IDENTITY:  Hal Stark 

HOMEWORLD:  Earth Amalgam 

FIRST APPEARANCE:
IRON LANTERN # 1
"Showdown at Stark Aircraft!"
(June 1997)

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
male human
Height:  approx. 6' 0", in armor approx. 6' 6"
Weight:  approx. 205 lbs, in armor approx. 240 lbs.
Hair:  brown
Eyes:  blue 

KNOWN RELATIVES:
Jack Stark, Jim Stark (brothers)
Bethany (sister-in-law) 

GROUP AFFILIATION:  none 

HISTORY:
An agent of Oa, the Living Planet, the alien named Rhomann Sur found himself under attack by hostile forces.  He made a futile bid to try and call for help from a group of protectors but Sur's starcraft was shot down and crashed on Earth. 

Located outside of Coast City, California was the Stark Aircraft Corporation, some miles distant from Rhomann Sur's crash site.  The owner of the company, Hal Stark, was making modifications to a stationary flight trainer when a green glow enveloped the machinery and carried it and Stark towards the open desert. 

Rhomann Sur had been mortally injured.  Before he died, the alien drank from a bottle filled with an unknown liquid.  The significance, if any, of this act has yet to be determined. 

The energy carrying Stark suddenly cut off, presumably at the moment of Sur's death.  The flight trainer crashed a few yards from the alien spacecraft. Stark was badly injured, jagged metal pierced his chest but he managed to drag himself inside the spacecraft where he found the corps of Rhomann Sur. 

Stark used the alien technology to build himself a suit of armor that would keep him alive.  The armor was powered by a lantern-like battery he had found in the wreckage.  Wearing the armor, Stark fought off the aliens that had shot down Rhomann Sur's ship and he eventually made a reputation for himself as the super-hero Iron Lantern. 

Over time, Stark would improve and streamline the armor.  Drawing its power from the lantern battery, Iron Lantern could fly as well as create energy constructs from the unibeam in the armor's chest piece.  His strength was enhanced and computer tracking systems were built into the armored shell. 

Iron Lantern would later visit Oa, the Living Planet, the mysterious benefactor that granted his power.  Oa's Central Power Battery supplied energy to Iron Lantern's battery back on Earth.  A sentient creature, Oa kept his motivations a secret.  Stark was put off by Oa's sometimes condescending attitude towards him as he did not like to be considered anyone's "servant."  Stark would find many questions remained unanswered, specifically if Oa had any other agents such as himself and what, if any, was his connection to the HUMAN LANTERN of World War Two's All-Winner's Squadron. 

As Iron Lantern, Stark would make numerous enemies including the magnetic whip wielding Doctor Whiplash, a villain with ties to the criminal organization known as The 100.  The mechanical humanoid shark called Great White used its colossal size and strength against humanity until it was ultimately deactivated.  The ring wielding Mandarinestro opposed Oa and those that allied themselves with the Living Planet.  Madame Sapphire knew of Iron Lantern's identity as Hal Stark and used her gem energy against the Emerald Shellhead while in her identity of Pepper Ferris she knew nothing of Stark and Iron Lantern's connection, let alone her dual life as Madame Sapphire.  Frequent foe H.E.C.T.O.R., the Highly Evolved Creature focussed Totally On Revenge was one of Iron Lantern's deadliest enemies.  H.E.C.T.O.R. would either work through unwitting agents, such as the villains Sonicorn and Black Brand or ally himself with Iron Lantern's other foes such as the Weaponers of AIM. 

Hal Stark also had another identity, that of Arno Manning in the far flung future of 5700 AD.  Protecting the future Earth as Iron Lantern 5700, Arno Manning found Sunset Vane romantically attracted to him. 

During one adventure on present day Earth, Kyle O'Brien stepped in for Iron Lantern and wielded the emerald power as the Green Guardsman.  O'Brien considered that day to be the high point of his life and would later make dealings to take the power as his own. 

Though Stark's personal life appeared to be that of a freewheeling executive known for dating heiresses and starlets, it centered on a trio of friends who were employees at Stark Aircraft.  Engineer and pilot Stewart Rhodes knew of Stark's identity as Iron Lantern as did "Happy" Kalmaku, Stark's chief mechanic.  Kalmaku kept a secret diary of Stark's adventures as Iron Lantern and shared a romantic interest in Pepper Ferris, a test pilot for Stark Aircraft.  Unfortunately for Kalmaku, Ferris did not return the attraction and in fact was interested in Hal Stark.  As her employer, Stark felt it would be improper to pursue a relationship with Ferris but he too was attracted to her. 

Stark Aircraft's chief business rival was Olivia Stane, but perhaps the toughest business foe Stark faced was Senator Harrington Ferris, father of Pepper Ferris.  Senator Ferris was quick to anger and considered Hal Stark to be irresponsible. 

Little is known about Hal Stark's family, save that he has two brothers, Jack and Jim.  Jim's wife Bethany believed her husband is secretly Iron Lantern, never realizing how close she is to the truth. 

Shortly after he and Mariner defeated the alliance of H.E.C.T.O.R. and the Weaponers of AIM, Iron Lantern returned to Earth to find Senator Ferris once again angry at him due to the failure of the S-41.  Stewart Rhodes and Pepper Ferris believed it to be the work of saboteurs but the elder Ferris threatened to cite Stark with contempt of Congress and pull all government contracts.  Angered by chauvinistic comments made by her father, Pepper Ferris left with the Senator sending Kyle O'Brien after her. 

Pepper found a floating purple gem which transformed her back into Madame Sapphire.  Another hidden force had manipulated her into becoming Iron Lantern's enemy once more.  Madam Sapphire in turn reactivated Great White which threatened to destroy Stark Aircraft. 

Hal Stark made way to his private office where his security recognition codes and countersigns granted him access to the armor of Iron Lantern.  Trying to defend Stark Aircraft from Great White, Iron Lantern fund himself under attack by Madame Sapphire as well.  Launching Great White into space, Iron Lantern created a second layer of armor around himself which increased his size to that of Great White's.  This took a great amount of energy to accomplish, a feat which was noticed on Earth. 

Rhodes and Kalmaku could hear the strain on the power battery and went to hidden battery chamber to investigate.  Though Kyle O'Brien had been sent after Pepper Ferris, he had plans of his own.  Breaking into the inner chamber which housed Iron Lantern's battery, he knocked out Kalmaku and Rhodes then stole the power battery. 

Out in space, Iron Lantern felt the power disconnect and used his emergency reserve power to detonate Great White from the inside.  He fell helplessly to Earth, catching aflame as he hit Earth's atmosphere. 

Madame Sapphire, her mission fulfilled, turned to personal matters by immobilizing Harrington Ferris' personal guards, Gardner and Gyrich then kidnapping the Senator. 

On the dark side of the moon, the orchestrator behind the scenes, Mandarinestro watched all.  He had masterminded the sabotage, turned O'Brien into one of his unwitting agents, awakened Madam Sapphire and crushed another agent of Oa, the Living Planet.
[IRON LANTERN # 1]

SECURITY RECOGNITION CODE:
First Recogniton Parameter:  In Brightest Day
Computer Countersign:  In Blackest Night
Second Recogniton Parameter:  No Evil Shall Escape My Sight 

CREATIVE TEAM:
Writer:  Kurt Busiek
Artists:  Al Williamson, Pepoy, Adams, McLeod, Palmer, Milgrom, Smith
Colorist:  Christie Scheele & Digital Chameleon
Letterer:  Richard Starkings and Comicraft/AD
Assistant Editor:  Glenn Greenberg
Editor:  Bob Harris

KNOWN APPEARANCES:
IRON LANTERN # 1

AMALGAM CHARACTERS (c) 2000 MARVEL CHARACTERS, INC. and DC COMICS, INC. 

********************************************************** 

Writer:  Archie Broome

Artists:  Gil Heck

Editor:  Stan Schwartz

IRON LANTERN/MARINER # 1.

SHOWCASE OF SUSPENSE # 29, 75, 84, 90, 92, 96

Mark Five

Uatu the Guardian

Oa, the Living Planet

Madame Sapphire [SOS # 75]

Mandarinestro

Pepper Ferris

Kyle O'Brien Green Guardsman

"The Other Iron Lantern" SOS # 8

Olivia Stane

Janice Dormeus

The further exploits of Iron Lantern have yet to be revealed.

Weaponers of AIM... H.E.C.T.O.R. ...

[IRON LANTERN/MARINER SPECIAL]

Subject: Iron Lantern #2

Date: Sun, Feb 22, 1998 18:19 EST

Not that there is likely to be one, but Kurt Busiek did have one planned, at least as far as plotting it out.  From the Busiek board, here's a plot summary.

Okay.  Here's what happens next: 

Pepper Ferris does not know that Hal is really Iron Lantern, but Madame Sapphire does, and when she realizes just what that shooting star is, her submerged love for Hal spurs her to save him.  She powers up his armor with sapphire energy, and the two of them go looking for the lantern.  They catch up to Kyle just as he's realized that Mandarinestro is about to kill him, and save both his life and the battery.  Kyle becomes the Green Guardsman, and the three of them open up a can of whupass on Mandarinestro -- which, for all their power, would go badly for them if not for the timely arrival of Tagak, Lantern-Lord. 

Mandarinestro escapes, but Tagak has some revelations for Hal about Oa, the Living Planet -- and Janice Doremus is back at Stark Aircraft, and she's got secrets of her own, secrets that involve the deadly Lamplight Phantom..

AMALGAM CHARACTERS (c) 2000 MARVEL CHARACTERS, INC. and DC COMICS, INC. Profile copyright  © 2000 Michael Bond