This article is about Green Lantern, but before we talk about him we need to get some high concept background philosophy ironed out.
America in 1959 is on the verge of breaking the sound barrier in manned flight, going to the moon, designing an orbiting space station and intercontinental ballistic missiles, discovering an array of physics concepts, inventing the modern western movie, science fiction as a genre will solidify and the Silver Age of comic book Superheroes will begin. The imagery of the country is sleek chrome fighter jets and rockets over high deserts, UFO saucers, the promise of an unprecedented age of modern luxury explorational capitalism backed by the most advanced research and development endeavor in aviation or military technologies in the history of ever is on the American horizon and growing ever closer. This is the era that births the pre-war world of FALLOUT, its the world of the show MAD MEN if you require another point of reference. This era is also the mid point of the “Cold War” between the United States and the USSR. Soviet Russia was a competitor on all fronts, most notably in the nuclear arms race and the space race. This is basic school stuff I know but hang with me, the terror of nuclear annihilation triggered by one of these powers was an undercurrent in American society, talk to your boomer relatives about nuclear bomb drills in school. This is that which births Alan Moore’s WATCHMEN of much acclaim. The Silver Age, the Cold War really, is the best era for comic book superheroes. Amazing foundational concepts and characters are completely preponderant in this era, literally every other month a new DC or Marvel character or story you know and love was published throughout the late 50s, 60s, and early 70s. Because many of these characters were inspired by the times they lived in, some have not really aged well, or their stories have not noticeably held up in comparison to the stories being told in this era. The Greatest hero, although maybe not the Best, born of this time is Hal Jordan- The Green Lantern.
Green Lantern is among the most important pieces in the puzzle of understanding Capeshit as an American phenomena imbued with American religious and cultural totemism. A fundamentally national and nationalist project. Captain America sold war bonds and Iron Man sold the Iraq war as you might recall. So what is Green Lantern selling? The answer: American Exceptionalism.
Green Lantern starts with Hal Jordan- I understand he is not the first guy to be called Green Lantern but Alan Scott is a different sort of thing entirely which you will come to understand as entirely divorced from what Green Lanterns from Hal Jordan onward represent. We will address this later on.
Hal Jordan is pretty plainly Chuck Yeager in no small way, he is in the same vein as Luke Skywalker to that effect. Similarly to Luke Skywalker, Hal Jordan possesses essential and innate powers and capabilities that once unlocked and understood and when equipped with the weapon of his destiny, enables that mission for which he was born.
Hal Jordan is a fighter pilot, or test pilot, fighter test pilot, he works at Not Nellis AFB and flies Not “improved” airframes for Not Boeing/USAF until one day he discovers/is crashed by/crashes into or near an alien spacecraft. In that space craft is one of the many pink aliens that will come to haunt him throughout his career, a being named Abin Sur who is a Green Lantern, possesses a strange green ring that upon Abin Sur’s death flies from his finger to Hal Jordan’s and Hal Jordan is made a Green Lantern. (You may note the continuing parallels with Luke Skywalker) What is a Green Lantern you ask?
The Green Lantern Corps is the officially (more or less) recognized and registered peace keeping organization of the wider universe. Members of the Green Lantern Corps act as mediators and agents against various levels of genocidal, piratical, or otherwise villainous elements of galactic society. Green Lanterns receive their edict and authority from the founders of the Green Lantern Corps: The Guardians of Oa.
The Guardians are an eternally ancient group of alien beings who have through their long lives cultivated the wisdom and power necessary to produce and guide Green Lanterns and their rings. The Green Lantern Corps is a mutli-national organization of Peace Keepers armed with the most powerful weapon in the universe. Their enemies are genocidal dictators, warmongers, and pirates. Speaking quite plainly, the Guardians of the Universe are the UN security council, their guarantee of power is a nuclear (or post nuclear more directly) weapon only they possess (the Guardians are therefore American) that they issue to an Air Force pilot who is a maverick- but a damn good dude who can get along with anyone even a giant pink communist alien drill sergeant or his friend the pink secretly fascist ruler of his home planet. More on those pink guys later, they are important in Green Lantern.
Just as the Guardians of the Universe are the UN Security Council, they are also the judges of the American frontier in the late 1800s. Their agents, deputized in pseudo-official capacities and equipped with the greatest personal weapon they can inventory (in the west a Colt Peacemaker, in DC Comics a Power Ring) and sent to patrol their localities and respond to the threats of the wider universe of barbarian aliens therein. Bring them in dead or alive, but defend your own and stick to your principles and your badge. That’s more or less what Green Lanterns are given as the intro crawl I assume. The Guardians are also pseudo-Masonic robed mystic intellectuals, cloistered in their headquarters at the center of the Universe dealing in alchemies and sciences beyond any mortal ken. Later comics establish them as a tribe of engineers working the sacred science of creation. So, Hal Jordan is so far a Fighter Pilot, an Astronaut, an initiated Mason, a US Marshal, and an American most importantly.
The Guardians judgement being imperfect does not end at the occasional bad egg being recruited, there was once a force known as The Manhunters, who for a short time were actually a pretty big deal in the relative scheme of DC Comics, one even had infiltrated the Gods of Olympus posing as Pan. The Manhunters were an emotionless task force of killer robots powered by the same energy source as Green Lantern Rings who had the sole mission of eradicating criminal evil from the universe. This went predictably wrong, and the Manhunters had to be deactivated and destroyed before they could eradicate all life in the Universe. (They did of course get to Sector 666 and Ysmault- now we have Atrocitus.) The Manhunters are a cool concept to me, I like what they represent insofar as the Green Lantern Corps being a system improvement over the course of the “career” of the Guardians as peacekeepers and judges. The Manhunters are also a cool thing to have as a lingering threat if they can take on the form or identities of any species, implanting long term agents only to be activated when some esoteric trigger is met.
It is essential to understand that all Green Lantern rings possess a sort of intelligence that allows them to measure and discriminate an individuals “Will Power”, and the rings- when they are without a wielder- seek a being with the highest amount of output “Will Power” in their vicinity. The higher an individuals Will Power, the higher their maximum output is in a Green Lantern ring- Guy Gardner’s ring famously leaks energy because of his Will Power. Initially the Green Lantern rings have a weakness to Yellow things. This will become important later, also know this is a legacy of Alan Scott-ism. The art of using the Ring effectively is in many modern comics called Ringslinging (Like Gunslinging, like Cowboys, as I have mentioned) and although I don’t recall ever really reading about any characters who were BAD at using the Ring, we know of a few who are really Good at it. Hal Jordan is one of them, another is Thaal Sinestro.
Sinestro is one of the great Capeshit nemesis’, and a personal favorite of mine. Sinestro is initially a Green Lantern like Hal Jordan, he is an aristocrat, refined, calculating, demanding, and stern. But Sinestro and Hal have (other than the fact Hal is the opposite of all those things) one real difference between them: Sinestro uses his Ring to tamp down the free will of the population of his home world and other worlds in his assigned sector of space to achieve order in his neck of the cosmos. Fundamentally, we immediately understand that Sinestro is a Villain, and he and Hal come into conflict. Hal Jordan, being the space cop that he is, believes in order but as an American, not at any cost and especially not at the cost of Freedom. We learn that the Guardians judgement is not perfect (Of course not, the Soviets are on the Security Council after all!) But Sinestro in his time is known as one of the greatest Green Lanterns, a premier Ringslinger and a man not to trifled with.
Hal Jordan must of course defeat Sinestro, free his homeworld, and win the girl (Soranik Natu, but that will come later). Sinestro is exiled to the anti-matter dimension world of Qward, whereon a species called the Weaponers of Qward equip him with a Yellow Power Ring- the Opposite to the Green Power Rings of the Green Lantern Corps who the Evil Qwardians resent for keeping them in the anti-matter dimension for crimes indescribable. With this Yellow Ring, a device custom designed to defeat Green Lantern rings, Sinestro escapes to menace Korugar, the Universe, and Hal Jordan once again. Sinestro, if you are unfamiliar IS Pink Space Hitler. That is what is being communicated so artfully. He has the mustache and everything. He is the Enemy of Freedom.
In addition to Sinestro and the Qwardian Yellow Power Ring, there was the Star Sapphire of Zamaron. The Zamaron are an all female race, later said to be parallel to the Guardians of the Universe (I’m kinda “eh” on that honestly) who possess the Star Sapphire Gem, which once bonded with an individual will carry out the will of the Zamaron- in Carol Ferris’ case it was to destroy her lover Hal Jordan. Star Sapphire goes through Wonder Woman esque trials and tribulations and retcons and insane malarkey in general from writers who don’t know their head from their ass. A firmly mistreated character. But I digress. What is important to know is that the Star Sapphire is of course a gem and not a ring at all at first, it grants supernatural powers somewhat similar to a Green Lanterns and makes its bearer Evil and servile to the will of its foul Misandrist masters in the far reaches of space.
I will take this opportunity, with Sinestro and Star Sapphire all laid out, to talk about the Emotional Spectrum and the many colors of Lantern Rings now populate in the canon. I don’t like the technicolor raincoat of Power Rings. The Green Lantern Ring as a single construct is a weapon to surpass the nuclear bomb issued by (Until Jack Kirby walked across the aisle with the New Gods and 4th world, which we will also get to) the oldest race in the Universe who used the proto-plasmic technology of creation to design the Rings. Sinestro gets his ring from their direct rivals who exist in a hell dimension and have the sole occupation of “Weaponer” as a monker for their entire race. Frankly it gives an aura of myth, of Heaven and Hell and the Jotun and Asgardians. Even the Zamaron fit and make enough sense to me, the Star Sapphire isn’t a Power Ring its a telepathic energy vampire crystal grown by a cult of Misandrist ancient aliens implanted in a human woman who loves an asshole. I can fuck with that.
There are parts of the Krona lore I like (Krona is one of the ancient Guardians who is betrayed but he made the other colors of lantern rings and he has a Thanos gauntlet of power ring energy etc) but I do not like Volthoom (same as krona but hes like an energy dude) I do not like the Black Lantern Corps I think its silly and demeans the entire existential circumstance of the Green Lantern Ring as a profoundly real and solid scientific measuring stick for the human American as the being with the potential to be the greatest in all creation. He has to be opposed by anti-matter universe autocrats and crystal girls. If you live in real life as an American male- these are your actual enemies right now. Green Lantern is for you. And of course with the sowing comes the reaping, and now there is a “Sorrow Lantern” and “White Lanterns” are used an excuse to once again resurrect characters who were resting in fucking peace, Batman gets to be a Yellow Lantern and Flash is a blue lantern and I get these are literally comic book superheroes but this feels like action figure smashing. There was once a story going on, an idea of a narrative and some sort of journey with a start point and destination. Let us never forget that it is imperative to editorial that it be impossible for us to gain our bearings in the DC universe even for a moment. People will I’m sure soyjack point to Blackest Night like that’s supposed to mean jack shit to me. Fuck you guy, I don’t like any of that shit OR Dark Knights of Metal.
To speak on a happier topic, if you haven’t read Green Lantern/Green Arrow by Dennis O’Neal and Neal Adams, you are wrong. O’Neal and Adams are huge liberals and its a great read if you want to be cast mentally into the 1970s academic scene. It is responsible for remaining characterizations for Green Arrow as a liberal progressive on the verge of something more radical, and for Green Lantern as an asshole cop who believes in the system. Flash (Barry Allen) and Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) also have an enduring relationship, their characters having come about around the same time they were fast friends and are one of the better Superhero friendships in comics. I will touch on this briefly here only to say that Green Lantern and Flash are the scions of the Silver Age, the first generation of truly modern heroes (modern in the sense of the perpetuity of Silver Age heroes in the literature still today) and Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) and Flash (Wally West) are the perfect scions of the modern age of Superheroes. (Which is actually the archaeofuturist non-modern futurism of a present day that is simultaneously never arriving and already having passed)
Speaking of that which never comes but has already arrived, Green Lantern and its mythos has become very closely intertwined with the wider “cosmic” understanding of the DC Universe. Krypton must have had a Green Lantern no? They in fact did, it was Tomar-Re (Not a Kryptonian but a neighbor alien) or his mentor I don’t remember which off the top of my head. The Thanagarians don’t like the Green Lanterns and their war with Rann is one of the few conflicts unmediated by a member of the Corps. Green Lanterns cover so much of space that there is even an official designation for Qward (Sector -1) and for the lost homeworld of the Manhunters- Biot. Yet, to me there is a suspiciously large hole in the place of the Green Lantern technology, the role of the Corps, and the Guardians in the DC Universe. What about the 4th World?
Understanding that Jack Kirby wrote the 4th World without the intention that it would become central to literally every event of any size in the DC Comics universe, it is understandable that not everything is connected to it, and in fact I believe generally in a pretty stark degree of separation between heroes that aesthetically and conceptually should “touch” the New Gods and ones that really should not. In my opinion, Green Lantern certainly should, but we will explore this as a headcanon in some time in order to satisfy a greater degree of freedom when we are speaking about it, I dont want this essay to be overtaken by my fanfiction.
Green Lanterns are however represented on the Legion of Superheroes, in Batman Beyond’s future, and in numerous other future-state comics including Justice League 3000 which I thought had some interesting ideas. It makes sense that Green Lantern would be as enduring as the concept of the Superhero in the interior zeitgeist of the DC Comics world, and that any world that has a Batman would also have a Green Lantern. Green Lanterns lack a distinctive role in intermediating Earth-Space confrontations because of the insular nature of alot of Justice League books, where alot of that action happens. Taking a page from Young Justice’s book it is the Green Lantern’s who bring it to the League’s attention they are wanted for wanton murder and destruction during their time in hypnotic servitude under the mental domination of Vandal Savage. More of that whenever possible. It would be fun to watch Hal make a mockery of it when it offends his sensibilities.
Lets talk about Green Lanterns other than Hal Jordan, if only for a moment.
Alan Scott is the Golden Age Green Lantern, possessing a green ring and lantern which allow him magic powers against anything that isnt made of wood. That is his deal. The creators of Alan Scott were directly inspired by Die Niebelungen, the germanic cycle of the Rings. (If only modern writers were so literate.) We can infer then a sort of dynastic transferrence as Alan Scott is the World War 2 Green Lantern, a much more “European” America and American (Not necessarily in purely positive ways) to Hal Jordan who is the Cold War purely American Green Lantern. Where old magic- whose popular conception is born out of european mythology- once certified the Green Lantern’s might, now super-industrial micro-chip AI tech post-nuclear weaponry guarantees the Green Lantern against Evil. I won’t even go into the Green Lantern Ring being vulnerable to “Yellow” in the context of microchips and nuclear armament.
Hal Jordan has a number of successor human Green Lanterns. Guy Gardner, John Stewart, and Kyle Rayner form with Hal Jordan what is called “The Four Horseman” a name they came up with for themselves. Cowboy shit. As I’ve been over. All are interesting characters unto themselves with something going on and I think something to say, but the question sort of hangs ever ominous: Who does succeed Hal Jordan as the premier Green Lantern of Earth? That title doesn’t just mean that you are on the Justice League, it means you are also nominally in a leadership and seniority position with other heroes on Earth, and with the entire cadre of alien Green Lanterns. To me, there is only one answer and that is Kyle Rayner. Kyle’s qualifications start on Earth as he parallels Hal Jordans relationship with Barry Allen by way of his friendship with Wally West. Kyle is also “unlike” the other Green Lanterns as Hal was once “unlike” all the Green Lanterns in the universe. Hal paved the way for humans in the Green Lantern Corps (and one therefore might think in general intergalactic politics but whatever) and Kyle must be the weird artist kid in a club with an Air Force pilot, Black Marine, and Detroit Cop hardhead. Kyle should represent everything positive about the limits of human imagination in a space where their willpower is coalesced and realized as will TO power. Kyle is the most deserving of “stepping up” to Jordan’s place in the circumstance that Jordan dies or retires because Kyle is an actual evolution of Hal Jordan and not just a fun house mirror of Jordan’s parasocial qualities like Guy and John are. Guy has his own merits, his being on Justice League International directly illustrates my point about the Green Lantern as an American UN Enforcer thing explicitly, and the Rocket Red Brigade is a dope concept I love that I think needs more attention in the modern comics. Especially as it relates to the Manhunter technology, you could even get me on board for Cyborg Superman by checking enough of those boxes frankly. John similarly is an interesting exploration of a Green Lantern that cares More about what is going on with Earth than he does space until he gets alien pussy, the opposite of Hal “Captain Kirk” Jordan who is nuking alien tail with zest from day one and frequently is not on Earth for a dozen issues at a time. One begins to understand Carol Ferris’ position on the whole Star Sapphire thing.
I won’t go into explicit details about Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz other than to say that frankly I have yet to be explained what the point of either of those two characters is beyond blatant racial and cultural industry plant regime change work in the comic book zeitgeist. Proof of concept being that in Trumps America they just disappear from published material. You will hear no complaints from me.
To conclude the thrust of this:
Green Lantern is a conjugate of American axioms, a character designed and destined for a cosmic role as Earth and Mankind’s protector. His enemies and stories need to be oriented around that axis. His adventures should concern those responsibilities. His legacy should be of that mythic, gigantic impact. Dissolving those essential qualities in search of a cast of new villains to fight is admirably commercial but plainly illustrates this character is a hundred years old, and might just need an end to his story.
A fun exercise in headcanon writing:
The Guardians of the Universe are members of the race of New Gods of New Genesis, and through some falling out or disagreement were outcast or chose to leave in order to establish their mission. Their technology is directly fourth world in origin, and furthermore the Qwardians were a similarly specific foe aligned with Apokolips who the Guardians banished to the Anti-Matter Dimension. They have labored e’er since to create the Yellow Power Ring, but no Qwardian is ensouled enough to actually wield it- but when Thaal Sinestro is banished there for his betrayal of the Green Lantern Corps principles he is provided it on the grounds he will use it against the Guardians of the Universe. He is most happy to oblige. The Yellow Ring is a small realization of the Anti-Life equation, just a syllable or two of it, and the power it grants is equal to or greater than any single Green Lantern Ring. Hal Jordan of Earth is chosen by Abin Sur’s ring when Abin Sur is murdered by Manhunters while he is on an unofficial mission investigating the gate to the Anti-Matter Dimension in vicinity of Biot, a forbidden region of space to all living things. The reason it is forbidden is because of the secret presence of the Manhunters who themselves are allowed to live by the Guardians so that nothing can come through the gate to the Anti-Matter Universe. Hal’s arc is that he becomes the greatest ringslinger in defeating Sinestro as a Green Lantern and then as a Yellow Lantern, and picks back up Abin Sur’s investigation of the Anti-Matter Universe which leads him to Apokolips which is in a parallel but separate physical space to Sector 666 which houses Biot, where he is narrowly rescued by the New Gods after finding that the powers of Darkseids higher servants are equal to or greater than the power of his ring. New Genesis is in a similar slip space pocket in Sector 2814- his home sector and the home of Earth.
