KARI LIMBO	BIOGRAPHY
Created by Denny O'Neil and Joe Staton

PERSONAL DATA

Occupation: Fortune teller
Status: Deceased
Marital Status: Formerly engaged
Gender: Female
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black with red stripe
First Appearance: Green Lantern Vol. 2 #117 (June 1979): "Sight of the First and Second Kinds!"
Creators: Denny O'Neil and Joe Staton

HISTORY

A gypsy, Kari Limbo claimed she was born with a gift, an ability to "see beyond sight". Her power enabled her to sense when a person was near her and glimpse into the future. Limbo became a palm reader and fortune teller with a traveling carnival.

The carnival was in Baltimore, Maryland when Limbo felt the presence of school teacher Guy Gardner. She sensed many secrets within Guy and told his fortune. Though Gardner scoffed at the telling, Limbo believed he had an iron will and a strict moral ethics. He was an heir to grandeur involving the color green as well as the last of a great tradition which would one very fateful day be of prime importance to Gardner and the rest of the world. She also knew Gardner wanted to see her after the carnival closed for the night.

Their love grew quickly and by the end of the week Limbo needed to move on with the carnival. Gardner would see her on weekends until the winter, when she returned to the shop she owned in St. Louis. Secret Origins Vol. 2 #7

The two lovers were soon planning their future together. Spending an afternoon in a park in Coast City, California, Guy was ready to propose to Kari. On what could have been one of the happiest days of their lives, visions of the future came to them.

A trio of heroes had been thrown through a time rift by the supervillain known as Extant. Lady Blackhawk was pulled from the past with future versions of John Henry Irons as Steel and Guy Gardner himself wearing armor. The existence of two Guy Gardners in the same time frame caused them both considerable pain. The future Guy Gardner's body morphed uncontrollably, he struck at those around him.

This in turn was seen by Coast City's resident protector, Green Lantern Hal Jordan. He did not recognize Gardner and he believed the future Guy Gardner was responsible for the strange peril Coast City was facing which was actually due to the effects of Zero Hour. The fight was short-lived, the time rift pulled Gardner into the future. Kari Limbo would not remember this for years to come. Guy Gardner: Warrior #24

With the coming of winter, Kari Limbo returned to the shop she owned in St. Louis. Guy's future began to take shape when Green Lantern revealed his identity as Hal Jordan and told Guy how he had almost been chosen by Abin Sur to wear the power ring.

Jordan asked Gardner to fill in for him while he went to Oa for repairs on his power ring. Jordan believed the ring had been damaged in a fight with the Crumbler. Hal gave Guy a power ring, Guy would find he had some knowledge in the use of the ring, having been given a mental implant from the Guardians. Guy would use Jordan's power battery which was in Oliver Queen's apartment. Secret Origins Vol. 2 #7

Guy Gardner enjoyed the life of Green Lantern and was proud of his accomplishments with the power ring, but this would be short lived. He returned to Green Arrow's apartment to recharge the ring in private. As he touched ring to battery, the power battery exploded in a blinding flash, arcs of emerald energy tore Gardner apart. There was nothing left. Green Lantern Vol. 2 #116

Jordan brought the sad news to Gardner's fiancée. She struck him in anger, but eventually realized it was not his fault. Not wanting to be alone, Kari moved in with Dinah (Black Canary) Lance. Green Lantern Vol. 2 #117 - 118

When Hurricane Arachne hit the Florida coast, a tree was uprooted and unearthed the buried conquistador Jaime Sanchez. A local man saw the five hundred year old man arise and in fright referred to him as "El Espectro," Spanish for "The Ghost." As Hal Jordan, Green Lantern became aware of the situation.

El Espectro later had a violent exchange with Green Arrow and Black Canary, dropping his helmet before he left the fight. Kari Limbo touched the helmet to learn El Espectro's origin. Sanchez had been an explorer who found the legendary Fountain of Youth but had been buried alive. Over the centuries he went insane. His body absorbed the gold from the water, rendering the power ring ineffectual against him. He possessed great strength; his sword had also absorbed gold making it a deadly weapon against the emerald gladiator. - Green Lantern Vol. 2 #120 - 121

Kari Limbo's psychic powers assisted the trio of super-heroes many times. Over a short period of time, she and Jordan found they had fallen in love. When Green Lantern was almost killed in the ensuing fight, Kari asked him to marry her. - Green Lantern Vol. 2 #118 - 121

The wedding was to be held in a small suburban church and among the few guests were the world's greatest super-heroes. Superman, Green Arrow, the Flash and Hawkman appeared, with the Black Canary appearing as Dinah Drake, rather than her super-hero identity. Hal's old friend Tom Kalmaku was invited by Green Arrow. Outside the chapel, she had an intense vision of someone dear to her in agony and drew a Phantom Zone projector. Superman recognized the device and flew off to investigate.

Kari had another vision during the ceremony and soon passed out. Based on what she had said, Green Lantern believed Superman was in trouble and a power ring was involved, he left to assist the Man of Steel. Shortly thereafter, Kari's vision replayed the moment Guy Gardner fell victim to the defective power battery. She quietly whispered, "Guy.. my beloved Guy..." which was heard by Green Arrow and Dinah Drake.

The visions continued, as Kari saw into the Phantom Zone and the battle between Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner. The otherworldly criminals trapped in the Phantom Zone were using Guy Gardner to attack Superman and Hal Jordan. Jordan managed to escape with Superman but Gardner remained in the zone.

Jordan returned to Limbo's side, to bring her the news that Guy was still alive. She had known, and had called off the wedding. Guy Gardner was her first love and though she loved Hal Jordan, she could not marry Hal while Guy lived. - Green Lantern Vol. 2 #122

Hal Jordan returned to the Phantom Zone to rescue Guy, only to find the ring wielder taken away by a yellow beam. Sinestro had taken the lost Green Lantern to Qward and once again Jordan followed. Jordan was able to free his friend from Sinestro but the master villain himself escaped once more. As for Guy Gardner, his mind had been severely damaged by the shattering of the power battery and the abusive control of the villains. - Green Lantern Vol. 2 #123

Guy Gardner was left in the care of Dr. Bentley at Mercy Memorial Hospital. Kari chose to stay by the comatose Guy Gardner's side. - Green Lantern Vol. 2 #123 - 124

Nothing has been revealed about Kari Limbo's whereabouts during the timeframe between Gardner's admission into the hospital and his recovery instigated by a splinter group of the Guardians of the Universe. Whether the Guardians had somehow sent her away or if she left of her own volition has not been established.

When Kari Limbo next appeared, the Green Lantern Corps of Earth had been established and based out of Los Angeles California. Guy Gardner was a Green Lantern once more but his brash behavior did not sit well with his fellow ring wielders. Limbo tried to reach out to Gardner but was rebuffed by his new angry persona.

When the alien conqueror known as Mongul allied with the Cyborg Superman to build a new Warworld, Coast City and Metropolis were targeted for destruction. From a spacecraft over Coast City, 77,000 carnage globes were dropped across a 85 kilometer radius. Ninety seconds later the globes detonated, forming a fusion grid that obliterated Coast City and its seven million citizens. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #45

In the seconds before her death, Kari Limbo saw the time-tossed version of Guy Gardner she had seen years before and recalled the long-forgotten memory. A mixture of shock, fear and surprise overwhelmed her as she had not foreseen this future but by now it was too late. Coast City was destroyed and the short lived Engine City was built on its ashes. - Guy Gardner: Warrior #24

CHRONOLOGY

For a definitive list of appearances of Kari Limbo in chronological order click here