Aleena

Aleena
First appearance:	"The Enchantress"
Created by:	Lee Falk and Phil Davis

Aleena is a character from Mandrake comic strip that first appeared in "The Enchantress".

Fictional Character Biography

The Phil Davis Era

Aleena was a student at the "College of Magic" at the same time as Mandrake, and they became sweethearts when they were around sixteen and seventeen. To Narda, Mandrake described her as beautiful in a wild way. He also said that she was the only girl who had ever studied at the college and that she was very talented. Aleena came from a remote small country in southern Europe and when her parents fell ill she had to finish her studies and go home. When they parted, they made an agreement that they would meet again after thirteen years, at Bald Mountain.

After all theese years Mandrake only vaguely remembered her and had no intention of meeting her again, but Aleena had completely different plans. She envisioned them getting married, and she used her powers to trick Mandrake into coming to the Bald Mountain. She told that thirteen years ago when she returned home the country was in the hands of evil men, tyrants. Using her powers, she helped the rightful king regain his crown. A little later she helped the king in battle against a hostile king. In gratitude, the king gave her the residence Bald Mountain.

Bald Mountain was a mountain peak where a secret entrance led to an elevator. At the top of the mountain was a palace-like house surrounded by a beautiful garden with fountains and a small zoo of its own. The palace was built in marble and room after room was filled with art treasures.

After a woman to woman conversation with Narda, Aleena decided not to marry Mandrake, but rather to choose Gurn, who had been infatuated with her for a long time.

The Fred Fredericks Era

Mandrake tells Karma that Aleena was one of the few girls who studied at the "College of Magic", and that he and Aleena were friends and classmates. When they were seventeen they became lovers, puppy love as Mandrake said.

Now she has sent a message to Mandrake, that he must meet her as soon as possible. Mandrake mentally tries to find her without success. He uses his crystal cube to contact Theron to see if he knows where she is. Theron is not thrilled with Aleena, describing her as a frivolous vain woman and misused the powers she had learned, mostly to get husbonds. She has been married and divorsed six times, and Theron warns Mandrake that she is probably looking for the seventh, the thrue love of her youth whom she never forgot - Mandrake.

Aleena contacts Mandrake with a mental vision and says that she is dying, while she bewitches him to follow the mental beam that leads to her house. When he arrives, he finds that it is true that Aleena is dying, but of boredom.

Aleena was in the company of Set, a man disfigured by a lion, who now serves her and obeys her slightest beckoning. She told that many years ago Set was jealous of a lion tamer who was enthusiastic about her. To attract Aleena's attention, Set got into the lion cage but was attacked and disfigured. Then Set had followed her all those years ago as a faithful servant.

She told about her first husband, Gurn. They were together but she was bored ade one day she threw her necklace into a burning house. To prove his love for her, Gurn ran into the house to save her necklace. He was badly burned, and Aleena married him mostly out of pity. She spent a fortune on plastic surgery to recreate his beautiful appearance. Thanks to that, he left her in favor of the blonde singer Kimberly.

Her second husband was the bullfighter Pablo, who she said: brave but stupid. Her third husband was Georgeous Cyril, a wrestling chapion - a man who quit wrestling but not overeating. Her fourth husband was a deep-sea diver, but as she said: she couldn't swim. Her fifth husband was a rich banker who went broke. Her sixth husband was King Rupert, until he lost the crown. Her last five husbands were still with her and Set, bewitched by her to serve her.

Aleena lights an incense stick infused with an elixir given to her by a former admirer, a Welsh warlock. Mandrake inhales the magical smoke and is enchanted by Aleena. She then reveals that she is not really after the Mandrake, but something he is in possession of, the Crystal Cube.

Back on Xanadu, Lothar and Hojo manage to break Aleena's spell and the crystal cube was rescued from her clutches. Aleena and her enslaved men disappear without a trace, leaving only a fiery writing on the wall: We will meet again, Aleena.

Behind the scenes

• Aleena, named after Lee Falk's mother or his stepsister Ailine (Aileen/Arleen).

Notable appearances

The stories where Aleena has featured are:

Year	Daily/Sunday	Title	Artist	Comments
1954	Daily	"The Enchantress"	Davis	Marries Gurn
1973	Daily	"Tale of Aleena"	Fredericks
1980	Daily	"Aleena the Enchantress"	Fredericks
1986	Daily	"Aleena and the Smugglers"	Fredericks