After seeing “Green Lantern” on the big screen, it’s time to sit down and get to know The Corps a little better. Here’s a good place to start. This post may contain movie and comic book spoilers, so be warned!
Green Lantern Vol. 4 #29-35 It seem like issue #29 is a strange place to start, but is the most recent re-telling of Hal Jordan’s green beginnings. These 6 issues are the basis for the movie, but go much deeper into story of Hal and the Corps. Lots of character you saw in the movie are here, including Hector Hammond, Tom Kalmaku and, of course, Carol Ferris and Sinestro. Written by the man responsible for reviving Green Lantern (among other characters of the past few years) and DC Comics Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, with art by the equally talented Ivan Reis.
Green Lantern Emerald Dawn # 1-6 An earlier and slightly different take on the origin story of Hal Jordan. It is a little more gritty than the more recent telling. There are elements from the movie, but this is before Parallax was introduced to the DC Universe, and also when the Green Lanterns could not control the color yellow. The bad guy is Legion, a sort of mechanical hive of a dead planets consciousness. Written by 1990’s icon Keith Giffen, Gerard Jones and Jim Owsley, with art by M.D. Bright and Romeo Tanghal.
Green Lantern Emerald Dawn II #1-6 The sequel to Emerald Dawn, this mini-series deals with the training of Hal Jordan to become the Green Lantern of Sector 2814. It also introduces Hal and Sinestro, his trainer. Hal begins to discover the ways of the Green Lantern Corp…and the ways of Sinestro. This sets the stage for a very long and rough relationship between these two. It also introduces Guy Gardener, a future Green Lantern. Also written by Keith Giffen and Gerard Jones with art by M.D. Bright and Romeo Tanghal.
Green Lantern Corps: Recharge #1-5 This is a great place to learn about the Green Lantern Corps itself. It follows the selection and training of several new recruits from all corners of the galaxy. Hal Jordan isn’t featured much in this story, but Earth Lanterns Guy Gardener and Kyle Rayner, along with drill sergeant Kilowog. This limited series later turned into the ongoing monthly series by the same name. Written by Geoff Johns and Dave Gibbons and drawn by one of my favorite artists Patrick Gleason.
Plus, here’s a bonus: DC Comics online has a special Green Lantern 101 digital issue to catch you up. It explains the Green Lantern Universe and has a few other cool stories. Also, coming this September, DC Comics is rebooting their entire line of comic books, with all of them starting at issue #1. This will be a great time to jump on board Green Lantern and 51 other DC Comics!
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