MADAME ZELDA

This cover image is slightly misleading, as Rachel never met ZeldaReal Name: Unknown - it is possible that Zelda is genuinely either her first or last name

Identity/Class: Human (possibly U.K. citizen, though this is unconfirmed)

Occupation: Fortune teller - see comments

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Her doorman;

Meggan was one of her customers

Enemies: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: her shop, 45 Broadway, Bexleyheath, London, Kent

First Appearance: Excalibur I#44 (late November 1991)

Powers/Abilities: Madame Zelda was presumably a capable fake when it came to telling people's fortunes. Given her crystal ball was a scam, it's likely she had no genuine powers.

 

History: (Excalibur I#44 (fb)- BTS) - Madame Zelda was part of a group of travellers. While with them, she heard of a magic creature supposedly hidden in a gypsy caravan, and that said caravan had gone to France, though Zelda did not believe these tales. When the police moved the rest of her group on, Madame Zelda "turned respectable" and set up shop in Bexleyheath as a fortune teller. She employed a doorman and had fliers distributed advertising her services. One of those fliers made its way into the possession of Josie Scott.

(Excalibur I#44) - Josie Scott brought her friend Meggan to see Madame Zelda, in the hope the gypsy fortune teller might help Meggan find a lead on the whereabouts of her missing parents. Zelda began to try and read Meggan's palm, but the shapeshifter stated she didn't want it read and used her powers to make her hand completely smooth. This shocked Zelda, but Meggan reassured the fortune teller, and explained she just wanted to ask about her parents.

(Excalibur I#44 - BTS) Believing the tales of the "magic creature" must have been true, and that they had been referring to Meggan, Zelda told her visitor the story and that she had heard the caravan in question had gone to France. When Zelda said she didn't know anything more, Meggan asked her to look in her crystal ball, but Zelda informed her guest that it was a scam. Meggan then left, grateful for the lead.

 

Comments: Created by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer.

Zelda's flierAccording to her flier, Madame Zelda did consultations between 5pm and 10pm. Obviously the lateness of her hours would be in part down to being available when the maximum number of people were not at work, but I also wonder if she had a "respectable" day job.

Madame Zelda's shop was shown to be up some stairs located between two other shops. On the left of her shop was "Flash Fashion", presumably a clothes shop. On the right was one whose sign read "Edge of Forever". This was, at the time, a genuine comics shop in Bexleyheath. It's not the first time Alan Davis has had characters have battles in the vicinity of comics shops; Captain Britain fought Slaymaster in London's Forbidden Planet store (not the shop's current site, but it's original one), and later the same hero intimidated two Glaswegian gangsters based on local comic shop staff while in the Scottish city on the trail of a contract killer.

I'm ASSuming that Zelda heard about the "magic creature" in the gypsy caravan before she left her own group of travellers. However, it is possible she remained in touch with fellow gypsies and heard the tales after she had settled down in Bexleyheath.

Profile by Loki

Clarifications:

Madame Zelda has no known connections to

Zelda's doorman has no known connection to

Zelda's doorman

Zelda's doorman was a tall and impressive looking Indian gentleman (possibly a Sikh, given the turban). When Meggan, Josie Scott and Rachel Summers arrived seeking a consultation, he informed them that only one of them was allowed inside at a time. He continued to stand watch while Meggan was inside and the other women were checking out the outfits in the window of Flash Fashion. He then witnessed the confrontation between Rachel and the forces of government agency F.I.6 in the road in front of him. None of which seemed to shake his inscrutable demeanour.

 - Exc I#44

 

 

 

 

 

 

images:

all images from Excalibur I#44
cover (main image, Zelda with Meggan and Rachel)
p.19, panel 7 (Zelda face)
p.17, panel 7 (flier)
p.19, panel 3 (doorman)

Excalibur I#44 (Late November 1991)

Last updated: 12/17/04

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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