Lady Quark

With excerpts from Who's Who #14 (1991), ©DC Comics

In unchartered space there was a world that seemed well-ordered and prosperous. The people had there had lived under a monarchy for generations. Those who ruled inherited powers tied to the world's nature, and they protected both planet and people. The planet's last rulers were Lady Quark, Lord Volt, and their daughter, Princess Liana. The three possessed powers involving the elements, nature, and the atom itself. Yet even their combined abilities could not save their world from a wave of anti-matter energy that became a cosmic symbol for a world-shattering event known as the Crisis. (Crisis #4)

Her world and her family destroyed, Lady Quark found herself summoned to Earth by an enigmatic being called the Monitor. She allied herself with Earth's heroes to combat a menace known as the Anti-Monitor. Once the battle was done, Lady Quark was invited to remain on Earth.

For a time, Lady Quark wandered about her new homeworld with Harbinger and Pariah, also strangers to Earth from the aftermath of the Crisis. She continued to crave adventure and sought events that required her power. Lady Quark also deeply missed both her husband and ruling her world. (DC Comics Presents #94)

Eventually, she broke off from them and struck out on her own, in search of a new companion. She sought a new consort, one worthy of the legacy of her former husband and king. She left Earth again and encountered Will Payton, Starman IV. Payton rejected her advances. (Starman #8) Soon after this, she met Dagon-Ra, a successful space pirate. Initially she considered him to be her partner, but like many others, she ultimately became his servant. (LEGION 18)

Before she had ever met or heard of Vril Dox or his L.E.G.I.O.N., Dox had his sights set on Quark herself. But not for companionship — for her power. (#13) And Dox soon had the chance to recruit her when he began a

campaign to take down Dagon-Ra. He sent Lobo who successfully infiltrated the ring and Ra's demise was ensured. Dox wasted no time in asking Tashana and her fellow captive, The Telepath to join the L.E.G.I.O.N. Tashana was impressed by Dox (one of the few) and agreed to accompany him to Cairn. Secretly, she hoped he'd be suitable as a new consort. (#18)

Quark found a home among the L.E.G.I.O.N.naires, who welcomed her as family. She became a committed core member of the team. Still, she secretly harbored feelings for Dox. These were brought to the surface when a new recruit named Ig'nea began to wooing Dox. (#32)

Secretly, Ig'nea was a spy and manipulated Dox into proposing to her. In jealousy, Lady Quark revealed feelings for Dox then handed in her resignation. (#34-35) It was all Commander Phase could do to convince Tashana to stay on, but Lady Quark set aside her feelings and once again proved her devotion to the L.E.G.I.O.N. running. (#36)

Perhaps she should have gone, because Tashana herself soon became the target of unwanted affection. While she'd been with Dagon-Ra, an alien parasite set its sights on her as a potential mate. The parasite had lay dormant inside her teammate for three years, waiting for the right moment to confront her. In the meantime, she began having visions of her dead husband and daughter, caused by the parasite's influence over Captain Comet's mental abilities.

When the parasite did finally strike, the L.E.G.I.O.N. was there to help her. She'd been chosen because it had concluded she was the only one who could sustain their offspring after the procreation process. (#45) Before the parasite could complete its procreation, though Phase expelled the leech from Comet and fooled it into inhabiting a lump of bio-matter encoded with Quark's DNA. The parasite was horrified — it's proper life cycle was broken. As it shrieked, it molded the matter into a new body. (#46)

It left Cairn vowing revenge on Dox. In this new body, it now possessed the powers of both Quark and Captain Comet — the L.E.G.I.O.N.'s two most powerful members. (#47)

The Parasite remained hidden, waiting for the proper time to strike. It ultimately found Lady Quark when she was dispatched to the planet Ith'kaa to retrieve several stranded teammates. Quark was ambushed and the Parasite left her for dead. It assumed Lady Quark's form then continued on to Ith'kaa, where it also incited a battle with Captain Comet. With Garryn and Marij'n Bek watching, it left Comet for dead. (#62-63) When they returned to L.E.G.I.O.N. headquarters on Cairn, Marij'n accused Quark of the murder, but the parasite told Dox that Comet had died in an earthquake. Though the story was odd, Vril Dox trusted Lady Quark and so saw no reason to continue questioning her. However, he opted for a covert approach, requesting that L.E.G.I.O.N.naire Telepath secretly read Quark's mind. (#64)

Unfortunately the Parasite sensed his mental probe and threatened to kill him as well if he revealed anything. Telepath lied to Dox and cleared her (#66) but he enlisted another ally and transmitted the truth about "Lady Quark" to Marij'n. (#67)

Meanwhile, Vril Dox's megalomaniacal son, Lyrl, had began to brainwash all L.E.G.I.O.N. officers. The effect failed on the Parasite, but sent it into a rage. (#69). Dox's suspicions grew, and when the parasite lost control again, Marij'n Bek was there with the solution. She had been hard at work creating a weapon that would "unravel" Lady Quark's genetic code. She fired the weapon at the Parasite and reduced it to dead matter. (#70)

Sadly, none of these revelations led the L.E.G.I.O.N. to Quark's body. She was not heard from for some time, but has shown up again very recently, only to be captured by Sinestro. Sinestro acted at the direction of Alexander Luthor, who was collecting survivors from the former parallel Earths to power his new tower and change reality. (Villains United #5) Marij'n Bek once remarked that Lady Quark had an unusual physiology. (LEGION #48) This could easily be used to explain her return from the dead.

Notes

Before the multiverse was merged by the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Lady Quark was an inhabitant of Earth-6. where the Revolutionary War was won by England.

In one possible future, Quark and Vril Dox were possessed by the Computer Tyrants of Colu. Their former teammates reunite to defeat them. L.E.G.I.O.N. Annual #2 (1991)

Who's Who #14 claims her daughter's name was Fern, perhaps because the Crisis Index called her that. However, she's been twice been called Liana. (Crisis #4 and L.E.G.I.O.N. #43)

New 52

A Lady Quark has appeared in The Multiversity #1, alongside her husband, King Volt. Nothing is known about them.

Powers

Lady Quark was one of the L.E.G.I.O.N.'s most powerful members. She could control the energy of nuclear reactions and channel it into forceful blasts. She can also absorb and reprocess energy. She can also fly unaided in space.

Appearances + References

» FEATURED APPEARANCES:  

• Crisis on Infinite Earths #4, 5, 7, 9-12
• DC Comics Presents #94

» SERIES:

• L.E.G.I.O.N. #16-63

» SEE ALSO:

• The Alien Parasite