Madame Xanadu
Madame Xanadu | |
---|---|
Michael William Kaluta | |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Nimue Inwudu |
Species | Homo magi |
Place of origin | Earth |
Team affiliations | Sentinels of Magic Demon Knights Justice League Dark Justice League |
Partnerships | Spectre |
Abilities | Precognition, sense and interpret magical forces Immortality |
Madame Xanadu is a
The character was played by Jeryl Prescott in the television series Swamp Thing.
Publication history
Madame Xanadu debuted in Doorway to Nightmare #1 (February 1978).
Doorway to Nightmare, introduced in 1978, was the last of the DC "Mystery" line of titles in the 1970s that became the forerunner of
Madame Xanadu was a regular supporting cast member in volumes 2 and 3 of The Spectre, those versions written by Doug Moench (31 issues, 1987–1989) and John Ostrander (62 issues, 1993–1998).
A Madame Xanadu
Story structure
The Doorway to Nightmare stories were typically structured around a protagonist stumbling upon Madame Xanadu's shop (stated to be on "
When the title was moved from its own series to a revamped, 68 page and ad-free version of The Unexpected (the stories were actually expanded from 17 to 22 pages with the move, part of the DC Implosion), she was shown to be friendly with Abel in the inside front covers, which may or may not have been in continuity. She never met Abel in an actual story until DC Special Series #21, when she and the Phantom Stranger arrive at the House of Mystery with Christmas presents.
Fictional character biography
Origin
Madame Xanadu's origins were explored in the first few arcs of her
Xanadu is the same
Nimue wanders around the world for some time, becoming an advisor to many great rulers. She spends time in
In the 1940s, she has a sexual relationship with John Zatara, who wishes to marry her, but she foresees his true love, and the later existence of his daughter, Zatanna, "a love with whom she could never compete". Despite this, she uses Zatara to trap and ensnare the Phantom Stranger, preventing him from witnessing, and affecting, the supernatural origins of the Spectre. This, in turn, prevents Madame Xanadu from interfering, despite having foreseen the potential menace the unchecked Spectre would have brought on Earth. It is revealed that Xanadu's later behavior stems from this earlier fault, her magic parlor being devised as a way to control the supernatural being, ultimately hoping to restrain and quell his rage.
Eventually, Xanadu decides that she wants to atone for her sins and begins operating the fortune-telling parlor out of "the Village". She, however, possesses limited real magic abilities of her own, but her mastery of the mystic arts has led her to manipulate various forces to gain great power. Having developed herself as an advisor, she now meets clientele plagued by supernatural problems. Although she can advise them, some force prevents her from directly interfering in solving their troubles. If one of her clients manages to conquer a supernatural force, she can contain that entity in jars within her fortune parlor to prevent it from causing any further trouble.
Later history
When the Spectre is destroyed by the Anti-Monitor, Xanadu performs a magic ritual that brings him back to existence. From that day forward she acts as the Spectre's spiritual advisor while he is bound to the soul of Jim Corrigan. At first, Xanadu tries to lead Corrigan astray to use the Spectre-Force for her own agendas. She is depicted in a nude love scene with the Spectre in the form of mist, although readers in the letters column did not find this clear and Xanadu's nudity gratuitous. Subsequent issues made clear that this was a romantic relationship, but no more nudity was used.[15]
Over the course of their affiliation however, a strange form of friendship grows between Corrigan and Madame Xanadu. Over time, she is instrumental in ensuring the safety of Corrigan's soul, stopping the various rampages of the Spectre, and ultimately shows up at Jim Corrigan's funeral not as an advisor or enemy, but as his friend. She even sheds a tear as Jim Corrigan's soul leaves the mortal plane to go to Heaven.
She is also consulted by the Suicide Squad about the increasing difficulty of dealing with Enchantress. She provides the Squad with a ring and necklace that can harm the Enchantress if she tries to use her powers against the ring-bearers' wishes.
Madame Xanadu also gives Timothy Hunter a reading, helping him along his path as an emerging sorcerer. She also confronts Tim's companion John Constantine, whom she believes stole a magic artifact called the Wind's Egg from her.
Although Xanadu, among others, has no great love for or trust in the
To gain more power, Xanadu bartered her soul to the demon
Day of Vengeance
In Day of Vengeance #2, an Infinite Crisis tie-in, the Spectre, then unstable and believing that magic equaled evil, disabled Madame Xanadu and took her eyes.
In the Day of Vengeance special it is revealed that Xanadu is still blind. She has regrown her eyes 14 times, only for them to be burned out again, because the Spectre's powers are beyond hers. However, Xanadu's abode would be the rallying point of the offense against the Spectre, gathering the Phantom Stranger, Zatanna, and Nabu.
Xanadu has also found a way around the Spectre's curse by training an adept, Daena, to read the cards for her. Through Daena, she sees the destruction of the world with the Spectre winning and destroying everything. It is at her place that Nabu begins his offense against the Spectre as well as the strategy for restoring the
One Year Later
Madame Xanadu's standing in the new magic order has yet to be explored in detail, but it is known that she is still trying to cure her blindness. She assists the Shadowpact when members of their team were temporarily blinded by the mystical powers of the villains known as 'the Congregation'. It is the mystical aspect that allows her to help, though some of the group are able to heal the blindness on their own.
Madame Xanadu appears in Countdown #50, operating out of "Hokus & Pokus Occult Curiosities" in Greenwich Village. She is unable to help Mary Marvel locate Captain Marvel Jr. She does advise Mary to avoid Gotham City, because "it isn't safe for magic".
The New 52
In The New 52, Madame Xanadu has resurfaced as the result of Barry Allen's unintentional tampering with the timestream and the merging of the Vertigo, WildStorm and DC Universes.[16]
In the new continuity, Xanadu is no longer blind and despite her past as Nimue still applying, she seems to have taken a more proactive stance during the Fall of Camelot. Instead of quietly observing like she did in her core miniseries, she staunchly opposed the surrendering of
The present-day Madame Xanadu is featured in the DC Universe reboot, in Justice League Dark, resuming her role as the keystone and supporter of the magical community in the DCU.[18][19] Xanadu assists the 'Dark League' in various incidents, such as Zatanna vanishing[20] and the House of Mystery letting loose demonic threats in Manhattan.[21] She is at length revealed to be the mother of the supervillain Doctor Destiny.
National Comics, a revival of the anthology title, was launched in July 2012. The title expanded upon the New 52 universe by presenting single-issue stories about different DC characters, each by a different creative team.[22] This includes Madame X #1 by Rob Williams and drawn by Trevor Hairsine and Fiona Staples.
Dawn of DC
In the pages of "
Characterization
Appearance
She has the appearance of a stereotypical Romani fortune teller who wears dangly earrings and various purple dresses.[25]
Powers and abilities
Madame Xanadu has a supernatural sensitivity to occult activities and mystic phenomena. She uses tarot cards to interpret what she senses, and is also able to tell the future of others. Xanadu can levitate objects, teleport herself, and banish demons. Xanadu's parlor is full of magical books and objects, as well as jars containing the essences of malevolent entities. She rarely uses these objects of power, merely acting as a guardian of them.
Xanadu is immortal, never aging and unable to die of natural causes thanks to her deal with Death. In the 2005 story Day of Vengeance, not even the Spectre could kill her, and instead blinded her to make her harmless.
Other versions
Flashpoint
In the alternate timeline of Flashpoint, Madame Xanadu is still a fortune-teller.[26] Traci Thirteen teleported to where Xanadu is located and discovers that she is dying. Before dying, Xanadu tells her to stop the instigated Doctor Thirteen.[27]
Tangent Comics
In the Tangent Comics series Joker's Wild, a character named Madame Xanadu is one of three women who masquerade as Tangent's heroic version of the Joker.
In other media
Television
- Madame Xanadu appears in the Young Justice episode "Denial", voiced by Cree Summer. This version is a New Orleans-based con artist who uses sleight of hand tricks to swindle customers. After witnessing Abra Kadabra abducting Kent Nelson, Xanadu is inspired to begin practicing actual magic.[28]
- Madame Xanadu appears in Swamp Thing, portrayed by Jeryl Prescott.[29] She first appears in the episode "Worlds Apart", where she advises Maria Sunderland not to go after her daughter's spirit. Then Xanadu senses a disturbance between the light and the dark and begs Maria to put her regrets to rest. In the episode "He Speaks", Xanadu is visited by Daniel Cassidy who asks when it would be the right time to leave Marais. She reads that her cards are still the same, but a change is coming. In "Darkness on the Edge of Town", Xanadu feels that a storm is approaching Marais. In "Loose Ends", Madame Xanadu visits Maria at the asylum where she gives Maria closure at the cost of her sanity.
- A television series adaptation of Madame Xanadu, set in the DC Extended Universe, was in development by 2021,[30] before ultimately being cancelled in the following year.[31]
Film
- Madame Xanadu was going to be featured in Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of the Justice League Dark comics.[32]
Video games
- Madame Xanadu's Magic Shop appears in DC Universe Online. This version is located in Metropolis' Chinatown.
Collected editions
- Madame Xanadu Vol. 1 Disenchanted (240 pages, collects Madame Xanadu #1-10)
- Madame Xanadu Vol. 2 Exodus Noir (128 pages, collects Madame Xanadu #11-15)
- Madame Xanadu Vol. 3 Broken House of Cards (200 pages, collects Madame Xanadu #16-21)
- Madame Xanadu Vol. 4 Extra-Sensory (collects Madame Xanadu #22-29)
Awards
- Madame Xanadu vol. 2 was nominated for a number of 2009 Amy Reeder Hadley and inker Richard Friend) and "Best Cover Artist" (Hadley).[33]
- Eisner Award 2010 Nominee: "Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team" (Michael Kaluta), Madame Xanadu #11–15: "Exodus Noir" (Vertigo/DC).[34]
References
- ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
- ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9.
- ^ Doorway to Nightmare #5
- ^ Letter columns in The Phantom Stranger vol. 2, issues #31-41.
- ^ Madame Xanadu at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Catron, Michael (June 1981). "DC Taps Fan Market for Madame Xanadu". Amazing Heroes (1): 25.
Madame Xanadu, a 32-page/$1.00 comic that marks DC's first attempt at marketing comics specifically to fans and collectors, went on sale in early April. The book contains a 25-page tale by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers entitled 'Dance for Two Demons' ... The tale was originally commissioned for Doorway to Nightmare but was put into DC's inventory when that title was cancelled.
- ^ Levitz, Paul: 75 Years of DC Comics The Art of Modern Mythmaking Taschen America, LLC 2010 ISBN 978-3-8365-1981-6 p. 454
- ^ McGuirk, Brendan (July 26, 2007). "SDCC '07: Matt Wagner Talks Vertigo's Madame Xanadu". Newsarama. Archived from the original on June 23, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
- ^ Madame Xanadu vol. 2 at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Renaud, Jeffrey (April 11, 2008). "Wagner Saws Madame Xanadu in Half with Vertigo". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
- ^ McGuirk, Brendan (August 23, 2007). "Talking Madame Xanadu with Amy Hadley". Newsarama. Archived from the original on September 5, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
- ^ Alverson, Brigid (February 5, 2008). "From Manga to Madame Xanadu". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
- Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #1/The Unexpected#190. DC Comics.
- ^ Hellblazer Annual #1. DC Comics.
- ^ The Spectre (vol. 2) #9, which was controversial and continues to be cited in Overstreet because of its lack of a mature readers labeling with Xanadu's nipples clearly visible in more than one panel.
- ^ Flashpoint #5 (August 2011). DC Comics.
- ^ Demon Knights #1 (September 2011). DC Comics.
- ^ "MILLIGAN: DCnU JUSTICE LEAGUE Spin-off 'Emotionally Dark'". NEWSarama. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
- ^ Justice League Dark #1 (2011). DC Comics.
- ^ Justice League Dark #15 (Feb. 2013). DC Comics.
- ^ Justice League Dark #19 (June 2013). DC Comics.
- ^ "DC Comics' "National Comics" Series to Explore the New 52". Comic Book Resources. 9 April 2012. Retrieved 2015-03-05.
- ^ Justice Society of America Vol. 4 #4. DC Comics.
- ^ Justice Society of America Vol. 4 #5. DC Comics.
- ^ Eury, Michael (2018). Back Issue #106. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 64.
- ^ Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint #1
- ^ Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint #2 (July 2011). Marvel Comics.
- ^ "Search Ask Greg : Gargoyles : Station Eight". s8.org.
- ^ Boucher, Geoff (October 26, 2018). "'Swamp Thing': Jeryl Prescott of 'Walking Dead' Joins DC Series As Madame Xanadu". Deadline. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
- Hollywood Reporter. Archivedfrom the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ Woerner, Meredith (September 16, 2022). "Keanu Reeves Returns for "Constantine" Sequel, HBO Max's TV Reboot Dead Along With "Madame X"". Variety. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
- ^ "Guillermo Del Toro Gives Updates on JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK and His TV Show MONSTER". Collider.com. 12 May 2013. Retrieved 2015-03-05.
- ^ [1] Archived July 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "The 2010 Eisner Award Nominations". ComicAttack.net. Archived from the original on 2015-05-09. Retrieved 2015-03-05.
External links
- Madame Xanadu at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- Madame Xanadu Profile
- GCD: Doorway To Nightmare #1
- Comixology Podcast Interview