EFFIGY (Martyn Van Wyck)	BIOGRAPHY
Created by Ron Marz and Darryl Banks

Effigy; art by Darryl Banks

PERSONAL DATA

Real Name: Martyn Van Wyck
Status: Deceased
Citizenship: American
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Unnamed father, unnamed mother (deceased)
Base of Operation: Formerly Seattle, Washington, now mobile
Group Affiliation(s): Society
Gender: Male
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 195 lbs.
Eyes: Formerly blue, now flaming orange
Hair: Blond
First Appearance: (Martyn Van Wyck): Green Lantern Vol. 3 #110 (March 1999): "Golden Years"
(Effigy): Green Lantern Vol. 3 #113 (June 1999): "Burning in Effigy: Part One"
Creators: Ron Marz and Darryl Banks

HISTORY

Raised in Seattle, Washington, by his alcoholic father after his mother had died, Martyn Van Wyck was a bitter and resentful man. He was continuously getting into trouble with authority figures and though he tried to make a career as a musician, he found he couldn't even get a menial job in the music industry. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #113

One night, a female acquaintance kicked him out of her car after an argument. Left 54 miles outside of Seattle, he was about to start hitchhiking back when a bright, overpowering light appeared in the sky. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #110

Van Wyck only had vague images of being in a room with figures standing over him. He was on a table and had the impression the figures were going to hurt him. The figures were the Controllers, an alien race that had originated on Maltus and had split from the Guardians of the Universe some three billion years ago. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #113

Six days later, two men in a pickup truck found Van Wyck in the middle of the road. Van Wyck was naked and confused so the men took him to the nearest emergency room. The doctors could find nothing wrong with him except for his eyes had changed from blue to flickering orange flames. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #111- #112

Meeting with his friends, Van Wyck told them all he knew about his condition. When the owner of the coffee shop they were sitting in asked them to leave, Van Wyck responded with a beast made out of flame. He realized he could do anything he wanted with his new found powers. Outside the coffee shop, an argument with a driver was quickly won by Van Wyck when he torched the man's car. In his anger, Van Wyck had transformed. His skin had turned white while his hair turned to flame and he was dressed in a red costume. He was amazed by what he had become and now possessed the power of flight.

Talking with his girlfriend, Trace, Van Wyck explained how he was sick of being "pushed around" by others and now that he had powers things would change. Trace described the images he made in the flames as burning effigies, an image or copy. Van Wyck liked the word, and took the name Effigy. He was leaving Seattle and Trace as well. As far as he was concerned, his life as Martyn Van Wyck was over; he was now only Effigy.

Van Wyck traveled to Hollywood, California, where he promptly set out to get attention by causing destruction, just because he could. Burning the famous "Hollywood" sign caught the attention of the media, which in turn caught the attention of Green Lantern Kyle Rayner. Effigy relished the chance to take on a member of the Justice League and quickly attacked. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #113

Effigy and Green Lantern battled across Hollywood and down to the coastline. Finally, it appeared Green Lantern had overcome the new villain. Suddenly, a bright light appeared above the two combatants. It was the Controllers and they had returned to reclaim Effigy. They had released him thinking their experiments were a failure. Green Lantern attempted to stop them from taking Van Wyck but they were too powerful for the ring wielder. Effigy was taken aboard the ship which left Earth. Inside, the Controllers continued their experimentation, their only reason being that they could.

The plans of the Controllers are not yet known, but they have stated they would return to Earth. Presumably Effigy will be with them. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #114

CHRONOLOGY

For a definitive list of appearances of Effigy in chronological order click here

PROFILE REFERENCES

Green Lantern Secret Files #1 (July 1998)

Green Lantern Secret Files #2 (September 1999)