Featuring the following heroine!

Lyja the Lazer Fist

AKA: Alicia Masters; Alicia Storm

First appearance: Well, that gets complicated -- Fantastic Four 357 was when we first knew we were looking at Lyja, but she has been around, sorta, since the first Secret Wars mini-series.

Favorite quote: "You two-timing snake! I've already caught you!" (Fantastic Four 379) (I confess, I like this one just because the mind boggles when you start thinking about what a Skrull might consider a "snake" to be!)

Team affiliation: Lyja is associated with the Fantastic Four. She was formerly an Intelligence Officer for the Skrull military.




















Powers: Like all Skrulls, Lyja can metamorph into any form she chooses, although how Skrulls increase their mass and take on the powers of the imitated being has never been adequately explained. After undergoing genetic engineering, she was able to generate laser blasts from her hands. That was later revealed to be part of an implant device rejected during her "pregnancy"


Favorite Storyline: More like a favorite moment: Fantastic Four 374, where she switches sides during a fight to save her estranged husband Johnny Storm, ostensibly so she can kill him herself.


Least favorite storyline: The revelation in Fantastic Four 357 that she had been masquerading as Alicia Masters for over seventy issues. I eventually got used to the idea, but talk about Deus ex Machina...

Future for the character: Extremely uncertain. Lyja is adored by some fans, hated by most. Personally, I'm not fond of her, but hey! she matches my page's color scheme. She is a likely casualty in the upcoming re-vamp of the Fantastic Four. (Can you say, "Gwen Stacy syndrome...?")


Romantic update: Despite hints that Ben Grimm was attracted to the Torch's ex-wife, Onslaught-related issues put Lyja and Storm back together again. Any more twists to this little tale will have to wait until the Fantastic Four get back from their sojourn in the Pocket Universe Onslaught sent them to. Stay tuned, true believers!