Satanik is Marny Bannister, a skilled female chemist whose face is marked by an unpleasant angioma.

One day, following a theory of a mad alchemist, she develops a drug which transforms her into a charming and fascinating red-haired (occasionally blonde) woman: but, as in Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the drug has an unexpected side effect, making her a murderous criminal mastermind.

Satanik was innovative in that she took advantage of her sex appeal to conduct her crimes, with some proto-erotic scenes appearing in the series.

After a ménage with the jewel trader Max Lincoln (#38-100), in the last numbers she gets engaged to Kriss Hunter, a black private detective.

In 1968 Satanik was adapted into a film directed by Piero Vivarelli, starring Magda Konopka in the main role.