Green Lantern

"In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight! Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power." With those words, the Green Lantern, one of the world's oldest and most popular comic book superheroes, has gone forth to police the universe since 1940. There have been many different Green Lanterns over the years, and many changes made to the character, but his essential nature as a champion of good remains constant.

Other enduring elements of Green Lantern comic books include his costume, a skintight green jumpsuit with a distinctive symbol on the chest, and his power ring, the source of all his superheroic abilities. Unlike most other comic book heroes, the Green Lantern is not a unique individual but one of many superbeings who make up the "Green Lantern Corps," a unit that patrols the universe rooting out evil.

Over the years, many different men have assumed the role of the Green Lantern. Alan Ladd Scott was the first, or "Golden Age" Green Lantern, making his debut in All-American Comics #16 in April 1940. At first, he battled corrupt politicians and greedy businessmen in fictional Gotham City. With America's entry into World War II (1939–45), however, the Green Lantern joined the fight against America's enemies overseas.

The original Green Lantern comic book series was canceled in 1949, but the character returned ten years later in a new series. This time around, Hal Jordan assumed the role of the Green Lantern. The Hal Jordan character became the most popular and longest-running Green Lantern by a wide margin. Other Green Lanterns have included Guy Gardner, John Stewart, and Kyle Rayner.

In 1970, a new creative team took over Green Lantern and dramatically changed the direction of the series. Artist Neal Adams (1941–) and writer Denny O'Neil (1939–) injected many of the social concerns of the 1970s into the title. Green Lantern thus became one of the first comic book series to address topics like drug addiction and poverty. These landmark issues, which teamed Green Lantern Hal Jordan with Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, are among the most sought after and highly praised comic books of all time.

—Robert E. Schnakenberg

For More Information

Daniels, Les. DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic BookHeroes. Boston: Little, Brown, 1995.

O'Neill, Dennis, Dick Giordano, and Neal Adams. The Green Lantern-Green Arrow Collection. New York: DC Comics, 2000.

Wright, Nicky, and Joe Kubert. The Classic Era of American Comics. New York: Contemporary Books, 2000.