Green Lantern (comic book)

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Green Lantern
Green Lantern v1 1.jpg
Cover of Green Lantern #1 (1941).
Art by Howard Purcell.[1]
Publication information
Publisher National Allied Publications
Schedule Quarterly
Format Ongoing series
Genre Superhero
Publication date (vol. 1)
Fall 1941 - October 1949
(vol. 2)
July 1960 - May 1988
(vol. 3)
June 1990 - November 2004
(vol. 4)
July 2005 - August 2011
(vol. 5)
September 2011 - Present
Number of issues (vol. 1): 38
(vol. 2): 224
(vol. 3): 181
(vol. 4): 67
(vol. 5):
Main character(s) Alan Scott
Hal Jordan
John Stewart
Green Lantern Corps
Kyle Rayner
Creative team
Writer(s) (vol. 1)
Bill Finger, Alfred Bester, John Broome, Robert Kanigher
(vol. 2)
John Broome, Denny O'Neil, Steve Englehart
(vol. 3)
Gerard Jones, Judd Winick, Ron Marz
(vol. 4-5)
Geoff Johns
Penciller(s) (vol. 1)
Martin Nodell, Irwin Hasen
(vol. 2)
Gil Kane, Neal Adams, Mike Grell, Alex Saviuk, Joe Staton, Dave Gibbons
(vol. 3)
Pat Broderick, Joe Staton, Mark Bright, Darryl Banks, Dale Eaglesham
(vol. 4)
Carlos Pacheco, Ethan Van Sciver, Ivan Reis, Doug Mahnke
(vol. 5)
Doug Mahnke
Inker(s) (vol. 1)
Bob Oksner
(vol. 2)
Joe Giella, Sid Greene, Bob Wiacek
(vol. 3)
Romeo Tanghal, Rodney Ramos
(vol. 4)
Jesus Merino, Christian Alamy
Creator(s) Bill Finger
Martin Nodell
Collected editions
Golden Age Green Lantern Archives Volume 1 ISBN 1-56389-507-2
Green Lantern Archive Volume 1 ISBN 1401202306
The Road Back ISBN 1-56389-045-3
No Fear ISBN 1-4012-0466-X

Green Lantern is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics heroes of the same name. The character's first incarnation, Alan Scott, appeared in All-American Comics #16, and was later spun off into the first volume of Green Lantern in 1941. That series was canceled in 1949 after 39 issues. When Silver Age Green Lantern Hal Jordan was introduced, that character starred in a new volume of Green Lantern starting in 1960 and has been the main protagonist of the Green Lantern mythos for the majority of the last fifty years.

Although the Green Lantern is considered a mainstay in the DC Comics stable, the series has been canceled and rebooted several times. The first series featuring Hal Jordan was canceled at issue #224, but was restarted with a third volume and a new #1 issue in June 1990. When sales began slipping in the early 1990s, DC Comics instituted a controversial editorial mandate that turned Hal Jordan into the supervillain Parallax and created a new main protagonist named Kyle Rayner. This third volume ended publication in 2004, when the miniseries Green Lantern: Rebirth brought Hal Jordan back as a heroic character once more. After Rebirth's conclusion, writer Geoff Johns began a fourth volume of Green Lantern from 2005 to 2011, and a fifth volume which started immediately after, this time showcasing both Hal Jordan and Sinestro as Green Lanterns.

Contents

[edit] Premise

Test pilot Hal Jordan is taken from Edwards Air Force Base in California to a dying alien in a crashed ship. The alien, Abin Sur, tells Jordan that he has the ability to overcome great fear, and asks if he will accept the power ring of the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic law enforcement unit operating throughout the universe. Jordan reluctantly accepts, and is trained on the planet Oa where he becomes a legendary officer of the Corps. Operating from Earth and throughout Space Sector 2814, Jordan defends the Earth and its neighbors from domestic and extraterrestrial threats as the Green Lantern.

[edit] Publication history

After the cancellation of Green Lantern in 1949, the character was rather stagnant for the rest of the Golden Age era. When editor Julius Schwartz joined DC Comics in the 1950s, he envisioned bringing many old DC characters back in new and interesting ways. Some of Schwartz's more notable reinventions include bringing back the Justice Society of America as the Justice League of America, re-imagining the Golden Age Flash as a new character who worked as a police scientist, and completely rebooting the Green Lantern series by making it science based rather than magic based, and by introducing the Green Lantern Corps.[2]

[edit] Volume 1 (1941-1949)

Volume 1 was published by National Periodical Publications from 1941 until 1949 spanning a total of 38 issues. The series featured Alan Scott, the very first Green Lantern character, created by writer/graphic artist Martin Nodell. Alan's first adventures began in the anthology series, All-American Comics, beginning with issue #16. Although there have been several subsequent Green Lantern revival projects over the years, this remains the only series to date to spotlight the character of Alan Scott.

After the cancellation in 1949, editor Julius Schwartz joined DC in the 1950s and commissioned the re-imagining of the character, which premiered in Showcase #22 and launched into its own series in 1960.

[edit] Volume 2 (1960-1988)

Cover for Green Lantern (vol. 2) #86 (October 1971). Art by Neal Adams.

Volume 2 of Green Lantern began publication in August 1960. The series spotlighted the Silver Age Green Lantern, Hal Jordan and introduced the expansive mythology surrounding Hal’s fore-bearers in the Green Lantern Corps. Green Arrow joined Jordan in the main feature of the title in an acclaimed, but short-lived series of stories by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams beginning with issue #76 (April 1970) that dealt with various social and political issues in which Green Arrow spoke for radical change while Green Lantern was an establishment conservative figure,[3] wanting to work within existing institutions of government and law. Where Oliver Queen advocated direct action, Hal Jordan wanted to work within the system; where Oliver advocated social change, Jordan was more concerned about dealing with criminals. Each would find their beliefs challenged by the other. Oliver convinced Jordan to see beyond his strict obedience to the Green Lantern Corps, to help those who were neglected or discriminated against. As O'Neil explained: "He would be a hot-tempered anarchist to contrast with the cerebral, sedate model citizen who was the Green Lantern."[4] The duo embarked on a quest to find America, witnessing the problems of corruption, racism, pollution, and overpopulation confronting the nation. Writer Denny O'Neil even took on current events, such as the Manson Family cult murders, in issues #78-79 ("A Kind of Loving") where Black Canary falls briefly under the spell of a false prophet who advocates violence.

It was during this period that the most famous Green Arrow story appeared, in Green Lantern vol. 2, #85-86, when it was revealed that Green Arrow's ward Speedy was addicted to heroin.[5][6]

In his zeal to save America, Oliver Queen had failed in his personal responsibility to Speedy — who would overcome his addiction with the help of Black Canary, Green Arrow's then-love interest. This story prompted a congratulatory letter from the mayor of New York, John Lindsay. Unfortunately, the series did not match commercial expectations, perhaps because of its mature topics, and Neal Adams had trouble with deadlines, causing issue #88 to be an unscheduled reprint issue; the series was canceled with issue #89 (April–May 1972).

The series returned with issue #90 (Aug.-Sept. 1976)[7] and continued the Green Lantern/Green Arrow team format. In issue #123, Hal Jordan resumed the title spotlight and Green Arrow moved on as a backup feature in Detective Comics. In issue #182, architect John Stewart (who had been introduced previously in issue #87) became the title's primary character. Following the double-sized 200th issue, the format changed again, this time altering the title's name to Green Lantern Corps[8] and focusing upon the seven members of a Earth-based contingent of the Corps (including Jordan and Stewart). The series remained as such until its cancellation in 1988 with issue #224.

[edit] Volume 3 (1990-2004)

Cover for Green Lantern (vol. 3) #51 (May 1994), Kyle Rayner's first issue as main character.

Volume 3 began in 1990 and began featuring Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps once more. By the mid-1990s, sales on the book began to fall and an editorial mandate was handed down by DC Comics to drastically change the status quo in order to revitalize the title and characters. This was given in the form of the controversial storyline "Emerald Twilight."

"Emerald Twilight" detailed that in the aftermath of the destruction of Hal Jordan's hometown Coast City (which occurred as part of the Death of Superman storyline), Jordan was shown going mad with grief by trying to use his power to resurrect the city and its inhabitants. The Guardians of the Universe found fault with Jordan and stated their intent to strip him of his ring. Jordan responded angrily, and sought not only the destruction of the Guardians, but the Green Lantern Corps itself. He killed countless Green Lanterns in his rampage through the universe to Oa, seemingly killed his arch enemy Sinestro, killed the Guardians and took the power of Oa's Central Power Battery for himself. Gaining unimaginable power over space and time, Jordan became the supervillain Parallax and with that, became the leading antagonist going into DC's 1994 event Zero Hour: Crisis in Time.

After this, Kyle Rayner, a young art student, was introduced as the new protagonist and the "last" Green Lantern, since there was no longer a Corps.[9] Writers Ron Marz and Judd Winick both had long runs with the character, building Rayner's popularity so much that he was included in the lineup of Grant Morrison's Justice League relaunch JLA, and slowly reintroduced more familiar Green lantern aspects over the ten years Rayner had in the title. Volume 3 culminated in a revival of the Guardians of the Universe, the introduction of Ion, and Kyle taking a journey into space that led directly into the miniseries Green Lantern: Rebirth.

[edit] Volume 4 (2005-2011)

Cover to Green Lantern (vol. 4) #1. Art by Carlos Pacheco.

After the events of Rebirth, revealing Parallax not as an identity of Hal Jordan but as a parasitic embodiment of fear, a fourth volume of Green Lantern began publication returning Hal Jordan to the prominent Green Lantern in the DC Universe. Trying to rebuild his life, Hal Jordan has moved to the nearly deserted Coast City, which is slowly being reconstructed. He has been reinstated as a Captain in the United States Air Force, and works in the Test Pilot Program at Edwards Air Force Base. The series introduces new supporting characters for Hal, most notably a man from Hal's past, Air Force's General Jonathan "Herc" Stone, who learned Hal's secret as Green Lantern during a battle with the Manhunters and acts as his ally. He also begins to develop a romantic attraction with his fellow pilot, the beautiful Captain Jillian "Cowgirl" Pearlman.[10][11][12] The returning characters also include Carol Ferris, Tom Kalmaku, and Hal's younger brother James Jordan with his sister-in-law Susan and their children, Howard and Jane.

In his new title, he faces revamped versions of his Silver Age foes such as Hector Hammond, The Shark and Black Hand.[13][14][15] As part of DC's reconning of the entire universe, as of Green Lantern vol. 4, #10, the book has skipped ahead one year, bringing drastic changes to Hal Jordan's life, as with every other hero in the DC Universe. It is revealed that Jordan spent time as a P.O.W. in an unnamed conflict and has feelings of guilt from his inability to free himself and his fellow Captives.[16]

A new account of Green Lantern's origins was released in the 2008 Green Lantern series "Secret Origin." In this new origin, Hal Jordan, is working as an assistant mechanic under Tom Kalmaku himself, barred from flying due to his insubordination while in the U.S.A.F. and his employers lingering guilt about his father's death in the line of duty, when Abin Sur, fighting Atrocitus of the Five Inversion, crashes near Coast City.[17][18] Hal and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps find themselves at war with Sinestro and his army, the Sinestro Corps during the events of the Sinestro Corps War[19]

Leading into the Blackest Night storyline, the Rage of the Red Lanterns arc features Jordan making use of both Red and Blue power rings.[20][21][22] In the Agent Orange story arc, Hal Jordan is briefly in command of Larfleeze's power battery after he steals it from him in a battle. The orange light of avarice converses with Jordan, his costume changes, and he becomes an Orange Lantern. However, Larfleeze quickly takes his power battery back from Jordan.[23] The Green Lantern mythology is center stage with the DC crossover event Blackest Night, which sees dead heroes and villains across the DC Universe becoming active as members of the Black Lantern Corps.[24] Combating Black Lanterns with fellow DC characters Flash, Atom, and Mera, Jordan fights alongside the high profile members of every corps in the emotional spectrum, and oversees new DC characters inductions into all the other corps. Jordan and his "New Guardians" move with the other new corps members to combat the Black Lantern Corps and Nekron directly.[25]

[edit] Volume 5 (Ongoing)

After the events of Flashpoint, most of DC's titles history was altered, however the Green Lantern storylines were left virtually untouched. Hal Jordan is now on Earth, with no ring and no job. However Sinestro is a Green Lantern again and comes to find Korugar totally enslaved by his Sinestro Corps. Much to his dislike, he needs Hal Jordan to aid him in saving his home planet. Sinestro forges a special ring for Hal Jordan that he is able to control in case Hal Jordan decides to use it against him. In the second issue, Sinestro and Hal Jordan are attacked by a member of the Sinestro Corps. Together, they defeat him and Sinestro attempts to convince Hal Jordan of the importance of destroying the Sinestro Corps on Korugar. In the third issue, Hal Jordan is hesitant to join Sinestro without first speaking to Miss Ferris, his lover. Sinestro convinces him otherwise, and they leave for Korugar. Upon arriving at Korugar, they devise a plan to wait until dark to attack. Sinestro decides to distract the majority of the Yellow Lanterns on the surface, allowing Jordan to fly into the corps central power battery, which he designed to shut down when a green lantern entered it. The plan nearly falls apart when Sinestro sees Arsona about to be killed, and flies in to save her. Hal Jordan completes his portion of the plan, flying into the yellow lantern power battery. However a fail safe that Sinestro is unaware of kicks in, and Jordan, believing Sinestro set him up, curses Sinestro as he was disintegrated inside the battery, shocking Sinestro. Jordan with his last bit of ring power conjures up an image of Carol Ferris to apologize to her. Meanwhile the Korugars revolt against Sinestro.[26]

[edit] Collected editions

Several of the comic books have been collected into individual volumes:

Green Lantern (vol. 1):

Green Lantern (vol. 2):

  • Green Lantern/Green Arrow:
    • Volume 1 (collects Green Lantern (vol. 2) #76-82, June 2004, ISBN 1-4012-0224-1)[41]
    • Volume 2 (collects Green Lantern (vol. 2) #83-87, 89 and back-ups from Flash (vol. 2) #212-219, 228, August 2004, ISBN 1-4012-0230-6)[42]

Green Lantern (vol. 3):

Green Lantern (vol. 4):

Green Lantern (vol. 5):

  • Sinestro (collects Green Lantern (vol. 5) #1-6, 160 pages, hardcover, May 2012, ISBN 1-4012-3454-2)

Collections with multi-series spans:

  • Green Lantern Corps: Through The Ages (collects Green Lantern (vol. 2) #30, Green Lantern (vol. 4) #3, Showcase #22, Green Lantern Gallery, Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn #4 and Green Lantern Secret Files 2005)[62]
  • Green Lantern: In Brightest Day (Green Lantern #7, 40, 59, 162, 173, 177, 182, 183 and 188, Green Lantern (vol. 2) #51, Green Lantern Corps Quarterly #6 and Green Lantern Corps Annuals #2, ISBN 9781401219864)[63]
  • Green Lantern: The Greatest Stories Ever Told (collects Green Lantern (vol.2) #1, 31, 74, 87, 172, Green Lantern (vol.3) #3, Flash/Green Lantern: Brave/Bold #2, Showcase #22 and Green Lantern Secret Files 2005, ISBN 1-4012-0961-0)[64]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Green Lantern (vol. 1) #1 at Grand Comics Database
  2. ^ Super Heroes United! The History of the Justice League on the Justice League: The New Frontier DVD release
  3. ^ McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1970s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. "Real-world politics have always gone hand-in-hand with comics and their creators' own personal perspectives. Yet this was never more creatively expressed than when writer Denny O'Neil and artist Neal Adams paired the liberal Green Arrow with the conservative Green Lantern." 
  4. ^ Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol. 1 (SC, 2004 edition) introduction, by Dennis O'Neil.
  5. ^ Greenberger, Robert (2008). "Green Arrow". In Dougall, Alastair. The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. pp. 142–143. ISBN 0-7566-4119-5. OCLC 213309017. 
  6. ^ McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 146 "It was taboo to depict drugs in comics, even in ways that openly condemned their use. However, writer Denny O'Neil and artist Neal Adams collaborated on an unforgettable two-part arc that brought the issue directly into Green Arrow's home, and demonstrated the power comics had to affect change and perception."
  7. ^ McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 171 "After a four-year hiatus, Green Lantern's ongoing series made a triumphant return to DC's publishing schedule...Returning writer Denny O'Neil partnered himself with artist Mike Grell, choosing to focus the title on sci-fi and super-heroics."
  8. ^ Manning, Matthew K. "1980s" in Dolan, p. 219: "The adventures of everyone's favorite space cops were given a new title thanks to writer Steve Englehart and artist Joe Staton. Now focusing not just on Green Lantern Hal Jordan, The Green Lantern Corps gave an equal spotlight to all the defenders of Space Sector 2814."}}
  9. ^ Wallace, Dan (2008). "Green Lantern". In Dougall, Alastair. The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. pp. 144–147. ISBN 0-7566-4119-5. OCLC 213309017. 
  10. ^ Johns, Geoff (w). Green Lantern v4, 1 (May 2005), DC Comics
  11. ^ Johns, Geoff (w). Green Lantern v4, 2 (June 2005), DC Comics
  12. ^ Johns, Geoff (w). Green Lantern v4, 3 (August 2005), DC Comics
  13. ^ Johns, Geoff (w). Green Lantern v4, 4 (August 2005), DC Comics
  14. ^ Johns, Geoff (w). Green Lantern v4, 5 (November 2005), DC Comics
  15. ^ Johns, Geoff (w). Green Lantern v4, 6 (November 2005), DC Comics
  16. ^ Johns, Geoff (w). Green Lantern v4, 17 (November 2006), DC Comics
  17. ^ Johns, Geoff (w). Green Lantern v4, 29 (March 2008), DC Comics
  18. ^ Johns, Geoff (w). Green Lantern v4, 30 (April 2008), DC Comics
  19. ^ Johns, Geoff (w). Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special 1 (June 2007), DC Comics
  20. ^ Johns, Geoff (w). Green Lantern v4, 36 (December 2008), DC Comics
  21. ^ Johns, Geoff (w). Green Lantern v4, 37 (January 2009), DC Comics
  22. ^ Johns, Geoff (w). Green Lantern v4, 38 (February 2009), DC Comics
  23. ^ Johns, Geoff (w). Green Lantern v4, 42 (June 2009), DC Comics
  24. ^ Johns, Geoff (w). Blackest Night 1 (July 2009), DC Comics
  25. ^ Johns, Geoff (w). Blackest Night 6 (December 2009), DC Comics
  26. ^ Green Lantern vol 5
  27. ^ Golden Age Green Lantern Archives Volume 1 at DC Comics.com
  28. ^ Golden Age Green Lantern Archives Volume 2 at DC Comics.com
  29. ^ Green Lantern Archives: Volume 1 at DC Comics.com
  30. ^ Green Lantern Archives: Volume 2 at DC Comics.com
  31. ^ Green Lantern Archives: Volume 3 at DC Comics.com
  32. ^ Green Lantern Archives: Volume 4 at DC Comics.com
  33. ^ Green Lantern Archives: Volume 5 at DC Comics.com
  34. ^ Green Lantern Archives: Volume 6 at DC Comics.com
  35. ^ Green Lantern Archives: Volume 7 at DC Comics.com
  36. ^ Green Lantern Chronicles: Volume 1 at DC Comics.com
  37. ^ Showcase Presents: Green Lantern: Volume 1 at DC Comics.com
  38. ^ Showcase Presents: Green Lantern: Volume 2 at DC Comics.com
  39. ^ Showcase Presents: Green Lantern: Volume 3 at DC Comics.com
  40. ^ Showcase Presents: Green Lantern: Volume 4 at DC Comics.com
  41. ^ Green Lantern/Green Arrow: Volume 1 at DC Comics.com
  42. ^ Green Lantern/Green Arrow: Volume 2 at DC Comics.com
  43. ^ Green Lantern: The Road Back at DC Comics.com
  44. ^ Emerald Twilight/New Dawn at DC Comics.com
  45. ^ Baptism of Fire at DC Comics.com
  46. ^ Emerald Allies at DC Comics.com
  47. ^ New Journey, Old Path at DC Comics.com
  48. ^ The Power of Ion at DC Comics.com
  49. ^ Brother's Keeper at DC Comics.com
  50. ^ No Fear softcover at DC Comics.com
  51. ^ No Fear softcover at DC Comics.com
  52. ^ Revenge of the Green Lantern hardcover at DC Comics.com
  53. ^ Revenge of the Green Lantern softcover at DC Comics.com
  54. ^ Wanted: Hal Jordan hardcover at DC Comics.com
  55. ^ Wanted: Hal Jordan softcover at DC Comics.com
  56. ^ Sinestro Corps War: Volume 1 hardcover, at DC Comics.com
  57. ^ Sinestro Corps War: Volume 1 softcover, at DC Comics.com
  58. ^ Sinestro Corps War: Volume 2 hardcover, at DC Comics.com
  59. ^ Sinestro Corps War: Volume 2 softcover, at DC Comics.com
  60. ^ Rage of the Red Lanterns hardcover at DC Comics.com
  61. ^ Green Lantern: Secret Origin hardcover
  62. ^ Green Lantern Corps: Through The Ages at DC Comics.com
  63. ^ Green Lantern: In Brightest Day at DC Comics.com
  64. ^ Green Lantern: The Greatest Stories Ever Told at DC Comics.com

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