IRON LANTERN
Earth-9602/Amalgam

Real Name: Hal Stark

Identity/Class: Alternate reality (Earth-9602/Amalgam) human technology user

Occupation: Founder of Stark Aircraft

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Amazon (Ororo), Janice Doremus, Green Guardsman (Kyle O'Brien), Pepper Ferris, Happy Kalmaku, Aqua-Mariner, Oa the Living Planet, Stewart Rhodes, Super-Soldier (Clark Kent), Tagak the Lantern-Lord;
    formerly Rhomann Sur

Enemies: Black Brand, Doctor Whiplash, Great White, H.E.C.T.O.R., Madame Sapphire, Mandarinestro, the Old Ones, The 100, Sonicorn, Olivia Stane, Sunset Vane (of Earth-97692), 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, USA

First Appearance: Iron Lantern I#1 (June, 1997);
    (in Amalgam continuity)  unidentified issue of Showcase of Suspense

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.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 6'1")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 225 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown

History:
(Iron Lantern I#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) - Iron Lantern found himself in the far-flung future of Earth-97692, where he adopted the identity of Arno Manning and helped the future Earth as Iron Lantern 5700. In the year 5700 A.D., Stark met and began a relationship with the deadly Sunset Vane.

(Iron Lantern I#1 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, Iron Lantern presumably returned to the present day of Earth-9602.

(Showcase of Suspense#77) - Iron Lantern battled Madame Sapphire.

(Showcase of Suspense#84) - 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.

    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, trapping his aides Gardner and Gyrich, 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 I#2) - 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 (the falling Iron Lantern), 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.

(Infestation 2 Team-Up#1) - While battling the elder god Old Ones alongside Super-Soldier and Amazon, Iron Lantern appeared in the skies of a tabloid newspaper reality as the battle spilled over into another universe.

Comments: Created by Kurt Busiek, Paul Smith, Bob McLeod, Allen Milgrom, Tom Palmer, Andrew Pepoy, Al Williamson and Greg Adams.

  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.

    The "Sock It To Oa" letters column in Iron Lantern I#1 was created by Craig Shutt.

    The Synopsis for Iron Lantern I#2 (never published) is derived from (a Kurt Busiek post at) http://groups.google.com/groups?q=Tagak+the+Lantern-Lord&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=33455EBC.68ED%40teleport.com&rnum=2.

    Iron Lantern debuted in Showcase of Suspense, a fictional title he shared with Mariner, which was written by Iron Lantern's fictional 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 I#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).

• Q: It was implied a few times that Iron Lantern may have had a connection to World War II's Human Lantern. Did you have any plans to link their origins?
• Kurt: We were just riffing off the fact that there was a Human Lantern, so why not imply a relationship. I hadn't figured out what it was -- but if I had, it'd have been based on the relationship between the powers of Alan Scott coming from the Starheart, which in turn was connected to the Guardians. Something like that.
•  
• Q: Was Hal Stark intended to have any connection to Tony Stark (from Chuck Dixon's Bruce Wayne: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.#1)?
• Kurt: No intent, but this is comics -- they were undoubtedly related!
•  
• Q: Was Iron Lantern connected in any way with Uatu the Guardian (from Speed Demon#1 and Challengers of the Fantastic#1) or Jade Nova (from Dr. Strangefate#1)? Both characters bore the Green Lantern insignia. Perhaps they too were empowered by Oa?
• Kurt: They must have been, somehow, but again, no concrete plans.

Profile by Skullogeist (with updates by Proto-Man).

CLARIFICATIONS:
Earth-9602's Iron Lantern should be distinguished from:

• Green Lantern of the mainstream DC Universe (Harold "Hal" Jordan) - space-faring hero with energy-projecting ring--Showcase I#22
  
• Iron Man of Earth-616 (Anthony "Tony" Stark) - armored Avenger--Tales of Suspense I#39
• Also assume that the Amalgam characters have no other connection to any others than whom they are Amalgamated, unless specifically mentioned.

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.

Dr. Whiplash was never pictured, only mentioned in the Iron Lantern I#1 letters page.

Gardner

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.

Green Guardsman

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 as 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. Soon learning of Mandarinestro's manipulation and plot to ultimately kill him, Kyle was rescued by Madame Sapphire and Iron Lantern, who had teamed together to find the Power Battery. Becoming the Green Guardsman once more, Kyle then teamed with Madame Sapphire and Iron Lantern against Mandarinestro but the fight went badly until the arrival of Tagak the Lantern-Lord.

Gyrich

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.

Happy Kalmaku

A former all-battalion boxing champ when he was in the service, Happy Kalmaku is the dour Inuit 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. During one check on the Power Battery generator, both Happy and Stewart Rhodes were attacked by Kyle O'Brien, who sought to steal the Power Battery.

Happy Kalmaku is an amalgam of Harold "Happy" Hogan of the Marvel Universe and Tom "Pieface" Kalmaku of the DC Universe.

H.E.C.T.O.R.

H.E.C.T.O.R. is an amalgam of MODOK (George Tarleton) of the Marvel Universe and Hector Hammond of the DC Universe.

Janice Doremus 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.

Janice Doremus was never pictured, only mentioned in Iron Lantern#1's letters page.

The Lamplight Phantom 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.

The Lamplight Phantom was never pictured, only mentioned in Iron Lantern I#1's letters page.

Oa the Living Planet

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 is an amalgam of Ego the Living Planet of the Marvel Universe and Oa of the DC Universe.

Olivia Stane 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.

Olivia Stane was never actually pictured, only mentioned in Iron Lantern I#1's letters page.

Rhomann Sur

Rhomann Sur was 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.

Senator Harrington Farris

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 later 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.

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.

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. During one check on the Power Battery generator beneath Stark Aircraft, both Happy and Stewart Rhodes were attacked by Kyle O'Brien, who sought to steal the Power Battery.

Stewart Rhodes is an amalgam of Jim Rhodes (War Machine) of the Marvel Universe and John Stewart (Green Lantern) of the DC Universe.

Sunset Vane was Hal Stark's girlfriend during the period in which Stark was on Earth-97692 in the year 5700 A.D., where he adopted the Arno Manning identity. Sunset may have literally wanted 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.

Sunset Vane was never pictured, only mentioned in the letters page of Iron Lantern I#1.

Tagak the Lantern-Lord arrived just in time to help Iron Lantern, Madame Sapphire and Green Guardsman defeat the evil Mandarinestro. Afterwards, 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. 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."

Tagak the Lantern-Lord was never pictured, only mentioned as part of a possible story for the fictional Iron Lantern#2.

The 100 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.

The 100 were never pictured, only mentioned in the Iron Lantern I#1 letters page.

The  Weaponers of A.I.M. 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.

The Weaponers of A.I.M. were never pictured, only mentioned in the Iron Lantern I#1 letters page.

Appearances:
Iron Lantern I#1 (June, 1997) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Paul Smith (pencils, inks), Al Williamson, Andrew Pepoy, Greg Adams, Bob McLeod, Tom Palmer, Al Milgrom (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Infestation 2 Team-Up#1 (February, 2012) - Chris Ryall (writer), Alan Robinson (art), Bobby Curnow (editor)

First posted: 12/19/2002
Last updated: 07/27/2023

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. 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.!

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