Geoff Johns on Green Lantern
The Greatest Modern Run in Comics
If there is any character that got me into reading comics beyond the Marvel pond and into DC, then that character is definitely neither Batman nor Superman. That character is Green Lantern (Hal Jordan).
I'm a self confessed Marvel fan-boy, beyond the cartoons I had never had a real taste for the DC side of things until 2007. That year changed my life, as I explored a whole new avenue of mythology within the pages of one book; Green Lantern: Rebirth Issue 1 and 2 (the only two I could find at a Kenyan book store). This was when Hal Jordan returned to the Green Lantern Corps from his duty as Spectre of Vengeance, just after he had gone full blown villain when Coast city (his city) was destroyed.
This guy used to give Aquaman a good reputation.
But it's not the character that really sparked the interest, rather the writer who utilized him. Prior to this Hal Jordan was a relic of the Silver Age of comics, Green Lantern during that period had never been interesting. Post and during-Hal Jordan era we had the likes of Brash and Cocky Guy Gardner who we just wanted to watch being slapped around, Kyle Rayner who began from a controversial moment (Women in Refrigerator) and was molded creatively into a compelling character and finally there was the most visible and first major DC Black superhero in John Stewart.
To this day non-comic fans ask me; why was the movie Green Lantern white? I ask; why was he Ryan Reynolds?
Even then sales dipped, Geoff Johns came into the comic with cancellation on its heels (exaggeration? maybe) and he turned everything over its head. His run defined Green Lantern, it catapulted the character to an iconic role it had enjoyed in the Silver Age and within the Animated DC Universe. More so it did this with a character like Hal Jordan, the character that launched the concept of a human Lantern.
'Skittle' Lanterns
mmmmmm...I think my TV just went out...ooh! Lantern Skittles!
Johns has a huge hand in turning over not only the Lantern mythos but tales weaving through the cosmic side of the DC Universe. His contribution changed our perceptions of the once just boring Guardians of the Universe. His run produced what fans like to cheekily call 'The Skittles Lanterns', with the birth of different Lanterns connected to different emotions.
It was a logical method from which to explain one of the worst tropes in Green Lantern comics; A Green Lanterns weakness to the color yellow. The colors and with them the entities such as Parallax made it scientific in understanding as to why Fear trumps Will, but Lanterns have the Will to conquer their Fears.
Sinestro
The Ultimate Mustache Twirling Villain, cause he can do it literally as well as figuratively
Fear brings us to one part of the spectrum; the Yellow Corps, known fondly as Sinestro Corps. The Corps formed prior to what I consider as Johns peak in his run; Sinestro Corps War. This event established Sinestro as a villain beyond the figurative and literal Mustache Twirling. Instead the villain became more dimensional while increasing in ten fold as a force to be reckoned with in the cosmic side of DC.
One trope that Johns changed was the creation of the buddy cop formula revolving the Lanterns. He changed the rule that each sector would have two lanterns, thus solving the problem of multiple human lanterns that had plagued the Green Lantern comics for decades.
What this did was sub-textually make Sinestro the protagonist as much as Hal himself. In fact these were two law partners with different views and on different sides of the law itself, accordingly Sinestro was the disillusioned rogue veteran where as Hal was the cocky and formerly dismembered cop (two types that don't necessarily fit together in any buddy cop formula). Hal and Sinestro were as similar as they were different.
Eventually Johns would go on to use the post 9/11 authoritarian figure as his template for the slowly becoming erratic Guardians of the Universe. Rulers/bosses that didn't understand the modern world and rather tried purging it in their blindness and corruption, eventually making a hero of the once rogue Sinestro.
In truth all along Sinestro had been the hero of the piece, where as Hal who had always gone against the authorities was still the protagonist in his own right. Sinestro had honor and nobility in his mind when he set up a dictatorship on his planet, yet those intentions didn't turn out right but still his negligence of the Guardians visions showed that he was following one right path at least.
Turning the Guardians villains can be considered a controversial path and their revelation of having trapped their former brothers as well as the First Lantern was probably the last straw for some fans, but Johns had retconned quite a bit of Lantern history prior to this and according to me this final change encompasses his whole run while also making a bit sense and just a genuine master stroke. It fits in this modern world as I have mentioned before.
The one change that needed to occur for this was Sinestro finally turning back into a Green Lantern, a choice I don't agree with completely. Why? The moment that birthed the change was epic (see image below) but it would have fit much more if Sinestro kept himself with Yellow, as by this time Green didn't suit him (in characteristic terms). Not to mention it made Guardians seem a bit stupid when they were emotional enough to excommunicate Hal Jordan, yet logically stated that the Lantern ring choose Sinestro. Even though will had nothing to do with Sinestro's heroics, nor was Mogo (the Lantern planet) alive to direct the ring to a true bearer.
That move kind of dulled the Green Lantern comics for Johns final New 52 phase of the run.
In Blackest Night and In Brightest Day...
The Dead come walking crawling
The Green Lantern Oath has been an omnipresent force through the Green Lantern comics, after all it's the Oath that charges the Lantern battery and gives power to the Green superhero. Johns made the Oath mean something in its entirety.
First came Abin Sur and his findings, during the defining Green Lantern: Secret Origin. Abin Sur discovered a prophecy of a coming Blackest Night and his moment of death coinciding when his ring fails him the most, ironically occurring at that precise moment. This just added a layer to the character of Abin Sur and elevated his status incredibly in the Green Lantern mythos, like never before.
What prophecy is this? Well the Blackest Night prophecy, essentially the darkest day for the Lanterns. Beginning with Abin Sur, to the close minded perceptions of the Guardians regarding the different emotions/lantern colors popping up and finally to Black Hand (a notorious B-Villain) gaining a Black Lantern ring and rising the dead of the DCU.
This provided the conclusion to Johns major trilogy regarding the mythos which began in Rebirth and continued in Sinestro Corps War till Blackest Night event. Johns brought back a horde of old friends/villains to face not only the Green Lantern corps, but other corps and Justice League heroes/villains as well.
An interesting aspect was witnessing different heroes/villains picking up different rings. Moments were defined here that really gave the meaning to what a comic book EVENT is all bout. From Flash (Barry Allen) leading the charge as a hope/blue lantern with a Avarice fueled Lex Luthor to Wonder Woman using the Violet ring and fighting for her love of Batman (Bruce Wayne), who turned out not to be dead (like he was presumed in Final Crisis).
Johns brought closure to the stories he wanted to tell, but he continued to tell stories some may say were dull but I say; we definitely deserved/needed to hear.
The Blackest Night was followed by the Brightest Day. A line wide Green Lantern event that saw Hal, his corps and the once dead heroes celebrate their victory against the darkness. It may have been a stretched and at times unnecessary seeming aftermath but it was one that relished in being about having triumphed evil. It was an indulgence and a celebration.
What followed seemed for the worse, in some ways it was but it concluded on a note that seemed plausible and inevitable.
Rotten
God! I hate these blue aliens
It wasn't a move that irked fans, I'm sure everybody hates the condescending Guardians of the Universe. Their view to purge emotion from themselves and then thinking they can protect the world, without ever acknowledging their own fears or mistakes, I mean please!
It was rather the execution that came into question (at least for me), post-the somewhat underwhelming War of the Lanterns we got the new 52. Here it felt while the story was moving the way Johns wanted too, he was maybe forced or forced himself to turn Sinestro to the Green Lantern Corps as a way to provide attraction to the book. It was a move that would have served better with Sinestro rogue against the Green and his own Yellow, using/getting help from Hal Jordan to understand what the Guardians were up to.
The Guardians on the other hand had a big weapon in the form of; The First Lantern. Another part of GL's terrible slide has been the last two events (event fatigue alert!) especially Wrath of the First Lantern.
Other factors also come into play; with Johns leaving Hal out of focus at times in favor of new Lantern Simon Baz. Geoff resurrected Hal to begin his story, his story should end with Hal (as of right now I have not read the conclusion to Johns run). The poor work put in, in the other Lantern titles also comes into play.
Finally a major point of the slump can be attributed to loss of interest in character. Johns early part of the run was so popular, it finally got us a DC superhero movie that wasn't Batman or Superman. Unfortunately the Green Lantern film was a critical and commercial disaster, thus all the popularity got sucked out of the brilliant comics.
Even then Johns has had a special run, and through this post I would like to personally thank him for giving me an avenue into DC and their wider universe of comics; it's something neither Batman or Superman could even do and that's make a Marvel fan-boy admit that DC has got it when it came to a rich history of comic and superhero lore. So thank you Green Lantern, but of course Thank You Geoff Johns!
In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night. No evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evils might. Beware my power, GREEN LANTERNS LIGHT!
'Nuff Said
Aneesh Raikundalia
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