Green Lantern Corps

Green Lantern Corps
Green Lantern Corps
	The Green Lantern Corps. Art by Phil Jimenez (penciler and inks), Tom McCraw (colorist)
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Showcase #22 (September 1959)
Created by	John Broome ; Gil Kane
In-story information
Base(s)	Oa; Mogo
Roster
	See: List of Green Lanterns

The Green Lantern Corps is a fictional intergalactic law enforcement agency and superhero team appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the planet Oa. According to DC continuity, the Green Lantern Corps have been in existence for three billion years. Currently operating amongst the 3600 "sectors" of the universe, there are 7204 members (known commonly as Green Lanterns). Each Green Lantern is given a power ring, a weapon granting the use of incredible abilities that are directed by the wearer's own willpower.

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 (1960) 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.

The headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps is on Oa, which has been the planetary citadel of the Guardians of the Universe.^[1]

In other media

Television

The Green Lantern Corps made an appearance in the Duck Dodgers episode "The Green Loontern". Besides Hal Jordan, the featured Green Lantern Corps members are Amanita, Arisia, Boodikka, Breeon, Brokk, Ch'p, Chaselon, Galius Zed, Green Lambkin, Guy Gardner, G'nort, Hannu, John Stewart, Katma Tui, Kilowog, K'ryssma, Larvox, M'Dahna, Medphyll, NautKeLoi, Penelops, Salakk, Stel, Tomar-Re, and Xax. After Duck Dodgers accidentally takes Hal Jordan's uniform from the dry cleaners due to a mix-up, he is teleported to the Corps location by the power ring, where they are in a fight with Sinestro's robots. During the fight, Sinestro kidnaps the entire Green Lantern Corps to act as a power source for a doomsday device. Duck Dodgers manages to save them (more through accident than skill) before giving the uniform back to Hal Jordan and being stranded in Sinestro's hideout as Hal Jordan and the rest of the Corps take their leave.

The Green Lantern Corps appear in series set in the DC animated universe:
- Several Green Lantern Corps members also make cameos in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "In Brightest Day...", which featured Kyle Rayner.
- The Green Lantern Corps appear in the Justice League episodes "In Blackest Night" and "Hearts and Minds".
- The Green Lantern Corps appear in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Return". After Amazo seemingly destroys Oa while on his mission to confront Lex Luthor, the Green Lantern Corps arrive on Earth while pursuing Amazo where they help rescue John Stewart and the defeated Justice League members that were in space. When they confront Amazo after Lex Luthor and Atom reasoned with them, Amazo stated that he actually moved Oa to another dimension as he returns Oa back to its original position.
The Green Lantern Corps appear in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. In the teaser of "Day of the Dark Knight!", the Corps is having lunch in the cafeteria, and force Guy Gardner to clean up his mess. In "The Eyes of Despero!", they fight against Despero, and Hal Jordan hides them in his ring for protection.
The Green Lantern Corps is the primary focus of Green Lantern: The Animated Series, with Hal Jordan and Kilowog as the main cast. Also in the show are "frontier space" members of the corps.
Within the Arrowverse, during the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event, footage from the Green Lantern film was used to establish the existence of the Green Lantern Corps within the universe of Earth-12.
- The series finale of Arrow, titled "Fadeout", ends with main character John Diggle / Spartan approaching what appears to be a Green Lantern ring that has fallen from the sky, suggesting that he will become a Green Lantern. In the eighth season of The Flash, Diggle makes the choice to relinquish the Green Lantern ring to be with his family.

Film

The Green Lantern Corps feature prominently in the Warner Brothers animated film Green Lantern: First Flight. The film follows the origins of Hal Jordan and Sinestro.
The Green Lantern Corps is the focus of a following film, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, which features several stories about various non-Terran Green Lanterns.
The Green Lantern Corps appear in the Green Lantern live-action film. The leader of the Corps is Sinestro, with Abin Sur, Kilowog, and Tomar-Re being central characters.
In Justice League vs. the Fatal Five, Jessica Cruz, Kilowog, and Salaak appear as representatives of the Corps. Holographic depictions of most of the Lantern Corps' human members – Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, John Stewart, and Cruz – also appear as part of a Justice League exhibit in the Legion of Super-Heroes Museum.
The Green Lantern Corps appear in the films set in the DC Extended Universe:
- A character named Carrie Farris appears in the live-action films Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, played by Christina Wren. She is a United States Air Force officer attached to the operations of United States Northern Command and the assistant to General Swanwick. Carrie Farris is a nod and allusion to Carol Ferris.
- Green Lantern Yalan Gur appears in a flashback in the Justice League film. He is seen fighting against Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons but is overpowered and killed by Steppenwolf as his power ring flies off.^[2] Early in production, a deleted scene which was filmed as another post-credits scene depicting Kilowog and Tomar-Re visiting Bruce Wayne / Batman would have further teased Green Lantern Corps; but the scene was scrapped.^[3]
  - In the Snyder cut of the film, Yalan Gur took part in the battle against Darkseid's forces. Darkseid behands Yalan Gur before killing him as his power ring flies off.
- Warner Bros announced a Green Lantern Corps film for 2020, which is currently shelved.
The Red Son incarnation of the Green Lantern Corps appears in Superman: Red Son.
The Green Lantern Corps (Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Arisia Rrab, Arkkis Chummuck, Chaselon, Galius Zed, Green Man, Guy Gardner, Kilowog, Palaqua, and Salaak) appear in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. Jordan is among the heroes decimated by Paradooms (hybrids of the Parademons and Doomsday), while other Lanterns and the Guardians are slaughtered by Darkseid himself on Oa.
The Green Lantern Corps appear in Green Lantern: Beware My Power. Before the film's main events, the Green Lantern Corps are revealed to have been slaughtered by Sinestro and a Parallax-possessed Hal Jordan (the latter had also taken the fallen Lanterns' rings to achieve his full potential). After the Sinestro Corps are defeated, Jordan's successor John Stewart eventually takes Jordan's rings and sends them to their new owners to rebuild the Corps.

Video games

The Green Lantern Corps are featured heavily in the video game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. Hal Jordan appears as a playable character and one of the game's major protagonists; the Guardians appear in the game's Oa based stage, and the rest of the Corps members are mentioned to be trying to contain the universe wide crisis taking place during Story Mode. Additionally, Sonya Blade's in-game ending depicts her becoming the Green Lantern of the Mortal Kombat universe after gaining the ring of a recently deceased Corps member.
In Injustice: Gods Among Us, Kilowog and Atrocitus make cameo appearances. The Corps also appear in Green Lantern's victory pose. At the end of the game, the main universe's Hal Jordan brings the parallel universe's version of himself, who had joined the Sinestro Corps during Year Two, and Sinestro to the remaining Guardians of the Universe at Oa for trial with a Green Lantern at the center of the court.

Miscellaneous

The Green Lantern Corps is featured in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Smallville Season 11 digital comic based on the TV series.

The Green Lantern Corps appear in Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #6.^[4]

Literature

The Green Lantern Corps are reinterpreted as the Avant Guard in The Refrigerator Monologues.^[5]

Writers

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

Writer	Tenure	Issues written
Steve Englehart	Vol. 1 #201–223	1986–1988
Joey Cavalieri	Vol. 1 #224	1988
Dave Gibbons	Vol. 2 #1–6, 10–17	2006–2007
Keith Champagne	Vol. 2 #7–9	2007
Peter Tomasi	Vol. 2 #18–20, 23–47, Vol. 3 #1–20, 0, Annual Vol. 3 #1	2007–2013
Sterling Gates	Vol. 2 #21–22	2008
Van Jensen	Vol. 3 #21–40	2013–2015
Robert Venditti	Vol. 3 #21–40	2013–2015

Bibliography

This listing is for the "core" series or limited series to feature the Green Lantern Corps in their various incarnations over the years:

Tales of the Green Lantern Corps (three-issue miniseries, May–July 1981)
Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #1 (1985)^[6] (first annual issue for Green Lantern (vol. 2) series)
The Green Lantern Corps #201–224 (June 1986 – May 1988) (formerly Green Lantern (vol. 2) series; officially re-titled as The Green Lantern Corps (by cover only from #201–205) with #206 in the comic's legal indicia)
- Annuals #2 (Dec. 1986), #3 (Aug. 1987)
Green Lantern Corps Quarterly #1–8 (Summer, 1992 – Spring, 1994)
Green Lantern: The New Corps (two-issue miniseries, 1999)
Green Lantern Corps: Recharge (five-issue miniseries, November 2005 – March 2006)
Green Lantern Corps (vol. 2) #1 – 63 (August 2006 – August 2011)
Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #1 – 13 (October 2010 – October 2011)
Green Lantern Corps (vol. 3) #1 – 40 (September 2011 – March 2015)

Collected editions