IRON LANTERN
Real Name: Hal Stark
Identity/Class: Extra-dimensional (Earth-Amalgam) Human technology user
Occupation: Founder of Stark Aircraft
Affiliations: (currently) Janice Doremus, Green Guardsman, Pepper Ferris, Happy Kalmaku, Aqua-Mariner, Oa the Living Planet, Stewart Rhodes, Tagak the Lantern-Lord, (formerly) Rhomann Sur
Enemies: Black Brand, Doctor Whiplash, Great White, H.E.C.T.O.R., Madame Sapphire, Mandarinestro, The 100, Sonicorn, Olivia Stane, Sunset Vane, Weaponers of A.I.M.
Known Relatives: Jim Stark (brother), Jack Stark (brother), Bethany Stark (sister-in-law)
Aliases: The Emerald Shellhead, Iron Lantern 5700, Arno Manning
Base of Operations: Stark Aircraft, Coast City, the Amalgam Universe
First Appearance: Iron Lantern#1; Showcase of Suspense (in Amalgam continuity)
Powers/Abilities: The lantern-like Power Battery that powers Hal Stark's Iron Lantern armor enables him to fly, erect forcefields, and form solid constructs limited only by his willpower and imagination (although the Power Battery still needs periodic recharging). Although Stark was dependent on the alien technology incorporated into the armor to keep his heart beating at first, he can now survive outside the Iron Lantern chest plate
History:
(Iron Lantern#1 (fb)) - Hal Stark had been making modifications
to a stationary flight-simulator at Stark Aircraft when it suddenly took
off with him still inside. Stark was swiftly drawn to a crashed spacecraft,
but the emerald energy levitating the flight-simulator was suddenly cut
off, causing Stark to crash mere yards away from the alien craft. Badly
injured, with jagged metal piercing his chest, Stark managed to drag himself
to the downed spacecraft where he found the corpse of the alien known as
Rhomann Sur. Stark managed to keep himself alive by using the alien technology
to build himself a suit of armor (powered by the lantern-like battery he
found in the wreckage) that would keep his heart beating. Wearing his newly-constructed
armor, Stark managed to fight off the aliens who had shot Rhomann Sur's
ship down, in the process making a public splash and earning a reputation
as Iron Lantern.
(Showcase of Suspense#29) - "The Coming of . . . 5700!" - Iron Lantern found himself in the far-flung future where he adopted the identity of Arno Manning and helped the future Earth as Iron Lantern 5700. In the year 5700, Stark met and began a relationship with the deadly Sunset Vane.
(Showcase of Suspense#77) - Iron Lantern battled Madame Sapphire.
| (Showcase of Suspense#84) -
"The Other Iron Lantern" - Kyle O'Brien briefly wielded the emerald
energies of Oa the Living Planet when he stood in for Iron Lantern
as the Green Guardsman. |
| (Iron Lantern / Mariner#1) -
H.E.C.T.O.R. and the Weaponers of A.I.M. attempted to take over
Earth but were opposed by Iron Lantern and Mariner. Iron Lantern
was able to fell H.E.C.T.O.R. at the last moment by reversing the
polarity of his Ion Cannon. |
| (Iron Lantern#1) - "Showdown at Stark Aircraft!" - In deep space, Iron Lantern delivered H.E.C.T.O.R. to Oa the Living Planet so that the villain could be absorbed into the planet's prison levels. Before leaving, Iron Lantern recharged his armor in the emerald light of Oa's Central Power Battery. Meanwhile, back on Earth at Stark Aircraft, Pepper Ferris demonstrated the capabilities of Stark's S-41 jet to her father, Senator Harrington Ferris, when the engines flamed out and the controls became unresponsive as a result of sabotage. Iron Lantern arrived just in time to save the day. |
That night, at a reception for Senator Ferris, Pepper stormed out of the reception hall after her father scolded Hal Stark for assigning such an important test flight to a woman. Senator Ferris sent his assistant, Kyle O'Brien, to bring Pepper back. But instead, Kyle went in search of the battery while Pepper stumbled across the purple gemstone that transformed her into the evil Madame Sapphire. Madame Sapphire awakened the robotic Great White from his slumber, instructing the massive mechanical monstrosity to go on a destructive rampage. Leaving the Senator's reception, Hal Stark donned his Iron Lantern armor and engaged Great White. Using his lantern's beam, Iron Lantern created a booster rocket to launch Great White into orbit. While Iron Lantern battled Great White in space, Madame Sapphire kidnapped Senator Ferris and took him to the desert east of Coast City to give him a "lesson in etiquette". Meanwhile, Kyle O'Brien attacked Stewart Rhodes and Happy Kalmaku in the hidden battery chamber beneath Stark Aircraft and stole Iron Lantern's battery. The theft of the battery caused Iron Lantern to lose power and plummet to Earth in a fiery ball just after his defeat of Great White. Finally, from a hidden base on the dark side of the moon, Mandarinestro was revealed as the mastermind behind Hal Stark's most recent misfortunes.
(Iron Lantern#2) - "Oh, Bring My Lantern Back To Me!" - Pepper Ferris did not know that Hal was really Iron Lantern, but Madame Sapphire did, and when she realized just what that shooting star was, her submerged love for Hal spurred her to save him. She powered up his armor with sapphire energy, and the two of them went looking for the lantern. They caught up to Kyle just as he had realized that Mandarinestro was about to kill him, and they saved both his life and the battery. Kyle once again became the Green Guardsman, and the three of them attacked Mandarinestro -- which, for all their power, would have went badly for them if not for the timely arrival of Tagak the Lantern-Lord. Mandarinestro escaped, but Tagak had some revelations for Hal about Oa the Living Planet. Meanwhile, Janice Doremus returned to Stark Aircraft from vacation, with secrets of her own -- secrets that involved the deadly Lamplight Phantom . . .
Comments: created by Kurt Busiek, Paul Smith, Bob McLeod, Allen Milgrom, Tom Palmer, Andrew Pepoy, Al Williamson, and Greg Adams; "Sock It To Oa" letter column created by Craig Shutt.
The Synopsis for Iron Lantern#2 (never published) is derived from: http://groups.google.com/groups?q=Tagak+the+Lantern-Lord&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=33455EBC.68ED%40teleport.com&rnum=2
Key:
Marvel characters are listed in regular,
or bold black type.
DC characters are listed in bold blue type.
Amalgam characters are listed in bold purple type.
Iron Lantern debuted in SHOWCASE OF SUSPENSE, a title he shared with Mariner, which was written by Iron Lantern's creators, Archie Broome and Gil Heck. SHOWCASE OF SUSPENSE was later taken over by Kurt Busiek, Paul Smith, and Al Williamson. Busiek, Smith, and Willaimson stayed with Iron Lantern when he finally got his own title in IRON LANTERN #1.
In case you're confused, Amalgam Comics didn't really exist beyond those seen in the few DC/Marvel cross-over. The titles you don't recognize are amalgams of similar Marvel and DC comics--Snood.
Archie Broome is an amalgam of Archie Goodwin and John Broome.
Gil Heck is an amalgam of Don Heck and Gil Kane.
Special thanks to Kurt Busiek for clarifying some of the component sources for his amalgamated characters and providing some additional insight into the Amalgam Universe!
As Kurt points out, the IRON LANTERN / MARINER one-shot is based on Marvel's Iron Man / Sub-Mariner one-shot, but with substituting Amalgam character names. SHOWCASE OF SUSPENSE is an amalgam of Marvel's TALES OF SUSPENSE (where Tony Stark first appeared in Marvel continuity) and DC's SHOWCASE (where Hal Jordan first appeared in DC continuity).
Profile by Skullogeist
If you like the Amalgam stuff, Skullogeist recommends these
two sites:
http://www.geocities.com/schablotski.geo/Center.htm
http://www.io.com/~woodward/chroma/amalgam.html
CLARIFICATIONS:
Also assume that the Amalgam characters have no other connection to any others than whom they are Amalgamated, unless specifically mentioned.
Iron Lantern is an amalgam of:
Black Brand
Black Brand (not pictured) is a recurring
enemy of Iron Lantern who was manipulated by H.E.C.T.O.R. into "doing his
dirty work".
Black Brand is an amalgam of Firebrand (Gary Gilbert) of the Marvel
Universe and the Black Hand (William
Hand) of the DC Universe.
|
--Iron Lantern#1 (letter page)
Dr. Whiplash
(not pictured) Armed with magnetic whips, Dr. Whiplash is an enemy of Iron Lantern with ties to The 100.
Doctor Whiplash is an amalgam of Whiplash (Mark Scarlotti) of the Marvel Universe and Doctor Polaris (Dr. Neal Emerson) of the DC Universe.
--Iron Lantern#1 (letter page)
Gardner is one of Senator Harrington's three personal assistants. Along with Gyrich, he was trapped inside a giant sapphire energy gem by Madame Sapphire during her kidnapping of Senator Harrington.
Gardner is an Amalgam Universe version of Guy Gardner (Warrior) of the DC Universe.
--Iron Lantern#1
|
One of Senator Harrington's three personal
aides, Kyle O'Brien was once chosen by Hal Stark to fill in for
him as Iron Lantern in SHOWCASE OF SUSPENSE#84. Wielding
Oa the Living Planet's emerald energies, Kyle O'Brien was transformed
into the Green Guardsman, but was forced to give up the power briefly
bestowed upon him once Hal Stark returned to duty. Devastated,
Kyle viewed his stint as Green Guardsman as the high point in his
life and vowed to not let the power just slip away. Kyle hated being
viewed as a mere "assistant" or "substitute".
The villain Mandarinestro took advantage of Kyle's desires and turned O'Brien into his unwitting pawn. Mandarinestro provided Kyle with information concerning the location of Iron Lantern's hidden Power Battery as well with a computerized code-breaker to override Stark Aircraft's security lock. Once inside, Kyle attacked Stewart Rhodes and Happy Kalmaku, who were entering the inner chamber which stored the Power Battery in order to check on the over-taxed generator. Kyle stole the battery, unwittingly leaving a de-powered Iron Lantern plummeting toward Earth. |
With the Battery in his possession, Kyle returned to Mandarinestro. But Kyle had outlived his usefulness and was rescued by Madame Sapphire and Iron Lantern (who was at the time powered by Madame Sapphire's energies) just as Kyle realized that Mandarinestro was about to kill him. Using the Power Battery, Kyle transformed into the Green Guardsman and proceeded to attack Mandarinestro alongside Madame Sapphire and Iron Lantern, who were eventually joined in their efforts by Tagak the Lantern Lord before Mandarinestro was finally defeated.
Green Guardsman is an amalgam of Guardsman (Kevin O'Brien) of the Marvel Universe and Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) of the DC Universe.
--Iron Lantern#1
Gyrich is one of Senator Harrington's three personal assistants. Along with Gardner, he was trapped inside a giant sapphire energy gem by Madame Sapphire during her kidnapping of Senator Harrington.
Gyrich is an Amalgam Universe version of
Henry Peter Gyrich of the Marvel Universe.
Either he or Gardner is picutred above under Gardner's profile.
--Iron Lantern#1
Happy Kalmaku
A former all-battalion boxing champ when he was in the service, Happy Kalmaku is the dour Eskimo who serves as an airplane mechanic at Stark Aircraft. Along with Stewart Rhodes, Happy knows that his boss, industrialist Hal Stark, moonlights as the heroic Iron Lantern -- and Happy does his best to cover up for Stark's frequent untimely absences. When Stark is away on his missions as Iron Lantern, Happy maintains the generator that powers Iron Lantern's Power Battery in a top-secret inner chamber beneath Stark Aircraft. Although Happy has feelings for his fellow employee Pepper Ferris, she seems to be more attracted to her boss, Hal Stark.
Happy Kalmaku is an amalgam of Harold "Happy" Hogan of the Marvel Universe and Tom "Pieface" Kalmaku of the DC Universe.
--Iron Lantern#1
| H.E.C.T.O.R. is an acronym for the "Highly Evolved Creature Totally Oriented on Revenge". He is an enemy of Iron Lantern and, in the words of Hal Stark, "one of the deadliest beings alive". In the past, H.E.C.T.O.R. has manipulated Iron Lantern's other foes, including Black Brand and Sonicorn, into doing "his dirty work". More recently, in the IRON LANTERN / MARINER one-shot, H.E.C.T.O.R. and the Weaponers of A.I.M. attempted to gain control of Earth, but Iron Lantern and Mariner intervened. Iron Lantern was able to defeat H.E.C.T.O.R. at the last moment by reversing the polarity of the villain's Ion Cannon. After his defeat, Iron Lantern escorted H.E.C.T.O.R. to Oa the Living Planet so that the villain could be absorbed into the planet's prison levels. | 
|
H.E.C.T.O.R. is an amalgam of MODOK (George Tarleton) of the Marvel Universe and Hector Hammond of the DC Universe.
--Iron Lantern#1
Iron Lantern 5700
In SHOWCASE OF SUSPENSE#29, Hal Stark was taken to the distant future where he adopted the identity of "Arno Manning" and helped the future citizens of Earth as Iron Lantern 5700 (not pictured) . While in this future era, Stark began a relationship with Sunset Vane.
Iron Lantern 5700 is an amalgam of Iron Man 2020 (Arno Stark) of the Marvel Universe and Green Lantern 5700 (Pol Manning) of the DC Universe.
--Iron Lantern#1 (letter page)
Janice Doremus
Janice Doremus (not pictured) is Hal's secretary at Stark Aircraft. Upon her return from a vacation, Janice had startling revelations concerning her connection to a villain known as the Lamplight Phantom.
Janice Doremus is an amalgam of Janice Cord of the Marvel Universe and Eve Doremus of the DC Universe.
--Iron Lantern#1 (letter page)
The Lamplight Phantom
The Lamplight Phantom (not pictured) is a mysterious foe of Iron Lantern's who has ties to Hal Stark's personal secretary, Janice Doremus.
The Lamplight Phantom is an amalgam of Night Phantom (Travis Hoyt) (profile) of the Marvel Universe and the Lamplighter (Dr. Lee Carver) of the DC Universe.
--"Iron Lantern#2"
| The sentient planet known as Oa exists
in the uncharted vastness of deep space. Oa claims he can sense
Iron Lantern's approach and sense his thoughts. Iron Lantern brought
his most dangerous villains to the surface of Oa so that the Living
Planet could absorb them into this prison levels. Oa also houses the
Central Power Battery, the emerald power source that recharges Iron
Lantern's armor and his own Power Battery back on Earth. Iron
Lantern was no idea who Oa is or why he grants him power. Oa
refers to Iron Lantern as "my human servant", though Hal Stark resents
the notion of being labeled a servant and prefers to consider himself
Oa's "agent".
Although Stark does not know if Oa has other agents like him, it is possible that Oa the Living Planet is also connected to Tagak the Lantern-Lord, Uatu the Guardian, Jade Nova, and the Human Lantern of World War II. Past agents of Oa included Rhomann Sur and possibly Mandarinestro. |
|
Oa the Living Planet actually made his first appearance in the pages of JOURNEY INTO FOREVER alongside Thorion in a story entitled "Behold -- The Living Doomed Dominion".
Oa the Living Planet is an amalgam of Ego the Living Planet of the Marvel Universe and Oa of the DC Universe.
--Iron Lantern#1, Journey into Forever (in Amalgam continuity)
Olivia Stane
Olivia Stane (not pictured) is Stark Aircraft's "arch competitor" and hides a "terrible secret".
Olivia Stane is an amalgam of Obadiah Stane (Iron Monger) of the Marvel Universe and Olivia Reynolds of the DC Universe.
--Iron Lantern#1 (letter page)
Rhomann Sur
Rhomann Sur is the alien who wielded the Power Battery before Hal Stark. While piloting his ship through space, Rhomann Sur was shot down by enemy aliens, causing the alien to crash-land just outside Coast City. Knowing his time was limited, Rhomann called his "protectors" and used the power of his Battery to draw an unsuspecting Hal Stark toward his ship's wreckage. Before Stark arrived on the site, however, Rhomann Sur had already drank from a mysterious bottle and died. Nonethless, Hal Stark used the deceased alien's technology to build the Iron Lantern armor.
Rhomann Sur is an amalgam of Rhomann Dey (profile) of the Marvel Universe and Abin Sur of the DC Universe.
--Iron Lantern#1
Senator Harrington Ferris
The father of Pepper Ferris, Harrington Ferris is a powerful United States Senator involved with awarding government contracts. Senator Ferris was on hand when Mandarinestro sabotaged one of the S-41 fighter jets that his daughter was piloting as a demonstration. He was also attending a reception held in his honor at Stark Aircraft that night when Madame Sapphire and Great White attacked. It was at the reception that he was kidnapped by Madame Sapphire, his daughter's malevolent alter ego. The opinionated Senator does not have a very high opinion of Hal Stark, whom he believes is irresponsible and undeserving of a government contract. The Senator's sexist, old-fashioned outlook on life puts him at odds with his daughter. Senator Ferris has his assistants, Gardner, Gyrich, and O'Brien, do most of his work for him.
Senator Harrington Ferris is an amalgam of Senator Harrington Byrd of the Marvel Universe and Carl Ferris of the DC Universe.
--Iron Lantern#1
Sonicorn is a recurring enemy of Iron Lantern who was manipulated by H.E.C.T.O.R. into "doing his dirty work".
Sonicorn is an amalgam of Unicorn (Milos Masaryk) of the Marvel Universe and Sonar (Bito Wladon) of the DC Universe.
--Iron Lantern#1 (letter page)
Stewart Rhodes
A "brainy black pilot who seems to be angling to step into Hal's shoes someday", Stewart Rhodes is employed as an engineer at Stark Aircraft. Along with mechanic Happy Kalmaku, Stewart knows that his boss, industrialist Hal Stark, moonlights as the heroic Iron Lantern -- and does his best to compensate during Stark's extended leaves of absence.
Stewart Rhodes is an amalgam of Jim Rhodes (War Machine) of the Marvel Universe and John Stewart (Green Lantern) of the DC Universe.
--Iron Lantern#1
Sunset Vane
Sunset Vane (not pictured) is Hal Stark's girlfriend from the year 5700 when he adopted the Arno Manning identity. Sunset may literally want to love the unsuspecting Hal to death.
Sunset Vane is an amalgam of Sunset Bain of the Marvel Universe and Iona Vane of the DC Universe.
--Iron Lantern#1(letter page)
Tagak the Lantern-Lord
In IRON LANTERN#2, Tagak the Lantern-Lord (not pictured) arrived just in time to help Iron Lantern, Madame Sapphire, and Green Guardsman defeat the evil Mandarinestro. Afterward, Tagak had some revelations for Iron Lantern concerning Oa the Living Planet.
It is possible that Tagak the Lantern-Lord is also an agent of Oa the Living Planet.
Tagak the Lantern-Lord is an amalgam of Tagak the Leopard Lord of the Marvel Universe and Green Lantern elements of the DC Universe.
--"Iron Lantern#2"
I originally thought he was an amalgam of Tagak and
the Green Lantern Salakk, and asked Kurt Busiek about this when I did the
profile. Here was Kurt's response:
"I didn't actually have a GL in mind to amalgamate with Tagak -- Salakk works
as well as any, I suppose."
--Skullogeist
The 100
The 100 (not pictured) is a criminal organization with ties to the Iron Lantern adversary known as Dr. Whiplash.
The 100 is an amalgam of the Maggia of the Marvel Universe and the 100 of the DC Universe.
--Iron Lantern#1
The Weaponers of A.I.M.
The Weaponers of A.I.M. (not pictured) are a group who once allied with H.E.C.T.O.R. in an attempt to take over the world.
The Weaponers of A.I.M. is an amalgam of A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) of the Marvel Universe and the Weaponers of Qward of the DC Universe.
--Iron Lantern#1
First Posted: 12/19/2002
Last updated: 12/30/2004
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
All characters mentioned or pictured are
™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc or DC Comics. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should
check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!
