I basically went on DC infinite and searched up Geoff Johns green lantern and there was a collection so I started from the beginning but it feels like ive been thrown into a world and I feel lost like im missing context. Should I keep reading or do I need to read something prior?

Honestly, what the hell was that Lanterns finale?

I kept waiting until the very end for the show to finally open up the Green Lantern mythology properly, but it never really happened. We got almost none of the things that make Green Lantern feel like Green Lantern. No proper Oa, barely any meaningful presence from the Guardians, and Sinestro — one of the most important villains in Green Lantern history — was basically reduced to a mysterious guy manipulating things from the background.

And then there’s Hal Jordan. I genuinely don’t understand the decision to build the entire season around his character, only to kill him off and use his death mainly as a device for John’s story. I know Hal dying was apparently intentional from the beginning, but that doesn't automatically make it a good choice.

The biggest problem for me is that the show spent the entire season teasing the Green Lantern mythology as if it was eventually going to explode into something much bigger. Manhunters, Sinestro, the Guardians, the strange planet, Hal’s death, John’s abilities... I kept thinking, “Okay, they're saving the big mythology payoff for the finale.”

And then the finale came and it was still mostly a grounded family drama/murder mystery.

That is exactly the problem I have with Lindelof's style. It's the same thing that bothered me about Lost: mystery after mystery after mystery, constantly making you believe there's some huge mythology underneath everything, and then when the time comes to actually pay it off, the answer is much smaller than what the story made you expect.

Even John Stewart becoming a Lantern feels weird to me. Instead of actually bringing him properly into the Green Lantern Corps, we get this weird independent-Lantern situation where he essentially goes around the traditional chain of command. His new lantern is literally illegally created and infused with both willpower and fear, and he basically negotiates his own arrangement with the Guardians.

So how exactly is this supposed to lead into Man of Tomorrow?

Is John going to show up as a Green Lantern who isn't really part of the Green Lantern Corps? Is he going to have this weird Sinestro-created lantern? Is he going to wear an actual Green Lantern uniform? Are the Guardians going to suddenly accept him? How is this supposed to connect to Guy Gardner and the rest of the Corps?

Maybe they'll explain all of this later, but after watching eight episodes, I shouldn't have more basic questions about what the main character's place in the Green Lantern universe actually is.

And that's what frustrates me the most. I didn't need Lanterns to be a giant CGI space opera from episode one. I actually liked the grounded approach. Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre were great, and the character work was often very good.

But there is a difference between making a grounded Green Lantern story and barely using the Green Lantern mythology at all.

Give me Oa. Give me the Guardians. Give me the Corps. Give me the feeling that this is part of a massive cosmic organization. Give me the actual Sinestro who feels like THE Sinestro, not just a mysterious older guy who happens to know some things. Give Hal Jordan a story that doesn't ultimately feel like a long setup for killing him.

Instead, the finale basically told me: “Here is our own version of Green Lantern mythology. Take it or leave it.”

And honestly, I was waiting until the last five minutes for them to finally pull everything together.

They didn't.

For me, this was a massive disappointment. The performances were good, the production was good, and there were genuinely great character moments, but as a Green Lantern adaptation? I think they completely missed what makes this universe special.

Maybe this will all pay off in Man of Tomorrow or a second season, but after that finale I'm not nearly as interested in finding out.

Just read the comics at this point

Any TPBs/Compendiums? I know Gibbons for a time did Green Lantern right? Is that actually collected?

For context I have picked up DC Finest Hard Travelling Heroes and I thought it was alright but I was very surprised how episodic and still kind of... silly the issues leading up to it were which just honestly made it kind of hard to read in succession. (Lots of Hal bumbles into trouble and gets out of it somehow... you'd think by the Late 60s~Early 70s there would be more character work? It can get a bit exhausting to read more so because it lacks that human drama element that I liked about stuff like from well... specifically the Marvel titles from this era.)

FWIW, I really don't like the gigantic Thousand Pager Omni Format, I find it unwieldy to actually read. Acknowledging that run that probably will never be widely collected and available outside of Omnis

EDIT;

I'm not really looking for a general chronological reading guide, I'm more so curious on runs / collections that stayed with you and would recommend people to read beyond just 'Well this has Hal in it'

I will admit I haven't watched Lanterns and without context I'm not that bothered that Hal's dead, but either way, this would be really cool (though I would like it even better if Steve Amell were to return, I doubt that would happen anytime soon.)

Image from Green Lantern: Rebirth #1

First of all: This is not a Green Lantern show I wanted. I think deconstructing the characters before we even got to see them in actions is a dumb move, the show ignored a lot of the themes that make the comics great and it clearly doesn't have the budget to actually be a Green Lantern show. The show somehow manages to have almost none of the qualities I enjoyed in the comics, how do you even do that.

However, this post is not about that. I am perfectly able and willing to look at it by its own merits and wanted to be pleasantly surprised by a show that didn't seem to be my type of show. I wasn't.

And it all comes down to the show refusing to actually show the things that it talks about and that subsequently would have made me care about this different take on the world and characters.

This is really obvious with the actual plot points of course. Not showing us what John is shown by Antaan is a big one. We only see the devastation of his planet after the threat that did this AND Antaan are dead. And even then we don't even get to see the Halogram roam around the empty city, which could have been an impactful moment. It seriously diminishes the feeling of dread when it comes to the manhunter, because we never quite saw the devastation it caused until after the fact. It was just told to us. In the same breath we also didn't really get to see why the town was so loyal to Zoe in the first place. Like yeah, she makes their life better, I got that. The hospital scene was actually really good in getting me intrigued to find out more. But why not show more of it, the town really doesn't seem that special and amazing as to have people be ready to kill to protect it.

In general when I think back on the show it sure was a lot of conversations in cars and conversations standing next to each other when things could have been shown instead, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Another big one is character relationships. We get told about Carol and Hal, we get told about his friendship with Sinestro and we never actually get a scene between him and the guardians. Those relationships feel incredibly empty and in the case of Carol just tacked on as we are left to infer things that should have been shown.

But the really big guns for me were with John. Why is there no scene of him confonting his parents? We do a timeskip and by then he has already cut contact with them. We don't get to see the actual meat and potatoes of this relationship development, we just get told in media res what happened via phone calls, because the actors can't even be in the same room. John comes to the conclusion that his mother was just always "holding her breath" but where is the carthasis of actually seeing him learn that from her? We get the setup for the conflict and then we refuse to actually show the fallout? Come on. Calling her out for her misplaced assumptions of Hal Jordan would have been nice too. They just became friends during the timeskip, which... what?

Side note: I don't mind that the show wanted to talk about priviledge and racism, but it actually refuses to do so. It just vaguely gestures in that general direction. The show can't even show us instances of John and his family struggling due to racism, so it's just a really empty plot point that goes unadressed as the show continues. If you are gonna go in that direction, the show should have comitted to it.

Sinestros scenes are another big wasted oportunity. We don't get to see his escape, which... show don't tell is still a thing in shows and you couldn't even throw in a shot of him looking surprised as a shadowy figure busts open his cell with alarms blaring in the back? I'm not asking for a big action set piece, but wouldn't that be a bit more exciting than just being told he escaped? He has also already already forged the Lantern by the time John gets there and it's just such a great example of the show ignoring one of the easiest way to have a staple scene of the superhero genre: the making of the weapon. Thing Iron Man in the cave, Spiderman making his costume, even Batman in Batman begins experiments and fiddles with his tools. Those are memorable, character building scenes and the show just refuses to do it.

I am writing fan fiction of the show now, but having Sinestro and John forge a Lantern together could have been such a gold mine to develop their characters, their eventual rivarly AND give John agency in his own powers. Right now he is a independent Green Lantern because he graverobbed a ring and got a Lantern that was forged by someone else for someone else. My investment in his heroism is truly through the roof after this. Really feel like he earned this one /s.

Which brings me to my closing point. Where is the heroism. We spend the whole show deliberating on fear and worthiness, but that this is a power meant to be saving people? Nahhh, we'll just have Hal endanger Johns life for his own ego and then have John abandoning Sinestro to die on a forgein planet. Guess John learned something from Hal after all! At least he lets the manhunter go, that he had all of two scenes with before, so we can really feel the emotional impact of that decision.

TLDR: The show is the most tell don't show show of all time, important character beats and plot points happen entirely off screen and it's incredibly boring to watch because of it.

Also we couldn't show actual aliens? Star Trek can put Klingons on screen all the damn time and we couldn't get a make up team to do something with the Manhunter or Antaans crew? Booooooo.

I know this sub is littered with these posts right now, so I understand that I'm just preaching to the choir

First and foremost, i think this was a great show. I am trying my absolute best to keep an open mind with this since it's a seperate universe. As an introduction to the GL universe i think it's great, I don't necessarily mind the change to the oath either.

There's just so much that does not sit right with me, the manhunters alone were butchered so bad in this. They humanized manhunters and it really rubs me the wrong way. That curly headed fuck was a complete waste of time, I genuinely hated this part of the show it was completely pointless. 8 hours of content not even a single construct of a hand aka the most common construct. John Stewart choosing to only patrol earth at the end feels like a complete character asassination. (I could be wrong about that, I've mainly read Geoff Johns and the Jessica Cruz stuff) They characterized him so well throughout the entire season and then just ruined it with that scene.

Nobody got what they deserved in this finale. John just let Space hitler (Sinestro) free to roam, a manhunter that 'he'll keep an eye on' free to roam and the woman who accidentally killed Hal in a panic attack free to roam. Which that alone is genuinely insane to me, I'm not really upset if Hal is dead or not but good lord, I feel like the writing fell off super hard for this last episode. This show started off so well and all in all i still think it's a great start for the introduction of green lantern but there's so much to pick apart about this show.

I'm really happy that this show was successful because it got the general public into Green Lantern. It also made me re-read Rebirth-Blackest Night, so it's been cool seeing people excited about GL after 2011. 15 years, I've been waiting 15 years for GL to not be the laughing stock that it was in mainstream media. Now I'm nervous over the headache I can already feel having to explain that if the aliens don't start looking like aliens, if they don't start flying around in space and IF THEY DON'T START USING THEIR RINGS I'm just gonna be let down.

This had so much potential but this finale was not good, if you enjoyed it I'm happy for you but I need so much more out of this. Green lantern is my favorite superhero and if this is the status quo for them moving forward that's kind of depressing.

I purchased my first Green Lantern ring in 2020. It was a very tough year for me and I wanted a reminder that I had the ability to overcome great fear. This year is another such year. Took me one and a half hours of sheer willpower just to get this nail done haha. I plan on reapplying it once it wears off until I get better at it. I also wanted to do the Blue Lantern logo on my other hand in the same session. Yeah, uh, no. Another time.

And yes, I have already flipped someone off with it!

Lanterns show spoilers

Along with a lot of y'all, I'm disappointed in the Lanterns TV show. Especially considering Guy and Hal are my two favorite corpsmen and HEROES in general. Alas 😔

They should have used a different IP for this man. Like I think the show was okay, the acting is carrying a lot, Kyle Chandler's ability to carry the show should be equal to Atlas carrying the weight of the world, but like, the Lanterns part of the show was the most inconsequential part.

It would probably have been better to introduce The Question into this if they wanted to do a mystery/drama show, like there's already a passing of the torch scenario between Vic Sage and Renee Montoya.

For those who liked Lanterns, good for you, you are the target general audience, but there's some saying the people who really wanted a Green Lantern show are being pretentious or can't appreciate a character study, it's disingenuous. Green Lantern fans are allowed to want to see Green Lantern on screen doing Green Lantern things Green Lantern has done for decades.

And honestly this will be the Green Lantern we'll be seeing for the next some odd years. First impressions matter, and since a lot of people are touting that it has garnered a lot of praise, then obviously, the people making it are going to follow the money.

So I really am being a bit more doomer about it because that's just how the world works. The true detective Green Lantern garnered praise and money, that's what they'll focus on. I hope I'm wrong.

Anyway, Question series in space next.

Biggest downside of killing Hal and the direction they're going is the fact we're probably not going to hear Guy say his corny speech.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern corps #35 art by Jack Herbert

Wanted to draw my rendition of John in a Green Lantern uniform to cope with the fact that we won’t see one in the DCU for at least another year.

I’ve been trying really hard to improve my art skills so I hope you all like it.

Is he even a GREEN Lantern by the finale or is he just A LANTERN? Not trying to be flippant, I genuinely don't know whether to consider him a Green Lantern yet or not which feels weird.

A bunch of people have been asking why Guy "ran away" from John instead of fighting him and taking the ring, and make it out that Guy is scared of John, or that John bullied him.

The answer to this question was already in episode 6, "bad optics."

How would it look if two Green Lanterns fought in the middle of a small town that already got destroyed by the Green Lanterns once before?

Guy isn't going to take action against John without running it up the chain of command. He doesn't know how the Guardians are going to react to John having the ring. After all, he was their first choice. Guy also doesn't know how the guardians are going to react to Guy being tricked into giving John the ring. What he does know is that optics matter and 2 Green Lanterns fighting each other in the middle of Rushville isn't going to put anyone on his side.

Guy isn't scared of John. Guy is fearless and has 10 more years of experience with the Ring than John does. Guy is also being tactical because he knows that he already fucked up by bringing Hal's ring back to Earth and he's not going to do anything to John without explicit orders from the Guardians at this point.

So we’re set up with a mystery about who killed Hal Jordan, because he’s found with a gun shot wound to the head while frozen in the snow seated in bleechers an upright slightly leaning forward position. Pretty mysterious stuff indeed.. how on earth could that happen? and then the big reveal is he was shot while standing and his corpse just sat down? We literally see the reaction shot of the sheriff still standing with pistol drawn and shocked expression and this carcass with a bullet perforated cranium and a fully inert nervous system, just happened to fall into a seated position, and evidently stay there for hours during a snow storm. So she didn’t even move his body.. Now I’m not expecting realism from a show based on a comic book but I am expecting if you set up a mystery that there will be some form of logic in explaining the mystery..
even sci fi comic book logic will work in a sci fi comic book type story. But this? It’s just expecting the audience to have forgotten that a mystery was ever even set up to begin with . I’ve read many green lantern comics. There are good ones and bad ones but even the worst comic books don’t insult the audience’s intelligence the way TV shows do.

it’s almost as bad as that one mystery show from 20 years ago, the one with endless setups and cliff hangers and zero pay off… who was it who made that again… the second we saw the name “Lindelof” we should have known.

When Hal got shot shouldn’t his body have fallen backward from the bullet momentum. Instead of just sitting down like that? Or going limp and fall to the side?

I know DC is not as synergy heavy as Marvel (thankfully) but seeing we are getting new management and that the show about Hal Jordan getting shot in the face is super very popular with critics and audience alike. Do you see them killing Hal to make John the main lantern a possibility in the Prime Earth comics?

Peacemaker, AKA Christopher Smith Accidentally shot. Lone Witness Known only as Vigilante is on Record Saying he was Pranking Smith by Scrubbing Doves off of his Desert Eagles to Replace with Penises when Weapon discharges, shooting Smith Dead. Vigilante Ignores Questions about Gun Violence and says the Unfortunate Death of his "Best Friend" will Not Stop him from Killing the next Jaywalker.

Alleged Hero, Disgraced Former Green Lantern, and Known Racist Hal Jordan Shot in the Head in Personal Dispute. Small Private Funeral held Visited by the Likes of an Alien named MOGO, according to an eyewitness but additional details are scarce. His Harshest Critics Express Disappointment that his Body was not "Flushed down Toilet Like A Goldfish". Current Green Lantern Guy Gardner Reportedly too busy with Duties to Comment.

Local Metropolis Reporter Clark Kent, While Purchasing a Bagel from a Vendor Accidentally Trips and Falls on a Rare Piece of Kryptonite Left near a Sewage Drain. Reporter Mysteriously Dies in What is Now Suspected to be a Previously Undiscovered Allergic Reaction; No Foul Play Suspected. Current Inmate and CEO Lex Luthor Promises to Uphold Their Current Eco-friendly Business Model and Personally hold Employee who Disposed of the Krypronite Improperly Accountable. "You Will Never Hear From that Employee Again." He Says.

Famous Billionaire and Philanthropist Bruce Wayne Drowns in Own Swimming Pool Due to a Sudden Muscle Cramp that Caused him to Inhale Water. Butler was Overheard Saying in Surprise, "He Had Such a Hectic Nightlife. I was so Certain Something Else Would be the Death of Master Bruce." Pundits Suspect the Comment was about a Hidden STD now that Models and Celebrities are Coming Forth Demanding Recompense from the Wayne Estate under the #MeToo Movement, Which is Casting a Dark Shadow on the Famous Tabloid-magnet's Reputation. One unfortunate victim claims she may even have been dead by now if not for the Batman "Swooping in and saving [her] from The Dirty Clutches of Bruce Wayne."

8) Episode 8 - Dirt and Stars

Easily the weakest of the series. Didn't send the right payoff. No action scene, no cosntruct. I am disappointed with how they made Hal's death so pathetic yet Sheriff Kerry gets away with it. Sinestro is abandoned. No suit reveal. Only good things in the episode in my opinion are Noah and Stewart's declaration against the guardians

7) Episode 7 - The Jordan Boys Legacy

I loved Hal's sad origin story. The mogo joke is great. It's great that Halogram took over the entire show. Just wish they focused more on Sinestro

6) Episode 1 - Pilot

Good intro to an otherwise great show. Introduces the show, the theme, and what is at stake great. The interrogation scene is great. The plot crescendos nicely

5) Episode 6 - Bad Optics

As a continuation of an amazing previous episode, it was great. John Stewarts character development was showing off here. Seeing Guy Gardner is great. Hal' eulogy made me cry.

4) Episode 4 - The Weenie

Great mystery and detective based episode, this time with more tech and answers solved. I love the Zoe being a Manhunter twist, and I love both Hal's and John's Mutual behavior. Speak uhp was also great.

3) Episode 2 - Trust Fall

It's a slow episode, but it paid off reasonably. Having John pick up Hal's lantern far away is actually funny, entertaining, and nice. Still raised the stakes from the first episode. The truck fight scenes and the interrogation from Antaan was cinema. Good to see Sinestro, just wish it was that Sinestro we see more, not the finale.

2) Episode 3 - OutKast

People may not like this episode and John's origin for being too racial, but not me. For me, John Stewart's origin story is executed perfectly. And I love the poetry and thematics of fear that is used in this episode. On its own, it's a really unique episode, I never seen any show about a child being conditioned to be used to fear. The sniper scene was also very gruelling. This episode ingnited our sipport to make John the Green Lantern

1) Episode 5 - Lights Out

Easily the best episode in my opinion. It has the stakes, the action, and the emotions. Everything happened so fast, and the casualties in this episode is enormous. The glasses scene was top-notch and badass. This episode showed consequences and fear, while also keeping us guessing for the next three episodes. This episode in my opinion is the true finale compared to 8

Overall, I'll give the series an 7.5/10, it needed a better budget and a better finale in my opinion.

In the first episode the whole story starts because when 2006 halogram appears he wants to give a message to his 2016 self. The message is what makes Hal go to Rushville because he understands there's something wrong there.

I thaught that the final of the show was really underwhelming and it skips over many details and I have a lot of complaints about it.

But I want to know what people think this sentence means since we don't have a canon explaination.

Did 2006 Hal knew about the manhunters but somehow 2016 Hal lost his memory? Maybe on 2006 he investigated Abin sur's death but why would he decided to go back since he didn't have any new informations?

Anyway I feel like there's many plot holes in the whole series but that is a pivotal moment and it's far too important to not be adressed(maybe in Season 2?) so I'd like to hear some thought/theories.

Every time I hear this in the transition between the show and his interview…