Cloudsea (Spindrifter, encountered by Spider-Man)

CLOUDSEA

Type: Alien/Magical World

Environment: Alien, consists of floating landmasses within a breathable atmosphere

Usual means of access: Magic

Dominant Life Form: Humanoids, Ephex, Tordenkakerlakk

Natives: Spindrifter/Marandi Sjörokker, Elmak, Kurudred, Gorath Tenclaws;

Locations/Artifacts: Citadel of a Thousand Lamps, Nonesuch, Marmorkjelde, Seven Planets of Lemne

First appearance: Marvel Graphic Novel#22: Spider-Man: Hooky (1986)

History:

(Marvel Graphic Novel#22: Spider-Man: Hooky (fb)) - About 200 years ago, the evil sorcerer Kurudred attempted to conquer the Seven Planets of Lemne, which were under the protection of another sorcerer, Elmak the Light-Shaper. After several struggles and foiled kidnapping of the people of Lemne, Kurudred conjured for eight days and melted Elmak's base, the Citadel of a Thousand Lamps into a big ball of slag...with Elmak in it. A band of sorcerers known as the League of Three Threes hunted and trapped Kurudred and drew a Death Rune on his brow. The League then did the same to Kurudred's brother, Gorath Tenclaws. The League was uncertain how to handle Kurudred's twelve year old daughter, Marandi. They feared that she would grow up in the family tradition, but were not comfortable in killing a little girl. Kurudred, realizing that League would eventually kill her unless they were sure she would not grow up evil, used the last of his power to cast a spell of Marandi, preventing her from growing older.

(Marvel Graphic Novel#22: Spider-Man: Hooky) - After the deaths of the last member of the League of Three Threes, Marandi returned to Cloudsea. She began to be plagued by a creature she dubbed the Tordenkakerlakk, or Thunder Cockroach. She could repel it initially, but it grew progressively more powerful. She located the superhero Spider-Man and brought him to Cloudsea to defeat the creature. Each time Spider-Man destroyed it, it returned more powerful than ever. Eventually Spider-Man reasoned that the creature was a creation of Kurudred, designed to force Marandi to use her powers to their maximum and re-start her growth (now that the threat of the League of Three Threes no longer existed). Spider-Man feigned weakness, and Marandi rose to the challenge of destroying the Tordenkakerlakk. She sent Spider-Man back to Earth with much thanks.

Comments: Created by Susan K. Putney (writer) and Bernie Wrightson (art).

This is one of my all-time favorite stories. Go get it. Now.

Kuru refers to a disease similar to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or Mad Cow disease, which occurs among the tribesman of New Guinea, as a result of eating the brains of the infected.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Cloudsea has no know connections to:

any other "Cloudsea" characters/dimensions

Kurudred the Blood Drinker

Kurudred the Blood Drinker, also known as the Tyrant of Dolara and the Master of the Nightspawn, was a powerful and evil sorcerer, and the father of Marandi, the Spindrifter. He destroyed Elmak and his Citadel over 200 years ago, after Elmak retrieved the natives of the Seven Planets of Lemne when Kurudred would abduct them. Kurudred was then sentenced to death by the League of Three Threes. With the last of his power, he cast a spell to keep Marandi young, so the League would feel too guilty about trying to kill her. He also created the Tordenkakerlakk to act as a catalyst to force her to overcome his spell of eternal youth when it would be safe for her to grow up.