(Champion Comics 003, 1940/ Champ Comics 011, 1940)
Half sister to the mercurial undersea tyrant Neptina, Mhersa originally appears as the head of the Maella, a rebel group comprised of female members of the same race of underwater beings as Neptina (I'm not going into that again). Mhersa and the Maella are isolationist but reasonable compared to Neptina's capricious ways. (Champion Comics 003, 1940)
The Maella help Lt Brad Fletcher off and on during his conflict with Neptina, but Mhersa's next major move comes in Champ Comics 011, when she seizes the throne of Amloza while Neptina is out and about. Though this is a pretty reasonable act considering the way that the kingdom was being run, it is framed as villainous due to the fact that Neptina had just finished reforming her ways when she got the news.
Still, in my eyes Mhersa is still on the side of the angels, just trying to do right by the people of Amloza. Right up to the point that she surrenders the city to the fascistic King Walro of the Walrus Men in exchange for an easy life in his administration, that is.
Just why Mhersa does this is never explained - perhaps her opposition to her sister was less about justice and more about some sort of irrational rivalry and this is the best way that she can think of to spite her? (Champ Comics 013, 1941)
Neptina and her allies (now including Prince Eon, former ruler of the Walrus Men and new Neptina love interest) prepare to take the fight to Mhersa, but before they get much further than their initial brainstorming session Neptina gets a psychic vision: Mhersa has left Amloza. It turns out that she was somehow less popular than her half sister and is now gone by popular demand.
Mhersa enlists the aid of King Walro in an attempt to murder Neptina outright that really cements my theory that this is all about sibling rivalry rather than differing opinions on good governance.
Believing Neptina to be dead, Mhersa leads a force of Walrus Men to retake Amloza, only to be defeated, captured and jailed by her sister, never to be seen again. (Champ Comics 014, 1941)
Categorized in: By Birth (Undersea Beings), Generica (Ends in A), Theft (Usurpers)
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