Origin
Lady Kildare of the House of Dannan is a 900-year-old expatriate princess of the Faerie realm. She has lived on the mortals side of the metaphysical fence for the past several centuries, and in her time here she has danced with emperors, consorted with assassins, gotten blind drunk with rock stars, been painted by Rossetti, courted by Byron, and had songs written to her by Syd Barrett. She currently runs a bookstore/collectibles shop called “Otherworld” in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Kildare also serves as the unofficial matriarch and mascot to a variety of displaced mythical beings who have also decided to make our world their home. This would include her close friend known as Pug and her cousin Gwynnion, or mad Ginny. Kildare is well schooled in the ways of magic and wise enough not to make clumsy distinctions between the natural and supernatural. She is described as having a lighting wit, a quick temper, impeccable taste, and a seemingly endless well of charm.
Creation
Kildare was created by Brian Holguin and Jay Anacleto.
Major Story Arcs
Aria/Angela Crossover (2000)
In the 19th century a nightmare who has taken human form of Dr. Peter Traum has captured an angel known as Angela. This nightmare puts Angela on display in a sideshow like act, although most do not think her to be a real Angel. Angela was eventually recognized for what she truly is by the Faerie known as Kildare. Kildare quickly attempts to rescue the captive angel from her prison and although confronted by the nightmare, the two immortals manage to escape. At this point, Angela begins to grow much weaker and Kildare helps to restore Angela’s Heavenly abilities. Angela immediately engages in a futile battle with the nightmare, as her powers seem to have no effect. Kildare, however, knows that he is only the nightmare of humans and upon taking him to her realm the nightmare turns to dust, as the faerie people are not frightened by the same fears as mortals. Kildare and Angela soon part ways.
Aria: Summer’s Spell (2002)
In 1966, Kildare encounters a lost love known as True Thomas who has wandered out of the faerie lands where Kildare left him many decades ago. However, if his feet touch mortal soil, then his true age will show turning him to dust. Kildare gives him a enchanted ring that allows him to permanently hover about an inch above the ground. While the two of them share a special time together and seem to have re-established their infatuation with one another, Thomas has lost touch with his mortality and wishes to feel like a man again. As such, he takes off the ring and dies shortly there after. Kildare, stricken with grief, decides to travel to America where she resides to this day.
Aria Vol. 1 (1999)
Kildare working in her shop and dealing with mortals who know very little in the ways of magic. She is first greeted by an older woman who claims to have found the sword of King Arthur, then a pair of goth women who wish to drink absinthe, and finally a man who wishes to purchase a genuine love potion for a mere few dollars. After scolding her customers, Kildare puts her head down and simply says, “Oh what fools these mortals be”. Later Kildare reads a letter from her Auntie Bell, in which she finds interesting gossip about the royal court back in her home realm. The letter ends with her aunt scolding Kildare, telling her she just come home. Kildare contemplates the idea, but goes to her apartment above her store where she is greeted by her sarcastic and unpleasant talking mirror, whom she threatens to break before leaving for a party.
When she arrives at the bar, readers discover the bar owner, Dion, is none other than the legendary god of wine Dionysus. Kildare sits with her friend, the dwarf known as Pug, and a Fae trader known as Count Iblis and his wife. Kildare reminisces about the ancient past of her people after Iblis compliments her looks, telling her she looks very much like her mother. Kildare soon goes home, refusing a gift from Iblis, but is followed by a shadowy figure. Another figure also follows the Pug, but he quickly decapitates the monster.
Meanwhile, in an elven pub in Cottingly, a group of Fae are killed by another shadow creature, unfortunately, Gwynnion, Kildare’s cousin, finds the bodies of her dead kinsmen. With her mind already in a fragile state, Ginny runs across the planes of reality and displays a type of teleportation, taking her directly to Kildare’s home. Pug also comes to Kildare soon after, bringing the head of the demon he killed the night before as the two of them try to find answers about these mysterious beings, all the while trying to calm Ginny down as well.
Due to the death of their kinsmen, Kildare, Ginny, and Pug put their quest on hold and return to the land of Faerie in order to attend a funeral service. The service is sad and slow as the Faerie people sing a wordless song that is older than humanity itself. The Fae weep for their friends and struggle to say their final goodbyes to beings who were never meant to die. It is here that we learn the fact that a full blooded faerie child has not been born in centuries. After Kildare discusses some of the information surrounding the murder with her Aunt Bell, Ginny, barges in claiming she knows who sent the demons after Kildare, Pug, and caused the deaths at the Cottingly residence.
It is here that readers discover that about 900 years ago when old magic was beginning to fade from Earth, a being known as the Dark One attempted to conquer both Earth and the Faerie lands, as he felt the Faerie people had grown soft and domesticated after mingling with humans. The Dark One was eventually slain after the war lasted 100 years, although many people also died that day, including Kildare’s father. However, The Dark One’s spirit was not completely destroyed as it lay dormant in a great thorn bush with black roses. The petals of this thorn bush would take flight on the wind and spread wickedness wherever they fell. Each act of evil brought new strength to the Dark One’s spirit until one day the spirit grew strong enough to take the form of a man. However, this form could not have lasted for more than twenty four hours, so the Dark One brutally attacked and raped Ginny, causing her carefree personality to fade away. She soon gave birth to the reincarnation of the Dark One, but went somewhat insane and abandoned the child at birth. Because there was not enough magic on earth to sustain the Dark One and he would be found in an instant in the Faerie lands, he instead chose to hid in the Shadow Realms to hide in safety while growing in power and planning his vengeance. After learning of these events, Kildare gathers her friends in order to stop the Dark One. They prove to be successful by the end of the story when Kildare binds his soul to an item she now permanently keeps in her home.
Aria: The Soul Market (2001)
Kildare battles Goodfellow, otherwise known as Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, who is responsible for creating an underground market where he trades human souls to the highest bidder. Kildare’s friend Ondine is tricked into taking the soul of a young child, and Kildare demands that the soul of one of her past lovers be returned to her. Kildare proves to be successful after Goodfellow is judged by the court of the dead and Ondine’s bought soul is removed.
Aria: The Uses of Enchantment (2003)
Kildare investigates the Kingdom of Enchantment, an abandoned theme park from the 1950s, which contains a true hidden magical kingdom that is rumored to be ruled by Oberon the Second, lost heir to the fabled king of Faerie. Kildare is invited to a banquet at this kingdom and accepts, thinking it will be interesting, especially since Oberon, the king of the Faeries, was killed centuries ago and had produced no children. When Kildare arrives, she is greeted by a pack of magically created wolves, who she destroys with a spell. Kildare is then taken to meet this mystery king who claims to be the lost son of Oberon. Oberon’s queen however, appears to be an unhappy mortal, and Kildare soon finds that no matter what she tries, she cannot leave the the kingdom. Eventually it is the queen who finds a way out when she unleashes her “child” and the small girl known as Ember accidentally burns the kingdom down. Soon after the queen accepts the fact that her spirit died many years ago in a car crash allowing her spirit to finally rest. She was kept alive by Oberon’s jester, Udo, who had created a glamour to disguise his true face. Kildare was invited to the kingdom as she had shown kindness to Udo many years ago, however, he soon turns to stone and his spirit seems to fly away in the form of a butterfly.