MADAME SAPPHIRE

Real Name: Pepper Ferris

Identity/Class: Extra-dimensional (Earth-Amalgam) Enhanced Human?

Occupation: Test Pilot at Stark Aircraft

Affiliations: (as Madame Sapphire) Great White, Mandarinestro; (as Pepper Ferris) Hal Stark (Iron Lantern), Happy Kalmaku, Janice Doremus, Senator Harrington Ferris, Stewart Rhodes

Enemies: (as Madame Sapphire) Iron Lantern; (as Pepper Ferris) Mandarinestro

Known Relatives: Senator Harrington Ferris (father)

Aliases: Pep

Base of Operations: Stark Aircraft, Coast City, the Amalgam Universe

First Appearance: Iron Lantern#1 (April, 1997)

Powers/Abilities: As Madame Sapphire, Pepper Ferris wields a mysterious sapphire energy that allows her to fly, fire sapphire energy blasts from her hands, and form solid sapphire energy constructs.

History:

Pepper Ferris serves as a test pilot at Stark Aircraft in Coast City. When it comes to handling surprises in the skies, Pepper is the best there is. The strong-willed Pepper Ferris is involved in a love triangle with her co-worker, mechanic Happy Kalmaku, and her boss, Hal Stark -- although Pepper seems to have little patience for Kalmaku's advances, at least on the surface. Pepper has a rocky relationship with her father, Senator Harrington Ferris, whose stubborn, old-fashioned ways come into direct conflict with Pepper's independent personality.

But when Pepper Ferris comes into contact with a mysterious sapphire gem, she is instantly transformed into the villainous Madame Sapphire. At the slightest touch, the gem flows forward, engulfing Pepper's body until she is submerged both physically and psychologically by the Madame Sapphire persona. Although Pepper tries to resist the transformations, she is unable to resist the gem-borne images that bombard her brain. Although Pepper Ferris is not aware of Hal Stark's dual identity as Iron Lantern, Madame Sapphire knows that Hal Stark and Iron Lantern are one in the same.

(Showcase of Suspense#77) - As Madame Sapphire, Pepper Ferris battled Iron Lantern. After Madame Sapphire's defeat, Hal Stark, who knew that Pepper Ferris and Madame Sapphire were one in the same, helped restore Pepper's personality.

 (Iron Lantern#1) - "Showdown at Stark Aircraft!" - With Hal Stark late as usual, Pepper Ferris took it upon herself to demonstrate the capabilities of Stark's S-41 fighter jet to her father, Senator Harrington Ferris, who came all the way to Coast City from Washington, DC to see if Stark Aircraft deserved a lucrative government contract. While in the air, however, the S-41's engines flamed out and its controls became unresponsive (as a result of sabotage orchestrated by Mandarinestro). Fortunately, Iron Lantern showed up at the last moment and safely guided Pepper and the S-41 back to solid ground at Stark Aircraft.

That night, at a reception thrown for Senator Ferris at Stark Aircraft, Pepper stormed out of the reception hall after her father scolded Hal Stark for assigning such an important test flight to a woman. While wandering around outside, Pepper stumbled upon the mysterious gem that transforms her into Madame Sapphire. After her transformation, Madame Sapphire received a telepathic message from Mandarinestro, which instructed her to reactivate the mechanical monstrosity known as Great White. Madame Sapphire, in return for Mandarinestro reawakening her persona, did as she was instructed, reactivating Great White and instructing it to visit complete and utter devastation upon its enemies. While Iron Lantern battled Great White, Madame Sapphire got in a cheap shot before attending to business of her own. Breaking back into the reception hall, Madame Sapphire imprisoned the Senator's two personal assistants, Gardner and Gyrich, in gem-like energy constructs and kidnapped Senator Ferris, taking him to he desert east of Coast City.

 (Iron Lantern#2) - "Oh, Bring My Lantern Back To Me!" - Pepper Ferris does not know that Hal is really Iron Lantern, but Madame Sapphire does, and when she realized that the "shooting star" she saw was actually a de-powered Iron Lantern helplessly falling toward Earth (following his battle with Great White), her submerged love for Hal spurred her to save him. Madame Sapphire powered up Hal's armor with sapphire energy, and the two of them went looking for Hal's lantern-shaped Power Battery (which was stolen by Kyle O'Brien). 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.

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

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.

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, 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).

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. 

 Great White

A mechanical creature of destruction with the ability to grow in stature, Great White is a recurring foe of Iron Lantern. Although he was deactivated by Iron Lantern after his last defeat, Madame Sapphire reactivated the shark-like robot at the request of Mandarinestro in IRON LANTERN#1. Great White proceeded to mindlessly cause massive property damage at Stark Aircraft until Iron Lantern arrived on the scene and used his lantern's beam to create a giant booster rocket to propel Great White into Earth's orbit. Once in space, Great White broke free from the booster rocket's emerald harness and began to head right back for Earth. Iron Lantern, who followed his enemy into space, used his lantern's beam to create a gigantic suit of armor around himself and intercepted Great White. During the course of the battle, however, Kyle O'Brien stole Hal Stark's lantern-shaped Power Battery back on Earth, causing Iron Lantern to experience a total power disconnect in space. Using the last of his armor's emergency reserve power, Iron Lantern flew inside Great White's mouth and destroyed the killer robot from the inside where it was most vulnerable.

Great White is an amalgam of Ultimo of the Marvel Universe and the Shark of the DC Universe.

--Iron Lantern#1

 Mandarinestro

Mandarinestro is a villain with an apparent grudge against Oa the Living Planet. Armed with ten lantern-shaped power rings, Mandarinestro traverses the galaxy, crushing and breaking the pawns of Oa. In IRON LANTERN#1, he had his sights set on destroying the "pawn" of Oa known as Iron Lantern once and for all. In order to keep Iron Lantern and his allies distracted, Mandarinestro orchestrated the sabotage of the S-41 fighter jet that Pepper Ferris was piloting. Mandarinestro provided Kyle O'Brien 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. Mandarinestro was responsible for Pepper Ferris' latest transformation into Madame Sapphire and instructed her to reactivate Great White. As a de-powered Iron Lantern plummeted helplessly to Earth after his battle with Great White, Mandarinestro watched on from his secret lair on the dark side of the moon.

In IRON LANTERN#2, Mandarinestro's pawn, Kyle O'Brien, returned to him with the Power Battery that he stole from Stark Aircraft. Having served his purpose, Mandarinestro was about to kill O'Brien just as Madame Sapphire and Iron Lantern (who was at the time powered by Madame Sapphire's energies) arrived in search of the stolen battery. 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.

Mandarinestro is an amalgam of the Mandarin of the Marvel Universe and Sinestro of the DC Universe.

--Iron Lantern#1

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.

Madame Sapphire is an amalgam of:

Pepper Ferris is an amalgam of:

Last updated: 12/22/02

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!
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