brightest day – Dr. K's Waiting Room

Back Issues [Brightest Day]: Green Lantern Vol 2 #7

11/10/202511/10/2025Dr. KLeave a comment

Although February 2014 was dubbed “Green Lantern Day” (because, by the American calendar, the date matched the sector of space assigned to Earth in DC Comics “2814”), the significance of this date has passed as the years have changed. Instead, I celebrate the October 1959 debut of perhaps the most popular Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, who first appeared.

Story Title: “The Day 100,000 People Vanished!”
Published: August 1961
Writer: John Broome
Artist: Gil Kane

The Background:
In July 1940, Martin Nodell and Bill Finger debuted Alan Scott, the first Green Lantern, a magically empowered railroad engineer who became a founding member of the Justice Society of America (JSA). However, following the successful reinvention of the Flash in 1956, fighter pilot Harold “Hal” Jordan became the first of a whole corps of Green Lanterns. Widely regarded as the greatest Green Lantern, Hal soon amassed a colourful domestic and intergalactic rogues’ gallery, though none are more prominent than Thaal Sinestro, Created by John Broome and Gil Kane and modelled after British actor David Niven, Sinestro was formally the most celebrated of the corps before it was revealed that he enforced peace through a dictatorship, disgracing him and positioning him as Hal’s mortal enemy since Hal exposed Sinestro’s true nature. A Machiavellian foe, Sinestro joined the villainous Legion of Doom and Injustice League, led his own yellow-hued counterpart to the Green Lantern Corps, and has regularly waged war against not just Hal, but both the Earth and the entire universe! As Hal’s greatest villain, it should be no surprise that Sinestro has regularly appeared in cartoons and videogames, and was even brought to life by Mark Strong (with scenery-chewing relish) in the much maligned live-action adaptation.

The Review:
Hal’s first encounter with the devilishly alluring villain who became his most recurring and dangerous foe begins on the West Coast of the United States, specifically the town of Valdale, where Green Lantern is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the new boys’ settlement house. Luckily for him, Hal’s too busy tying up another case so he’s unexpectedly delayed, meaning he’s absent when the bustling metropolis is suddenly enveloped in an ethereal light (not unlike an aurora borealis) and a strange thunderclap sound, which causes all 100,000 residents to disappear! After learning of this phenomenon, Green Lantern investigated and confirmed to his friend, mechanic, and confidant, Tom Kalmaku/Pieface, that Valdale’s inhabitants have vanished. Green Lantern’s doubly concerned as the incident occurred at nine o’clock, exactly when he was scheduled to be in Valdale but, before he can ponder further, Hal’s suddenly sent a bit queasy by a mind blank. It turns out this wasn’t just a bout of nausea and that Hal’s “astral self” was summoned across the galaxy to Oa, the home of the Green Lantern Corps and their enigmatic alien masters, the Guardians of the Universe. Brought before his masters, Green Lantern was told of Thaal Sinestro, the Green Lantern of sector 1417, a fearless native of Korugar who used the awesome, nigh-unlimited power of his power ring to satisfy his vanity with a throne. Sinestro had people line up and plead for his aid, quickly bored by their petty squabbles and requests and desiring more. When one of his people questioned him, chastising his arrogance and accusing Sinestro of being mad with power, Sinestro flew into a rage and shot down the complainant (non-fatally, it turns out).

*Hal is dispatched to thwart a renegade Green Lantern’s plot to attack the Guardians.*

Sinestro then decided to depose the ruling council of Korugar and establish himself as the planet’s dictator who forced his people to live peaceful lives or be mysteriously removed from society. Upon discovering Sinestro’s totalitarian ways, the Guardians admonished him and stripped him of his status as a Green Lantern before banishing him to the antimatter universe of Qward. However, the Guardians later learned that Sinestro rallied the malevolent “Weaponers” of Qward to strike back against his former masters and destroy Green Lantern. Thus, Sinestro developed a “viso-teleporter” to transport Green Lantern to Qward, and the Guardians instruct Hal to journey to the antimatter universe to confront the renegade Green Lantern and save those he’s captured. Since his usual route to the antimatter universe is blocked, Hal reasons that Sinestro will attempt to target him again so he uses himself as bait, turning the residents of Coast City invisible, and is soon forcibly transported to Qward. Although Green Lantern easily shields himself from the Weaponers’ attacks, Sinestro forces him to surrender in exchange for returning his captives home. Sinestro encases Hal in a yellow bubble, rendering him powerless, planning to destroy him once his power ring runs out of charge. Despite his ring being ineffective against yellow, Hal’…somehow…manipulates a clock to trick Sinestro into thinking time has passed faster than it actually has. Once he’s freed from his bubble, Green Lantern zaps Sinestro, washes away his allies, and pins Sinestro to a wall with green needles. Sinestro mocks Hal’s morals and lack of killer instinct and arrogantly reveals that he cannot be punished for his crimes since he’s been banished to Qward. However, Hal gets the last laugh by imprisoning Sinestro in an impenetrable bubble of green willpower before returning home to inspire Valdale’s youngsters with a speech about how good will always triumph over evil.

The Summary:
I’ve always liked Sinestro. I grew up in the 1990s, so I have a bit of a thing for dark doppelgängers of righteous heroes and Sinestro’s one of comic’s most memorable and visually interesting corrupt counterparts to a beloved hero. However, I haven’t read many stories that feature the character and many Green Lantern stories I’ve read either don’t feature him or take place during one of his many real or faked deaths. However, I definitely feel I’ve been spoilt by the likes of Emerald Dawn II (Giffen, et al, 1991), which went into far greater detail about Sinestro’s complex character and his unique relationship with Hal Jordan. Emerald Dawn II set a new standard for their dynamic, casting Sinestro as Hal’s mentor and the greatest of the Green Lantern Corps, only for it to be revealed that he wasn’t just a pompous, arrogant taskmaster with high standards but also a totalitarian dictator who enforced order with an iron fist. You can imagine my surprise, then, to find Sinestro’s first appearance was a twenty-page story based around a bizarre plot to teleport Hal into the antimatter universe. Now, I’m no expert on Qward or the Weaponers; it’s entirely possible Green Lantern had run-ins with them in the past, hence why they’d relish Sinestro’s aid. However, they are the most useless and ineffective people I’ve ever seen. Sinestro doesn’t even utilise their tech, instead creating his own devices, and they blindly follow the charismatic devil as he conjures a clock and boasts about how he’s going to destroy their enemy rather than just doing it. I’d be questioning Sinestro’s effectiveness the moment his viso-teleporter transported a bunch of randomers to my home world, to say nothing of asking why Sinestro doesn’t just pluck the power ring from Hal’s finger or suffocate him to death inside his yellow bubble.

*Though visually and thematically interesting, Sinestro is little more than an inconvenience here.*

On the plus side, a sizeable portion of the story is spent exploring Sinestro’s backstory, even if it is just the highlights. The idea of a celebrated and formidable Green Lantern falling from grace and abusing his power is a powerful one and perfectly places Sinestro as Hal’s polar opposite, especial as Hal is such a bland do-gooder during these days. He’s the unscrupulous bastion of “right” and “good”, eagerly obeying his masters and opposing Sinestro simply based on the Guardians’ warnings. Sinestro shows a glimpse of how dangerous a Green Lantern can be if they become obsessed with power, first constructing a “sumptuous headquarters”, then forcing people to beg for his help, and finally deposing the ruling government to become absolute authority on Korugar. It’s not stated how long Sinestro ruled his people, but he presumably would’ve continued enslaving his people had the Guardians not stopped by to check on him. His punishment is severe, but strangely humane, with the Guardians simply banishing Sinestro rather than executing him despite it being implied that he executed anyone who spoke out against his rule on Korugar. The Guardians also shoot themselves in the foot since, although they can teleport individuals to Qward and observe the antimatter universe, they “have no power there” and thus cannot intervene when Sinestro plots his revenge. Thanks to a one-way cosmic “back door” of sorts, Hal does return home but cannot truly punish Sinestro because Hal’s too righteous to take a life and Sinestro cannot leave Qward. Thus, Hal leaves Sinestro in what sounds like a fate worse than death but, to me, seems like a prison he’ll easily escape from, making for a pretty lacklustre ending. Everyone starts somewhere, that’s for sure, but Sinestro’s first appearance is an unfortunately forgettable, villain-of-the-month story that really should’ve been given the entire book to be told. Sinestro has a great look, with his devil-red skin, pencil-thin moustache, and striking black-and-blue colour scheme, and his backstory is certainly intriguing. However, it’s undercooked and basically a throwaway story that’s memorable only for introducing one of DC Comic’s best villains, whose future plots definitely extended further than clock-watching!

My Rating:

Could Be Better

What did you think to Sinestro’s debut story? Do you think the Weaponers of Qward should’ve been portrayed as a greater threat? What did you think to Sinestro, his backstory and characterisation? Were you disappointed by how pedestrian Sinestro’s first appearance was? What are some of your favourite Sinestro stories and moments? Which Green Lanterns your favourite and why? How are you celebrating this pseudo-Green Lantern day today? Whatever you think about Sinestro, or Green Lantern in general, leave your thoughts below, drop me some change on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other Green Lantern content.

Back Issues [Brightest Month]: Green Lantern Co-Starring Green Arrow #87

27/10/202420/10/2024Dr. KLeave a comment

Although February 2014 was dubbed “Green Lantern Day” (because, by the American calendar, the date read as “2814”, the sector of space assigned to Earth in DC Comics), the significance of this date has passed as the years have changed. Instead, as perhaps the most popular iteration of the character, Hal Jordan, first appeared in October of 1959, I’ve been dedicating every Sunday of October to the Green Lantern Corps!

Story Title: “Beware My Power!”
Published: January 1972
Writer: Dennis O’Neil
Artist: Neal Adams

The Background:
Initially presented as magically empowered railroad engineer Alan Scott, Martin Nodell and Bill Finger’s colourful Green Lantern was significantly reinvented by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane in 1959, becoming a more science-fiction-oriented superhero. Almost ten years later, Groome and Kane planted the seeds for a diverse peacekeeping force, a Green Lantern Corps, with the introduction of Guy Gardner, a volatile individual who acted as a backup to Harold “Hal” Jordan, popularly known as the greatest Green Lantern of all time. Arguably, however, many fans are more familiar with military-minded John Stewart as Earth’s go-to Green Lantern, particularly after his inclusion in the popular Justice League cartoons (2001 to 2004; 2004 to 2006). Created by Neal Adams, who favoured shelving Guy Gardner for an African-American Green Lantern, John was originally depicted as a belligerent architect whose methods and sensibilities clashed widely with Hal’s, and famously refused to hide his identity. John was later retconned to be a former United States Marine, a change that would come to define his character, and became burdened by guilt after accidentally committing genocide. In addition to serving on the Justice League, John became the first mortal Guardian of the Universe, was one of the rare male members of the Star Sapphires, and has prominently featured in DC adaptations, appearing as a skin for Green Lantern in multiple videogames and very nearly making it to live-action on more than one occasion.

The Review:
Things get off to a dramatic start here as an earthquake rocks Southern California just as Hal Jordan is charging up his ring. Although the tremors are brief and have cause only minor damage, Green Lantern swoops over the city to help out where he can, do-gooder that he is. And he’s not the only one; outside the city, the quake has wrecked a bridge and sees little Suzie teetering over a fatal drop. Luckily, Guy Gardner is on hand to help talk her down, but the poor girl’s so terrified that she’s rooted to the spot. With the remains of the bridge unstable and a plummet into the canyon awaiting them both, Guy makes a desperate run for the girl just as Green Lantern arrives to help. Hal shows up just in time to see Guy get smashed by a bus(!) as the section collapses, rescuing them both from the fall but grieved to see that Guy was critically injured from the impact. When doctors at a local hospital inform Green Lantern that Guy should fully recover in six months’ time, Hal is left dejected. Since Guy has been pegged as his successor, Hal has been relying on him taking over if his personal issues become too overwhelming. Luckily, one of the enigmatic and all-power Guardians of the Universe senses Hal’s anxiety and, aware of the situation, suggests that a new substitute be picked in case the worst should happen. Hal agrees and the Guardian takes him to meet his new replacement in the last place Hal expected to go: an urban ghetto.

*When Guy is injured, Hal begins training socially-minded John to be his backup.*

There, we’re introduced to John Stewart in a way that perfectly encapsulates his alternative sensibilities. When a police officer threatens two Black youths with disciplinary action for playing dominoes on the pavement, John intervenes, questioning his authority and calling the cop out on his obvious racism. Hal, however, is unimpressed (though not, as the Guardian suggests, because he’s equally prejudiced) by John’s apparent ego. Though he disagrees with the choice, Hal agrees to approach John as Green Lantern and offer him the position as his backup and John, who’s struggled to find work as an architect because of his race, readily agrees to the opportunity to shake off his reputation as a “square” as a superhero, jokingly suggesting he change his name to “Black Lantern”. Thus, Green Lantern (who doesn’t reveal his true identity to John) begins teaching John about the powers and limitations of the power battery and the ring. Hal teaches John the Green Lantern oath (which he finds “corny”), reminds him to charge his ring every twenty-four hours, and temporarily empowers John with his own Green Lantern uniform so they can begin field training, John, however, refuses to hide his identity behind a mask. He also takes to his training like a natural, mastering the ring easier than avoiding muggers and bigots, and is quickly given the chance to put his skills to the test when they spot an out of control fuel tanker heading towards a crowd at the airport. Although they succeed, Hal is enraged when John purposely causes Senator Jeremiah Clutcher to receive a face full of oil, giving John the chance to insult him with a racist quip. John, however, justifies his actions since Clutcher is a known racist who openly oppresses John’s people in his bid to become President of the United States.

*Despite their clash of personalities, John earns Hal’s resect for his deductive reasoning.*

Hal chastises John and, to teach him a lesson, orders him to guard Clutcher from reprisals; he also objects to being called “Whitey”, especially considering John’s so pent-up about racism. Later, Clutcher makes an impassioned speech to his supporters, openly mocking “The Darkies” and accusing them of being of lesser intelligence, which only further raises John’s ire. Although Hal doesn’t approve of Clutcher’s insensitive attitudes, he’s so strait-laced that he believes the senator has the God-given right to free speech, meaning he leaps into action when a Black man suddenly shoots at Clutcher during his tirade while John refuses to get involved. Hal quickly tackles the gunmen, noting that the assassin never tried to put up a fight, while John subdues a White gunman outside the stadium. Hal reprimands John for his prejudice, accusing him of bringing disgrace to his uniform, but John simply shrugs him off and teaches Hal a lesson of his own: he spotted both gunmen at the airport and was suspicious to note that one was shooting and the other was missing. Hal’s stunned to learn that the Black man’s gun was filled with blanks as part of an elaborate frame. The Black man was a patsy, setup to make it look like the “Blacks are on a rampage” and winning Clutcher the Presidency at the cost of an all-out civil war. Hal condemns the senator’s actions and is impressed by John’s deductive reasoning. Hal still has apprehensions about John’s methods and style, but the content architect simply brushes it off and the two seem to finish the story with a mutual respect for each other.

The Summary:
First and foremost, I have to praise the stunning artwork of the late, great Neal Adams. Adams first came to my attention when I read Batman annuals as a kid and I’ve always loved his bold, kinetic, square-jawed depictions of DC’s superheroes. He brings Hal and John to life in such a dynamic way, depicting them as lean, muscular heroes and giving a fluidity to their actions, and it’s always a joy to see his art on the page. Sadly, the scans I’m reading don’t do the art justice. The colours are muted, messy, and robbed of their “pop”, though this does give “Beware My Power” a bit of a dark edge to it that is reflected in the nature of the plot. Next, I have to comment on Guy Gardner. While he tries to help a girl endangered by the earthquake, he’s unceremoniously taken out when a bus smashes into him, leaving him bedridden like a chump. This element was so random, so unnecessarily over the top, that it may as well have killed Guy (and, realistically, should’ve) since it was a pretty extreme and unintentionally hilarious way to put him on the shelf. It was also weird that Hal’s concern was less for Guy’s welfare and more for his own. His entire concern is on what will happen to him and the Green Lantern mantle if he’s unable to perform his duties and less on how the injuries will impact Guy’s future. It’s pretty selfish, if I’m honest, and does as little to endear me towards the “greatest Green Lantern” as his unwavering commitment to the concepts such as authority and free speech.

*With his outspoken nature and unique appearance, John makes a great first impression.*

This means he naturally clashes with John Stewart. While John admittedly has a chip on his shoulder and is overly suspicious of authority figures, he has every right to be since he’s an out of work Black man struggling to make a living in the ghetto and facing unfair persecution wherever he goes simply for the colour of his skin. His attitude might be confrontational, and he might ruffle Hal’s feathers with his cavalier nature, but John’s entirely justified since the story depicts a cop persecuting young Blacks for no justifiable reason and then paints Senator Clutcher as such an exaggerated racist bastard that it’s almost comical. Of course, this is probably truer to reality at the time than we realise. The segregation and public dismissal of Blacks was commonplace and African-Americans had every right to take issue with it. Unlike many of them, John is given the power to affect real change when he agrees to become Hal’s backup Green Lantern. He easily masters the ring (potentially because of his creativity as an architect but also because of the strong sense of injustice he feels) and immediately clashes with Hal in his approach towards using his power. While Hal obviously doesn’t agree with racism, he’s a stickler for the rules and believes everyone should have basic human rights, even dirty scum like Clutcher, so he constantly reprimands John, who frankly doesn’t give a shit about Hal’s opinion. Being a product of the 1970s, the story naturally infuses John’s dialect with a bit too cliché “Jive talk” for my tastes, but it instantly gives him more personality than Guy; as does his refusal to wear a mask, his confrontational behaviour, and his unique look. Consequently, I’d definitely say John makes a better first impression than Guy, Hal, or even Alan. While they were all quite bland and cookie cutter in the debuts, John is bold and outspoken. He might be a bit of a hypocrite at times (he exhibits the same prejudices towards Whites as he receives from them) and in need of some seasoning, but his introduction was the shake-up the book needed at the time and I’d go as far as to say that both Guy and Hal should’ve been taken out by that bus so the Guardian could’ve empowered John to take over the comic!

My Rating:

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy John Stewart’s debut story? What did you think to his characterisation and the personality clash between him and Hal? Were you as unimpressed by Guy’s accident as I was? What did you think to the racism angle threaded throughout this story? Do you think John was justified in his actions or do you think he needed tempering a little to approach things more diplomatically? Where does John rank in the Green Lantern hierarchy for you and what are some of your favourite stories and moments of his? How are you celebrating Green Lantern this month? I’d love to hear your thoughts on John Stewart so leave them below, and go check out my other Green Lantern content across the site!

Back Issues [Brightest Month]: Green Lantern #59

20/10/202413/10/2024Dr. KLeave a comment

Story Title: “Earth’s Other Green Lantern!”
Published: March 1968
Writer: John Broome
Artist: Gil Kane

The Background:
Martin Nodell and Bill Finger’s original version of the Green Lantern, Alan Scott, was a magically empowered railroad engineer rather than a space-faring peacekeeper. However, following the successfully reinvention of the Flash in 1956, John Broome and artist Gil Kane changed the Green Lantern mythos forever with the introduction of test pilot Harold “Hal” Jordan, widely regarded as the greatest Green Lantern of all time, in 1959. Nearly ten years later, Groome and Kane revealed that Hal was just one of the potential candidates for Abin Sur’s power ring, the other being volatile Guy Gardner, who first debuted in this issue. Not only was Guy relegated to backup status, he soon found himself gravely injured and briefly trapped in the Phantom Zone. Then, he was replaced by another and developed brain damage, becoming even more hostile and egotistical, especially regarding his status as a Green Lantern. Guy is perhaps best known for his time on Justice League International, where he often clashed with his teammates, as much as his unstable temperament, which saw him kicked out of the Green Lantern Corps and wielding Thaal Sinestro’s yellow power ring. Guy’s backstory was significantly altered in the early-1990s, revealing him to be of Vuldarian heritage, before he returned to the Green Lantern Corps as one of Earth’s many emerald defenders. Whether wielding a green, yellow, or red power ring, though, Guy has maintained a vocal fanbase, despite his flaws. Though allegedly cut from the universally derived live-action film, Guy’s appeared, in some form or another, in various DC adaptations and is due to be portrayed by Nathan Fillion in James Gunn’s reimagined DC Universe movies.

The Review:
Our story opens with Hal Jordan on Oa, the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps and home to the enigmatic Guardians of the Universe, for an intensive two-day training course. Yes, it seems even intergalactic space cops have to endure team meetings sometimes, folks! However, rather than learning trust exercises, Hal is shown a gigantic, Jack Kirby-esque telescope that displays current events all across the universe and even keeps a record of a person’s life after they die as a “mental post-mortem”. Hal jumps at the chance to see the last thoughts of his predecessor, Abin Sur, and to learn why he, of all the millions of people on Earth, was chosen to become his successor. As in Hal’s origin story, Abin is fatally injured in a crash and tasks his power battery to find a worthy inheritor of his power ring, but there’s a twist: the battery claims that there are two equally strong candidates! One is, of course, fearless test pilot Hal Jordan and the other is the hitherto-unknown Guy Gardner, a schoolteacher who lost out on becoming Green Lantern simply because Hal was closer. After reliving Abin’s dying soliloquy over the next few panels, Hal is left astonished to learn that there was another potential candidate. Luckily, the Guardians’ incredible machine can also show Hal potential alternative timelines and, at his request, program it to show what would’ve happened if Guy had been selected instead.

*In another life, Guy became Green Lantern and embarked on a very similar superhero career.*

In this version of events, gym instructor Guy is whisked away by the green energy and readily accepts the ring. However, since he’s not subjected to the same monologue as Hal, it takes Guy a hot minute to figure out how to use the ring, though he’s no less committed to using its power to battle injustice as Green Lantern. Like Hal, Guy’s first mission was confronting a group of saboteurs. Unlike Hal, who phased through walls and bullets and was dazed by a yellow lamp, Guy crashes through walls and erects an energy shield to block their bullets, hesitating to directly use his ring against them in case he “[crushes] them to a pulp”. Instead, Guy relies on his physical superiority to beat them into submission. Victorious, he also embarked on a fantastical superhero career, tackling colourful supervillains and even defeating renegade Green Lantern Thaal Sinestro. This victory saw Guy finally summoned to Oa and learning the true extent of his powers and responsibilities, but it’s in his return journey home that the biggest deviations occur between Hal and Guy’s lives. Guy was distracted by a series of intergalactic explosions that saw him detour to the planet Ghera to interject in a duel between two alien robots. Their conflict quickly turns against him, though he easily bested the two droids and learned that the planet is populated solely by human children. The robots explain that the Gheran parents created them before being wiped out by a mysterious yellow plague. This same virus kept the children from growing and, in their boredom, they programmed the robots to engage in war games for their amusement, meaning the planet is constantly in a state of conflict between the orange side and the blue side. Amazed, Guy vows to show the children that they’re walking a dark path, confident that he can teach them the benefits of peace, only to suddenly find himself completely paralysed when the children of the blue side not only sense his presence but take control of his body with their mental powers (a feature the robots conveniently neglected to mention earlier).

*Guy eventually breaks free and brokers peace, only to succumb to a fatal disease.*

Thinking Guy is an advanced automaton and using their incredible psychic powers to learn his name (but, strangely, not his true purpose), they send him against their enemies. Completely under their sway, Guy has no choice but to obey and is forced to defend them against a mechanical bird the orange’s send to attack the blue’s city. Next, he’s set against the orange’s fish-like submarine, resisting its lightning attacks and scuppering it with a giant green energy hand. Impressed by his abilities, the blue’s send him to wage an all-out attack on the orange’s city. However, after besting their defences, he finds himself caught in a mental tug of war as both sides try to control his mind and body with their mental powers. Desperate to save himself, Guy summons all his willpower to break free and conjure a suit of armour to protect him from further mental attacks. This form is also enough to convince both sides to agree to a parlay; a simple suggestion for “enjoyable sport and exercise” is enough to convince the children to stop their conflict. However, it’s not just Guy’s words that sway the children; he uses his ring to subtly influence them, making them “normal” and unifying them in peace. Pleased, Guy leaves to recharge his ring (uttering an amended version of the classic Green Lantern oath), only to suddenly fall violently ill. Having contracted the yellow plague while on Ghera, Guy quickly finds himself facing certain death and wills his power ring to search out a replacement. The ring brings Hal to him and, just as in the main timeline, the stunned test pilot is gifted the power ring and the Green Lantern mantle, though he “makes up” his own oath since Guy never got to teach him it. Amazed by these visions, Hal returns to Earth to meet Guy in his civilian guise. He joins the same athletic club Guy attends and quickly becomes fast friends with him, eager to keep an eye on him out of respect for his candidacy for the mighty Green Lantern Corps.

The Summary:
“Earth’s Other Green Lantern!” is one of those classic misleading comic books as the cover advertises the promise of a physical confrontation between Hal and Guy, one that sees the upstart Gardner usurp Hal to become Earth’s only Green Lantern. In truth, this never happens, nor is Guy’s personality anything like the cover depicts. Ironically, the cover paints Guy as an egotistical hothead, which would become his defining personality trait, but the actual story shows him to be as bland and generically heroic as Hal. Indeed, much of the narrative is geared towards showing how similar the two are, which I feel is a massive missed opportunity. Hal is excited by the idea that he wasn’t the only one considered as Abin Sur’s replacement, but Hal and Guy’s superhero careers are functionally identical save for Guy having less initial instruction on the ring and his side quest to Ghera. I have no idea if Hal went to this planet and encountered the strange psychic children, but Guy’s time there isn’t massively significant except that it sees him prematurely killed and handing the mantle to Hal, meaning this alternative timeline really isn’t all that interesting. Now, if Guy had been his later cocky, overconfident self, utilising more direct or brutal methods, maybe things would’ve been more interesting. There are hints that Guy approaches his duties slightly differently, such as being more creative with his energy constructs and being more physically capable than Hal, but there’s not enough deviations between the two to really make me care.

*The differences between Hal and Guy are sparse, and the story’s a fantasy anyway!*

The story tries to say that things took a dramatic turn on Ghera but…they don’t, really, except that it sees Guy killed. It seems like it’s going in a different direction, maybe having the kids turn Guy rogue or expanding on him using his power ring to influence their behaviour and having him be reprimanded for that, but that doesn’t happen either. The Ghera sub-plot is actually quite dull. I enjoyed the Jack Kirby influences on the art and visuals of the planet, but the random mental powers came out of nowhere and their control over Guy seemed more like an excuse to show off his control of the power ring than anything else. Indeed, the whole escapade makes Guy seem secondary to Hal since it took him a while to summon the willpower to shake off their influence, and then he just ends their long-running thirst for war with a few words and subtle influences. I’ll admit that I wasn’t expecting Guy to die at the end, though I probably should’ve considering the nature of the yellow plague. Again, it might’ve been more interesting if the virus had been affecting him throughout the story, adding an extra dimension to his plight, but…again, no. In the end, this read like another of those crazy imaginary stories DC liked to publish in the Golden Age where nothing really matters because it’s all a dream or some elaborate fantasy. Sure, it led to Hal seeking Guy out by the end but even that is a bit weird. There’s no suggestion here that he befriends him in case he needs a backup, it’s more out of curiosity and respect, so I can’t help but feel like the whole issue can be skipped as it’s ultimately meaningless in the short term (and even in the long term, as Guy’s personality was eventually completely different).

My Rating:

Could Be Better

What did you think to Guy Gardner’s debut story? Were you shocked to learn that Abin Sur had two choices to pick from? What did you think to Guy’s characterisation here and were you disappointed by how bland he was? Would you have liked to see more differences between the two and more from the concept? Where does Guy rank in your Green Lantern hierarchy, and what are some of your favourite stories of his? There’s a comments section below, so share your thoughts there and go check out my other Green Lantern content!

Back Issues [Brightest Month]: Showcase #22

13/10/202409/04/2025Dr. KLeave a comment

Although February 2014 was dubbed “Green Lantern Day” (because, by the American calendar, the date read as “2814”, the sector of space assigned to Earth in DC Comics), the significance of this date has passed as the years have changed. Instead, as perhaps the most popular iteration of the character, Hal Jordan, first appeared in October of 1959, I’m choosing to dedicate every Sunday of October to the Green Lantern Corps!

Story Titles: “S.O.S. Green Lantern”, “Secret of the Flaming Spear”, and “Menace of the Runaway Missile”
Published: October 1959
Writer: John Broome
Artist: Gil Kane

The Background:
In July 1940, Martin Nodell and Bill Finger introduced readers of All-American Comics to Alan Scott, the very first Green Lantern. Far from an intergalactic lawman, Alan was a magically empowered railroad engineer who became a regular fixture of the title and DC Comics’ first super team, the Justice Society of America (JSA). However, after Gardner Fox, Harry Lampert, and Julius Schwartz successfully reinvented the Flash in 1956, a new green-hued superhero began operating under the codename Green Lantern in 1956. Re-envisioned as fighter pilot Harold “Hal” Jordan, the Green Lantern concept was drastically reimagined to incorporate a science-fiction slant, and Hal later became he de facto Green Lantern after the universe-shattering Crisis on Infinite Earths (Wolfman, et al, 1985 to 1986) saw Alan Scott and his teammates briefly banished from DC continuity. A hotshot pilot with an eye for the ladies, Hal fully represented the Green Lantern Corps. He opposed tyranny in all its forms, even making an enemy of his tyrannical mentor, Thaal Sinestro, helped found the Justice League of America, and even formed an unlikely partnership with liberal spokesman Oliver Queen/Green Arrow. Widely regarded as the greatest Green Lantern of all time, Hal isn’t without his flaws; his despair at seeing his hometown obliterated by Hank Henshaw/Cyborg-Superman, saw him infested by the malevolent entity Parallax and briefly become a genocidal madman before being redeemed and retaking his place as the premier Green Lantern. This reputation means that Hal is popularly the go-to character whenever Green Lantern appears outside of comics. He’s appeared in numerous videogames and cartoons, even if just to characterise other Green Lanterns, and was the main character of the much maligned live-action adaptation.

The Review:
If there’s one thing Hal Jordan is known for in his role as the greatest Green Lantern, it’s his ability to overcome great fear and this is emphasised on the first page of his first-ever story, when we’re introduced to “ace test pilot” Jordan who has a reputation for his “remarkable lack of fear”. It’s this quality that fatally wounded Green Lantern Abin Sur seeks after his spacecraft crash-lands in “Southwest U.S.A.”. Summoning the remains of his strength, the dying alien wills his Battery of Power – the titular green lantern – to seek out a worthy successor, one who is without fear, and sends an emerald-hued energy beam across the globe in search of the perfect candidate. Over at the Ferris Aircraft Company, hotshot test pilot Hal Jordan is tinkering with a “flightless trainer” (presumably some kind of simulator to train space pilots) when he and the craft and bathed in a green glow and, to his astonishment, blasted away at high speed to Abin’s crash site. There, Hal is momentarily stunned to behold the purple-skinned alien, who telepathically welcomes him and begs that he listen to his instructions for the green lantern, which is a weapon against injustice utilised by space-patrolmen across the galaxy. Although Hal is eager to help Abin and save his life, the alien waves off his concerns, accepting the inevitability of his death, and confirms that the lantern chose a worthy successor.

*Hotshot test pilot Hal Jordan is bequeathed a dying alien’s ring and becomes Green Lantern.*

Abin then uses what little time he has left to share how his ship was unexpectedly battered by Earth’s radiation bands and he was momentarily blinded and left powerless by the flashing yellow lights. He goes on to relate that, for all the green lantern’s great power, it contains an “impurity” that renders it useless against anything tinted yellow, and that the power ring that channels the green lantern’s awesome might must be charged every twenty-four hours. Abin then hands Hal his ring, begs him to carry on the good fight, and promptly dies, much to Hal’s sorrow. On Abin’s instruction, Hal takes the alien’s slick, form-fitting uniform, tests the ring’s power by wiling a nearby cliff into the air, and vows to oppose evil in all its forms as Green Lantern. The issue’s next story, “Secret of the Flaming Spear”, introduces us to Carol Ferris, daughter of Carl Ferris, and Hal’s boss. Although she doesn’t approve of Hal’s tardiness, she’s more than wiling to go on a date with him, but their intimacy is cut short when pilot Frank Nichols suddenly calls in an S.O.S. when the controls of his experimental plane, the titular Flaming Spear, seize up on him. Feeling partially responsible since Frank’s only up there due to him being unavailable, and realising he has the power to intervene, Hal ditches Carol and utters a sacred oath before the green lantern: “In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil’s might beware my power… Green Lantern’s light!” Fully empowered, Hal takes to the skies as Green Lantern through sheer fore of will (noting how strange it is to fly without a plane) and easily guides Frank to safety using a burst of energy from his power ring.

*For all his power, Green Lantern can’t affect anything yellow or influence Carol’s heart.*

However, on closer inspection of the Flaming Spear, Green Lantern realises that the incident was no accident. Radiation caused the controls to freeze, so Green Lantern uses his ring to follow the lingering radiation to its source, a group of saboteurs holed up in a house not far off. Like his predecessor, Green Lantern phases through the wall of their hideout and confronts them, intercepting their bullets in mid-air but being briefly knocked out when the lead saboteur tosses a yellow lamp at his face. His pride hurt more than his body, Green Lantern recovers and chases after them, only to find they’re making a getaway in a yellow car. Although Green Lantern can’t affect the car directly, he does burst the tyres by conjuring hard-light ice picks with his power ring, wrangling the saboteurs with energy lassos so they can be apprehended by the authorities. When Hal returns to Ferris Aircraft, he finds Carl and Carol delighted at Green Lantern’s actions and that Carl is planning to take a two year leave of absence to go travelling, during which time he officially names Carol as his worthy successor. Carol takes the promotion very seriously, immediately shutting down any romantic involvement with Hal and leaving him to ponder the quandary that his ring can perform any miracle…except win the heart of his love interest. This irony continues in the final story, “Menace of the Runaway Missile”, where Hal wows his colleagues with his fearless testing of a rocket-sled. While Hal has the bravery to endure the intense speed and g-force of the sled, he struggles to find the courage to ask Carol out, especially after she knocked him back. He decides the best way to win her over is to invade her personal space, call her “Honey”, and be overly pushy in asking her out to dinner. Carol maintains her cold demeanour, however, and not only rejects him but also states she has a more pressing appointment at the charity ball, an event with an exclusive guest list that doesn’t include a nobody like Hal.

*Green Lantern captures a wayward scientist, but both his personas end up in Carol’s bad books,*

However, Carol lets slip that the mysterious Green Lantern is invited to the ball, so Hal decides that Carol is going to go on a date with him whether she’s aware of it or not. He attends the ball as Green Lantern and spends the whole night dancing with Carol, much to her excitement. Ironically, Carol’s thoughts reveal that she did harbour feelings for Hal and thought they would end up together, but the masked enigma has got her heart skipping a beat and, when Green Lantern leans in for a kiss, she responds eagerly, completely smitten. Unfortunately, at that exact moment, a yellow-hued missile comes baring down on Coast City, catching Green Lantern’s eye and forcing him to abandon Carol mid-kiss, much to her outrage. Upon inspecting the titular runaway missile, Green Lantern discovers it’s armed with an atomic warhead, but he’s unable to stop it because his ring is powerless against yellow. Conveniently, however, the missile’s tip is red, so Green Lantern constructs an elaborate net to catch the missile, which an Army Colonel informs him is not U.S. Army property nor does it contain the deadly payload Hal suspected. The two deduce that the missile’s true target was a hydrogen facility, so Green Lantern questions local aircraft spotters to find the source of the attack, an elaborate facility concealed by a forest. Phasing inside, Green Lantern confronts the man responsible, the maniacal Doctor Parris, who’s amazed when the Ring-slinger turns his high-powered battering ram into water and collars him without breaking a sweat. A lengthy interrogation from the Colonel reveals that Dr. Parris allowed ambition to overpower his reason. Desperate to harness the secret of “H-Power” first, he sought to eliminate his competition, only to now be faced with a lengthy jail sentence. Green Lantern’s victory is short lived, however, as Carol spurns him for not “losing himself” to their kiss, accusing him of not being as into the moment as she was, meaning both Hal’s identities are left in the doghouse by the issue’s end!

The Summary:
Showcase #22 doesn’t waste any time when it comes to telling Hal’s origin. Alan Scott’s origin story was longer than Hal’s, the bulk of which is taken up by exposition from Abin Sur as he delivers a soliloquy about the green lantern, its limitations, and his expectations for his successor. Unlike later revisions of Hal’s origin, there is no lengthy montage of Hal training with the Green Lantern Corps to be found here. Indeed, there’s barely a mention of the peacekeeping space cops to be found here, and Hal’s place in the grand scheme of the universe is largely cast aside the moment Abin Sur dies as Hal commits to defend Earth from evil, rather than the universe. It’s interesting, then, that John Broome and Gil Kane chose to so radically alter the nature of the Green Lantern for this revision. They lean more towards the science-fiction aspects of the character, but don’t commit to it, meaning we get no space-faring action here and everything is very grounded, which is a shame as I think one of these stories could’ve explored that. Thus, it’s fitting that I compared Hal to Alan in their shared methods of entering buildings with their phasing ability as Showcase #22 is essentially a retelling of Alan’s origin but expanded upon and tweaked here and there. Rather than the Green Flame informing Alan of his abilities, it’s Abin Sur telepathically giving Hal a crash course on the lantern; both channel the lantern’s power through a ring, the lantern comes from space, and the power is fuelled by both willpower and a twenty-four-hour charge limit. Hal also tests the ring’s abilities in similar ways, flying and phasing at will, but expands upon this by conjuring hard-light constructs, immediately demonstrating his greater degree of creativity compared to Alan, though Hal also has an equally arbitrary and ridiculous weakness. At least Showcase #22 makes a partial effort to explain the yellow impurity as an inherent flaw in the power battery. This would, of course, be elaborated upon to a dramatic degree decades later, but it’s just as illogical a weakness as Alan’s vulnerability to wood and leads to absurd scenarios where this all-powerful space cop is felled by a lamp or powerless against anything remotely yellow, which I guess is supposed to say something about the infallibility of even great cosmic power and the ingenuity of the Green Lanterns, but it just looks a bit silly, especially here.

*Hal’s relationship with Carol is uncomfortable and detrimental* *to both characters.*

Although Showcase #22 doesn’t include any supervillains, or even Hal’s mentor-turned-villain Sinestro, and little in the way of a physical challenge for Hal, it does introduce many elements that became synonymous with the character. Chief among these are his reputation for being fearless, his vaulted skill as a test pilot and the arrogance and unreliability that comes with this, and his love interest, Carol Ferris. An independent and strong-willed woman, Carol doesn’t make life easy for Hal. She makes him work for her affections, expecting better from him at work and as a man, but immediately puts an end to any inappropriate flirtations once she’s promoted. Hal’s pursuit of Carol seems a bit undercooked here; his interest in her seems purely based on her looks and appeal as an authority figure since he never mentions anything he likes about her personality. Carol seems equally shallow in her reluctant attraction towards him, basically being interested purely because there’s no one better around, especially at work. Just as I was beginning to admire Carol’s no-nonsense attitude, she does a complete turnaround into full lovelorn Lois Lane the moment she’s face-to-face with Green Lantern. Excited by the masked man’s mystery, she melts into his arms and gives in to the allure, only to turn on him because his eyes weren’t closed during their kiss! The romance between the two, and the shaky attempt at a love triangle, feels tacked on and cheap. I definitely think it would’ve been better if Hal simply admired Carol for her strong will, feistiness, and no-nonsense attitude, with him only developing feelings for her during the ball and Carol’s inner monologue revealing that she secretly does want Hal, but is torn between her duty to her father and her heart, and is feeling conflicted since Green Lantern is so enigmatic.

*There’s a surprising lack of space action here and Hal’s a bit of a creep.*

As I mentioned, it’s a bit of a shame that Showcase #22 doesn’t do more with its revised concept for Green Lantern. The origin is different, now firmly rooted in space and including aliens, the costume is way better (even with the useless domino mask), and we of course get the iconic Green Lantern oath and more creativity with the ring’s abilities, but it all feels a bit wasted as the stories are stuck on Earth. Hal isn’t facing anything more challenging than saboteurs and jealous scientists, who only cause him troubles because they just happen to utilise yellow in their schemes. If the lamp, car, and missile had been any other colour, Green Lantern would’ve neutralised these threats even faster, meaning the yellow impurity is simply a contrivance that honestly makes Hal look like an idiot as much as it showcases his adaptability. Hal definitely has to think a little outside the box on two occasions to stop the saboteurs getting away and halt the runaway missile, but apprehending Dr. Parris is a cakewalk for him since there’s no yellow involved, meaning Hal’s greatest obstacles in these stories come from his civilian life and his pursuit of Carol. This could be an intriguing aspect, showing that this all-powerful superhero is powerless in matters of the heart, were it not for how down-right creepy Hal acts towards Carol in “Menace of the Runaway Missile”. He’s a pushy, insistent, misogynist who won’t take “no” for an answer, and even plots to mislead Carol into going on a date with him by wooing her as Green Lantern. The worst part is that this works, completely ruining Carol’s formally forth-right character and turning her into another Lois Lane, and really doesn’t make Hal a very appealing protagonist as he’s just so brash and arrogant whenever he puts the “moves” on Carol. I was very surprised by this, and it did spoil the remainder of the issue, which features some bright, colourful art and makes Green Lantern immediately more visually interesting than his predecessor. I’ve never been a fan of Hal Jordan, though, and his debut issue didn’t do much to change that, casting him as a fearless flyboy whose questionable pursuit of Carol clashes with his righteous battle against evil, which was as disappointing to see as the lack of space-based action.

My Rating:

Could Be Better

Have you ever read Hal Jordan’s debut issue? What did you think to the revisions made to the Green Lantern mythos? Were you surprised by how pushy Hal was towards Carol? Would you have liked to see at least one of these stories be set in space? What are some of your favourite Hal Jordan stories and where does he rank for you in the Green Lantern hierarchy? How are you celebrating Green Lantern this month? Whatever you think about Hal Jordan, and the Green Lantern Corps, leave them down below and be sure to check out my other Green Lantern content.

Back Issues [Brightest Month]: All-American Comics #16

06/10/202413/10/2024Dr. K7 Comments

Although February 2014 was dubbed “Green Lantern Day” (because, by the American calendar, the date read as “2814”, the sector of space assigned to Earth in DC Comics), the significance of this date has passed as the years have changed. Instead, as perhaps the most popular iteration of the character, Hal Jordan, first appeared in October of 1959, I’m choosing to dedicate every Sunday of October to the Green Lantern Corps!

Story Title: “The Origin of Green Lantern” (or simply “The Green Lantern”)
Published: July 1940
Writer: Bill Finger
Artist: Martin Nodell

The Background:
The peacekeepers of the galaxy, the Green Lantern Corps, are popularly known as a space-faring force comprised of various creatures and aliens from across the cosmos, but this depiction of the Emerald Warriors has only been around since 1959. Originally, there was only one colourful superhero known as Green Lantern, Alan Scott. The brainchild of artist Martin Nodell, the Green Lantern was inspired by Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), the sight of a trainman’s green railway lantern, and elements of Greek mythology. After his pitch for a superhero who wielded a magical ring was approved by DC Comics publisher Max Gaines, Nodell set to work crafting Alan Scott’s first story and soon brought in the legendary (and often forgotten) Bill Finger to help with the project, cementing a partnership that lasted for seven years. After his debut in this issue of All-American Comics, Alan Scott became a regular fixture of both the publication and DC’s first super team, the Justice Society of America (JSA). It’s this association with the JSA that I best know Alan for. As chairman of the group, he fought numerous intergalactic and Lovecraftian threats, gained a degree of eternal youth thanks to various magical enhancements and time dilations, and mentored a new generation of heroes, including his wayward son. Even after he was supplanted by his more sci-fi-orientated successors, Alan Scott remained a prominent figure in DC Comics, gaining additional relevance when he came out as gay in 2020, retroactively establishing him as DC’s first-ever gay superhero. Outside of the comics, however, Alan hasn’t been quite as significant. He missed out on appearing in Justice League (2001 to 2004) and has been largely absent or relegated to brief cameos in other cartoons and live-action shows, potentially due to Warner Bros. often blocking Green Lantern appearances after the critical mauling of Green Lantern (Campbell, 2011).

The Review:
The story opens “out in the Great West”, where s train is making a test crossing over a new-constructed trestle bridge. Alan Scott, the young engineer who spearheaded the bridge’s construction, is in the cab with a colleague to oversee the test run, which seems to be asking for trouble, in my opinion. Indeed, Alan’s colleague is anxious that Alan’s rival, Alert Dekker, might try to sabotage the operation since Alan’s “company” outbid Dekker’s and cost him a big, fat government contract. Although Alan is confident that Dekker wouldn’t try anything, his optimism is immediately proven wrong as the bridge explodes beneath them, sending the train, its carriages, and all aboard crashing into a ravine. By “some strange miracle”, Alan is the sole survivor, merely being shaken up and coming over all queasy as he holds onto a mysterious green lantern. Suddenly, the artifact bursts to life, emitting an “eerie green light” and, even more incredibly, speaking to him! The lantern tells a tale that begins back in ancient China, where a village’s evening prayers were suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a huge meteor. The meteor cracked open before impact, depositing a pool of flaming emerald liquid before their amazed eyes. This Green Flame spoke to them and delivered a fairly ominous prophecy: “Three times shall I flame green! First – to bring death! Second – to bring life, and third – to bring power!” The villagers were in awe, believing the Green Flame had come from the “Evil One”, a subject about which Chang, the lamp maker, knew a great deal thanks to his studies of the “Old Book”, which had raised some suspicions about his intentions.

*After surviving a train crash, Alan Scott is gifted incredible power by a green lantern.*

Chang used the Green Flame to forge a lamp, which the paranoid villagers believed will anger their Gods and bring them only suffering, so they barged in, burned Chang’s books, and attacked him, causing the lamp to burst to life and punish them all, bringing death as it foretold. Over the years, the strange lamp passed between many hands, bringing destruction to the bad and luck and fortune to the good, eventually appearing in the rubbish bin of an insane asylum. The staff decide to give the lamp to Billings, a harmless Chinese patient of theirs known for forging lanterns, and it’s Billings who transfigures the lamp into its more familiar lantern shape. In return, the lantern awakens once more an brings “life” by curing Billings of his insanity, allowing him to leave the asylum as a sane, free man. And, from there, the green lantern eventually made its way onto Alan Scott’s train and into his hand (how isn’t detailed here) to fulfil the final stage of its prophecy, bringing power to the dazed engineer. The lantern tasks Alan with using this great power to seek out and oppose evil, to be a light against the darkness, and that he will retain this power as long as he has “faith in [himself]” for “will power is the flame of the Green Lantern”. After seeking clarification, Alan is instructed to craft a ring for himself from the lantern’s metal so he can always carry its power with him, though he must touch the ring to the lantern every twenty-four hours to recharge it (because…ugh…I guess faith and will power isn’t all that powers the magic?) After gathering his wits, Alan initially believes the whole experience to have been some mad dream but, when he grabs the lantern and feels its power, he knows that it was all true and, angered at the sight of his dead colleagues and Dekker’s amoral actions, he vows to make his rival pay for his murderous ways. To that end, Alan does as the Green Flame instructed and makes himself a ring; but, when he puts it on, he realises that his murderous lust for revenge is wrong and that he must find a more virtuous way to fight Dekker.

*Alan’s magical powers see him confront his rival and begin a career as the Green Lantern.*

Alan then spends a few panels testing out his newfound powers; he wishes to fly to Dekker’s house and the ring allows it to be so. His desire to “[go] through the fourth dimension” allows him to easily pass through the walls of Dekker’s place and appear before the callous businessman and his mooks in a puff of green smoke and light. Appearing as a “wraithlike figure”, Alan seems to be a ghost to the astonished goons, but Dekker assumes it’s simply a trick and orders them to shoot the young engineer. Although the bullets just pass through Alan’s body and a knife simply breaks against his chest, a wooden club to the temple surprisingly brings Alan down, so he assumes that wood is his vulnerability. He also notes that he doesn’t possess superhuman strength (though, presumably, he could will himself to if he actually bothered…), but thankfully he’s skilled enough to overpower Dekker’s minions and scare them off. Fearing for his safety, Dekker attempts to barter, offering Alan money and his friendship, so Alan toys with his rival by flying him through the sky and threatening to drop him to his death to force a confession. Terrified, Dekker admits that he caused the explosion and promises to cover the payments and sign a confession. However, right after he does this, the stress of it all causes him o suffer a fatal heart attack. Mourning the waste of life, Alan retires to his unseen “sanctum” and pledges himself to fighting against evil in all its forms, realising that he needs a “bizarre” costume that will ensure evildoers never forget him once they encounter him. To that end, he fashions one of the gaudiest red and green numbers in all of comicdom and vows to “shed [his] light over dark evil” as the Green Lantern.

The Summary:
I don’t always have the greatest track record when it comes to Golden Age superhero stories; they’re often messy, rushed, and incredibly simplistic, echoing the pulp sensibilities that were so popular at the time. Thus, a degree of leeway must always be shown towards such stories, which are products of their time and restricted by the artistic style and expectations of the period. Having said that, I actually didn’t mind “The Origin of Green Lantern”. We don’t learn a great deal about Alan Scott beyond his profession, optimism, and thirst for justice, making him a bit of a blank slate in many ways, but there’s enough here to make him relatively intriguing. I liked that he was naïve enough to think Dekker would simply take losing out on the contract like a man, and his shock at seeing how far his rival will go to secure that government grant. It was very relatable that Alan’s first thought was to kill Dekker, though it’s not entirely clear why he has a sudden change of heart and opts to force a confession rather than kill his enemy. Alan doesn’t do anything particularly creative once he acquires the green ring, learning as he goes and testing the limits of his power with a whimsical theatricality that shows he’s getting a kick out of spooking Dekker’s men and shrugging off their attacks. Still, his stance towards injustice proves that the Green Flame chose wisely in bestowing him with its seemingly limitless power and thus leaves the door open for future stories to explore Alan’s abilities in more depth. It also allows enough wriggle room for the writers to pull whatever powers or limitations they can think of out of their asses.

*The mysterious green lantern has an ominous aura and some strange limitations.*

While Dekker is simply a gangster posing as a businessman, Alan doesn’t don his awful costume until the final panel, and it’s not really clear how Alan survives the crash (though I assume it’s because he was holding onto the green lantern), the titular emerald lamp is the true enigma of the story. A miracle from the stars, the Green Flame is a seemingly menacing sentient element that promise to bring, death, life, and power, apparently at random and not just once since it changes the fortunes of numerous people during a time jump. Those who witness the Green Flame are filled with awe and dread, immediately believing it to be the work of some vague “Evil One” and lashing out in fear, meaning the prediction of “death” becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Green Flame also seemingly supernaturally inspires individuals to forge it into new forms, such as a lamp, lantern, and a ring, so it can pass between new hands over the years. I’ve always found the idea of a magically empowered lantern to be one of the most random concepts in comics. Surely just the magic ring is more sensible, after all, and a superhero taking the name “Green Lantern” not only feels redundant but also announces his source of power to his enemies, not unlike his later JSA colleague, Rex Tyler/Hourman. The Green Flame is also quite vague in its limitations here. It’s said that willpower will allow Alan to wield great power, but he also needs to have a piece of the lantern on him at all times and recharge his ring every twenty-four hours. He’s then strangely injured by wood, of all things, a vulnerability that seems particularly dangerous when you stop and think about it. Still, the ring allows him to fly, pass through walls, and deflect all other attacks, and I have to assume that Alan is still too new to the superhero life to think about increasing his strength or trying anything fancy like creating hard-light constructs and such. In the end, this was a mostly inoffensive tale. It definitely could’ve been better in many ways, but I think it established its bizarre premise just enough to give us a colourful new superhero with a strong sense of justice. The story is worth a read just to see how the sprawling Green Lantern mythos started with one young train engineer and an ominous lantern from the stars.

My Rating:

Pretty Good

Have you ever read Alan Scott’s debut story? What did you think to it and how do you think it compares to other superhero origins from the Golden Age? Were you surprised that Alan Scott’s origins are so different from other Green Lanterns? Would you have liked to see more of the Green Flame’s time influencing others? What are some of your favourite Alan Scott stories and where does he rank for you in the Green Lantern hierarchy? How are you celebrating Green Lantern this month? Whatever your thoughts on Alan Scott, and the Green Lantern Corps, leave them down below orand be sure to check out my other Green Lantern content.

Game Corner [Brightest Day]: Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters (Xbox 360)

11/10/202313/10/2024Dr. K1 Comment

Although February 2014 was dubbed “Green Lantern Day” (because, by the American calendar, the date read as “2814”, the space sector assigned to Earth in DC Comics), the significance of this date has passed over time. Instead, I’m choosing to celebrate the debut of perhaps the most popular iteration of the character, Hal Jordan, who first appeared in October 1959.

Released: 7 June 2011
Developer: Double Helix Games
Also Available For: Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3

The Background:
When Green Lantern first appeared in All-American Comics #16 in July 1940, it was as the superhero persona of of Alan Scott. However, in 1959, Julius Schwartz had writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane reinvent the character as space cop Hal Jordan, thereby creating what we now know as DC Comics’ resident intergalactic police force. After years of aborted attempts, Hal Jordan finally made his big-screen debut (alongside the Green Lantern Corps) in Green Lantern (Campbell, 2011), a critical and commercial failure that set back the formation of a DC cinematic universe a couple of years. However, one thing that came out of the movie was Green Lantern’s first (and, so far, only) solo videogame outing with this tie-in title, which was made by an amalgamated developer whose previous titles were also mostly videogame adaptations. Although featuring the likenesses and voices of many of the film’s stars and allowing players to utilise stereoscopic 3D during gameplay, Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters received mixed reviews; while some praised the various gameplay mechanics and the game’s presentation, others criticised the repetitive combat and lack of replayability. Since Green Lantern failed to produce a sequel, we’ve yet to see another solo videogame for the ring-slinger, which is a bit of a shame considering how much potential the character has in the near-limitless scope of the genre.

The Plot:
Before harnessing the green energy of willpower and creating the intergalactic peacekeepers known as Green Lanterns, the Guardians of the Universe employed androids called Manhunters. After being shut down for becoming too violent, the Manhunters suddenly return for revenge against their former masters, and Green Lantern’s Hal Jordan and Thaal Sinestro are just two of the emerald corpsmen dispatched to combat this threat.

Gameplay:
Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is a third-person action/adventure game very much in the style of hack-and-slash brawlers like the God of War franchise (Various, 2005 to present). Players take on the role of Hal Jordan and fight their way through some pretty long and bland environments slashing about Manhunters with a variety of attacks generating by his Power Ring. If you have a friend, they can join the action at any time as Thaal Sinestro, though he’s basically just a skin and doesn’t have any unique dialogue or attacks and the camera becomes a bit restricted with two players on screen. Still, you have quite a few options available in terms of combat: X unleashes a fast attack with some sword swipes, Y delivers a strong attack that includes a fist and a hammer, B sees you grasping smaller enemies or objects with a claw, and the Right Bumper lets you blast ahead with a drill and chaining all of these together will allow you to pull off some basic combos to take out larger and multiple enemies pretty quickly.

*Hal’s Power Ring affords him numerous options in combat and puzzle solving.*

A allows you to jump but, unfortunately, you can’t fly unless you’re activating a Green Lantern logo to leap to a new area in a cutscene or dropped into one of the games shooting sections. You can evade, however, with the right stick and shield yourself from attacks with the Left Bumper. As you play through the story, you’ll unlock constructs to assign to the Left and Right Trigger; holding these down and pressing a button lets you pull off up to eight different Power Ring abilities that will drain your meter (though this refills over time and by collecting green orbs). Hal can blast enemies from afar with the Ring Blaster and Gatling Gun, smash them and activate pressure pads with the War Hammer, deploy and throw a Hover Mine to blow them up or destroy power cores, send them flying (and knock back projectiles) with the Baseball Bat, and swing around a couple of maces to devastate groups of enemies. Hal can also rapidly whip Manhunters, auto target and pummel them with the Rocket Punch, smash through enemy shields with the Piston Blitz, deliver targeted attacks to enemy weak points with the Missile Pack, and eventually dish out big damage with a Jet Fighter and a huge Mech Suit. The bigger and more powerful constructs will drain more of your Power Ring’s energy, but you can upgrade your Power Ring and your basic attacks by defeating enemies and smashing parts of the environment for Will Points (strangely still abbreviated to XP). The more XP you earn, the higher your level raises (up to a maximum of ten) and the more upgrades and additional constructs you’ll unlock, eventually allowing you to purchase Lantern’s Light to recharge your Power Ring with the directional pad at the risk of being left vulnerable. Finally, as you defeat enemies, you’ll build up your Ring Surge meter; once it’s full, press the Left and Right Bumper to activate a Ring Surge, which restores your health and Power Ring to full and powers up your attacks for a short time; the effectiveness of your Ring Surge can also be upgraded with XP.

*QTEs, simple puzzles, and rail shooting sections add some variety*.

The bulk of your gameplay revolves around combat; near endless, mindless combat against Manhunters of all shapes and sizes. The game is incredibly linear, with no need for a map or directions since it’s pretty clear where you need to go, though there are inevitably times when it’s easy to get a little turned around since environments became very samey very quickly. When you’re not smashing apart endless Manhunter drones, you’re given a handful of additional missions, such as destroying mines, leaping to Siege Towers and destroying them by smashing open their armoured cores, and destroying teleport gates to stop enemies spawning in. One mission has you taking out a bunch of lasers before they destroy the Central Power Battery, sometimes you’ll need to press A and rotate the left stick to open doors or spawn in a battery, and other times you’ll be dodging electrified walls and floors to progress. These latter elements get mixed up you play through the story, requiring you to grab a battery and get it to a power node before it explodes or smashing Hover Mines into spinning holes as the floor tries to fry you. Later in the game, yellow Fear Energy nodes and enemies drain your Ring Energy meter and limit your constructs, and Queen Aga’po helps you out on Zamaron by lowering crystal barriers, where you’ll also need to destroy Boost Crystals to stop the Zamarons being powered up. Generally, puzzles are pretty simple, requiring little more than clearing out enemies, grabbing something to plug in somewhere else, either to match symbols or to destroy an energy core, and you’ll only really get a taste of some variety in the handful of rail shooter sections. In these, you use X or Y to fire (with no limits and a rapid-fire option) and can lock onto enemies with LT to fire off energy-draining missiles or become a Jet Fighter with your Ring Surge, making for some fun shooting sections. Additionally, you’ll occasionally have to perform some quick-time events (QTEs) to finish off some of the bigger enemies and bosses, and you can lower the difficulty level after you die if the game becomes too tough.

Graphics and Sound:
Technically speaking, Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters looks, sounds, and plays pretty decently; I experienced a bit of a delay when activating my Ring Surge (though this could’ve been my controller) but there wasn’t really any slowdown, which is good as things can get a bit hectic at times. Ryan Reynolds returns to voice and lend his likeness to Hal, playing him a little more straight-laced now that he’s a fully-fledged Green Lantern, and he (and the other Green Lanterns) matches his much-maligned movie appearance very well. His constructs all look big and fun and imaginative, though they are a bit restrictive; his basic attacks change appearance as you upgrade them, which is a nice touch, and the developers even made the bizarre decision to include a function where Hall becomes dizzy if you rapidly spin the control stick.

*The game evokes the aesthetic of its movie counterpart, for better or worse.*

Sadly, the game’s environments and music aren’t much to shout about; you visit Oa twice, at the start and end of the game, and both times it recreates the look of the movie but is little more than a bizarre alien landscape under attack from various Manhunters. Zamaron is a rocky, mushroom-strewn alien world that is more bland than interesting, though it does include canyons and crystal mines and temples and such. The only other area in the game is Biot, a massive mechanical factory and processing plant for the Manhunters that’s full of gears and pistons and consoles and such, but there’s very little to interact with in any of the game’s locations and few rewards or incentive to explore as there aren’t really any collectibles. The game’s cutscenes work well enough, with the suit and the movie’s aesthetic actually translating pretty well to the action figure presentation of this era of gaming, and I liked how the story was a sequel to the movie, though it’s weird how there was no expansion on Sinestro’s decision to switch to a Yellow Ring.

Enemies and Bosses:
The vast majority of the enemies you’ll face are Manhunters, disposable tin cans that fly or teleport in and attack in some large numbers. You’ve got regular drones, ones with shields or blasters, and annoying bastards on these hoverboards that allow them to zip around and bombard you with laser fire. Sometimes you’ll be attacked by mines and laser cannons or Manhunter ships, which can be destroyed by smashing back their projectiles, and larger Manhunter variants will rush at you and grab you in a bearhug, draining your Ring Energy and forcing you to mash A to escape. On Zamaron, you’ll battle some different enemies, mainly mind controlled Zamarons who attack with staffs and such, but you’ll also encounter Willhunters, which drain your Ring Energy, and Manhunters also exhibit this ability on Biot and later in the game.

*Only Zamaron offers a reprieve from the endless Manhunter variants.*

Bosses are primarily larger Manhunters, which then return as mini bosses or are strewn throughout shooting stages. The Ultra Manhunter is the best example of this; you’ll first battle it on Oa, where it stomps about firing lasers and shooting its fists at you but you can evade it, take advantage of the nearby Lantern power-up, and land some combos when it gets stuck on the ground. Ultra Manhunters reappear numerous times, often in twos and accompanied by a slew of other Manhunters; they later add a gravity bomb to their arsenal which sucks you in before exploding, but you can destroy these with your Hover Mines and you can put them down with a QTE after dealing enough damage and blast them to smithereens in the shooting sections. The Siphoner Manhunter, which bearhugs you, and the Willhunters are presented like mini bosses when you first encounter them but they quickly just become regular enemies. On Zamaron, you’ll battle Queen Aga’po after she’s corrupted by the Yellow Energy; she causes crystals to burst from the ground (which freeze you and enemies if you touch them) and sends her minions after you between attacks before attacking with her lance. After pursuing her in a shooter section and taking out another Ultra Manhunter, she sets the Zamaron Defender on you. This battle takes place on a 2.5D pane and sees you attacking its hands and the Willhunters it sends out, avoiding its swipes and the falling boulders, smashing back its projectiles and dodging its electrical barriers and shockwaves in easily the most annoying boss battle of the game so far (and you don’t even get the catharsis of finishing it yourself as Hal delivers the final blow in a cutscene).

*After besting the Manhunters, you’ll face off against renegade Amon Sur.*

Biot is full of Siphoners and Ultra Manhunters, Manhunters who exude Yellow Energy, and annoying reactor cores that you need to destroy with your Hover Mines. The mechanical hellhole culminates in a battle against the titanic Grandmaster, which is essentially an even bigger Ultra Manhunter and your Mech Suit comes in handy here, allowing you to go toe-to-toe with the armoured foe, who loves to blasts its fists at you and swing them around the arena to send you flying. Take it down and you get to battle the even bigger Highmaster afterwards, which is an even larger Ultra Manhunter that blasts out bigger versions of those gravity bombs and sends a massive laser beam from its hand to cut you down. The only way to damage this guy is to attack the glowing points on its knees, then run around behind it and awkwardly toss your Hover Mines into its knees so it drops to the floor, allowing you to attack the cockpit where Kilowog is being held captive. Repeat this three times, fending off the Manhunters and dodging its faster and more aggressive attacks, and you’ll progress to the final stage of the game. This sees you returning to Oa, where Amon Sur has become consumed by Yellow Energy and is leading a renewed Manhunter assault against the Guardians. You’ll need to dispatch his minions before engaging with him one-on-one, which sees Amon dashing at you with his scythe-like lance, conjuring skeletal hands, bombarding you with laser blasts, and protecting himself with an impenetrable shield. Deal enough damage and he also constructs a massive mech suit for himself, meaning the finale becomes a game of Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots as you throw slow punches at him, guard against his attacks, and stomp the ground to break his guard, completely negating all of the combat and gameplay you’ve endured and mastered and having the final boss come down to a QTE with obnoxious timing.

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
As you defeat enemies and smash pots and other parts of the environment, green, white, and blue orbs will refill your health and Ring Energy and grant you XP. Occasionally, you’ll find Lantern charge points in the environment which fully replenish your health and energy and allow you to pull off a Ring Surge, but that’s about it for in-game power-ups. New constructs are made available as the story progresses and as you level-up, which also unlocks upgrades for your attacks and Ring Meter so they become flashier, more powerful, and charge/last longer. You can assign Hal eight different constructs to use and can swap them out from the pause menu, but it’s best to keep a couple (like the War Hammer, Baseball Bat, and Hover Mine) in your arsenal since they’re useful for solving puzzles and defeating certain enemies. Other constructs, like the Jet Fighter and Mech Suit, may deal a lot of damage but they have a long charge time and drain more of your Ring Energy, though you can find and destroy coloured meteorites in each mission that will extend both of these meters.

Additional Features:
There are forty Achievements to earn in Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters, with eleven being awarded simply for clearing the game’s missions and story mode. You’ll also get Achievements for racking up high combos, acquiring and upgrading every construct and ability, defeating certain enemies with each construct, and fully expanding Hal’s health and energy. There are three difficulty levels for the game, with an additional Achievement awarded for beating it on the hardest setting, and two more for playing in co-op, making for some pretty simple to earn Achievements. Co-op mode is pretty good, though there’s a distinct lack of individuality to Sinestro, and you can replay any cleared mission from the main menu and even take advantage of a 3D functionality if you have one of those 3D TVs. Sadly, there really isn’t much to keep you playing; you can go back and look for things you’ve missed, but there are no collectibles, no concept art or gallery, and no skins to unlock, making for a pretty cheap and barebones experience.

The Summary:
Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is a pretty decent hack-and-slash videogame; fans of the God of War franchise will be immediately familiar with the vast majority of the gameplay, but those who crave a little more depth to their games will be left wanting more from this tie-in title. The controls and combat are pretty good, but the stages are extremely restrictive and tediously drawn out, artificially extending the length of the game without really providing much visual variety. Combat quickly becomes tedious and you can easily mow through most enemies with the same button inputs or constructs without needing to mix things up and, while the rail shooting sections are fun, they’re few and far between and don’t really have a great deal of challenge to them. The enemies you battle get old very quickly, making things even more monotonous, and the few puzzles offered are ridiculously easy to solve and recycled over and over. Graphically, the game does a good job of emulating the style of the movie it’s based on and the story functions as a lacklustre follow-up to a mediocre film, but there’s very little replay value to be offered here. As a quick, cheap cash-in that rips off the gameplay of a more successful franchise, Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters does alright but there’s obviously better hack-and-slash titles out there and the only reason to really get this is if you see it cheap and you fancy adding some quick and easy Achievements to your gamer score. Overall, the game just lacks in imagination; Green Lantern is a character who can potentially do and conjure almost anything he desires but he feels needlessly handicapped here and the lack of skins, unlockables, or visual variety really drag this game down.

My Rating:

Could Be Better

Have you ever played Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters? If so, what did you think to it? How do you feel the combat and constructs worked in the context of the game? What did you think to the plot and its status as a follow-up to the movie? Were you disappointed by the lack of variety in the enemies and locations? Which of the constructs was your favourite and were you a fan of Ryan Reynolds reprising the role? What did you think to the movie the game’s based on and would you like to see a new Green Lantern game in the future? Which Green Lantern character, villain, or story is your favourite and why? How are you celebrating this pseudo-Green Lantern day today? Whatever you think about Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters, and the Green Lantern comics books, feel free to leave a comment below.

Back Issues [Brightest Day]: Green Lantern #48-50

11/10/202213/09/2025Dr. K5 Comments

Although February 2014 was dubbed “Green Lantern Day” (because, by the American calendar, the date read as “2814”, the sector of space assigned to Earth in DC Comics), the significance of this date has passed as the years have changed. Instead, I’m choosing to celebrate the debut of perhaps the most popular iteration of the character, Hal Jordan, who first appeared in October of 1959.

**Writer:** Ron Marz – **Artists:** Bill Willingham, Fred Haynes, and Darryl Banks

Story Title: “Emerald Twilight, Part One: The Past”
Published: January 1994

Story Title: “Emerald Twilight, Part Two: The Present”
Published: February 1994

Story Title: “Emerald Twilight, Part Three: The Future”
Published: March 1994

The Background:
The character of Green Lantern, in the form of Alan Scott, first appeared in All-American Publications’ (a precursor of DC Comics) All-American Comics #16 in July 1940. In 1959, DC Comics editor Julius Schwartz enlisted writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane to reinvent the character as Hal Jordan and, in the process, created countless other Green Lanterns through the establishment of an intergalactic police force. Although Jordan became one of DC Comics’ most prominent superheroes, the company decided to make some major changes to the character in the mid-nineties, a period of time often referred to as the “Dark Age” of comics that saw stories such as “The Death of Superman” (Jurgens, et al, 1992 to 1993) make headline news and Bruce Wayne/Batman left crippled at the hands of a superhuman foe. Although Batman later recovered and Clark Kent/Superman soon returned to life, Hal Jordan’s home town of Coast City was destroyed during the Man of Steel’s resurrection, leaving Hal devastated and driving him to near madness in his attempt to rebuild his home. The story’s primary purpose was to depict Hal’s downfall into a maniacal, reality-destroying villain known as Parallax and to introduce a new, young, sexy Green Lantern (my favourite of the Emerald Warriors, Kyle Rayner). Eventually, of course, DC backpedalled on this decision and went out of their way to redeem the “greatest Green Lantern” but, for a while there, things were definitely exciting and different in DC Comics as they introduced new legacy characters and fundamentally altered their predecessors in startling ways.

The Review:
“Emerald Twilight” begins pretty much immediately after the conclusion of the “Return of Superman” story arc (Stern, et al, 1993) with an injured and emotionally shattered Hal Jordan kneeling amidst the still-smouldering crater that is all that remains of his hometown, Coast City. Burdened by his grief at arriving too late to stop Mongul and Hank Henshaw/Cyborg-Superman from obliterating the city, Hal uses the vast powers of his power ring to heal his broken arm and conjure a construct of his father, Martin, for a bit of a heart-to-heart. Primarily, Hal wants to address his resentment towards his late father for favouring his older, more successful brothers and never telling Hal that he was proud of him and all he had accomplished. However, as Martin is simply a manifestation of Hal’s memories of him, and his guilt and unresolved issues, Martin simply tells Hall that he just never measured up to his brothers, guilt-trips him for not being there for Coast City, and then forces Hal to relive the traumatic experience of watching him die in a plane crash. A construct of Hal’s mother, Jessica, then arrives to comfort her son, pointing out Martin’s many faults as a husband and a father and encouraging Hal to hold on to the happier memories and move on from the pain and loss. Despite her encouragement, however, Hal isn’t satisfied with just having memories; they’re not enough to quell his guilt or his anger or his pain and, in his vehement refusal to let go of his anguish, he focuses his willpower in a wholly selfish way.

*Grief-stricken, his anguish turned to rage, Hal carves a path of destruction to confront the Guardians.*

Hal uses his willpower to create a living, breathing, emerald-hued recreation of Coast City, including all of its buildings and inhabitants. The temptation to right those wrongs, to “be a God”, is overwhelming and even brings back a manifestation of his first love, Jennifer. Reminiscing about the past and what could have been between them, Hal laments how he screwed up his relationship with Jennifer even after she helped him through the trauma of his father’s death. Jennifer, however, assures Hal that she was happy after him, settled in Coast City, and that the end came quickly for her and the others; she also says that “nobody blames [Hal]” and that they’re just happy that he’s keeping their memories alive. Jennifer walks Hal to his childhood home, where he again meets the “ghost” of his father; Martin echoes Jennifer’s sentiments, stating that every appreciates that he’s “restored” Coast City, but falters when he is about to finally say the words Hal is longing to hear (that he’s proud of him) and promptly vanishes, along with the entire Coast City illusion, when Hal’s ring exhausts its charge. Hal’s anger and bitterness at being denied his desire, and the limits of his power ring, are soon interrupted when one of the Guardians of the Universe manifests before him. The Guardian reprimands Hal for using his power ring for personal gain and violating the rules and regulations of the Green Lantern Corps, and demands that he return to Oa for disciplinary action. Hal, however, lashes out in anger absorbs the residual energy from the Guardian’s projection to give himself a charge and, blasts off to Oa to confront his masters, appearing as little more than a green shooting star to lovers Kyle Rayner and Alex DeWitt. Overcome by his grief, and incensed at the losses and injustice he feels, Hal blasts his way through space and is met by opposition from his fellow Corpsmen, Ke’Haan of Varva and Laira of Jayd, two Lanterns who, while experienced, are no match for Hal’s experience and newfound rage.

*Hal’s crusade sees him cutting down some of his most trusted comrades.*

Furious at being used as a puppet by the Guardians for so long, Hal incapacitates the two and steals their power rings, leaving them for dead in the void of space and adding more power to his arsenal. While the Guardians of the Universe are concerned at Hal’s trail of destruction, they have faith that the entirety of their Corps, and their near-limitless power, will be enough to stop him; after all, he’s just one rogue Lantern, right? Well Tomar Tu learns the hard way that Hal is not so easily subdued; although he tries to shackle Hal using a parasite not unlike the Black Mercy creature, Hal’s willpower is so strong, and his rage so out of control, that he easily overpowers his former comrade and friend. Jack T. Chance meets a similar end as, while he is far more willing to fight dirty, his inexperience leaves him adrift in space like so many other Corpsmen. Hal is even forced to battle Boodikka, a warrior female he personally recruited into the Corps, but the loyalty of his brothers and sisters now sickens Hal and he’s so obsessed with making them pay for their hubris that he slices Boodikka’s hand off to claim her ring as his own. One by one, both on-panel and off, Hal bests the Guardian’s Lanterns and, with each victory, he becomes increasingly brutal. Upon reaching Oa, Hal is met by the Corps drill instructor, the surly Kilowog, easily the proudest and most loyal member of the Green Lantern Corps. However, while he lasts longer than any of the other Green Lanterns, Kilowog also falls before Hal’s newfound might and rage.

*Sinestro is sent to stop Hal, leading to an epic clash between the two with their roles almost reversed.*

Even the stoic Guardians, so self-righteous in their power and position, begin to fear Hal’s crusade and, in their desperation, turn to Ganthet’s final solution to Hal’s rampage: releasing the renegade Green Lantern, Thaal Sinestro, from his captivity within the Central Power Battery. And so it is that Hal is pitted against his former mentor, the very man who he stood up to when Sinestro perverted the power and privilege of the power ring for his own ends. The irony is not lost on Sinestro, who finds himself as the last hope of his former masters, beings he has almost as much reason to despise as Hal, and delights in Hal’s torment. Sinestro manages to goad Hal into relinquishing all of his stolen power rings and battling him on equal ground, something Hal is only too happy to agree to just so that Sinestro has no doubt that he was finally, truly, bested by his superior. Eager to have his revenge against Hal for having him imprisoned, Sinestro presses his attack but Hal matches him blow for blow, theorising that the Guardians must have lost their minds to turn to someone as vindictive as Sinestro and seeing his rival’s return as the final proof of the Guardians’ hypocrisy and fallibility. Sinestro taunts Hal by telling him that, years ago, the Guardians asked him, their greatest warrior, to mould Hal into his image but, despite being flattered by their trust, he never thought that Hal would be able to live up to those expectations. When they come to a penultimate clash, Sinestro is almost admiring of Hal’s newfound bloodlust, but maintains that the difference between the two has always been that Hal is unwilling to kill, whereas Sinestro is only held back from killing by the promise of his freedom to subdue Hal non-lethally.

*Hal kills Sinestro, and the entire Corps, becoming Parallax and leaving Kyle as the sole Green Lantern.*

Ultimately, their battle descends into a wild brawl; as the Guardians impassively watch on, Hal mercilessly beats Sinestro to a pulp. Hal claims victory, having finally bested his long-time rival with his bare hands, but Sinestro continues to taunt him, claiming that he has lost himself in his brutality. Hal’s response? To break Sinestro’s neck, finally killing him and crossing that forbidden line. His attempt to absorb the full power of the Central Power Battery is interrupted by Kilowog, who makes one last desperate plea for Hal to stop before he strips all of the Corpsmen of their powers and leaves them in mortal danger, but Hal simply cannot look past his grief, his pain, and his lust to obtain the power to correct those mistakes. In an instant, he reduces Kilowog to a charred skeleton, tearfully discards his power ring, and has one last heated confrontation with the Guardians before entering the Central Power Battery. As he absorbs the Central Power Battery into himself, the Guardians channel all of their remaining powers into one last power ring; Hal emerges, forever changed, crushing his power ring and fleeing to the stars to begin enacting his grand plan for the universe, and only Ganthet is left alive. He teleports to Earth and stumbles upon struggling artist Kyle Rayner, seemingly at random, and bequeaths him the last power ring, birthing an all-new Green Lantern, the last in the entire universe, in the process.

The Summary:
It’s definitely not recommended to go into “Emerald Twilight” without at least some understanding of Hal Jordan, or having read some of the “Return of Superman” arc, but it’s not absolutely necessary. The text boxes and dialogue help to bring you up to speed with how Hal got his power ring, his reputation, and how Coast City was destroyed, but it definitely adds even more emotional weight to the story if it’s not your first exposure to the character. Compared to “The Death of Superman” and “Knightfall” (Dixon, et al, 1993 to 1994), it’s also a much shorter and far more condensed story. Hal literally ploughs through seemingly the entire Green Lantern Corps (or most of them) off-panel or in a few panels in the middle chapter of the story, and much of Hal’s downfall is set up subtly in previous issues and stories rather than being this big, headline event. That’s not to say that “Emerald Twilight” didn’t shake things up, though, but it definitely acts as more of an epilogue to “The Return of Superman” rather than an event of equal proportions. I fully believe that, if this story was done today, it would probably be a six to twelve-issue miniseries that also included Hal fighting his Justice League teammates as well.

*Hal wishes only to have what he has lost and is devastated when he is denied even that.*

The more intimate nature of the story actually helps it to stand out in some ways, though. The focus here is on Hal’s grief and despair; he’s a man who has literally lost everything, his hometown and all his loved ones, and has been driven right to the edge and it all happened seemingly on a whim. There was no way he could have known what Mongul and Cyborg-Superman were planning, and he was in no position to stop them, so all he’s left with his survivor’s guilt coupled with his unresolved issues with his father. This is beautifully realised in Hal’s desperate attempts to hear his father say he’s proud of him, but being denied even that simple luxury because of his grief screwing with his constructs and the limitations of his power ring. Martin’s appearance here works doubly as a representation of Hal’s own insecurities; he can’t say he’s proud of Hal because Hal knows he would never say that, and even the small comforts brought by his mother and former lover offer Hal no peace or solace. The closest he comes to being happy is when he recreates Coast City; even though it’s clearly an illusion, a facsimile created by his ring, he’d much rather live in that fantasy world than have to endure with the painful and brutal reality that he’s lost everything.

*Hal’s brutality forces the Guardians to release Sinestro, culminating in violent final confrontation.*

Consequently, it’s entirely understandable that he lashes out at the Guardians when they come along to reprimand him. After giving his body and soul to the ideals of the Green Lantern Corps, he is denied having what he truly desires, and his grief turns to rage; this anger is directed purely at the hypocritical and self-righteous Guardians but also extends to the ideals Hal once embodied, meaning he has to fight off his own kind in order to confront his masters. Believed to be the greatest Green Lantern ever, Hal’s indomitable willpower is only augmented by his rage; this, coupled with his experience and the added power of more and more stolen power rings, make him a dangerous and formidable foe who threatens the lives of even the near-God-like Guardians. At first, Hal has no desire to fight his fellow Lanterns; he constantly rants about the Guardians’ manipulative and deceitful ways and tries to convince the others to side with him, but they’re as blinded by their loyalties as he is by his anguish and the result is a lot of Green Lanterns being left beaten, helpless, or maimed simply to fuel Hal’s newfound crusade. This culminates in easily the best part of the comic, beyond Hal’s descent into gibbering madness, the long-awaited final battle between Hal Jordan and Sinestro. This brutal fight is a fantastically realised clash that is just dripping with irony and fate. When he was just an upstart rookie, Hal saw that Sinestro was abusing his power and opposed him, forever tarnishing the reputation of the once-mightiest Green Lantern and, for years, the two were cast as moral and ethical opposites. Sinestro hungered for power and longed to rule through force and fear, and was more than willing to kill or maim those who opposed him, whereas Hal was the very embodiment of the righteous justice and heroism of the Green Lantern Corps. Now, the tables have turned; Hal is the rogue, power-mad Green Lantern and Sinestro is the last line of defence, and I find that so much more interesting than just watching Superman being beaten to death by a mindless monster. Even better is that Sinestro still underestimates Hal; he is arrogant in his belief that, despite Hal’s recent brush with darkness, he is still the same good-natured and moral individual deep down and therefore doesn’t have it within him to kill, and this proves to be Sinestro’s downfall.

*“Emerald Twilight” changed Green Lantern’s status quo for a time and marked a turning point for DC.*

Hal’s crossing of that line and descent into a tragic villain was so unexpected at the time. The state of DC Comics was radically upended in the early-to-mid-nineties and Hal’s transformation into the reality-warping Parallax soon became a big part of that as he sought to rewrite time itself in a desperate attempt to set right all the tragedies and mishaps that had befallen himself and his friends. Parallax was quite the intriguing villain in that he fully believed what he was doing was right, and for the greater good, and couldn’t understand why his friends kept opposing him as he had no wish to harm them. This also spelt the end for the Green Lantern Corps as we knew them…for a time. Kyle Rayner became the sole Green Lantern for a while, and was afforded slightly different abilities (he didn’t need to charge his ring and had no weakness to yellow) as well as a cool new costume, which really helped breath new life into the character and comic. DC never quite let Hal go, though, and soon enough they started to undo pretty much everything that had happened here: many of Hal’s victims were shown to have survived or were resurrected, Sinestro was revealed to have been a construct all along, and Hal both sacrificed himself to save the world and became the Spectre before being reborn, alongside the entire Green Lantern Corps, with all of his actions and time as Parallax revealed to have been due to the manipulations of a malevolent space bug. Yet, at the time, this was the status quo: The Green Lantern Corps were dead, Hal was a crazed lunatic, and we had a fun new Green Lantern, and it all kicked off here. It’s maybe not as long or as in-depth as other Dark Age tales from this time, but “Emerald Twilight” is still a significant chapter in the character’s life and well worth checking out if you fancy seeing a hero take a dramatic and tragic turn to the dark side.

My Rating:

Great Stuff

Are you a fan of “Emerald Twilight”? If you read the story when it first published, what did you think to the dramatic change in Hal’s status quo and were you happy about it? Do you think that the story should have been expanded into a few more issues or did you prefer the more concise format? What did you think to Hal’s turn to the dark side? Do you think it was justified, and were you disappointed at how easily he dispatched the other Green Lanterns? What did you think to Hal’s turn as Parallax and were you a fan of Kyle Rayner? Did you enjoy the Dark Age of comics or were you happy to see the status quo restored? Which Green Lantern character, villain, or story is your favourite and why? How are you celebrating this pseudo-Green Lantern day today? Whatever you think about “Emerald Twilight”, and Green Lantern in general, sign up to leave your thoughts below or drop a comment on my social media.

Movie Night [Brightest Day]: Green Lantern: Extended Cut

02/08/202113/10/2024Dr. K8 Comments

In 2014, the 2^nd of February was dubbed “Green Lantern Day” because, by the American calendar, the date read as “2814”, the space sector assigned to Earth in DC Comics. While the significance of this date has passed as the years have changed, it seems like a great excuse to celebrate DC Comics’ green-garbed intergalactic police corps but, sadly, the date clashes with another important anniversary so, this year, I’m switching it to today, the 2^nd of August, instead since this would have been 2/8/14 back then as well.

Released: 14 October 2011
Originally Released: 17 June 2011
Director: Martin Campbell
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Budget: $200 million
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Mark Strong, Peter Sarsgaard, and Clancy Brown

The Plot:
When test pilot Hal Jordan (Reynolds) is bequeathed a powerful ring that can make his thoughts reality, he becomes a member of the Green Lantern Corps, a vast organisation of intergalactic lawmen. However, Hal’s will is tested when Parallax (Brown), a malevolent entity and the embodiment of fear, is awakened and threatens the safety of not just Earth but the entire universe!

The Background:
The Green Lantern character first appeared in All-American Publications’ (a precursor of DC Comics) All-American Comics #16 in July 1940. Then, the pseudonym was the alter-ego of Alan Scott but, in 1959, DC Comics editor Julius Schwartz enlisted writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane to reinvent the character as Hal Jordan and, in the process, create countless other Green Lanterns in the establishment of an intergalactic police force. Production of a live-action adaptation of the character can be traced back to 1997 and, at one point, Jack Black was set to start in what sounds like would have been an absolutely dreadful action/comedy take on the character. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) impressing at the box office with its first phase of movies, Warner Bros. made significant strides towards a Green Lantern film with a script heavily influenced by the seminal “Secret Origin” (Johns, et al, 2008) story arc, and director Martin Campbell and star Ryan Reynolds locked in to bring to life the daunting, effects-heavy superhero sci-fi. Unfortunately, Green Lantern proved to be a critical and commercial failure; the movie made just under $220 million at the box office and reviews were scathing, scuppering Warner’s hopes for a sequel and delaying the start of their own cinematic universe. As much as I am a fan of Reynolds, I can’t say that I was too impressed with how much he has bad-mouthed this film (which really isn’t as bad as people think) in the years since its release, especially after he was well into honouring the legacy and influence of the role during production.

The Review:
When we’re first introduced to Hal in the modern day, he’s a far cry from the straight-laced, serious space cop of the comic books; perhaps thanks to having Reynolds in the role, Hal is a womanising, snarky, and arrogant test pilot who drives a muscle car, frequently shows up late to work, and generally shirks responsibility at every opportunity. The only time he takes any situation serious is when he’s sat in a cockpit, where he’s all business and undeniably the best test pilot on the Ferris payroll but his attitude leaves a lot to be desired. It’s interesting that the filmmakers chose to make these changes and portray Hal as a far more immature and flawed character; it works for his overall story arc as he has to grow into his role as a superhero and learn the usual, cliché lessons about responsibility and duty and gives Hal a snarky edge that makes for the film’s more comedic moments but it’s difficult to believe that this version of Hall will ever grow into the Corps’ most revered soldier.

*Hal’s cavalier attitude makes him a great test pilot but causes friction with those around him.*

Hal’s attitude stems, largely, from the trauma of experiencing the death of his father, Martin (Jon Tenney), who died during a test flight right before Hal’s eyes when Hal was just a kid. Having witnessed the most distressing and harrowing event possible, Hal has grown up entirely fearless; he never worries about his safety, takes unnecessary risks, doesn’t let anything or anyone get to him, and doesn’t believe in a no-win situation. This, naturally, doesn’t sit well with his friends, family, co-workers, or superiors, who all believe that Hal has a death wish and is being unreasonably irresponsible with his life. Despite this, he has a close relationship with his nephew, Jason (Dylan James), and there are clearly unresolved issues between him and childhood friend, co-pilot, and boss Carol Ferris (Lively).

*Carol believes in and is attracted to Hal but cannot sanction his lackadaisical attitude.*

Hal believes that Carol has lost her way somewhat since she has, largely, traded the cockpit for a desk, though Carol asserts that she’s simply grown up and accepted her responsibilities. She cares for Hal and is clearly still attracted to him but despairs of his lackadaisical and cavalier attitude; she just wants him to grow up a bit and to be responsible for once in his life rather than coasting along on his admittedly impressive abilities. In a refreshing change of pace, she immediately sees through his rudimentary disguise as Green Lantern (even comment on the ridiculousness of such an ineffective mask) and accepts and supports his newfound superhero life. Indeed, she urges him that the power and responsibility of the ring isn’t something that he can just walk away from and encourages him to actually try and live up to his potential for a change. Far more than just an achingly gorgeous face, Carol actually helps Hal out when Parallax comes to Earth and isn’t afraid to speak her mind, making her more than a match for his trademark snark.

*Hal is subjected to harsh training and criticism from the likes of Sinestro.*

However, while Hal describes himself as a “screw up” and even his friend, Thomas Kalmaku (Taika Waititi) believes him to be an asshole, he doesn’t hesitate to pull Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison) from his crashed spacecraft, does everything he can to keep him alive, and is genuinely distraught when Abin dies in his arms (he even takes the time to bury Abin’s body after he dies). Confused and overwhelmed at the alien and the strange ring now in his possession, Hal is equally blown away when the ring transports him to Oa and garbs him in the uniform of the Green Lantern Corps; however, Hal adjusts to these alien sights and concepts with an awe-struck bewilderment and struggles to come to grips with his ring’s capabilities and the focusing of his willpower. On Oa, Hal is greeted by Tomar-Re (Geoffrey Rush), who introduces him to the planet and briefs him on the basics of the Green Lantern Corps. Hal’s training is very much a crash course and, honestly, should have taken up a greater deal of the film’s focus and screen time as Hal is put through a tough and uncompromising boot camp at the hands of Kilowog (Michael Clarke Duncan). Almost immediately, before Hal even has a chance to master the basics of ring-slinging, Thaal Sinestro (Strong) interrupts to put Hal through his paces; a being of immense pride and a much-respected member of the Corps, Sinestro was Abin’s friend and former protégé and regards Hal as a disappointment to his mentor’s legacy. Sinestro’s opinion is only fuelled by the fact that Hal is (somehow…) the first ever human being to become a Green Lantern but, truthfully, his focus and mentality comes more from his overwhelming militant mindset. Sinestro believes, to his very core, in the power and authority of the Guardians and the Corps and devotes himself entirely to their cause, rallying his fellow Green Lanterns in a unified, if futile, effort to oppose Parallax and maintain the sanctity of their intergalactic police force.

*Hector, already a troubled scientist, is driven to maniacal insanity by Parallax’s influence.*

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Hal also faces significant threats at home in the form of his childhood friend Doctor Hector Hammond (Sarsgaard); sadly, Hector isn’t that threatening or impressive as a villain and is more like a quirky, disassociated, unhinged child in a man’s body. Hector resents Hal’s cocky attitude, rugged good looks, and relationship with Carol, harbours unrequited feelings of his own for Carol, and is constantly trying to please his father, Robert (Tim Robbins), a United States senator who Hector feels is constantly disappointed and embarrassed by him. Hector believes his genius and ability are finally being acknowledged when he is hand-picked by Doctor Amanda Waller (Angela Bassett) to perform the autopsy on Abin’s body and is enraged when he finds out that his father arranged it; having been possessed by exposure to Parallax’s yellow fear energy, Hammond slowly develops mental abilities and degenerates into a hideous, hunchback like creature, his inner bitterness and ugliness reflected in his warped and transformed exterior. However, given the larger threat of Parallax and the fact that we briefly see how big and limitless the universe is, Hector isn’t much of a threat and is easily bested by Hal with the simplest of deceptions. Not that Parallax himself fairs much better; rather than the giant, intergalactic space bug and the embodiment of fear, Parallax is, instead, a fallen Guardian as the filmmakers merged elements of Parallax and the dark Guardian Krona (which, to be fair, I feel does work in the context of the film and simplifies the story somewhat). Sadly, because the Guardians look so damn goofy, Parallax doesn’t look all that intimidating and just appears to be a big, angry-looking, cartoony head and that’s when we can actually see him since, for the most part, he takes the form of an ethereal, destructive cloud and, if there’s anything experience has told us, it’s that clouds are never scary or intimidating.

The Nitty-Gritty:
The extended version of the film only adds about ten minutes to the film’s run time but the majority of this is used to further develop Hal’s childhood and his relationship with his friends and family. Indeed, the extended version includes an entirely new opening sequence that shows more of Hal, Carol, and Hector’s childhood and the bond between Hal and his father, and his nephew. It’s not much extra footage but it does help to flesh Hal’s character out a little bit more and to build up an understanding of why he is the way he is.

Green Lantern‘s abundance of CGI makes the film resemble a cartoon more often than not.

Of course, one of the major problems with Green Lantern is the quality of the special effects; given the concept is quite unique and necessitates a great deal of work to render not just the Green Lantern’s constructs but also the various worlds and aliens that make up the Green Lantern Corps, and the universe, a great deal of special effects are necessary for a film such as this. Unfortunately, many of the film’s CGI just doesn’t work and is flawed; Parallax and the Guardians, especially, look pretty terrible, to say nothing of Kilowog, Tomar-Re, and, yes, the Green Lantern suits themselves. Personally, I think the idea to render them full in CGI was a really good idea (…on paper) given their otherworldly make up and the fact that they’re generated from the ring and the problem isn’t so much that the suits don’t look good (though they, like a lot of the CGI, do appear disturbingly cartoony) it’s that Hal’s mask looks so damn goofy. This is a shame because Green Lantern does a pretty decent job at adapting the concept and bringing to life such an abstract and near-limitless superhero. As I mentioned, the idea of the suit works really well and Oa, especially, looks pretty good; however, while I like that it’s teeming with life and various alien races, it’s very…busy and kind of looks like a mess of conflicting colours and dodgy CGI. Such shots are contrasted by how good the film’s more practical effects are; the scene where Hal and Carol out-pace automated aircraft is an exhilarating sequence and the make-up effects used to bring Sinestro and Abin Sur to life are top-notch (hell, even Hector looks suitably horrific when he mutates into little more than a hunchbacked man-monster). It’s almost as if the filmmakers should have veered more towards practical effects, maybe even employing the use of traditional puppets and animatronics for the Guardians and Kilowog, and use the CGI sparingly rather than rendering 90% of the film in a mess of computer effects.

*Hal eventually comes to accept the responsibility of the ring and grows into his heroic role.*

A central theme of the film is Hal’s inability to live up to the expectations placed upon him and to accept responsibility. On Earth, this makes him a highly skilled but unreliable test pilot; when on Oa, it leads to him walking away from the Green Lantern Corps after what feels like maybe an hour, tops, of training. He takes Sinestro’s criticisms regarding him (and the human race) to heart and uses his condemnation as the perfect excuse to reject the destiny placed upon him by Abin Sur; however, for some reason, he is allowed to retain possession of the ring and, reluctantly, becomes a superhero back on Earth. This is directly paralleled with Hector’s own arc as he struggles to live up to his father’s expectations and gives in to the hate, fear, and power of Parallax’s influence; fuelled by his negative emotions, he forces Hal into acting with the ring’s power and, thus, into a heroic role that he, eventually, willingly assumes in order to defend the Earth from Parallax.

*Despite Hal’s victory, Sinestro switches to the yellow ring for an unresolved cliffhanger.*

Parallax, while an unimposing and disappointing villain compared to both his comic book counterpart and other villains of superhero films, is certainly built up to be an intimidating threat. His ability to induce fear and then suck the life out of his victims is certainly unique and his power only grows as he absorbs the lifeforce of others. While the Green Lanterns are notoriously supposed to be entirely without fear, it’s clear that the Guardians fear Parallax’s power; indeed, they are reluctant to send their corps against Parallax out of fear for their lives and they only divulge Parallax’s true origins to Sinestro after he pleads with them for the knowledge to oppose his power. While Sinestro comes to believe that the only way to defeat Parallax is with fear itself (forging a yellow ring in the process), he eventually saves Hal after his battle and defeat of the creature in the finale and, despite having witnessed that the green light of willpower is powerful enough to overcome even the embodiment of fear, decides to switch to a yellow power ring in, perhaps, one of the most tantalising mid-credits scenes in all of cinema.

The Summary:
Green Lantern is a perfectly fine and action-packed science-fiction spectacle; it’s full of humour and big special effects and has a really strong cast, with Mark Strong, especially, standing out as a perfect choice for Hal’s mentor and rival, Sinestro. I think the main problem with Green Lantern, though, is that it isn’t really sure what it wants to be; it’s not a sci-fi epic as a disappointing amount of the film is set on Earth, and the time spent on Earth is nowhere near as interesting as the potential of space and the Green Lantern Corps. When I saw Green Lantern, it was a month or so after seeing Thor (Branagh, 2011), a film that did a much better job of balancing its cosmic, otherworldly elements in a grounded and relatable way and I think that’s the problem with Green Lantern: it’s too confused about its disparate elements and I can’t help but feel a more elaborate approach in the vein of Guardians of the Galaxy (Gunn, 2014) and Serenity (Whedon, 2005) would be a far more fitting direction if we ever see the Green Lantern Corps in live-action again. Personally, though, it’s not as bad as people make it out to be and there’s plenty here that’s worth keeping around (Mark Strong, for one) and it really wouldn’t have taken much to fold this film into the existing DC Extended Universe at one point but, ultimately, it’s just a shame that we never got a sequel to improve upon the film’s high (and low) points beyond the tie-in videogame and that the film failed to properly live up to the potential of the concept.

My Rating:

Pretty Good

What did you think to Green Lantern? Were you a fan of the movie when it first released or did you warm to it over time? What did you think to Reynolds in the title role and who would you prefer to see take up the mantle at some point? Were you a fan of the film’s overuse of CGI? What did you think to the animated suit and depiction of Parallax? Would you have liked to see where a sequel would have taken the story or do you think a full reboot is the way to go? Which Green Lantern character, villain, or story is your favourite and why? How are you celebrating this pseudo-Green Lantern day today? Whatever you think about Green Lantern, and the Green Lantern comics books, feel free to leave a comment below.

My Rating:

Could Be Better

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My Rating:

Pretty Good

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My Rating:

Could Be Better

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My Rating:

Could Be Better

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My Rating:

Pretty Good

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My Rating:

Could Be Better

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My Rating:

Great Stuff

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My Rating:

Pretty Good

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