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GREEN LANTERN #1 Comic Book. SPECIAL
RARE AND OUT OF PRINT! THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE COMIC BOOK STARRING JOHN STEWART, THE GREEN LANTERN WHO STARS IN THE ANIMATED JUSTICE LEAGUE TV SHOW.
The bold cover image sums up this story perfectly: the raw power of a Green Lantern is contrasted with an angry crowd demanding an end to racism and apartheid.
John Stewart has given up his power ring, and is on trial for crimes he allegedly committed as Green Lantern. Hal Jordan feels awful because he is the one actually responsible for the deeds in question! Worse, John is extradited to the nation of South Nambia for allegedly stealing from a mine there (also Hal’s fault), and treated poorly by the white law enforcement officers. Apartheid is in full effect there, and being a black man, John’s in deep trouble. The powers-that-be are trying to force him to sign a confession, but John would rather die first. Hal pays a visit to the desolate world of Oa, and after speaking to the lone Guardian still hanging around, he decides to illegally intervene on John’s behalf. John is not happy to see Hal, though, since he’s been incarcerated for Hal’s misdeeds, and he also blames Hal for the death of his wife. Hal returns John’s power ring, and while he refuses to use it at first, John eventually destroys the jail and breaks out after being savagely beaten and lashed by the racist guards. John joins up with black revolutionaries, but unbeknownst to him, some of them use extremely violent means to make their point. This catches the attention of Superman, who tells Hal to fix the problem or else he will. The revolutionaries plan to bomb two new supertankers, and use the unwitting John to threaten South Nambia’s leaders. Hal shows up to stop John, but the rogue Green Lantern beats the shit out of Hal while the revolutionaries kill a few of their enemies in the confusion. When the bombs go off, the two Green Lanterns put their differences aside to save the passengers and bystanders. John realizes that he was in the wrong, and takes off to be alone with his thoughts.
Writer James Owsley (who later changed his name to Christopher Priest) is highly skilled at crafting the same kind of real-world story; he championed it when writing Power Man and Iron Fist for Marvel Comics, and Owsley’s script makes The Green Lantern Special #1 a real standout in series lore.
Tod Smith’s clean art evokes that of Gil Kane, the legendary Silver Age penciler. There’s no super-fancy space battles here, or vast environments to explore. Except for a brief visit to Oa and a chat with Superman in orbit, the action is confined to Earth. Strong contrast is drawn between the rich, white-inhabited areas of South Nambia and the slums where blacks are forced to live, and Smith’s illustrations delineate this perfectly. Characters also great, and are given great development even through the art; the scene where the head prison guard wakes and has breakfast with his family looks bright and cheerful, really making it seem like he’s a decent man. (Even though we soon discover that he’s a racist.)
The Green Lantern Special #1 may have fallen under some fans’ radar, due to it being released at a point in time where a monthly Green Lantern comic did not exist. Still, as one of the rare superhero comics that tackles social issues well, it’s a fine story and worth hunting down.
An EXTREMELY RARE item!
Published by DC comics in 1992.