Green Lantern Corps

Publication history

In 1959, during a revival of the popularity of superhero comics in America, DC Comics' editor Julius Schwartz decided to reinvent the 1940s superhero character Green Lantern as a science fiction hero. Schwartz's new conception of Green Lantern had a different name (Hal Jordan), costume, and origin story, and no connection to the original Green Lantern. Whereas the Green Lantern of the 1940s was a lone vigilante who only had adventures on Earth, the new Green Lantern was but one of a group of interstellar lawmen who all called themselves Green Lanterns. The group is first mentioned in Showcase #22 (1959) when a dying Green Lantern passes on his ring to Hal Jordan. Over the years, writers have introduced a large cast of Green Lanterns in both supporting and starring roles.

Power ring

The first appearance of a power ring was in All-American Comics #16 on July 14, 1940, the flagship title of comic book publisher All-American Publications, which featured the first appearance of Alan Scott. Creator Martin Nodell cited Richard Wagner's opera cycle The Ring of the Nibelung and the sight of a trainman's green railway lantern as inspirations for the combination of a magical ring and lantern. Scott's ring is powered by the Green Flame, a magically empowered flame contained within a metallic alien orb that was found and forged into a lantern and ring by a lampmaker named Chang. Later writers revised this to be a fragment of the Starheart, a mystical object created by the Guardians of the Universe to contain magic.

When the Green Lantern character was reinvented, beginning with the introduction of Hal Jordan, the magic ring concept was replaced with a scientifically based one. The new version of the ring is created by the Guardians of the Universe, who also created the Green Lantern Corps.

Powers and abilities

A weapon of considerable power, the power rings are considered one of the most powerful weapons within the DC Universe, most notably able to generate green energy that can be molded into whatever shape and form the user desires. These "constructs" typically appear as physical objects, as well as protective force fields that enables the user to fly and survive in space.

While powerful, power rings have limitations; Green Lantern rings possess a limited amount of charge and must be periodically recharged. Various devices and abilities can drain the ring of its power against the will of its wearer, or absorb its energy for later use. Furthermore, they were originally unable to affect objects colored yellow, with varying explainations from writers. In early stories, it was because of a necessary design flaw. Gerard Jones revised this, in a story that revealed that the Guardians could change the weakness at will. In Green Lantern: Rebirth, the "yellow impurity" is the result of the fear entity Parallax being imprisoned in the Central Power Battery. The most significant limitation makes only people with exceptional willpower able to use them, making it difficult for average individuals. Power rings originally possessed programming to prevent the wearer from killing sentient beings. This restriction was rescinded by the Guardians to combat the Sinestro Corps, then for the general execution of their duties.

Oaths

All power rings need periodic recharging. When doing so, many Green Lanterns recite an oath while the ring charges. The oath is not required to charge the ring, but is recited to reaffirm commitment to the Green Lantern Corps. While many Green Lanterns create their own oath, the majority use the Corps' official oath as a sign of respect. As additional Corps were introduced into DC continuity, with their own rings, corresponding oaths unique to each Corps were introduced as well.

Other Lantern Corps

While Green Lantern villain Sinestro had his own version of the power ring since 1961, a yellow one that exploited the one color Green Lanterns were ineffective against, in the late 2000s writer Geoff Johns and artist Ethan Van Sciver worked the concept of a spectrum of rings, revolving around the colors of the rainbow as well as a corresponding emotion from which they derive their abilities. The storylines "Sinestro Corps War" and "Blackest Night" introduce the rest of the spectrum, along with its emotions, corps and rings: red (rage), orange (greed), yellow (fear), green (willpower), blue (hope), indigo (compassion), pink (love), black (death), and white (life).

Red / Rage

Atrocitus, a member of the Empire of Tears on the planet Ysmault, forged the first Red Power Battery from the innards of Qull, the being who tells Abin Sur the prophecy of the Blackest Night. Red power rings are powered by rage and charged by the blood of those the user kills.

Red rings replace the user's heart and transform their blood into corrosive plasma. They normally cannot be removed without killing the user.

Orange / Avarice

An orange ring is powered by avarice (greed) and unlike the other Corps, only one living individual can wield the power of the orange light.

The orange ring allows Larfleeze the same abilities as other Corps: flight, aura projection and orange light constructs. As a side effect of wielding the orange light, Larfleeze is burdened with insatiable hunger. The orange light allows Larfleeze to absorb the energy of other power rings and steal the identities of those he kills, transforming them into an Orange Lantern construct. By being in constant contact with his main power battery, Larfleeze has become one with his power source. This allows him to maintain a power level high enough to support an entire Corps of orange constructs even when separated from it.

Yellow / Fear

The first yellow ring is acquired by Sinestro following his banishment to the antimatter universe of Qward. The ring is later obtained by Guy Gardner, who uses it until it is destroyed by Parallax. The Weaponers of Qward later forge two more rings to be used against Kyle Rayner, wielded by Fatality and Nero.

Following his return in the Green Lantern: Rebirth storyline, Sinestro obtains a new yellow ring and founds the Sinestro Corps. Yellow rings are fueled by fear instead of willpower, but function the same as their green counterparts. Members of the Sinestro Corps are chosen for their ability to instill fear in others.

According to Ethan Van Sciver, the ring's symbol is based on ancient carvings made by beings who looked into the gullet of Parallax and survived.

Blue / Hope

As the Sinestro Corps War ends, former Guardian of the Universe Ganthet creates the first blue power ring. Blue rings are fueled by hope and must be near an active Green ring to tap into their full potential. Otherwise, the blue rings are only capable of the abilities of ordinary Green Lantern rings. This is because hope requires willpower to enact it.

While within the proximity of a Green Lantern's ring, a blue ring can heal wounds, neutralize the corrupting effects of a red ring, block the energy-stealing properties of orange rings, drain power from yellow rings, and charge a green ring to twice its maximum power level. Blue rings can also grant precognitive visions to their wielders.

Indigo / Compassion

The Indigo Tribe, wielders of the indigo light of compassion, make their first extended appearance in Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #1 (July 2009). Unlike other Corps, the Indigo Tribe carry carved, lantern-like staves. In Blackest Night #5, it is established that Indigo Tribe members use their staffs instead of power batteries to charge their rings. In addition to being able to store indigo light energy, they can replicate the power of nearby Lanterns.

Like all power rings, indigo rings are capable of the default Corps abilities of flight and protective aura generation. Indigo rings give their users the ability to perceive compassion and force compassion onto those who feel none. Paradoxically, indigo light has the ability to heal individuals with great empathy and to expose people to pain they have inflicted on others. Indigo Rings can teleport their users and others over intergalactic distances. This ability utilizes a great deal of power, so Indigo Tribe members use it sparingly.

Violet / Love

At the conclusion of the Mystery of the Star Sapphire story arc, the Zamarons realize that the power of the Star Sapphire gem is too great for them to control, so they forge a Violet Power Battery and power ring out of the Star Sapphire gem. This allows them to distribute its powers throughout an entire Corps of Star Sapphires.

Violet rings are fueled by the emotion of love. They allow their wearer to fly, generate a protective aura, and create violet light constructs. Violet rings have several unique abilities. They can create crystals which can be used to imprison members of other Lantern Corps, gradually transforming them into Star Sapphires. The rings can also detect when a love is in jeopardy, locate it, and then create a connection to the heart that can be used as a tether. Sapphires are also shown as being able to show others their greatest love. Star Sapphires are able to teleport to escape attackers, while their constructs release disorienting dust when destroyed. Violet rings can restore the recently deceased to life by drawing power from the heart of one that loves them.

Although Violet rings do not have a particular weakness to other colors, they are more susceptible to controlling their user by their own power. Love is one of the two emotions on the far ends of the emotional spectrum, and has a much stronger influence over its user.

Black / Death

Black power rings are fueled by death, instead of light from the emotional spectrum. Black Hand becomes the first Black Lantern after killing his family and committing suicide. The symbol on black rings (a triangle pointing down, with five lines radiating up) is the same symbol used by Hand and his family.

Black rings are wielded by the deceased. In addition to the abilities granted to them by the rings, Black Lanterns retain any superpowers they may have had in life and are capable of regenerating their bodies. Black rings are able to read the emotions of the living as colored auras that correlate to the emotional spectrum.

White / Life

The first white lantern power ring is depicted during the Blackest Night event. The exact capabilities and limitations of white rings are unknown. White rings are also capable of resurrecting the dead. They are also shown "overriding" rings of other colors, turning them white for a period of time.

Gold

In the 2020-21 Legion of Super-Heroes comic series, Gold Lantern (Kala Lour) wields a gold power ring powered by golden light.

Navy

In 1982's Green Lantern #150, the Weaponers of Qward created a corps powered by antimatter. Each member was equipped with a navy-colored uniform and a antimatter power ring that could kill a positive matter being with one hit.

Gray / Sorrow

Introduced during Absolute Power, the Sorrow Lantern is the manifestation of the misery the Emotional Spectrum experienced during Thaaros' attacks. The first Sorrow Lantern is Nathan Broome, Carol Ferris' ex-fiancée, who infused his engagement ring with sadness after Carol abandons him to save Hal Jordan, transforming him into the Sorrow Lantern. As the Sorrow Lantern, Nathan's body constantly emits a gray mist that he can solidify and generate constructs that force sorrow onto others.

Alternate versions

In Superman & Batman: Generations, it is stated that the rings' weakness is only based on what the users believe the rings are vulnerable to; Alan Scott believes that his ring was vulnerable to wood because he was caught off-guard by someone wielding a wooden block the first time he used the ring.

In the Elseworlds storyline JLA: Another Nail, a power ring essentially merges with a Mother Box when Big Barda is chosen as a Green Lantern when the war between New Genesis and Apokolips becomes so intense that the Green Lantern Corps step in. Through its link to the Mother Box, the ring also hosts the consciousness of Mister Miracle.

In the crossover miniseries Star Trek/Green Lantern, various members of the seven Corps are transferred into the new Star Trek timeline when Nekron's latest attack causes Ganthet to initiate the 'Last Light' protocol, transferring the last power rings and living wielders to another universe. After Hal Jordan, Carol Ferris and Saint Walker make contact with the USS Enterprise, along with Doctor Leonard McCoy, Nyota Uhura, and Pavel Chekov being chosen by reserve rings of the Indigo Tribe, Star Sapphires and Blue Lantern Corps respectively, Montgomery Scott's analysis of the rings allows him to create his own version. At the conclusion of the series, Scotty receives permission to put the rings into mass production. In the sequel Star Trek/Green Lantern: Strange Worlds, James T. Kirk obtains a prototype Green Lantern ring.

The Universal Ring appears in Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern. One Universal ring was given Katerina Mar in secret.

In Batman: The Dawnbreaker—part of a series of one-shots looking at darker alternate versions of Batman—when Bruce Wayne was chosen as the Green Lantern immediately after the deaths of his parents, his rage and emotional trauma were so great that he was able to overcome the ring's limitations against using lethal force by nothing more than strength of will. This dark attitude results in him drawing on an unspecified 'void' through his ring, which allows him to overwhelm even a large number of other Green Lanterns and Guardians when they come to confront him over his violation of the rules of Oa.

In Green Lantern: Earth One, the power rings are seen merely as powerful weapons. They do not choose their users, can be used by anyone and do not require the wielder to be capable of great willpower or overcoming fear and do not appear to possess any degree of artificial intelligence or capacity for independent action. No oath is required to charge them. Following the apparent destruction of the Central Power Battery by the Manhunters, the power of the rings was limited, but their full power was unlocked following the recovery of the battery from Oa.

Writers

The following writers have been involved in the ongoing Green Lantern Corps series: