers for. When I finally got my hands the issues, I was stoked to find that this was the first appearance of Lorna! I eventually got the Neal Adams issues as well, finding out how she and Alex hooked up (by dumping poor Iceman on his butt!) as well as seeing her character develop.

When Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum revived the X-Men in ’76, she was given a new costume that I truly despised, supposedly of Shi’ar origin but looking a lot more like Shrinking Violet’s costume in DC’s Legion of Super Heroes.(which was also designed by Mr. Cockrum) Fortunately Byrne had the kindness to drape her in my beloved costume instead when he took over the run.

You know, one thing I’ve always felt was that John Byrne liked Lorna’s character a lot. After all, it was the Byrne/Claremont team that did that Marvel Team-Up story, but even more proof came to me when Byrne did his stint on the short-lived “X-Men Hidden Years” strip. He really fleshed out Lorna’s character,including her as much as possible and even giving her a well deserved solo arc in”The Promise”.There’s this one passage that’s really great when Bobby pushes Lorna too far with his “You’re MY Girl “ schtick and she really lets his have it!

After Byrne left the original X-Men run, they immediately changed Lorna’s costume back to the Shi’ar outfit, one that I had to endure till she was outfitted with a far more sensible one in the Peter David “X-Factor” run (a run I rather liked as it utilized three of the “Muir Isle Gang" members!).

Nowadays I’m not sure just what kind of costuming Lorna is running around with, but a (relatively) recent glance at a cover of Ultimate X-Men #61 reassured me that all those involved are still doing their duty of keeping Lorna a Cute and Sexy Marvel Commodity, no matter what the costume!

First Appearance: X-Men #49 by Arnold Drake and Werner Roth

First Appearance in costume: X-Men #50 by Arnold Drake and Jim Steranko

Favorite Artists:

Werner Roth (X-Men #49)

Jim Steranko (X-Men #50)

Neal Adams (X-Men #57-65)

John Byrne ( Uncanny X-Men #119-129)