REAL NAME: Shelia Vernow-Cardell
OCCUPATION: Adventuress
IDENTITY: Public
CLASS: Human of magical birthright
LEGAL STATUS: Naturalized citizen of USA
OTHER ALIASES: NA
PLACE OF BIRTH: Avon, Wiltshire (England)
MARITAL STATUS: Married
KNOWN RELATIVES: Ray Cardell (husband), Neal Vernow (brother)
GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Atomic Squad
BASE OF OPERATIONS: Western Dell, USA
FIRST APPEARANCE: Slave Girl Comics #2 (1949)
HEIGHT: 5' 6"
WEIGHT: 130 lbs
EYES: Green
HAIR: Red
Shelia Vernow was the sister of archaeologist Neal Vernow, who with his friend Cliff Barron was searching in Peru for the lost city of gold known as Chicalmo.
Shelia dreamed that Cliff and Neal had discovered the city, but had been taken prisoner and were going to be sacrificed by the natives. Disturbed by this dream, Shelia immediately left for Peru, but upon arrival she found that the government was preparing to close the tunnel used by Neal's expedition. A native guide named Juan Sinto offers to take her to the lost city in exchange for five thousand US dollars. Shelia accepts the deal, but Sinto takes the money and at the first chance leaves the young woman abandoned in the middle of the jungle. After wandering through the green inferno, the young woman faints from exhaustion. Upon awakening she discovers that she has been taken to Chicalmo. The priest of the Temple of the Flame informs her that she is the one chosen to carry the sacred fire, succeeding the previous bearer. Once in the temple, the former bearer of the sacred fire throws herself into a burning pit where her body is consumed and Shelia is kissed by the flame and transcends, becoming a living deity. Then the priest has Neal and Cliff brought before them to be sacrificed, but Shelia, seeing them, reacts and using her power frees them and the three together escape back to civilization. However, what happened in Chicalmo had changed the young woman forever, in more ways than one and she was compelled to seek the help of Professor Maurice Warren, better known as Professor Supermind. Warren enlisted her in his team, The Atomic Squad.
POWERS & WEAPONS
Before being kissed by the flame, Shelia had weak but growing psychic powers (primarily precognition). After the events of the Lost City, the girl not only saw her psychic abilities multiplied exponentially, but she also gained tremendous flaming powers.
