Metagame.com - Take Your Game to the Next Level

This week, I’m going to begin a difficult path—treading through the vast history of the intergalactic police force that is the Green Lantern Corps. This will be at least a two-part episode, beginning today with an overview of the Corps history, powers, and commitments, and continuing next week with brief bios on some of their central figures and a look at the five main men who have held the title of Green Lantern of Earth.

But before I dive in to that monumental task, I think it’s time to give a little history on the Guardians of the Universe.

“My origin story was meant only to protect the Guardians . . . instead, it has become the greatest crime ever committed, in this or any other universe.”

The Book of Oa contains all of the knowledge of the Guardians and every single thing that every single Green Lantern has ever done. It’s a big book, big and shiny. Inside the Book lies the history of the Guardians—what they were and what they are, what they’ve created, what has failed, and what has succeeded. It is from the Book of Oa itself (on loan from the Oan Public Library) that I bring you this history.

It seems like only yesterday, but it was actually approximately ten billion years ago (how time flies!) that the little blue humanoids who were the Maltusian race (well, they weren’t so little back then . . . ) struck out beyond their normal span of evolution and racial constraint to strive for higher heights, trying to gain a deeper knowledge of the stars, the universe, and all within its nigh-endless boundaries.

Billions of years passed, and through study and contemplation, evolution and knowledge, they cast off the shackles of life’s necessities (such as sleep) and gained vast powers of the mind and body. They became as close to immortal and all-knowing as you can get. They excelled in every subject, from the sciences to the universe itself, save for the one forbidden topic: their own origins.

One Maltusian, Krona, ignored the warnings not to delve deeper into the Maltusian past and strove to discover its secrets. He built a machine that would allow him to see backwards in time to the beginnings of Maltusian history. The consequence of his meddling was that the entire universe split into the Multiverse—infinite dimensions parallel to one another—and a mirroring Anti-Matter Universe that was home to Qward (more on that in a later episode). Krona was punished for his crimes by being reduced to energy and forced to circle the universe for all eternity.*

With immense guilt riding on their shoulders over this catastrophic, nay, cataclysmic interference with the universe (and apparently the shortening of the universe’s life span by about a billion years), the Maltusians decided to use their knowledge for the good of the universe. They wished to protect the entire universe from any further damage. So a group of hardy Maltusians underwent a pilgrimage to the very center of the universe, a planet called Oa. There they became the Guardians of the Universe and came up with the plan for a universe-wide police force. They split the universe into 3,600 sectors and created a race of androids that they called Manhunters. Well, as we saw in last week’s episode, the Manhunter experiment didn’t go so well and the Guardians came to the realization that they could not function as universal gods. They learned that in order to instill the free will necessary to properly police the universe, their police corps would need to be heroic figures—people willing to self-sacrifice for the greater good and people with the willpower necessary to overcome all obstacles in the fight to face down evil and preserve the balance. In other words, they couldn’t create such creatures, but rather had to recruit them; the universe must police itself.

And so was born the Green Lantern Corps, 3,600 emerald warriors each patrolling a different sector (usually the sector that contained their planet of origin). To each Green Lantern was given a Green Lantern Ring and a personal power battery that would connect them directly to the Central Power Battery on Oa. The battery functioned as a channel between the minds and life energies of the Guardians and powered the Lanterns’ personal power batteries, and through them, the rings themselves.

The Rings were created by the Guardians specifically for the Green Lanterns and are devices of construction (rather than destruction, which reflects the tenet of the Guardians and the Corps) with which to protect the universe from evil so that life can flourish unharmed. The constructs created by the Green Lantern Rings are as often used to heal, repair, and aid as they are to battle or raze. Each Ring is fashioned from the Central Power Battery with the bearer specifically in mind. G’Nort wears a band around his paw; Rot Lop Fan, being blind, uses the F Sharp Bell rather than a ring; and Mogo, being a sentient planet, has a planetary Ring. Other Green Lanterns have other forms of “Rings,” as well. Because the Rings are based on mental energy and willpower, the actual form the ring takes is irrelevant, as it merely channels the power through the bearer’s mind. It’s like a virtual reality machine that can be mentally manipulated and is constantly being reprogrammed with updates. This is why willpower is truly the better representation of the Green Lantern powers, as opposed to cosmic, as some people have argued. Superman is a being who derives his powers from a yellow sun, which is truly a cosmic power, much as the Fantastic Four derive their powers from cosmic rays and Galactus’ heralds gain their power through his harnessing of cosmic energy. The Green Lanterns, however, even though they are from the stars, focus their Rings’ power through their minds. They need strength of will and sheer concentration to wield the rings, and those who lack focus and courage or those who submit to fear and despair will lose the concentration necessary to wield the Rings properly. In the Green Lantern mythos taken directly from the comics, the color Green represents will.

The Rings have literally dozens of capabilities that the Lanterns can access, from life support and space travel, to universal translation and vocal access (the Rings can actually speak), to the Guardians’ and Green Lantern Corps’ databanks.

Some Green Lanterns can even project themselves using their mind’s power. Katma Tui has used her Ring to project herself astrally across the galaxies to Oa, for example. Truly, the only limitation on the Rings’ use is the imagination of those who wield them. You could have ten Green Lantern Rings but would gain no more power than you’d have with a single one. And only the Green Lanterns and Guardians can use the Rings, which are, I repeat, powered by the mental and life energies of the Guardians and not by any cosmic form of energy. However, it is important to note that the willpower of the Rings does have some similarity to the cosmic power wielded by the New Gods—those who are in tune with The Source can also use the Rings.

The Green Lantern Rings have a twenty-four hour charge, after which they need to be recharged. There is a built-in low power indicator that causes the Rings to flash on and off like a portable telephone or Discman. While some Green Lanterns accompany the act of Recharging the Ring with a solemn oath, Reciting the Oath is not necessary to recharge them. Each Lantern who does recite an oath tends to do so for different reasons, be it a battle cry, prayer, meditation, or merely for a rush of adrenaline and courage and a reminder of just what it means to be a Green Lantern. Some oaths, such as Hal Jordan’s, have been taken up by other Lanterns as a sign of respect for the oath-speaker’s prowess as a Green Lantern. Some are untranslatable or even unspoken. Hal Jordan’s is the most famous and widely spoken oath:

Finally, each ring was given a weakness, called the Yellow Impurity—the Green Lantern Rings do not function against the color yellow. The Guardians claimed that it was necessary because of the mixture required to create the Rings. It was suspected for a long time that it was actually a safeguard to keep the Lanterns in line in case they rebelled like the Manhunters did . . . and to keep them from the temptation that is inevitable when dealing with absolute power. In Green Lantern: Rebirth, we learned that it was apparently due to Parallax, a psychic entity a la Dark Phoenix that possessed Hal Jordan and drove him insane (see below). The entity was the embodiment of yellow and of fear. In the Green Lantern mythos, just as green signifies will, yellow is the color of fear. In either case, Rings without the impurity are now known to exist.

FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH (inscription on Abin Sur’s tombstone)

The green ring shivers on Tomar-Re’s trembling finger . . . and then lifts free . . . as the assembled members of the Corps hold their breath—each knowing that someday he or she may also have to make this their final act in life!

“I’m a Green Lantern—and I can no more change that than I can the color of my eyes!”

The Green Lantern Corps is a cyclical force; when a Green Lantern dies, he or she either has a pre-selected backup in waiting or searches out a replacement. A Green Lantern’s final act is usually to pass on the mantle and Green Lantern Ring to a worthy successor—good at heart and filled with courage.

There are 3,600 Green Lanterns patrolling the universe, each with his or her own sector to safeguard. Earth’s sector is Sector 2814; it became particularly important in Millennium when we saw the birth of the New Guardians, all from Earth.

In the beginning, each Guardian was charged with choosing a species to become a Green Lantern. Rori Dag of Rujira was the first Green Lantern, chosen as an experiment to ensure that the system would work. He used his ring to overcome obstacles by creating tools and defeating enemies without killing them (or even harming them, if possible). Another legendary Green Lantern is Adam, the only member of his species. Whenever Adam dies, a new Adam is born. Before becoming a Green Lantern, each Adam’s memories and history would be lost when the new Adam came into being and the old one died; the species had no way of retaining its past. The Green Lantern Ring changed that, storing the memories and history of each successive Adam for the next one that comes into being.

The Green Lantern Corps patrolled the universe for billions of years, each member assigned to his or her or its own sector. Then, within the last twenty years or so, all hell broke loose. Here is a very simplified version of events:

After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, of which I’ll go into more detail in future weeks, the Guardians decided to abandon the one Lantern per sector system and grant them more independence. They needed some help to prepare for the Millennium and the coming of the New Guardians. The Guardians and their Zamaron mates were leaving for brighter pastures, and the New Guardians would eventually, supposedly, take their place. Things didn’t work out that way, however. The Guardians left Appa Ali Apsa in charge of the Corps. He was a former Guardian who had decided to save Hal Jordan’s life at the expense of allowing toxic agents to be admitted into the water system on Earth. Because he saved one life at the potential expense of a world, he was tried and stripped of his Guardian powers and immortality. He agreed to come back to the fold and watch over everything in the Guardians’ absence, but he was slowly going insane, which the other Guardians were unaware of. During his “reign,” he disbanded the Corps and had most of their Rings destroyed; he created the Mosaic World on Oa by carving little pieces out of every world he’d ever visited and creating a new world out of them. He also had Sinestro tried and executed. This violated an agreement the Guardians had made with the Zamarons which stated that the Central Power Battery would self-destruct if the Guardians or their charges ever killed a Korugan, which Sinestro was. The Battery went BOOM.

The Guardians returned to the universe and were forced to kill the now-maniacal Apsa. They then restored the Corps and rebuilt the Central Power Battery. Stability returned until Coast City, Hal Jordan’s home city on Earth, was leveled by Mongul and Superman clone/android the Cyborg. “In Darkest Night” never had more meaning. Hal used his ring to rebuild the Emerald City, but he needed more power when his 24-hour charge ran dry. The Guardians refused him, and Hal, already mad with grief, lost it when he thought they were indifferent to the destruction of his hometown.

And so began the Emerald Twilight storyline. Hal charged off to Oa to forcibly take the power he needed, mauling or slaughtering every Green Lantern who tried to stop him and stealing all of their Rings. The Guardians, as a last resort, resurrected Sinestro to face off against Hal, but Hal snapped Sinestro’s neck and then killed Kilowog. Hal then absorbed all the power of the Central Power Battery, destroying it once again. All of the Guardians then committed suicide à la Obi-Wan, transferring their life forces into Ganthet, who would become the last Guardian. Ganthet went to Earth and gave a Green Lantern Ring, made from a shard of Hal’s Ring, to Kyle Rayner, the Last Green Lantern. Hal, meanwhile, called himself Parallax, absorbed the residual entropy left over from the Crisis, and proceeded to try to recreate the universe in his own image. Kyle led a team of heroes to battle against Parallax to stop him and return everything to how it was. They eventually got through to him, and realizing that he could never become a Green Lantern again, Hal absorbed Ganthet, got revenge on the Cyborg, and, at Kyle’s request, destroyed the Sun-Eater (who had snuffed out Sol like a midnight candle) and re-ignited the sun, sacrificing himself in the process.

One of Hal’s final requests was for Kyle to re-launch the Corps. Although Kyle tried to follow through, his attempt ended in failure. There had been no new Green Lanterns until Hal’s recent return in Rebirth, and the Corps’ halls still lie dormant.

I’d like, once a month (or so), to answer questions regarding the comics, continuity, and how they connect to the cards. This is contingent on how much interest there is in that subject, so shoot any questions (or comments or corrections) you may have to:

* Krona would eventually escape from this punishment with the unwitting help of Alan Scott. As well, in Ganthet’s Tale, we find out that it was not actually Krona who caused the split within the universe, but Dawlakispokpok (his Zamaron consort), Thwarcharchura, and their children. By attempting to stop Krona from looking into the past, they caused an entropy leak that was, in fact, responsible. The paradox that this creates is migraine-worthy.

Also known by his screen name Kergillian, Ben Kalman has been involved in the Vs. community since day one. He started the first major player in the online community, the Vs. Listserv, through Yahoo! Groups, and it now boasts well over 1,600 members! For more on the Yahoo! group, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Marvel_DC_TCG.