Origin
Tashana, operating under the name Lady Quark, came from an Earth universe that was ruled by a super-powered monarchy. She, her husband Karak (Lord Volt), and her daughter Liana (Princess Fern) were a family of metahumans that possessed various superhuman abilities. Lady Quark was one of the rulers of Earth-6, which was governed by powerful metahuman royalty.
Creation
Lady Quark is a fictional character created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez for the 12-issue, Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series and first appeared in issue #4 of that series, published in July, 1985.
Character Evolution
Bronze Age / Earth-6
With the infinite parallel worlds that diverged from the reality of our own known Earth, Earth-6 was indeed a very different place. Earth-6 was a world whose society was built along the lines that harmoniously combined a monarchy with highly advanced technology under a specifically mutated matriarchal line of power.
The inhabitants of Earth-6 developed a global royal governing structure, with the reign being passed from generation to generation. This is due to the fact that during their Earths time-line the colonies did not win the war against the English. Earth-6 divergent history would cause a system with a lineage of meta-humans who originally started as a provable English royal family. At the time of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the ruling family was composed of Lady Quark, Lord Volt and their teenage daughter Liana.
Post-Crisis Universe
After sporadic appearances Lady Quark became a permanent member of the space police team called L.E.G.I.O.N. L.E.G.I.O.N. a group existing long before the rise of the legendary teen force of good from the 30th Century, the Legion Of Super-Heroes. Operating closely with the earlier team for sometime, she would make close alliances with their leader Vril Dox as well as Captain Comet. She continued adventures with them until she was believed to be killed in action.
The New 52 / Earth-48
In Grant Morrison‘s Multiversity series, Lady Quark, her husband, Lord Volt, and their daughter appear as residents of Earth-48 of the New 52‘s modified DC Multiverse. This is an adaption of Earth-6, Earth-48 is a fusion of the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths Earth-6 and Warworld which is 52’s new Earth-48. Lady Quark and her expanded family are still members of Earth-48’s royal family, much as they were on Earth-6.
Major Story Arcs
Bronze Age / Earth-6:
Lady Quark in Crisis on Infinite Earths
Though the royal family tried using their incredible natural born powers to defend Earth-6 from the Anti-Monitor‘s wave of anti-matter energy, they would fail. Only the timely appearance of the solemn dimension crossing Pariah, who was drawn to the world as it reached its end, helped save only one inhabitant. While Lady Quark watched in horror, first her young daughter Liana was consumed by negative energy, then her beloved husband Lord Volt. Pariah forcibly rescued Lady Quark as her parallel world and all she had known ceased to exist.
Angry and shocked at the loss of her family, her world, and everything in her reality’s existence she than sought out revenge. Lady Quark joined heroes from five other parallel Earth’s to defeat the complete universal conquest of the evil Anti-Monitor, who had caused the end to hers and many other Earth’s. In the reformed DC Universe, her world never existed and therefore she had no family to lose, however her memories and emotional ties were still real to her. Now feeling the true loss of self, a true anomaly, Lady Quark then chose to submerge her anguish and quick temper, and joined Harbinger and Pariah in exploring their new Earth.
Lady Quark joins L.E.G.I.O.N.
Missing her husband, Lady Quark approaches Starman, Will Payton, with the idea of having him become her consort however Payton rejects her advances. After a time Lady Quark would wander the new Earth alone, but her feelings of loss drove her to hopelessness as her sense of being was ever at question. Eventually becoming a woman out of time as well as place, Lady Quark would later join the forces of the galactic peace keeping corps known as L.E.G.I.O.N.
Sometime later she would be possessed by an alien entity which assumed complete mental and physical control of her body and usurped her position on the team for months. After being forced to battle her L.E.G.I.O.N. compatriots, the exhausted Lady Quark would apparently be killed later by this entity as it used her entire life-force.
Lady Quark is alive again?
Lady Quark would later resurface during the series Villains United not mentioning how she had survived or how she had returned to the current time-line. She would end up imprisoned on Alexander Luthor Jr‘s tower; its purpose to bring the core Earths of the Multiverse back into existence. She is later freed and joins Earth’s heroes in defeating Luthor. She recently appears again during the Sinestro Corps War as a background character in the attack against Superboy Prime. She would also later show up during the Legion of Three Worlds, among other L.E.G.I.O.N. members.
Convergence
Shortly after her reappearance Lady Quark is featured-along with her husband Lord Volt announcing battle on Matrix Supergirl during a ‘Convergence: Supergirl Matrix’ tie-in. While Lady Quark is bullying and being the aggressor with Matrix to ensue a fight. Lord Volt’s chauvinistic views of his spouse Lady Quark and his contempt towards her is made apparent to Matrix. Matrix informs them both that she understands it was an forced marriage between the two. Outraged Lady Quark battles Matrix who both quickly knocks out Lord Volt and stops Lady Quark by using her telekinesis to fling her away into the horizon.
Lady Quark again appears as her daughter, Princess Fern, is also featured in a ‘Convergence’ tie-in, fighting Parralax. Both of Princess Fern’s parents Lady Quark and Lord Volt are seen on monitor screens.
Multiversity
Lady Quark and Lord Volt of earth 48 were among the first heroes assembled in the house of heroes when Thunderer called for help through the multiverse. It seems she has more knowledge about this situation than her husband, as she was capable to identify the Atomic Batman as an archetrope of the detective.
Powers and Abilities
Lady Quark is a meta-human with the ability to control the energy of nuclear reactions and channel it into forceful blasts as well as absorb and reprocess energy. She can direct these energies as percussive blasts or waves from her body. She has the ability to fly and can travel through space without the need to breath or wear protective shielding.
With such nuclear power flowing through her, Lady Quark’s physical stats are amped to levels impressive enough to fight evenly against DC’s heavy-hitters. She has fought Lobo (standstill), Mon El (he found her strength worrisome), & was on the frontlines right next to Superman during the final moments against the Anti-Monitor along with both Earth 1 & 2 Kryptonians. On the higher end, she has stunned + taken the full force blast of Pulsar Stargrave/his ancestor while surrounded by the heart of a star, she has Survived blasts from one of the Trinity & redirected some of their own power (Darkstars/GL/Legion together couldn’t withstand these guys) & even took down Lord Volt (someone who knocked around both Superman & Pariah for a bit).
Lady Quark’s power limitations are unknown, but she can appear to generate tremendous amounts of energy, and requires little or no rest afterwards. It has been hinted at, but not confirmed, that she has the ability to completely regenerate herself from pure nuclear energy.
When she employs her powers in any manner, her uniform shimmers with crackling red energy that is apparently nonlethal to those standing nearby.
As a member of the ruling family on her home world, she was rigorously trained in all manner of hand-to-hand combat, which affords her the opportunity to protect herself without resorting to her powers.
Character Profile
- Height: 5′ 10″
- Weight: 135 lbs (61 kg)
- Hair: White
- Eyes: Blue