A little over a decade ago, Green Lantern was one of the preeminent characters in all of comic book publishing.
Under the hand of writer Geoff Johns (Green Lantern, Justice League, Aquaman), the characters’ Rebirth miniseries, did what hadn’t been done in a long, long time: make for must-read Green Lantern enjoyment, month in and month out. It energized a fan base, grew it exponentially, and garnered critical accolades in the process.
Over time, and because of that series, the Green Lantern mythos grew as new characters and stories and histories were created – and from a business perspective, the interest in the character of Hal Jordan and his ring-wielding space cop buddies birthed the brightest of “green light” events: a Warner Brothers movie.
That film, unfortunately, couldn’t bottle its own green light magic and failed miserably with critics and fans alike. And the seemingly ever-green pop culture comic book phenomenon,like a camp fire lantern with little butane, kind of fizzled out.
Now that doesn’t mean the popularity of the character diminished in any way. In the intervening years and to this present day, Green Lantern is still a top title at DC Comics, and there are plenty of readers who dive into his (and spin off) cosmic adventures, month after month. But it’s not like there’s the same level of enthusiasm today as there was during story-lines such as the Sinestro Corps War.
No way.
Well, that could very well change today.
The Green Lantern #1
Written By: Grant Morrison
Illustrated By: Liam Sharp
Published By: DC Comics
With the new, monthly The Green Lantern series, superstar writer Grant Morrison (Happy!, Batman, Invisibles, Doom Patrol, Final Crisis) promises to take Hal Jordan to his cosmic roots. Alongside fan-favourite artist, Liam Sharp (Wonder Woman, The Brave and the Bold), planets, aliens, strange lifeforms – and colour! – will be front and center in this series.
The police force of the galaxy, wielding the green power of their rings and their own strength of character, will be seen in an all-new, police style procedural, similar to the types of story beats viewed on weekly television. It’s something that Morrison, in his current role as TV storyteller on Happy! and Brave New World, brings to the comic book template.
The first year of The Green Lantern will play out like the first season of a new television series where every issue (episode) is a standalone story. In and of itself, this is not a new idea. Comic books were built on the one-and-done format and only in the last decade or two have they moved away from that into longer forms of storytelling. That means that readers will enjoy a beginning, middle and end, each and every month. That means that new readers down the road shouldn’t fear missing out on what might have come before. But there are plot threads that will come home to roost later in 2019 – and into a second year of storytelling, if sales allow.
And you can bet they will.
There’s lots of pent up excitement for anything Grant Morrison tackles and even more when it’s Morrison writing a monthly Green Lantern series for the very first time!
Completely Morrison-esque in its telling, the first issue of The Green Lantern goes widescreen as a conspiracy inside the entire Multiverse is afoot, setting off a chain of events that will rock Hal Jordan and the entire DC pantheon of heroes. Meanwhile, there’s a traitor in the heart of the Green Lantern Corps making nefarious plans!
Wield your all-powerful feet and make the run to your local comic book shop today and pick up the star-spanning, brilliantly colourful, and wonderfully sci-fi, The Green Lantern #1. It promises to brighten any of your blackest days or nights!
You can catch a sneak preview of the first issue of The Green Lantern, right here!
