Green Lantern Part 1

The title of the Green Lantern refers to more than one DC comic book superhero. At the height of popularity, Green Lanterns were a universal peacekeeping force that numbered in the thousands and came from many different parts of the universe. The comic book adventures have traditionally been based on the five Green Lanterns assigned to Earth.

The first Green Lantern, Alan Scott, made his debut in All-American Comics in 1940. Alan became a superhero the day he discovered a magical lamp that instructed him how to fashion a ring from its metal. Donning a bright purple, green, yellow, and red costume, Alan claimed he wanted to create a costume “so bizarre that once I am seen I will never be forgotten.”

Alan’s ring did not work on any type of wood and had to be recharged every 24 hours at the lamp. His initial oath was “And I shall shed my light over dark evil, for dark things cannot stand the light..the light of.. The Green Lantern.” This oath was replaced in 1944 by “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.” That oath became so popular that variations of it have been reused by multiple Lanterns over the years.

Green Lantern was a popular hero in the 1940s, joining the Justice Society of America, spawning his own title and even gaining a sidekick, a cabdriver who was famous for stating “When a guy smashes me doiby, dat’s de last straw.”

The end of World War II saw the cancellation of Green Lantern, but the title was revived in 1959 after a successful new Flash paved the way. The new Lantern was Hal Jordan, a cocky pilot, who obtained his ring from a dying Abin Sur. Unlike Alan Scott, Hal Jordan became part of a Green Lantern Corps, an interstellar army of Lanterns governed by the mysterious Guardians of the Universe. Small in stature and blue, the Guardians operated from Oa and would later be credited for creating the Starheart that fueled Alan Scott’s magical lamp. Also unlike Alan Scott, the only weakness in Hal’s ring would be against the color yellow.

Hal Jordan’s greatest foe in his early days was Sinestro. A former Lantern who worked with Abin Sur and helped train Hal Jordan, Sinestro ultimately grew crazed with power. After discovering that Sinestro was ruling a planet through fear, Hal had no choice but to turn him into the Guardians. Stripped of his Green Lantern status, Sinestro retaliated by donning a yellow power ring.

Hal Jordan was a founding member of the Justice League of America and two of his closest friends were the new Flash, Barry Allen and Green Arrow, Oliver Queen. Barry and Hal often teamed up in each other’s comics and it would be Hal that Barry turned to immediately after the apparent death of his wife. The friendship with Ollie, however, would lead Hal on a political road trip in which the liberal Queen and conservative Jordan squabbled over ideologies while encountering the social problems of the late 60s and early 70s.

About the Author

Follow the exploits of rockers DEMON TWEAK and the racing clan HARD DRIVING HEROES, as they battle the evil trickster Loki at http://www.classic-comic-book.com. Also read articles on your favorite classic comic book heroes written by our resident historian VIRGIL THE STORYTELLER.