The Many Shades of the Green Lantern(s)

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When I saw Green Lantern in the list of topics for the blog, I jumped as fast as I could to say, “Me! Pick me!” This is my favorite DC franchise because it’s full of sci-fi craziness that I absolutely love, but it can also dip into just about every genre out there. The universe is limitless – and so are the boundaries of the stories you can tell with the concept of space cops.

Another great thing is the sheer variety of heroes who have worn the ring. Hal Jordan is the all-American hero. Guy Gardner is the all-American idiot. John Stewart deserves an article all to himself for how iconic he is (and for having way more material from DC). Then there’s Kyle Rayner, the artist. Jessica Cruz. Simon Baz. And recent stars like Jo Mullein and Tai Pham. And that’s not even touching the awesome supporting cast – allies like Kilowog and villains like Sinestro.

So, okay, it was very hard to choose what to highlight here, but here are my recommendations for new and old Green Lantern fans.

Green Lantern by Geoff Johns

It’s hard to describe just how big this was for Green Lantern without underselling it. Johns turned the title into the prodigal child of DC at the time, both in quality and in sales. It felt like a blockbuster, and to this day it remains a great entry point for many readers (it was my first full DC run too!).

“Rebirth,” sure – but it felt more like a Green Lantern renaissance. For the first time, readers and the market alike saw the potential of the brand at the same moment. It led to an animated series and eventually culminated in the now punchline-status 2011 movie – a very underwhelming offset that pulled the brand back down almost as fast as it had ascended.

Johns is a star-maker of an author. He knows how to retool the appeal of something and present it in a shiny way that feels brand new, yet still rooted in history. It reeks of Top Gun and ’80s action movies. Hal Jordan is basically Tom Cruise – the kind of all-American-made man with unstoppable speed and stubbornness, a bangaloo mix we all kind of love seeing on a Friday night at the movies but won’t admit to. And of course, he gets the girl.

If you like action-forward titles, look no further. What makes this feel so limitless comes down to two things. First, Hal has something to prove – both as a human and as a character. He’d been stuck in villain territory as Parallax since the ’90s, and then as the eternally guilty and cursed figure in his very underrated stint as The Spectre. Johns pulls him out and restores his well-deserved hero status, without letting all that rich character development go to waste.

The second factor is how endlessly expansive it all feels. Once we reach the stars, meet the Corps, and dive into the lore, it’s just pure, epic comics.

It’s so appealing that DC gave the title not one, but two line-wide events: the cleverly plotted Blackest Night and Brightest Day. That alone shows how vital Green Lantern had become to the entire DC Universe. I love those events because everything feels earned. Johns is the Silver Age resuscitator with a plan, and giving him the “let’s bring legacy characters back and put them in the centerfold” idea for an event was pitch-perfect. He even does the same with Barry Allen in The Flash: Rebirth, which eventually culminates in the line-wide Flashpoint. Like I said, star-maker.

Green Lantern is one of only two titles – alongside Grant Morrison’s Batman – to survive the New 52 reboot purge and basically keep doing its thing like nothing ever happened.

Okay, I could go on and on about how big this is and why it should probably top the list of recommendations for newcomers (even if you don’t get the appeal of Green Lantern, this will make you a fan). But I’ll just go ahead and ask you to trust me. It’s a big commitment – but it’s worth it.

Its popularity also makes it kind of evergreen, meaning it’s almost always available in print.

The omnibus line (easily a top 3 DC omnibus recommendation) collects all the goods in a clear, comprehensive way.

The events have their-own omnibuses with Brightest Day Omnibus (2022 Edition) and Blackest Night Omnibus HC (10th Anniversary) with all the tie-ins.

There's also recently-reprinted trade-paperbacks with:

Green Lantern Corps by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason

With great success comes great expansion. Spinning off and running alongside Johns’ main title is this other gem by the awesome duo of Tomasi and Gleason (who also have spectacular runs on both Batman and Superman). Hal Jordan isn’t the only Green Lantern around, so think of this as the proper team book. This is where we get the very funny dynamic between Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, and Kilowog – a couple of my favorites.

What I particularly love about this book is how deeply it explores the concept of Oa as a multicultural precinct. We get to see some very cool aliens being space cops, and come on, that’s just fun. What do you mean a planet is a Green Lantern? I love the idea of things that aren’t supposed to be things becoming actual characters with proper development and emotional stakes.

Tomasi’s charm lies in his blend of heartwarming moments and irresistible character work, while Gleason brings a playful, expressive art style that works perfectly with both emotional panels and ambitious layouts – think those gorgeous farm sunsets from their Superman run, but with space sci-fi vibes.

I think it reads best alongside Johns’ run, but it can absolutely be read on its own since it focuses on a separate set of characters (though still part of the larger narrative being told at the time). It’s collected in two omnibuses:

DC is also releasing this whole period in the Compendium line later this year, this time combining both runs and adding missing material like the Kyle and Guy solo miniseries. I’m sure a lot of us will end up double-dipping on our collections, even if we already have the omnis (ahh, who cares – we only live once!).

Far Sector by N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell

Sometimes a story comes out of nowhere and becomes an instant classic. This is the case with this Gerard Way-curated Young Animal imprint revival. We are introduced to a brand-new Green Lantern, Jo Mullein, who is mid-mission in this boundary-breaking sci-fi murder mystery. Jo is deep into an assignment in an alien metropolis that maintains peace among its three races through a neural law that strips them of the ability to feel emotions. But when a drug that overrides this law hits the streets, it leads to the first murder in centuries. The planet’s ruling council then calls on the Green Lantern planetary police force to solve the case.

Beyond the cool premise, this is a very well-written, complex political chess game that explores the ways fascism disguises itself and the lengths people will go to maintain it. It also shows the disruption required to break it and the effect it has on the individual. The story includes its own languages, races, etymology, and cultural diversity, making it feel like proper, well-done, well-developed sci-fi that isn’t afraid to throw the reader into the machinations with the confidence that everything will tie up in the end.

Part of the reason this works is because it reflects Jo's situation. She's trying to do her job while immersing herself in a totally different culture – including turning off automatic translators for neural subtitles so she can actually hear the language and learn it. It's the kind of detail often assumed and left aside in modern comics, but here it serves as incredibly specific character building.

Jo is the kind of lead who’s given the leeway to be multifaceted, and in return, she offers the reader a much more rewarding experience. She’s a nerd, but that’s not all she is. She wants to do a good job, but she won’t sacrifice everything in her spirit to do it. She can fall in love, she can be tricked, she can play the game – but she can also be distracted by everything around her. These may seem like obvious traits to give a character, but we know that’s not always the case with superheroes. And especially, it’s not something Black women are often given the opportunity to be in this medium.

The good news? Even though this was originally intended as an Elseworlds story, it was so well-received that it’s now canon – and Jo is very much part of the mainline books.

This feels like an Image Comics book, complete with meme-obsessed AIs and morally tormented space carnivore predators trying to live in a society. It’s a very fun and intriguing read that you won’t want to put down – and overall, a strong expansion of the Green Lantern concept into bold, uncharted territory.

Far Sector is available in the Far Sector Trade-Paperback, Far Sector Deluxe Edition Hardcover and Far Sector (DC Compact) digest-size.

Green Lantern / Green Arrow: Hard-Traveling Heroes by Dennis O'Neil with Neal Adams and Mike Grell

If you’ve never heard of this classic, let’s not waste any time. It always feels strange to call something mandatory reading, but this is as close as it gets to truly deserving that label. Maybe if more people pointed it out, we’d be in a different place in the comic-influencer sphere on YouTube and social media.

Everything still debated in big-two publishing today can be traced back to this revolutionary, ahead-of-its-time masterpiece by O’Neil and Adams. They took an obvious team-up – the two green-colored DC leads – and created a daring, politically forward-thinking piece that served as a powerful argument against the Comics Code. It showed how culturally harmful that system was and why it should have been challenged even more.

This doesn’t always get everything right, of course, but it tackles themes like racism, drug use, poverty, and violence – and how all of it connects. This is where we get John Stewart, a true cultural milestone as one of the first Black heroes in the big-two system. It’s also where Speedy (Green Arrow’s version of Robin, to put it simply) has an overdose, reflecting the rising drug use among teenagers in the United States at the time.

This is essential political comics reading if you’ve ever thought superhero comics only “became woke” in the 21st century. Maybe it’s time to expand that narrow view – and finally stop using that godforsaken, vomit-inducing word.

And if you’re worried this will be a heavy or dull read, rest assured: it’s all packaged as a kind of buddy-cop road movie extravaganza. It’s also very funny, with an all-timer dynamic between Hal and Oliver.

This made me decide that comics were going to be my professional goal in whatever capacity. Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams are legends. I’m glad to say I had the chance to meet Neal Adams at CCXP in Brazil a few years ago, before he passed. When my nerdy self was too nervous to remember my credit card password, Mr. Adams just looked at his assistant and let me have my signed Batman prints for free – and even threw in an extra one. It’s something I’ll never forget, and if this article sells even one omnibus, maybe I can begin to repay my debt to his estate.

Green Lantern: Legacy by Minh Le and Andie Tong

Wanted to give a shout-out to this endearing graphic novel for kids, published under the DC Zoom line. I feel like a lot of comics fans write off this and the YA-centered line, but DC has been publishing so many of these early on that ignoring them feels like a mistake.

My earliest memories of superhero comics were exactly these kinds of graphic novels – the ones all the kids would compete for in the school library – and reading this brought that feeling right back.

This one is about young Tai Pham, who inherits the ring from his late grandmother, the former main Earth Lantern in this reality. It’s simple and by the book, but it’s written with such passion for community and for the connection between superhero legacy, cultural inheritance, and belonging.

I wish I had this available as a kid, and I wish nothing more than for kids everywhere to have the space to see themselves in these stories.

You can give this as a gift to a young reader – or get it for yourself (I won’t tell, who cares) – along with Green Lantern: Legacy and its sequel Green Lantern: Alliance.

Green Lantern: Kyle Rayner Written by Ron Marz, Marv Wolfman, and others

Two things can be true at the same time. This Green Lantern period was a refreshing update of the mythos while also sparking a movement around its most glaring narrative conventions.

On the bright side, Kyle Rayner was meant to be a 90s version of Peter Parker – approachable, prone to mistakes and unlucky breaks, and altogether relatable. And this is very much that. What catches you by surprise is how quickly it dives into existential questions about superheroics, becoming more of a psychological character exploration amid all the mandatory 90s punches and bangs.

It works because Kyle is such a blank canvas (pun intended), directly confronting the very baggage that haunted Hal Jordan at the time. It’s not just a reinvention of the franchise – it’s also a reckoning with its past. And Kyle being an artist makes it even more fun, especially when your power is only limited by your imagination.

The tricky thing is, to get there, Marz unfortunately relies on a very conventional comic trope: killing and sidelining the girlfriend as a character step for the male, destined-for-greatness protagonist. Its most infamous scene even gave a name to a movement.

If it reminds you of a major character moment like Gwen Stacy’s death in Amazing Spider-Man, you’re not wrong – this is a reproduction of that same sexist convention. It was later coined as “fridging” by the legendary Gail Simone. I’d also recommend the incredible, eye-opening The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne Valente, with art by Annie Wu.

So yeah, this is a very dual experience read. I’ll say this: check it out. It’s good comics, while also being important comics – though for the wrong reasons. At the very least, I’m sure you’ll fall in love with Kyle Rayner, who’s oddly never been fully expanded into pop culture.

It’s starting to be collected again with Green Lantern: Kyle Rayner Rising Compendium, or you can look for the older trade paperbacks, starting with Green Lantern Kyle Rayner TP Vol 01. The fridging moment happens very early in the run – and after that, it moves on to greater and better things.

Green Lantern by Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp

"Finally, mate. Good to see you again. Total bollocks that you didn’t talk about this last time."

Oh no! We're definitely not doing this again, Morrison.

Quick – before he comes back with another interdimensional dog or something!

I don’t know why this is almost never mentioned, but legend Grant Morrison had a full, modern, and recent run on Green Lantern a few years back. As always, it’s a bold new direction centered on Hal Jordan, focusing on the pure sci-fi space cop aspect – and it’s absolute bonkers madness.

I’m not sure I love love it entirely, but I absolutely love the concept. It remixes Flash Gordon with a full-on 2000AD metal rock vibe, especially thanks to Liam Sharp’s very punk art – the kind you don’t often see these days.

If that calls to you the way articles on Morrison call to me to be extra, then this is a book for you.

It’s divided into two seasons, each with two collected editions, starting with Green Lantern Vol. 1: Intergalactic Lawman HC.

You Want Even More Green Lantern?

Before the DC Absolute initiative, there were the somewhat forgotten Earth One graphic novels – modern-age reimaginings of classic characters in a more “real” setting. The Green Lantern entry is my favorite. It reads like The Martian or Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, with stunning artwork throughout.

Check it out starting with Green Lantern Earth One HC Volume 01

If you wanna get into the current run by Jeremy Adams, you should pick up Green Lantern (2023) TP Vol 01 Back In Action Book Market Xermanico Cover or Green Lantern (2023) TP Vol 01 Back In Action Direct Market Exclusive Ivan Reis Variant Cover. Jeremy Adams brings back the Geoff Johns feeling, including a spinoff for John Stewart and a Green Lantern Corps book (featuring many of the stars I mentioned here).

If you, like me, are a shameless Guy Gardner fan (I get you, Ice!), definitely check out the sitcom-vibe classic – a must-read Justice League International.

The Red Lanterns Omnibus is also a great look into the villain side of Green Lantern lore. Also coming up is the Robert Venditti run, which follows Johns and Tomasi/Gleason after the New 52. It spans two editions that take us all the way into Rebirth (featuring Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz, who I’ve criminally not mentioned yet in this article). You can join me in being excited to check out that period, especially since it’s part of Walt’s Big Books Deals of the month.

That’s it for Green Lantern for now. I’m looking forward to hearing from you readers about any good material I might have missed, so feel free to let me know! (Justice for Jessica Cruz! Please release more Green Lantern collections, DC!!)

Written by Matheus

Hey, I’m Matheus.

I’m a writer and filmmaker from Brazil! If I’m not reading comics you can probably find me trying to see everything that comes out in my local cinema, giving a lecture (again) on Kamala Khan to my boyfriend or, most likely, researching reading orders for characters that I want to read next (I’ll get to you someday Doctor Fate!! I promise, my king).

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