88 – LILANDRA
17 Aug
Subject: Lilandra
Real Name: Lilandra Neramani
Height: 5’11″ Weight: 110 lbs.
First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men #97, February 1976
Power Ratings:
- Energy Projection: 1/7
- Mental Powers: 2/7
- Strength: 2/7
- Fighting Ability: 1/7
- Intelligence: 3/7
For a stuffy old disabled guy, Professor X sure gets himself a lot of ass. Gabrielle Haller, Moira MacTaggart, and of course Ms. Shi’ar Empress here, Lilandra, whom I guess is considered his one true love (convenient that they hardly ever see each other).
Lilandra’s introduction was another one of those “I think the rest of the team is dead, so let’s not even bother looking for them and just go off on an interplanetary adventure” moments, which is weird because Professor X, the world’s most powerful telepath, with access to Cerebro, didn’t seem to try too hard to indeed confirm that his beloved students were definitely dead. So he went off to hook up with a mysterious alien chick, without bothering to notify his students’ next of kin.
Anyway, Lilandra looks pretty hot in her portrait; sexy pose, with that classic Jim Lee chrome accents that he does so well (and Liefeld not so much). The pose might be a little too sultry and not enough regality, but who am I to complain.
Lilandra gets a 2/7 Mental Powers rating that looks like simply a consequence of her bond with Charles. I don’t recall her ever manifesting psychic powers otherwise. Also, am I mistaken, but isn’t she more formidable of a warrior than a 1/7 Fighting Ability rating would lead one to believe? She certainly wears armor that would befit someone who wouldn’t shy away from combat.
tags:
I agree – the fighting ability is pretty low considering she is quite capable of self defense, and could hold her own with a blaster and against other Shi’Ar warriors. A 2 or 3 would be acceptable. My only problem with the portrait itself is that it has that trademark Jim Lee pose to her hips and thighs that looks like she is sticking out her chest, arching her back and semi-squatting while standing on the tip of her toes. His women never look comfortable, but I guess that’s the point of drawing idealized figures.
Yeah, I don’t know if I can fault Lee’s aesthetic towards the female form and still consider myself a fan… copying his Psylocke in X-Men #1 was the very first time I drew any females at all. Sure, every moment since then had been trying to unlearn the bad habits I picked up from him, but it’s just so damn eye-catching.
And I find this Lilandra to be far less scandalous than the version by the (in my relatively uninformed opinion, since I haven’t actually spent TOO much time checking out his work) slightly overrated Frank Quitely: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Lilandra
I was wondering where are the other cards after Lilandra as I do recall there being a Roma card (numbered 90).
I’m doing the cards one at a time. There will be a new one tomorrow, card 89, all the way to the end. Hope you stick around!